Hamatula

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(Redirected from Barbed devil)
Hamatula
(Creature)

Type
Outsider
(devil, extraplanar, evil, lawful)
CR
11
Environment
Any Hell
Alignment
Source: Bestiary, pg(s). 72

Hamatulas, also known as barbed devils, serve as Hell's jailers and guardians. They are ruthlessly effective in that role.

Appearance

A hamatula has a vaguely humanoid shape, standing around seven feet tall, but look even larger due to the spines that protrude from them. These barbs grow from almost every inch of the devil's body. Hamatulas often keep trophies from past victories impaled on their spikes as grisly decorations designed to intimidate their foes. Hamatulas weigh over 300 pounds.1

Habitat and ecology

Hamatulas dwell in the depths of Hell, where they serve as jailers and guardians of Hell's greatest and darkest treasures.1 This means that they can most often be found guarding the dark treasury of Erebus, which contains most of Hell's unimaginable wealth.2 Hamatulas are very loyal to their masters, caring nothing for the allure of the wealth they protect; they are only interested in guarding it to please their masters. When released on the Material Plane or required to track down a thief who has stolen from their masters, they are sadistic hunters who toy with their prey first before impaling them on their spikes, an agonizingly intimate death.3

Hamatulas are created by imprisoning a lesser devil in the darkest, most lonely vaults of Erebus for 333 years. Those who don't go completely insane or attempt to escape leave the darkened vault as hamatulas.4

Hamatulas are some of the most dangerous lesser devils to summon, as they resent being dragged away from their posts, especially if the task takes them a long time to complete. They can sometimes be appeased by offering rare treasures to add to their hoard.3

Abilities

A hamatula's most iconic trait is its battery of bristling spines all over its body, serving as both offensive weapons and a defensive shield against attackers. Their vicious claws strike supernatural fear into creatures they wound.

Hamatulas also have an impressive suite of magical abilities, allowing them to manipulate flames, create illusions, magically paralyze humanoids, smite good or chaotic creatures, teleport, and summon others of their kind.1

Notable hamatulas

See also: Category:Hamatula/Inhabitants

References