Bone Spikes. At the start of each of the snail's turns, it deals 7 (2d6) piercing damage to any creature grappling it.
Cleansed by Salt. For every 5 feet the snail moves across salt, or for every pound of salt thrown onto it, it takes 3 (1d6) radiant damage.
Ichor Trail. If the snail moves across a surface on its turn, it leaves slimy ichor on the surface in its path that lasts until the end of its next turn. The path of ichor is as wide as the snail's space, and it is constantly bubbling and releasing caustic fumes that reach 10 feet high. When a creature that isn't a hell snail enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn within the area, it must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed saving throw, the creature takes 9 (2d8) acid damage and 13 (2d12) poison damage and it is poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a success, it takes half as much damage and it isn't poisoned.
Spider Climb. The snail can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Spike Spray. When the snail takes more than 20 damage in one turn, its bone spikes launch from its shell in all directions. Each creature within 30 feet of the snail that isn't a hell snail must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or else take 10 (3d6) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) fire damage. Until the spikes regrow at the end of its next turn, the snail's Bone Spikes trait and this trait do not activate.
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.
Radula. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage plus 9 (2d8) acid damage and 10 (3d6) fire damage.
Spray Spikes. The snail activates its Spike Spray trait as if it had taken damage.
Withdraw. The snail withdraws into its shell. Until it emerges, it gains a +4 bonus to AC, it gains immunity to all damage types that it normally resists, and it has advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws. While in its shell, its speed is 0 and can't increase, it has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws, it can't take reactions, and the only action it can take is a bonus action to emerge from its shell.
Description
Hell snails are a wild fiend native to the Nine Hells, but not actually a form of devil. Some stories claim that the snails live in the caverns and deserts of the Shadowfell as well, a leftover remnant from an ancient invasion by the forces of the Nine Hells.
Fiercely Territorial. Hell snails are territorial to an extreme. The creatures utterly refuse to fight with each other unless they are pushed into each others' territory by outside forces. Hell snails mark their boundaries on a regular basis using the trails of ichor left in their path. Any creatures that haplessly wander into a hell snail's territory should be considered lucky if they survive.
Domesticated by Devils. The devils of the Nine Hells frequently capture hell snails in an attempt to tame the wild fiends. The snails are trained with morsels of food and punished with lightning whips. The eventual result is the snail's submission to the devil's will, enabling the snail to act as sentinels, beasts of burden, and beasts of war. The hell snail's territorial nature makes it eager to fight anyone that trespasses through the Nine Hells.
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.
Comments