Homebrew Yugoloth Species Details

"ARE YOU A SOLDIER? WHAT WAR do you fight? Whose side are you on? Law or Chaos? Evil or Good? All this might seem strange coming from a Yugoloth, but you should believe me, because I am in the best position to know: endless wars profit only mercenaries and arms dealers."

--Shemeshka the Marauder

Created to be a fiendish army unbound to the Nine Hells, yugoloths fill the role of mercenaries in the lower planes. Unconcerned by their True Name being discovered, these daemons fight fiercely, shifting sides in conflict as frequently as coin shifts hands.

 

Spawn of Gehenna

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The first yugoloths were created by a sisterhood of night hags on Gehenna, which is widely believed to be a work commissioned by Asmodeus himself. The true names of each of these fiends, save that of the General of Gehenna, were collected into four tomes called the Books of Keeping. These books and the true names within were used to ensure the loyalty of the yugoloths, and to capture the true names of other fiends that crossed them, since having a fiend's true name grants power over it. Eventually, the sisterhood broke away as a result of infighting, and the Books of Keeping were lost or stolen, giving the yugoloths independence.

 

Fiendish Mercenaries

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The only master a yugoloth accepts is one that pays. Yugoloths fill in with scores of other fiends in the ranks of the Blood War, where they fight for whichever side that pays the best. A yugoloth may shift allegiance many times over the course of the same battle. Despite their overwhelming participation in the Blood War, yugoloths can be found anywhere, though the cost of maintaining an army of them usually far exceeds what many prospective employers can pay. Yugoloths are self-serving creatures, and will quarrel with themselves to no end. While an army of them is more orderly than a horde of demons, they cannot match the strict, orderly structure of an army of devils. Without a powerful master to guide them, yugoloths will pursue their own goals, and indulge their own violent tendencies.

Yugoloth Traits

Your Yugoloth character has several traits derived from your fiendish nature.

Ability Score Increase

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.

Age

Yugoloths, like many fiends, have one appearance from the day they're created, and do not physically age. A yugoloth lives effectively forever, as long as they are not killed.

Alignment

Having grown into the role of extraplanar mercenaries, yugoloths have a reputation for being a medium between the extremes of demons and devils: unlike demons, they can be reasoned with, but unlike devils, they are rarely true to their word. Almost every yugoloth is neutral in some capacity, and very few have any interest in morality, causing them to lean toward evil.

Size

Most yugoloths have humanoid sizes, usually standing between 6 and 7 feet tall and weighing more than a hundred pounds, though some are bulkier and others are smaller. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Claws

You have razor-sharp claws that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Teleport

You can use an action on your turn to teleport up to 30 feet to a space you can see, taking any equipment you are wearing or carrying with you. You can use this feature once, and regain the ability to do so when you complete a long rest.

Denizen of Gehenna

You are a creature of the lower planes, and as such your  creature type is Fiend for all spells and abilities that affect fiends, are resistant to Fire damage, and have access to Tiefling race feats.

Languages

Accustomed to the languages of your typical employers, mortals and infernal armies, you can speak, read and write Common and Infernal

Subraces

Many types of Yugoloth exist, though many aren't powerful enough to strike out on their own and become adventurers. Choose one subrace from Arcanaloth, Nycaloth, and Ultroloth.