Samael

Gargantuan celestial (fiend), lawful evil

Armor Class 22 (natural armor)

Hit Points 554 (27d20 + 270)

Speed 50 ft., fly 150 ft. (hover), teleport 200 ft.

STR 30 (+10) · DEX 24 (+7) · CON 28 (+9) · INT 26 (+8) · WIS 26 (+8) · CHA 30 (+10)

Saving Throws Dex +14, Con +16, Int +15, Wis +15, Cha +17

Skills Arcana +15, Deception +17, Insight +15, Perception +15, Persuasion +17, Religion +15, Stealth +14

Damage Resistances cold; lightning; necrotic; radiant

Damage Immunities fire, poison

Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, frightened, poisoned

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 25

Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.

Challenge 24 (62,000 XP)

Traits

Shapechanger. Samael can use a bonus action to polymorph into a Medium humanoid, a Huge winged serpent-lion, or back into his true, many-winged form. His statistics are the same in each form.

All-Seeing Eyes. Magic can’t obscure Samael’s vision. He can’t be surprised and has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.

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

Magic Weapons. Samael’s weapon attacks are magical.

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

Supreme Accuser. Whenever a creature that has knowingly committed an evil act within the last 24 hours starts its turn within 120 feet of Samael, it must succeed on a DC 25 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of him until the end of that turn.

Actions

Multiattack. Samael makes three Venomblade attacks and one Burning Eye Beam.

Venomblade. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d10 + 10) slashing damage plus 27 (6d8) poison damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 25 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The poisoned target takes 27 (6d8) necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns and can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Burning Eye Beam. Ranged Spell Attack: +17 to hit, range 300 ft., one target. Hit: 55 (10d10) radiant damage. A creature reduced to 0 hit points by this beam is disintegrated; its body, gear, and non-magical items are turned to ash.

Featherstorm (Recharge 5–6). Samael beats his barbed wings, launching thousands of burning feathers in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw, taking 88 (16d10) fire and piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

Innate Spellcasting. Spell save DC 25, +17 to hit with spell attacks. Samael’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma; he requires no material components.

At will: detect evil and good (PHB, p. 231/261), detect magic (PHB, p. 231/262), fireball (PHB, p. 241/274), suggestion (PHB, p. 279/321)

3/day each: dominate person (PHB, p. 235/266), wall of fire (PHB, p. 285/338), plane shift (self only; PHB, p. 266/305), teleport (PHB, p. 281/331)

1/day each: gate (fiends or celestials only; PHB, p. 244/277), meteor swarm (PHB, p. 259/298), power word kill (PHB, p. 266/306)

Bonus Actions

Samael Stride. Samael teleports up to 200 feet to an unoccupied space he can see.

Reactions

Infernal Counter-Accusation. When a creature Samael can see within 120 feet succeeds on a saving throw, he forces it to reroll the save. The creature must use the new roll.

Legendary Actions

Samael 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. He regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Strike. Samael makes one Venomblade attack.

Eye Ray (Costs 2 Actions). Samael uses Burning Eye Beam.

Wing Flurry (Costs 2 Actions). Samael moves up to half his flying speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Ultimate Judgment (Costs 3 Actions). Samael recharges and immediately uses Featherstorm.

Lore

A fallen archangel who serves as the heavenly accuser and angel of death.

The name Samael literally means “Poisoned Angel”: the root sam denotes poison, while the suffix el marks divine origin. The name mirrors his role as the heavenly executioner who carries out absolute justice. Over the ages, he has traveled the road from a servitor angel to a supreme demon and an independent wellspring of evil.

Samael can assume several shapes. In his angelic form he has eight wings, and his body is studded with countless glowing eyes. These eyes cover him from head to toe, symbolizing his status as the ultimate accuser and prosecutor—no sin can hide from Samael’s gaze. A single look from him can burn or drive a mortal insane. The second, anthropomorphic form serves to seduce and manipulate humans: a handsome, elegant youth with long red hair, pale skin, and crimson eyes, dressed in red garments or armor. The third, demonic form is described as a monstrous serpent with a lion’s head, combining the lion’s fury with the serpent’s cunning. In battle his angelic and demonic aspects may fuse: his wings sprout razor-sharp barbs, and his feathers harden like steel, turning into lethal daggers that drip with infernal fire.

From Demonic Bestiary 5E, p. 90 · Fern Flower Press