Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as Hell’s Enemy
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted plunge into the depths of the Lower Planes to combat evil where it lives with a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character build. This was back when we created these 5E D&D guides using Adventurer’s League rules and for this Hell’s Enemy character we used Xanathar’s Guide to Everything as our plus one. Let’s get into it.
Behind the CBG — Hell’s Enemy
Every CBG we create considers the journey as much as the final outcome. We aim to present a guide suitable for any level of 5E D&D play whether you’re pursuing an epic campaign from start to finish, starting beyond 1st level or choosing a character for a one shot. Then we take those concepts and develop an NPC or creature version of the character build for DMs to incorporate into their games. All of this gets packaged up and laid out in a PDF you can find over at Dungeon Master’s Guild. We’ve got dozens of pay what you want products at DMG, many of them best sellers so if you want to check those out start with the Hell’s Enemy here.
All about the character story
Each CBG starts with a character concept sticking to a particular schtick, from the Mind Breaker’s psyche crushing smites to Hell’s Enemy’s goal of taking the battle against evil to the infernal front lines. Sometimes puns and pop culture references instigate the creation of a CBG too. With Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus right around the corner we wondered what sort of adventurer would be best prepared to journey into the Nine Hells and take on infernal war machines against the archdevil Zariel.
For us it’s important to consider who these characters are as individuals and why they follow these particular paths. One special thing to note with this CBG is while we always aim to make the journey to 20th level as practical as possible — none of these characters “come online” after an awkward slog through many levels — Hell’s Enemy smotes their enemies’ ruins upon the mountainside around 8th level. By 11th level fiends fall to their mighty deeds and shall lay no foul claw upon allies.
The Blood War touched this character personally on a deep level, and the trophy of this tragic encounter they carry is a constant reminder to stay vigilant and smite foes of goodness. Since gold dragons are famously dedicated foes of evil we dig this character as a gold dragonborn. Thematically this enemy of the Nine Hells is nothing if not a righteous foe of evil first, and paladin embodies the essence of what this character is all about. But they learn some special tricks of the trade along the way and when that trade is taking the fight against deviltry to its very doorstep those tricks transform this warrior into a holy harrier.
Hell’s Enemy NPC for 5E D&D
Full disclosure — the NPCs and creatures we make in CBGs are some of my favorite bits of 5E D&D content to create. We step back and look at the character build to find the standout features that feel like signature abilities. The juice! From there we consider what sort of person or people would possess or gain these abilities and build a stat block around them. More often than not the section of a CBG For Dungeon Masters presents a generic creature.
As the character build portions began to lose the self-imposed restrictions we put on them so too did the NPC and creature versions inspired by them. But this oldie still stuck close to the player version. I envisioned Hell’s Enemy as a one time ally for a party in need of extra power against the forces of hell. This NPC is designed to fight fiends and go out in a blaze of glory. Part of the training for these grim warriors involves alchemical conditioning that makes their physical body resistant to the heat and flames of the infernal battleground. An adventuring party with a Hell’s Enemy on their side could take on a horde of fiends and their ally would consider it a glorious honor to pass on to heaven after destroying many evil forces and healing their allies while doing so.
Dig Two Graves. Hell’s enemies are aware that a trip to the Nine Hells is almost certainly a one way journey. But these soldiers have a personal score to settle with the fiendish hordes. Nothing will stand in their way of exacting vengeance upon the devilish forces that brought tragedy and ruin to their lives.
“Final Vengeance. When the hell’s enemy dies, it explodes in a burst of positive energy. Each fiend or undead within 5 feet of the hell’s enemy must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (4d6) radiant damage. Each non-evil creature within 5 feet is healed for 14 (4d6) hit points.”
If your next 5E D&D game needs a character who trained mentally, physically and spiritually to cross the planar boundary to the Nine Hells as a vanguard against the forces of evil — whether you’re the DM or a player — check out the Hell’s Enemy Character Build Guide here.
*Featured image — A Paladin in Hell is an iconic piece of D&D art from the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook. Some fun facts I learned about the artist of one of the most recognizable pieces of D&D art are: he wrote the classic Queen of the Demonweb Pits adventure, drew the isometric maps of Castle Ravenloft from the original module and he created the wemic — one of Nerdarchist Ted’s favorite creatures. [Art by David Sutherland]
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