Skildpadder

Gargantuan beast, unaligned

This enormous gray-green reptile trods forward on four mammoth legs, its back and head covered by a tortoise-like shell. It is easily one of the largest creatures you have ever seen, the size of a small fortress.

Armor Class 22 (natural armor)
Hit Points 296 (16d20 +128)
Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
26 (+8)	10 (+0)	27 (+8)	3 (-4)	10 (+0)	9 (-1)

Saving Throws Dexterity +4, Constitution +12, Wisdom +4, Charisma +3
Skills Perception +4
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages –
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)

Special Traits

• Incredibly Tough. The skildpadder always has advantage on any Constitution checks and saving throws.
• Squasher. The skildpadder can utterly destroy those unfortunates caught under its devastating stomps. When the skildpadder hits a prone target with a stomp attack, the target takes maximum damage: 57 bludgeoning damage.

Actions

• Multiattack. The skildpadder makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its stomps.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (4d8 +9) piercing damage.
• Stomp. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target of size Large or smaller. Hit: 35 (4d12+9) bludgeoning damage. The target hit by a stomp attack must succeed on a DC 20 Strength or Constitution saving throw (target’s choice) or be knocked prone.

About

Skildpadder are massive creatures bred as beasts of burden by the dweorg dwarves of the Underworld.

They are able to carry four times their own weight upon their back and thus make perfect vessels for carrying ore. Stout folk build entire storage facilities and even homes upon the backs of these tortoise-like creatures; some are even known to live out their entire life riding atop and steering the great beasts. Those that do gain a great affinity for animal handling when riding a skildpadder and can command them to attack when needed.

It is a rule to never walk in front of a skildpadder unless one wishes to become a quick meal-they are ravenous eaters and can swallow Medium- or Smallsized creatures whole (and larger creatures may lose a limb or even a head). Although skildpadder gain the claws of their bulette ancestors, they are trained not to use them and these are typically trimmed back on a regular basis by their stout beastmasters. The dwarves do not wish the skildpadder to rear up lest they spill their cargo or harm any passengers riding along. These creatures are normally very aggressive when left to go feral; luckily, most the dwarves carefully breed giant tortoises and bulettes to achieve the desired result of a skildpadder and spend many years training them in the transport of cargo.

Skildpadder love to eat the vermin that live in dwarf villages and there is rarely a lack of food available for the favored beasts of burden. They are found near large underground lakes and other areas that are mostly dry with a clean source of water, though skildpadder are very poor swimmers and most drown when attempting to cross deep water. The average skildpadder is 60 feet in diameter, but they can grow to a diameter of 100 feet, and weigh in the dozens of tons (or more for the largest specimens).