Deathmoss

Large elemental, chaotic evil

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 133 (14d10 + 56)
Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 20 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	5 (–3)	18 (+4)	5 (–3)	10 (+0)	5 (–3)

Damage Vulnerabilitiescold
Damage Immunities poison
Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Terran
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Blight. Any creature that touches the deathmoss or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until the end of that creature’s next turn.
• Earth Glide. The deathmoss can burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone. While doing so, it doesn’t disturb the material it moves through.
• False Appearance. While the deathmoss remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a mosscovered mound.
• Siege Monster. The deathmoss deals double damage to objects and structures.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The deathmoss makes two slam attacks. It can use calming spores in place of one attack.
• Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage, 7 (2d6) necrotic damage, and Blight. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
• Calming Spores (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The deathmoss emits a cloud of spores in a 20-foot-radius sphere that goes around corners. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become indifferent toward the deathmoss for 1 minute, becoming unable to take hostile action toward the elemental. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, when the deathmoss or its allies harm the creature, or the creature witnesses any ally being similarly harmed, ending the effect on itself on a success. If the initial saving throw is successful or the effect ends for a creature, the creature is then subjected to Blight.

ABOUT

Affront to Nature. Whether through a brush with powerful malevolence or unwise experiments, elementals can be corrupted, turning them into blighted forms. Fey and others with a connection to nature have an instinctive aversion to these creatures.

Toxic Magic. Blighted elementals are sources of poison, carrying their corruption with them and spreading it to new places. They multiply rapidly and carry death to the unwary. For those with sinister intentions though, they can be an excellent source of dangerous, potent ingredients for potions or poison.

• DC 10 Intelligence (Nature): Blight elementals arise when nature or the substance of an elemental plane is corrupted. These elementals can resemble nonelemental creatures, but they’re still elementals. Blight elementals have elemental resistances, including to nonmagical attacks.
• DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana): A blight elemental is always poisonous, in addition to its other powers. Some, such as deathmoss and forgeblights, have supernatural abilities to spread rot to creatures or objects.
• DC 20 Intelligence (History): Some legends say a lich created the first blight elementals to gain the favor of an arch daemon. If such stories are true, finding the lich’s notes might allow someone to return blight elementals to their original forms.