Moloch

Huge fiend (demon), chaotic evil

Armor Class 22 (natural armor)

Hit Points 522 (36d12 + 288)

Speed 40 ft., burrow 40 ft., climb 40 ft.

STR 30 (+10) · DEX 10 (+0) · CON 26 (+8) · INT 22 (+6) · WIS 21 (+5) · CHA 26 (+8)

Saving Throws Str +18, Dex +8, Con +16, Int +14, Wis +13, Cha +16

Skills Arcana +14, Intimidation +16, Perception +13

Damage Vulnerabilities cold

Damage Resistances acid; lightning; thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Damage Immunities fire, necrotic, poison

Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 23

Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.

Challenge 26 (90,000 XP)

Traits

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Moloch fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

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

Magic Weapons. Moloch’s weapon attacks are magical.

Heated Body. A creature that touches Moloch or hits him with a melee attack while within 5 feet of him takes 14 (4d6) fire damage.

Ashen Aura. The area within 30 feet of Moloch is lightly obscured by drifting ash. A creature that starts its turn in the aura must succeed on a DC 24 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn.

Seismic Stride. When Moloch moves at least 10 feet on his turn, each creature touching the ground within 10 feet of him at the end of that movement must make a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.

Furnace Belly. Moloch can have up to two Medium or smaller creatures, or one Large creature, swallowed at a time. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, has total cover from attacks outside Moloch, and takes 35 (10d6) fire plus 21 (6d6) necrotic damage at the start of each of Moloch’s turns. If Moloch takes 60 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside him, he must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone within 10 feet of him. If Moloch dies, any swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape from his corpse using 15 feet of movement, exiting prone.

Actions

Multiattack. Moloch makes three attacks: two with Heated Horns or Fist and one Stoke Furnace (if a creature is grappled), or three attacks total (any combination of Heated Horns and Fist).

Heated Horns. Melee Weapon Attack: +18 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 37 (2d12 + 10 piercing plus 4d6 fire) damage. The target must succeed on a DC 26 Strength saving throw or be pushed 20 feet away and knocked prone.

Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +18 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 31 (4d8 + 10 bludgeoning) plus 14 (4d6) fire damage. If the target is Large or smaller, Moloch can grapple it (escape DC 26). Until the grapple ends, the creature is restrained.

Stoke Furnace. Melee Weapon Attack: +18 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature grappled by Moloch. Hit: The target is shoved into Moloch’s belly and swallowed (see Furnace Belly).

Firestorm Breath (Recharge 5–6). Moloch exhales hellfire in a 120-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw, taking 91 (26d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Flammable objects in the area that aren’t being worn or carried ignite.

Ash and Sulfur Cloud (Recharge 5–6). Moloch exhales burning ash in a 60-foot-radius sphere centered on himself. The sphere spreads around corners and lasts until the end of Moloch’s next turn. The area is heavily obscured. Each creature that enters the cloud or starts its turn there must make a DC 24 Constitution saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. A creature that fails the save is blinded until the cloud ends. A moderate wind (at least 10 mph) disperses the cloud after 1 round.

Bonus Actions

Grasp. Moloch attempts to grapple one Large or smaller creature he hit with a Fist attack this turn (escape DC 26).

Infernal Step (Recharge 4–6). Moloch teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space he can see, leaving behind a burst of flame. Each creature within 10 feet of the space he left must make a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.

Reactions

Molten Retaliation. When Moloch is hit by a melee attack, magma spurts from the wound. The attacker must succeed on a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (4d6) fire damage and be blinded until the end of its next turn.

Legendary Actions

Moloch can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Moloch regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Attack. Moloch makes one Fist or Heated Horns attack.

Tremor (Costs 2 Actions). Moloch slams the ground, creating a 30-foot-radius earthquake centered on himself. Creatures on the ground in that area must succeed on a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or take 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage and fall prone. Structures in the area take double damage.

Furnace Flare (Costs 3 Actions). Moloch vents the flames within his belly. Each creature within 20 feet of him must make a DC 24 Constitution saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. A creature that fails the save is also pushed 10 feet away from Moloch.

Lore

A red-hot bull-headed idol that incinerates child sacrifices inside its metal body.

The demon Moloch is known in ancient history by many names: Moloch, Molech, Molek. Medieval demonology grants Moloch the title Prince of the Land of Tears; in turn, John Milton in Paradise Lost (1667) describes the demon as the greatest warrior of the rebellion, drenched in the tears of mothers. In modern culture the name “Moloch” has become a metaphor for ruthless systems that demand human sacrifice.

Legends depict Moloch as a huge anthropomorphic statue of tarnished bronze. His body takes the form of a massive, hyper-muscular humanoid with an unnaturally swollen, barrel-shaped belly. This belly is not a digestive reservoir in the biological sense; it is a hollow furnace, within which infernal flames rage eternally. The creature’s head is that of a ferocious bull, crowned with a heavy royal diadem inlaid with gemstones. Moloch’s eyes lack pupils; they are two deep sockets from which a blinding, pulsing light of molten core pours forth. Colossal horns, curving upward and forward, glow white-hot and can pierce fortress walls. From the monster’s nostrils, with every exhalation, billow clouds of dense black ash and sulfurous gas, poisoning the air for dozens of feet around him. Of particular note are his upper limbs—arms disproportionately long relative to his body. With them the demon seizes his victims and places them into his furnace, from which escape is impossible. The atmosphere of the scene is utterly horrific.

From Demonic Bestiary 5E, p. 72 · Fern Flower Press