Bristles. At the start of each of the scorpion's turns, any creature grappling the scorpion takes 4 (1d8) piercing damage and must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 5 (1d10) poison damage and 5 (1d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Enraging Presence. Any creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of the scorpion must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or else become magically enraged until it leaves the scorpion's presence. It can choose to fail the saving throw automatically. An enraged target can't cast spells or maintain concentration, and must use its action before moving on each of its turns to make a melee attack against a creature other than itself or to Dash closer to such a creature if none are close enough to attack. An enraged creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to this scorpion's Enraging Presence for the next 24 hours. Fiends, creatures that have a Charisma score of 2 or lower, and creatures that can't be charmed automatically succeed on the saving throw.
Keen Hearing and Smell. The scorpion has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Spider Climb. The scorpion can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Bestial Subtype. This creature is bestial, meaning the spells animal messenger, beast bond, beast sense, locate animals or plants, and speak with animals affect the creature as if it were a beast.
Multiattack. The scorpion makes three attacks: two with its claws and one with its sting. Alternatively, it makes two attacks with its bristles.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) piercing damage and 3 (1d6) fire damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 17). The scorpion has two claws, each of which can grapple only one target. While a creature is grappled in this way, it takes 3 (1d6) piercing damage and 3 (1d6) fire damage at the end of each of its turns, and if it is Medium or smaller, it is also restrained.
Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 27 (5d10) poison damage and 27 (5d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Bristles. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 16 (3d10) poison damage and 16 (3d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Description
Fell scorpions are massive fiends that resemble normal scorpions in both appearance and temperament. They are native to the Abyss, but they have been reportedly encountered in nearby planes as well. Although these creatures are nearly as intelligent as the average person, they are hateful and feral. Fell scorpions do not treat any creatures with anything less than unbridled spite and fury, even other fell scorpions. They fight each other for territory, and treat nearly all other creatures as prey to be killed on sight. Fell scorpions will continue to hunt prey even when they are too full to eat, simply for the joy they feel upon hurting and killing other creatures.
Claws and Bristles. Fell scorpions all have a pair of huge claws, each of which is covered on the inside with row upon row of searing hot teeth. These massive teeth are serrated and hooked, allowing them to tear into the prey and rip them open even as the prey is held in place. The fiend is also covered with long, spear-like bristles growing all across its carapace. Each of these bristles is tipped with a powerful venom. The scorpion is capable of flinging these bristles in a spray to threaten anything that seems to be more powerful than it.
Enraging Ambusher. The hatred and spite within a fell scorpion is so powerful that it radiates out, affecting creatures within the vicinity. Fiends are largely able to resist the effect, but travelers from other planes usually find themselves overpowered with violent rage. These scorpions have been known to burrow just beneath the ground, hiding as travelers come near. They wait until the travelers have begun to fight amongst themselves before finally emerging in a dreadful ambush.
Devils, demons, and yugoloths are not the only creatures native to the lower planes. All manner of wild beasts live as fiends among the lower planes. Some of them, such as the canine hell hounds and the equine nightmares, are well known to adventurers, while others are more enigmatic. The following fiends are native to the lower planes but live like wild, feral beasts.
Sometimes, these fiends can be summoned into the Material Plane or other planes. In rare cases, a group of wild fiends can find suitable environments to reproduce in another plane, and a small population may begin to live there, such as in a hellish volcano, poisonous jungle, frozen wasteland, or death-choked hollow.
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