The thief felt like he had been running for weeks. It was supposed to be an easy job; steal the ring and bring it back. The buyer hadn’t been 100% honest, though. The mark was a Warlock. A now very angry Warlock.
Running through the forest a purple burst of energy came out of nowhere and slammed into the thief knocking him to the ground, and floating from the sky came the Warlock.
“Please no. It was just a job. Take it!” The thief flung the ring back at the Warlock.
The Warlock picked up the ring and knelt next to the thief. “Let’s ask my conscience then.” He looked to his left shoulder and a horrifying red Imp appeared out of nowhere.
“Vengeance!” The little red creature hissed.
“Any objections?” The Warlock looked to his right shoulder. No little angel appeared.
“Vengeance it is.” It was the last thing the thief heard before the darkness took him.
Imp 5e
Table of Contents
What is an Imp 5e?
An Imp is a tiny minor demon that lives in the infernal plane. In their natural state, they have red skin, horns, wings, and a forked tail.
They are mischievous creatures that can blend in with their surroundings by turning invisible or shifting their forms into small wildlife to avoid detection.
Damage Resistances: cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical weapons that aren’t silvered
Damage Immunities: fire, poison
Condition Immunities: poisoned
Senses: darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 11
Languages: Infernal, Common
Challenge Rating: 1 (200 XP)
Imp 5e Lore
Imps often serve greater demons or make pacts with Wizards or Warlocks. They are useful spies since they can shapeshift and turn invisible.
When left to their own devices, they can often be found tormenting mortals. It could be as simple as getting them lost on a road or leading them to their certain death. They are evil creatures and will often choose chaos and violence over helping others.
As familiars, Imps are powerful allies that can give magical resistance to their masters, but like with any deal with a devil, if the terms of the contract are broken they can just as easily turn on their masters.
As familiars, they often act as the proverbial devil on the shoulder. They urge violence or evil ends if asked for their opinion by their masters.
Imp 5e Actions
Shapechanger
The Imp has a limited Polymorph ability that allows it to change into 3 different animals. The only change is its speed and appearance. It’s abilities and HP remains exactly the same.
What Can an Imp Turn Into?
The imp can use its action to polymorph into a beast form that resembles a rat (speed 20ft.), a raven (20ft., fly 60ft.), or a spider (20ft., climb 20ft.), or back into its true form.
Its statistics are the same in each form, except for the speed changes noted. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Devil’s Sight
Magical darkness doesn’t impede the imp’s darkvision.
Magic Resistance
The imp has an advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Sting
(Bite in Beast Form). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft ., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must make on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Invisibility
The imp magically turns invisible until it attacks or until its concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment the imp wears or carries is invisible with it.
What Level Should I be to Fight an Imp 5e?
A level 1 adventurer can potentially fight an Imp 1v1 and survive. Imps don’t have much HP and with an AC of 13, they should be able to regularly hit it.
However, level 1 adventurers also don’t have a lot of hit points, and the Imp’s Sting attack can potentially kill most level 1 characters with its poison effect. A party of 4 Level 1 adventurers should be ok with fighting an Imp.
Their Shapechanging and Invisibility abilities almost guarantee that the first attack will be an ambush by the Imp and if they’re lucky, they could potentially take out at least one level 1 character.
Level 1 characters should not face an Imp alone. A level 2 character would be much more prepared to fight one of these demons by themself.
How Do You Beat an Imp 5e?
At first glance, the Imp doesn’t seem like a particularly formidable foe, but its invisibility almost guarantees the DM will ambush the players.
Avoiding the Sting attack is key. The save is relatively easy to make at 11, but one bad die roll on a save could kill your character outright.
Imp 5e FAQ
What is an Imp in DND 5e?
An Imp is a lesser Demon. They are used as messengers and spies by more powerful demons and as familiars by spellcasters. They have red skin, leathery wings, two small horns, and a forked tail.
How big are Imps 5e?
Imps are considered tiny-sized creatures. Size can vary, but as the rules are written they should fit within a 2.5 x 2.5 ft area. This would make it approximately the size of a large cat.
Are Imp familiars evil?
Imp Familiars are Lawful Evil. This does not mean that the Wizard or Warlock who bound the Imp has to share an evil alignment.
It is also up to the DM if they want to change the alignment, but this typically would not happen.
Can an Imp fly?
Yes, an Imp can fly. Their base speed for flying is 40ft.
Before starting GameCows with his wife Kendra, he used to teach English Language Arts in the US. He combined his love of gaming with education to create fun game-based learning lessons until he eventually decided to run GameCows with Kendra full-time. He’s known for pouring over rulebooks in his spare time, being the rule master during game night, and as the perma DM in his DnD group. Bryan loves board games, writing, traveling, and above all his wife and partner in crime, Kendra.
