The Yugoloth

"Are you a soldier? What war do you fight? Whose side are you on? Law or Chaos? Evil or Good? All this might seem strange coming from a Yugoloth, but you should believe me, because I am in the best position to know: endless wars profit only mercenaries and arms dealers." --Shemeshka the Marauder

Created to be a fiendish army unbound to the Nine Hells, yugoloths fill the role of mercenaries in the lower planes. Unconcerned by their True Name being discovered, these daemons fight fiercely, shifting sides in conflict as frequently as coin shifts hands.

Spawn of Gehenna

The first yugoloths were created by a sisterhood of night hags on Gehenna, which is widely believed to be a work commissioned by Asmodeus himself. The true names of each of these fiends, save that of the General of Gehenna, were collected into four tomes called the Books of Keeping. These books and the true names within were used to ensure the loyalty of the yugoloths, and to capture the true names of other fiends that crossed them, since having a fiend's true name grants power over it. Eventually, the sisterhood broke away as a result of infighting, and the Books of Keeping were lost or stolen, giving the yugoloths independence.

Fiendish Mercenaries

The only master a yugoloth accepts is one that pays. Yugoloths fill in with scores of other fiends in the ranks of the Blood War, where they fight for whichever side that pays the best. A yugoloth may shift allegiance many times over the course of the same battle. Despite their overwhelming participation in the Blood War, yugoloths can be found anywhere, though the cost of maintaining an army of them usually far exceeds what many prospective employers can pay. Yugoloths are self-serving creatures and will quarrel with themselves to no end. While an army of them is more orderly than a horde of demons, they cannot match the strict, orderly structure of an army of devils. Without a powerful master to guide them, yugoloths will pursue their own goals and indulge their own violent tendencies.

Yugoloth

Ability Score Increase +1 Con

Size Medium

Speed 30 ft.

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Age. Yugoloths, like many fiends, have one appearance from the day they're created, and do not physically age. A yugoloth lives effectively forever, as long as they are not killed.
Alignment. Having grown into the role of extraplanar mercenaries, yugoloths have a reputation for being a medium between the extremes of demons and devils: unlike demons, they can be reasoned with, but unlike devils, they are rarely true to their word. Almost every yugoloth is neutral in some capacity, and very few have any interest in morality, causing them to lean toward evil.
Size. Most yugoloths have humanoid sizes, usually standing between 6 and 7 feet tall and weighing more than a hundred pounds, though some are bulkier and others are smaller. Your size is Medium.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Natural Weapon. You have razor-sharp claws, which are a simple melee weapon you are proficient with, uses a d6 for its damage die, and deals slashing damage.
Teleportation. You can use an action on your turn to teleport up to 30 feet to a space you can see, taking any equipment you are wearing or carrying with you. You can use this feature once, and regain the ability to do so when you complete a short or long rest.
Telepathy. You can communicate easily with your mind. You know the message cantrip, and can cast it without somatic or material components.
Denizen of Gehenna. You are a creature of the lower planes, and as such you count as a fiend for all spells and abilities that affect fiends.

Subrace

Many types of Yugoloth exist, though many aren't powerful enough to strike out on their own and become adventurers. Choose one subrace from Arcanaloth, Nycaloth, and Ultroloth.

Arcanaloth

The most arcane-attuned of the Yugoloths, Arcanaloths are sly, jackal-headed beings with humanoid bodies, and typically appear well groomed. They fill the role of negotiators and record keepers among yugoloths using powerful innate magic to change into other humanoid forms, using them for negotiation.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
Negotiator. You are proficient in the Persuasion skill.
Gehenna Magic. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the comprehend languages spell once with this trait, and regain the ability to do so when you complete a long rest. Starting at 5th level, you can cast alter self spell once with this trait, regaining the ability to do so when you complete a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Nycaloth

The winged, muscular, gargoyle-like Nycaloths are the airborne shock troopers of yugoloths. They are incredibly loyal, not typically breaking contracts when they find a master that treats them well, unless the reward for doing so is great. They use their bat-like wings to keep themselves in the air during a fight, and use their claws to strike without warning.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger for the purposes of determining carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag and lift.
Wing Jump. Using your wings to carry you, the distance you can jump is tripled, and you don't need to move in order to make a long jump.

Mezzoloth

These human-sized insect creatures make up the bulk of a Yugoloth army, serving as foot soldiers. They feature four arms, wide red eyes and a body covered in chitinous plates. Violence and reward are the central drive for a mezzoloth, and powerful beings that promise one or the other can easily attract many of these creatures. While their four arms each have claws with which to attack, they usually prefer to wield a trident in two of them.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Creature of Darkness. You can cast the darkness spell once, regaining the ability to do so when you complete a long rest.
Multilimbed. You have four arms. All of your arms are strong enough to carry weapons, shields, arcane focuses, other objects, or hold onto terrain features such as a tree branch or ladder. You cannot gain a benefit from having more than one shield, and holding more than two weapons does not affect how two-weapon fighting works for you.

Ultroloth

The most powerful and prestigious of the yugoloths, the slender, greyskinned humanoids with elongated heads and ovoid eyes called ultroloths command the armies of yugoloths that can be found throughout the lower planes. While not engaged in the Blood War, ultroloths can be found leading yugoloth forces as crime bosses or commanders in charge of evil mercenary companies. Their reputation for cruelty ensures that other yugoloths know their place when an ultroloth is around.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
Greater Telepathy. When you cast message with your Telepathy feature, the spell has a casting time of a bonus action and does not require components.
Hypnotic Gaze. You can use an action to cause your eyes to sparkle with opalescent light at a creature you can see within 30 feet. If the creature can see you, it must make a Wisdom saving throw against this magic. The save has a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. On a failed save, the creature is charmed by you until the end of your next turn. Once you use this feature, you must complete a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Starting at 5th level, the creature is also stunned while it is charmed.

Languages. Accustomed to the languages of your typical employers, mortals and infernal armies, you can speak, read and write Common and Infernal