Draegloth

(from Volo's Guide to Monsters - 2016)

A draegloth is a half-drow, half-glabrezu demon, born of a drow high priestess in an unholy, dangerous ritual. Gifted with innate magic and physical might, it usually remains in the service of its mother’s house, lending its thirst for destruction to that house’s plans to triumph over its rivals.

Blessing on the House. The ritual to create a draegloth succeeds only rarely, but when it does, it is a great event that is seen by the drow of the house as a sign of the demon lord Lolth’s favor — and a sign of Lolth’s disregard for the family’s rivals, which were not thus gifted. The birth prompts the leaders of the house to begin crafting new plans to strike at its rivals when the draegloth is fully grown. These plans always use the draegloth in a significant role, because its abilities can turn the tide in a battle against a house that doesn’t have a draegloth of its own.

Subservient Enforcers. Although it plays an important part in the welfare of its house, a draegloth can’t rise above the status of a favored slave or a consort to a priestess. Before a draegloth is given any duties, it receives instruction in accepting the role set for it and not challenging authority. Draegloths instinctively resist this sort of treatment, but most of them take out their frustration on their house’s enemies. A draegloth that can’t suppress its ambitions might abandon its house and strike out on its own. Whether these rebellious draegloths are part of Lolth’s plan for sowing even greater chaos is unclear.

Brute Cunning and Dark Magic. A draegloth loves the feeling of tearing opponents apart with its claws and teeth and of wielding the magic that courses through its veins. Most are too impatient to bother with complicated tactics, but a few go on to learn more destructive magic.

(from Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerun 3rd edition - 2001)

Formed in the unholy union between a newly ordained drow high priestess and a powerful demon, a draegloth is a half-fiend terror that stalks the underdark.

While half-fiends of all varieties are not as rare as one might hope, draegloths are perhaps the only variety that is regularly, intentionally, even ritually created by a mortal race. They look like 8-foot-tall drow elves, with inky black skin and a knotted mane of yellowish-white hair. Their hides are thick and covered with a fine coat of white hair, and their bodies are powerfully muscled. Two of their four arms end in powerful claws; the other two, much smaller, end in normal hands that some of these creatures can use for spellcasting. Their faces have a bestial cast, slightly elongated to resemble a dog's muzzle, and their mouths are full of vicious, sharp teeth.

Draegloths have dark vision with a range of 60 feet. They speak Abyssal and Undercommon.

Draegloths are often wizards or clerics of Lolth. Their favored class is cleric.

In the drow city of Menzoberranzan, the graduation of students from the Academy is marked by a ritual of horrible depravity. The cornerstone of this ceremony of graduation is the conjuration of a glabrezu by a top-ranking student priestess. The end result of this ceremony, on rare occasions (perhaps once every decade) is the birth of a draegloth.

The drow of Menzoberranzan view draegloths as a special blessing from Lolth, a sign of the fickle Spider Queen's favor on the young high priestess' family. That family often takes the draegloth as a sign that it is time to strike out at a rival family, and begins making its plans to exterminate a rival house. When those plans come to fruition, the draegloth is often a key factor in the success of the mission.

Combat: Draegloths delight in carnage and wade into battle without fear. Though reasonably intelligent, they are no geniuses, and are impatient in matters of strategy. They disdain weapons, for they love the feeling of tearing opponents apart with their claws and teeth.

Draegloths can use the following spell-like abilities once per day, as a 6th-level sorcerer: dancing lights, desecrate, faerie fire, and unholy blight. They can also cast darkness four times per day.

Draegloths are immune to poison and sleep-inducing spells and effects.

Draegloths have acid, cold, electricity, and fire resistance 20 and gain a +2 racial bonus on their saving throws against enchantment spells or effects.