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Barbed Devil 5e: Spiked Hide, Fire Bolts and the 2024 Grapple
A barbed devil is a CR 5 Medium fiend with AC 15, 110 hit points, passive Perception 18 and two ways to fight: a melee flurry of claws and tail, or two Hurl Flame bolts at 150 feet. Its Barbed Hide deals 5 (1d10) piercing damage at the start of each of its turns to anyone grappling it. In the 2024 rules the devil does the grappling: its Claws grab a target, and the hide spikes the creature it's holding. The 2024 Hurl Flame also jumps from 3d6 to 5d6 fire, which turns the barbed devil into a sniper.
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Barbed Devil Stat Block (2014)
Barbed Devil
Medium fiend (devil), lawful evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 110 (13d8+52)
Speed 30 ft.
STR
16 (+3)
DEX
17 (+3)
CON
18 (+4)
INT
12 (+1)
WIS
14 (+2)
CHA
14 (+2)
Saving Throws STR +6, CON +7, WIS +5, CHA +5
Skills Deception +5, Insight +5, Perception +8
Damage Resistances cold, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered
Damage Immunities fire; poison
Condition Immunities Poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 5 (XP 1,800; PB +3)
Traits
Barbed Hide.At the start of each of its turns, the barbed devil deals 5 (1d10) piercing damage to any creature grappling it.
Devil's Sight.Magical darkness doesn't impede the devil's darkvision.
Magic Resistance.The devil has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack.The devil makes three melee attacks: one with its tail and two with its claws. Alternatively, it can use Hurl Flame twice.
Claw.Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Tail.Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Hurl Flame.Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, range 150 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (3d6) fire damage. If the target is a flammable object that isn't being worn or carried, it also catches fire.
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
The 2014 devil makes three melee attacks (two claws for 6 each and a tail for 10) or uses Hurl Flame twice (+5, 10 fire each). Barbed Hide is purely defensive here: it only hurts a creature grappling the devil. It resists cold, and bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered, so a low-level party with mundane weapons deals half damage.
The Barbed Devil in the 2024 Rules
Barbed Devil
Medium Fiend (Devil), Lawful Evil
Armor Class 15
Initiative +3 (13)
Hit Points 110 (13d8 + 52)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR
16 (+3)save +6
DEX
17 (+3)save +3
CON
18 (+4)save +7
INT
12 (+1)save +1
WIS
14 (+2)save +5
CHA
14 (+2)save +5
Skills Deception +5, Insight +5, Perception +8
Resistances cold
Immunities fire; poison; Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 120 ft. (unimpeded by magical darkness); Passive Perception 18
Languages Infernal; telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 5 (XP 1,800; PB +3)
Traits
Barbed Hide.At the start of each of its turns, the devil deals 5 (1d10) Piercing damage to any creature it is grappling or any creature grappling it.
Diabolical Restoration.If the devil 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.
Magic Resistance.The devil has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack.The devil makes one Claws attack and one Tail attack, or it makes two Hurl Flame attacks.
Claws.Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) Piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 13) from both claws.
Hurl Flame.Ranged Attack Roll: +5, range 150 ft. Hit: 17 (5d6) Fire damage. If the target is a flammable object that isn’t being worn or carried, it starts burning.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
Devil's Sight is folded into its darkvision ("unimpeded by magical Darkness"). Diabolical Restoration means a devil killed outside the Nine Hells reforms there with full hit points. Killing one on the Material Plane doesn't end it, which makes a grudge-holding barbed devil a recurring villain.
How Barbed Devils Fight
Grab and grind (2024). A Claws hit grapples a Large or smaller target from both claws. At the start of each devil turn, Barbed Hide deals 5.5 average piercing to that target with no roll. The devil then swings again. Against AC 16, its +6 attacks hit on a 10 or better (55%), so claws and tail together average about 13 damage a round, plus the free spikes. The grappled character's Speed is 0 and it has Disadvantage on attacks against anyone but the devil. Escaping takes an action and an Athletics or Acrobatics check against DC 13.
Use the reach. While its claws hold one victim, the 10-foot tail can hit a second character who comes to help.
Snipe when it can't win in melee (both editions). Hurl Flame is +5 at 150 feet. Against an AC 12 caster it hits on a 7 or better (70%). Two 2024 bolts average about 24 damage a round against that target; two 2014 bolts average 14. Hurl Flame is an attack, not a spell, so Counterspell can't stop it.
Climb out of reach (2024). A 30-foot climb speed lets it fight from a wall, a cliff or a roof edge and throw fire down at a party that has to climb to reach it.
Watch for the ambush. With passive Perception 18 and darkvision that sees through magical darkness, it rarely gets surprised. Pair it with a caster who casts Darkness: the devil sees through it, the party doesn't.
How it differs from its kin. The bearded devil (CR 3) is a glaive soldier. The chain devil (CR 8) binds targets with chains and frightens with its Unnerving Mask (Unnerving Gaze in 2024). The barbed devil is the one that switches between melee and long-range fire, so it works as both the guard and the artillery. Above it sit the bone devil, horned devil, erinyes, ice devil and pit fiend. Below it, the imp is the spy.
How Many Barbed Devils for Your Party?
A barbed devil is worth 1,800 XP in both editions. Our encounter calculator shows the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines alongside.
Party
Encounter
XP
2024 budget
2014 guidelines
4 level 5 characters
1 barbed devil
1,800
Low
Easy
4 level 6 characters
2 barbed devils
3,600
Moderate
Hard
4 level 6 characters
1 barbed devil + 1 bearded devil
2,500
Moderate
Hard
4 level 7 characters
3 barbed devils
5,400
High
Deadly
Levels 5 to 8 fit best. At level 5, two 2024 devils on 3,600 XP are already High for four characters, and they can split, one grappling the fighter while the other burns the wizard.
How Players Beat Barbed Devils
•Avoid fire. It is immune to fire and poison and resists cold. Fireball does nothing to it. Thunder, lightning, force and radiant damage all land in full: try Shatter, Lightning Bolt or Guiding Bolt.
•Bring magic or silver weapons in 2014. Nonmagical, unsilvered weapons deal half damage. In 2024 this resistance is gone.
•Don't grapple it. In both editions Barbed Hide punishes the grappler. In 2024, being grappled by it costs the same 1d10 a round, so spend the action to escape early.
•Expect saves to fail less. Magic Resistance gives it Advantage on saves against spells. Its weakest save is Intelligence (+1), then Dexterity (+3).
•Send it home.Banishment on a fiend from another plane returns it there if the spell lasts the full minute. Its Charisma save is +5 with Advantage, so expect to need a couple of tries or a lowered save first.
Barbed Devil Encounter Ideas
The archive fire. A barbed devil guards an infernal contract library. If the party fights in the stacks, it aims Hurl Flame at shelves, which catch fire because they're flammable and unattended. The contract the party came for is on the top shelf.
The cliff toll. On a mountain road, a 2024 barbed devil clings to the rock face above a switchback and throws fire down at caravans until someone pays. Reaching it means a climb under fire.
The returning creditor. The party killed a barbed devil last year. Thanks to Diabolical Restoration, it's back, and it remembers who held the sword. Loreify can record your sessions and keep track of the villains your party has met, so a recurring devil keeps its grudges straight (see how).
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a barbed devil?
A barbed devil is CR 5 (1,800 XP) in both the 2014 and 2024 rules, with AC 15 and 110 hit points.
How does Barbed Hide work?
At the start of each of the devil's turns, it deals 5 (1d10) piercing damage to any creature grappling it. In the 2024 rules it also damages any creature the devil is grappling.
How much damage does Hurl Flame do?
In the 2014 rules, Hurl Flame is a +5 ranged spell attack at 150 feet for 10 (3d6) fire damage. In the 2024 rules it is a +5 ranged attack for 17 (5d6) fire damage. The devil can use it twice per Multiattack.
Is a barbed devil resistant to nonmagical weapons?
The 2014 barbed devil resists bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered. The 2024 barbed devil resists only cold damage.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.