Magic Scent. The arcane muncher can pinpoint, by scent, the location of magical items within 30 feet of it.
Arcane Absorption. Any magical weapon or item that hits or touches the arcane muncher has its power siphoned. After dealing damage, the weapon loses any magical benefits outside of treating its damage as magical until the end of the attacking creature's next turn. If the weapon or item comes into contact with the muncher again before the end of the attacking creature's next turn it becomes completely nonmagical for 1 minute. If the object comes into contact with an arcane muncher again before this minute has passed its residual magic is absorbed and the item ceases to be a magical item indefinitely.
Magic Targeter. When attacking a creature wearing magical clothing or armor its attack bonus is doubled and the dc on its tentacle action increases by 2.
Magic Resistance. The arcane muncher hive guard has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Gestating Death. When the arcane muncher queen drops below half its total hitpoints it begins to form a new batch of 3d8 eggs in its abdomen that develop by the end of the queen's next turn. If the queen dies after these eggs are formed they hatch in 1d4 days and the hatchlings devour the corpse of the queen becoming new queens of their own after 1d4 weeks, in which time they will scatter to form their own hives. A corpse must be burned or the eggs inside destroyed in order to prevent this.
Multiattack. The arcane muncher makes three bite attacks, it may replace two of these attacks with its tentacle.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d12 + 3) piercing damage.
Tentacle. The arcane muncher lashes out at a magical object it can see within 15 feet of it. If the object isn't being worn or carried, the touch drains the object of its magic completely and it becomes a mundane object, objects that are larger than a 5x5 square take 2d10 rounds in contact with the tentacle to be fully drained. If the object is being worn or carried by a creature, the creature can make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw to avoid the arcane muncher's touch. If the creature fails the saving throw a magic item of the arcane muncher's choice is subjected to the first stage of its arcane absorption trait, failing by 5 or more the item is subjected to the second stage of the trait. When magic is absorbed through the arcane muncher's tentacles it gains 15 temporary hitpoints.
The arcane muncher queen 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 arcane muncher queen regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Bite. The arcane muncher queen makes one bite attack.
Tentacle (Costs 2 Actions). The arcane muncher queen makes one tentacle attack.
Call the Hive (Costs 3 actions). The arcane muncher queen releases a telepathic wave to all arcane munchers within 1 mile of it, calling for aid. Any arcane muncher that can receive the signal is allowed to move towards the arcane muncher queen immediately. If they are within 5 feet of a hostile creature and within 30 feet of the queen the arcane muncher may instead make 1 bite attack at advantage.
Description
Arcane Munchers are arthropodic creatures resembling rust monsters, albeit with tentacles instead of antennae and appearing in vibrant colors and patterns. Like rust monsters they are incredibly ravenous creatures that seek to eat their own weight a day. Most of a arcane muncher's diet is comprised of fungus and roots that it constantly forages for, however, their truest desire it to devour the arcane energy found in magical substances and items. The presence of such items provoke the hunting instincts and aggression of arcane munchers.This has made them a prominent nuisance and danger for adventurers and arcanists whom become targets for the normally docile insectoids.
Arcane Munchers due to their appetites and tastes wander further from where they spawn than normal rust monsters, this leads to them being found in a variety of environments. Despite their wide ranging and nomadic ways these creatures will always try and lair in dark, damp areas when not foraging or hunting, it is believed their eggs require low light and high humidity in order to gestate.
These arthropod monsters also prefer to live and travel in groups. Commonly they forage and hunt in small packs of 4-8 drones but large hives consisting of hundreds have also been found. When such a hive is formed the largest female undergoes a metamorphosis into a queen, growing larger and dominant while taking on a majority of the hive's reproduction. Queen arcane munchers are able to lay dozens of eggs at a time compared to normal females and can give rise to other variations not commonly found in smaller packs. Known variations are the common drone, more predatory warriors, the volatile magebugs, and the powerful centurions.
Lair and Lair Actions
When fighting inside its lair, an arcane muncher queen reacts extremely defensively using the prepared defenses of its hive to take lair actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the arcane muncher queen takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The arcane muncher queen releases its ambient magic siphoning energy into the area within 60 feet of it. This energy flows around corners and magical weapons and spell attacks are disrupted until initiative count 20, losing ties, of the next round. This causes them to make their attack rolls at disadvantage.
- The arcane muncher queen and her hive vibrate at a frequency that disrupts the foundations of rocks the queen instructs her hive to carve out while building their nest, all rocky ground becomes difficult terrain to creatures other than the arcane munchers and 1d4 stones fall from the ceiling in the queens throne cavern causing creatures within 5 feet of their drop to make a DC 13 Dex save or take 4d4 bludgeoning damage.
- With a shriek the arcane muncher queen releases 2d4 eggs that become swarm of infant arcane munchers (swarm of spiders), 1d4 eggs becoming normal arcane munchers, or 1 egg of a more powerful arcane muncher variant. These creatures take their turn on initiative count 20, losing ties, and have 1 hit point.
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