Pelagic Blush Worm

Gargantuan monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 188 (13d20 + 42)
Speed 0 ft., swim 50 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
23 (+6) 14 (+2) 19 (+4) 1 (–5) 12 (+1) 4 (–3)

Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +8, Wis +5
Skills Perception +5, Stealth +6
Damage Immunities acid, cold
Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Echolocation. The pelagic blush worm can’t use its blindsight while deafened.
  • Siege Monster. The pelagic blush worm deals double damage to objects and structures.
  • Water Breathing. The pelagic blush worm can breathe only underwater.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The worm makes one Bite attack and one Tail Fin attack.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed by the worm. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the worm, and it takes 14 (4d6) acid damage at the start of each of the worm’s turns. If the worm takes 25 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the worm must succeed on a DC 18 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 worm. If the worm dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 15 feet of movement, exiting prone.
  • Tail Fin. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d6 + 6) slashing damage plus 16 (3d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
  • Red Acid Spume (Recharge 5–6). The worm exhales a gout of crimson stomach acid in a 30-foot cone, if the worm is underwater, or a 50-foot line that is 5 feet wide, if the worm is above water. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 31 (9d6) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

ABOUT

A colossal worm slides through the sunken schooner, its last meal visible inside its long, translucent body. As it swims forward, its entire body blushes crimson, and red acid bubbles from within its clattering maw.

Cousin to the infamous purple worm, the pelagic blush worm is semi-translucent and resides in the ocean’s depths. Wide pincers on either side of its mouth pierce prey and debris alike, forcing anything small enough into the worm’s maw. Sharp fins run along its spine and underbelly, which it tucks in when exploring wreckage. Pelagic blush worms get their name from the bright red acid they create in a second stomach halfway down their bodies. When they prepare to spray this acid at attackers, they flush with color. This acid reacts differently when exposed to air or water.

Catastrophic Spawning. Pelagic blush worms live solitary lives and interact with others of their kind only when they spawn, which can be catastrophic for those on or near the ocean. Spawning masses of blush worms create churning ocean tempests, which can lay waste to sailing fleets or send tidal waves crashing into coastal villages.

Deep Sea Rivals. Pelagic blush worms and gulper behemoths sometimes engage in territorial disputes.

Both creatures can survive each others’ worst blows, resulting in stalemates that leave both creatures frustrated, aggressive, and tired. Like many ocean denizens, blush worms will follow in the wake of a timingila, scavenging whatever wreckage the more massive leviathans leave behind.

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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