Ghoul, Bonepowder

Family: Ghouls

Small undead, neutral evil

Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 180 (24d6 + 96)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 20 (+5) 18 (+4) 19 (+4) 15 (+2) 18 (+4)

Saving Throws Dex +9, Con +8, Wis +6, Cha +8
Skills Perception +6, Stealth +9
Damage Resistances cold, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Common, Darakhul, Draconic, Dwarvish
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Amorphous (Dust Form Only). The bonepowder ghoul can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
  • Hungry Dead Nature. The ghoul requires no air or sleep.
  • Turning Defiance. The bonepowder ghoul and any ghouls within 30 feet of it have advantage on saving throws against effects that turn Undead.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The bonepowder ghoul makes two Bite attacks. It can replace one Bite attack with a use of Gravedust or Spellcasting. If both Bite attacks hit the same creature, the target must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) necrotic damage, and the target’s Strength score is reduced by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces its Strength to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest. If the target is a Humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or contract the darakhul fever disease (see the Darakhul Fever sidebar).
  • Gravedust. The ghoul projects a 30-foot cone of grave dust. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (3d8) necrotic damage. If a creature is a Humanoid, it must also succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or contract the darakhul fever disease (see the Darakhul Fever sidebar).
  • Whirlwind (Dust Form Only; Recharge 5–6). The ghoul creates a whirlwind of bones and teeth in a 20-foot cube originating from it. Each creature in that area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 55 (10d10) slashing damage, and its Strength score is reduced by 1d6. The creature dies if this reduces its Strength to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest. On a success, a creature takes half the damage and its Strength score isn’t reduced.
  • Spellcasting (Coalesced Form Only). The bonepowder ghoul casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 16):

REACTIONS

  • Coalesce. When a bonepowder ghoul deals necrotic damage with Gravedust to at least one creature that isn’t a Construct or Undead, it can magically transform from its dusty form into a coalesced form. Its statistics are the same in each form, except it can speak audibly only in its coalesced form. The coalesced form lasts for a number of minutes equal to the total necrotic damage it dealt with Gravedust to creatures that aren’t Constructs or Undead or until the ghoul ends it as a bonus action.

ABOUT

Distilled to nothing but dry, whispering sand and a full set of teeth, this ghoulish creature still hungers for flesh and blood.

Starved Into Dust. The bonepowder ghoul is a small and unassuming pile of dust and bone fragments. Ghouls can achieve this powdery form through long starvation, a process that invariably takes decades. Rarely purposefully created, a bonepowder ghoul typically rises from the remnants of a ghoul trapped away from food, becoming animate hunger and hatred.

Whispering Voices. Though bonepowder ghouls speak, their voices are faint. When they drain life force from living creatures, their dusty forms gain some substance, strengthening their voices enough to cast spells and command allies.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Beasts 1 ©2023 Open Design LLC; Authors: Daniel Kahn, Jeff Lee, and Mike Welham.

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