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Lamia 5e: Spells, Curses and the 2024 Fiend
A lamia is a CR 4 Large creature with AC 13, 97 hit points, Deception +7 and a kit built for manipulation rather than brawling. The 2014 lamia is a Monstrosity that casts Disguise Self and Major Image at will, Charm Person and Suggestion three times a day, and lays an Intoxicating Touch that gives disadvantage on Wisdom saves, which sets up its own charms. The 2024 lamia is a Fiend with harder claws (7 slashing plus 7 psychic each), a Corrupting Touch that leaves the target Charmed and Poisoned for an hour, and a shorter spell list that drops Charm Person, Suggestion and Mirror Image.
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Lamia Stat Block (2014)
Lamia
Large monstrosity, chaotic evil
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 97 (13d10+26)
Speed 30 ft.
STR
16 (+3)
DEX
13 (+1)
CON
15 (+2)
INT
14 (+2)
WIS
15 (+2)
CHA
16 (+3)
Skills Deception +7, Insight +4, Stealth +3
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Abyssal, Common
Challenge 4 (XP 1,100; PB +2)
Traits
Innate Spellcasting.The lamia's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components. At will: disguise self (any humanoid form), major image 3/day each: charm person, mirror image, scrying, suggestion 1/day: geas
Actions
Multiattack.The lamia makes two attacks: one with its claws and one with its dagger or Intoxicating Touch.
Claws.Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) slashing damage.
Dagger.Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.
Intoxicating Touch.Melee Spell Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is magically cursed for 1 hour. Until the curse ends, the target has disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws and all ability checks.
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.
Innate Spellcasting (Charisma, spell save DC 13, no material components):
•At will:Disguise Self (any humanoid form), Major Image
Its Multiattack is Claws (+5, 14 slashing) plus either a Dagger (+5, 5 piercing) or Intoxicating Touch, a melee spell attack (+5) that curses the target for 1 hour: disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws and on all ability checks.
The Lamia in the 2024 Rules
Lamia
Large Fiend, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 13
Initiative +1 (11)
Hit Points 97 (13d10 + 26)
Speed 40 ft.
STR
16 (+3)save +3
DEX
13 (+1)save +1
CON
15 (+2)save +2
INT
14 (+2)save +2
WIS
15 (+2)save +2
CHA
16 (+3)save +3
Skills Deception +7, Insight +4, Stealth +5
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 12
Languages Abyssal, Common
Challenge 4 (XP 1,100; PB +2)
Actions
Multiattack.The lamia makes two Claw attacks. It can replace one attack with a use of Corrupting Touch.
Claw.Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) Slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) Psychic damage.
Corrupting Touch.Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 13, one creature the lamia can see within 5 feet. Failure: 13 (3d8) Psychic damage, and the target is cursed for 1 hour. Until the curse ends, the target has the Charmed and Poisoned conditions.
Spellcasting.The lamia casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 13):
At Will: Disguise Self (can appear as a large or medium biped), Minor Illusion
1/Day Each: Geas, Major Image, Scrying
Bonus Actions
Leap.The lamia jumps up to 30 feet by spending 10 feet of movement.
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 Lamia
2024 Lamia
Type
Monstrosity
Fiend
Speed
30 ft.
40 ft., plus Leap (bonus action, 30-ft. jump for 10 ft. of movement)
Melee
Claws 14 + Dagger 5 or Intoxicating Touch
Two Claws, 7 slashing + 7 psychic each; one can be Corrupting Touch
The touch
Melee spell attack; disadvantage on Wis saves and ability checks for 1 hour
DC 13 Wis save; 13 (3d8) psychic, Charmed and Poisoned for 1 hour
Spells
Disguise Self, Major Image at will; Charm Person, Mirror Image, Scrying, Suggestion 3/day; Geas 1/day
Disguise Self, Minor Illusion at will; Geas, Major Image, Scrying 1/day
The 2024 lamia is a better fighter and a weaker enchanter. It hits harder, moves farther, and its touch takes a character out of the fight against it, but it can no longer chain charms all day.
How Lamias Fight
2014: soften, then enchant. The touch is the setup. Against a fighter with Wisdom +1, Suggestion (DC 13) normally fails on an 11 or lower (55%). After Intoxicating Touch, with disadvantage, that rises to about 80%. A 2014 lamia touches the strongest character in melee, then on its next turn casts Suggestion: "Guard this door for me while I speak with your friends." Three uses of Suggestion and three of Charm Person a day let it do this repeatedly.
2024: claw and corrupt. Two Claws against AC 16 hit half the time for 14 each, about 14 damage a round. Swapping one for Corrupting Touch means a DC 13 Wisdom save: the fighter above fails 55% of the time and takes 13 psychic damage plus an hour of Charmed and Poisoned. Poisoned alone gives disadvantage on every attack roll and ability check, whoever the charmer is.
DM ruling, not rules text: the 2024 touch says the target "has the Charmed condition" but never names the charmer, and the Charmed condition's main effect (can't attack the charmer, and the charmer gets advantage on social checks) only works if someone is the charmer. The natural reading is the lamia, which means the cursed fighter can't attack or target it with damaging effects for an hour. Decide this before the session and tell the players how you rule it.
Never fight fair. The lamia's best fight happens before initiative. It looks like a merchant, a pilgrim or a sick traveler (Disguise Self), shows the party a wounded child or a burning wagon (Major Image), and picks its moment. In 2014, Mirror Image gives it three decoy duplicates when the fight turns. In 2024, Leap carries it 30 feet over a wall or chasm.
Geas is not a combat spell. It takes 1 minute to cast. Use it on a captured or charmed character after the fight: the lamia's way of turning a hero into an errand-runner for 30 days.
Running a Lamia Encounter
A lamia alone is 1,100 XP, a Moderate encounter for four level 4 characters under the 2024 rules (1,100 of the 1,500 Moderate budget). It plays better with guards. A lamia and two death dogs (1,500 XP) is a Moderate fight for four level 4 characters, and the desert setting suits both.
The 2014 guidelines in our encounter calculator rate a lone lamia as Medium for four level 4 characters. Add the two death dogs and the three-creature group counts as 3,000 XP: Deadly at level 4, Hard at level 5.
How Players Beat a Lamia
•See through the disguise.Detect Magic shows the illusion's aura, and an Intelligence (Investigation) check against DC 13 reveals Disguise Self. In 2024, Detect Evil and Good also finds it, because it's a Fiend; the 2014 Monstrosity doesn't register.
•Protection from Evil and Good (2024). It covers Fiends: the lamia has disadvantage on attacks against the warded creature, which can't gain the Charmed condition from it.
•Break the curse.Remove Curse ends both versions of the touch. Greater Restoration also works.
•Hit it. AC 13 and no resistances. 97 HP is a lot for CR 4, but nothing protects it except deception.
•Mind the save type. Charm Person only targets Humanoids, so it fails against the lamia in both editions. Its weakest save is Dexterity (+1).
Lamia Encounter Ideas
The oasis inn. A caravanserai at a desert oasis is run by a gracious, tall host. Every caravan that stops there leaves one guard behind, sworn by Geas to dig in the ruins under the well.
The sick pilgrim. A pilgrim begs the party for help reaching a shrine three days away. On the second night, two of the party's NPC porters vanish. The pilgrim is the lamia, and the shrine is its lair.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a lamia in 5e?
CR 4, worth 1,100 XP, in both the 2014 and 2024 rules.
Is a lamia a fiend in 5e?
In the 2024 rules, yes: it's a Large Fiend. In the 2014 rules it's a Large Monstrosity. The type decides whether Protection from Evil and Good and Detect Evil and Good work on it.
What does the lamia's Intoxicating Touch do?
It's a +5 melee spell attack. On a hit the target is cursed for 1 hour, with disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws and all ability checks. The 2024 Corrupting Touch replaces it with a DC 13 Wisdom save, 13 psychic damage, and the Charmed and Poisoned conditions for 1 hour.
What spells can a lamia cast?
The 2014 lamia casts Disguise Self and Major Image at will; Charm Person, Mirror Image, Scrying and Suggestion three times a day; and Geas once. The 2024 lamia casts Disguise Self and Minor Illusion at will and Geas, Major Image and Scrying once a day each.
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.