Roper, Cocytus-Corrupted

Family: Roper

Large monstrosity, neutral evil

Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
Hit Points 110 (13d10 + 39)
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
20 (+5) 8 (–1) 17 (+3) 7 (–2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0)

Skills Perception +6, Stealth +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • False Appearance. While the roper remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal cave formation, such as a stalagmite.
  • Grasping Tendrils. The roper can have up to six tendrils at a time. Each tendril can be attacked (AC 20; 10 hit points; immunity to poison and psychic damage). Destroying a tendril deals no damage to the roper, which can extrude a replacement tendril on its next turn. A tendril can also be broken if a creature takes an action and succeeds on a DC 15 Strength check against it. Spider Climb. The roper can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The roper makes four attacks with its tendrils, uses Reel, and makes one attack with its bite.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (4d8 + 5) piercing damage.
  • Tendril. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 50 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained and has disadvantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, and the roper can’t use the same tendril on another target. Reel. The roper pulls each creature grappled by it up to 25 feet straight toward it.

REACTIONS

  • Vengeful Retaliation. When the Cocytus-corrupted roper is reduced to 0 hit points, it makes a weapon attack before dying. If this attack is made against the creature that reduced the roper to 0 hit points, the roper makes this attack with advantage. The roper then dies.

ABOUT

This muscular giant has the head of a black bull and heavy hooves. It grips its greataxe with eager fervor, causing the glowing scars on its arms to pulse with angry red light. Several thin, stony tendrils unspool from this lump of misshapen stone, and a great maw gapes beneath a single staring eye. Its sides are cracked and scarred, letting out faint red light.

Cocytus Corruption

Patient hunters in caverns and caves, ropers rarely interact with other creatures except to ambush them with strength-draining tendrils. Fiends are generally impatient and rapacious, but canny leaders understand the value that a watchful guardian brings to their forces. Many legions therefore intentionally recruit ropers, promising an unending bounty of victims and treasure. The Cocytus legion typically corrupts ropers to watch over underground fortresses or even stranger domains, where the corrupted ropers surprise intruders with weakening tendrils that make other fiends better able to inflict their vengeance.

Cocytus corruption grants the Vengeful Retaliation reaction.

Vengeful Retaliation. When the Cocytus-corrupted creature is reduced to 0 hit points, it makes a weapon attack just before dying. If this attack is made against the creature that reduced the corrupted creature to 0 hit points, the corrupted creature makes this attack with advantage. The corrupted creature then dies.

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Sandy Petersen’s Planet Apocalypse, © 2021, Petersen Games.

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