Lunarchidna, Greater

Medium aberration, neutral evil

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 15 (+2)

Saving Throws Con +4, Wis +3
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +7
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned, restrained
Senses blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Deep Speech, Elvish
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Special Traits

  • Spider Climb. The lunarchidna can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
  • Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the lunarchidna has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
  • Web Walker. The lunarchidna ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
  • Spellcasting. The lunarchidna is a 4th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). The lunarchidna has the following wizard spells prepared:

Actions

  • Multiattack. The lunarchidna makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws. If the lunarchidna hits a Medium or smaller target with both attacks on the same turn, the target is restrained by webbing and the lunarchidna uses Wrap Up.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or its hp 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 hp maximum to 0.
  • Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage.
  • Web (Recharge 5-6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, ranged 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action the restrained target can make a DC 13 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).
  • Wrap Up. The lunarchidna wraps up a Medium or smaller creature restrained by webbing. The wrapped target is blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of the lunarchidna’s turns or take 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. The webbing can be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 15; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage). The lunarchidna can have only one creature wrapped at a time.

About

A four-armed, four-legged creature in the vague shape of a human-but seemingly made of fine spider silk-moves down a tree, slowly chanting the incantation of a spell in the pale light of the full moon.

Made in Corrupt Forests. Lunarchidnas are beings of moonlight and spider silk created in forests permeated by residual dark magic. When this magic coalesces on a spider web touched by the light of a full moon, the web animates. The web gains life and flies through the forest, gathering other webs until it collects enough silk to form a faceless, humanoid body, with four legs and four arms.

Hatred of Elves. Lunarchidnas hate elves and love to make the creatures suffer. They poison water sources, set fire to villages, and bait monsters into stampeding through elf communities. These aberrations especially enjoy stealing away elf children to use as bait to trap the adults that come to the rescue.

Cyclical Power. The lunarchidna’s power is tied to the moon.

When the skies are dark during a new moon, the lunarchidna becomes more shadow than living web. Its mental ability dulls, and it becomes barely more than a savage animal. When a full moon brightens the night, however, the lunarchidna becomes a conduit of lunar light and can channel that power through its body. Using its heightened intellect, it makes plans, writes notes, and plots from the safety of the trees where it makes its home. In the intermittent phases of the moon, the lunarchidna is a more than capable hunter, trapping and devouring prey it encounters while retaining enough knowledge of its plans and magic to further its goals in minor ways. The lunarchidna’s statistics change cyclically as shown on the Lunarchidna Moon Phase table.

Lunarchidna Moon Phase
Moon Phase Statistics
Daytime, new, or crescent moon Lesser lunarchidna
Quarter or half moon Greater lunarchidna
Gibbous or full moon Transcendent lunarchidna
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Beasts 2. © 2020 Open Design LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Celeste Conowitch, Darrin Drader, James Introcaso, Philip Larwood, Jeff Lee, Kelly Pawlik, Brian Suskind, Mike Welham.

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