Arcane Scavenger

Large construct, neutral

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 127 (17d10 + 34)
Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
19 (+4)	18 (+4)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	13 (+1)

Saving Throws Dex +8, Wis +7
Skills Arcana +7, Perception +7
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities force, poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages —
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Construct Nature. An arcane scavenger doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
• Eldritch Overload. When the arcane scavenger is reduced to half its maximum hp or fewer, its speed is doubled, and it gains an additional action each turn. The action must be to Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object or to make one Grabbing Claws or Excavation Beam.

BONUS ACTIONS

• Arcane Barrage. The arcane leviathan sends arcane energy toward a creature it can see within 120 feet of it. The target begins to glow with arcane energy, and at the end of the target’s next turn, it must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage is divided evenly between the target and all creatures within 10 feet of it, except the arcane leviathan.
• Arcane Scavenger Attack. This effect lasts for 3 rounds. At the end of its third turn, the scavenger takes 10 (3d6) fire damage.
• Magic Resistance. The arcane scavenger has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Ruinous Detonation. When the arcane scavenger dies, it explodes, and each creature within 30 feet of it must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 21 (6d6) force damage, is flung up to 40 feet away from the scavenger, and is knocked prone. On a success, a creature takes half the damage and isn’t flung or knocked prone.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The scavenger makes three Grabbing Claw or Excavation Beam attacks.
• Grabbing Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) force damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 16). The scavenger has eight claws, each of which can grapple only one target.
• Excavation Beam. Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (5d6 + 3) fire damage.
• Spellcasting. The arcane scavenger casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 15):
  • At will: detect magic, locate object
  • 3/day each: counterspell, dispel magic

ABOUT

A menacing construct of alien design flies low over the ancient ruins. Its metallic tentacles probe and scrabble through the debris in search of something.

Created centuries ago by artificers to explore and excavate ruins, arcane scavengers resemble nightmarish metal octopuses, each with a single, central eye. Glowing magical glyphs cover their armor-plated spherical bodies, and each of their eight writhing arms ends in a grasping iron claw. The arcane scavengers’ alien appearance suggests their creators worked from schematics devised by visitors from beyond the stars.

Seekers of Magic. Arcane scavengers often roam places of mysterious power, searching through the crumbling structures for buried magical items or residual sources of arcane energy. When it finds an interesting item, a scavenger stows the object in a hidden compartment inside its body. Since arcane scavengers explode when they are destroyed, these stowed items are usually, but not always, obliterated.

Focused Scavengers. Arcane scavengers ignore most other creatures unless they attempt to interfere with a scavenger’s salvage work. Scavengers frequently work alongside dread walker excavators, strange spider-like constructs with similar origins. Arcane scavengers can communicate with the excavators via complex gestures using their eight arms. Dread walker excavators respond by projecting complicated symbols from their central eyes, but observers have yet to translate this communication or determine its true purpose.