- Armor Class
- 19 (natural armor)
- Hit Points
- 300 (24d10+168)
- Speed
- 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
- Challenge
- 20 (25,000 XP)
- Proficiency bonus
- +6
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|
| 26 (+8) | 14 (+2) | 24 (+7) | 22 (+6) | 18 (+4) | 24 (+7) |
- Saving throws
- Dex +8, Con +13, Wis +10
- Damage resistances
- cold, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered
- Damage immunities
- fire, poison
- Senses
- truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 14
- Languages
- Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.
Traits
Fear Aura. Any creature hostile to the pit fiend that starts its turn within 20 feet of the pit fiend must make a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw, unless the pit fiend is incapacitated. On a failed save, the creature is frightened until the start of its next turn. If a creature's saving throw is successful, the creature is immune to the pit fiend's Fear Aura for the next 24 hours.
Magic Resistance. The pit fiend has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The pit fiend's weapon attacks are magical.
Innate Spellcasting. The pit fiend's spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 21). The pit fiend can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: detect magic, fireball
3/day each: hold monster, wall of fire
Actions
Multiattack. The pit fiend makes four attacks: one with its bite, one with its claw, one with its mace, and one with its tail.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (4d6 + 8) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. While poisoned in this way, the target can't regain hit points, and it takes 21 (6d6) poison damage at the start of each of its turns. The poisoned target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) slashing damage.
Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage plus 21 (6d6) fire damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (3d10 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
How pit fiends fight
A pit fiend is a CR 20 general of the Nine Hells: 300 hit points, AC 19, a flying speed of 60 feet and truesight to 120 feet. It makes four attacks a turn, bite, claw, mace and tail, all at +14, for about 99 damage if everything hits. The mace adds 6d6 fire, and the bite poisons on a failed DC 21 Constitution save: a poisoned target can’t regain hit points and takes 6d6 poison damage at the start of each of its turns until it saves.
Anyone hostile that starts its turn within 20 feet makes a DC 21 Wisdom save against its Fear Aura or is frightened until the start of its next turn. It can cast Fireball at will and Hold Monster and Wall of Fire three times a day (DC 21). It has Magic Resistance, and it’s immune to fire and poison and resistant to cold and to nonmagical weapons that aren’t silvered.
Common questions
How do you beat a pit fiend’s poison?
The poisoned target repeats the DC 21 Constitution save at the end of each of its turns. Lesser Restoration or Protection from Poison ends the poisoned condition, and healing doesn’t work until it does.
Do silvered weapons work on a pit fiend?
Yes. It resists bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons that aren’t silvered, so silvered and magic weapons both do full damage.
How many Fireballs can a pit fiend cast?
As many as it likes: it casts Fireball at will as a 3rd-level spell (8d6, DC 21). Casting it takes its action, so it doesn’t also make its four attacks that turn.
How hard is a pit fiend fight?
CR 20, worth 25,000 XP. For four characters, the Dungeon Master’s Guide’s encounter math makes it Deadly at 14th level and below, Hard from 15th to 17th and Medium from 18th.
Does a pit fiend have legendary resistance?
Not in the 2014 stat block. The 2024 version adds Legendary Resistance, raises it to 337 hit points and AC 21, and returns it to the Nine Hells in a new body if it dies anywhere else.
A pit fiend is worth 25,000 XP. Using the 2024 encounter budgets (SRD 5.2), this is how many pit fiends fit each difficulty for a party of four characters of the same level. A dash means even one would be over the budget.
Budgets add up every monster’s XP, so you can swap some for other creatures of the same total. Try other party sizes and mixes in the encounter calculator.
Pit Fiend 2024 stat block
The 2024 Monster Manual revised the pit fiend, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new stat block. What changed:
- Armor Class: 19 → 21.
- Hit points: 300 → 337.
- New in its stat block: Diabolical Restoration, Legendary Resistance, Devilish Claw, Fiery Mace and Hellfire Spellcasting.
- Gone from it: Magic Weapons, Innate Spellcasting, Claw, Mace and Tail.
- Armor Class
- 21
- Hit Points
- 337 (27d10 + 189)
- Speed
- 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
- Challenge
- 20 (25,000 XP)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|
| 26 (+8) | 14 (+2) | 24 (+7) | 22 (+6) | 18 (+4) | 24 (+7) |
- Damage resistances
- cold
- Damage immunities
- fire, poison
- Senses
- truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 20
- Languages
- Infernal; telepathy 120 ft.
Traits
Diabolical Restoration. If the pit fiend dies outside the Nine Hells, its body disappears in sulfurous smoke, and it gains a new body instantly, reviving with all its Hit Points somewhere in the Nine Hells.
Fear Aura. The pit fiend emanates an aura in a 20-foot Emanation while it doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 21, any enemy that starts its turn in the aura. Failure: The target has the Frightened condition until the start of its next turn. Success: The target is immune to this pit fiend’s aura for 24 hours.
Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If the pit fiend fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The pit fiend has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The pit fiend makes one Bite attack, two Devilish Claw attacks, and one Fiery Mace attack.
Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 18 (3d6 + 8) Piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must make the following saving throw. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 21. Failure: The target has the Poisoned condition. While Poisoned, the target can’t regain Hit Points and takes 21 (6d6) Poison damage at the start of each of its turns, and it repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. After 1 minute, it succeeds automatically.
Devilish Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 26 (4d8 + 8) Necrotic damage.
Fiery Mace. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 22 (4d6 + 8) Force damage plus 21 (6d6) Fire damage.
Hellfire Spellcasting (Recharge 4–6). The pit fiend casts Fireball (level 5 version) twice, requiring no Material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 21). It can replace one Fireball with Hold Monster (level 7 version) or Wall of Fire.
