Bifrons

Large fiend (fallen angel), lawful evil

Armor Class 18 (natural armor)

Hit Points 189 (18d10 + 90)

Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)

STR 20 (+5) · DEX 16 (+3) · CON 20 (+5) · INT 22 (+6) · WIS 18 (+4) · CHA 17 (+3)

Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +11, Int +12, Wis +9

Skills Arcana +12, History +12, Nature +12, Religion +12, Perception +9, Stealth +8

Damage Resistances cold, necrotic

Damage Immunities poison

Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned

Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19

Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.

Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)

Traits

Angel of Two Faces. Bifrons has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, deafened, or illusion magic.

Magic Resistance. Bifrons has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magic Weapons. Bifrons’s weapon attacks are magical.

Shadow Step. As a bonus action in dim light or darkness, Bifrons can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space he can see that is also in dim light or darkness.

Dead Candles. Four fist-sized, bluish-green motes of ghost-light orbit Bifrons. While he has at least one mote, he sheds dim light in a 20-foot radius. As part of any attack action, he can direct one mote to make a Wisp Bolt (see Actions). A destroyed mote reforms after Bifrons finishes a short or long rest.

Actions

Multiattack. Bifrons makes two Geometer’s Claw attacks. He can replace one attack with directing a Dead Candle to fire a Wisp Bolt.

Geometer’s Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 36 (4d10 + 5 plus 2d8) slashing plus necrotic damage.

Wisp Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +10 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (7d6) lightning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened until the end of its next turn.

Toxic Miasma (Recharge 5–6). Bifrons exhales noxious vapors in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails is also poisoned for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Relocate the Dead (1/day). Bifrons causes up to three humanoid corpses (CR 1/4) within 60 feet to rise as zombies under his control for 1 hour. The zombies take their turns immediately after his in the initiative order. If Bifrons commands no corpses, he can instead shift the position of up to six unattended corpses within 60 feet, swapping any two corpses’ locations instantly; creatures that witnessed the swap must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom (Insight) check or be confused (as the spell) until the end of their next turn.

Wail of Despair (Recharge 6). Each creature of Bifrons’s choice within 60 feet that can hear him must make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 27 (6d8) psychic damage and is stunned until the end of its next turn. On a success, the creature takes half damage and isn’t stunned.

Bonus Actions

Shadow Step. (see traits)

Reactions

Bent Space. When a creature Bifrons can see targets him with an attack, Bifrons warps the angle of the strike. The attacker must roll the attack twice and use the lower result.

Legendary Actions

Bifrons can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn.

Move. Bifrons moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Dead Candle. Bifrons commands one Dead Candle to make a Wisp Bolt attack.

Vanish into Shadow (Costs 2 Actions). Bifrons uses Shadow Step.

Lore

A nocturnal candle demon who moves corpses, lights ghost-fires on graves, and teaches occult sciences.

In the labyrinths of demonology, where every spirit embodies a facet of human fear or forbidden knowledge, Bifrons stands apart. He is described as a “necromancer-geometer,” an entity whose dominion encompasses the motions of the heavens. His name comes from the Latin bifrons—“two-faced,” a clue to his dual nature that defines his functions: at once illuminator and defiler, teacher of sciences and herdsman of ghostly lights in graveyards.

Bifrons is classified as a fallen angel who once rebelled against the heavenly order. Before the revolt he belonged to the angelic choir of Virtues, responsible for miracles and the laws of nature, which explains his exceptional knowledge of herbology, mineralogy, and mathematics. After the fall he retained his learning but twisted its use. In Hell he holds the title of count and earl; his army is made up of spirits that manipulate matter and light.

From Demonic Bestiary 5E, p. 32 · Fern Flower Press