Chernobog

Huge fey, chaotic evil

Armor Class 19 (natural)
Hit Points 250 (20d20+120)
Speed 40 ft.; fly 50 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
26 (+8)	17 (+3)	22 (+6)	20 (+5)	19 (+4)	24 (+7)

Saving Throws Strength +14, Dexterity +9, Constitution +12, Intelligence +11, Wisdom +10, Charisma +13
Damage Resistances Weapons without the magical or cold iron properties
Damage Immunities cold, poison
Condition Immunities poison
Senses Truesight 120 ft., passive Perception
Languages Common, Sylvan, Undercommon, Telepathy 30 ft.
Challenge 18 (20,000 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Magic Resistance. A chernobog has advantage on all saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The chernobog may make three attacks, two with its claws and one with its gore. It may instead choose to maintain playing its horn of reclaiming and make a single gore attack.
• Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 2d8+8 (17) piercing damage.
• Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2d8+8 (17) slashing damage.
• Horn of Reclaiming. As an action, the chernobog can play its terrible horn. Divine casters within 300 ft. of the chernobog must attempt a DC 19 Wisdom save any time they wish to cast a spell with a verbal component. On a failed save, the spell is unsuccessful and the spell slot is lost. In addition, all plants within 100 ft. of the chernobog animate, entangling any creature not allied with the chernobog. Creatures targeted must make a DC 19 Dexterity save or become restrained. As an action on each of the creature’s turns, it may attempt a DC 19 Strength save to remove the condition. At the start of any round in which a creature is restrained, it takes 21 (6d6) piercing damage. The area within 100 ft. of the chernobog is also considered difficult terrain. These effects end when the chernobog stops playing, drops to 0 hit points, or is affected by a silence spell or similar magic.
• Iron Thorn (3/day). On a successful gore attack, the target has a prong from the chernobog’s horns embedded deep in its body. 24 hours later the iron thorn begins to grow. The target must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution save or have its hit point maximum reduced by 2d10 (11) points per day. When the creature’s hit point maximum reaches 0 it dies. One minute after dying, the corpse animates as an iron thorn zombie. A DC 25 Medicine check removes the seed, allowing the creature’s hit point maximum to increase by 2d10 (11) points per day until it reaches its original maximum. A greater restoration or heal spell destroys the seed, allowing full hit point maximum to return after a full rest.

ABOUT

Poised as if ready to pounce, this mammoth, fiendish beast-thing glares with fire-red eyes. Its fleshy face resembles a skinned grizzly bear fitted with jagged, cruel-looking stag’s horns. From the thick cables of muscle wound around its shoulders stretch a pair of broad, leathery bat-like wings.

Chernobogs, the Black Lords of the Otherworld, stand as some of the most powerful and capriciously malevolent of the nightmare fey. Monstrous creatures, they are near demonic in appearance, standing nearly 20 feet tall and weighing several thousand pounds. Where a chernobog treads, darkness falls and the lands transform into twisted nightmares filled with thorns bushes, venomous vermin, wild beasts, and wicked fey.

Enemies of Civilization. Ferocious, clever, and brutal chernobogs embody the stark and emotionless cruelty of nature, which many mortals falsely believe is deliberate. The chernobog’s need to inflict wanton destruction upon humans and other beings belonging to civilized cultures makes them the bane of civilization. Still, they find some humans to be excellent pawns, and readily lure and tempt individuals to their causes, particularly those of weak will and shattered moral compass. Chernobogs tempt such individuals with magic gold, driving them to commit wanton acts of destruction against humanity.

Enemies of the Gods. Chernobogs harbor an extreme loathing for deities, particularly nature gods who arrogantly believe they hold dominion over the fey. Able to smell the stink of divinity, they eagerly attempt to snuff it out at every opportunity. Chernobogs define life through death and hold death as all-important to both change and survival. Likewise, they bare malice against any creature bold enough to think they can withstand the fury of nature. Rot and decomposition are to them, sacred. For this reason, they despise both undead and healing magic. Despite their animosity for deific authority, many chernobogs are themselves worshipped by evil fey that flock to their service. Some chernobogs claim entire kingdoms and grow great castles of thorns from which they sadistically lord over courts of groveling sycophantic evil fey.

Blood makes the Grass Grow. When entering into conflict, a chernobog relies on the magic of his great horn to disable opponents from a distance while summoning evil fey to riot and rampage. Still, a chernobog can more than hold his own during a melee encounter. With all the fury of nature itself, it charges down upon enemies, savaging them with bestial attacks, goring and rending, and gleefully sowing the earth with the blood of their foes.