Perception Warp Riftwalker: Shadows, corners, and all spaces where there exists that flicker of something just out of sight are where the Maw can take form. These spaces house portions or slivers in space in which Marshmellow slips through from his Abyssal leash at the Doormaster's side. Marshmellow can as a bonus action or Legendary action, sink into shadows, cracks, places just outside of sight and travel parallel through planes. Most notably slipping in and out of the Abyss at the speed of thoughts.
Amorphous Footing: Marshmellow ignores difficult terrain, warping into the spaces to fill and suit.
Door Master's Blooded Hound: While in other planes the Maw can track souls as if they were upon the same plane. A target of the Maw can make a Wisdom Saving throw (18-20 dependent on the CR of its Master.). Upon a success they are immune from the natural scrying and tracking of the Maw for 24hrs. A target of the Maw is usually reserved for the one directed by its Master and can be more than one soul, although splices of the Maw will become a lower CR to suit. It is also usually partial to targeting that which brings it into the world in the first place.
Crime against Reality: When the Maw begins to be summoned, typically by thought or by name it shifts the world in an unnatural way allowing madness and chaos to stream into whatever area it is called to. Environmental effects vary according to DM discretion. These shifts can be the changing of temperature, the loss of polar directions, warped senses of time and gravity like days have eclipsed, audio or visual hallucinations, oozing where there shouldn't be, existential terror/dread, and in the case of divine senses an all encompassing shroud of never-ending hunger that always follows from below. Upon full summoning or a short time in the presence of the Maw, DM discretion on whether a saving throw (Wisdom 18-20) is necessary to stem off effects of playful Minor to intermediate Madness. See DM table of Madness. Prolonged exposure warps the mind further until permanent madness takes root.
Crime against Nature: The natural sinks beneath the Abyss and as such so too does nature sink under the effect of a Maw. Trees will whither, and any organic material eaten by the Maw is immediately integrated and twisted within the depth of it. Souls not claimed by the Master will be broken down and permanently destroyed. Death by the Maw is permanent unless undone by the Wish spell.
Crime against Death: Upon defeat the Maw returns to the depths of the abyss, memory of it being torn away from the minds of those which stumbled upon it, save its Master. If physical evidence of it looms, it may return if rediscovered, as if it never died at all.
Loyal Pup: Loyalty of the Maw to its Master is absolute. It is Immune to charm spells, suggestion, and madness's that would turn it upon its Master. It is after all, a very good dog. It sees all other targets unless specified by the Master as either souls to take or food, and it is always hungry.
Legendary Resistance (3 per day): The Maw can turn a failure into a success.
Multiattack: The Maw makes Three Bite attacks, or a variation on Claw and bite depending on form.
Necrosis Bite/Claw: A Melee bite attack (5ft range - 15ft depending on the form it is summoned as, be it small to huge) +14to hit, 2d10+10 (magical piercing/slashing) Additionally the target if hit will need to make a Constitution 16 save or take 6d6 necrotic damage on a fail, half upon a success. If a claw attack there is no Necrotic effect.
Abyssal Shards Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 60/120ft., 1 target. Hit: (2d8 + 8) Necrotic] damage.
Reality Break: (1/Long Rest) The Maw chooses a target within 60ft of itself
Target failing a Wisdom saving throw can't take reactions until the spell ends. A failing target rolls a d10 at the start of each of its turns to determine the spell's effect that turn, as shown below. The target rolls another Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the spell.
1-2: The target takes 6d12 psychic damage, and is stunned until the end of its turn.
3-5: The target must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 8d12 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
6-8: The target is teleported, along with everything it is wearing and carrying, up to 30 feet to an unoccupied visible space of the caster's choice. The target also takes 10d12 force damage and is knocked prone.
9-10: The target takes 10d12 cold damage, and it is blinded until the end of the turn.
Riftwalk: As a Bonus Action the Maw slips onto another plane.
Dash: As a Bonus action the Maw can move up to its speed
Hide: As a Bonus action the Maw can hide.
Magical Disruption: As a reaction to a spell being cast within 60ft of itself, it can let out a tonal frequency that forces the caster to roll a d20, on a 10 or lower the spell fails. On an 11 or Higher it Succeeds.
The Maw has 3 legendary actions it can take per round. It can choose any of the following at the end of a PC's turn.
Legendary Resistance (3 per day): The Maw can turn a failure into a success.
Riftwalk: (Costs 1 Action) The Maw slips into any crack or shadow of reality, ending up on a mirroring field in the abyss and leaving the material behind.
Stalk: (Costs 1 Action) The Maw can move up to its speed in any direction.
Abyssal Shriek: (Costs 2 Action) Any Creature within 60ft around the Maw when is shrieks must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or become Frightened for one minute. Ability Checks, Attacks, and Saving throws are at disadvantage while the source of the fear is within line of sight. A failure of 5 or more incurs a further terror and must immediately run from the source of their fear. A failure of 10 or more incurs a madness (Table as DM's Disgression). A target may make a save at the end of each of their turns. Once a target saves it cannot be affected in this manner for 24 hours. Any who fail the save for the first time take 4d6 Psychic damage and half on a successful save.
Gnashing Teeth: (Costs 2 Action) The Maw chooses up to three targets in 60ft of itself. From the warps of reality it lunges and strikes making a melee bite attack +12 to hit on each of its targets. On a hit the target takes 2d10+10 and additionally, the targets must make a Constitution saving throw DC 16 taking half damage on a success. On a fail, the target is teleported ten feet closer to the center of the Maw and takes 6d6 Necrotic damage as the Maw's abyssal drool infects their veins.
Enter the description for how mythic actions work for your monster here.
Mythic Action Name (Costs # Actions). Enter the description for your mythic action.
Description
This creature is a thought crime. The wayward children of the Oldest Madness. There exists no proper texts to describe what exactly the Maw is and even knowing that colloquialism can be enough to summon one. It appears through folklore sparsely and never with anything more than a passing glance. At first it was curious, that such a creature? No, beast? Sometimes? Horror, would exist and not be noted for the world to take heed of and combat. Even among devils, the beings for which higher echelons tame such things, mention them naught. For to think of one, to know of one, to call for one, is to make such a crime against life and thought real. It will manifest wherever it is thought of, spoken of, ordered to. A wizard once wrote that some things even thought of, would never again fade into obscurity. This is such a creature. No one knows for sure what one looks like, only that it can be. That it shouldn't be. Does it have teeth or claws? Wings or fur? Is it among those abhorrent things which peel off from eldritch gods?
No one can tell you, not even their handlers. The forms of noted Maw's could be best described as whatever twisted malformation you believe it is. A dragon? Then it will be such, gnashing teeth and scales of bone, gold, and so many talons. The one you see with you however is as its Master believes, a dog. His dog. A Greyhound creature of skeletal proportions, small, but so dense is its aura that is is larger. Three heads, mouths slavering with the ooze of the abyss. Eyes, so many, teeth too many, and as all Maws the inability to decipher friend from foe unless directive had been given.
Woe be unto the wizard too curious, the cultist too sincere, the adventurer too perceptive to learn of one. Thought Crimes never really die, do they? There is a reason some gates are better left sealed.
It is important to note that if the perception of the Maw is a flying creature then it will be capable of flight, and other features may be gained or lost depending on what the perception of its summon will be. If one imagines it with wings, then wings it has. Its form and size are up to DM discretion.
Lair and Lair Actions
Enter a description of your monster's lair here.
Lair Actions
On initiative count # (losing initiative ties), the [monster name] takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the [monster name] can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Enter a description for a lair action.
- Enter a description for a lair action.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary [monster name]’s lair is [enter the effect description], which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Enter a regional effect description.
- Enter a regional effect description.
If the [monster name] dies, these effects fade over the course of #d# days.
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