Cerberus

Huge fiend, Lawful Evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 142 (15d12 + 45)

Speed 40 ft.

STR 18 (+4) · DEX 14 (+2) · CON 16 (+3) · INT 6 (−2) · WIS 14 (+2) · CHA 8 (−1)

Skills Athletics +7, Perception +8

Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 18

Languages Understands Abyssal and Infernal but can't speak

Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Traits

Multiple Heads. Cerberus has three heads. He has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, and Stunned.

Mythic Flaws. Cerberus possesses three ancient weaknesses.

Music Susceptibility: If Cerberus hears a creature playing a musical instrument within 60 feet of him, he must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, he falls Unconscious for 1 minute or until he takes damage.

Gluttony: A creature can use an action to throw a sweet treat (such as a honey cake) into Cerberus's space. He must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or spend his next turn consuming the treat, losing his Actions and Bonus Actions for that turn.

Sunlight Hypersensitivity. Cerberus takes 10 Radiant damage when he starts his turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, he has Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

Actions

Multiattack. Cerberus makes three attacks: two with his Bite and one with his Serpentine Tail. He can replace one Bite attack with his Poisonous Spit.

Bite. Melee Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) Piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) Poison damage, and the target is Prone.

Serpentine Tail. Melee Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) Piercing damage, and the target is Poisoned until the end of Cerberus's next turn.

Poisonous Spit. Ranged Attack: +7 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) Poison damage, and the target is Poisoned until the end of Cerberus's next turn.

Deafening Bark (Recharge 5–6). Cerberus unleashes a terrifying, reverberating howl from all three heads. Each creature within 30 feet of Cerberus must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 22 (4d10) Thunder damage and is Stunned until the end of Cerberus's next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not Stunned.

Reactions

Fierce Guardian. When a creature moves out of Cerberus's reach or attempts to move through his space, he can make one Bite attack against that creature. If the attack hits, the creature's Speed is reduced to 0 until the end of the current turn.

According to legend, Cerberus once emerged from the underworld, and wherever his saliva landed, aconite flowers sprang up.

Lore

Long ago, in an ancient kingdom, a king and queen had three daughters. The youngest, Psyche—her name means “soul” in Greek—was so breathtakingly beautiful that people began to worship her, forgetting Venus (Aphrodite) herself, the goddess of love and beauty.

Outraged, Venus flew into a fury. She summoned her son, Cupid (Eros), the winged god of love, and ordered him to punish the upstart: shoot her with an arrow so she’d fall hopelessly in love with the ugliest, most wretched creature on earth. But the moment Cupid saw Psyche, he was so struck by her beauty that he pricked himself with his own arrow and fell passionately in love with her.

From The Fairy Tale Compendium · Fern Flower Press