200 ELDER TEMPEST Terrifying storms manifest in the body of the elder tempest. A being carved from clouds, wind, rain, and lightning, the elder tempest assumes the shape of a serpent that slithers through the sky. The tempest drowns the land beneath it with rain and stabs the earth with lances of lightning. Punishing winds scream around it as it flies, feeding the chaos it creates. ELDER TEMPEST Gargantuan elemental, neutral Armor Class 19 Hit Points 264 (16d20 + 96) Speed 0 ft. , fly 120 ft. (hover) STR 23 (+6) DEX 28 (+9) CON 23 (+6) Saving Throws Wis +12, Cha +11 CHA 18 (+4) Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities lightning, poison, thunder Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15 Languages - Challenge 23 (50,000 XP) . - Air Form. The tempest can enter a hostile creature's space and stop there. It can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. Flyby. The tempest doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the tempest fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Living Storm. The tempest is always at the center of a storm ld6 + 4 miles in diameter. Heavy precipitation in the form of either rain or snow falls there7 causing the area to be lightly obscured. Heavy rain also extinguishes open flames and imposes disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing. In addition, strong winds swirl in the area covered by the storm. The winds impose disadvantage on ranged attack rolls. The winds extinguish open flames and disperse fog. Siege Monster. The tempest deals double damage to objects and structures. ACTIONS Multiattack. The tempest makes two attacks with its thunderous slam. Thunderous Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (4d6 + 9) thunder damage. Lightning Storm (Recharge 6). All other creatures within 120 feet of the tempest must each make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If a target's saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is also stunned until the end of its next turn. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY LEGENDARY ACTIONS The tempest can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only qt the end of another creature's turn. The tempest regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Move. The tempest moves up to its speed. Lightning Strike (Costs 2 Actions). The tempest can cause a bolt of lightning to strike a point on the ground anywhere under its storm. Each creature within 5 feet of that point must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 16 (3dl0) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Screaming Gale (Costs 3 Actions). The tempest releases a blast of thunder and wind in a line that is 1 mile long and 20 feet wide. Objects in that area take 22 (4d10) thunder damage. Each creature there must succeed on a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw or take 22 (4d10) thunder damage and be flung up to 60 feet in a direction away from the line. If a thrown target collides with an immovable object, such as a wall or floo r, the target takes 3 (ld6) bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it was thrown before impact. If the target would collide with another creature instead, that other creature must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and be knocked prone.
ZARA TAN When a zaratan is summoned from the Elemental Plane of Earth, the ground rises up to take the shape of what looks like a hulking, armored reptile, its shell composed of the landscape from which it arose. The zaratan plods across the land, each step sending shock waves through the ground severe enough to unsettle structures. Dim-witted, the zaratan lurches onward, expressing its rage through its trumpeting calls and the occasional boulder or blast of debris it spews from its cavernous maw. If seriously injured, the zaratan slowly retracts its appendages to gain shelter beneath its impervious s hell, biding its time until it recovers and can resume its march. ZARATAN Gargantuan elemental, neutral Armor Class 21 (natural armor) Hit Points 307 (15d20 + 150) Speed 40 ft., swim 40 ft. STR 30 (+10) DEX 10 (+O) CON 30 (+10) Saving Throws Wis +12, Cha +11 Damage Vulnera bilities thunder INT 2 (-4) WIS 21 (+5) CHA 18 {+4) Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, stunned Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 15 Languages - • Challenge 22 (41,000 XP) ' .. Earth-Shaking Movement. As a bonus action after moving at least 10 feet on the ground, the zaratan can send a shock wave through the ground in a 120-foot-radius circle centered on itself. That area becomes difficult terrain for 1 minute. Each creature on the ground that is concentrating must succeed on a DC 25 Constitution saving throw or the creature's concentration is broken . The shock wave deals 100 thunder damage to all structures in contact with the ground in the area. If a creature is near a structure that collapses, the creature might be buried; a creature within half the distance of the structure's height must make a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 17 (Sd6) bludgeoning damage, is knocked prone, and is trapped in the rubble. A trapped creature is restrained, requiring a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check as an action to escape. Another creature within 5 feet of the buried creature can use its action to clear rubble and grant advantage on the check. If three creatures use their actions in this way, the check is an automatic success. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and doesn't fall prone or become trapped. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the zaratan fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Magic Weapons. The zaratan's weapon attacks are magical. Siege Monster. The elemental deals double damage to objects and structures (included in Earth-Shaking Movement). Multiattack. The zaratan makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its stomp. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d8 + 10) piercing damage. Stomp. Me/ee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (3dl0 + 10) bludgeoning damage. Spit Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, range 120 ft./240 ft., one target. Hit: 31 (6d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage. Spew Debris (Recharge 5-6). The zaratan exhales rocky debris in a 90-foot cube. Each creature in that area must make a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 33 (6d10) blud - geoning damage on a fa iled save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails the save by 5 or more is knocked prone. LEGENDARY ACTIONS The zaratan can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The zaratan regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Stomp. The zaratan makes one stomp attack. Move. The zaratan moves up to its speed. Spit (Costs 2 Actions). The zaratan uses Spit Rock. Retract (Costs 2 Actions). The zaratan retracts into its shell. Until it takes its Emerge action, it has resistance to all damage, and it is restrained. The next time it takes a legendary action, it must take its Revitalize or Emerge action. Revitalize (Costs 2 Actions). The zaratan can use this option only if it is retracted in its shell. It regains 52 (5d20) hit points. The next time it takes a legendary action, it must take its Emerge action. Emerge (Costs 2 Actions). The zaratan emerges from its shell and uses Spit Rock. It can use this option only if it is retracted in its shell. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY 201
202 ELEMENTAL MYRMIDONS Elemental myrmidons are elementals conjured and bound by magic into ritually created suits of plate armor. In this form, they possess no recollection of their former existence as free elementals. They exist only to follow the commands of their creators. AIR ELEMENTA L M YRMIDON Medium elemental, neutral Armor Class 18 (plate) Hit Points 117 (18d8 + 36) Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover) STR 18 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 9 (-1) WIS 10 (+O) CHA 10 (+O) Damage Resistances lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Language s Auran, one language of its creator's choice Challe nge 7 (2,900 XP) Magic Weapons. The myrmidon's weapon attacks a re magical. ACTIONS Multiattack. The myrmido n makes thre e fla il attacks. Flail. Me/ee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., o ne target. Hit: 8 (ld8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. Lightning Strike (Recharge 6). The myrmidon makes one flail attack. On a hit, the target takes an extra 18 (4d8) lightning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the myrmidon's next turn. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY EARTH ELEMENTAL MYRMIDON Medium elemental, neutral Armor Class 18 (plate) Hit Points 127 (17d8 + 51) Speed 30 ft. STR 18 (+4) DEX 10 (+O) CON 17 (+3) INT 8 (- 1) WIS 10 (+O) CHA 10 (+O) Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, a nd slashing from nonmagica l attacks Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 La nguages Terran, one language of its creator's choice Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Magic Weapons. The myrmidon's weapon attacks are magical. A CT IONS Multiattack. The myrmidon makes two maul attacks. Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. Thunderous Strike (Recharge 6). The myrmidon makes one maul attack. On a hit, the target takes an extra 16 (3dl0) thun· der damage, and the target must succeed o n a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. , •
FIRE ELEMENTAL MYRMIDON Medium elemental, neutral Armor Class 18 (plate) Hit Points 123 (19d8 + 38) Speed 40 ft. STR 13 (+l) DEX 18 (+4) CON 15 (+2) INT 9 (- 1) WIS 10 (+O) CHA 10 (+O) Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities fire, poison Condition Immunities paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages lgnan, one language of its creator's choice _, J Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Illumination. The myrmidon sheds bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light in a 40-foot radius. Magic Weapons. The myrmidon's weapon attacks are magical. Water Susceptibility. For every S feet the myrmidon moves in l foot or more of water, it takes 2 (1 d4) cold damage. ACTIONS •• Multiattack. The myrmidon makes three scimitar attacks. Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (ld6 + 4) slashing damage. Fiery Strikes (Recharge 6). The myrmidon uses Multiattack. Each attack that hits deals an extra S (ldlO) fire damage. WATER ELEMENTAL MYRMIDON Medium elemental, neutral Armor Class 18 (plate) Hit Points 127 (17d8 + 51) Speed 40 ft., swim 40 ft. STR 18 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) CON 15 (+3) INT 8 (- 1) WIS 10 (+O) CHA 10 (+O) Damage Resistances acid; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Aquan, one language of its creator's choice Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Magic Weapons. The myrmidon's weapon attacks are magical. ACTIONS Multiattack. The myrmidon makes three trident attacks. Trident. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (ld6 + 4) piercing damage, or 8 (ld8 + 4) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack. Freezing Strikes (Recharge 6). The myrmidon uses Multiattack. Each attack that hits deals an extra 5 (ldlO) cold damage. A target that is hit by one or more of these attacks has its speed reduced by 10 feet until the end of the myrmidon's next turn. CHAPTER 6 I BESTtARY • 203
20~ GIFF It's easy to spot the giff in a room: a group of 7-foot-tall, hippopotamus-headed humanoids attired in gaudy military uniforms, with gleaming pistols and muskets on display. These spacefaring mercenaries are renowned for their martial training and their love of explosives. Military Organization. Every aspect of giff society is organized along military lines. From birth until death, every giff has a military rank. It must follow orders from those of superior rank, and it can give orders to those of lower rank. Promotions don't depend on age but are granted by a superior as a reward for valor. Giff are devoted to their children, even as most of their education is geared toward fighting and war. Mercenaries Extraordinaire. Giff are in high demand as warriors for hire, but they insist on serving in units composed entirely of giff; a giff hiring itself out individually is unheard of. Giff refuse to fight other giff, and will never agree to a contract unless it stipulates that they can sit out a battle rather than wage war against their kin. A giff prizes the reputation of its unit above its own life. Life is fleeting, but the regiment endures for generations or even centuries. A Whiff of Gunpowder. Muskets and grenades are the favorite weapons of every giff. The bigger the boom, the brighter the flash, and the thicker the smoke it produces, the more giff love a weapon. Their skill with gu npowder is another reason for their popularity as mercenaries. Giff revel in the challenge of building a bomb big enough to level a fortification. They gladly accept payment in kegs of gunpowder in preference to gold, gems, or other currency. No Honor in Magic. Some giff become wizards, clerics, and other kinds of spellcasters, but they're so infrequent that most giff mercenary units have no magical capability. Typical giff are as smart as the average human, but their focus on military training to the exclusion of all other areas of study can make them seem dull-witted to those who have more varied interests. GUNPOW DER BY THE Kee Aside from their personal gunpowder weapons, giff ships and mercenary companies carry spare gunpowder in kegs. In an emergency, or any time a large explosion is needed, a whole keg can be detonated. A giff lights the fuse on the keg and can then throw the keg up to l S feet as part of the same action. The keg explodes at the start of the giff's next turn. Each creature within 20 feet of the exploding keg must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 24 (7d6) fire damage and is knocked prone. On a successful s ave, a creature takes half as much damage and isn't knocked prone. Every other keg of gunpowder within 20 feet of an ex· ploding keg has a SO percent chance of also exploding. Check each keg only once per turn, no matter how many other kegs explode around it. CHAPTER 6 J BESTI ARY Medium humanoid, lawful neutral Armor Class 16 (breastplate) Hit Points 60 (8d8 + 24) Speed 30 ft. STR 18 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) CON 17 (+3) Se nses passive Perception 11 Languages Common Challe nge 3 (700 XP) • INT 11 (+O) WIS 12 (+l) CHA 12 (+l ) Head.first Charge. The giff can try to knock a creature over; if the giff moves at least 20 feet in a straight line that ends within 5 feet of a Large or smaller creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. Firearms Knowledge. The giff's mastery of its weapons enables it to ignore the loading property of muskets and pistols. ACTIONS Multiattack. The giff makes two pistol attacks. Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one tar· get. Hit: 8 (ld8 + 4) slashing damage, or 9 (ldlO + 4) slashing damage if used with two hands. Musket. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 40/120 ft. , one target. Hit: 7 (1dl2 + 2) piercing damage. Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (ldlO + 2) piercing damage. Fragmentation Crenade (1/day). The giff throws a grenade up to 60 feet. Each creature within 20 feet of the grenade's detonation must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 17 (Sd6) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
GITH The descendants of an ancient people- so old their original name has been lost- have turned against each other, becoming vicious enemies divided over mortality, purpose, and the machinations of their leaders. The bellicose githyanki terrorize the Astral Plane, raiding into other worlds to plunder the multiverse of its magic and riches. The githzerai live apart from the rest of the cosmos, content within the confines of their fortresses floating through the chaos of Limbo. Although the two groups of gith despise each other, their hatred for the mind flayers from whom they escaped endures, and both githyanki and githzerai are dedicated to hunting their ancestral foes. GITHYANKI GISH Medium humanoid (gith), lawful evil Armor Class 17 (half plate) Hit Points 123 (19d8 + 38) Speed 30 ft. STR 17 (+3) DEX 15 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 16 (+3) Saving Throws Con +6, Int +7, Wis +6 Skills Insight +6, Perception +6, Stealth +6 Se nses passive Perception 16 Languages Gith Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 16 (+3) Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The githyanki's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components: At will: mage hand (the hand is invisible) 3/day each: jump, misty step, nondetection (self only) 1/day each: plane shift, telekinesis Spellcasting. The githyanki is an 8th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). The githyanki has the following wizard spells prepared: Cantrips (at will): blade ward, light, message, true strike 1st level (4 slots): expeditious retreat, magic missile, sleep, thunderwave 2nd level (3 slots): blur, invisibility, levitate 3rd level (3 slots): counterspell,fireball, haste 4th level (2 slots): dimension door War Magic. When the githyanki uses its action to cast a spell, it can make one weapon attack as a bonus action A CTIONS Multiattack. The githyanki makes two longsword attacks. Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (ld8 + 3) slashing damage, o r 8 (ldl O + 3) slashing damage if used with two hands, plus 18 (4d8) psychic damage. GITHYAN KI GISH Their keen minds and psionic gifts allow the githyanki to master magic. Gish blend their magical abilities with swordplay to become dangerous foes in battle. Their specialized capabilities make them well s uited for assassination, raiding, and espionage. G ITHYANKI KIT H 'RAK The githyanki's militarized culture assigns ranks and responsibilities to its citizens. Groups of ten warriors follow the commands of the sarths (githyanki warriors), while ten sarths obey the commands of the mighty kith'rak. These champions earn their status through torturous training and psionic testing until they can command the respect of their underlings. GITHYANKI KITH'RAK Medium humanoid (gith), lawful evil Armor Class 18 (plate) Hit Points 180 (24d8 + 72) Speed 30 ft. STR 18 (+4) DEX 16 (+3) CON 17 (+3) INT 16 (+3) Saving Throws Con +7, Int +7, Wis +6 Skills Intimidation +7, Perception +6 Se nses passive Perception 16 La nguages Gith Challenge 12 (8.400 XP) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 17 (+3) - '. Innate Spel/casting (Psionics). The githyanki's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components: At will: mage hand (the hand is invisible) 3/day each: blur,jump, misty step, nondetection (self only) 1/day each: plane shift, telekinesis Rally the Troops. As a bonus action, the githyanki can magically end the charmed and frightened conditions on itself and each creature of its choice that it can see within 30 feet of it. A CTIONS Multiattack. The githyanki makes three greatsword attacks. Creatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage plus 17 (5d6) psy· chic damage. REACTIO N S Parry. The githyanki adds 4 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the githyanki must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY
206 GITHYANKI SUPREME COMMANDER Medium humanoid (gith), lawful evil Armor Class 18 (plate) Hit Points 187 (22d8 + 88) Speed 30 ft. STR 19 (+4) DEX 17 {+3) CON 18 (+4) INT 16 (+3) Saving Throws Con +9, Int +8, Wis +8 WIS 16 (+3) Skills Insight +8, Intimidation +9, Perception +8 Senses passive Perception 18 Languages Gith Challenge 14 (11,500 XP) CHA 18 (+4) Innate Spel/casting (Psionics). The githyanki's innate spellcast· ing ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components: At will: mage hand (the hand is invisible) 3/day each: jump, levitate (self only), misty step, non detection (self only) l/day each: Bigby's hand, mass suggestion, plane shift, telekinesis ACTIONS Multiattack. The githyanki makes two greatsword attacks. CHAPTER 6 I BESTI ARY Silver Creatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage plus 17 (Sd6) psychic damage. On a critical hit against a target in an astral body (as with the astral projection spell), the githyanki can cut the silvery cord that tethers the target to its material body, instead of dealing damage. REACTIONS Parry. The githyanki adds 5 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the githyanki must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon. LEGENDARY ACTIONS The githyanki can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The githyanki regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Attack (2 Actions). The githyanki makes a greatsword attack. Command Ally. The githyanki targets one ally it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see or hear the githyanki, the target can make one melee weapon attack using its reaction and has advantage on the attack roll. Teleport. The githyanki magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing and carrying, to an unoccupied space it can see within 30 feet ofit. It also becomes insubstantial until the start of its next turn. While insubstantial, it can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. If it ends its turn inside an object, it takes 16 (3dl0) force damage and is moved to the nearest unoccupied space.
GITHYANKI SUPREME COMMANDER Supreme commanders lead the githyanki armies, each one commanding ten kith'raks, who in turn lead the rest of their forces. Most supreme commanders ride red dragons into battle. GrTHZERAI ANARCH The most powerful of the githzerai, anarchs lead communities and maintain the adamantine citadels that serve as strong points in planes beyond Limbo. They have formidable psionic capabilities, able to manipulate the unformed substance of their adopted plane with a thought. These rare githzerai are sages and mystics, and their word is law. AN ANARCH's LAIR In Limbo, githzerai anarchs create islands of tranquility in the otherwise turbulent plane. By directing its psionic power, an anarch can give form to formless substance, creating mountains, lakes, and structures of any composition to serve as a foundation for a githzerai community. Lair Actions. An anarch can use lair actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the anarch can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the anarch can't use the same effect two rounds in a row: • The anarch casts the lightning bolt spell (at 5th level), but the anarch can change the damage type from lightning to cold, fire, psychic, radiant, or thunder. If the spell deals damage other than fire or lightning, it doesn't ignite flammable objects. • The anarch casts the creation spell (as a 9th-level spell) using the unformed substance of Limbo instead of shadow material. If used in Limbo, the object remains until the anarch's concentration is broken, regardless of its composition. If the anarch moves more than 120 feet from the object, its concentration breaks. • The anarch can magically move an object it can see within 150 feet of it by making a Wisdom check with advantage. The DC depends on the object's size: DC 5 for Tiny, DC 10 for Small, DC 15 for Medium, DC 20 for Large, and DC 25 for Huge or larger. Regional Effects. The region containing an anarch's lair is warped by its presence, which creates one or more of the following effects: • In Limbo, the anarch can spend 10 minutes stabilizing a 5-mile area centered on it, causing the unformed substance to take whatever inanimate form the anarch chooses. During that process, the anarch determines the shape and composition of the forms created. • The anarch stabilizes any object created in Limbo and brought to the Material Plane for as long as the anarch remains within 1 mile of it (no action required). If the anarch dies, these effects end after ld6 rounds. All formed substance becomes a chaotic churn of energy and matter, unraveling into unformed substance that dissipates ld6 rounds later. GITHZERAI ANARCH Medium humanoid (gith), lawful neutral .a Armor Class 20 Hit Points 144 (17d8 + 68) Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover) STR 16 (+3) DEX 21 (+5) CON 18 (+4) INT 18 (+4) WIS 20 (+5) Saving Throws Str +8, Dex +10, Int +9, Wis +10 Skills Arcana +9, Insight +10, Perception +10 Senses passive Perception 20 Languages Gith Challenge 16 (15,000 XP) CHA 14 (+2) I "I ' Innate Spel/casting (Psionics). The anarch's innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 18, + l 0 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components: At will: mage hand (the hand is invisible) 3/day each: feather fall, jump, see invisibility, shield, telekinesis l/day each: globe of invulnerability, plane shift, teleportation circle, wall of force Psychic Defense. While the anarch is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Wisdom modifier. ACTIONS Multiattack. The anarch makes three unarmed strikes. Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach S ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) psychic damage. LEGENDARY ACTI ONS The anarch can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The anarch regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Strike. The anarch makes one unarmed strike. Teleport . The anarch magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing and carrying, to an unoccupied space it can see within 30 feet of it. Change Gravity (Costs 3 Actions). The anarch casts the reverse gravity spell. The spell has the normal effect, except that the anarch can orient the area in any direction and creatures and objects fall toward the end of the area. C HAPTER 6 I BESTIARY ' • 207
2 08 G1n'"tERAI ENLIGHTENED GITHZERAI ENLIGHTENED Medium humanoid (gith). lawful neutral Armor Class 18 Hit Points 112 (15d8 + 45) Speed 30 ft. STR 14 (+2) DEX 19 (+4) CON 16 (+3) INT 17 (+3) WIS 19 (+4) Saving Throws Str +6, Dex +8, Int +7, Wis +8 Skills Arcana +7, Insight +8, Perception +8 Senses passive Perception 18 Languages Gith Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) CHA 13 (+l) Innate Spel/casting (Psionics). The githzerai's innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components: CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY • • G IT M1.ERAI ANARCM GITHZERAI ENLIGHTENED Githzerai never stop training. They spend long hours in meditation to transcend the limits of their forms and to apprehend the nature of reality. Zerths who complete the next tier of their training become one of the githzerai known as the enlightened. At will: mage hand (the hand is invisible) 3/day each: blur, expeditious retreat.feather fall, jump, see invisibility, shield 1/day each: haste, plane shift, teleport Psychic Defense. While the githzerai is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Wisdom modifier. ACTI ONS Multiattack. The githzerai makes three unarmed strikes. Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 13 (3d8) psychic damage. Temporal Strike (Recharge 6). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 52 (8d12) psychic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or move l round forward in time. A target moved forward in time vanishes for the duration. When the effect ends, the target reappears in the space it left or in an unoccupied space nearest to that space if it's occupied.
GRAY RENDER A curious impulse drives the gray render. Despite its hulking form and terrible appetite, it wants most of all to bond with an intelligent creature and, once bonded, give its life to protect that creature. Great strength and a savage nature enable gray renders to be fierce guardians, but they lack even a shred of cunning. A Spreading Plague. Gray renders reproduce by forming nodules on their bodies that, upon reaching maturity, break off to begin life as young gray renders. These monstrosities feel no obligation to their young, and they have no inclination to gather with others of their kind. Chaotic Allies. As a side effect of its breeding, each gray render has an overpowering need to bond with an intelligent creature. When it encounters a suitable master, the render sings to it- a weird, warbling cry accompanied by scratching at the earth and a show of deference. Once it forms the bond, the render serves its master in all things. Although this bond can be a great benefit, renders are inherently chaotic. In a battle, a render fights with all the savagery it can muster and never willingly harms its master, but outside battle, a gray render might present considerable difficulty for its master's associates. It might follow its master even after being told to stay put, destroy its master's house, burrow holes in the side of a ship, kill horses, attack when it feels jealous, and more. A gray render might be a boon companion, but it is always an unpredictable one. The Gray Render Quirks table presents possible quirks for gray renders that can be generated randomly or selected as desired. GRAY RENDER QUIRKS dl2 Quirk l 2 3 4 s 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Hates horses and other mounts Roars loudly when its bonded creature is touched by another creature Likes to snuggle Uproots and chews on trees Has terrific and eye-watering flatulence Brings offerings of meat to its bonded creature Compulsively digs up the ground Attacks carts and wagons as if they were terrible monsters Howls when it rains Whines piteously in the dark Buries treasure it finds Chases birds, leaping into the air to catch them, heedless of the destruction it causes Large monstrosity, chaotic neutral Armor Class 19 (natural armor) Hit Points 189 (18dl0 + 90) Speed 30 ft. STR 19 (+4) DEX 13 (+ 1) CON 20 (+5) Saving Throws Str +8, Con +9 Skills Perception +2 INT 3 (-4) WIS 6 (- 2) Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 Languages - Challenge 12 (8,400 XP) ACTIONS • CHA 8 (-1) . -- Multiattack. The gray render makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Me/ee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d12 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, the target must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage, plus 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage if the target is prone. REACTIONS Bloody Rampage. When the gray render takes damage, it makes one attack with its claws against a random creature within its reach, other than its master. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY ·'
210 HOWLER A far-off wail precedes the sight of a howler. Even at a distance, one's mind cringes at the sound and fills with horror at the realization that the noise is drawing closer. When howlers go on the prowl, courage isn't enough to stand up against them, and even one's sanity is at risk. Prowlers from Pandemonium. These nightmare creatures, native to Pandemonium, can also be found on most of the Lower Planes, because of the many fiends that capture them and train them as war hounds. Howlers can be domesticated, after a fashion, but they respond only to brutal training during which they are forced to recognize the trainer as the pack's undisputed leader. A trained pack then follows its leader without hesitation. Howler packs course over the battlefields of the Blood War and also serve evil mortals who have the power and the savagery to command their loyalty. Brutal Hunters. Howlers rely on speed, numbers, and their mind-numbing howl to corne r prey before they tear it apart. The howl floods the minds of its victims, making complex thought impossible. They can do little more than stare in horror and stumble around the battlefield in a search for safety. Any task more demanding than that is beyond their capability. Fiends especially prize howlers for this reason, because for a few crucial moments in a battle, their howls can neutralize an enemy's ability to use spells and other powers. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY HOWLER Large fiend, chaotic evil • Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 90 (12dl0 + 24) Speed 40 ft. STR 17 (+3) DEX 16 (+3) Skills Perception +8 CON 15 (+2) INT 5 (-3) WIS 20 (+5) CHA 6 (-2) Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Co ndition Immunities frightened Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15 La nguages understands Abyssal but can't speak Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Pack Tactics. A howler has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the howler's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. A CTIO N S Multiattack. The howler makes two bite attacks. Rending Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage, plus 22 (4dl0) psychic damage if the target is frightened. This attack ignores damage resistance. Mind-Breaking Howl (Recharge 6). The howler emits a keening howl in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area that isn't deafened must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of the howler's next turn. While a creature is frightened in this way, its speed is halved, and it is incapacitated. A target that successfully saves is immune to the Mind-Breaking Howl of all howlers for the next 24 hours.
KRUTHIKS Kruthiks are chitin-covered reptiles that hunt in packs and nest in sprawling subterranean warrens. They are attracted to sources of heat, such as dwarven forges and pools of molten lava, and carve out lairs as close to s uch locations as possible. As they burrow through the earth, they leave behind tunnels- evidence that is often the first clue to the nearby presence of a kruthik hive. Kruthiks also make use of preexisting underground chambers, incorporating them into their lairs when they can. Kruthiks communicate with one another through a series of hisses and chittering noises. These sounds can often be heard in advance of a kruthik attack. Whenever their lair is invaded, kruthik guards send out an alarm by rapidly tapping the stone floor with their sharp legs. Sharp Senses. In addition to having an acute sense of smell, kruthiks can see in the dark and can detect vibrations in the earth around them. They take the scent of their own dead as a warning and avoid areas where many other kruthiks have died. Slaying a sufficient number of kruthiks in one area might cause the remaining hive members to move elsewhere. Sharper Weapons. Although they can feed on carrion, kruthiks prefer live prey. They kill enemies by impaling them on their spiked limbs, then grind up the flesh and bones with mandibles strong enough to chew rock. When several kruthiks gang up on a single foe, they become frenzied and even more lethal. Shared Lair. Kruthiks abide the presence of constructs, elementals, oozes, and undead, and use such creatures to help guard their hive. Kruthiks are smart enough to barricade some tunnels and dig new ones that keep their neighbors away from their eggs. Kruthiks hatch from eggs laid by female adults. Each egg is about the size of an adult human's head and hatches within a month. Tiny kruthik hatchlings are harmless, rarely stray far from the nest, and feed primari ly on offal and one another. Within a month, the survivors become young kruthiks large enough to hunt and defend themselves. • ' ' ' ' ' YOUNG KRUTHIK Small monstrosity, unaligned Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 9 (2d6 + 2) Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft., climb 30 ft. STR 13 (+l) DEX 16 (+3) CON 13 (+l) INT 4 (-3) WIS 10 (+O) Senses darkvision 30 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Kruthik Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) CHA 6 (- 2) Keen Smell. The kruthik has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. Pack Tactics. The kruthik has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the kruthik's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. Tunneler. The kruthik can burrow through solid rock at half its burrowing speed and leaves a 21/2-foot-diameter tunnel in its wake. ACTIONS ' , ... ... . . Stab. Melee Weapon Attack: +S to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (ld4 + 3) piercing damage. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY
212 ADULT KRUTHIK Medium monstrosity, unaligned Armor Class 18 (natural armor) Hit Points 39 (6d8 + 12) Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 40 ft. STR 15 (+2) DEX 16 (+3) CON 15 (+2) INT 7 (- 2) WIS 12 (+1) Se nses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Kruthik Challenge 2 (450 XP) CHA 8 (-1) Keen Smell. The kruthik has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. Pack Tactics. The kruthik has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least o ne of the kruthik's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. Tunneler. The kruthik can burrow through solid rock at half its burrowing speed and leaves a 5-foot-diameter tunnel in its wake. A CTIONS Multiattack. The kruthik makes two stab attacks o r two spike attacks. Stab. Melee Weapon Attack: +S to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (ld6 + 3) piercing damage. Spike. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: S (ld4 + 3) piercing damage. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY ADULT KRUT H IK It takes six months of steady eating for a young kruthik to reach adult size. The natural life span of an adult kruthik is roughly seven years. Adult kruthiks grow spiky protrusions on their legs and can fling these dagger-sized spikes at enemies beyond the reach of their claws. KRUTHIK HIVE LORD A hive lord rules each kruthik hive. When the hive lord dies, the surviving members of the hive abandon their lair and search for a new one. When a suitable location is found, the largest kruthik in the hive undergoes a metamorphosis, forming a cocoon around itself and emerging several weeks later as a hive lord- a bigger and smarter kruthik with the ability to s pray digestive acid from its maw. The hive lord claims the largest chamber of the lair and keeps seve ral adult kruthiks nearby as bodyguards. KRUTHIK HIVE LORD Large monstrosity, unaligned Armo r Class 20 (natural armor) Hit Points 102 (12d10 + 36) Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 40 ft. STR 19 (+4) DEX 16 (+3) CON 17 (+3) INT 10 (+O) WIS 14 (+2) Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 12 Languages Kruthik Challenge S (1,800 XP) CHA 10 (+O) Keen Smell. The kruthik has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. Pack Tactics. The kruthik has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the kruthik's allies is within S feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. Tunneler. The kruthik can burrow through solid rock at half its burrowing speed and leaves a 10-foot-diameter tunnel in its wake. ACTIONS Multiattack. The kruthik makes two stab attacks or two spike attacks. Stab. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (ldlO + 4) piercing damage. Spike. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage. -' Acid Spray (Recharge 5-6). The kruthik sprays acid in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4dl0) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
MA RUT The nigh-unstoppable inevitables serve a singular purpose: they enforce contracts forged in the Hall of Concordance in the city of Sigil. Primus, the leader of the modrons, created maruts and other inevitables to bring order to dealings between planar folk. Many creatures, including yugoloths, will enter into a contract with inevitables if asked. Cosmic Enforcers. The Hall of Concordance is an embassy of pure law in Sigil, the City of Doors. In the hall, two parties who agree to mutual terms-and who pay the requisite gold to the Kolyarut, a mechanical engine of absolute jurisprudence-can have their contract chiseled onto a sheet of gold that is placed in the chest of a marut. From that moment until the contract is fulfilled, the marut is bound to enforce its terms and to punish any party who breaks them. A marut resorts to lethal force only when a contract calls for it, when the contract is fully broken, or when the marut is attacked. Word Is Law. Inevitables care nothing for the spirit of an agreement, only the letter. A marut enforces what is written, not what was meant by or supposed to be understood from the writing. The Kolyarut rejects contracts that contain vague, contradictory, or unenforceable terms. Beyond that, it doesn't care whether both parties understand what they're agreeing to. A small army of solicitors waits outside the Hall of Concordance, eager to sell their expertise in the craftin g or vetting of contracts. Constructed Nature. A marut doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep. MA RUT Large construct (inevitable), lawful neutral ~ .... ,.,. ... ~ ·"1!1r .t- I•. _, - _-.._ ... •• • • Armor Class 22 (natural armor) ••• .l_~• Hit Points 432 (32d10 + 256) ~ Speed 40 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover) •• STR 28 (+9) DEX 12 (+1) CON 26 (+8) INT 19 (+4) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 18 (+4) Saving Throws Int +12, Wis +10, Cha +12 Skills Insight +10, Intimidation +12, Perception +10 Damage Resistances thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and .... slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, unconscious Senses darkvision 60 ft. , passive Perception 20 ,.. Languages all but rarely speaks Challenge 25 (75,000 XP) l • Immutable Form. The marut is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form. , ( Innate Spellcasting. The marut's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 20). The marut can innately cast the following spell, requiring no material components. At will: plane shift (self o nly) Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the marut fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Magic Resistance. The marut has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. ACTIONS ....... Multiattack. The marut makes two slam attacks. Unerring Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: automatic hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 60 force damage, and the target is pushed up to 5 feet away from the marut ifit is Huge or smaller. Blazing Edict (Recharge 5-6). Arcane energy emanates from the marut's chest in a 60-foot cube. Every creature in that area takes 45 radiant damage. Each creature that takes any of this damage must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end of the marut's next turn. justify. The marut targets up to two creatures it can see within 60 feet of it. Each target must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or be teleported to a teleportation circle in the Hall of Concordance in Sigil. A target fails automatically if it is incapacitated. If either target is teleported in this way, the marut teleports with it to the circle. After teleporting in this way, the marut can't use this action again until it finishes a short or long rest. CHAPTER G I BESTIARY 213
214 MEAZEL In places where the Shadowfell washes against the shores of the Material Plane dwell meazels, hateful hermits who left behind their old lives to contemplate their misery in shadow. Now evil burns in their hearts, and they resent any intrusion into their suffering. Hateful Hermit. Meazels are all that remain of people who fled into the Shadowfell to escape their mortal existence. There the darkness transformed them, and their bitterness made them twisted and cruel. Now, they loiter near Shadowfell crossings to waylay travelers who venture too close to their lairs. Divide and Conquer. The stain of darkness responsible for the existence of meazels imparts to them magical powers that allow them to move through shadows with ease. Merely stepping into one pool of darkness allows a meazel to move to another one. They use this talent to ambush creatures, snatching them around the throat with their strangling cords and then stepping away. Meazels also use this ability to ferry their victims to isolated spots and then leave the hapless souls to the designs of whatever horrors lurk there. Creatures that are drawn through the shadows by meazels are cursed by the meazels' baleful magic. The curse acts as a beacon; sorrowsworn, undead, and other terrors sense where they are located and descend on the stranded victims to tear them apart. MEAZEL Medium humanoid (meazel), neutral evil ------------------------~__;_~---:::--::--..,,.:==-=-..... ~ Armor Class 13 Hit Points 35 (10d8 - 10) Speed 30 ft. STR 8 (-1) DEX 17 (+3) CON 9 (-1) ~ •• t ' • -- . INT 14 (+2) Skills Perception +3, Stealth +5 WIS 13 (+1) Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13 Languages Common Challenge 1 (200 XP) . . - . . CHA 10 (+0) Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the meazel can take the Hide action as a bonus action. ACTIONS Carrote. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target of the meazel's size or smaller. Hit: 6 (1 d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 13 with disadCHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY vantage). Until the grapple ends, the target takes 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage at the start of each of the meazel's turns. The meazel can't make weapon attacks while grappling a creature in this way. Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage, plus 3 (1d6) necrotic damage. Shadow Teleport (Recharge 5-6). The meazel, any equipment it is wearing or carrying, and any creature it is grappling teleport to an unoccupied space within 500 feet ofit, provided that the starting space and the destination are in dim light or darkness. The destination must be a place the meazel has seen before, but it need not be within line of sight. If the destination space is occupied, the teleportation leads to the nearest unoccupied space. Any other creature the meaze l teleports becomes cursed by shadow for 1 hour. Until this curse ends, every undead and every creature native to the Shadowfell within 300 feet of the cursed creature can sense it, which prevents that creature from hiding from them.
NAG PA Long ago, the Raven Queen cursed a cabal of thirteen powerful wizards for meddling in a ritual that would have helped avert a war between the gods. She stripped them of their beauty, turning them into scabrous, birdlike monstrosities. The nagpas now plot as they ever did, but they now strive to bring about terrible, world-shaking calamities so they can pry secrets and power from the wreckage their conspiracies create. The nagpas fear the Raven Queen and do their best to avoid he r and her agents. When it's impossible to do so. they become cringing, fawning things, eager to please and thereby escape the cold ga ze of the being who brought them so low. All of the original thirteen remain alive, thanks to their cunning and their willingness to do whatever is necessary to survive. Looters of Civilization. The curse the Raven Queen placed on the nagpas restricts the ways in which they can acquire new lore and magical power, barring them from any source except for the ruins left behind from fallen civilizations and great calamities. For this reason, nagpas turn their efforts to bringing about such ends, so they can loot the libra ries, plunde r the vaults, and gather up secrets of arcane lore from the wreckage. Puppet Masters. Nagpas work in the shadows, manipulating events to bring about ruin. As accomplished magic-users, they can bring to bear an array of spells to make agents of other creatures, influencing their decisions in subtle ways and pulling on strings to make them into unwitting accomplices in their own destruction. Nagpas show great patience in their plots and have seve ral schemes working simultaneously, each at different stages of comple tion, so if one plan goes awry, they can shift their focus to another. Typically, nagpas only show their handiwork and emerge from the shadows when they can deliver a finishing blow and then revel in the grand devastation their plotting brought about. NAG PA Medium humanoid (nagpa), neutral evil Armor Class 19 (natural armor) Hit Points 187 (34d8 + 34) Speed 30 ft. STR 9 (-1) DEX 15 (+2) CON 12 (+l) INT 23 (+6) Saving Throws Int +12, Wis +10, Cha +11 WIS 18 (+4) CHA 21 (+5) Skills Arcana +12, Deception +11 , History +12, Insight +10, Perception +10 Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 20 languages Common plus up to five other languages Challenge 17 (18,000 XP) Corruption. As a bonus action, the nagpa targets one creature it can see within 90 feet of it. The target must make a DC 20 Charisma saving throw. An evil creature makes the save with disadvantage. On a fa iled save, the target is charmed by the nagpa until the start of the nagpa's next turn. On a successful save, the target becomes immune to the nagpa's Corruption for the next 24 hours. Paralysis (Recharge 6). As a bonus action, the nagpa forces each creature within 30 feet of it to succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or be paralyzed for l minute. A paralyzed target can repeat t he saving throw at the end of each of its t urns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Undead and constructs are immune to this effect. Spe/lcasting. The nagpa is a l 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit with spell attacks). A nagpa has the following wizard spells prepared: Cantrips (at will): chill touch, fire bolt, mage hand, message, minor illusion l st level (4 slots): charm person, detect magic, protection from evil and good, witch bolt 2nd level (3 slots): hold person, ray of enfeeblement, suggestion 3rd level (3 slots): counterspell,fireball,jly 4th level (3 slots): confusion, hallucinatory terrain, wall of fire 5th level (2 slots): dominate person, dream, geas 6th level (1 slot): circle of death, disintegrate 7th level (1 slot): etherealness, prismatic spray 8th level (l slot):feeblemind ACTIO NS Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage. CHAPTER 6 I B.ESTl1\RY
·. NIGHTWALKER Huge undead, chaotic evil Armor Class 14 Hit Points 297 (22dl2 + 154) Speed 40 ft. , fly 40 ft. STR 22 (+6) DEX 19 (+4) CON 24 (+7) Saving Throws Con + 13 INT 6 (- 2) WIS 9 (- 1) CHA 8 (-1) Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunde r; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities necrotic, poison Condition Immunities exhaustion, frighte ned, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 9 LanguagesChalle nge 20 (25,000 XP) Annihilating Aura. Any creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of the nightwalker must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw or take 14 (4d6) necrotic damage and grant the nightwalker advantage on attack rolls against it until the start of the creature's next turn. Undead are immune to this aura. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY N IGHTWALK ER The Negative Plane is a place of darkness and death, anathema to all living things. Yet there a re those who would tap into its fell power. to use its energy for sinister ends. Most often, when s uch individuals approach the midnight realm, they fi nd they a re unequal to the task. Those not destroyed outright a re sometimes drawn inside the plane and replaced by nightwalke rs, te rrifying undead creatures that devour all life they encounter. Mighty Spawn. One can reach the Negative Plane from the Shadowfell, much in the s ame way that it is possible to step from the Mate rial Plane into the S hadowfell in a place where the barrier between the planes is thin. Stepping into the Negative Plane is tantamount to suicide, since the plane sucks the life and soul from such audacious c reatures and annihilates them at once. Those few who survive the effort do so by sheer luck or by harnessing some rare form of magic that protects them against the hostile atmosphere. They soon discover, however, that they can't leave as easily as they arrived. For each creature that enters the plane, a nightwalke r is released to take its place. In order for a trapped creature to escape, the released nightwalker must be lured back to the Negative P lane by offe rings of life for it to devour. If the nightwalker is destroyed, the trapped c reature has no hope of escape. Beings of Anti-Life. One can discern the nature of creatures trapped in the Negative Plane from the sites that nightwalkers frequent. Gene rally, a nightwalke r on the Material Plane is attracted to elements of the world associated with the creature responsible for its creation. Such interest doesn't indicate a willingness to engage with the world; nightwalkers exist to make life extinct and never to serve living things. Undead Nature. A nightwalke r doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep. Life Eater. A creature reduced to 0 hit points from damage dealt by the nightwalker dies and can't be revived by any means short of a wish spell . ACTION S Multiattack. The nightwalker uses Enervating Focus twice, or it uses Enervating Focus and Finger of Doom, if available. Enervating Focus. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 15 ft. , o ne target. Hit: 28 (5d8 + 6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed o n a DC 21 Constitutio n saving throw o r its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishe s a long rest. Finger of Doom (Recharge 6). The nightwalker points at one creature it can see within 300 feet ofit. The target must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw o r take 26 (4dl 2) necrotic damage a nd become frightened until the e nd of the nightwalker's next turn. While frightened in this way, the creature is also paralyzed. If a target's saving throw is successful, the target is immune to the nightwalker's Finger of Doom for the next 24 hours.
OB LEX By experimenting on the slimes, jellies, and puddings that infest the depths of the Underdark, mind flayers created a special breed of ooze, the oblex- a slime capable of assaulting the minds of other creatures. Cunning hunters, these pools of jelly stalk prey, searching for the memories they so desperately crave. When oblexes feed on those thoughts, sometimes killing their victims, they can form weird copies of their prey, which help them to harvest even more victims for their dark masters. Memory Eaters. Oblexes feed on thoughts and memories. The sharper the mind, the better the meal, so oblexes hunt obviously intelligent targets such as wizards and other spellcasters. When suitable fare comes within reach, an oblex draws its body up to engulf its victim. As it withdraws, it plunders the creature's mind, leaving its prey befuddled and confused. Ooze Nature. An oblex doesn't require sleep. 0BLEX SPAWN An oblex devours memories not only to sustain its existence, but also to spawn new oblexes. Each time it fully drains the memories of a victim, it gains the creature's personality-now twisted by the oblex's foul nature. The more memories an oblex steals, the larger it becomes, until it must shed a personality it has absorbed or else go insane. This act spawns a new oblex. ADULT AND ELDER 0BLEXES Newly formed oblexes lack the capabilities of their older kin. They seek only to feed on memories and grow until they can impersonate their victims. Older oblexes, called adults and elders, have eaten so many memories that they can form duplicates of the creatures they have devoured from the substance of their bodies, sending them off to lure prey into their clutches, while remaining tethered to the slime by long tendrils of goo. These duplicated creatures are indistinguishable from their victims except for a faint sulfurous smell. Oblexes use these duplicates to lure prey into danger or to infiltrate settlements so they can feed on superior victims. 0BLEX SPAWN ., Tiny ooze, lawful evil .~ ,.. .. . Armor Class 13 -· Hit Points 18 (4d4 + 8) Speed 20 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 8 (-1) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 11 (+O) 10 (+O) Saving Throws Int +4, Cha +2 Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, prone Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this distance), passive Perception 12 Languages - Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) t .. ( Amorphous. The oblex can move through a space as narrow as l inch wide without squeezing. Aversion to Fire. If the obi ex takes fire damage, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of its next turn. ACTIONS ·- Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (ld4 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 2 (ld4) psychic damage. CHAPTE R 6 I BESTIARY 2 17
218 ADULT0BLEX Medium ooze, lawful evil Armor Class 14 Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30) Speed 20 ft. STR 8 (- 1) DEX 19 (+4) CON 16 (+3) Saving Throws Int +7, Cha +S INT 19 (+4) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 15 (+2) Skills Deception +S, Perception +4, plus one of the following: Arcana +7, History +7, Nature +7, or Re ligion +7 Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, prone Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this distance), passive Perception 14 Languages Common plus two more languages Challenge S (1,800 XP) Amorphous. The oblex can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. Aversion to Fire. If the oblex takes fire damage, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of its next turn. Innate Spe/lcasting. The oblex's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components: 3/day each: charm person (as 5th-level spell), color spray, detect thoughts, hold person (as 3rd-level spell) Sulfurous Impersonation. As a bonus action, the oblex can extrude a piece of itself that assumes the appearance of one Medium or smaller creature whose memories it has stolen. C HAPTER 6 I BESTIARY ' ' • .. - .. This simulacrum appears, feels, and sounds exactly like the creature it impersonates, though it smells faintly of sulfur. The oblex can impersonate ld4 + 1 different creatures, each one tethered to its body by a strand of slime that can extend up to 120 feet away. For all practical purposes, the simulacrum is the oblex, meaning that the oblex occupies its space and the simulacrum's space simultaneously. The slimy tether is immune to damage, but it is severed if there is no opening at least 1 inch wide between the oblex's main body and the simulacrum. The simulacrum disappears ifthe tether is severed. A CTIONS Multiattack. The oblex makes one pseudopod attack and uses Eat Memories. Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach S ft., one target. Hit: 7 (ld6 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus S (2d4) psychic damage. Eat Memories. The oblex targets one creature it can see within 5 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 1 S Wisdom saving throw or take 18 (4d8) psychic damage and become memory drained until it finishes a short or long rest or until it benefits from the greater restoration o r heal spell. Constructs, oozes, plants, and undead succeed on the save automatically. While memory drained, the target must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled from any ability check or attack roll it makes. Each time the target is memory drained beyond the first, the die size increases by one: the d4 becomes a d6, the d6 becomes a d8, and so on until the die becomes a d20, at which point the target becomes unconscious for 1 hour. The effect then ends. When an oblex causes a target to become memory drained, the oblex learns all the languages the target knows and gains all its proficiencies, except for any saving throw proficiencies. - •
.... ' \ ... ' , .. ~ ELD ER0BLEX Huge ooze, lawful evil Armor Class 16 Hit Points 115 (10dl2 + 50) Speed 20 ft. STR 15 (+2) DEX 16 (+3) CON 21 (+5) Saving Throws Int +10, Cha +8 INT 22 (+6) WIS 13 (+l) CHA 18 (+4) Skills Arcana +10, Deception +8, History +10, Nature +10, Perception +5, Religion +10 ' ,, Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, prone Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this distance), passive Perception 15 Languages Common plus six more Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) Amorphous. The oblex can move through a space as narrow as l inch wide without squeezing. Aversion to Fire. If the oblex takes fire damage, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of its next turn. Innate Spellcasting. The oblex's innate spellcasting ability is In· telligence (spell save DC 18). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: charm person (as 5th-level spell), detect thoughts, hold person 3/day each: confusion, dimension door, dominate person.fear, hallucinatory terrain, hold monster, hypnotic pattern, telekinesis Sulfurous Impersonation. As a bonus action, the oblex can extrude a piece of itself that assumes the appearance of one Medium or smaller creature whose memories it has stolen. This simulacrum appears, feels, and sounds exactly like the creature it impersonates, though it smells faintly of sulfur. The oblex can impersonate 2d6 + l different creatures, each one tethered to its body by a strand of slime that can extend up to 120 feet away. For all practical purposes, the simulacrum is the oblex, meaning the oblex occupies its space and the simulacrum's space simultaneously. The slimy tether is immune to damage, but it is severed if there is no opening at least 1 inch wide between the oblex's main body and the simulacrum. The simulacrum disappears ifthe tether is severed. '· .. . ' . , ACTIONS I I Multiattack. The elder oblex makes two pseudopod attacks and uses Eat Memories. Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (4d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) psychic damage. Eat Memories. The oblex targets one creature it can see within 5 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or take 44 (8dl 0) psychic damage and become memory drained until it finishes a short or long rest or until it benefits from the greater restoration or heal spell. Constructs, oozes, plants, and undead succeed on the save automatically. While memory drained, the target must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled from any ability check or attack roll it makes. Each time the target is memory drained beyond the first, the die size increases by one: the d4 becomes a d6, the d6 becomes a d8, and so on until the die becomes a d20, at which point the target becomes unconscious for 1 hour. The effect then ends. When an oblex causes a target to become memory drained, the oblex learns all the languages the target knows and gains all its proficiencies, except any saving throw proficiencies. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY ' 2 19
• 220 OGRES Ogres are infamously dim-witted, but with enough time and patience, some of them can be trained to carry out specialized missions in battle. The names they are given- the battering ram, the bolt launcher, the chain brute, and the howdah- reflect their particular functions. These jobs are simple, but they're tailored to take advantage of an ogre's strengths. OGRE BATTERING RAM An ogre battering ram carries an enormous club used primarily for bashing doors into kindling, but which also works well for smashing foes. These ogres are drilled in two simple tasks: rushing forward to shatter enemy fortifications, and using their weapons to force an advancing enemy to halt. OGRE BOLT LAUNCHER A bolt launcher carries a gigantic crossbow-a weapon so large it's essentially an ogre-held ballista. An ogre bolt launcher can load this immense weapon and loose its deadly missile as quickly as a dwarf handles a crossbow. The bolts are so large that few ogres can carry more than a half-dozen at a time, but bolt launchers have been known to uproot small trees or tear beams out of buildings and launch those when their ammunition runs low . CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY OGRE B ATT ERING R A M Large giant, chaotic evil Armor Class 14 (ring mail) ,-. Hit Points 59 (7dl0 + 21) Speed 40 ft. STR DEX CON INT 19 (+4) 8 (-1) 16 (+3) 5 (- 3) WIS 7 (- 2) I CHA 7 (- 2) Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8 • • Languages Common, Giant Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Siege Monster. The ogre deals double damage to objects and structures. ACTIONS ' ' '·. • Bash. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. , one target. Hit: 15 (2dl0 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the ogre can push the target S feet away ifthe target is Huge or smaller. Block the Path. Until the start of the ogre's next turn , attack rolls against the ogre have disadvantage, it has advantage on the attack roll it makes for an opportunity attack, and that attack deals an extra 16 (3dl0) bludgeoning damage on a hit. Also, each enemy that tries to move out of the ogre's reach without teleporting must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or have its speed reduced to 0 until the start of the ogre's next turn. O Large G giant RE , chaotic BOLT evil LAUNCHER ~= Armor Class 13 (hide armor) Hit Points 59 (7dl 0 + 21) Speed 40 ft. STR 19 (+4) DEX 12 (+l) CON 16 (+3) - ' INT 5 (- 3) -· " .. WIS 7 (- 2) -.. CHA 7 (-2) Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8 Languages Common, Giant -, .... , , Challenge 2 (450 XP) ACTIONS Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. , one target. Hit: 9 (2d4 + 4) bludgeoning damage. Bolt Launcher. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 120/480 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3dl0 + 1) piercing damage. I ;
OGRE CHAIN BRUTE An ogre chain brute wields a great spiked chain. It swings this chain with both hands in a wide circle around itself to knock foes off their feet. Alternatively, it can swing the chain in a crushing overhead smash that's nearly impossible to block or deflect. OGRE HOWDAH The most unusual of the specialized ogres, the howdah carries a palisaded wooden fort on its back. The fort is big enough to serve as a fighting platform for up to four small humanoids. Ogre howdahs are most often seen bearing goblins equipped with bows and spears into battle, but they could just as easily transport kobolds, deep gnomes, or other humanoids of similar size. OGRE CHAIN BRUTE Large giant, chaotic evil Armor Class 11 (hide armor) Hit Points 59 (7d10 + 21) Speed 40 ft. STR 19 (+4) DEX 8 (-1) CON 16 (+3) INT 5 (- 3) WIS 7 (- 2) Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8 Languages Common, Giant Challenge 3 (700 XP) ACTIONS CHA 7 (-2) Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d4 + 4) bludgeoning damage. Chain Sweep. The ogre swings its chain, and every creature within 10 feet of it must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed saving throw, a creature takes 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeon· ing damage and is knocked prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't knocked prone. Chain Smash (Recharge 6). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft. , one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be knocked unconscious for 1 minute. The unconscious target repeats the saving throw if it takes damage and at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. OGRE HOWDAH Large giant, chaotic evil Armor Class 13 (breastplate) Hit Points 59 (7dl0 + 21) Speed 40 ft. STR 19 (+4) DEX 8 (-1) CON 16 (+3) INT 5 (-3) WIS 7 (-2) Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8 Languages Common , Giant Challenge 2 (450 XP) CHA 7 (-2) Howdah. The ogre carries a compact fo rt on its back. Up to four Small creatures can ride in the fort without squeezing. To make a melee attack against a target within 5 feet of the ogre, they must use spears or weapons with reach. Creatures in the fort have three-quarters cover against attacks and effects from outside it. If the ogre dies, creatures in the fort are placed in unoccupied spaces within S feet of the ogre. ACTIONS Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach S ft., one target. Hjt: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY 221
RETRIEVER The retriever is a potent, spider-like construct conceived and built by the drow for one original purpose- to prowl the Abyss and capture demons for the drow to enslave or use in their rituals. The automatons proved so effective and so fearsome that they now perform many different missions. Demon-Infused. Although each retriever is a metal-and-magic construct, it houses the imprisoned spirit of a bebilith. Most of the demon's intellect has been distilled away, leaving only its cruelty and cunning. Lethal Collectors. Though they were created to operate only in the Abyss, retrievers are sometimes dispatched when a powe rful drow needs some creature or object captured and brought back alive and intact. Only under the rarest of circ*mstances is a retriever handed over or sold to a non-drow, since the dark elves don't want to take the chance that the construct will be turned against them. RETRIEVER Large construct, lawful evil Armor Class 19 (natural armor) Hit Points 210 (20d10 + 100) Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft. STR 22 (+6) DEX 16 (+3) CON 20 (+5) INT 3 (- 4) Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +10, Wis +5 Skills Perception +5, Stealth +8 WIS 11 (+O) CHA 4 (-3) Damage Immunities necrotic, poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't adamantine Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15 Languages understands Abyssal, Elvish, and Undercommon but can't speak Challenge 14 (11,500 XP) Faultless Tracker. The retriever is given a quarry by its master. The quarry can be a specific creature or object the master is personally acquainted with, or it can be a general type of creature or object the master has seen before. The retriever knows the direction and distance to its quarry as long as the two of them are on the same plane of existence. The retriever can have C HAPTeR 6 I BESTIARY only one such quarry at a time. The retriever also always knows the location of its master. Innate Spel/casting. The retriever's innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13). The retriever can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components. 3/day each: plane shift (only self and up to one incapacitated creature, which is considered willing for the spell), web ACTIONS Multiattack. The retriever makes two foreleg attacks and uses its force or paralyzing beam once, if available. Foreleg. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) slashing damage. Force Beam. The retriever targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. The target must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 27 (5d10) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Paralyzing Beam (Recharge 5-6). The retriever targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. The target must suc· ceed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for l minute. The paralyzed target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If the paralyzed creature is Medium or smaller, the retriever can pick it up as part of the retriever's move and walk or climb with it at full speed.
SALAMANDER, FROST Frost salamanders are natives of the Plane of Ice, also called the Frostfell, which rests between the Plane of Air and the Plane of Water. Frost salamanders especially like to hunt warm-blooded creatures. They sometimes travel to frigid climes on the Material P lane by wandering through planar gates. Devourers of Heat. The frost salamanders' aggression appetite for any heat source leads them to attack settlements they come across. They might mistake the fire of a forge or a campfire for a large, tasty meal, drawing them to attack expeditions and settlements that other predators would avoid. Azers sometimes venture into the Frostfell, where they use large fires to Jure frost salamanders into traps to kill them and collect their hides and fangs for use in crafting weapons and armor. False Refuge. Although frost salamanders can burrow their way through loose soil, they prefer to dig into the ice. They roll around in piles of broken chunks of ice, allowing it to scratch their backs as they grind it down. This habit leads them to create extensive networks of ice caves, becoming ever larger as they claw fresh chunks of ice from the walls of their lairs. A frost salamander that dwells in a lair for a while carves out enough space to allow a small army to camp within. Inexperienced travelers who come across these caves see them as a welcome shelter, though they are anything but. Frost salamanders greedily devour any prey foolhardy enough to try sleeping in their lairs. On rare occasions, frost giants capture and tame these creatures, using them to burrow into the ice to help create outposts and fortresses. FROST SALAMANDER Huge elememal, unaligned Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 168 (16dl2 + 64) Speed 60 ft., burrow 40 ft., climb 40 ft. STR 20 (+S) DEX 12 (+l) CON 18 (+4) INT 7 (-2) y .., . ~· ., • WIS 11 (+O) . ... . ' .. .... ~;:r I • CHA 7 (-2) Saving Throws Con +8, Wis +4 ·' '!lilr. -....~ Skills Perception +4 ' ' ~ " Damage Vulnerabilities fire t • ... ~ Damage Immunities cold • 1 t. _. Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., l passive Perception 14 • _ \t • Languages Primordial !• ~ ~ J .... Challenge 9 (S,000 XP) Burning Fury. When the salamander takes fire damage, its Freezing Breath automatically recharges. ACTIONS Multiattack. The salamander makes five attacks: four with its claws and one with its bite. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (ld6 + S) piercing damage. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (ld8 + S) piercing damage and S (ldlO) cold damage. Freezing Breath (Recharge 6). The salamander exhales chill wind in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a on DC a 17 fai Constitution led save, or half saving as much throw, damage taking 44 on (8dl0) a successful cold damage one. ~ ~ CH;\PTER 6 I BESTIARY
224 SHADAR- K A I In the perpetual gloom of the Shadowfell lives a society that serves the Raven Queen. They were brought into that dusky realm in ages past, so long ago that they're now perfectly adapted to that cheerless environment, both physically and mentally. Soul Custodian s. Shadar-kai watch over both the Shadowfell and the material world, scouting out choice souls and tragedies that might please their deity. They are rumored to be able to coax worldly events along tragic paths for her amusem*nt. The Raven Queen is famously cryptic even to her most devoted followers, however. The shadar-kai's efforts are rewarded only with vague omens they interpret as best they can. Blighted Elves. Shadar-kai were once elves, but eons of exposure to the debilitating influence of the Shadowfell has left them joyless and mournful. In that realm, they have the appearance of withered elves: pale hair, wrinkled gray skin, and swollen joints give them a corpselike aspect. They appear more youthful while on other planes, but their skin always retains its deathly pallor. They dress in dark cloaks and heavy veils, detest mirrors, and avoid keeping things that remind them of their age. Although a formidable fighter, a gloom weaver is often content to remain hidden in the shadows, watching with rapt attention as its very presence affects its victims. Its dark energy weighs down the heart, causing those within its oppressive aura to feel the approach of death. This torment alone is enough to please its master, the Raven Queen, but should it be detected, a gloom weaver uses its shadow magic to reduce its enemies to ghastly corpses. SHA D OW D ANCER Those who have fought shadow dancers describe the experience as similar to fighting a living darkness. Every dim alcove and darkened nook is a place from where the lithe and acrobatic shadow dancers can emerge to ambush their prey. Using this tactic, they attack their enemies from all angles with a flurry of entangling chains that hold fast and corrupt the flesh. When their quarry is helpless, others move in to help dispatch the prey. Then they loot the corpse for trinkets, anything colorful and lively to gaze at after they return to the gloom of the Shadow fell. S OUL MONGER Wracked with despair over the loss of memories of a brighter time, soul mongers now crave the vitality of others. The aching void within a soul monger radiates outward, manifesting as an unbearable weight that drains the vigor of anyone unfortunate enough to be in its presence. Those who have escaped the onslaught of a soul monger can hardly shake the memory of the sound it makes- the moan of a tortured soul, lost in a bottomless well of tragedy. CHAPTeR 6 1 BESTIARY GLOOM WEAVER Medium humanoid (elf), neutral Armor Class 14 (17 with mage armor) Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32) Speed 30 ft. STR 11 (+O) DEX 18 (+4) CON 14 (+2) Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +6 Damage Immunities necrotic INT 15 (+2) WIS 12 (+1) Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion Se nses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11 Lang uages Common, Elvish Challe nge 9 (5,000 XP) CHA 18 (+4) Burden ofTime. Beasts and humanoids, other than shadar-kai, have disadvantage on saving throws while within 10 feet of the gloom weaver. Fey Ancestry. The gloom weaver has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put it to sleep. Innate Spellcasting. The gloom weaver's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: arcane eye, mage armor, speak with dead 1/day each: arcane gate, bane, compulsion, confusion, true seeing Spellcasting. The gloom weaver is a 12th-level s pellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It regains its expended s pell slots when it fi nis hes a short or long rest. It knows the fo llowing warlock s pe lls: Cantrips (at will): chill touch (3d8 damage), eldritch blast (3 beams, +4 bonus to each damage roll), minor illusion, prestidigitation 1st- 5th level (3 5th-level slots): armor of Agathys, blight, darkness, dream, invisibility.fear, hypnotic pattern, major image, contact other plane, vampiric touch, witch bolt A CTIONS Multiattack. The gloom weaver makes two spear attacks and casts one spell that takes 1 action to cast. Shadow Spear. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage, or 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage if used with two hands, plus 26 (4d12) necrotic damage. REACTIONS Misty Escape (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). When the gloom weaver takes damage, it turns invisible and teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. It remains invisible until the start of its next turn or until it attacks or -1 casts a spell.
SHl\OOW 01\NCER GLOOM WEl\VER • SHADOW DANCER Medium humanoid (elf), neutral Armor Class 15 (studded leather) Hit Points 71 (13d8 + 13) Speed 30 ft. STR 12 (+1) DEX 16 (+3) CON 13 (+ 1) Saving Throws Dex +6, Cha +4 Skills Stealth +6 Damage Resistances necrotic INT 11 (+O) WIS 12 (+ 1) Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Common, Elvish Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) • CHA 12 (+ 1) Fey Ancestry. The shadow dancer has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put it to sleep. .. SOUL MONGER Shadow jump. As a bonus action, the shadow dancer can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. Both the space it teleports from and the space it teleports to must be in dim light or darkness. The shadow dancer can use this ability between the weapon attacks of another action it takes. ACTIONS Multiattack. The shadow dancer makes three spiked chain attacks. Spiked Chain. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or suffer one additional effect of the shadow dancer's choice: • The target is grappled (escape DC 14) ifit is a Medium or smaller creature. Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the shadow dancer can't grapple another target. • The target is knocked prone. • The target takes 22 (4d10) necrotic damage. CH APTER 6 I 8£STll\RY
SouLMONGER Medium humanoid (elf), neutral Armor Class 15 (studded leather) Hit Points 123 (19d8 + 38) Speed 30 ft. STR 8 (-1) DEX 17 (+3) CON 14 (+2) INT 19 (+4) Saving Throws Dex +7, Wis +7, Cha +S Skills Perception +7 Damage Immunities necrotic, psychic WIS 15 (+3) CHA 13 (+l) Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17 Languages Common, Elvish Challenge 11 (7,200 XP) Fey Ancestry. The soul monger has advantage on saving throws against being charmed , and magic can't put it to sleep. Innate Spel/casting. The soul monger's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: chill touch (3d8 damage), poison spray (3dl2 damage) l/day each: bestow curse, chain lightning, finger of death, gaseous form, phantasmal killer, seeming '· ' Magic Resistance. The soul monger has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Soul Thirst. When the soul monger reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the soul monger can gain temporary hit points equal to half the creature's hit point maximum. While the soul monger has temporary hit points from this ability, it has advantage on attack rolls. Weight of Ages. Any beast or humanoid, other than a shadar-kai, that starts its turn within 5 feet of the soul monger has its speed reduced by 20 feet until the start of that creature's next turn. .. ACTIONS .. Multiattack. The soul monger makes two phantasmal dagger attacks. Phantasmal Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (4d4 + 3) piercing damage plus 19 (3dl2) necrotic damage, and the target has disadvantage on saving throws until the start of the soul monger's next turn. Wave of Weariness (Recharge 4-6). The soul monger emits weariness in a 60-foot cube. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a fa iled save, a creature takes 45 (10d8) psychic damage and suffers l level of exhaustion. On a successful save, it takes 22 (Sd8) psychic damage. ' REllLM O F THE R11vEN QuEEW ..
SKULK Skulks are the soulless shells of travelers who became lost in the Shadowfell, wandering its gray wastes until they lost all sense of self. They are so devoid of identity that they have become permanently invisible. Only children can see a skulk without the help of a mirror or a special candle. On the rare occasions when a skulk is visible, it appears as a drab, featureless, hairless humanoid. Summoned Servants. A skulk can be summoned from the Shadowfell by performing a ritual. If the creature is given a portion of the summoner's identity, the skulk is bound to obey the summoner's commands for 30 days. If a skulk is visible, an astute observer might deduce who summoned it, because a skulk assumes a vague likeness of its master. Cruel and chaotic, skulks carry out their orders in the most violent manner possible. A summoned skulk can't return to the Shadowfell until it dies, so it has every motivation to throw itself into creating bloodshed and mayhem. Hollow Lives. After killing a person in the material world, a skulk sometimes takes up a silent imitation of that person's life. In extreme cases, skulks have invaded villages, killed all the occupants, and turned the places into seeming ghost towns, where flavorless food is prepared daily, colorless clothes are hung up to dry, and livestock is shifted from pen to pen until it starves. SKULK Armor Class 14 Hit Points 18 (4d8) Speed 30 ft. STR 6 (- 2) DEX 19 (+4) Saving Throws Con +2 Skills Stealth +8 CON 10 (+O) Damage Immunities radiant Condition Immunities blinded INT 10 (+O) WIS 7 {- 2) Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 8 Languages understands Common but can't speak Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) CHA 1 {-5) Fallible Invisibility. The skulk is invisible. This invisibility can be circumvented by three things: • The skulk appears as a drab, smooth-skinned humanoid if its e reflection can be seen in a mirror or on another surface. • The skulk appears as a dim, translucent form in the light of a candle made of fat rendered from a corpse whose identity is unknown. • Humanoid children, aged 10 and under, can see through this invisibility. Trackless. The skulk leaves no tracks to indicate where it has been or where it's headed. ACTIONS .. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 {ld4 + 4) slashing damage. If the skulk has advantage on the attack roll, the target also takes 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY .. .. .· 227
SKULL LORD The skull lords have claimed vast regions of the Shadowfell as their dominion. From these blighted lands, they wage war against their rivals, commanding hordes of undead in a bid to establish dominance. Yet skull lords always prove to be their own worst enemies; as a combined being born from three hateful individuals, they constantly plot against themselves. Creatures of Betrayal. Infighting and treachery brought the skull lords into existence. The first of them appeared in the aftermath ofVecna's bid to conquer the world of Greyhawk, after the vampire Kas betrayed Vecna and took his eye and hand. In the confusion resulting from this turn of events, Vecna's warlords turned against each other, and the dark one's plans were dashed. In a rage, Vecna gathered up his generals and captains and bound them in groups of three, fusing them into undead abominations cursed to fight among themselves for all time. Since the first skull lords were exiled into shadow, others have joined them, typically after being created from other leaders who betrayed their masters. Undead Nature. A skull lord doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep. SKULL LORD Medium undead, lawful evil Armor Class 18 (plate) Hit Points 105 (14d8 + 42) Speed 30 ft. STR 14 (+2) DEX 16 (+3) CON 17 (+3) INT 16 (+3) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 21 (+S) Skills Athletics +7, History +8, Perception +12, Stealth +8 Damage Resistances cold, necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned, stunned, unconscious Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 22 Languages all the languages it knew in life Challenge 15 (13,000 XP) Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the skull lord fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Master of the Grave. While within 30 feet of the skull lord, any undead ally of the skull lord makes saving throws with advantage, and that ally regains 1 d6 hit points whenever it starts its turn there. Evasion. If the skull lord is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half the damage, the skull lord instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails. Spellcasting. The skull lord is a 13th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). The skull lord knows the following sorcerer spells: C lTAl"TER 6 I BESTIARY I Cantrips (at will): chill touch, fire bolt, mage hand, poison spray, ray of frost, shocking grasp 1st level (4 slots): magic missile, expeditious retreat, thunderwave 2nd level (3 slots): mirror image, scorching ray 3rd level (3 slots): fear, haste 4th level (3 slots): dimension door, ice storm 5th level (2 slots): cloudkill, cone of cold 6th level (1 slot): eyebite 7th level (1 slot): finger of death ACTIONS .. - Multiattack. The skull lord makes three bone staff attacks. Bone Staff. Melee Weapon Ateack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft .. one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (4d6) necrotic damage. LEGENDARY ACTIONS The skull lord can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The skull lord regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Bone Staff (Costs 2 Actions). The skull lord makes a bone staff attack. Cantrip. The skull lord casts a cantrip. Move. The skull lord moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks. Summon Undead (Costs 3 Actions). Up to five skeletons or zombies appear in unoccupied spaces within 30 feet of the skull lord and remain until destroyed. Undead summoned in this way roll initiative and act in the next available turn. The skull lord can have up to five undead summoned by this ability at a time. •
SORROWSWORN The Shadowfell's pervasive melancholy sometimes gives rise to strange incarnations of the plane's bleak nature. The sorrowsworn embody the forms of suffering that are inherent to the shadowy landscape, and they visit horror on those who stumble into their midst. Emotion Given Form. Each sorrowsworn personifies a different aspect of despair or distress. Some are manifestations of anger; others are loneliness given physical form. Their nature provides a clue both to understanding how they become more powerful and to overcoming them. Giving in to the negative emotions that the sorrowsworn represent causes these entities to grow deadlier. Fighting against these emotions can weaken them and drive them away. THE ANGRY Relying on violence to sustain their existence, the Angry grow more powerful when their foes fight back. If a creature opts not to attack, though, the Angry becomes confused, and its attacks weaken. Each of the Angry has two heads, which bicker with each other until they find something else on which they can vent their wrath. THE HUNGRY Horrid beasts with grasping claws and yawning mouths, the Hungry do whatever is necessary to sate their appetites. These greedy devourers consume all life and energy they encounter, stuffing their maws with flesh and drinking in their victims' screams. When they finish, they lurch away while their bright eyes resume the search for something else to consume. THE LONELY The sorrow of isolation afflicts many creatures that lurk in the Shadowfell, but the need for companionship is never manifested more dramatically than in the Lonely. When these sorrowsworn spot other creatures, they feel keenly the need for interaction and so they launch their harpoon-like arms to drag their victims close. THE LOST The Shadowfell turns visitors around until they become marooned in its twisted landscape. The Lost are representations of the anxiety and fear that people experience when they can't find their way. These sorrowsworn appear as desperate and panicked things. The Lost try to embrace any creatures they can reach, attempting to find solace in the contact. Aside from the horror of being embraced by such a thing, the victim experiences a flood of fear and panic as its mind buckles under the fury of this assault. The harder the victims' allies fight for release, the worse the experience becomes. THE WRETCHED Horrid little monsters, the Wretched gather in large packs to scour the Shadowfell for prey. These pitiful entities subsist on life force, so when they find a creature, they surge forward to sink their fangs into their victims and drink deep of their life energy and their fear. THE ANGRY Medium monstrosity, neutral evil Armor Class 18 (natural armor) Hit Points 255 (30d8 + 120) Speed 30 ft. STR 17 (+3) DEX 10 (+O) Skills Perception +6 CON 19 (+4) INT 8 (-1) WIS 13 (+l) CHA 6 (- 2) Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing while in dim light or darkness Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16 Languages Common Challenge 13 (10,000 XP) Two Heads. The Angry has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, or knocked unconscious. Rising Anger. If another creature deals damage to the Angry, the Angry's attack rolls have advantage until the end of its next turn, and the first time it hits with a hook attack on its next turn, the attack's target takes an extra 19 (3dl 2) psychic damage. On its turn, the Angry has disadvantage on attack rolls if no other creature has dealt damage to it since the end of its last turn. ACTIONS Multiattack. The Angry makes two hook attacks. Hook. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2dl2 + 3) piercing damage. CHAPTER 6 I BESTlARY •
• ••• • • Medium monstrosity, neutral evil Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 225 (30d8 + 90) Speed 30 ft. Gt STR 19 (+4) DEX 10 (+O) CON 17 (+3) INT 6 (- 2) WIS 11 (+O) CHA 6 (-2) Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing while in dim light or darkness Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Common Challenge 11 (7,200 XP) , • • ~" ' Life Hunger. If a creature the Hungry can see regains hit points, the Hungry gains two benefits until the end of its next turn: it has advantage on attack rolls, and its bite deals an extra 22 (4d10) necrotic damage on a hit. ACTIONS Multiattack. The Hungry makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one tar· get. Hit: 8 (l d8 + 4) piercing damage plus 13 (3d8) nec rotic damage. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (4d6 + 4) slashing damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 16) and restrained until the grapple ends. While grappling a creature, the Hungry can't attack with its claws. Ct!APTER 6 I BESTI ARY Medium monstrosity, neutral evil .. II> Armor Class 16 (natural armor) ·Ii Hit Points 112 (15d8 + 45) ':. Speed 30 ft. "' STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 12 (+ 1) 17 (+3) 6 (-2) 11 (+O) 6 (-2) Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing while in dim light or darkness Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Common Challenge 9 (5,000 XP) • 1 Psychic Leech. At the start of each of the Lonely's turns, each creature within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take 10 (3d6) psychic damage. Thrives on Company. The Lonely has advantage on attack rolls while it is within 30 feet of at least two other creatures. It other· wise has disadvantage on attack rolls. ACTIONS Multiattack. The Lonely makes one harpoon arm attack and uses Sorrowful Embrace. Harpoon Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 60 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (4d8 + 3) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15) ifit is a Large or smaller creature. The Lonely has two harpoon arms and can grapple up to two creatures at once. Sorrowful Embrace. Each creature grappled by the Lonely must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. A creature takes 18 (4d8) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. In either case, the Lonely pulls each creature grappled by it up to 30 feet straight toward it.
THE LOST Medium monstrosity, neutral evil Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 78 (12d8 + 24) Speed 30 ft. STR 17 (+3) DEX 12 (+l) Skills Athletics +6 CON 15 (+2) INT 6 (-2) WIS 7 (-2) CHA 5 (- 3) Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing while in dim light or darkness Senses darkvision 60 ft. , passive Perception 8 Languages Common Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) J.,1"-. --... ----------------~~~ ==---= ~ • ACTIONS ....... Multiattack. The Lost makes two arm spike attacks. Arm Spike. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2dl0 + 3) piercing damage. Embrace. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to it, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (4dl0 + 3) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14) if it is a Medium or smaller creature. Until the grapple ends, the target is frightened, and it takes 27 (6d8) psychic damage at the e nd of each of its turns. The Lost can embrace only one creature at a time. REACTIONS . . Tightening Embrace. If the Lost takes damage while it has a creature grappled, that creature takes 18 (4d8) psychic damage. Small monstrosity, neutral evil Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 10 (4d6 - 4) Speed 40 ft. STR 7 (- 2) DEX 12 (+ 1) CON 9 (- 1) INT 5 (-3) • WIS 6 (- 2) • CHA 5 (- 3) • Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing while in dim light or darkness Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8 Languages - Challenge 1/4 (SO XP) Wretched Pack Tactics. The Wretched has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the Wretched's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. The Wretched otherwise has disadvantage on attack rolls. ACTIONS Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach S ft., one target. Hit: 6 (ldlO + l) piercing damage, and the Wretched attaches to the target. While attached, the Wretched can't attack, and at the start of each of the Wretched's turns, the target takes 6 (ldlO + 1) necrotic damage. The attached Wretched moves with the target whenever the target moves, requiring none of the Wretched's movement. The Wretched can detach itself by spending S feet of its movement on its turn. A creature, including the target, can use its action to detach a Wretched. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY • •
23+ STAR SPAWN The Material Plane represents only one small part of the multiverse. Beyond the best-known planes of existence lie realms that are lethal to mortal life. Some are so hostile that even a moment's contact with such a place is enough to plunge a mortal mind into madness. Yet beings do exist that are native to these realms: beings that are eternally hungering, searching, warring, sometimes dreaming. These Elder Evils are far older than most of the mortal races and always horrific to humanoid minds. However much they might desire to enter and dominate the Material Plane, the Elder Evils are unable or unwilling to leave their realms. Some are imprisoned in their dimensions by external forces, some are inextricably bound to their home realities, and others simply can't find any way out. Heralds of Doom. The creatures known as star spawn are the heralds, servants, foot soldiers, and lieutenants of the Elde r Evils, capable of taking on forms that can journey to the Material Plane. They arrive most often in the wake of a comet- or perhaps such a phenomenon merely signals that star spawn are in the vicinity and available for communication. When the signs are right, warlocks and cultists hasten to gather together, read aloud their blasphemous texts, and conduct the mind-searing rituals that guide the blazing star spawn into the world. STAR SPAWN GRUE Fanged and lipless, the ever-grinning, madly staring grue lopes about on spindly legs and long arms. Bristles and spines project from odd patches of its pallid skin, and it's long fingers end in broken and dirty nails. Grues are the weakest of the star s pawn. A host of writhing, scrambling grues typically accompanies more powerful star spawn. Their constant chittering and shrieking produces discordant psychic energy that disrupts thought patterns in other creatures. Intelligent creatures experience flashing colors, hallucinations, disorientation, and waves of hopelessness when they find themselves near a group of star spawn grues. STAR SPAWN HULK The hulk is the largest of the known star spawn. Though ogre-like in stature, the hulk's glistening translucent skin reveals a muscled form devoid of an ogre's fat. Pale and seemingly lidless eyes glare balefully from a face distorted by too many teeth and too little nose. Hulks are seldom encountered without a commanding seer nearby. A hulk appears to have little will of its own, other than to protect its master. C HAPTE R 6 I BESTIARY STAR SPAWN GRUE Small aberration, neutral evil Armor Class 11 Hit Points 17 (Sd6) Speed 30 ft. STR 6 (- 2) DEX 13 (+l) CON 10 (+O) Damage Immunities psychic INT 9 (- 1) WIS 11 (+O) Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Deep Speech Challe nge 1/4 (50 XP) CHA 6 (-2) Aura of Madness. Creatures within 20 feet of the grue that aren't aberrations have disadvantage on saving throws, as well as on attack rolls against creatures other than a star spawn grue. ACTIONS Confounding Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (2d4 + 1) piercing damage. and the target must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of the grue's next turn. STAR SPAWN HULK Large aberration, chaotic evil Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 136 (13dl 0 + 65) .• Speed 30 ft. • STR 20 (+5) DEX 8 (- 1) CON 21 (+5) Saving Throws Dex +3, Wis +5 Skills Perception +5 INT 7 (-2) WIS 12 (+l) CHA 9 (- 1) Damage Re sistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Condition Immunities charmed, frightened Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15 La nguages Deep Speech Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) • Psychic Mirror. If the hulk takes psychic damage, each creature within 10 feet of the hulk takes that damage instead; the hulk takes none of the damage. In addition, the hulk's thoughts and location can't be discerned by magic. A CT IONS Multiattack. The hulk makes two slam attacks. If both attacks hit the same target, the target also takes 9 {2d8) psychic damage and must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the target's next turn. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage. Reaping Arms (Recharge 5- 6). The hulk makes a separate slam attack against each creature within 10 feet of it. Each creature that is hit must also succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
STAR SPAWN LARVA MAGE A larva mage is a nightmarish combination of a mortal body and otherworldly s ubstance. When a powerful cultist of a wormlike entity such as Kyuss or Kezefusually a wa rlock or other spellcaster- contacts the comet-borne emissary of an Elde r Evil, the emissary can merge with a mortal consciousness to create a larva mage. None of the original cultist's personality survives the transformation, so what emerges is wholly alien. STAR SPAWN LARVA MAGE Medium aberration, chaotic evil Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 168 (16d8 + 96) Speed 30 ft. STR 17 (+3) DEX 12 (+1) CON 23 (+6) INT 18 (+4) Saving Throws Dex +6, Wis +6, Cha +8 Skills Perception +6 WIS 12 (+1) CHA 16 (+3) Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities psychic Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, restrained Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16 Languages Deep Speech Challenge 16 (15,000 XP) Innate Spetlcasting. The larva mage's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 161 +8 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: eldritch blast (3 beams, +3 bonus to each damage roll), minor illusion 3/day: dominate monster • 1/day: circle of death Return to Worms. When the larva mage is reduced to 0 hit points, it breaks apart into a swarm ofinsects in the same space. Unless the swarm is destroyed, the larva mage reforms from it 24 hours later. ACT IONS Slam. Me/ee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (ld8 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn. Plague of Worms (Recharge 6). Each creature other than a star spawn within 10 feet of the larva mage must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 22 (Sd8) necrotic damage and be blinded and restrained by masses of swarming worms. The affected creature takes 22 (Sd8) necrotic damage at the start of each of the larva mage's turns. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, e nding the effect on itself on a success. REACTIONS Feed on Weakness. When a creature within 20 feet of the larva mage fails a saving throw, the larva mage gains 10 temporary hit points. LEGENDARY ACTIONS The larva mage can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The larva mage regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Cantrip (Costs 2 Actions). The larva mage casts one cantrip. Slam (Costs 2 Actions). The larva mage makes one slam attack. Feed (Costs 3 Actions). Each creature restrained by the larva mage's Plague of Worms takes 13 (3d8) necrotic damage, and the larva mage gains 6 temporary hit points. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY • •
STAR SPAWN MANGLER ~~~~~~~~- A mangler is a low-slung, creeping horror with multiple gangly arms. A mangler most often has six arms, but one can have any number from four to eight. Manglers creep along the ground or the walls, sticking to shadows, hiding in s pots that seem too shallow or well-lit to conceal anything. They appear smaller than their true size, thanks to their hunched posture and emaciated frame. Cultists s ummon these creatures to serve as guards and ass assins, two roles at which they excel. STAR SPAWN MANGLER Medium aberration, chaotic evil Armor Class 14 Hit Points 71 (13d8 + 13) Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft. STR 8 (-1) DEX 18 (+4) CON 12 (+l) Saving Throws Dex +7, Con +4 INT 11 (+O) Skills Stealth +7 ' • Damage Resistances cold Damage Immunities psychic • WIS 12 (+l) Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, prone Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Deep Speech Challenge 5 (l ,800 XP) i· f . ' CHA 7 (-2) ............ ..... ~ . \.. "'~J.t-,, ... ~ . .. Ambush. On the first round of each combat, the mangler has advantage on attack rolls against a creature that hasn't taken a turn yet. Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the mangler can take the Hide action as a bonus action. ACTIONS Multiattack. The mangler makes two claw attacks. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (ld8 + 4) slashing damage. If the attack roll has advan· tage, the target also takes 7 (2d6) psychic damage. Flurry of Claws (Recharge 4-6). The mangler makes six claw attacks against one target. Either before or after these attacks, it can move up to its speed as a bonus action without provoking opportunity attacks. CHAPTER 6 I llESTIARY STAR SPAWN SEER Medium aberration, neutral evil Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points l 53 (l 8d8 + 72) , ~ Speed 30 ft. • I• STR 14 (+2) DEX 12 (+l) CON 18 (+4) INT 22 (+6) • WIS 19 (+4) Saving Throws Dex +6, Int + 11 , Wis +9, Cha +8 Skills Perception +9 CHA 16 (+3) Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities psychic Condition Immunities charmed, frightened Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Pe rception 19 Languages Common, Deep Speech, Undercommon Challenge 13 (10,000 XP) ••• ...... . •• Out-of-Phase Movement. The seer can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. Each crea· ture it moves through takes S (ldlO) psychic damage; no creature can take this damage more than once per turn. The seer takes 5 (ldlO) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. ACTIONS Multiattack. The seer makes two comet staff attacks or uses Psychic Orb twice. Comet Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach S ft., one target. Hit: 9 (ld6 + 6) bludgeoning damage, or 10 (ld8 + 6) bludgeoning damage if used with two hands, plus 18 (4d8) psychic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated until the end of its next turn. Psychic Orb. Ranged Spell Attack: +11 to hit, range 120 feet, one target. Hit: 27 (SdlO) psychic damage. Collapse Distance (Recharge 6). The seer warps space around a creature it can see within 30 feet of it. That creature must make a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, is magically teleported up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space the seer can see, and all other creatures within 10 feet of the target's original space each takes 39 (6dl2) psychic damage. On a successful save, the target takes 19 (3dl 2) psychic damage. REACTIONS Bend Space. When the seer would be hit by an attack, it teleports, exchanging positions with another star spawn it can see within 60 feet ofit. The other star spawn is hit by the attack instead.
STAR SPAWN SEER A star spawn seer is most often encountered as the leader of a cult that worships one or more of the Elder Evils. Usually, the seer is the only cult member that grasps the full extent of the horror the cult is venerating. An entity that appears as a star spawn seer in the Material Plane usually arrives as something differentsomething disembodied. When a warlock or other spellcaster establishes communication with it, the seer-entity takes control of the mortal's form and spirit, transforming it into a star spawn seer. Whoever the seer once was largely vanishes beneath the corpulent bulk of tumorous skin than builds up in strange whorls all over the seer's body. Hands become bulky, flipper-like appendages capable of grasping their strange staffs-formed of some blend of flesh, bone, and star stuff- but clumsy and painful when used to manipulate other things. A star spawn seer is almost always accompanied by one or more star spawn hulks. Although the hulk is a worthy combatant in its own right, it's also a vital part of a tactic often used by seers. When a seer deals psychic damage to a hulk, the hulk isn't hurt, while the effect ricochets off the hulk and expands to assault other creatures. The seer's goal is to tap the energy sources and master the rites that will enable it to extend a bridge between the vulnerable sanity of the Material Plane and the squirming madness of an Elder Evil's prison. ELDER EVIL BLESSINGS Through generations of study and grim practice, the disciples of certain Elder Evils have mastered the ability to bestow supernatural gifts on minions they select for the privilege. Any creature that serves a cult of Elder Evil, including a star spawn, can be given one of these rewards- usually as compensation for faithful service, but sometimes as a chance for a creature that breached the cult's laws to redeem itself. The following powers are unique to specific cults, and typically a creature has no more than one of them. CULT O F BOREM OF THE L AKE OF BOILING M UD Borem's Embrace (1/Day). The cultist touches one creature within S feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be coated in sticky, steaming mud. While it is coated in this way, the target's speed is halved, it can't use reactions, and it takes 10 (3d6) fire damage at the start of each of its turns. The effect lasts for 1 minute, until the cultist is incapacitated or dies, or until the target is immersed in water. C ULT OF A TROPUS THE WORLD BORN DEAD Gaze of Corruption (Recharge 6). The cultist targets one creature it can see within 30 feet ofit. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 16 (3d10) necrotic damage and be poisoned for 1 minute. The poisoned target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. C ULT OF H AASK THE VOICE OF H ARGUT Haask's Presence (1/Day). The cultist transforms into a Tiny, leech-like being and teleports onto the shoulder of a humanoid that it can see within 30 feet of it. The targeted humanoid must succeed on a DC 1 S Charisma saving throw or be charmed by the cultist. While the target is charmed, the cultist has control of it on the target's next turn. At the end of that turn, the cultist teleports to an unoccupied space it can see within 30 feet of it and returns to its normal form. The cultist can't be targeted directly by any attack or other effect while it's in the slug-like form, but it is subject to areas of effect as normal. CULT OF ITRANTH RAXUS THE FLAMED ONE Radiant Flames (1/Day). Multihued flame surrounds the cultist for 1 minute, until the cultist is incapacitated or dies, or until the cultist extinguishes the flame {no action required). While inflamed, the cultist has telepathy with a range of 30 feet, and it can teleport as a bonus action up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. In addition, every creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the cultist must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 16 (3dl0) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. CULT OF T HARI ZDUN T HE C HAINED GOD Tharizdun's Spark (Recharge 6). As a bonus action, the cultist touches a simple or martial weapon or a natural weapon, if it has one. The next creature hit by the touched weapon must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or experience shortterm madness for 10 minutes. Consult the Short-Term Madness table (see "Madness Effects" in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide) to determine the form of the madness. The affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each minute, ending the effect on itself on a success. ELDER EVILS Exactly who or what the Elder Evils are remains in dispute among the rare sources of knowledge about them. Few creatures in the multiverse have any awareness of these beings, and no one can claim to know them all. Some Elder Evils are called gods, primordials, or fiends. Yet some scholars versed in esoteric mysteries insist they are none of these, but in fact are beings set apart from what mortals consider reality. Some Elder Evils are alleged to be creatures of the Far Realm, while others are thought to be trapped in a particular plane or world, or held in check somehow by wandering stars, imprisoned in the vastness of the night sky. The names given to these terrible entities include such strange descriptions as ltyak-Ortheel the Elf-Eater, Dendar the Night Serpent, Borem of the Lake of Boiling Mud, Kezef the Chaos Hound, Zargon the Returner, Carn nod the Unseen, Holashner the Hunger Below, Piscaethces the Blood Queen, Shothotugg the Eater of Worlds, Y'chak the Violet Flame, Bolothamogg Who Watches from Beyond the Stars, Hargut of the Gray Pestilence, Haask the Voice of Hargut, Ragnorra the Mother of Monsters, the Hulks of Zoretha, Kyuss the Worm That Walks, Tharizdun the Elder Elemental Eye, Atropus the World Born Dead, Pandorym the Utter Annihilation, Haemnathuun the Blood lord, Maram of the Great Spear, Tyranthraxus the Flamed One, the unnamed Queen of Chaos, and Father Llymic, the Alien Thought Given Flesh. The extent to which these beings have power beyond their native environments varies, as do notions of their relative strength. But they are all forces of corruption and evil. Nothing good can come from their influence. No bargain made with them ends in anything other than madness, plague, death, or worse. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY 23;
STEEDERS Giant hunting spiders, steeders prowl the depths of the Underdark. Most steeders are encountered in the company of duergar. Fem ale Dominance. Female steeders grow larger and stronger than males, and the female often devours the male after breeding. In captivity, males are used as draft animals, while females serve as steeds in battle. Lone Predators. Steeders consider other steeders as enemies and attempt to tear apart perceived threats. Their duergar handlers must stable steeders separate from one another and place blinders on them when they're put to work to keep them from attacking each other. Low Cunning. Steeders are intelligent enough to learn simple hand signals and vocal commands, but even a domesticated steeder can turn against its handler. Training these beasts requires a rider to bond with the steeder, a process that begins shortly after the creature hatches. The rider stays with the steeder as it grows to full size, working throughout that time to channel the beast's predatory instincts. Deadly Hunters. Rather than spinning webs, steeders excrete a viscous substance from their legs. This goo allows them to creep along walls and ceilings and to grapple prey. FEMALE STEEDER Large monstrosity, unaligned Armor Class 14 {natural armor) Hit Points 30 (4dl0 + 8) Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. STR 15 (+2) DEX 16 (+3) CON 14 (+2) Skills Stealth +7, Perception +4 INT 2 (-4) WIS 10 (+O) Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14 Languages - Challe nge l (200 XP) r .. . CHA 3 {- 4) Spider Climb. The steeder can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Extraordinary Leap. The distance of the steeder's long jumps is tripled; every foot of its walking speed that it s pends on the jump allows it to move 3 feet. ACT IONS Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (ld8 + 3) piercing damage plus 9 {2d8) poison damage. Sticky Leg. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Medium or smaller creature. Hit: The target is stuck to the steeder's leg and grappled until it escapes (escape DC 12). The steeder can have only one creature grappled at a time. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY MALE STEEDER Medium monstrosity, unaligned Armor Class 12 (natural armor) Hit Points 13 (2d8 + 4) Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. STR 15 (+2) DEX 12 (+ l) CON 14 {+2) Skills Stealth +5, Perception +4 INT 2 (- 4) WIS 10 (+0) Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14 Languages - Challenge 1/4 (SO XP) CHA 3 (- 4) Spider Climb. The steed er can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Extraordinary Leap. The distance of the steeder's long jumps is tripled; every foot of its walking speed t hat it spends on the jump allows it to jump 3 feet. ACTIONS Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (ld8 + 2) piercing damage plus 4 (ld8) poison damage. Sticky Leg. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Small or Tiny creature. Hit: The target is stuck to the steeder's leg and grappled until it escapes (escape DC 12). The steeder can have only one creature grappled at a time.
STEEL PREDATOR A steel predator is a merciless machine with one purpose: to locate and kill its target regardless of distance and obstacles. Modron Engineering. Steel predators are created by a particular hexton modron, using a machine located in the city of S igil. It wasn't always headquartered in the City of Doors, however. On its original home, the plane of Mechanus, the ingenious hexton was lauded for its invention- until it turned its creations against its s uperiors. Steel predators wreaked havoc across the modron hie ra rchy until the rogue hexton was trapped STEEL PREDATOR Large construct, lawful evil Armor Class 20 (natural armor) Hit Points 207 (18dl0 + 108) Speed 40 ft. STR 24 (+7) DEX 17 (+3) CON 22 (+6) INT 4 (-3) Skills Perception +7, Stealth +8, Survival +7 WIS 14 (+2) CHA 6 (-2) Damage Resistance s cold, lightning, necrotic, thunder Damage Immunities poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, stunned Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17 Languages understands Modron and the language of its owner but can't speak Challenge 16 (15,000 XP) Innate Spellcasting. The steel predator's innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom. The steel predator can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components: 3/day each: dimension door (self only). plane shift (self only) Magic Resistance. The steel predator has advantage on saving th rows against spells and other magical effects. Magic Weapons. The steel predator's weapon attacks I are magical. ~~ .. ,.· -· ACTIONS Multiattack. The steel predator makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claw. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach S ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) piercing damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) slashing damage. Stunning Roar (Recharge 5-6). The steel predator emits a roar in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 27 (SdlO) thunder damage, drops everything it's holding, and is stunned for 1 minute. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage. The stunned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. and exiled. Now it operates a shop in Sigil where, for a steep price, anyone can commission the manufacture of a steel predator. Assassins on Demand. To create a steel predator, the hexton's machine must be fed something that identifies the predator's target, s uch as a lock of hair, a well-worn glove, or a much-used weapon. The moment the newly manufactured steel predator emerges, it bounds away in search of its prey. It senses the location of its ta rget across plana r bounda ries, but such detection is accurate only to within a thousand yards; to close the remaining distance, the steel predator locates its prey by sight and smell. Once battle is joined, the predator ignores eve ry other threat to attack its target, unless other creatures prevent it from reaching the targe t. In that case, it does what it must to fulfill its mission. Rogue Killers. If all goes according to plan, a steel predator slays its target and then voluntarily re turns to Sigil, whe re it's broken down into parts that can be used in anothe r steel predator. Battle damage can cause this instinct to fail, however, causing the steel predator to linger in the a rea, hunting and killing other creatures tha t resemble its ta rget, that fit the target's general description, or that simply live nearby. Such rogues become the most dangerous of predators. Constructed Nature. A steel predator doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep. l CHAPTER 6 I BESTTARY
-• STONE CURSED The stone cursed are spawned through a foul alchemical ritual performed on a humanoid that has been turned to stone. The ritual, which requires a mixture of basilisk blood and the ashes from the burned feathers of a co*ckatrice, awakens a dim echo of the petrified victim's spirit, animating the statue and turning it into a useful guardian. Lingering Spirits. The stone cursed possess a malevolent drive to slay the living, yet they are utterly loyal to whoever performed the ritual to animate them, and they obey that being's orders to the best of their ability. In combat, stony claws that drip with thick, gray sludge emerge from a stone cursed's fingers. This alchemical sludge transforms those slashed by the claws into statues. A Strange Harvest. As part of the ritual used to create a stone cursed, a fist-sized obsidian skull forms within the creature's torso. The skull isn't visible while the stone cursed is active, but when it is slain, the statue shatters and the skull clatters to the ground. Because it is the nexus for the alchemy used to create these horrors, a dim echo of the original victim's memories resonates within the skull. A skilled magic-wielder can attempt to extract memories from it to gain insight into the victim's past or find lore that otherwise would be lost. Constructed Nature. A stone cursed doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep. CRYPTIC WHISPERS Even though creatures transformed into stone cursed are long dead, a vague whisper of their memories lives on in the obsidian skull embedded within the stone cursed's body. At the end of a short rest, a character can make a DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) check to attempt to extract a memory from the skull- a memory that is a response to a verbal question posed by the character to the skull. Once this check is made, whether it succeeds or fails, the skull can't be used in this manner again. C HAPTER 6 I BESTI A RY - ·• STONE CURSED Medium construct, lawful evil Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 19 (3d8 + 4) Speed 10 ft. STR 16 (+3) DEX 5 (-3) CON 14 (+2) INT 5 (-3) Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning Damage Immunities poison WIS 8 (-1) , ... ,,... ' .. CHA 7 (-2) Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned Senses passive Perception 9 La nguages the languages it knew in life Challenge 1 (200 XP) Cunning Opportunist. The stone cursed has advantage on the attack rolls of opportunity attacks. False Appearance. While the stone cursed remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal statue. ACTIONS Petrifying Claws. Me/ee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (ldl O + 3) slashing damage, or 14 (2d10 + 3) slashing damage if the attack roll had advantage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, or it begins to turn to stone and is restrained until the end of its next turn, when it must repeat the saving throw. The effect ends ifthe second save is successful; otherwise the target is petrified for 24 hours.
SWORD WRAITH When a glory-obsessed warrior dies in battle without earning the honor it desperately sought, its valor-hungry spirit might haunt the battlefield as a sword wraith. Brooding Spirits. The most likely spots for encountering sword wraiths are scenes of ancient ambushes, battlefields where soldiers were felled by magic with no chance to fight back, and sites where enemies were hemmed in and slaughtered without quarter. Honor Above All. Sword wraiths fly into a rage if anyone questions their valor. Conversely, they are easily appeased by praise. Little pleases them more than hearing a ballad performed in their honor. Towns located near ancient battlefields hold annual festivals of remembrance to keep sword wraiths there placated. Undead Nature. A sword wraith doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep. SWORD WRAITH COMMANDER Medium undead, lawful evil Armor Class 18 (breastplate, shield) Hit Points 127 (15d8 + 60) Speed 30 ft. STR 18 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) Skills Perception +4 CON 18 (+4) INT 11 (+O) WIS 12 (+l) CHA 14 (+2) Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks f j Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, poisoned, unconscious Jl. Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 Languages the languages it knew in life Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Martial Fury. As a bonus action, the sword wraith can make one weapon attack, which deals an extra 9 (2d8) necrotic damage on a hit. If it does so, attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its next turn. Turning Defiance. The sword wraith and any other sword wraiths within 30 feet of it have advantage on saving throws against effects that turn undead. ACTIONS Multiattack. The sword wraith makes two weapon attacks. Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. , one target. Hit: 8 (ld8 + 4) slashing damage, or 9 (ldlO + 4) slashing damage if used with two hands. Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (ld8 + 2) piercing damage. Call to Honor (1/Day). To use this action, the sword wraith must have taken damage during the current combat. If the sword wraith can use this action, it gives itself advantage on attack rolls until the end of its next turn, and ld4 + 1 sword wraith warriors appear in unoccupied spaces within 30 feet of it. The warriors last until they drop to 0 hit points, and they take their turns immediately after the commander's turn on the same initiative count. I .. ' .. , ..... . ' SWORD WRAITH WARRIOR Medium undead, lawful evil • • "- ....... -.-.-.-.-.~~~~~~~--,,..-~ =-~ • Armor Class 16 (chain shirt, shield) Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18) Speed 30 ft. STR 18 (+4) DEX 12 (+1 ) CON 17 (+3) INT 6 (- 2) WIS 9 (- 1) CHA 10 (+O) Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, poisoned, unconscious Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9 Languages the languages it knew in life Challenge 3 (700 XP) Martial Fury. As a bonus action, the sword wraith can make one weapon attack. lfit does so, attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its next turn. ACTIONS Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. , one target. Hit: 8 (ld8 + 4) slashing damage, or 9 (ldlO + 4) slashing damage if used with two hands. Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: S (ld8 + 1) piercing damage. I '=• ····i 'I. , .. ... CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY ., ' . . ' . '
TORTLES Tortles are omnivorous, turtle-like humanoids with shells that cover most of their bodies. Tortles have a saying: "We wear our homes on our backs." Consequently, tortles feel little need to stay put for tong. An adult tortle stands about 6 feet tall and weighs between 450 and 500 pounds. Males and females are nearly identical in size and appearance. Temporary Towns. A tortle settlement is primarily us ed as a kind of moot, where tortles can socialize with one another and trade with strangers. Tortles don't regard these settlements as places worth defending with their lives, and they abandon a settlement when it no longer s erves their needs. A Life of Wandering. Most tortles like to see how other creatures live and discover new customs. The urge to procreate doesn't kick in until the end of a tortle's life, and a tortle can spend decades away from its native land without feeli ng homesick. Tortles view the world as a place of everyday wonder. They live for the chance to hear a soft wind blowing through palm trees, to watch a frog croaking on a lily pad, or to stand in a crowded marketplace. TORTLE •• • . .:: Medium humanoid (tortle), lawful good Armor Class 17 (natural) Hit Points 22 (4d8 -t- 4) Speed 30 ft. STR 15 (+2) DEX 10 (+O) CON 12 (+1) Skills Athletics +4, Survival +3 Senses passive Perception 11 language s Aquan, Common Challenge l/4 (SO XP) ' ,..,,-r .. "' ..... - ~ . INT 11 (+0) " WIS 13 (+1) Hold Breath. The tortle can hold its breath for 1 hour. A CTIONS .~ ' • . .. . CHA 12 (-t-1) Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (ld4 + 2) slashing damage. Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: -t-4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (ld6 + 2) bludgeoning damage, or 6 (ld8 + 2) bludgeoning damage if used with two hands. Light Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (ld8) piercing damage. Shell Defense. The tortle withdraws into its shell. Until it emerges, it gains a +4 bonus to AC and has advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws. While in its shell, the tortle is prone, its speed is 0 and can't increase, it has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws, it can't take reactions, and the only action it can take is a bonus action to emerge. CHAP1 ER 6 I BESTIARY TORTLE DRUID Medium humanoid (tortle), lawful neutral Armor Class 17 (natural) Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6) Speed 30 ft. STR 14 (+2) DEX 10 (+O) CON 12 (+1) INT 11 (+O) .. ' WIS 15 (+2) Skills Animal Handling +4, Nature +2, Survival +4 Senses passive Perception 12 Languages Aquan, Common ~· Challenge 2 (450 XP) CHA 12 (+1) Hold Breath. The tortle can hold its breath for 1 hour. Spellcasting. The tortle is a 4th-level spellcaster. Its s pellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following druid spells prepared: Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, guidance, produce flame 1st level (4 slots): animal friendship, cure wounds, speak with animals, thunderwave 2nd level (3 slots): darkvision, hold person ACTION S Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (ld4 + 2) slashing damage. Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (ld6 + 2) bludgeoning damage, or 6 (ld8 + 2) bludgeoning damage if used with two hands. Shell Defense. The tortle withdraws into its shell. Until it emerges, it gains a +4 bonus to AC and has advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws. While in its shell, the tortle is prone, its speed is 0 and can't increase, it has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws, it can't take reactions, and the only action it can take is a bonus action to emerge.
TROLLS Trolls that are nearly obliterated but survive and regenerate from mere scraps of flesh can display bizarre mutations. One of these warped trolls is especially likely to arise if the creature regenerates in the presence of magical emanations, planar energy, disease, or death on a vast scale, or if its body was damaged by elemental forces. These mutated forms can also be produced and shaped by the ritual magic of evil spellcasters. DIRE TROLL ...... •' . Huge giant, chaotic evil , Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 172 (15dl 2 + 75) • Speed 40 ft. .. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 22 (+6) 15 (+2) 21 (+5) Saving Throws Wis +5, Cha +2 Skills Perception +5 9 (-1) 11 (+O) 5 (-3) .... Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Condition Immunities frightened, poisoned Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15 Languages Giant ...,_ Challenge 13 (10,000 XP) ,. • Keen Senses. The troll has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell or sight. Regeneration. The troll regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn. If the troll takes acid or fire damage, it regains only 5 hit points at the start of its next turn. The troll dies only if it is hit by an attack that deals 10 or more acid or fire damage while the troll has 0 hit points. ACTIONS Multiattack. The troll makes five attacks: one with its bite and four with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (l d8 + 6) piercing damage plus 5 (ldlO) poison damage. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft. , one target. Hit: 16 (3d6 + 6) slashing damage. Whirlwind of Claws (Recharge 5-6). Each creature within 10 feet of the troll must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw, taking 44 (8dl0) slashing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. -. - - • .. DIRE 'TROLL Trolls kill and eat almost anything- including, in rare cases, other trolls. This cannibalism has the effect of causing the troll to grow to an unusually large size. These dire trolls crave more and more troll flesh to fuel their continued growth. Dire trolls also increase their size by grafting flesh and organs onto themselves. When a slab of quivering troll flesh is bound against a fresh wound on the dire troll, its regenerative capacity incorporates the new mass into its own musculature. Even more horrifying are the multiple arms, eyes, claws, and other organs that a dire troll tears from its victims and grafts onto itself. Over time, these creatures can accumulate many limbs. VAPRAK THE DESTROYER Although trolls are hardly devout and seldom ponder spiritual questions, they do fear and venerate the entity known as Vaprak the Destroyer. As with many lesser deities, Vaprak's true nature is something of a mystery, but it is always portrayed as a horrid, misshapen, greenish creature strongly resembling a troll. It's given to fits of mindless destruction and is constantly paranoid about the plots and ambitions of other deities. Among trolls, Vaprak is believed to devour those on the brink of death, but only if the troll is already cooked or digested (slain by fire or acid). Otherwise, the god spits the soul back into the world to regenerate a new body, no matter how little of its previous form remained. Thus, only trolls slain by acid or fire remain dead, because only those are consumed by Vaprak. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY . _/'
24 1 RoTTROLL r ... Large giant, chaotic evil ' Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 138 (12dl 0 + 72) Speed 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS 18 (+4) 13 (+ 1) 22 (+6) 5 (- 3) 8 (- 1) Skills Perception +3 Damage Immunities necrotic Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 Languages Giant Challenge 9 (5,000 XP) CHA 4 (-3) Rancid Degeneration. At the end of each of the troll's turns, each creature within 5 feet of it takes 11 (2dl0) necrotic damage, unless the troll has taken acid or fire damage since the end of its last turn. • . .. ACTIONS Multiattack. The troll makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1 d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 16 (3dl0) necrotic damage. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage plus 5 (ldlO) necrotic damage. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY RoTTROLL A troll that is infused with waves of necrotic energy as it regene rates c an develop a s ymbiotic relations hip with that deathly power. The troll's body withers, and its fl esh falls away from the body as quickly as it forms. Eventually a rot troll becomes unable to regenerate, though it still heals normally. The creature courses with necrotic energy that flows out of its withered form. Simply standing near a rot troll exposes other creatures to its lethal emanations. SPIRIT TROLL A troll blasted with psychic energy can take a nonphysical form when it regenerates. Its psyche survives, but the body of a spirit troll is as insubstantial as shadow. The troll might be unaware of the transition- it still moves and attacks with teeth and claws as it always did- but now it strikes at its victim's mind. SPIRIT TROLL Large giant, chaotic evil --------------~~~~~~~~ -= -'-'-- ·: Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 97 (15dl0 + 15) Speed 30 ft. STR 1 (-5) DEX 17 (+3) Skills Perception +3 CON 13 (+l} INT 8 (-1) .... WIS 9 (-1) CHA 16 (+3) Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunde r Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, unconscious Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 Languages Giant Challenge 11 (7,200 XP} """'" Incorporeal Movement. The troll can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (ldlO) force damage ifit ends its turn inside an object. Regeneration. The troll regains 10 hit points at the start of each of its turns. If the troll takes psychic or force damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of the troll's next turn. The troll dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate. ACTIONS Multiattack. The troll makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 19 (3dl0 + 3) psychic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned for 1 minute. The stunned target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 14 (2dl0 + 3) psychic damage.
VENOM TROLL Large giant, chaotic evil Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 94 (9d10 + 45) Speed 30 ft. STR 18 (+4) DEX 13 (+1) Skills Perception +2 CON 20 (+5) Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities poisoned • • INT 7 (- 2) WIS 9 (-1) Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 Languages Giant Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) CHA 7 (- 2) Keen Smell. The troll has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. Poison Splash. When the troll takes damage of any type but psychic, each creature within 5 feet of the troll takes 9 (2d8) poison damage. Regeneration. The troll regains 10 hit points at the start of each of its turns. If the troll takes acid or fire damage, this f VENOM TROLL VENOM TROLL A troll ravaged by massive doses of poison might mutate into a venom troll. Lingering poison infuses its blood and tissue, and poison leaks from its pores to coat its fangs and claws. These creatures are especially dangerous in close combat, because poison drips off their flesh and sprays out from every wound they receive. trait doesn't function at the start of the troll's next turn. The troll dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate. ACTIONS Multiattack. The troll makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (ld6 + 4) piercing damage plus 4 (ld8) poison damage, and the creature is poisoned until the start of the troll's next turn. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach S ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage plus 4 (ld8) poison damage. Venom Spray (Recharge 6). The troll slices itself with a claw, releasing a spray of poison in a l 5-foot cube. The troll takes 7 (2d6) slashing damage (this damage can't be reduced in any way). Each creature in the area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 18 (4d8) poison damage and is poisoned for 1 minute. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't poisoned. A poisoned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY
• • VAMPIRIC MIST Medium undead, chaotic evil Armor Class 13 Hit Points 30 (4d8 + 12) Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover) STR 6 (-2) DEX 16 (+3) Saving Throws Wis +3 CON 16 (+3) ' INT 6 (-2) WIS 12 (+ 1) CHA 7 (-2) Damage Resistances acid, cold, lightning, necrotic, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained Sens es darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11 Languages - Challenge 3 (700 XP) Life Sense. The mist can sense the location of any creature within 60 feet of it, unless that creature's type is construct or undead. C H APTER 6 ( BESTI ARY VAMPIRIC MIST In billowing clouds of fog lurk vampiric mists, the wretched remnants of vampires that were prevented from finding rest. Indistinguishable from the mists they lurk within, they strike unseen and undetected to bleed their victims dry. Former Vampires. Vampiric mists, sometimes called crimson mists, are all that remain of vampires who couldn't return to their burial places after being defeated or suffering some mishap. Denied the restorative power of these places, the vampires' bodies dissolve into mist. The transformation strips the intelligence and personality from them until only an unholy, insatiable thirst for blood remains. Blood Thief. Indistinguishable from fog aside from the charnel reek it exudes, a vampiric mist descends on a creature and causes the blood in its body to ooze through the creature's pores or spill out from its eyes, nose, and mouth. This blood wafts out from the victim like crimson smoke, which the mist then consumes. The feeding causes no pain or discomfort to the victim, so vampiric mists can feed on sleepers without waking them. The more a mist feeds, the redder it gets, such that it turns pink, then red, and finally a deep scarlet hue tha.t rains blood droplets wherever it goes. Attract ed to Blood. Like sharks in water, vampiric mists can scent blood from up to a mile away. Any injury, no matter how small, might catch their attention and draw them toward their victims. In battle, a mist focuses its attacks on injured targets, since open wounds are a more ready source of blood. Undead Nature. A vampiric mist doesn't require air or sleep. Forbiddance. The mist can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants. Misty Form. The mist can occupy another creature's space and vice versa. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist can pass through it without squeezing. Each foot of movement in water costs it 2 extra feet, rather than 1 extra foot. The mist can't manipulate objects in any way that requires fingers or manual dexterity. Sunlight Hypersensitivit y. The mist takes 10 radiant damage whenever it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, the mist has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. ACTIONS Life Drain. The mist touches one creature in its space. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw (undead and constructs automatically succeed), or it takes 10 (2d6 + 3) necrotic damage, the mist regains 10 hit points, and the target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0. "
' YuGOLOTHS Mercenaries that ply their trade throughout the Lower Planes and in other realms, yugoloths have a reputation for effectiveness that is matched only by their desire for ever more wealth. Although yugoloths aren't especially loyal and typically try to exploit every potential loophole in a contract, they undertake any task for which they are hired, no matter how des picable. Yugoloths come in a wide variety of forms, including those described in the Monster Manual and the six creatures presented here. CANO LOTH Canoloths prefer to enter into contracts to guard valuable treasures and important locations. They always do exactly as asked- never any more, never any less. With senses sharp enough to pinpoint the locations of nearby invisible creatures, canoloths respond unfailingly to any threat to their charges. Furthermore, they emit a magical distortion field that prevents creatures close to them from teleporting. Canoloths confront intruders with swift and terrible force, projecting long, spiny tongues to grab their foes and drag them close. What happens next depends on the contract. Unless instructed to kill, a canoloth merely holds onto its prisoner, but if given the order to do so, it tears its prey limb from limb. CANO LOTH Medium fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 120 (16d8 + 48) Speed 50 ft. ...,. - ... '"" . ..... ' ' . STR 18 (+4) DEX 10 (+O) CON 17 (+3) INT 5 (-3) WIS 17 (+3) CHA 12 (+1) Skills Investigation +3, Perception +9 Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities acid, poison Condition Immunities poisoned Senses darkvision 60 ft., truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 19 Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft. Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Dimensional Lock. Other creatures can't teleport to or from a space within 60 feet of the canoloth. Any attempt to do so is wasted. Magic Resistance. The canoloth has advantage on saving th rows against spells and other magical effects. Magic Weapons. The canoloth's weapon attacks are magical. Uncanny Senses. The canoloth can't be surprised while it isn't incapacitated. ACTIONS Multiattack. The canoloth makes two attacks: one with its tongue or its bite and one with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (6d6 + 4) piercing damage. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2dl0 + 4) slashing damage. Tongue. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 30 ft_., one t.arget. Hit: 17 (2dl2 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 15), pulled up to 30 feet toward the canoloth, and restrained until the grapple ends. The canoloth can grapple one target at a time with its tongue. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY
• • • Cll APTER 6 I BESTIARY Dhergoloths rush into battle like whirlwinds of destruction, lashing out with five sets of claws, which extend from their squat, barrel-shaped bodies. They take contracts to put down uprisings, clear out rabble, and eliminate scouts and skirmishers, and they revel in the butchery they create, their unhinged laughter rising above their victims' screams. Since dhergoloths are little more than dumb brutes, employers must use caution when instructing these fiends. They can handle simple orders that don't take a lot of time to resolve. When given anything complex to do, they either forget what they're told or don't listen in the first place, and then bungle the task that was set for them. DHERGOLOTH Medium fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 119 (14d8 +56) Speed 30 ft. STR 17 (+3) DEX 10 (+O) Saving Throws Str +6 CON 19 (+4) J. · .. ,. INT 7 (- 2) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 9 (-1) Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities acid, poison Condition Immunities poisoned Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft. Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Innate Spet/casting. The dhergoloth's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 10). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: darkness.fear 3/day: sleep ..... .,• '· Magic Resistance. The dhergoloth has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. . ·. Magic Weapons. The dhergoloth's weapon attacks are magical. ACTIONS Multiattack. The dhergoloth makes two claw attacks. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing damage. Flailing Claws (Recharge 5-6). The dhergoloth moves up to its walking speed in a straight line and targets each creature within 5 feet of it during its movement. Each target must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 22 (3d12 + 3) slashing damage. Teleport. The dhergoloth magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. -.
HYDRO LOTH • Medium fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil ,.,,, Armor Class 15 Hit Points 135 (18d8 + 54) 1 \ Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft. STR 12 (+1) DEX 21 (+5) CON 16 (+3) Skills Insight +4, Perception +4 Damage Vulnerabilities fire INT 19 (+4) WIS 10 (+O) CHA 14 (+2) Damage Resistances cold, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities acid, poison Condition Immunities poisoned Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft. , passive Perception 14 Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft. Challenge 9 (5,000 XP) Amphibious. The hydroloth can breathe air and water. Innate Spellcasting. The hydroloth's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16). It can innately cast the follow· ing spells, requiring no material components: At will: darkness, detect magic, dispel magic, invisibility (self only), water walk 3/day each: control water, crown of madness.fear, phantasmal killer, suggestion Watery Advantage. While submerged in liquid, the hydroloth has advantage on attack rolls. ACTIONS Multiattack. The hydroloth makes two melee attacks. In place of one of these attacks, it can cast one spell that takes l action to cast. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2dl0 + 5) piercing damage. Steal Memory (1/Day). The hydroloth targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. The target takes 4d6 psychic damage, and it must make a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw. On a successful save, the target becomes immune to this hydroloth's Steal Memory for 24 hours. On a failed save, the target loses all proficiencies, it can't cast spells, it can't understand language, and if its Intelligence and Charisma scores are higher than s. they become 5. Each time the target finishes a long rest, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. A greater restoration or remove curse spell cast on the target ends this effect early. Teleport. The hydroloth magically teleports, a long with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet to an unoccu· pied space it can see. .. HYDRO LOTH Like the thought-stealing waters of the River Styx they inhabit, hydroloths filch the memories of creatures they attack, stealing away their thoughts for delivery to whatever master they happen to s erve. Hydroloths are skilled at finding lost things, especially those that have been swallowed up in the deeps. For amphibious assaults or underwater conflicts, hydroloths have no equal among yugoloths. They sometimes hire themselves out to attack and scuttle ships and raid coastal settlements. MERRENOLOTH The grim, gaunt captains of the ferries on the River Styx, merrenoloths have total command of their vessels, ensuring that their passengers reach their destinations safely. Sometimes merrenoloths can be coaxed away from the Lower Planes to captain other vessels, affording those ships and crews the same protection. Whenever a merrenoloth takes on a contract to captain a ship, it bonds with the vehicle to make sure nothing goes awry with it during the journey. A merrenoloth can navigate its ship safely through the worst storms, always stays on course, and never runs afoul of the myriad hazards that can thwart lesser captains. CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY
