Vile Maw

Medium undead (revnant), neutral evil

Armor Class 14
Hit Points 52 (8d8+16)
Speed 35 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14 (+2)	18 (+4)	15 (+2)	7 (-2)	13 (+1)	14 (+2)

Skills Deception +4, Perception +5, Stealth +7
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhausted, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages understands the languages it knew in life but cannot speak
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Special Traits

• Dismemberment. A vile maw suffers dismemberment from any physical attack that deals 12 or more points of damage. This damage is calculated before damage is divided by Vile Bond.
• Hideous Appetite. A vile maw regains all lost hit points after consuming the corpse of a creature it has killed. This takes approximately five minutes.
• Vile Bond. When a vile maw bites a living creature, one of its teeth comes loose and burrows into the wound. When the vile maw is injured, all damage dealt by the attack is divided equally among the vile maw and the creatures it has infected with this Vile Bond; for instance, if the vile maw is struck for 12 points of damage and has a Vile Bond to two people, the vile maw only suffers four points of damage and it passes four points to each of its victims. Regardless of the original type of damage, the damage inflicted on victims of the vile bond is necrotic. The victim of a vile bond may attempt a DC 15 Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If the saving throw is successful, the bond is broken. Any creature can use its action to make a DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check on the victim of a Vile Bond. If this check is successful, the tooth is removed from the wound and the bond is broken.

Actions

• Multiattack. A vile maw makes two attacks, one with its claws and one with its bite.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage and 2 spiritual damage, and the target is afflicted with Vile Bond.
• Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d4+4) slashing damage.

About

A vile maw is a corpse, seemingly still alive when viewed from a distance, that is infused with dark power and an allconsuming hunger.

Death’s Territory. A vile maw may rise where many people have died, and begins its existence by devouring the corpses around it. Highly territorial, a vile maw won’t venture far from the place of its death and rebirth. But anyone who enters its domain-a particular building, a maze of alleys, a rooftop-will be hunted down and consumed. While the vile maw destroys the bodies of its victims, the pieces it leaves behind are often tainted by its evil; the charnel pit of a vile maw is often filled with grisly remnants (page 289).

A False Life. A vile maw is sustained by the life force of its victims. This power heals obvious injuries and gives it the appearance of a healthy, living being. This appearance is belied by its clothing; a vile maw pays no attention to its clothes, and they are typically torn and stained with gore. Any semblance of humanity is lost when the vile maw engages its prey. Its mouth unhinges and stretches to an impossible width, revealing multiple rows of teeth. It moves with superhuman speed and agility, fighting until it is torn apart.

Dismemberment. The power that sustains a vile maw keeps it fighting until it is completely broken or torn apart. Every successful attack represents palpable damage, but its unnatural vitality and the energy it draws from its vile bond allow it to survive horrific injuries. However, if a single attack inflicts 12 or more points of physical damage (bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing) it can sever a limb. If this occurs, roll on the following table to see what has been lost.

d20	Effect
1-9	Leg. Reduce the vile maw’s speed by 10 ft.
10-18	Arm. If a vile maw loses both arms, it cannot make a claw attack
19-20	Head. Double the damage inflicted by this attack. A crippling injury to the head removes a portion of it, but the vile maw’s massive mouth remains.

Severing limbs can actually work against attackers. At the DM’s discretion, limbs removed from a vile maw might immediately animate as grisly remnants.

Undead Nature. While a vile maw is driven by an endless hunger, it doesn’t actually require air, food, drink, or sleep.