T Yochlol here is an etiquette to drow betrayal, an arcane system of unspoken rules governing what status, security, and social capital must be wagered to enter into a given plot, who benefits from whose rising star or fall from grace. There must be, for no mortal could ever truly parse the utter complexity of this interlocking web of schemes well enough to function within it without such guidance. The Handmaidens of Lolth, however, are no mortals, and exist purely to sketch this web and pluck at its strings, to guide and prune its shape into one that pleases their dread queen. Yochlol Lore Nature DC 15: Somewhat unusually among shapeshifters, yochlols are able to freely change their size and arrangement of limbs when transforming, rapidly shifting in combat between arachnid, demonic, and drow forms to make use of the various benefits of each. Though rarely seen, it is said that when under duress they can additionally transform into a cloud of toxic gasses. Religion DC 15: Known as "Handmaidens of Lolth" , the yochlol are a species of shapeshifting, ooze-like demon created by Lolth to infiltrate drow societies, in particular to provide an additional layer of surveillance to monitor her network of mortal spies. Yochlol Tactics Unless directed to assassinate a particular creature, yochlols usually use their abilities to create a window for them to escape so that they may re-engage on their own terms. If they must fight, though, they typically begin by Charming the most pressing melee threat, then using their Compel to direct it to attack the most dangerous ranged threat. Once it is engaged, they Shift Form into their spider form to either fight with their multitattack or escape, shifting back to drow form to Charm another creature whenever their concentration drops if they think they can maintain it for at least a round. They take their demon form only if forced to, or if directed by Lolth to express her displeasure by turning a particular creature into a Drider, in which case they try to engage the target in relative seclusion, Charm it, and use their Demonweb Metamorphosis on it each turn until it is transformed or the yochlol is forced to flee.
Yochlol Medium fiend (demon, shapechanger), chaotic evil Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor) Hit Points 221 (26d8 + 104) Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 18 (+4) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 17 (+3) Saving Throws DEX +6, INT +5, WIS +6, CHA +6 Skills Deception +10, Insight +6 Damage Resistances Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities Poison Condition Immunities Poisoned Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 12 Languages Abyssal, Elvish, Telepathy 120 ft., Undercommon Challenge 10 (5900 XP) Spider Climb. The yochlol can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Magic Resistance. The yochlol has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Actions Multiattack (Spider Form Only). The yochlol makes two attacks with its Venomous Bite. Venomous Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. (10 ft. in demon form), one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing in spider form damage plus 18 (5d6) poison damage. Demonweb Metamorphosis (Demon Form Only). The yochlol breathes a foul miasma into the lungs of a charmed creature within 5 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or have its Constitution score reduced by 4 (1d8) for the next minute, to a minimum of 1. A creature whose Constitution is reduced to 1 in this way transforms into a Drider. Charm (Drow Form Only, Concentration). One humanoid the yochlol can see within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed. While Charmed in this way, a creature acts under the yochlol's control and repeats this saving throw whenever it takes damage, ending the effect on a success. When the yochlol's charm ends on a creature, the creature takes 44 (8d10) psychic damage and is immune to this yochlol's Charm for the next 24 hours. Bonus Actions Compel. One creature charmed by the yochlol must use its reaction to move up to its speed and make a melee attack. Shift Form. The yochlol transforms into a form that resembles a female drow, a giant spider, or back into its true demonic form. Its statistics are the same in each form. Reactions Secret Mouth (Demon or Drow Form Only). As a reaction to being missed with a melee attack, the yochlol may make a bite attack against the attacker. Toxic Dissolution (1/Day). As a reaction to being reduced below 111 Hit Points, the Yochlol dissolves into a cloud of poisonous gas and moves up to its speed without provoking attacks of opportunity. A creature whose space it moves through in this way must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn. At the beginning of its next turn, the yochlol reverts to its true form.
Art Credits Yochlol by Chippy Yochlol Transformation copyright Wizards of the Coast The Part Where I Shill My Patreon Want to support the creation of content like this? I post new monsters with lore and tactics to my patreon five times a week, joining the more than 1000 already there, indexed in a big PDF along with formats for Foundry and 5eTools. Also check out my website and instagram, where my wife and I make handmade dice and dice bags, and where I post free books as I get them polished up. I'm trying to get a new free book like this out every other month or so. If you've got any monsters you'd like to see statted up by me, leave me a comment over in the permanent thread in r/bettermonsters and I'll put something together for you. Supported By Aaron Rosenberg AHorseWithNoName Alex Bogart Alex Gillies Alex O'Donnell Alex O'Hanlon Alisha Herbitter Allis Anders Ivarsson Andrew Cheeseman Benji Morris Bernhard Fritz Blueberryperson Bradley Webb Brandon Malofsky David Jose Delport Breckland Ex Nihilo Flipp Fletcher Herring George Hughes GramPositive Harrison Phillips Helltroll Hoswell Jack O'Keefe Jacob Gist Jake Serna James Hawthorne James McBride Johnathan Chavez Joseph Donley Josh Huston Justin King Kelsii Weber Kyle Cove Lascifrass Lawrence Courtrelle Luke Wheeler Malacandrian Marc Adelman Matt Herbert Matt Pierce Matthew Cullen Matthew S Mauricio Garcia Maximilian Bizjak Mehul Gupta Michael Taylor Mike Nicolan Milo Baraclough Mitch Whitehead Moritz Hackl Nathan Johnson Nathanial Schnebly Niall Nick I Niki S ObsessiveModelmaker Ondřej Kříž Oscar Mangandid Patrick Phoenix Daniels Primarily Daniel Rae Judd Rici Robert Martin Robin Bjälmsjö Robin Roberts Ronan Battistoni Rowan RuggerFoodie Sandy Hogg SardScroll saternoutlaw Saz Shadowfield Shane Sharelle D Larsen Sheila Dietrich Simen Lande Simon Bell simon Jørgensen Simon Weller SirApetus Sylphreni Tanner F Moen The Coffee Bean GM Victor Navone Vince Margaretich Walter Downard William Dixon Zach Kozel