Deathless Captive. When the bone weird drops to zero hit points, it spends one turn recovering bones from the area to take on a new shape, recovering all of its hit points in the process. It always reappears in the same space, which is where it was originally summoned. The bone weird drops to zero hit points when it leaves the area suffused with faerzress unless it has been rearranged into a bone devil. The bone weird dies if its hit point maximum is brought to zero and only radiant damage reduces its hit points permanently. Additionally, the bone weird doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Infernal Operation. Whenever the bone weird forms or reforms, it takes on a completely random form compiled from bones strewn in the area. As a result, it can construct various appendages with which to make attacks. Roll a 1d4 for the number of appendages, and then a 1d4 for each appendage to determine its respective function, as described under Actions.
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the bone weird's darkvision.
- Thrower. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
- Hook. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 20 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be grappled and pulled 10 feet toward the bone weird. Until this grapple ends (escape DC 13), the target is restrained. While grappling a creature this way the hook cannot be used to attack another creature.
- Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 3 slashing damage and the claw lodges into the creature. If the creature and the bone weird move more than 15 feet away from one another, the claw is torn out, dealing an additional 3 (1d6) slashing damage. A creature can remove the claw from itself or another creature as an action. While lodged into a creature this way the claw cannot be used to attack another creature.
- Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned this way, a creature's speed is reduced by 10 feet. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Slam (always prepared). All creatures within 5 feet of the bone weird must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw or take 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.
The bone weird 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 bone weird regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Shivering Grounds. The bone weird brings the bones scattered in a 15-foot radius to life anywhere inside its faerzress-suffused domain. Until the start of its next turn, the area becomes difficult terrain and imposes disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws to creatures in the area.
Enthrall. The bone weird casts enthrall (DC 12 Wisdom saving throw), producing the three syllables of its verbal component telepathically to all its targets. A creature affected by the bone weird's enthrall spell cannot use its movement to move away from it.
Description
Failed summon. The bone weird is the result of a failed infernal calling spell. A wizard, warlock, or some other mage has attempted to call a bone devil into this world using an edited spell scroll in an area suffused with faerzress. The resulting monster contains the bone devil's consciousness but trapped in an inferior form. It seeks to regain its true form, but cannot consciously construct its own body. It therefore seeks to lure and attack creatures who either kill it so it can take on a new form, or die to donate their bones for future use.
Alternative Endings. In addition to defeating the bone weird, the encounter can be resolved in different ways, such as:
- During the fight, the bone weird will telepathically communicate with the players in brief and simple phrases. Its recipient must know at least one language to understand the simple concepts it attempts to communicate. If the players respond to its pleas (and if they are aware of the many pitfalls), they may be able to entice it into signing an infernal contract that is favorable for the players. The terms would include for the players to aid the devil in regaining its intended bone devil form, and in return it can easily be convinced to hand out a magic weapon or allow itself to be summoned a limited number of times to come to the player's help.
- If the area is cleared of bones, the bone weird cannot reform itself. The magic effect will still linger in the area as long as it remains suffused with faerzress.
- The space in which the bone weird reforms may be cleansed by magical means, such as dispel magic or an antimagic field, although it is up to the DM to judge whether this actually removes the spell's effects or only temporarily subdues the faerzress.
Loot. Finally, some thematic loot may be around:
- There is a spell scroll of infernal calling.
- There may be a robe of eyes adorned with spider eyes. The one who originally summoned the bone weird wore this robe. He has long died, his flesh rotten away and his bones claimed by the bone weird. It contains a note in a pocket, in which a drow mage named Varthys is tasked with summoning a bone devil in order to deal with a draegloth that was summoned by a rival house. The robe might be found in a damaged state, requiring the insertion of fresh giant spider and phase spider eyes to regain its lost functions.
- There may be one or several spinels around, worth 100 gp each. These polished and finely-cut stones were carried by the mage who summoned the bone weird and are indistinguishable from a much more costly ruby by the untrained eye. The mage was conned, believing them rubies, a component commonly used in profane summoning rituals.
Usage Notes. The bone weird was intended to be spawned into a bone yard, as described in chapter 2 of Out of the Abyss. This would be a bone yard suffused with faerzress. It was intended to be a challenge for three 2nd-level characters and their NPC allies. Its damage output can easily be increased by giving it a multiattack option with all of its available limbs, or by adding an attack to its pool of legendary actions.
Behavior. If the bone weird is visited by a group of adventurers that pose enough of a threat to kill it, it may ask them to help arrange its body into that of a bone devil. A character that passes a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check would know what this creature looks like, otherwise the bone weird would have to slowly explain it to them. The bone weird's abilities are focused on keeping the players from escaping. If the players prove too dense to aid the haughty and fickle devil, it will revert to its former strategy of attempting to kill its prey for their bones, while getting destroyed as often as possible.
The bone weird should be portrayed as a pathetic being that warrants death. Its bone structure is haplessly inaccurate. It can originally spawn as a tiny creature, like a caterpillar of digits, a rib cage spider, or a frog with an inverted pelvis for a head, making it look even more laughable (it can choose its size, up to Large, but not its structure). The above stat block however assumes its size is Large. It may also initiate combat with only a few hit points remaining.
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