Flame Demon
Flame Demon — The Encounter
The Burning One Risen From the Pyre of Souls · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Flame Demon
Where this thing treads, the grass does not grow back. The grimoires of the burning name it a Risen One, a spirit cast down from a higher station and set ablaze for its pride, condemned to wander as living conflagration. Beneath its claws writhes a base of the damned, souls it has gathered and now stands upon as a king stands upon a throne, their torment feeding the flame that clothes it. The twin colors of its wings are no ornament: one fire burns the body, the other the soul, and a creature scorched by both is said to be unmakeable, its ashes never returning to the wheel of rebirth. Old wards against it call upon water, cold iron, and the names of those it loved before the fall, for even a burning thing remembers what it was. Few wards hold. Fewer still are spoken twice, because few who face the Burning One survive to learn the words.
Run Flame Demon in Sixty Seconds
- Hold the air. The demon wants to be airborne and out of melee reach, lancing the back line. Don't let it land unless it's about to Pyre Burst a cluster.
- Open with Pyre Burst. If the party bunches at the start, fly in, blast, then peel out with Wings of Ash before they can surround it.
- Kill-priority: the healer, then casters. Hellfire Lance the squishiest first; Searing Retort the first spellcaster who tries to act or flee.
- When bloodied, go reckless: stay in melee, let Conflagrant Aura tick on everyone adjacent, and spend every legendary action on Cinder Strike to race the party's burst.
- Three ways to run it: a flying artillery boss that kites and burns; a stand-and-grind melee terror that punishes anyone who comes close; or a lair tyrant atop its pyre of souls, scattering the party with Wings of Ash.
Flame Demon
Large fiend (demon), chaotic evil
CR 9 · 5,000 XP · GUIDELINEMagic Resistance. The demon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Conflagrant Aura. At the start of each of the demon's turns, each creature within 10 feet of it takes 7 (2d6) fire damage. A creature that touches the demon or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 3 (1d6) fire damage. This is the demon's signature trait: the souls bound beneath its feet burn outward in a constant pyre.
Actions
Multiattack. The demon makes two attacks with its Cinder Greatsword, or it uses Hellfire Lance twice.
Cinder Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8+5) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) fire damage.
Hellfire Lance. Ranged Spell Attack: +8 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (4d8+4) fire damage. On a hit, the target must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or catch fire, taking 5 (1d10) fire damage at the start of each of its turns until a creature uses an action to douse the flames.
Pyre Burst (Recharge 5-6). The demon erupts in flame. Each creature within 20 feet must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. Flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried ignite.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Searing Retort (Reaction). When a creature the demon can see within 30 feet casts a spell or starts to move, the demon can lash out with a tendril of fire. The triggering creature must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) fire damage and have its speed reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn.
Legendary Actions (3/Round)
Legendary Actions. The demon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The demon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Cinder Strike. The demon makes one Cinder Greatsword attack.
Wings of Ash (Costs 2 Actions). The demon beats its burning wings. Each creature within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away and take 7 (2d6) fire damage. The demon can then fly up to half its speed.
Soul Ember. The demon hurls an ember from the souls beneath it at one creature it can see within 60 feet. That creature must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 9 (2d8) fire damage and be frightened until the end of its next turn.
A towering horned fiend wreathed in twin flames of orange and blue, gripping a jagged greatsword of molten cinder, its clawed legs planted on a churning mound of screaming souls. Its wings burn cold on one side and white-hot on the other, the colors of a fire that consumes both flesh and spirit.
Flame Demon, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINESmoldering Ward (signature). While within 30 feet of an ally, Flame Demon sheds dim light, and any ally that starts its turn in that light gains resistance to fire damage until the start of its next turn.
Actions
Ash Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d4+4) slashing damage plus 3 (1d6) fire damage.
Reactions
Cinder Shield. When an ally it can see within 10 feet takes fire damage, Flame Demon can drink in the flame, reducing that damage by 1d10 and healing itself for the amount reduced.
A lesser flame-spirit pried loose from the pyre and chained to a new master, half-loyal and wholly afraid, it tends the fires of those it serves rather than burning them.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
Open with Hellfire Lance from the air to pick off a fragile caster before the party can close. When clustered, drop Pyre Burst, then land and swing the greatsword at whoever survives. Kill-priority is the lowest-HP caster; pair it with a couple of smoldering hounds so it never wastes a turn standing still.
Stay airborne and lance the back line, using Searing Retort to punish the first martial that tries to reposition. Save Pyre Burst for when three or more PCs bunch up to revive or buff. Kill-priority is the healer; this build pairs well with a fire-immune brute that can stand in the Conflagrant Aura without dying.
Run it as a true centerpiece: open by flying into the densest knot and triggering Pyre Burst, then spend legendary actions on Wings of Ash to scatter melee and reposition out of reach. Use Searing Retort to lock down the first spellcaster who acts, and burn the healer to ash first. Best fought in its own lair amid difficult, vertical terrain that lets it kite and forces the party to spread thin.
Put Flame Demon on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Flame Demon?
Its home build is CR 9 (5,000 XP), a Tier 3 centerpiece for parties of levels 11-15. Because it carries a real action-economy kit (three legendary actions plus the Searing Retort reaction), it is solo-capable and built one band down so it plays up to a satisfying boss fight. Scaled-down Tier 1 and Tier 2 versions are provided for lower-level tables.
Can Flame Demon be a companion or ally?
The demon itself is far too proud and destructive to serve, but a lesser flame-spirit pried from its pyre, Ember-Kin, can be bound to a worthy master. Ember-Kin wards allies against fire, tends the flames of those it serves, and drinks in heat to shield them rather than burning them.
How do I make the fight harder without raising the CR?
Fight it in its lair: difficult, burning terrain that ignites from Pyre Burst, vertical sightlines that reward its flight, and a few fire-immune minions to soak the Conflagrant Aura. Letting it open from the air and forcing the party to spread out across hazards is far deadlier than simply adding hit points.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
The Legend
In Your Campaign
Encounter Design: Flame Demon works as a mid-to-high tier encounter that rewards tactical thinking. Place it in terrain that plays to its strengths — restricted sightlines, difficult ground, or vertical elements that force the party to adapt.
Campaign Hooks: A bounty that experienced adventurers refuse. Territorial expansion forcing Flame Demon into populated areas. A wizard who thinks they can control it. They can't.
Technical Specifications
32mm, 75mm
STL, Pre-supported STL
Standard or ABS-like resin, 0.05mm layer height
Yes — ready to print, optimized supports included
From the Same Collection
Frequently Asked Questions
What scale is the Flame Demon miniature available in?
Flame Demon is available in 32mm (tabletop standard) and 75mm (display/collector scale). Both scale files are included with presupported and unsupported STL options.
Is the Flame Demon STL file presupported?
Yes. Every Clay Cyanide miniature includes presupported STL files optimized for resin printing at 0.05mm layer height, plus unsupported files for custom support placement.
Can I use Flame Demon in my D&D or tabletop RPG campaign?
Absolutely. Flame Demon is designed for tabletop gaming at 32mm scale, fitting standard grid-based combat systems. The dynamic pose and detailed sculpt create memorable encounters and character moments.
Played Flame Demon at your table? Log in with your Obsidian Tavern account to leave a balance note, a war story, or a file issue — the sharpest reports get the block revised.
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