Ghastly Siphon

Medium undead, neutral evil

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 67 (9d8 + 27)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	10 (+0)	13 (+1)	15 (+2)

Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft. passive perception 13
Languages understands but cannot speak the languages it knew in life
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Detect Life. The ghastly siphon can magically sense the presence of living creatures up to five miles away. While the siphon knows the general direction of the creature, it cannot sense its exact position.
• Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the ghastly siphon has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
• Unusual Nature. A ghastly siphon doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The siphon makes two attacks: one with its Tail and one its with Draining Bite.
• Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the ghastly siphon isn’t already constricting a creature, the target is grappled (escape DC 14) and restrained until the grapple ends.
• Draining Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (4d8 + 3) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the 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.

ABOUT

A ghastly siphon is the Undead remnants of Humanoid creature who has been killed unexpectedly. The shock of their death so enrages the spirit of the deceased that a portion of their soul is bound to the spot in the material world where they died. This undead creature remains tethered to the spot of their death, lashing out angrily at all living creatures that pass by. The ghastly siphon, obsessed with dreams of returning to life, drains the life force from its prey in a fruitless effort to rejoin the living.

A ghastly siphon does not resemble the form it held during its life in any way. These beings are corporeal in form, but only just. They take on a shimmering, smoky form of a two-legged creature with a long tail. The ghastly siphon has no arms, instead using its nimble tail to drag victims to its gaping maw.

Bound by Rage A siphon’s rage serves as an anchor, binding them not only to the plane of the living but also to the spot where their death occurred. A ghastly siphon cannot venture more than 5 miles from the location of their demise.

The permanent connection a siphon has with the place where their death occurred only fuels their rage.

Obsessed With Life A ghastly siphon has a single-minded focus on recovering the life they once held. They are deeply jealous of the living, aggressively hunting and feeding on the life force of any creature who crosses their paths.

Because these spirits cannot transform into a living being, their thirst for the life energy of other beings can never be satiated. The ghastly siphon ensnares foes with its tail before draining their life force with a powerful bite. A bite from a ghastly siphon is not dangerous only to its prey; as the victim of the bite grows weaker, the siphon grows in power.