Mist Murderer

Small beast, unaligned

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 18 (+4) 10 (+0) 3 (-4) 13 (+1) 7 (-2)

Armor Class 14
Hit Points 21 (6d6)
Speed 10 ft., burrow 10 ft., fly 40 ft.
Skills Stealth +6
Senses blindsight 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Special Traits

  • Flyby. The mist murderer doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.
  • Hidden in the Mist. The mist murderer uses its bonus action to hide.
  • Mist Camouflage. The mist murderer’s pale body blends into any mist or fog, giving it advantage on stealth checks.

Actions

  • Inject Eggs (1/day). The mist murderer uses its action to lay its eggs in an unconscious creature. A mist murderer that completes this action dies naturally within an hour. At the beginning of each day, the infected creature must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion. If the creature dies, the larval mist murderers (2d4 + 2) hatch. They will spend the next week feeding on the body and then burrow into the ground, emerging as adult mist murderers in the next year. Larvae have 1 hit point, are AC 10 and do not have a fly speed yet.
  • Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d4 + 4) slashing damage and 7 (2d6) poison damage.

Tactics

Mist murderer pupae have tremorsense and so the insects will wait until creatures are very close before emerging from their underground burrows. They then fly into the mists, hiding until they can take an attack at a creature and then retreat into the fog again. They continue to do this until the creature becomes unconscious or they themselves are slain. Once a creature falls, they deposit their eggs and then retreat back underground to die. The larvae grow quickly inside the target and only a lesser restoration spell or similar magic can end the infestation.

Description

Mist murderers resemble 3-foot long cicadas that are ghastly white in color and have sharp slashing claws. Like cicadas, mist murderers spend most of their lives as underground pupae and have extremely brief adult lives. During foggy weather, such as autumn when the days begin to shorten and become cold, the mist murderers emerge from their burrows and attack any prey large enough to gain their attention. Their goal is to bring the creature to unconsciousness and then lay their eggs inside of it, in order to give their young a ready-made meal.

Legends of Ghosts. With their pale carapaces and ability to almost completely disappear into any fog or mist, these insects often give rise to legends of deadly ghosts in the mist. When the bodies of their victims are recovered and buried, the new batch of mist murderers burrow into the ground of the cemetery, perpetuating the legend.

Deadly in the Mists. Mist murderers instinctively make use of the cover of any mist and fog, buzzing in to attack a foe and then disappearing again. They will attack livestock or other creatures (including humanoids) of Medium size or larger. Due to their short lifespans, they will not relent once they’ve begun an attack.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Creature Collection 5e Copyright 2020 Onyx Path Publishing, Inc.