Flame-Scourged Scion

This tree-like creature’s hide is charred, cracked, and oozing. A crown of long, branching tentacles set with goat-like eyes encircles a central fanged maw at the top of its bulk. Root-like appendages end in blackened, sooty hooves.

Huge aberration, chaotic evil

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 125 (10d12 + 60)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
19 (+4)	17 (+3)	22 (+6)	16 (+3)	6 (-2)	15 (+2)

Saving Throws Constitution +10, Wisdom +2, Charisma +6
Skills Insight +6, Perception +6
Damage Resistances fire; slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities grappled, paralyzed, restrained
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Common, Deep Speech, Sylvan
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

Special Traits

• Burning Rage. When a flame-scourged scion takes fire damage, it has advantage on its attack rolls until the end of its next turn. If it takes more than 5 fire damage, it has advantage on its attack rolls for 2 rounds.
• Firesight. A flame-scourged scion can see through areas obscured by fire, smoke, and fog without penalty.
• Groundbreaker. Difficult terrain caused by rocks, sand, or natural vegetation, living or dead, doesn’t cost the flamescourged scion extra movement. Its speed can’t be reduced by any effect.

Actions

• Multiattack. The flame-scourged scion makes three tentacle attacks.
• Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 16). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained, the flame-scourged scion can automatically hit the target with its tentacle, and it can’t use the same tentacle on another target. The flame-scourged scion can grapple up to two creatures at one time.
• Embers (Recharge 6). The flame-scourged scion fills the area around itself with a cloud of burning embers. Each creature within 10 feet of the flame-scourged scion must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The embers die out within moments.

About

Born of Burned Groves. During a great scourge that broke the power of a dark goddess’ followers and the power of the mages who worshiped her, crusaders destroyed her unholy groves. Her loyal followers and guardians were slain and the groves were razed with holy fire. All the unholy trees of those vile groves burned, as did the profane offspring of the dark goddess. However, not all that were burned died. The strongest of her children lived, and they remain as guardians of those lost places of power. Their might has warped and changed, but it is hardly diminished.

Unholy Trees. Flame-scourged scions often lurk in their unholy mother’s groves in tree form. Where once they would take the shape of living trees, now they appear as leafless, charred husks, to blend in with the hardscrabble nature of these desolate areas.

Alternate Traits and Actions

Source ExpCod (Open Design)

The following allow GMs to alter a flame?scourged scion without modifying its challenge rating.

• Blight Burst (Recharge 6). The flame-scourged scion showers the area around itself with the ooze leaking from its skin. Each creature within 10 feet of the flame-scourged scion must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) necrotic damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. Plant creatures make this saving throw with disadvantage, and nonmagical plants that aren’t creatures wither and die without a saving throw. The flame-scourged scion loses its Embers action.
• Fiery Rage. When a flame-scourged scion takes fire damage, it inflicts an additional 1d6 fire damage with its melee weapon attacks. If it takes more than 5 fire damage, it instead inflicts an additional 1d10 fire damage. The flame-scourged scion gains this extra damage until the end of its next turn. The flame-scourged scion loses its Burning Rage trait.
• Kick. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. A flame-scourged scion with a kick attack makes two tentacle attacks and one kick attack when taking the Multiattack action.

Variant: Frostbitten Scion

A frostbitten scion has similar origins to a flame-scourged scion, except those who destroyed its grove used powerful cold magic. It gains resistance to cold, loses resistance to fire, loses its Burning Rage and Firesight traits, loses its Embers action, and gains the following traits and action.

• Frosty Vengeance. When a frostbitten scion takes cold damage, it has advantage on its attack rolls until the end of its next turn. If it takes more than 5 cold damage, it has advantage on its attack rolls for 2 rounds.
• Stinging Ice (Recharge 6). The frostbitten scion fills the area with a cloud of ice shards. Each creature within 10 feet of the frostbitten scion must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) cold damage and 14 (4d6) piercing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. The ice melts within moments.
• Wintersight. A frostbitten scion can see through areas obscured by ice, snow, and fog without penalty.