Creature of Death. When the vulture is subjected to necrotic damage, while its Shadow Shield is active, it regains 26 (4d12) hit points.
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the vulture's darkvision.
Innate Spellcasting. The vulture's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 23, +14 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: arms of hadar, darkness, dust devil, scatter, silence
3/day each: hypnotic pattern, mirror image, stinking cloud
1/day each: blight, circle of death, cloudkill, contagion, enervation, finger of death, negative energy flood
Keen Sight and Smell. The vulture has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight or smell.
Legendary Resistance of the Shadows (3/Day). If the vulture fails a saving throw, while its Shadow Shield is active, it can choose to succeed instead.
Shadow Shield. The vulture is shrouded in shadows. While the vulture isn't incapacitated, dim light within 20 feet of the vulture is turned into magical darkness, and bright light in the same area is turned into dim light. If any of this area overlaps with an area of light created by a spell, the spell that created the light is dispelled.
The vulture can dismiss or restore the shadows as a bonus action. While the shadow shield is active the vulture is resistant to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from non-magical weapons that aren't silvered (it is vulnerable to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from attacks made with silvered weapons when the shadow shield is inactive), as well to radiant damage (this bypasses its vulnerability). In addition, while the shadow shield is active whenever a creature within 20 feet of the vulture hits it with an attack, the shadows lash out at that creature, dealing it 13 (2d12) necrotic damage.
Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The vulture takes 20 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. While its shadow shield is active it is unaffected by this.
Multiattack. The vulture makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its talons.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (4d8 + 9) piercing damage plus 13 (2d12) necrotic damage.
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (4d6 + 9) slashing damage plus 13 (2d12) necrotic damage. If the target is a Huge or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 24). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained. The vulture can only have one Huge creature or two Large or smaller creatures grappled in this way at a time, and if the vulture cannot grapple another creature it can't use its talons on another target.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the vulture's choice that is within 120 feet of the vulture and aware of it must succeed on a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, 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 vulture's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
The vulture 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 vulture regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Beak. The vulture makes a beak attack.
Death's Grip. The vulture deals 26 (4d12) to a creature it has grappled, and the vulture regains hit points equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt.
Frightful Presence. The vulture uses its Frightful Presence.
At-Will Spell (Costs 2 Actions). The vulture casts one of its at-will spells.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The vulture beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the vulture must succeed on a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The vulture can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Life Sink (Costs 3 Actions). The vulture imbibes the life force from the creatures around it. Each creature within 20 feet of the vulture must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw, taking 26 (4d12) on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. If at least one creature — that isn't resistant to necrotic damage — failed the saving throw, the vulture regains hit points equal to the damage roll.
Description
Colossal vultures look like red-headed vultures (Sarcogyps calvus) except, with one-hundred-foot wingspans. Though their appearance typically is shrouded by shadows. Unlike most vultures they also actively hunt rather than scavenging off carcasses. They tend to prey on larger creatures like dinosaurs, elephants and monstrosities (like bulettes) in order to sustain themselves, however they prefer humanoid flesh and have even taken a liking to the flesh of undead — which prove to be easy pickings. However, when it comes to its favorite food, that would have to fall on dragons, but most dragons have learned to stay well out of their way, and those that don't, end up dead. As such, it is not uncommon for creatures, that live in the hunting grounds of these massive birds, to loose their fear of dragons (if they were ever afraid of them to begin with) and count those who have to deal dragons as lucky. However, such people tend to try and leave the area as soon as possible, though these birds will move with their prey if their prey leaves the area.
Most other colossal beasts are too strong for it to be worth the colossal vulture's efforts. However, conversely, colossal bears, elks, eagles and wolves, will attack colossal vultures. As a result, colossal vultures tend to avoid the areas that those creatures roam. Though the greatest threat to a colossal vulture are creatures that can incapacitate it, as they can strip it off the protection that its shadow shield provides for it. Humanoid settlements that know this are always looking for ways to do this to a colossal vulture, and would pay a great deal of money to be able to fend these vultures off.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Colossal Vulture's Lair
A colossal vulture's lair is its nest and the area within 500 feet of it. A colossal vulture typically makes its nest on rocky outcrops or hills in or near arid locations.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the vulture takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The vulture fills any number of 5-foot squares on the ground within the lair with yellow nauseating gas, making them heavily obscured. The gas reaches 10 feet high. Each creature that is completely within the gas at the start of its turn must make a DC 23 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 10 (3d6) poison damage, the creature spends its action that turn retching and reeling and the creature is poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and suffers none of the spell's other effects. Creatures that don't need to breathe or are immune to poison automatically succeed on this saving throw. The gas lasts until the vulture uses a different lair action, or until strong wind disperses the gas.
- The vulture casts the dust devil spell. The vulture doesn't need to concentrate on the spell, which ends on initiative count 20 of the next round.
- Each creature of the vulture's choice, in the vulture's lair, must make a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is teleported to a point on the ground that the vulture can see, that is not in the vulture's lair but that is no more than 600 feet away from where the creature was.
- Magical darkness spreads from a point the vulture chooses within 60 feet of it, filling a 15-foot-radius sphere. The darkness spreads around corners. A creature with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. If any of the effect’s area overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower, the spell that created the light is dispelled. If a creature starts its turn in the darkness it must make a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw, taking 13 (3d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. The darkness lasts until initiative count 20 the next round.
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