Angel of Slaughter
Huge Celestial, Neutral EvilAlso known as myrmeriks, angels of slaughter serve gods of death (such as Myrkul in the Forgotten Realms setting or Nerull in the Greyhawk setting). Only three angels of slaughter exist at a time. Divine entities must bargain with angels of slaughter for their service.
These angels slaughter hundreds at a time in epic acts of carnage. Holy texts record these events as warnings against whole cities or nations earning the wrath of a god. In rare cases, certain individuals might earn the bitter enmity of a god, causing that deity to request the services of an angel of slaughter to destroy their quarry. Angels of slaughter often employ other creatures to assist in their slaughter, and they sometimes use weather events or plagues as cover for their atrocities.
Each angel of slaughter dwells in a fortress in the Shadowfell. In return for its services, an angel of slaughter is gifted some of the souls and corpses that it harvests during its catastrophic endeavors. The angel either consumes these souls to power its abilities, or the angel employs the souls to maintain its Shadowfell demesne.
In its true form, an angel of slaughter is a whirlwind of blood, bones, corpses, and blades. The angel often takes the illusionary form of a giant, a massive beast, or another spectral entity to survey the area the angel is about to decimate. Many mortals recognize sightings of an angel of slaughter as portents for coming disasters.
Many commonfolk pray to the angels, lifting their tear-streaked faces to the sky in search of a powerful being who can fix their problems, remedy their grievances, or show them mercy. What the gods who answer those prayers fail to reveal is that the angels sent on their behalf are often more terrifying than the demons and devils everyone fears. These horrors are creatures of celestial provenance that are either terrifying in their natural form or warped versions of their benign selves through interactions with ever-demanding mortals.
AC 21
Initiative +14 (24)
HP 475 (38d12 + 228)
Speed 50 ft., Fly 50 ft. (hover)
STR
28 (+9)
Save +17
DEX
22 (+6)
Save +6
CON
22 (+6)
Save +14
INT
12 (+1)
Save +1
WIS
22 (+6)
Save +14
CHA
12 (+1)
Save +1
Saving Throws STR +17, CON +14, WIS +14
Skills Athletics +17, Perception +14
Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing
Immunities Necrotic, Radiant
Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Prone, Stunned
Senses Truesight 120 ft., Passive Perception 24
Languages All, Telepathy 120
CR 25
Traits
Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If the angel fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The angel has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The angel makes two Engulfing Slam attacks and uses Fling.
Engulfing Slam. Melee Attack Roll: +17, reach 20 ft. Hit: 20 (2d10 + 9) Slashing damage plus 13 (2d12) Radiant damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is pulled into the angel's space and has the Grappled condition (escape DC 19). While Grappled, the target has the Restrained condition. When the angel moves, the Grappled target moves with it, costing it no extra movement. The angel can have up to three creatures Grappled by this action at a time.
Fling. The angel throws a Large or smaller creature Grappled by it to a space the angel can see within 30 feet of itself that isn't in the air. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 25, the creature thrown and each creature in the destination space. Failure: 17 (5d6) Bludgeoning damage, and the target has the Prone condition. Success: Half damage only.
Spellcasting. The angel casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 22):
At Will: Shapechange (Beast or Humanoid form only, no Temporary Hit Points gained from the spell, and no Concentration or Temporary Hit Points required to maintain the spell)
1/Day Each: Control Weather, Plane Shift
Legendary Actions
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature's turn, the angel can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The angel regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Fling. The angel uses Fling. The angel can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Spin and Slam. The angel moves up to half its Speed, and it makes one Engulfing Slam attack.
Whirlwind of Death. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 25, each creature in a 10-foot Emanation originating from the angel. Failure: 33 (6d10) Necrotic damage, and the target can't regain Hit Points until the end of the angel's next turn. Success: Half damage only. Failure or Success: The angel can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Angel of Slaughter Lairs
Each angel of slaughter has a unique lair in the Shadowfell. In addition to the gloom and despair of the Shadowfell, these lairs are littered with the corpses and haunted by the spirits of those destroyed by the angel.
The region containing an angel of slaughter's lair is affected by its presence, creating the following effects:
Looming Shadows. Any creature (excluding the angel and its allies) that finishes a Short Rest while within 1 mile of the lair must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or gain no benefit from that rest.
Screams of the Damned. The tormented souls whom the angel brings back to its lair wail endlessly, reliving the trauma of their deaths. Creatures can't gain or expend Heroic Inspiration while within 1 mile of the lair.