Addanc, Young

Family: Addanc

Small monstrosity, neutral evil

Armor Class 12
Hit Points 13 (3d6 + 3)
Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
13 (+1) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 2 (-4) 11 (+0) 8 (-1)

Skills Athletics +3
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Special Traits

  • Hold Breath. The addanc can hold its breath for 13 minutes.

Actions

  • Multiattack. The young addanc makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its tail.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft.; one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.
  • Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft.; one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) bashing damage.

About

The depths of the swamp hide many dangerous secrets. The addanc is one secret that even the swamp would much rather forget about-even the very landscape trembles as it passes by.

The addanc is a solitary predator that builds dams to create small lakes. Once its territory is defined, anything that comes near the lake or adjoining river becomes the addanc’s prey.

The beast hunts by floating just under the surface of the water and waiting for its next meal to approach, at which point it attacks with a bone-crunching bite. With the prey held tight in its jaws, the addanc attempts to drag its quarry under the water. Both industrious and conniving, this monster possesses enough intelligence to wait for its prey to be at its most vulnerable. Once it attacks, it goes immediately for the kill, giving its prey little chance to resist. It cares not for its prey; it cares only for its stomach.

Like the natural beaver’s lodge, an addanc’s lair can only be accessed from below the water’s surface. The structure within is a truly gruesome scene. The creature uses the possessions and remains of its victims for decoration, and the stench of decay permeates the entire lair. The adjoining dam is composed of heavy tree branches; logs with long bones of larger prey are interspersed to shore the structure. A typical addanc lair is between thirty and fifty feet in diameter and rises about fifteen feet above the surface of the water.

A typical addanc is 7 feet long and weighs 250 pounds.

A death addanc is 15 feet long and weighs around 1,000 pounds. A young addanc is 4 feet long and weighs 70 pounds.

Young addancs hunt in packs, finding safety in numbers. As soon as they get large enough to take care of themselves, they find their own territory and almost never leave. Both adult addancs and death addancs hunt in much smaller numbers or by themselves; they are rarely found in larger numbers.

There is, however, one significant, annual exception to their solitary behavior. During mating season every spring, all the females swim together in a sizable lake or swamp.

Over the course of a month’s time, the males will engage in a fierce competition to bring their prospective mates large quantities of food or shiny objects, obtained by slaughtering humanoids that live nearby. Once a female chooses a mate, the pair lay their eggs in the female’s lair and the male only leaves to bring back food. Males that do not win a mate during this time are at their most aggressive, killing anything they encounter and leaving the bodies uneaten.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Forgotten Woods (5e).. © 2016, Jon Brazer Enterprises.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Forgotten Woods (5e).. © 2016, Jon Brazer Enterprises.

This is not the complete license attribution - see the full license for this page