Shinglelurk

Huge aberration, neutral

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 85 (9d12 + 27)
Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)	15 (+2)

Damage Resistances bludgeoning
Senses darkvision 30 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages understands Common but can’t speak
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Rooftop Camouflage. While the shinglelurk remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a rooftop and creatures can occupy its space.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The shinglelurk attacks twice with its pseudopod.
• Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 14).
• Constrict. Each creature grappled by the shinglelurk must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (2d6) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
• Desperate Dive. The shinglelurk flies up to twice its fly speed and then purposely falls. The shinglelurk and any creatures it is grappling take full falling damage. Each creature grappled by the shinglelurk is no longer grappled and falls prone in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the shinglelurk.
• Envelop. Up to three Medium or smaller creatures in the shinglelurk’s space or within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be enveloped by the shinglelurk. Creatures grappled by the shinglelurk automatically fail this saving throw. An enveloped creature is grappled (escape DC 14) and restrained until the grapple ends. The shinglelurk can have up to three creatures enveloped at a time. Damage dealt to the shinglelurk is split evenly among the shinglelurk and all enveloped creatures (rounding down). A creature can use its action to free an enveloped creature by succeeding on a DC 14 Strength check. On a success, the freed creature enters a space of its choice within 5 feet of the shinglelurk.

ABOUT

The bane of roof runners, cat burglars, and sneak thieves in metropolises the world over, shinglelurks are simpleminded nocturnal hunters that have adapted to the spread of urban cityscapes. Wide, heavy, and thin, a shinglelurk’s tough, rubbery body blends seamlessly with common roofing materials such as stone, slate, and tile. Shinglelurks wait on such roofs for unsuspecting prey to traipse over them, then strike with deadly speed and efficiency.

The first shinglelurks were created by spellcasting urbanites who sought to devise a camouflaged solution for home defense. These wizards experimented on cloakers, mimics, and ochre jellies to create their ideal monstrous defender. In the process, they released untold numbers of specimens into the city before ultimately creating the hybrid known as the shinglelurk. Occasionally, a bold landowner might lure a shinglelurk onto their property with the hopes the creature will take up residence. Without magical coercion, such landowners find the erratic-minded shinglelurk an unreliable partner. Thankfully, a shinglelurk tends to leave its hunting ground once it has devoured a burglar or two or otherwise compromised its hiding spot.

Shinglelurks have strong self-preservation instincts, matched only by their dedication to the kill. If a shinglelurk has one or more creatures enveloped in its body, it might risk injury by intentionally falling off a roof or other high place and smashing into the street below, relying on its tough, spongy hide to survive the impact while disabling its prey.

Shinglelurks are solitary and territorial monsters, and their violent disposition extends to members of their own kind as well. They do not form bonds or even mate. Rather, upon reaching a certain age and size, a shinglelurk will molt and bud, producing two offspring before dying. The offspring quickly grow to adulthood and strike out on their own, repeating the cycle.