Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If the beast fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Siege Monster. The beast deals double damage to objects and structures.
Multiattack. The beast makes two Claw attacks and one Tusk attack.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (1d12 + 8) slashing damage, and if the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 21 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Tusk. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) slashing damage.
Disintegration Gaze (Recharge 5–6). The beast targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of itself. The target must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 70 (10d6 + 40) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If this magical effect reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is disintegrated and leaves nothing behind, except a pile of ashes plus whatever equipment it was wearing or carrying.
Teleport (2/Day). The beast magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
The beast 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 beast regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Tusk Attack. The beast makes one Tusk attack.
Charge (Costs 2 Actions). The beast moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks, then makes two Tusk attacks.
Frightful Howl (Costs 2 Actions). The beast howls as it exhales a cloud of magical fear gas in a 120-foot cone. Any creature in that area must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of the beast 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.
Description
Nightmare beasts are enormous quadrupeds that stand 20 feet tall, or 40 feet tall when rearing on their hind legs.
A nightmare beast’s legs end in claws, enabling it to climb well despite its size. Its skin is thick and tough, and its teeth are long and sharp. A pair of long, curved tusks jut from the sides of the beast’s mouth, and its large red eyes glow in the dark. The creature smashes through structures and fortifications with ease, and it doesn’t hesitate to rend foes with its claws and gore them with its tusks, but its most devastating attack is its magical ability to disintegrate foes with its terrible gaze.
Powerful spellcasters create nightmare beasts to serve as living siege engines. A single beast can lay waste to entire cities and armies.
wait this is a dark sun monster
Nightmare Beast has breached containment! Athas is leaking! Red alert! Red alert!
Maybe we can visit athas?
lol, we now have a mini tarrasque/ rancor substitute for dnd officially, love it, easily one of my top 5 favorite published non dragon type cr 16 creature to date
Can this creature destroy artifacts?
Its up to the dm but lore wise i would say no. Their are few things able to destroy artifacts. Something of equal or greater power has to be used. Most, if not all artifacts are created by gods, even so destroying one could takes gods a large amount of time or be impossible without help. The Tarrasque’s stomach was rumored to be able to destroy artifacts but to my lore knowledge it has never been tested.
I love this thing.
what a good boy
10/10 pupper would pet
it has Better Disintegrate. though at least you can be revived by regular resurrection with this one.
This thing is awesome! Really hope it gets a miniature.
I don’t know if it was true in other editions, but in 3.5 Nightmare beasts caused nightmares to all intelligent creature within 10 miles of their lair. They were also psionic like everything else from Dark Sun apparently.
This version seems weirdly mundane. Frankly wouldn’t be hard to fix, just give it lair actions and regional effects.
maybe they will bring that particular version back as a separate monster?
This thing is quite weak besides the disintegration graze, I play a Death Knight in the only campaign I play in rather then DM in and I think I could genuinely take it on at level 10 (minimal home brew btw, so not broken OP character besides what exists in RAW)
Make it not need to breathe and you have SPACE MINI TARRASQUE
well to be fair, the statblock is for an average example of the creature, and it's lore makes it clear there is more than one of these things
@BigHipo -- RE: Can they destroy artifacts
Not unless that is a given artifact's specific way of being destroyed.
Per DMG:
Destroying Artifacts
An artifact must be destroyed in some special way. Otherwise, it is impervious to damage.
Each artifact has a weakness by which its creation can be undone. Learning this weakness might require extensive research or the successful completion of a quest. The DM decides how a particular artifact can be destroyed. Some suggestions are provided here:
On the languages section, it says: "understands the languages of its creator but can’t speak". I read in the description that "Powerful spellcasters create nightmare beasts to serve as living siege engines. A single beast can lay waste to entire cities and armies", so does that mean that only summoned nightmare beasts exist or that summoned ones understand the languages of its creator and wild ones don't know any language? Also, if you can summon it, with which spell do you do that again (Apart from Wish, of course)?
Looks like the Gatekeepers guardians in Ghost Busters. 🤣
WOTC: Here, have monsters from spelljammer and dark sun!
Me, knowing damn well I'm using it as a template for the Siren Head monster: Oh yeah, of course!
Yup, and they did mention last year in the DND press that there would be a hint this year at another classic campaign setting coming up next year. Plus, the renders of the minis for spell jammer show a couple more darksun monsters.