Flying Polyp

Huge aberration (mythos), chaotic evil

Armor Class 19 (deflecting winds)
Hit Points 288 (16d12 + 96)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
17 (+3)	12 (+1)	23 (+6)	18 (+4)	12 (+1)	16 (+3)

Saving Throws Dex +11, Wis +6, Cha +8
Skills Perception +6
Damage Resistances psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities acid, cold, thunder
Damage Vulnerabilities lightning
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, restrained
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Aklo
Challenge 16 (15,000 XP)

Special Traits

• Innate Spellcasting. The flying polyp�s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
  • At will: eldritch blast (3 beams, +3 bonus to each damage roll), gust of wind, wind walk
  • 3/day: wind wall
  • 1/day: control weather (also see the Tornado action)
• Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the flying polyp fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
• Magic Weapons. A flying polyp�s weapon attacks are magical.
• Aerial Evasion. While airborne, if the flying polyp is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, the flying polyp instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
• Gusting Wound. When a creature within 5 feet of the flying polyp damages it with a piercing or slashing attack, the attacking creature is struck by an explosive gust of air issuing from the flying polyp�s wound. The attacking creatures takes 14 (4d6) points of bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone.
• Numbing Winds. Any creature that takes damage from a flying polyp�s wind blast or gusting wound attack has disadvantage on attack rolls and -10 feet to movement until the end of the target�s next turn.
• Otherworldly Reflexes. Whenever a flying polyp must make a Dexterity saving throw, it rolls three dice and keeps the highest roll.
• Partial Invisibility. A flying polyp’s body constantly flickers and shifts, passing from visibility to invisibility in a seemingly random pattern and often not wholly at once, leaving the creature’s body in what appear to be multiple sections. This ability, combined with the flying polyp’s amorphous, elastic form, makes it difficult to target the creature, imposing a -1d4 on attack rolls against it. By concentrating (as concentrating on a spell), a flying polyp can become fully invisible.

Actions

• Multiattack. The flying polyp makes four tentacle attacks.
• Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn. The target is also grappled (Escape DC 19).
• Wind Blast (Recharge 5-6). A mythic flying polyp can create a powerful blast of wind at a range of up to 240 feet. This blast of wind creates a sudden explosion of flesh-scouring wind in a 30-foot-radius sphere. All creatures within this area take 59 (17d6) points of bludgeoning damage, with a successful DC 16 Dexterity saving throw halving the damage. These winds automatically extinguish torches and small fires and can check or blow away creatures as if they were tornado-strength winds. Additionally, when a corporeal creature reduced to less than 0 hit points from a flying polyp’s wind blast attack, the flying polyp can expend 1 use of its legendary actions as a reaction to reduce the creature�s body to a fine red mist if the target fails a DC 16 Constitution saving throw.
• Tornado. When a flying polyp uses its control weather spell it may also summon a chaotic evil air elemental as a bonus action which remains for 7 minutes and obeys the flying polyp.

Reactions

• Breath-Stealer. When a creature within 20 feet of the flying polyp fails a saving throw, the flying polyp gains 10 temporary hit points.

Legendary Actions

The flying polyp can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature�s turn. The flying polyp regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

• Spell. The flying polyp casts one spell.
• Slamming. The flying polyp makes one slam attack.
• Sucking Wind. This attack allows the flying polyp to send an eerie wind out to slow and eventually stop a creature�s escape. The wind itself isn’t particularly strong, but it creates a peculiar sucking sensation as if it were attempting to pull creatures back toward the flying polyp. The flying polyp must concentrate each round to maintain the effect (as if concentrating on a spell). The sucking wind manifests as a 100-foot-radius sphere, with the flying polyp at the center. Each round the polyp maintains concentration, the sucking wind�s radius increases by 100 feet, to a maximum radius of a mile. A flying polyp can detect creatures within this area via tremorsense. As a free action, it can increase the effects of the sucking wind on up to five different creatures within the area at one time. Each targeted creature must succeed at a DC 16 Strength save each round it remains in the area of the sucking wind or it is slowed until it leaves the area losing 10 feet of movement. A creature already under the effects of any slowing effect (such as from this sucking wind or a slow spell) that fails this save is restrained and held in place for 1 round – it is not helpless but cannot move via any means. Freedom of movement protects against the effects of the sucking wind, and control winds negates its effects in the area of effect of the control winds spell. Natural windstorms or other powerful winds have no effect on a sucking wind. A flying polyp can maintain concentration on the effect for up to an hour (as if concentrating on a spell).

About

A flying polyp is a nauseating mass of flesh, eyes, tentacles, and mouths surrounded by a vortex of sucking wind. A typical flying polyp measures 30 feet in length but is unusually light for its size, weighing no more than 2,000 pounds. These creatures seem to have no maximum lifespan, but their violent, warlike nature ensures that death eventually occurs�even if it takes eons for the polyp to encounter something capable of defeating it.

Unstable Substance. A flying polyp is a physical being, but one composed of material strangely unlike the flesh that garbs most living creatures. While the stuff that makes up the exterior of a flying polyp�s body might seem similar to ordinary flesh, it often behaves in ways that should be impossible. The material seems to fade in and out of visibility, almost at random, at points becoming transparent enough that the nauseating inner workings of the thing�s body are laid bare. Although the polyp feels moist and damp to the touch, what might serve as blood in other creatures behaves more like strange vortices of wind within a flying polyp�s body. When wounded, its damaged flesh does not bleed so much as whistle and gust.

Eldritch Architects. Although flying polyps display some of the features of other sentient races, particularly in their habit of building cities (although these towering settlements usually incorporate architectural features that most other races find awkward and unsettling), in other areas they seem strangely primitive or uninterested. They are as aberrant in mind and philosophy as they are in physical form. For example, they seem to have neither a name for their own race, nor a language to call their own. Their cities, while bewildering in their vast scale, seem to serve little purpose other than to unnerve, for flying polyps do not engage in trade or politics or other social constructs. They are relentless in the pursuit of war and genocide, however, using their powers to drag armies across continents (and in some cases even to other planets) and annihilate all who oppose them. Even if defeated and sealed away, they seethe in immortal hatred awaiting release to seek revenge.