Cherufe

Huge elemental, chaotic evil

Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 161 (14d12 + 70)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
22 (+6) 10 (+0) 21 (+5) 8 (-1) 14 (+2) 6 (-2)

Saving Throws Str +11, Con +10
Skills Perception +7
Damage Resistances acid, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities fire, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 120 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages Ignan, Terran
Challenge 14 (11,500 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Firewalker. When the cherufe is subjected to fire damage, its speed doubles until the end of its next turn, and it can Dash or Disengage as a bonus action on its next turn.
  • Internal Flame. A creature that touches the cherufe or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 7 (2d6) fire damage. In addition, the cherufe sheds dim light in a 30-foot radius.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The cherufe makes four slam attacks. Alternatively, it can throw two magma balls.
  • Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (4d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
  • Magma Ball. Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage plus 11 (2d10) fire damage. Each creature within 5 feet of the target must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) fire damage.
  • Fissure. The cherufe opens a fissure in the ground within 120 feet of it that is 60 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 2d4 x 10 feet deep. Each creature standing on a spot where a fissure opens must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or fall in. A creature that successfully saves moves with the fissure’s edge as it opens. A fissure that opens beneath a structure causes it to automatically collapse as if the structure was in the area of an earthquake spell. The cherufe can have only one fissure open at a time. If it opens another, the previous fissure closes, shunting all creatures inside it to the surface.
  • Quake (Recharge 6). The cherufe slams its fists into the ground, shaking the terrain within 60 feet of it. Each creature standing on the ground in that area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 45 (10d8) bludgeoning damage and is forced prone. On a success, the creature takes half the damage and isn’t forced prone.

ABOUT

A humanoid torso rises from a long, arthropod body made from overlapping plates of obsidian. The creature’s face is twisted into a grimace of rage. Four arms ending in oversized fists jut from the torso. The creature’s form radiates a red glow and a palpable heat as a fire rages within it.

Corrupted Keepers. The elemental anomaly that brings a lava keeper (see page 235) into the Material Plane is sometimes infused with material from the Lower Planes. As the keeper is pulled into the Material Plane, the lava that normally flows freely from it is instead trapped inside of it, and its form twists to resemble creatures from the Lower Planes. These twisted keepers are known as cherufes.

Harbingers of Ruin. The arrival of a cherufe is frequently the precursor to a devastating volcanic eruption or earthquake. Cherufe revel in the anxiety and fear humanoids feel in the face of such natural disasters, capitalizing on these feelings to their benefit.

Placated by Blood. Cherufe lair where populations are superstitious and allow these civilizations to worship them as gods of destruction. They amplify the fear and adulation of the populace with random acts of destruction. If the locals offer live sacrifices, the cherufe eagerly devour the offerings and cease their hostilities until they once again grow hungry or restless.

Elemental Nature. A cherufe doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Beasts 2. © 2020 Open Design LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Celeste Conowitch, Darrin Drader, James Introcaso, Philip Larwood, Jeff Lee, Kelly Pawlik, Brian Suskind, Mike Welham.

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