Inscrutable. The sphinx is immune to any effect that would sense its emotions or read its thoughts, as well as any divination spell that it refuses. Wisdom (Insight) checks made to ascertain the sphinx's intentions or sincerity have disadvantage.
Magic Weapons. The sphinx's weapon attacks are magical.
Spellcasting. The sphinx is a 12th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It requires no material components to cast its spells. The sphinx has the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): sacred flame, spare the dying, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): command, detect evil and good, guiding bolt
2nd level (3 slots): hold person, zone of truth
3rd level (3 slots): dispel magic, daylight
4th level (3 slots): banishment, freedom of movement
5th level (2 slots): flame strike, insect plague
6th level (1 slot): harm
Multiattack. The sphinx makes two claw attacks.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) slashing damage.
Roar (3/Day). The sphinx emits a magical roar. Each time it roars before finishing a long rest, the roar is louder and the effect is different, as detailed below. Each creature within 500 feet of the sphinx and able to hear the roar must make a saving throw.
First Roar. Each creature that fails a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw is frightened for 1 minute. A frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Second Roar. Each creature that fails a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw is deafened and frightened for 1 minute. A frightened creature is paralyzed and can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Third Roar. Each creature makes a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 44 (8d10) thunder damage and is knocked prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't knocked prone.
Teleport. The sphinx magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Antimagic Liability. While in the area of an antimagic field, the sphinx suffers a -2 penalty to its AC, has its speed halved, and can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both. If targeted by dispel magic, the sphinx must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster’s spell save DC or suffer the same effect. It may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Divided Body. The sphinx rolls for initiative twice: once for its living half and once for its constructed half, and it takes two turns in the initiative order. The living half takes the higher initiative and the constructed half takes the lower. On a tie, the living half goes first. Additionally, if the sphinx is stunned, it is not incapacitated, it can still move and speak, it does not automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws, and attack rolls against it do not have advantage. Instead, it cannot act on the turn of its living half.
The sphinx 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 sphinx regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Claw Attack. The sphinx makes one claw attack.
Teleport (Costs 2 Actions). The sphinx magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Cast a Spell (Costs 3 Actions). The sphinx casts a spell from its list of prepared spells, using a spell slot as normal.
Description
As divinely summoned spirits, sphinxes can attract the attention of foolish or desperate seekers of power. While most attempts to control a sphinx fail miserably, the corrupted sphinx is a rare exception that demonstrates how enchantments and transmutations, when misapplied, can go horribly right.
Fallen Guardians. At its simplest, a corrupted sphinx is an androsphinx or gynosphinx that has been subdued at great cost and then magically tinkered with, transforming it into a malformed hybrid of mechanical parts, geas-like enchantments, and the sphinx’s own unnatural flesh. Placed under unlawful control by its manufactured half, a corrupted sphinx quickly goes mad, unable to reconcile its innate need to fulfill its duty with the obligation it has to its new master's magically enforced demands. Sometimes, this causes the half-monster, half-construct to uncontrollably go mad, freeing it from magical control, but also cursing it with a chaotic sense of futility and destructiveness.
Reliving the Past. A corrupted sphinx, when freed, will seek out its former abode, driven by its duty. If it cannot find its former post, or if its post has been desecrated or destroyed, the sphinx will create any kind of mockery or travesty of a temple it can muster and protect it out of a need to serve as a guardian of anything. A broken wreck, the corrupted sphinx lashes out at any wanderers and adventurers who come across it, demanding answers to nonsense riddles and trying to destroy them when the responses are unsatisfactory.
A Corrupted Sphinx's Lair
As a side-effect of its half-transmutation, a corrupted sphinx loses many of its arcane talents. However, its celestial nature still warps the territory it guards, whatever the nature of that place. This can sometimes grant it lair actions of staggering power.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Sphinx’s Lair
A sphinx presides over an ancient temple, sepulcher, or vault, within which are hidden divine secrets and treasures beyond the reach of mortals.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the sphinx can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the sphinx can’t use an effect again until it finishes a short or long rest:
- The flow of time is altered such that every creature in the lair must reroll initiative. The sphinx can choose not to reroll.
- The effects of time are altered such that every creature in the lair must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become 1d20 years older or younger (the sphinx’s choice), but never any younger than 1 year old. A greater restoration spell can restore a creature’s age to normal.
- The flow of time within the lair is altered such that everything within moves up to 10 years forward or backward (sphinx’s choice). Only the sphinx is immediately aware of the time change. A wish spell can return the caster and up to seven other creatures designated by the caster to their normal time.
- The sphinx shifts itself and up to seven other creatures it can see within in its lair to another plane of existence. Once outside its lair, the sphinx can’t use lair actions, but it can return to its lair as a bonus action on its turn, taking up to seven creatures with it.
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