Giant Mole Lizard

Large beast, unaligned

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 75 (10d10 + 20)
Speed 15 ft., burrow 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
19 (+4) 5 (–3) 14 (+2) 1 (–5) 8 (–1) 5 (–3)

Skills Athletics +8
Damage Resistances acid
Condition Immunities prone
Senses blindsight 10 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Beast of Burden. The giant mole lizard is considered to be a Huge Beast for the purpose of determining its carrying capacity.
  • Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the lizard has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The lizard makes two Claw attacks. It can replace one attack with a use of Constricting Tail.
  • Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
  • Constricting Tail. A Large or smaller creature within 5 feet of the lizard must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or be grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, can’t breathe, and begins to suffocate, and the giant mole lizard can’t use Constricting Tail on another target.

BONUS ACTIONS

  • Mass Shove. Each Large or smaller creature within 10 feet of the giant mole lizard and that isn’t grappled by it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 15 feet away from the lizard and forced prone.

ABOUT

An enormous, stubby head breaches the dirt, beady black eyes the size of a human’s fist blinking in the light. Enormous, shovel-like claws pull the bulk of the creature up and out of the ground, revealing a wormlike body with light pink scales. The giant mole lizard is the massive cousin of the mole lizard. These worm-like lizards have no rear legs, are mostly blind, and their claws are enormously powerful. They live underground and in moist environments, especially swamps, where they can keep cool. Above ground, they pull themselves slowly along with their claws, undulating in a manner reminiscent of a very slow snake. Below ground, they use their claws to dig while their entire body pushes against the dirt around them, letting them move more naturally and rapidly. They can sense vibrations in the earth, which pairs with their sense of smell to locate food and detect threats.

Opportunistic Omnivore. Giant mole lizards are singularly undiscriminating omnivores. The lizard eats anything that fits in its mouth and doesn’t resist. Rotten food, waste, and even corpses are all fair game. Though not aggressive, a giant mole lizard rends a perceived threat with its claws or crushes the threat in its massive coils. If the threat was an edible creature, it then eats the threat.

Beast of Burden. Giant mole lizards are partially domesticated, and lizardfolk, derro, goblins, and other humanoids yoke them as beasts of burden in underground cities or deep swamps where they’re a convenient alternative to oxen and mules. They pull wagons, turn mills, and carve tunnels where other animals can’t. The lizards’ prodigious strength lets them pull carts and sleds straight through swamps that would mire a horse-drawn wagon, while their digging ability makes them invaluable for transport between underground settlements where cave-ins and shifting earth are a constant concern. However, giant mole lizards are slow and can become sick if exposed to direct sunlight too often, limiting where they can be taken.

Conscientious owners keep buckets of mud and water on hand, drenching their steed regularly if forced into the sun.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Beasts 3 © 2022 Open Design LLC; Authors: Eytan Bernstein, Celeste Conowitch, Benjamin L. Eastman, Robert Fairbanks, Scott Gable, Basheer Ghouse, Richard Green, Jeremy Hochhalter, Jeff Lee, Christopher Lockey, Sarah Madsen, Ben Mcfarland, Jonathan Miley, Kelly Pawlik, Sebastian Rombach, Chelsea Steverson, Brian Suskind, Mike Welham

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