Skeleton, Vine Troll

Family: Skeletons

Large undead, unaligned

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 153 (18d10 + 54)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
20 (+5) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 6 (-2) 8 (-1) 5 (-3)

Saving Throws Con +7
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities deafened, exhaustion, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages understands all languages it knew in life but can’t speak
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4

SPECIAL TRAITS

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The skeleton makes one Bite attack and two Claw attacks, or it makes three Poisoned Thorn attacks.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d10 + 5) piercing damage.
  • Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (4d6 + 5) slashing damage.
  • Poisoned Thorn. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d6 + 1) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison damage.

ABOUT

Moss and flowering vines cover the hulking skeleton.

Corrupted Earth Magic. Vine troll skeletons guard duskthorn dryad glades and the sacred circles of druids; others serve the vila or even moss lurker colonies as guardians. In each case, they were created by corrupted earth magic for a purpose, and that energy empowers great strength and endurance—but little in the way of wits.

Constant Regrowth. The vines holding the skeleton together regenerate quickly. This powerful magic allows vine troll skeletons to reattach severed limbs. Just like with their living cousins, only fire or acid can destroy vine troll skeletons, rendering the living vines harmless.

Bound to a Tree’s Heart. Vine troll skeletons are direct offshoots of the main vine wrapped around a duskthorn dryad’s tree, a treant, or a weeping treant. They are created by enchanting a dead troll’s heart and fusing that heart with the vines of a duskthorn dryad or with the heartwood of a tree or treant, calling on magic similar to that involved in binding a dryad to her tree. Killing the duskthorn dryad or destroying the heart at the center of the parent tree kills the skeleton bound to that heart. Because of this, vine troll skeletons are single-minded defenders of their parent tree or duskthorn dryad.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

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

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