Colony Adaptation

Colony Adaptation

Once per combat, Bonus Action

You may activate this ability once per combat, choosing one of its modes. The ability recharges at the end of the encounter.

The colony abandons its normal behavior and rapidly adapts to the battlefield. Choose one of the following adaptations. The chosen mode lasts for 1 minute unless it ends early as described below.

Adaptation 1: Colony Split

The colony completely abandons the skeleton, flowing across the battlefield as a living swarm before reforming in an instant.

• You can move through enemy spaces.

• You ignore Difficult Terrain.

• Opportunity Attacks against you are made with Disadvantage.

• Once on each of your turns, after you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you may immediately teleport up to 15 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.

• Once during this adaptation, you may treat one weapon attack as though you had Advantage for the purpose of qualifying for Sneak Attack.

Adaptation 2: Swarm Feast

Your colony burrows into every wound, refusing to let prey escape.

Whenever you deal Sneak Attack damage to a creature, the swarm clings to that target.

At the start of each of the target's turns, it takes 3 (1d6) Necrotic damage.

At the beginning of each of its turns, before taking this damage, the target may make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. On a successful save, the swarm is shaken free and this effect ends on that creature.

A creature cannot have more than one instance of Swarm Feast affecting it at a time.

Adaptation 3: Collective Consensus

Hundreds of minds work in perfect harmony, anticipating every opening in battle.

Once on each of your turns, after making an attack, you may immediately take the Hide, Dash, or Disengage action without using your Bonus Action.

If you end your movement in Dim Light, Darkness, or behind at least Half Cover, you may immediately attempt to Hide.

Adaptation 4: There Was Never One

The illusion of a single body disappears as the colony scatters and reforms in impossible ways.

The first attack roll made against you each round is made with Disadvantage.

If that attack misses, you may immediately teleport up to 15 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.

You can squeeze through openings as small as 1 inch wide without reducing your Speed.

Adaptation 5: Grave Tide

The colony erupts from your skeleton, spreading across the battlefield as a tide of pale beetles, grave centipedes, and shimmering gray ooze. The ground churns with countless tiny bodies as your true form ceases to exist in any one place.

Choose a point you can see within 60 feet. A 30-foot-radius swarm centered on that point spreads across the ground for 1 minute.

• The area is Difficult Terrain for hostile creatures.

• Hostile creatures inside the swarm cannot take Reactions.

• At the beginning of each of your turns, you may reform your body in any unoccupied space within the swarm.

• While you are within the swarm, Opportunity Attacks against you are made with Disadvantage.

If you end your turn outside the swarm, Grave Tide immediately ends.