Enigmatic. Without Balam's permission, no spell, magical item, or feature can observe him remotely or detect his thoughts, creature type, or alignment.
Fiendish Regeneration. Balam regains 20 hit points at the start of his turn. If he takes radiant damage this trait doesn't function at the start of his next turn. Balam only dies if he starts his turn with 0 hit points and is unable to regenerate.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Balam fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Balam has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Manipulator. Illusion and enchantment spells cast by Balam do not require verbal or somatic components. Additionally, Balam's spells and actions ignore immunities to the charmed or frightened conditions.
Multiattack. Balam uses Black Eyes, then makes two Ethereal Lash or Magic Rod attacks.
Ethereal Lash. Ranged Spell Attack: +18 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (5d4) force damage plus 9 (2d8) psychic damage. Psychic damage dealt by this attack is doubled against a charmed or frightened target.
Magic Rod +3. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 30 (4d8 + 12) force damage.
Black Eyes. Balam turns his gaze toward one creature he can see within 120 feet of him. The target must succeed on a DC 23 Charisma saving throw or suffer one of the following effects of Balam's choice:
- Eyes of Agony. The target is assailed by a moment of overwhelming pain, taking 10 (3d6) psychic damage and collapsing prone. If the target was concentrating on a spell, its concentration is broken.
- Eyes of Horror. The target is frightened of Balam until the end of their next turn. The target must take the Dash action and move away from him by the safest route available.
- Eyes of Temptation. The target is charmed by Balam until the end of their next turn. Balam chooses how the target uses its action, reaction, and movement. This condition ends if Balam or his allies attack the target.
Aberrant Flaying (Recharge 5–6). Channelling the power of the ancient Baatorians, Balam produces a mass of writhing tentacles from his body and lashes at one creature he can see within 5 feet of him. The target must succeed a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or take 50 (6d6 + 29) force damage and, if the target is a Large or smaller creature, it has the grappled condition (escape DC 24). While grappled, the creature also has the restrained condition, and Balam can't make Aberrant Flaying attacks. A target who succeeds the initial save takes half damage only. While Balam is grappling a creature in this way, he can only move by teleportation if he is able, teleporting the grappled creature with him. Balam can use his Bonus Action to release a creature he is grappling.
Spellcasting. Balam casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 26):
- At will: Alter Self (can become Medium when changing his appearance), Detect Magic, Detect Thoughts, Dispel Magic, Invisibility, Lesser Restoration, Synaptic Static
- 3/day each: Maddening Darkness, Mass Cure Wounds, Mass Suggestion, Mental Prison, Modify Memory, Wall of Force
- 1/day each: Feeblemind, Power Word Heal, Power Word Kill, Symbol
Draining Grip. While Balam is grappling a creature, if the creature is not an undead or construct, he drains its life essence and causes it to take 20 (8d4) necrotic damage; Balam then regains hit points equal to the damage dealt. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken, this reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0.
Warping Displacement. Balam teleports, along with any equipment he is wearing or carrying, to an unoccupied space he can see that is between 30 feet and 60 feet of his current location. Creatures who are either within 10 feet of the space he left, or within 10 feet of his destination space, take 10 (4d4) force damage, and, if they are Large or smaller, must make a DC 21 Strength saving throw. A creature failing the save within 10 feet of the space Balam left is pulled straight toward his original location, ending in an unoccupied space as close to his former space as possible; meanwhile, a creature failing the save within 10 feet of his destination space is pushed up to 10 feet straight away from him and falls prone. A creature succeeding the save remains unmoved.
Brain Freeze (3/Day). Balam casts Silvery Barbs in response to the spell's trigger, using the same spellcasting ability as Spellcasting. If the creature that triggered the spell fails their d20 check as a result, that creature takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage and 5 (1d10) cold damage.
Legendary Action Uses: 3. Immediately after another creature's turn, Balam can expend a use to take one of the following actions. Balam regains all expended uses at the start of each of their turns.
Teleport. Balam uses Warping Displacement.
Cast a Spell (Costs 2 Actions). Balam uses Spellcasting.
Call Underling (Costs 3 Actions). Balam summons an allied ice devil in an unoccupied space that he can see.
Description
Balam, is an archdevil and the lord of Stygia, the fifth layer of the Nine Hells. An Amnizu who usurped his way to his position with his legendary betrayal of the previous archdevil, Levistus.
Arrogant and condescending, he holds similar characteristics as with the many other Styx Devils in Stygia, his vain belief is that his kind are superior to the Pit Fiends that typically rule the roost, and many speculate that it is this fact which drove him to seek further influence. This is only the surface of the truth however, as he believes that the Amnizu, among other select races of devils in the Hells, are superior to all other infernal fiends due to their direct Ancient Baatorian heritage, which is a fact spoken of only in the most hushed whispers and rumors.
Still, he continues to pursues his power from study of the ancient race which has led him to obtain powers seemingly more alien and aberrant than his contemporaries, causing many to believe that he may no longer be a devil at all any longer. Though he does continue to hold the bloated image of an Amnizu, his distinct hollow black eyes and his unsettling almost vacant expression which almost never changes only serves to reinforce this theory, earning him the title— The Alien Archduke.
His many betrayals and dubious nature have earned him few allies among his peers, though he seems to prefer the company of the many Stygian Aboleths and other aberrations who have taken up residence on the layer, sharing their wisdom and knowledge and continuing their studies on lost nupperibos and formless shadows, their sights are collectively set on the darkest corners of the Hells, the forbidden caverns on Malbolge and Malodomini, and the long-frozen history held in Cania.
Despite being one of the least trusted devils, even by infernal standards, he is an indispensable asset despite the potential danger he poses. Tremendously charismatic and cunning, no word is spoken without intention, and no intention without result. His many accumulated secrets on his continued path to forbidden knowledge available to those willing to pay the right price. No secret, be it great or mundane, lacks power or value to Balam.
Lair and Lair Actions
The ruler of Stygia's lair is within his library and laboratory, upstream along the River Styx. The entrance is hidden on an isolated ice-mass and extends deep below the surface where he can easily communicate with the Aboleths. His lair is home to many other Amnizu and Ice Devils as well as the Nupperibo and Skum he observes and experiments on.
Lair Actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Balam can take one lair action to cause the following effect or one from the archdevil lair action list (page 214); he can't take the same lair action two rounds in a row:
Nauseating Vapors. Balam chooses a point he can see within 150 feet of him. A 10 ft radius surface centered on that point begins to melt and release vapors until the end of Balam's next turn. A creature entering that area or starting its turn there must make a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw, becoming delirious for 1 minute if failed. A creature that fails the save also loses one specific memory from the previous 8 hours. The target may repeat the saving throw at the end of its turns, ending their delirium on a success; meanwhile memories lost to this effect can only be restored with a Remove Curse, Greater Restoration, or Wish spell. While delirious, an affected creature cannot take reactions and has a disadvantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain Concentration; in addition, it must roll 1d10 at the start of each of its turns to determine its behavior for that turn, consulting the table below:
| 1d10 | Behavior for the Turn |
|---|---|
| 1 | The creature becomes stunned. |
| 2–5 | The creature becomes frightened of the creature nearest to it. |
| 6–8 | The creature becomes charmed by the creature nearest to it and must move as close to it as possible. |
| 9–10 | The creature chooses its behavior. |
Attack. The archdevil uses one of their available melee or ranged attacks against a single foe.
Cast a Spell. The archdevil uses their Spellcasting feature to cast an available spell. If the spell normally requires concentration, it lasts for the full duration instead.
Deceitful Whispers. The archdevil whispers to a creature they can see within 30 feet. The target must make a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target has the charmed condition until the start of their next turn and must use their reaction immediately to make an attack against one of the archdevil's enemies, chosen by the archdevil.
Fiendish Fortitude. The archdevil recharges one of their expended abilities.
Frenzy. The archdevil casts Haste on themself. The effect ends at initiative count 20 of the next round.
Summon Underlings. The archdevil summons allied devils. The summoned devils appear in unoccupied spaces which the archdevil can see. Balam can summon:
Teleport. The archdevil teleports themself to an area they can see within 120 feet.
Trap. The archdevil casts the Hold Monster spell.
Regional Effects. The icy regions containing Balam's lair is corrupted by his presence, which creates the following effect:
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Maddening Shadows. In areas heavily obscured in darkness within 1 mile of the lair, all nonmagical light is extinguished. Any humanoid entering an area of darkness without a magical light source takes 21(6d6) psychic damage. The creature continues to take this damage, plus an extra 3 (1d6) psychic damage, for every minute it remains in the darkness.
If Balam dies, the effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
Previous Versions
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