Ooze Cube. The box takes up its entire space. Other creatures can enter the space, but a creature that does so is subjected to the box's Engulf and has disadvantage on the saving throw.
Creatures inside the box can be seen but have total cover.
A creature within 5 feet of the box can take an action to pull a creature or object out of the cube. Doing so requires a successful DC 12 Strength check, and the creature making the attempt takes 10 (4d6) acid damage.
The box can hold only one Large creature or up to four Medium or smaller creatures inside it at a time.
Transparent. Even when the box is in plain sight, it takes a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to spot a box that has neither moved nor attacked. A creature that tries to enter the cube's space while unaware of the cube is surprised by the box.
Turn Resistance. The lich has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.
Spellcasting. The box is an 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 10, +4 to hit with spell attacks). The box has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): glyph of warding
Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) acid damage.
Engulf. The cube moves up to its speed. While doing so, it can enter Large or smaller creatures' spaces. Whenever the cube enters a creature's space, the creature must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw.
On a successful save, the creature can choose to be pushed 5 feet back or to the side of the cube. A creature that chooses not to be pushed suffers the consequences of a failed saving throw.
On a failed save, the box enters the creature's space, and the creature takes 10 (6d6) acid damage and is engulfed. The engulfed creature can't breathe, is restrained, and takes 21 (8d8) acid damage at the start of each of the cube's turns. When the box moves, the engulfed creature moves with it.
An engulfed creature can try to escape by taking an action to make a DC 15 Strength check. On a success, the creature escapes and enters a space of its choice within 5 feet of the box.
Description
A Box of Death is created when a Gelatinous Cube is maliciously killed. When this happens, there is a chance that in the cube's last moments, out of pure spite for it's killer, it is infected by a shard of that malicious intent and gains sentience. Due to this anger, the cube refuses death and begins to scour the world for another body to inhabit. This process may take years to achieve however, but the pure hatred perseveres through time. Once it does find a body to inhabit though, the cube will invade the mind of the slime with great ease. This is not a foolproof solution however, because after a while, the slime's body begins to rot and decompose, forcing the cube to switch bodies. Because of this inconvenience, most Boxes of Death try to gather large armies of slimes so they can not only use them for their evil schemes, but also to have a surplus supply of bodies to inhabit.
Lair and Lair Actions
A box of death often haunts the abode that it was murdered in, such as a lonely tower, a haunted ruin, or an ooze infested dungeon. Once a box of death has undergone this makeover of its new home, it may start to create or utilize already existing traps for its own benifit.
Everything about a box of death’s lair reflects its vicious and malicious plots to kill, including the magic and mundane traps that secure it. Undead and Oozes lurk in shadowy recesses, emerging to destroy those who dare to disturb the box of death’s work.
A box of death encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 17 (18,000 XP).
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the box of death can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the box can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- The box of death rolls a d8 and regains that much health.
- The box of death targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. A crackling cord of negative energy tethers the box to the target. Whenever the box of death takes damage, the target must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the box takes half the damage (rounded down), and the target takes the remaining damage. This tether lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round or until the box of death or the target are no longer in the lair.
- The box of death calls forth the spirits of creatures that died in its lair. These apparitions materialize and attack one creature that the box can see within 60 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 32 (4d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. The apparitions then disappear.
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