Frumious Bandersnatch

Family: Bandersnatch

Gargantuan monstrosity, neutral

Armor Class 21 (natural armor)
Hit Points 351 (18d20 + 162)
Speed 60 ft., climb 20 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
30 (+10)	25 (+7)	29 (+9)	2 (-4)	15 (+2)	18 (+4)

Saving Throws Str +17, Dex +14
Skills Athletics +17, Acrobatics +14, Perception +16, Stealth +14, Survival +9
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, fire, piercing, and slashing damage
Condition Immunities frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, unconscious
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception
Languages None
Challenge 19 (50,000 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Bounding Charge. The frumious bandersnatch is unaffected by difficult terrain.
• Frumious. The frumious bandersnatch seethes with barely repressed rage and anger. If it misses with its bite attack or falls below half of its hit points, it succumbs to such uncontrollable fury that it bursts into flame. While engulfed in these flames, a frumious bandersnatch is affected as by a haste spell (this effect cannot be dispelled) and causes an additional 2d6 points of fire damage with each of its melee attacks and its quill attacks. The fury lasts for 5 rounds, after which the frumious bandersnatch cannot enter a fury again for another 5 rounds.
• Gaze. A frumious bandersnatch can direct its gaze attack against a single foe within 30 feet as a bonus action. That creature must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, becoming confused (as per the confuse spell) for 1 minute on a failure, or restrained for 1 rounds on a success. A creature confused by this ability can make a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the effect early.
• Hard to Kill. Through sheer force of will, a frumious bandersnatch can revive itself from a violent death. Once per day, as long as the frumious bandersnatch has at least one use of mythic power available, one round after a frumious bandersnatch is killed during combat the creature gains the effects of a revivify spell.
• Magic Resistance. The frumious bandersnatch has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Planar Acclimation. A frumious bandersnatch cannot be banished.
• Quick Recovery. A debilitated frumious bandersnatch recovers with frightening speed. If a frumious bandersnatch starts its turn affected by any or all of the following conditions, these conditions end at the end of its turn: confused, any levels of exhaustion, poisoned, and stunned.
• Relentless Tracker. A frumious bandersnatch can move at up to double its speed and still track without penalty. It gains advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track creatures it has wounded.
• Vicious Tenacity. A frumious bandersnatch remains conscious and can continue fighting even if its hit point total is 0. While at 0 hit points, the frumious bandersnatch succeeds at any death saving throws. Any time it takes damage, it can make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to the damage taken. If it succeeds, it does not accrue a failure on its death saving throw. If the frumious bandersnatch takes a critical hit while at 0 hit points, it automatically dies.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The bandersnatch makes three attacks: one with its bite, two with its claws.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d10+10) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 20). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the frumious bandersnatch cannot use its bite on another target.
• Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8+10) slashing damage.
• Tail Slap. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d8+10) piercing damage and the creature must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or have a quill lodged in its flesh. This causes the victim to become poisoned until the quill is removed. Removing one quill requires an action and a DC 20 Wisdom (Medicine) check that can be made by either the victim or an ally of the victim. For every 5 by which the check exceeds the DC, one additional quill can be removed. On a failed check, a quill is still removed, but the process deals 11 (2d10) piercing damage to the victim.
• Quills. With a snap of its tail, a mythic frumious bandersnatch can loose a volley of four quills as a standard action (make an attack roll for each spike). This attack has a range of 300 feet with no range increment. All targets must be within 30 feet of each other. Each creature affected must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it takes 27 (6d8) piercing damage and has a quill lodged in its flesh and becomes poisoned until the quill is removed. On a success, it takes half as much damage, and does not have a quill lodged in its flesh. Removing one quill requires an action and a DC 20 Wisdom (Medicine) check that can be made by either the victim or an ally of the victim. For every 5 by which the check exceeds the DC, one additional quill can be removed. On a failed check, a quill is still removed, but the process deals 11 (2d10) piercing damage to the victim.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS

The frumious bandersnatch 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 frumious bandersnatch regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

• Move. The bandersnatch moves a distance equal to its full movement without provoking opportunity attacks.
• Claw. The frumious bandersnatch makes a claw attack.
• Tail Slap (Costs 2 Actions). The frumious Bandersnatch makes a tail slap attack.

ABOUT

Bandersnatches are consummate hunters, and only the deadliest predators or the most cunning intelligent prey offer them sport. Once a bandersnatch has marked a creature for death, it runs it to ground without fear, rest, or remorse.

Bandersnatches rely on speed, shock, and terror to bring down prey. They pace their quarry from a distance, hidden among the trees, then break from cover, savage their target, and dart away again. They drag smaller creatures away to dispatch at leisure, while engaging larger ones in skirmishes until they gradually wear their prey down. An outmatched bandersnatch withdraws at full speed, stopping only to pick off pursuers that distance themselves from their allies. Once its wounds heal, the bandersnatch returns to the scene of its defeat, picks up the trail of its assailants, and eliminates them one by one.

In appearance, a bandersnatch resembles a tawny, six-legged great cat, but with wickedly barbed quills running the length of its body and down to the tip of its long, flexible tail. Its quills serve to deter attackers, but also act as a formidable weapon. With a single flick of its muscular tail, a bandersnatch can fling as many as a half-dozen quills at distant foes with surprising accuracy. A bandersnatch captivates any prey that meets the gaze of its saucer-like, luminous eyes. A bandersnatch measures 40 feet in length plus another 10 feet of tail and weighs 12,000 pounds. Despite their bulk, bandersnatches move with speed, grace, and even considerable stealth when required.

Bandersnatches were once native to the primal world of the fey, where they preyed on the greatest hunters of that ancient realm. As with other legendary creatures from this realm, such as the jabberwock, bandersnatches belong to a group of creatures known collectively as the “Tane.” Whether the fey were careless in guarding their portals or released the first bandersnatches into Material Plane deliberately cannot be said with certainty. Rare in the extreme on the Material Plane, bandersnatches lair within forgotten forests where ancient beasts walk the world. Bandersnatches mate only rarely. A female becomes fertile perhaps once or twice per century, leaving the male soon after mating and giving birth to only one or two kittens per litter. The mother brings meat to her ravenous young, which mature within a year. Bandersnatches live for a thousand years or longer.