Beasts of the Mist. The Wendol always seem to attack while there is mist, as an action the Wendol Mother can create a thick fog in the area out to a mile. The Wendol can see through this mist but others cannot giving attacks made against the Wendol disadvantage and gives the Wendol half cover from ranged attacks.
Hiding from the Truth. The Wendol Mother can use a limited amount of Disguise Self to hide her true appearance. This cannot change the height or overall shape of the Wendol Mother but it can hide the colors of her body, the antlers, and claws. The face will become that of a pretty middle aged woman with long black hair, fair skin, and brown deer legs.
Horrific Appearance. Any humanoid that starts its turn within 60 feet of the Wendol Mother and can see its true form must make a DC 14 wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is paralyzed with fear for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the Wendol Mother is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the Horrific Appearance effect for the next 24 hours.
Unless the target is surprised or the revelation of the Wendol Mother's true form is sudden, the target can avert its eyes and avoid making the initial saving throw. Until the start of its next turn, a creature that averts its eyes has disadvantage on attack rolls against the Wendol Mother.
Spellcasting. The Wendol Mother is a 18th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). The Wendol Mother has following Druid spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): Druidcraft, Poison Spray, Produce Flame, and Thorn Whip
1st level (4 slots): Charm Person, Detect Magic, Entangle, Faerie Fire, Fog Cloud, Jump, Longstrider, Thunderwave
2nd level (3 slots): Enhance Ability, Flaming Sphere, Heat Metal, Hold Person, Pass without Trace, and Spike Growth
3rd level (3 slots): Call Lightning, Dispel Magic, Sleet Storm
4th level (3 slots): Blight, Confusion, Dominate Beast, Hallucinatory Terrain, Ice Storm, Polymorph
5th level (3 slots): Antilife Shell, Contagion, Geas, Planar Binding, Scrying, Tree Stride
6th level (2 slots): Move Earth, Transport via Plants, Wall of Thorns
7th level (2 slots): Plane Shift, Regenerate, Reverse Gravity
8th level (1 slots): Control Weather, Earthquake, Feeblemind
9th level (1 slots): Storm of Vengeance
Multiattack. The Wendol Mother can take two claw attacks as an action. If both of these claw attacks succeed then the target is considered Grappled and the Wendol Mother can make a Bite attack as a bonus action.
Multicast. The Wendol Mother can cast a two spells on its turn by using an action and a bonus action, however, one of the spells must be at third level or lower.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., 1 target. Hit: 18 (2d8 + 10) slashing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach Grappled Enemy, 1 target. Hit: 30 (4d8 + 10) piercing damage. On a successful bite the target must make a consitution save with two DCs. The first is DC 16, on a failure the target takes 4d8 poison damage and is considered poisoned and on a success the target is not considered poisoned for 4d4 days. Wendol poison takes the form of thick black liquid dripping out of the creature's mouth. The target who is poisoned by a Wendol must make a DC 16 consitution saving throw or suffer additonal effects. The base poisoned condition applies regardless and can be cured by a Lesser Restoration spell. The additional effects are a reduction of the hit point maximum of the target by 5d10 lasting the same number of days and must be cured by a Greater Restoration spell. Should this effect reduce the hit point maximum of a creature to zero or below the target dies.
As a bonus action the Wendol Mother may activate any of the Lair Actions, or make a Bite attack on a Grappled enemy.
Reaction Spells. The Wendol Mother may cast any spell that is cast as a reaction from its spell list as a reaction.
Deranged Howl. After taking damage the Wendol may use its reaction to let forth a frightening and deranged howl. Enemy creatures within 120ft must make a DC 18 wisdom saving throw of be frightened of the Wendol Mother for one minute. Additionally, any other Wendols within ten miles will come to the aid of the howling Wendol Mother.
The Wendol Mother 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 Wendol Chief regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Multiattack (Costs 1 Action). The Wendol Mother makes two claw attacks as a legendary action. If these attacks are successful on the same target the target is considered Grappled.
Multicast (Costs 2 Actions). The Wendol Mother can cast a spell at any level as a legendary action.
Return to Lair (Costs 3 Actions). The Wendol Mother may use all three legendary actions at once to teleport back to an unoccupied space anywhere within her Lair. This is primarily used to escape a battle while she is outside of her Lair.
Description
An ancient horror from the southern reach of Hallenhold. The Wendol Mother is amoung the most feared legends in the Hallen culture. It is believed that the Wendol Mother steals away humans and uses dark magic to combine the body with that of animals found around its Lair to make new Wendol. While her true origins are unknown there are three common tales related to it. The first is that she was once a kind witch of the wood that was betrayed by a local village and as revenge she used her magic to change herself and the villagers into the Wendol. The second is a belief that she was once a village Shaman who spoke against the teachings of the Frostmaiden and then the Goddess cursed her and her followers. The third is that the Wendol Mother is a demon banished from the Abyss that now serves its sentence in the frozen wastes south of Hallenhold. Standing at twelve feet tall the Wendol Mother is a horror to see and any adventurer that sees her must withstand her Horrific Appearance. Covered in black fur and dark grey skin the Wendol Mother has body parts from different animals. Almost half of the Wendol Mother's height is made up of the tall fury and hooved deer legs. The abdomine and chest are rough skin with old, bloody, and ripped leather covering her breasts. The shoulders and back of the neck are covered in thick fur. The elongated arms are covered in fur down to the wrists where the hands are in rough skin. The claws that come from each finger are long and black that reach almost to the floor. The head of the Wendol Mother is a grey skin covered skull with black eyes holding small glowing pale green flames. The nose is sunken in and the lipless mouth is filled with jagged and sharp fanges that drip the thick black Wendol poison. Instead of ears the Wendol Mother has two sets of antlers coming out of the side of its head. Coming out of the top of its head are a set of small deer antlers and below them on the side of the head are a pair of strange fur covered moose antlers.
Lair and Lair Actions
The Wendol Lair as a whole is a series of cave systems deep within cliffs on the southern end of Hallenhold. The maze of a cave system has knee high mist throughout the whole system with a large final cave room where the Wendol Mother spends most of her time. Within the upper half of the cave system it is very cold due to the arctic region but the lower half is much warmer. The ceiling of the room itself is covered in stalactites and the floor in stalagmites with some dripping water due to the nature of the cave. The floor is covered in the old gnawed on bones of humanoids and there are several bone chimes hanging throughout the chamber. At the center of the room is a small alter with the fused skull of a deer and bear as well as fresher bodies of both animals and humans. There are also some crude tools on this alter and bowls of blood, the Wendol poison, and organs.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (going before any players or creatures), the Wendol Mother takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the Wendol can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Create thick mist: the first lair action will almost always be to fill the room with a thick mist that has the same effects of the Beasts of the Mist special trait.
- Create Wendol: the Wendol Mother may make one new Wendol to help defend her.
- End Spell Effect: the Wendol Mother can end one lingering spell effect on herself, an ally, or an area.
- Fade into the Mist: the Wendol Mother will briefly disappear into the mist. The Wendol Mother can then move up to her full movement, while invisible, to move as a lair action and will reappear at the beginning of her next turn. The Wendol Mother must make a stealth check to determine whether the party can keep track of her while she moves and while invisible attacks against her have disadvantage.
Regional Effects
The region containing a Wendol’s lair is almost always an arctic region and the layer is always within a cave system near fresh water, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- A radius of ten miles from the Wendol Mother's chamber is covered in a light knee high mist at all times.
- The fresh water near the entrance to the cave is tainted with Wendol poison and if a creature drinks the water they must make a consitution save with two DCs. The first is DC 14, on a failure the target takes 4d4 poison damage and is considered poisoned for 1d4 days and on a success the target is not considered poisoned. The target who is poisoned by a Wendol must make a DC 12 consitution saving throw or suffer additonal effects. The base poisoned condition applies regardless and can be cured by a Lesser Restoration spell. The additional effects are a reduction of the hit point maximum of the target by 2d6 lasting the same number of days and must be cured by a Greater Restoration spell. Should this effect reduce the hit point maximum of a creature to zero or below the target dies.
- While within the mist surrounding the Lair the party will feel in danger and on edge. If they choose to sleep in this area they must make a DC 12 wisdom save or wake up with one point of exhaustion. Additionally, finding wild life other then ravens is rare within this area.
If the Wendol Mother dies, the mist and strange feeling around it will disappear right away. The effects on the fresh water will fade away in 4d4 days after the last time a Wendol drinks from it. However, should any Wendol be left alive they can continue to poison the water wherever they live, but without the Wendol Mother they cannot reproduce in any way.
Comments