Disintegrate. When Asmodeus drops to 0 hit points or dies, his body is destroyed but his essence travels back to his domain in the Nine Hells, and he is unable to take physical form for a time.
Infernal Authority. When a creature starts its turn within line of sight of Asmodeus, he can force it to make a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw. If the saving throw fails by 10 or more, the creature comes under Asmodeus's control, as if having the dominate monster spell cast on them. If the creature succeeds the saving throw, it is immune to Asmodeus's Infernal Authority for the next 24 hours.
Legendary Resistance (5/Day). If Asmodeus fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Rage of Baator. If Asmodeus would be reduced to 0 hit points while in Nessus (the ninth layer of the Nine Hells), his current hit point total instead resets to 500 hit points, he recharges his Energy Beams, and he regains any expended uses of Legendary Resistance. Additionally, Asmodeus can now use the options in the “Mythic Actions” section for 1 hour. Award a party an additional 155,000 XP (310,000 XP total) for defeating Asmodeus after his Rage of Baator activates.
Death Nova. When Asmodeus drops to 0 hit points or dies after Rage of Baator while in Nessus, he explodes in a ball of fire. Each creature within 80 feet of him must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 84 (8d20) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the target is a creature or a flammable object, it ignites. Until a creature takes an action to douse the fire, the target takes 3 (1d6) fire damage at the end of each of its turns.
Spell Absorption. If Asmodeus is targeted by spells of 6th level or lower, he absorbs the spells into the Ruby Rod and regains 2d12 hit points, unless he wishes to be affected. He has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects.
Multiattack. Asmodeus makes one Fist attack, one Ruby Rod attack, and one Stomp attack.
Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d10 + 10) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 23) and is restrained until this grapple ends. Asmodeus can have only one creature grappled this way at a time.
Ruby Rod. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d8 + 9) bludgeoning damage plus 16 (3d10) necrotic damage.
Stomp. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (2d12 + 10) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 23 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Energy Beams (Recharge 5-6). Asmodeus points the Ruby Rod at three creatures of his choosing within 120 feet of him. Each creature must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 78 (12d12) damage of a type of Asmodeus's choosing: acid, cold, or lightning. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage. He can't target the same creature twice and can only choose one damage type per creature.
Summon Devil (1/day). While holding the Ruby Rod, Asmodeus chooses four unoccupied points on the ground within 60 feet of him. Two pit fiends and two erinyes magically rise up from those points and obey his commands until they are destroyed or until he dismisses them as an action.
Spellcasting. Asmodeus casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 27, +19 to hit with spell attacks):
At will: animate dead, detect magic, lesser restoration, locate object, major image, plane shift, suggestion
3/day each: blight, charm monster, locate creature, geas, mass suggestion, wall of ice
1/day each: dominate monster, power word heal, power word kill, power word pain, power word stun, project image, meteor swarm, resurrection, symbol, teleport, true resurrection
Ruby Rod Spellcasting. While holding the Ruby Rod, Asmodeus casts one of the following spells, some of which require charges; the rod has 9 charges to fuel these spells, and it regains 1d6 + 3 charges daily at dawn.
At will: dispel magic, fireball
3 charges: wall of force
4 charges each: antimagic field, regenerate
Teleport. As a bonus action, Asmodeus magically teleports, along with any equipment he is wearing and carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space he can see.
Law of Evil (5/day). When a creature within 120 feet of Asmodeus makes an attack roll, he can force them to reroll and take the lowest number.
Asmodeus 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. Asmodeus regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Attack. Asmodeus makes one Ruby Rod or Stomp attack.
Teleport. Asmodeus uses Teleport.
Toxic Claws (Costs 2 Actions). Asmodeus makes one attack with his claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage. If the attack hits a creature, the target must succeed on a DC 24 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until the end of its next turn.
If Asmodeus's Rage of Baator trait has activated in the last hour, he can use the options below as legendary actions.
Stygian Gaze (Costs 2 Actions). Asmodeus targets a creature he can see within 120 feet of him and forces it to make a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or be affected by the fear and slow spells. Asmodeus doesn't need to concentrate on the spells. A creature affected by these spells makes another Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, the effects end for it.
Eschaton (Costs 3 Actions). The gargantuan serpent head of Asmodeus's true form appears briefly and targets the last creature that made a successful attack roll against his Avatar. The creature must succeed on a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed by the true form and carried to the deepest regions of the Nine Hells.
While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the true form, and it takes 70 (20d6) acid damage at the start of each of Asmodeus's turns.
If the true form takes 65 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the true form must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which appear prone in an unoccupied space within 10 feet of the Avatar. If Asmodeus dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and appears at the closest unoccupied space from when it was swallowed.
The true form shares the same ability scores as the Avatar.
Description
Asmodeus's true form was that of a scaled serpent hundreds of miles long, his acid-black blood, a substance beyond foul, exuding from eons-old wounds. His form's sheer size made it impossible for him to meet and enter into conversations with others, and so he created humanoid-looking avatars. He never showed himself except through avatars or highly advanced project image spells, both in humanoid forms.
An avatar of Asmodeus was handsome, charismatic, and captivating on the surface, appearing as a slim, red-skinned humanoid over 13 feet tall with a horned head, glowing red eyes, and a perfectly trimmed beard. He wore red and black clothing valuable enough to cover the annual spending of any nation, but underneath these expensive garments his body was wracked with bleeding injuries he was seemingly unconcerned by.
Asmodeus had been varyingly described as having no need for worship and desperately craving true divinity. He simultaneously desired the souls of mortals and maintained a following among them, yet rarely tempted them himself, knowing they would come to him.
Asmodeus had followers of practically every race and influenced all levels of society even within the greatest bastions of good. Asmodeus's clerics aspired for wealth, prestige, and most of all, power, and most cultists used his organization as a stepping stone to these goals.
Lair and Lair Actions
Asmodeus's Lair
Asmodeus makes his lair in the fortress city of Malsheem, which is on Nessus, the layer of the Nine Hells which Asmodeus rules. Constructed with Baatorian green steel in the form of a colossal stalagmite, Malsheem is of incomprehensible size. The city is filled with millions upon millions of screaming devils and sits within a bottomless crevasse in the middle of Nessus. At the peak of this city-spire sits the scheming Lord of Baator himself, Asmodeus.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Asmodeus can take one of the following lair actions; he can’t take the same lair action two rounds in a row:
Lord's Command. Asmodeus utters an enticing command that echoes throughout the minds of all who hear it. Each creature that hears his command is subjected to antipathy/sympathy.
Contracted Souls. Asmodeus causes the screaming souls he has damned to manifest at a point he can see to fill a 30-foot-radius sphere. They last until the next initiative count 20. Each creature in that area when the souls appear must succeed on a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the souls disappear or until Asmodeus releases them (no action required).
Reign of Fire. Asmodeus casts fire storm.
Regional Effects
The region containing Asmodeus’s lair is warped by his magic, creating one or more of the following effects:
Scorched World. The air is hot and difficult to breathe in and there is no water to be found on this plane. Jagged rocks on the ground make traversing this plane harsh and painful. If a creature travels for more than five hours without resting, it gains one point of exhaustion.
Meteors. It is not uncommon to see meteors racing against the black and red sky. Every 100 feet within 9 miles of the lair, but no closer than 1,000 feet, a small meteor strikes the ground. Each creature within 20 feet of the impact must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) fire damage and 7 (2d6) force damage.
World of Lies. Within 6 miles of the lair, all Charisma (Persuasion) and Wisdom (Insight) checks have disadvantage, and all Charisma (Deception) and Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks have advantage.
If Asmodeus dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
Cultists of Asmodeus
Asmodeus lays claim to the largest and most devoted followers of any evil creature in the multiverse. All his devotees gain the Power Hungry trait below. He grants his rank-and-file followers the Wolves in Sheep's Skin trait, and cult leaders gain the Hell Bound trait.
Power Hungry. This creature has advantage on Charisma (Persuasion, Deception, and Intimidation) checks.
Wolves in Sheep's Skin (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). As a bonus action, this creature can cast the alter self spell a number of times equal to its CR rating. In addition, this creature can't be fooled by illusions.
Hell Bound. This creature is immune to the charmed condition and can add 7 (2d6) fire damage to one of its attacks each round.
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