Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

134

MOLYDEUS

The most r uthless and dangerous

of demons-more

feared than the dreaded balor

• the molydeus speaks

with the authority of the demon lord it serves as it en-

forces its master's will. Standing some 12 feet tall, a

molydeus has a red-skinned,

humanoid body and two

heads-one that of a slavering

wolf and the other that

of a serpent with dripping

fangs perched atop a long

neck. Molydei might

guard their masters' possessions,

roam the battlefields

of the Abyss to ensure the loyalty of

troops, or bring swift death to their enemies.

Branded

and Bound. When a demon earns the at-

tention

of a demon lord through ferocity, cunning, or an

act of surprising devotion, the demon lord

might reward

such service by snatching up the fiend

and subjecting it

to excruciating torments to remake

it into a molydeus.

Voice of the Master. A demon lord has a direct link

to its molydeus and uses the serpe nt head to communi-

cate its wishes. A molydeus is, therefore, said to utter

its master's will, commanding

other demons to carry

out orders and using vi

olence to ensure they obey. A

molydeus must constantly be ready for the scrutiny

of its

master, for the demon lord can decide at any moment

to

observe the molydeus through the serpent. Thus,

there

is no room for treachery

in a molydeus.

MOLYDEUS

Huge fiend (demon), chaotic evil

Armor Class 19 (natural armor)

Hit Points 216

(16dl2 + 112)

Speed

40 ft.

STR

28 (+9)

DEX

22 (+6)

CON

25 (+7)

INT

21 (+S)

WIS

24 (+7)

Saving Throws Str +16,

Con +14, Wis +14, Cha +14

Skills Perception

+21

CHA

24 (+7)

Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning,

piercing, and slashing from nonmagica

l attacks

Damage Immunities poison

Condition Immunities blinded,

charmed, deafened, frightened,

poisoned, stunned

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 31

Languages Abyssal, telepathy 120 ft.

Challenge 21 (33,000 XP)

Innate Spellcasting. The molydeus's

innate spellcasting ability

is Charisma (spell save DC 22). It can innately cast the follow-

ing spells, requiring no material

components:

At wil

l: dispel magic, polymorph, telekinesis, teleport

3/day: lightning bolt

1/day: imprisonment

Legendary

Resistance (3/Day). If t he molydeus fails a saving

throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. The molydeus has advantage on

saving

throws against

spells and other magical effects.

Magic Weapons. The molydeus's

weapon attacks are magical.

CHAPTER 6 I BESTI A RY

VARIANT

: DEMON SUMMONING

You can

give a molydeus the ability to summon

other demons.

Summon Demon (1 /Day). As

an action, the molydeus

has a SO percent chance

of summoning its choice of ld6

babaus, ld4 chasmes,

or one marilith. A summoned

demon appears

in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of

the molydeus, acts as an ally of the molydeus,

and can't

summon other demons. It remains for

l minute, until it or

the molydeus dies, or until the molydeus dismisses it as

an action.

Special

Weapon. As part of a demon lord's trust in

its molydeus, it bestows a powerful weapon

upon the

guardian demon. The demon lord

fashions the weapon

from

a portion of the fiend's essence, so that the demon

and its weapon are forever bound. If the molydeus d ies,

the weapon dissolves into a pool of foul-smelling slime.

It's possible to steal such a weapon, but a molydeus de-

prived of its weapon will

stop at nothing to regain it.

The weapon a molydeus

wields reflects the nature of

its master. Those that serve Baphomet carry a glaive;

Demogorgon, a whip; Fraz-Urb'luu, a battleaxe; Graz'zt,

a greatsword; Orcus, a morningstar; and Yeenog

hu, a

flail. The weapon's form doesn't affect its capabilities.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The molydeus

makes three attacks: one with its

weapon, one with its wolf

bite, and one with its snakebite.

Demonic Weapon. Melee Weapon Atta

ck: +16 to hit, reach

1 S ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2dl0 + 9) slashing damage. If the

target has at least one head and

the molydeus rolled a 20 on

the attack roll, the target is decapitated and dies if it can't

survive without that head.

A target is immune to this effect if

it takes none of the

damage, has legendary actions, or is Huge

or larger. Such a creature takes an extra 6d8 slashing

damage

from the hit.

Wolf Bite. Melee Weapon

Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one

target. Hit: 16 (2d6 + 9)

piercing damage.

Snakebite. Melee Weapon Attack: +1

6 to hit, reach 15 ft., one

creature. Hit: 12 (ld6 + 9) piercing damage, and the target

must succeed on a DC 22

Constitution saving throw or its 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 transforms

into a manes if this reduces its hit point

maximum to

0. This transformation can be ended only by a

wish spell.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS

The molydeus 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.

The molydeus regains spent

legendary actions at the start

of it s turn.

Attack. The molydeus makes one attack,

either with its de-

monic weapon or with its snakebite.

Move. The molydeus moves without provoking opportu·

nity attacks.

Cast a Spell. The molydeus casts one spell from

its Innate

Spellcasting

trait.