By Alan McCoy from Dungeons & Dragons: Fundamentals

DM Tip – Fight Like a Demon – The Glabrezu

How to build challenging encounters against a Glabrezu

Note: This has been prepared utilizing only the 5E Core Rules. The Glabrezu can be found in the Monster Manual page 58. Additional information regarding Fiends is in the Monster Manual starting on page 50.

Demons are native to the uncounted Planes of the Abyss. While the Chaotic nature of the Abyss makes it impossible to generalize overmuch, it can be said that all the planes of the Abyss are places of Pain, Destruction and Malevolence.

When not tormenting Mortals or the Souls of Mortals, the Demons torment each other. Essentially immortal, their only escape from torment is to leave the Abyss. Thus, Demons are always on the lookout for portals to elsewhere.

In order to increase the chance of gaining an opportunity to leave the Abyss, Demonic Forces whisper offers of power and influence into the mortal realms in the personages of Demonic Cults, those they can persuade to perform Demonic summoning, and by creating Magical items that claim to control or influence demonic forces, yet instead act to open the way.

Once there, Demonic forces are responsible for some the darkest legends in the mortal realms. They cause or sow the seeds of destruction on a massive scale. The demonic forces seeking to undo the works of the Gods, tear down civilizations, and to reduce all they touch to despair and ruin.

It is generally believed that the purpose of such, if there is any purpose at all, is the harvesting of negative energy. It seems that the status of an individual Demon is somehow linked to their negative actions. Thus, to kill, torment, destroy or to take other actions of a negative nature somehow increases their personal status. Lesser Demons becoming Greater Demons as they accumulate Evil.

Given the chaotic nature of the demonic world structure, it is impossible to determine exactly what effect any given act of evil or chaos will have of an individual demon’s status. It has been observed that the more heinous an act and the more dangerous the foe, the greater the status increase. It is conjectured that failure to complete an act or losing to a foe would lessen the status of a demon. It is important to note that a defeat on a mortal realm simply forces the entity to return to its home plane, a setback to be sure, but not an end to its existence.

It is believed that a more powerful demonic entity could cede a portion of its personal evil into a less powerful entity. An example would be a demonic lord creating a sentient Quasit out of lowly a Dretch if it felt the need for a spy or decided to tempt a mortal and capture that soul. It is assumed that more powerful demons could be raised up in this fashion, though it is unlikely that a powerful demon would raise up any servitor that would rival its personal power.

As outsiders looking in, we mortals tend to attempt to classify and categorize the demonic as if it were subject to natural evolutionary laws. Demons are not natural creatures, and the Abyss is anathema to the very concept of law.

Demons are creatures of chaos itself, mortal sages have, by long observation, been able to categorize some general types, but it is important to remember that these are just that, generalizations. No two demonic creatures are the same in either physical form or spiritual energy, all have variations. While some writings have characterized these as so minor that these creatures are virtually identical, the term is at best, an oxymoron.

The type system of classification for these entities is based on their observed methods, appearance and combat abilities.

This example will focus on the type of Demonic Entity that has been labeled the Glabrezu. Sometimes summoned as part of a ritual or rite, this class of demonic entity seems to offer wealth or power to those that call it forth. Using guile, trickery and evil bargains entice, and tempt its eventual victim to ruin. These creatures are patient and will delay claiming their victim if there is enough to be gained, appearing to keep the bargain. These creatures revel in the moment of the ‘reveal’, in which a mortal who assumed that they had bested, outsmarted or otherwise controlled a Glabrezu, realizes otherwise.

Glabrezu have been known to collect those things that mortal peoples consider valuable such as precious metals, coins and gems to have a sufficient horde with which to entice. They have also been known to create magical items of a highly desirable, yet cursed nature.

Step 1) Let’s Review what we know about The Glabrezu?

Glabrezu are Large sized Creatures (usually over nine feet in height) with reptilian skin and even scales, they have two large appendages that end in crab like pinchers, two smaller appendages that resemble humanoid arms and hands, and two heavily clawed appendages that it uses as legs and feet. They appear to have a torso and shoulders creating a shape that is like that of humanity. The head and face are hideous collection of horns and canine like teeth. The eyes are most often red in color, the facial features have been described in a variety of ways, most often the descriptions contain the expressions ‘wolf-like’ or ‘bestial’.

Glabrezu are exceptionally strong and tough, and are extremely dexterous, especially when you consider their size. Their mental characteristics are impressive, with intelligence, cunning and force of will all being extremely high when compared to the average mortal.

Glabrezu are immune to Poison. They are resistant to (take ½ damage from) Cold, Fire, Lightning, and non-magical weapon (bludgeoning, piercing and slashing) attacks.

A Glabrezu has Truesight at a range of 120 feet, Passive Perception of 13.

Glabrezu speak their native Abyssal Tongue but can communicate telepathically with any creature within 120 feet. Using Telepathy, they can choose to hold individual conversations with many persons at the same time.

Glabrezu have innate magical ability, and can cast Darkness, Detect Magic and Dispel Magic at will. Each “Day”, they can cast Confusion, Fly and Power Word: Stun

Glabrezu are resistant to magic and have ADVANTAGE on saving throws vs spells or magical effects.

Step 2) Determine the probable Strategy.

As tempters and bargainers, these demons are most likely to begin an encounter with conversation, while they are not proficient in the social skills, their simple nature (Charisma 16) will give them a good start when it comes to Deception, Intimidation, Performance and Persuasion.

When combined with their abilities of Truesight and Telepathy (120-foot range) they can open multiple conversations long before you know with whom you are speaking. Add into this their exceptionally high Wisdom and Intelligence and you have a creature that can read most mortals easily (Insight and Investigation +4, Perception +3).

As the purpose of the encounter is to tempt the ‘victim’ to ruin, it will use fluent double-talk to bargain with those it encounters. It will find out what your goals and desires are, and utilizing its great knowledge (Arcana, History, Religion +4; Nature +3) ask you to perform tasks that are in line with those goals and desires. If you agree to perform these it will provide you with advice and suggestions that assist you. While these suggestions and ideas will seem plausible and possible, they will lead to ruin.

In some cases, the Glabrezu will ‘gift’ the characters with wealth, magic and other aid, IF they agree to HELP.

A Glabrezu will take great pains to avoid revealing its true nature. It will stay out of sight (Stealth +2) and even utilize its DARKNESS spell if need be. Meanwhile it will examine its target for magic such as items or defenses, utilizing its DETECT MAGIC and general knowledge of Arcana and Investigation. It may even attempt to ‘defuse’ some of these defenses with its DISPEL MAGIC Ability. In addition, they will be discerning the strengths and weaknesses of the characters, to include determining who will be most susceptible to the demon’s spell attacks.

If possible, a Glabrezu will end an encounter peacefully, those that do not succumb to temptation now, may reconsider. It has time on its side.

If forced into combat however, the Glabrezu is a formidable foe.

Step 3) Determine Tactics

The demon will start by controlling the battlefield by casting Darkness 15-foot Radius spells, this will overcome Darkvision and any light producing spell of second level or lower. Remember that this may apply the BLINDED condition to an attacking Character. The Demon can cast this spell at will so it is unlikely that light will be restored to the battlefield.

With four limbs, the demon has a four attack multi-attack, it can use two pinchers and two fists or two pinchers and cast a spell. The PINCHERS when successful will GRAPPLE a small or medium sized target. It can attack two characters, separate them widely (size L creature, remember) and pound them with the fists.

Whenever needed, (if not already accomplished during the talking phase) the demon will use its DISPEL MAGIC Ability to remove any spells that enhance or defend the characters (Examples: Bless, Shield of Faith, Haste)

If the players are widely separated, the demon will utilize its CONFUSION SPELL against a strong melee combatant, which will have the effect of either shutting down that combatant or can redirect that combatant towards a party member.

Against a spell-using or ranged combatant, the demon is likely to use its POWER WORD: STUN.

Step 4) DM Tips and Observations

Non-RAW but a fun twist: I have used both pinchers to grapple a single target and allowed the Glabrezu to make an automatic critical damage attack on the grappled victim (2d10+5 damage each) with the splashy visual effect of eventually tearing the victim in half. Note: I usually reserve this for NPCs and Player Minions… the description is visually intimidating, but it’s a little gory to use on a player character.

With its ability to BLIND the battlefield (Players Hitting at DISADVANTAGE) and its naturally high AC of 17 (Which I think is a little low, I’d probably raise it to 21). This demon is a formidable combat opponent. It is with the realm of possibility to give this creature several minions such as cultist or other monsters that might potentially aid it in combat. It adds a level of difficulty if the player characters recognize one of the Minions as an individual that they were tasked with SAVING/RESCUING.

The Monster Manual (page 54) provides a variant ability that allows a demon to summon in other demons to assist it in combat. I recommend the use of these with Glabrezu only if it is forced into combat.

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