Cavelight Moss

Large plant, unaligned

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 95 (10d10 + 40)
Speed 5 ft., climb 15 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	10 (+0)	18 (+4)	1 (-5)	13 (+1)	5 (-3)

Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire; slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, prone, stunned, unconscious
Senses tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages —
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Variable Illumination. The cavelight moss sheds bright light in a 5- to 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional number of feet equal to the chosen radius. The moss can alter the radius as a bonus action.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The cavelight moss makes two Tendrils attacks. If both attacks hit a Large or smaller creature, the target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and at the start of each of the target’s turns, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion. The cavelight moss then gains 5 temporary hp. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw can’t suffer further levels of exhaustion from the cavelight moss’s grapple for the next 24 hours. The cavelight moss can have only one creature grappled at a time.
• Tendrils. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage.

ABOUT

These patches of tangled, lacy moss cling to the ceiling, slowly pulsing with an eerie glow. Their stems gently writhe among the soft, feathery mass, dusting the ground below with a twinkling of phosphorescent spores.

Plant Carnivore. Cavelight moss glows with a pale, yellow light, but when agitated, its light changes to an icy blue. Cavelight moss is frequently mistaken for a benign organism, but it hunts living flesh and renders its meals immobile before starting the long process of digestion. A cavelight moss is a collective of smaller life forms patched together and sharing sensations. Barely cognitive, a cavelight moss spends its time positioning itself above well-traveled sections of cavern, feeding on rats, bats, and crawling insects. When it senses larger prey, it slowly and quietly moves toward the creature.

Long-Lived Spores. A cavelight moss can survive for 200 years, shedding luminous spores and consuming vermin. Its spores germinate in the carcasses of its victims, and in lean times, these spores can grow slowly on guano or other areas rich in moisture and organic nutrients.

Rare Colonies. If a cave system has no true protectors and food is plentiful, these creatures congregate—most commonly, in bat colonies of millions of individuals. When they gather this way, cavelight mosses function as a large colony, covering strategic locations where prey roams. When a source of food moves on, the entire colony slowly disperses as well.