Hafgufa

Gargantuan monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 25 (natural armor)
Hit Points 410 (20d20 + 100)
Speed 0 ft., swim 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
30 (+10) 10 (+0) 30 (+10) 2 (-4) 8 (-1) 8 (-1)

Skills Perception +7
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities grappled, petrified, prone, restrained
Senses tremorsense 120 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages
Challenge 27 (105,000 XP)

Special Traits

  • Ambusher. In the first round of a combat, the hafgufa has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it surprised.
  • Barbed Hide. At the start of each of its turns, the hafgufa deals 5 (1d12) piercing damage to any Gargantuan creature grappling it.
  • Whirlpool. As a bonus action after moving at least 10 feet, the hafgufa can cause a whirlpool to form centered on itself. The whirlpool forms a vortex that is 5 feet wide at the base, up to 120 feet wide at the top, 50 feet tall, and lasts for 1 minute or until the wave shaper is incapacitated. Any creature or object in the water and within 50 feet of the vortex is pulled 10 feet toward it. A creature can swim away from the vortex by succeeding on a DC 26 Strength (Athletics) check. When a creature enters the vortex for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must make a DC 26 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 17 (5d6) bludgeoning damage and is caught in the vortex until it ends. On a success, the creature takes half damage and isn’t caught in the vortex. A creature caught in the vortex can use its action to try to swim away from the vortex as described above, but it has disadvantage on the Strength (Athletics) check to do so. The first time each turn that an object enters the vortex, the object takes 36 (10d6) bludgeoning damage. This damage occurs each round it remains in the vortex.
  • Siege Monster. The hafgufa deals double damage to objects and structures (included in Whirlpool).

Actions

  • Multiattack. The hafgufa makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its tail.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +18 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d8 + 10) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it is grappled (escape DC 26). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the hafgufa can’t bite another target.
  • Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +18 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (3d10 + 10) bludgeoning damage.
  • Luring Scent. The hafgufa unleashes an alluring, sweet scent. Every beast, humanoid, and giant within 300 feet of the hafgufa that can smell the scent must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until the scent ends. The hafgufa must take a bonus action on its subsequent turns to continue releasing its scent. It can stop releasing its scent at any time. The scent ends if the hafgufa is incapacitated. While charmed by the hafgufa, a target is incapacitated and ignores the scent of other hafgufa. If the charmed target is more than 5 feet away from the hafgufa, the target must move on its turn toward the hafgufa by the most direct route. It doesn’t avoid opportunity attacks, but before moving into damaging terrain, such as lava or a pit, and whenever it takes damage from a source other than the hafgufa, a target can repeat the saving throw. A creature can also repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If a creature’s saving throw is successful, the effect ends on it. A target that successfully saves is immune to this hafgufa’s scent for the next 24 hours.
  • Swallow. The hafgufa makes one bite attack against a Large or smaller creature it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target takes the bite’s damage, the target is swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the hafgufa, and it takes 56 (16d6) acid damage at the start of each of the hafgufa’s turns. If the hafgufa takes 60 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the hafgufa must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the hafgufa. If the hafgufa dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 30 feet of movement, exiting prone.

About

This rocky island has hills valleys with trees and greenery dotting the sand dunes. Large stony outcroppings spike upward at regular intervals.

The hafgufa is a giant sea monster with huge spines on the ridge of its back. It is a hybrid of an enormous turtle and a whale, with a hardened shell. The hafgufa stays dormant for days at a time, allowing sea birds and crustaceans to land on it. It attracts other wildlife through its sweet scent, all giving the illusion that it is a habitable island. When enough creatures land on the hafgufa, it dives and then turns around to chomp on everything created from its whirlpool. The hafgufa is particularly sensitive to fire and anyone starting a campfire on its back will trigger its whirlpool attack.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

5E RPG: Viking Adventures. Copyright 2020, Mal and Tal, LLC; Author Michael Tresca.

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