Ahu-nixta Harpooner

Family: Ahu-nixta

Large aberration, neutral evil

Armor Class 20 (clockwork armor)
Hit Points 165 (22d10 + 44)
Speed 40 ft. climb 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	19 (+4)	15 (+2)	19 (+4)	11 (+0)	10 (+0)

Saving Throws Con +6, Int +8
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Deep Speech, void Speech
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• • Armored Ball. As part of its move action, the harpooner instantly collapses in upon itself, folding its entire body into a giant metallic ball. As a bonus action, it unravels. While in its Armored Ball form, the harpooner gains resistance to all types of damage but is blinded and unable to climb. (The harpooner’s Death Roll attack is unaffected by it being blinded unless it was blinded from the start of its turn.) Clockwork Encasement. The machine is occupied by two ahu nixta (see ahu-nixta cephaloid above), and each is a somewhat shapeless mass, protected and given concrete manipulators by their armor. The clockwork armor has a variety of manipulators that the ahu-nixta can use to attack or to interact with objects outside of the armor. When the ahu-nixta is reduced to 0 hit points, the clockwork armor breaks, and the two ahu-nixta exit it. Once out of their armor, the creatures?f pulpy mass no longer receives the benefits of the listed Damage or Condition Immunities, except for psychic and prone. Without their clockwork armor, the ahu-nixta have the following statistics: AC 12, hp 37 (5d10 + 10), Strength 9 (-1), and their speed is adjusted as follows: 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (hover), swim 20 ft. In addition, they have no attack actions, though they can still cast their spells. The bodies of the ahu-nixta can form eyes, mouths, and grabbing appendages. Their grabbing appendages can pick up objects and manipulate them, but the appendages can’t be used for combat. The extra appendages can open and close glass-covered viewing ports in the clockwork armor, requiring no action, so they can see and interact with objects outside the armor. An ahu-nixta can exit or enter the clockwork armor as a bonus action.
  • Immutable Form. The ahu-nixta’s clockwork armor is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form, as are the creatures that control it as long as they remain within the armor.
  • Innate Spellcasting. The ahu-nixta’s innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). The ahu-nixta can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
    • At will: fear, firebolt (2d10), telekinesis

ACTIONS

• • • Multiattack. The harpooner makes three Harpoon Cannon attacks. It can instead use Death Roll in place of two of those attacks.
    • Harpoon Cannon. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft. or range 90/180 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be restrained. If the harpoon is embedded in a target on the start of the ahu-nixta’s turn, the target takes 17 (3d8 + 4) piercing damage, and if the target is a Huge or smaller creature, it must succeed on a Strength contest against the ahu-nixta or be pulled up to 20 feet toward the ahu-nixta. If the target, or an allied creature, succeeds on a Strength contest with the ahu-nixta, the harpoon is removed from the target. Each of the ahu-nixta’s eight legs is equipped with a Harpoon Cannon. However, it can only attack with up to three each round.
    • Death Roll (Recharge 5-6). If the harpooner has already moved at least 20 feet on its turn and has at least 20 feet of unobstructed space between itself and its intended target, it can launch itself up to 40 feet in a straight path as an attack. The target must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 36 (8d8) bludgeoning damage and falls prone. On a success, the target takes half the damage and suffer no additional effects.

REACTIONS

• • • Fast Ball (Recharge 5-6). If targeted with a ranged attack, the harpooner can quickly collapse itself into a giant metallic ball, as its Armored Ball trait. It remains in this form until it takes the requisite bonus action on its turn to unravel.

ABOUT

A giant armored, clockwork spider with harpoon cannons for legs stands before you.

From a small glass dome atop the carapace, a sloshing mass of jelly appears to look out at you with myriad eyes. Another glass window rests on the contraption’s head, revealing a second gelatinous form within. The creature rears on its hind four legs and brings the points of the front harpoons to bear on you.

Ahu-nixta unceasingly innovate on their clockwork encasement designs, incorporating from the various components and materials taken from their foes and recrafting them into something new-and always lethal. Harpooners are one example, crafted from the chitinous carapaces of one of the greatest nemeses of the ahu-nixta: a spider of Leng.