Toothwraith

Huge undead, chaotic evil

Armor Class 17 (natural)
Hit Points 125 (10d12+60)
Speed fly 60 ft., swim 60 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
24 (+7)	14 (+2)	22 (+6)	10 (+0)	19 (+4)	22 (+6)

Skills Intimidate +14, Perception +8, Stealth +10
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical weapons
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poison, prone
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages understands Aquan
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Camouflage. An inactive toothwraith appears as a normal, if large, set of articulated jaws.
• Create Spawn. Creatures reduced to 0 hit point maximum by a toothwraith’s draining bite or as a result of being swallowed rise as lacedons (aquatic ghouls) at the next high tide. The toothwraith has no special control over or care for its spawn, thought neither will attack the other under normal circumstances.
• Incorporeal Movement. The toothwraith’s body is incorporeal except for its jaws. It may move through spaces as if it were a Medium creature. A shatter spell affects the toothwraith as if it were a crystalline creature.

ACTIONS

• Draining Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 25 (4d8+7) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or its hit point 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 hit point maximum to 0. On a critical hit, any target of Large size or smaller is swallowed whole.
• Swallow Whole. A creature swallowed whole by a toothwraith is pulled along behind the creature’s jaws as if trapped within its incorporeal body. The swallowed target is restrained (but not blinded) and does not have cover against attacks outside the toothwraith’s body. The toothwraith can have only one Large, two Medium, or four Small creatures swallowed at a time. At the start of each of the toothwraith’s rounds, swallowed creatures take 18 (4d8) necrotic damage and must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by a amount equal to the damage taken. Creatures swallowed by a toothwraith may attempt a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of their rounds to break free of the creature. This does not free any other creature(s) swallowed. If the toothwraith dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it.

ACTIONS

An impressive set of sharks jaws rests on the sea floor below you. Silently it drifts upward, gaping to attack.

They are apex predators that refused to release their grip on life. Originally massive sharks (or more rarely great crocodiles or dragon turtles), a toothwraith has willed itself into existence, and it is equipped with a malign intelligence it might not have possessed in life. Where once it hunted for food and perhaps pleasure, it now exists to destroy all living things.

Toothwraiths rest in out of the way areas, waiting for prey. When they sense living creatures, they attack from ambush. When inactive, a toothwraith appears as a simple set of articulated jaws; when attacking it gains a shimmering outline of its original form, with glowing crimson sparks for eyes. Although a toothwraith can move through the air as easily it does the water, it prefers to keep this fact secret as long as possible by “swimming” out of the waters only when doing so allows it to catch prey that thinks it has escaped.

They attack in a frenzy, attempting to swallow as many creatures as possible. The withered corpses of its victims fall through its “belly,” and they eventually reanimate as the starving dead. A toothwraith’s hunting areas are often coastlines used by smugglers and vast ship graveyards of matted kelp and seaweed in the deep ocean. These areas might become infested with lacedons, their numbers growing both from their own efforts and the toothwraith’s.

Toothwraiths are fully aware of how hard they are to destroy, and they are almost fearless because of this. If a foe seems to understand how to truly damage them, they flee and attempt to stalk the foe from a distance, attacking when least expected.