Blinding Gaze. When a creature that can see the morvudd's third eye starts its turn within 30 feet of the morvudd, the morvudd can force it to make a DC 19 Charisma saving throw if the morvudd isn't incapacitated and can see the creature. If the saving throw fails, the creature is blinded until the end of its next turn. Unless surprised, a creature can avert its eyes to avoid the saving throw at the start of its turn. If the creature does so, it has disadvantage on attack rolls against the morvudd until the start of its next turn. If the creature looks at the morvuud in the meantime, it must immediately make the saving throw.
Devastating Charge. If the morvudd moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with an antler attack on the same turn, the target takes and extra 16 (3d10) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone, in which case the morvudd can make another attack with its claws against it as a bonus action.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the morvudd fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Regeneration. The morvudd regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point.
Multiattack. The morvudd use its Third Eye and makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Antlers. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 31 (5d8 + 9) piercing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 36 (5d10 + 9) slashing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (5d6 + 9) slashing damage.
Third Eye. The morvudd magically forces a creature it can see within 60 feet of it to make a DC 19 Charisma saving throw. If it fails, it comes under one of the following effects, chosen at random:
1. Asleep. The target falls unconscious. It wakes up if it takes any damage or if another creature uses its action to shake the sleeper awake.
2. Madness. The target is charmed. The charmed creature behaves as if under the effects of the confusion spell during combat. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
3. Weakened. The creature has disadvantage on Constitution checks and Constitution saving throws. In addition, whenever the creature takes damage, it is stunned until the end of its next turn. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
4. Feeblemind. The target takes 14 (4d6) psychic damage and the creature’s Intelligence and Charisma scores become 1. The creature can’t cast spells, activate magic items, understand language, or communicate in any intelligible way. The creature can, however, identify its friends, follow them, and even protect them. At the end of each day, the creature can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. The effect can also be ended by greater restoration, heal, or wish.
The morvudd can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The morvudd regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Move. The morvudd moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
- Claws. The morvudd makes one claw attack.
- Third Eye (Costs 2 Actions). The morvudd uses its Third Eye.
- Eye Ray (Costs 3 Actions). The morvudd targets a creature that it can see within 60 feet of it. The target must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target instead takes 64 necrotic damage. The target dies if reduced to 0 hit points by this ray
Description
Morvudd
These denizens of dark and ancient woods are some of the most dangerous monsters known to man. Morvudds are walking mountains of muscle capped with horned, tooth-filled heads. Like their smaller cousins, chorts, they live in thick forests, swamps and bogs. When possible, they avoid humans, but when confronted, they kill them — and without much difficulty.
Mistaken Folktale. Legends often mistake morvudds for sylvans, ascribing to them the ability to speak, stand on two legs, gobble up cabbage, play pranks and work mischief around the household. The arrival of a true morvudd in a region soon puts an end to such tales. The creatures do not speak, at best communicating with each other through grunts, snorts and moans. They get about on four legs, and as for their "mischief"... they destroy farmsteads, devouring anything that can be devoured, including cabbage, if such is available, but also extending to poultry, pork, the family dog, and then the family itself.
Hulking Menace. Their size alone makes morvudds and chorts extremely dangerous — one blow from their powerful paws can kill a knight along with its fully-armored mount. Their enormous heft also makes them almost invulnerable to mundane weapons; the only sure way to put them down is magic and enchanted weapons. Furthermore, any wounds they receive heal at lightning speed. When a morvudd is gravely wounded, it will fight with increased aggressiveness, caring little for its own security while it deals tremendous damage to what stands in its path. Morvudds are cunning fighters: if they are gravely wounded, they will retreat, counting on their regenerative ability, and charge back into the fight, completely healed.
Third Eye. As if they weren't already tough enough, morvudds need not rely on their strength and stamina alone when fighting. Inexperienced hunters assume that the only danger coming from morvudds is physical, they will die in the seconds that follow. Morvudds can call on a more refined weapon: the third eye located in the center of their forehead. They can use it to impede their prey with an array of powers. When this occurs, their victim does not see anything beyond this single burning eye — the last thing they see before their death. The morvudd’s third eye defines this monster as a force with which to be reckoned.
Controversial Origin. Many theories abound on the origins of morvudds. The most popular ones give them a demonic ancestry, but truthfully none has ever be seen collaborating with demons or devils. Others believe them to have originated from the Feywild, basing this assumption on the somewhat similar powers they share with fomorians. It's true that these twisted giants have been known to take "pets", but imagining that the ferocious morvudds could have ever been one of them is a conclusion that few are willing to make.
Relic Morvudd
Crossing's Guardians. Morvudds nicknamed “relic” are ancestral creatures that may have inspired many tales about classic underworld guardians. These hulking monstrosities lurk and establish their lairs near crossings to other planes. They can instinctively feel where the barrier between the worlds are thin and are attracted to such places. As they feed on the lingering magical energies, they grow even larger, rivaling in size with giants, and gain increasingly more magical abilities.
Natural Border. Few creatures can stand against a relic morvudd. They are usually at the top of the food chain in the region, killing any other predator that steps into its territory. They live in vast expanses of dark forest, in the deepest parts of the wood. The monster leaves corridors of broken trees and deep hoofed prints, making it quite easy to track down and to delimit its territory. However, clever rangers usually take these signs as natural borders and warn folks not to go any further. Some things are simply better left alone.
Third Eye of a Morvudd
The third eyes of morvudds and chorts are powerful magically charged organs. This disturbing appendice doesn't die with the morvudd. It's still alert even after the creature's death. If harvested from the corpse of the creature, it can be used as an alternative spell component. The third eye can be consumed to substitute any magical component of up to 5,000 gold pieces value; the eye is destroyed in the process. For this reason many wizard will pay a good price for it and some particularly brave and skilled hunters have made a lucrative carrier out of hunting the monster.
Optional: Curse of the Restless Eye.
When a morvudd dies, the nearest intelligent creature to its body must make a DC 18 (DC 15 for a chort) Wisdom saving throw. In case of failure, the creature gains a form of indefinite madness: "I must keep the eye at all cost; it's now my most treasured possession".
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