Accessory Trunks. A Vampire Banyan has 12 animated trunks, which can appear anywhere within its Lair. Each trunk can move independently, but must be within 150ft of the trunk containing the Vampire Spirit. If a trunk ends its turn outside of this distance, it falls dormant. Each trunk has 32 (4d12+6) hit points.
Vampire Spirit. The Banyan's spirit occupies one of its trunks at a time. If this trunk is destroyed while the spirit occupies it, the spirit must take the Heart Of The Tree lair action next turn. If all animated accessory trunks are destroyed, the spirit flees deep into the root system. If the tree is not cut down and the root system destroyed, it will regenerate damaged trunks and return in 3d6 + 4 days. Outside of clues from its actions, the location of the spirit can be determined by a DC 30 Wisdom (Nature) or Intelligence (Arcana) check by a creature that can see the occupied trunk.
Perfect Stillness. The Vampire Banyan's outward appearance is identical to a normal banyan tree until it moves. Those with exceptional understanding of the natural world, or an uncanny ability to sense concentrations of magic, may be able to recognise the tree for what it is with a successful DC 25 Wisdom (Nature) or Intelligence (Arcana) check when they are within 60ft of one of the trunks. It can also be identified with truesight or the commune with nature spell.
Legendary Resistance (3/day). If the Vampire Banyan fails a saving throw, it may choose to succeed instead, except if the damage type is fire.
Multiattack. The Vampire Banyan makes three attacks, using any combination of Trunk Slam and Vine Lash, originating from any of its accessory trunks.
Trunk Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., 1 target. Hit: 21 (3d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
Vine Lash. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 40ft., 1 target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 21 Strength saving throw or be dragged to the trunk that made the attack and become grappled.
Strangle. The target must make a DC 23 Strength saving throw. On a failed save it takes 12 (1d12 + 6) bludgeoning damage and 12 (1d12 + 6) necrotic damage. If the trunk making the attack has taken damage, its regenerates the same amount of necrotic damage dealt, up to its hit point maximum.
Choking fog (recharge 5-6). The Banyan raises an acrid mist from the damp earth and swampy waters, in a 40ft sphere centrered around any of its currently animated trunks. Any creature other than the Banyan which starts its turn within the mist must make a DC 21 Constitution saving throw, taking 68 (8d12 + 16) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. The mist disperses at the beginning of the Banyan's next turn.
Wounded Shriek. The first time the trunk occupied by the Vampire Banyan's spirit is damaged in a round, it lets out a psychic shriek of pain and rage to defend itself. The creature landing the hit must make a DC17 Charisma saving throw or suffer (2d6 + 8) psychic damage.
The Vampire Banyan 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 Banyan regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. If the trunk containing its spirit has been destroyed, it cannot take Legendary Actions until its spirit has occupied a new trunk.
Thirsting Vines. The Banyan uses its strangle attack on a creature that is grappled by one of its accessory trunks.
Dart Spray. Launching a hail of tiny thorns, the Banyan peppers a 30ft radius area with poisoned darts. Each creature in the area must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, they take 2 (1d4) piercing damage and 16 (1d12 + 8) poison damage, and are [condition]poisoned[/conidition] for 10 rounds. On a successful save, they take only the piercing damage, and feel a mild burning sensation.
Put Down Roots. Vines dangling from the Banyan's branches twist together and swell, quickly reaching the ground and becoming a solid trunk. A new awakened trunk forms 30ft away from the trunk currently occupied by the Banyan's spirit. Only usable once per round.
Visage Of Despair. Choose one creature within 60ft of the trunk occupied by the Banyan's spirit; it must be able to see the trunk. It sees a nightmarish face form in the trunk, and must make a DC22 Charisma saving throw or suffer 17 (2d12 + 4) psychic damage and become frightened for one minute. It may reroll the save at the end of each of its turns; on a successful save it loses the condition and is immune to the effect for 24 hours.
Description
In the creeping mists of coastal swamps, adventurers have much to fear, but few are more deadly than the Vampire Banyan. A vast tangle of branches drop roots like vines into the murky swamp waters, making identifying the central trunk next to impossible. Little is known about how these creatures come in to being, but some survivors who have escaped their clutches have reported that they had been passing the same banyan for years, and had never been attacked before. Was it an ordinary plant awakened by some twisted magic since their last visit? Was it merely dormant? Nobody truly knows, and certainly no-one dares to find out.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Vampire Banyan is its own lair. Banyans cover vast areas, a single plant extending hundreds of feet in every direction, dropping new trunk-like roots into the swamp to support their branches. The ground is a tangle of roots and vines, stagnant pools covered in algae looking identical to the damp moss-covered muddy patches next to them. Within one mile of the Vampire Banyan, strange mists swirl with deceptive half-shadows looking like movement, and a cloying miasma of rotting vegetable matter and decaying flesh permeates the area. Closer to the centre, the corpses of ensnared creatures, in various states of decay, lie tangled in the roots, or suspended mid-air wrapped in vines.
At the core of a Vampire Banyan's lair, its accessory trunks can move, attacking nearby creatures, and it is often difficult to discern which trunk is occupied by ravenous spirit that animates them. Vampire Banyan's can move, but slowly; moving at most 3 miles per day.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Vampire Banyan takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the Vampire Banyan can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row, with the exception of taking Heart of the tree if its currently occupied trunk is destroyed.
- Heart of the tree. The Vampire Banyan's spirit may change the trunk it is occupying to any of the other animated trunks. It only takes this action if the currently occupied trunk is destroyed.
- Lacerating thorns. Vines with vicious barbs unfurl from up to 3 of the animated trunks. All creatures within 30ft of these trunks must make a DC16 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save they take 16 (4d6 + 2) damage.
- Befuddling mist. A 60ft sphere of mist forms anywhere within 120ft of the trunk occupied by the Banyan's spirit. Visibility within the mist is reduced to 10ft. Each creature which starts its turn in the mist must make a DC 19 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the creature hallucinates, and its speech, vision, and actions are impaired. Physical attacks, ability checks, and spell attacks with a verbal component are rolled with disadvantage, until the beginning of its next turn. The mist lasts for 1 minute.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary Vampire Banyan's lair is warped, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Creatures which take a long rest within three miles of the Vampire Banyan's lair are at risk of being attacked by creeping vines. Each creature that rests must make a DC16 Wisdom saving throw or take 16 (4d8 + 2) necrotic damage as thorny vines grow into their campsite to suck on their blood. If a party takes more than one long rest in this area, the Vampire Banyan attacks them during the second rest.
- The swamplands that the Banyan lives in are filled with swirling mists which obscure the sun and confuse direction, poisonous fungi grow that mimic edible mushrooms, and game animals are scarce. Survival checks within three miles of the Banyan's lair are made with disadvantage.
If the Vampire Banyan dies, these effects fade over the course of 3d10 days.
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