Praestigiator

Medium fiend (demon), chaotic evil

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)

Hit Points 165 (22d8 + 66)

Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover), climb 30 ft.

STR 14 (+2) · DEX 22 (+6) · CON 16 (+3) · INT 18 (+4) · WIS 16 (+3) · CHA 20 (+5)

Saving Throws Dex +11, Int +9, Wis +8, Cha +10

Skills Deception +15, Insight +8, Perception +8, Stealth +11

Damage Vulnerabilities radiant

Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical attacks that aren’t silvered

Damage Immunities poison

Condition Immunities poisoned

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 18

Languages Abyssal, Common, telepathy 120 ft.

Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)

Traits

Amorphous Smoke. The praestigiator can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. It can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there; the first time it does so on a turn, that creature takes 5 (1d10) necrotic damage.

Immutable Perception. Magic can’t disguise or hide creatures from the praestigiator’s senses, and it automatically succeeds on saving throws against illusion spells or effects.

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

Innate Spellcasting. The praestigiator’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: invisibility (self only; PHB, p. 254/289), minor illusion (PHB, p. 260/298), silent image (PHB, p. 276/317), thaumaturgy (PHB, p. 282/333)

3/day each: hypnotic pattern (PHB, p. 252/287), major image (PHB, p. 258/295), mirror image (PHB, p. 260/299), phantasmal killer (PHB, p. 265/304)

1/day each: creation (PHB, p. 229/259), mislead (PHB, p. 260/299), plane shift (self only; PHB, p. 266/305)

Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the praestigiator can take the Hide action as a bonus action.

Actions

Multiattack. The praestigiator makes three attacks, only one of which can be a Tail Whip.

Shadow Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (2d8 + 6 plus 3d6) slashing and necrotic damage.

Tail Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (2d6 + 6 plus 3d6) slashing and necrotic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be unable to regain hit points until the start of the praestigiator’s next turn.

Hypnotic Gaze (Recharge 5–6). One creature the praestigiator can see within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed, incapacitated, and have a speed of 0. The target repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success or if it is out of the demon’s line of sight for 1 full round.

Corpse Puppetry (Recharge 6). The praestigiator animates a Medium or smaller humanoid corpse it can see within 30 feet. For 1 hour, the corpse acts on the praestigiator’s initiative as a zombie under the demon’s control. The demon can control only one puppet at a time.

Bonus Actions

Fog Slide. The praestigiator becomes dark vapor until the end of its turn. During this movement it can pass through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. If it ends inside an object, it is shunted to the nearest unoccupied space and takes 5 (1d10) force damage.

Reactions

Illusory Escape. When a creature the praestigiator can see targets it with an attack roll, the demon imposes disadvantage on that roll. If the attack misses, the praestigiator can immediately move up to 30 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

Lore

Demons whose very nature is masterful sensory deceit—imitating divine miracles and weaving subtle illusions to spiritually blind and manipulate humankind.

Praestigiator, from the Latin for “conjurers,” “deceivers,” or “illusion-makers,” is known as a master of optical distortions, a crafter of false marvels, and a manipulator of human perception. His role is to serve dark sorcerers and seduce mortals with deceptive visions. Satan, the “father of lies,” is regarded as the demon’s ultimate ruler, so a praestigiator’s work targets the very idea of truth and faith, while other demons might focus, say, on war or plague.

Being purely spiritual, praestigiators have no fixed biological form, yet they can gather temporary shells from fog, smoke, and moisture—what ancient sorcerers called “the coagulation of darkness.” Their true shape is described as a ragged wound in the dark, packed with eyes and teeth, anthracite-black with a violet shimmer along the edges. The eyes emit a hypnotic glow, and jaws and claws jut from the mass. When forming a humanoid body, the demon sprouts asymmetrical horns, webbed wings, and a whip-like tail that leaves necrotic burns on its victims.

From Demonic Bestiary 5E, p. 86 · Fern Flower Press