D&D 5E Enter the shadow demons

[TerraDave]

These seem really annoying, so I am going to unleash them on my players. (Also fits the encounter thematically, but that is just a bonus).

Curious about any experience in actual play. They seem very powerful, at least until someone breaks out the light cantrip. Or maybe a torch.

 

[humble minion]

Glass cannons, in my experience. They can really dish out the damage fast, especially if there's a few of them and they get flanks, or if you're fighting a bunch of PCs who all have darkvision and so didn't bother bringing along a way of making light. Note that even though they can Hide as a bonus action, they don't have Hide In Plain Sight, so they'll still need something to hide behind (or some darkness to hide in, unless they're facing PCs with darkvision and depending how you as a DM handle hiding)

Against prepared PCs, or PCs who happen to be of the right subclasses, they can go down very fast and hard. Paladins love them, low AC means you can swing for the fences with Great Weapon Master, and your smites do extra damage because they're fiends, and on top of that it's radiant damage that they are vulnerable to. And paladins have all sorts of really nice spells (Protection from Evil/Good, Divine Favor just as two examples, but stuff like Daylight makes an appearance at higher level) that are tailor made for picking on these guys. Light domain clerics love them too, Radiance of the Dawn will make a mess of these guys.

A bit hard to use, I think. In small numbers against low level parties, they could be really lethal. As mobs against more powerful parties, they can get stomped.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I have always found the best use for shadow demons is when the PC's take down a CR 15 or higher demon, have a couple of shadow demons emerge from the high-level demon's remains (since they are basically demon ghosts). Normally a party that could that kind of demon would easily take a bunch of shadow demons, but they are down hp's, spells, etc. Let's just say after a Balor explodes is a particularly good time to do this....

 

[ECMO3]

These seem really annoying, so I am going to unleash them on my players. (Also fits the encounter thematically, but that is just a bonus).

Curious about any experience in actual play. They seem very powerful, at least until someone breaks out the light cantrip. Or maybe a torch.

Depends on your party. The thing about shadow demons is they often surprise the party. This is hell on low-constitution parties that rely on defenses.

I was playing a bladesinger once and she would go toe-to-toe with anything and did in fact go toe-to-toe with multiple demon princes at 10th level. She had to be able to cast spells though to get her defenses up and with a 10 constitution she did not have the hit points to survive if she didn't do that.

When she was 8the level 3 shadow demons almost killed her when they got a surprise round and beat her initiative. Once she got up bladesong and protection from evil the fight was over, but she was almost dead by the time she got to do that late in round 2, and that is even with a shield guardian taking half herdamage.

If instead of 3 CR4 Shadow Demons, that was say 3 CR 8 Hezros and she won initiative she would have mopped the floor with them, probably even by herself without any help.

 

[Stormonu]

Yeah, I used them where one was hiding in a "treasure chest" in a small, dimly lit room (about 15 ft. X 15 ft.). Upon opening the chest, it attacked and used the surprise "round" to pass through a nearby wall. It then used hit and run to harass the group - striking then fading through a wall, and coming back into the room through another wall (the walls had open, secret rooms/cells on the other side, so it didn't take force damage by having to end in a solid structure). Especially effective if it attacks, waits 2d6 rounds, then returns when the party's guard is back down, using the dim light to stealthily slip back in.

Add in an ally or "trap" that can give it devilsight (can see in magical darkness) and can douse an area in a darkness spell, and these things can be absolutely frightening.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I have also heard they make good advisors to one horned evil wizards who dress in red

 

[iserith]

I've used them in a single-file maze-like ruin, magically enchanted to dampen all light sources to dim light (except for spells of 2nd-level or higher that produce light). They would attack at the front or back rank of the party then pass through the walls so they were untouchable, then repeat.

Suffice it to say, the PCs tried to run really quickly through that area. Damn shame there was all that difficult terrain.

 

[jgsugden]

They're highly DM dependent as to how powerful they are.

• If you use a flanking rule that grants advantage, advantage can be assumed for almost all of their attacks.
• If you allow them to hide in dim light with little or no cover, then it can be trivial for them to regain that advantage as well.
• If you're using them intelligently, to capitalize upon their incorporeal nature, their damage immunities, etc... they can be a lot tougher. They are pretty intelligent and wise ... they should use good tactics.

If the Shadow Demons hide before combat, charge in, hit with advantage once and then stand around and get cut down ... they're not that impressive. If they use hit and run tactics - diving in with surprise and then retreating early in the next round with a disengage so that they can go through a wall - or allying with a white dragon, ogre mage, or other cold area of effect creature... then they get tougher rapidly.

As a note - players that elect to learn Summon Greater Demon may find - despite that Charisma save bonus - are really useful minions, especially if you capitalize upon their abilities (and you know a True Name).

 

[Quickleaf]

These seem really annoying, so I am going to unleash them on my players. (Also fits the encounter thematically, but that is just a bonus).

Curious about any experience in actual play. They seem very powerful, at least until someone breaks out the light cantrip. Or maybe a torch.

Most of the shadow demons I've used have actual been roleplay encounters – a soul gem trader, an emissary from a demon lord, a snarky riddling portal guardian, the false reflection of a PC in a "magic mirror", etc. I'm trying to remember if my players ever had to fight a shadow demon, and I'm coming up blank.