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Ice Devil 5e: Stats, Wall of Ice and the 2024 Spear
An ice devil is a CR 14 Large fiend with AC 18, 180 hit points in the 2014 rules (228 in 2024), immunity to cold, fire and poison, and Magic Resistance. Its signature move is a wall of ice that splits the party, deals 35 (10d6) cold damage to anyone it forms on, and leaves freezing air behind when broken. The 2014 devil is a melee brute with bite, claws and tail. The 2024 devil throws Ice Spears that strip a target's bonus action and reaction and make it choose between moving and acting, and its wall becomes a level 8 Wall of Ice that deals 14d6.
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 attacks: one with its bite, one with its claws, and one with its tail.
Bite.Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) cold damage.
Claws.Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d4 + 5) slashing damage plus 10 (3d6) cold damage.
Tail.Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) cold damage.
Wall of Ice (Recharge 6).The devil magically forms an opaque wall of ice on a solid surface it can see within 60 feet of it. The wall is 1 foot thick and up to 30 feet long and 10 feet high, or it's a hemispherical dome up to 20 feet in diameter. When the wall appears, each creature in its space is pushed out of it by the shortest route. The creature chooses which side of the wall to end up on, unless the creature is incapacitated. The creature then makes a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The wall lasts for 1 minute or until the devil is incapacitated or dies. The wall can be damaged and breached; each 10-foot section has AC 5, 30 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to acid, cold, necrotic, poison, and psychic damage. If a section is destroyed, it leaves behind a sheet of frigid air in the space the wall occupied. Whenever a creature finishes moving through the frigid air on a turn, willingly or otherwise, the creature must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 17 (5d6) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The frigid air dissipates when the rest of the wall vanishes.
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 Multiattack is a bite (22 average), claws (20) and tail (22, 10-foot reach), all at +10, for 64 damage if everything lands. Its Wall of Ice (Recharge 6) is its own action, not a spell:
•Up to 30 feet long and 10 feet high, 1 foot thick, or a hemispherical dome 20 feet across, within 60 feet.
•Each creature in its space is pushed out, chooses which side to end up on (unless incapacitated), and makes a DC 17 Dexterity save for 35 (10d6) cold damage, half on a success.
•Each 10-foot section has AC 5 and 30 hit points and is vulnerable to fire. A broken section leaves frigid air: a DC 17 Constitution save for 17 (5d6) cold when a creature finishes moving through it.
•It lasts 1 minute, or until the devil is incapacitated or dies. No concentration.
The Ice Devil in the 2024 Rules
Ice Devil
Large Fiend (Devil), Lawful Evil
Armor Class 18
Initiative +7 (17)
Hit Points 228 (24d10 + 96)
Speed 40 ft.
STR
21 (+5)save +5
DEX
14 (+2)save +7
CON
18 (+4)save +9
INT
18 (+4)save +4
WIS
15 (+2)save +7
CHA
18 (+4)save +9
Skills Insight +7, Perception +7, Persuasion +9
Immunities cold; fire; poison; Poisoned
Senses Blindsight 120 ft.; Passive Perception 17
Languages Infernal; telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 14 (XP 11,500; PB +5)
Traits
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 three Ice Spear attacks. It can replace one attack with a Tail attack.
Ice Spear.Melee or Ranged Attack Roll: +10, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) Piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) Cold damage. Until the end of its next turn, the target can’t take a Bonus Action or Reaction, its Speed decreases by 10 feet, and it can move or take one action on its turn, not both. Hit or Miss: The spear magically returns to the devil’s hand immediately after a ranged attack.
Tail.Melee Attack Roll: +10, reach 10 ft. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) Bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) Cold damage.
Ice Wall (Recharge 6).The devil casts Wall of Ice (level 8 version), requiring no spell components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17).
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.
2014
2024
HP
180
228
Attacks
Bite, claws, tail (64 total)
3 Ice Spears (24 each), one can be a tail (33)
Wall
Own action, 10d6, creature picks its side, no concentration
Casts Wall of Ice (level 8): 14d6, devil picks the side, concentration up to 10 minutes
The Ice Spear is the big change. Each hit deals 14 piercing plus 10 cold and, until the end of the devil's next turn, the target can't take a Bonus Action or Reaction, loses 10 feet of Speed, and can either move or take one action, not both. The spear works in melee or thrown (30/120 feet) and returns after every throw.
The 2024 wall is the full spell: ten 10-foot panels, or a dome or globe up to 10 feet in radius, at 120 feet. The devil decides which side each creature lands on, and the appearance damage rises to 14d6 (49 average). The frigid air deals 7d6 when a creature moves through it for the first time on a turn.
How Ice Devils Fight
Spear the caster (2024). Against AC 18 the +10 spears hit on an 8 or better (65%). Three spears at one target average about 47 damage, and at least one lands 96% of the time (1 − 0.35³). That one hit is enough: no Bonus Action spells, no Shield or Counterspell, and a choice between moving and casting. Thrown spears have Disadvantage beyond 30 feet (about 42% to hit), so the devil closes to 30 feet first unless the target is out of reach.
Split the party with the wall. Drop the wall between the front line and the healer, then fight whichever half is weaker. In 2014 each creature picks its own side, so the devil has to place the wall where either side is bad. In 2024 the devil chooses, so it can push the cleric to the far side alone.
The globe prison (2024). A 10-foot-radius globe around one character, with the devil's allies inside with them, takes that character out of the fight until they break a 30 hit point section.
Recharge 6 is rare. It returns on a 6 at the start of the devil's turn, 1 time in 6. Plan on one wall per fight, open with it, and use Multiattack after.
Concentration is the 2024 weakness. The devil concentrates on its wall. A single 40-damage hit forces a DC 20 Constitution save, and at +9 it fails half the time.
Running an Ice Devil Encounter
An ice devil is worth 11,500 XP. Our encounter calculator shows the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines for comparison.
Alone, it loses to action economy. Barbed devils on the far side of the wall turn the split into a real threat. For a cold-themed escort, add winter wolves (CR 3, 700 XP each) instead.
How Players Beat Ice Devils
•No cold, fire or poison damage.Fireball and Cone of Cold do nothing to the devil. Use radiant, force, lightning, thunder or acid.
•Use fire on the wall. Each section is vulnerable to fire in both editions. Fireball only damages creatures, so aim a Fire Bolt or a fire-damage weapon at the wall instead: an 11th-level Fire Bolt (3d10, 16.5 average) doubles to 33, enough to break a 30-hit-point section on an average roll.
•Target Strength or Intelligence. Its unproficient saves are Strength (+5) and Intelligence (+4), with Advantage from Magic Resistance against spells. Banishment against a Charisma save of +9 with Advantage is a poor bet.
•Magic or silver in 2014. Its resistance applies to nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered. By level 11 most parties have magic weapons.
•Stay far away or stay close to friends. The spear rider affects only the creature it hits, and a caster more than 120 feet away can't be speared at all. The devil can split three spears between targets, so a front-liner who stays between it and the casters soaks the ones it throws first.
•Don't count on invisibility. Blindsight 60 feet (2014) or 120 feet (2024) sees through it.
Ice Devil Encounter Ideas
The cold negotiator. A 2024 ice devil (Persuasion +9) arrives at a duke's winter court offering a contract to end a famine. The fight only starts if the party exposes the clause, and the devil's first move is a globe around the duke.
The glacier gate. On a pass, the devil walls off the party's retreat behind them, then throws spears from a ridge. The frigid air left by a broken section blocks the only path down.
The repeat offender. The party killed an ice devil in a border fort last season. Diabolical Restoration rebuilt it in the Nine Hells, and now it sends barbed devils ahead to test them before it returns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is an ice devil?
An ice devil is CR 14 (11,500 XP) in both editions. It has AC 18, with 180 hit points in the 2014 rules and 228 in the 2024 rules.
How does the ice devil's Wall of Ice work?
In 2014 it is a Recharge 6 action: a wall up to 30 feet long or a 20-foot dome that deals 35 (10d6) cold damage (DC 17 Dexterity, half on success) and lasts 1 minute. In 2024 the devil casts the level 8 Wall of Ice spell (DC 17), dealing 14d6 cold, and must concentrate on it.
Is an ice devil immune to cold?
Yes. The SRD lists cold, fire and poison damage immunities for the ice devil in both the 2014 and 2024 rules, plus immunity to the Poisoned condition.
What does the 2024 Ice Spear do?
It deals 14 (2d8 + 5) piercing plus 10 (3d6) cold damage. Until the end of the devil's next turn, the target can't take Bonus Actions or Reactions, loses 10 feet of Speed, and can move or take one action, not both.
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.