Dark Bishop
Small or Medium • Humanoid • Evil
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 195 (26d8 + 78)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +4 (14)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 16 (+3) | 17 (+3) | 20 (+5) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws Int +7, Wis +9, Cha +8
Skills Insight +13, Persuasion +8, Religion +11
Damage Resistances necrotic, radiant
Gear holy symbol
Senses passive Perception 15
Languages Common plus three others languages
CR 11 (XP 5,900 or 8,400 in lair, PB +4)
Magic Resistance. The bishop has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Sacrificial Ward. When the bishop is subjected to damage that would reduce it to 0 hit points, the damage is instead transferred to an allied creature within 30 feet of it.
Tainted Miracle. When a creature within 30 feet of the bishop regains hit points or is affected by the bishop’s Zealous Rally, it gains one level of exhaustion.
ACTIONS
Penance. The bishop targets up to three creatures, choosing one of the following effects per target (can’t choose the same effect twice):
- Constitution Saving Throw: DC 17, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: 16 (3d10) necrotic damage. Success: Half damage.
- Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 17, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: 9 (2d8) radiant damage, and the target is blinded until the end of its next turn.
- Charisma Saving Throw: DC 17, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: The target becomes incapacitated and banished to a harmless demiplane until the start of the bishop’s next turn. Further, the target has advantage against this save until the end of the bishop's next turn. Success: The target becomes immune to this effect for 1 hour.
Spellcasting. The bishop casts one of the following spells, using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17):
At will: guiding bolt (level 4), light, thaumaturgy
1/day: dispel evil and good, divine word, geas (level 7), holy aura, true seeing, word of recall
BONUS ACTIONS
Summon Servant (1/Day). The bishop magically summons a Celestial or Fiend with CR 4 or lower. The summoned creature appears in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of its summoner, acts as an ally of its summoner, and can't summon other demons. It remains for 10 minutes, until it or its summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as an action.
REACTIONS
Zealous Rally. Trigger: An allied creature the bishop can see within 30 feet of it that can hear the bishop drops to 0 hit points. Response: The creature drops to 1 hit point instead.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature's turn, the bishop can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The bishop regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Condemn. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 17, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: 10 (3d6) psychic damage. Success: Half damage.
Word of Faith. The bishop targets an allied creature that can hear it within 60 feet. The target gains advantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the end of its next turn.
Veneration. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 17, each creature of the bishop’s choice that can see it within 60 feet. Failure: A target becomes charmed, incapacitated, falls prone, and is unable to stand up until the start of the bishop’s next turn. Success: The target becomes immune to this effect for 1 hour. Failure or Success: The bishop can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Dark Bishop
Small or Medium • Humanoid • Evil
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 156 (24d8 + 48)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +3 (13)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) |
Saving Throws Int +5, Wis +7, Cha +6
Skills Insight +10, Persuasion +6, Religion +8
Damage Resistances necrotic, radiant
Gear holy symbol
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages Common plus three others languages
CR 8 (XP 3,900 or 5,000 in lair; PB +3)
Magic Resistance. The bishop has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Sacrificial Ward. When the bishop is subjected to damage that would reduce it to 0 hit points, the damage is instead transferred to an allied creature within 30 feet of it.
Tainted Miracle. When a creature within 30 feet of the bishop regains hit points or is affected by the bishop’s Zealous Rally, it gains one level of exhaustion.
ACTIONS
Penance. The bishop targets up to three creatures, choosing one of the following effects per target (can’t choose the same effect twice):
- Constitution Saving Throw: DC 15, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: 11 (2d10) necrotic damage. Success: Half damage.
- Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 15, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: 4 (1d8) radiant damage, and the target is blinded until the end of its next turn.
- Charisma Saving Throw: DC 15, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: The target becomes incapacitated and banished to a harmless demiplane until the start of the bishop’s next turn. Further, the target has advantage against this save until the end of the bishop's next turn. Success: The target becomes immune to this effect for 1 hour.
Spellcasting. The bishop casts one of the following spells, using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 15):
At will: guiding bolt (level 2), light, thaumaturgy
1/day: dispel evil and good, geas, holy aura, true seeing, word of recall
BONUS ACTIONS
Summon Servant (1/Day). The bishop magically summons a Celestial or Fiend with CR 2 or lower. The summoned creature appears in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of its summoner, acts as an ally of its summoner, and can't summon other demons. It remains for 10 minutes, until it or its summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as an action.
REACTIONS
Zealous Rally. Trigger: An allied creature the bishop can see within 30 feet of it that can hear the bishop drops to 0 hit points. Response: The creature drops to 1 hit point instead.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature's turn, the bishop can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The bishop regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Condemn. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 15, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: 7 (2d6) psychic damage. Success: Half damage.
Word of Faith. The bishop targets an allied creature that can hear it within 60 feet. The target gains advantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the end of its next turn.
Veneration. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 15, each creature of the bishop’s choice that can see it within 30 feet. Failure: A target becomes charmed, incapacitated, falls prone, and is unable to stand up until the start of the bishop’s next turn. Success: The target becomes immune to this effect for 1 hour. Failure or Success: The bishop can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Dark Bishop
Small or Medium • Humanoid • Evil
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 246 (29d8 + 116)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +5 (15)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 14 (+4) | 19 (+4) | 22 (+6) | 20 (+5) |
Saving Throws Int +9, Wis +11, Cha +10
Skills Insight +16, Persuasion +10, Religion +14
Damage Resistances necrotic, radiant
Gear holy symbol
Senses passive Perception 16
Languages Common plus three others languages
CR 14 (XP 11,500 or 13,000 in lair; PB +5)
Magic Resistance. The bishop has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Sacrificial Ward. When the bishop is subjected to damage that would reduce it to 0 hit points, the damage is instead transferred to an allied creature within 30 feet of it.
Tainted Miracle. When a creature within 30 feet of the bishop regains hit points or is affected by the bishop’s Zealous Rally, it gains one level of exhaustion.
ACTIONS
Penance. The bishop targets up to three creatures, choosing one of the following effects per target (can’t choose the same effect twice):
- Constitution Saving Throw: DC 19, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: 22 (4d10) necrotic damage. Success: Half damage.
- Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 19, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: 10 (3d6) radiant damage, and the target is blinded until the end of its next turn.
- Charisma Saving Throw: DC 19, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: The target becomes incapacitated and banished to a harmless demiplane until the start of the bishop’s next turn. Further, the target has advantage against this save until the end of the bishop's next turn. Success: The target becomes immune to this effect for 1 hour.
Spellcasting. The bishop casts one of the following spells, using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 19):
At will: guiding bolt (level 6), light, thaumaturgy
1/day: dispel evil and good, divine word, geas (level 9), holy aura, true seeing, word of recall
BONUS ACTIONS
Summon Servant (1/Day). The bishop magically summons a Celestial or Fiend with CR 6 or lower. The summoned creature appears in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of its summoner, acts as an ally of its summoner, and can't summon other demons. It remains for 10 minutes, until it or its summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as an action.
REACTIONS
Zealous Rally. Trigger: An allied creature the bishop can see within 30 feet of it that can hear the bishop drops to 0 hit points. Response: The creature drops to 1 hit point instead.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature's turn, the bishop can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The bishop regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Condemn. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 19, one creature the bishop can see within 60 feet. Failure: 14 (4d6) psychic damage. Success: Half damage.
Word of Faith. The bishop targets an allied creature that can hear it within 60 feet. The target gains advantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the end of its next turn.
Veneration. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 19, each creature of the bishop’s choice that can see it within 60 feet. Failure: A target becomes charmed, incapacitated, falls prone, and is unable to stand up until the start of the bishop’s next turn. Success: The target becomes immune to this effect for 1 hour. Failure or Success: The bishop can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
QUICK REFERENCE
USING MONSTER VARIANTS
Monster variants allow the GM to adjust encounters to better match the party’s strength, narrative needs, or world-building logic. A weaker variant may represent a juvenile, wounded, or lesser specimen, while a stronger variant can serve as a leader, champion, ancient creature, or apex predator.
Variants can be used to fine-tune difficulty without changing the core identity of the monster, making them ideal for scaling encounters, reinforcing hierarchy within a faction, or creating memorable boss-style enemies. You can even use the same stat block but different variants in the same encounter if you want.
Design Note. Each monster is primarily balanced around its normal version. Weaker and stronger variants are derived adjustments and may not always preserve every tactical nuance or “feel” of the original creature. GMs are encouraged to review variants carefully and adjust abilities or tactics as needed to best suit their table.