Hive Mind. The Blighted Thornbriar Hive Lord shares a hive mentality with other Blighted creatures, allowing them to act in unison. If one Blighted creature is aware of a hostile creature, all others in the hive mind are also aware.
Blighted Scourge. Natural weapon attacks by the Blighted Thornbriar Hive Lord can infect creatures with the Blighted Scourge. A creature hit by the Hive Lord’s attack must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or contract the Blighted Scourge.
False Appearance. While motionless, the Hive Lord is indistinguishable from a thorny bush.
Spreading Thorns Aura. The Hive Lord emits a 10-foot radius of blighted thorns. Any creature that starts its turn within the aura must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 5 (1d10) piercing damage and advance one stage in the Blighted Scourge infection. Blighted creatures are immune to this effect.
Multiattack. The Blighted Thornbriar Hive Lord makes two Vine Lash attacks.
Vine Lash. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be restrained until the start of the Hive Lord's next turn.
Entangling Brambles (Recharge 5-6). The Hive Lord sends out thorny brambles in a 15-foot radius. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or be restrained by the brambles for 1 minute. A creature restrained by the brambles can use its action to make a DC 12 Strength check, freeing itself on a success.
Description
The Blighted Thornbriar Hive Lord is an enormous, writhing mass of razor-sharp vines and cursed energy. Resembling a monstrous, gnarled bramble, it thrives in areas of deep corruption, where the land itself has turned against life. Its thorny tendrils drip with a glowing, sickly fluid, a manifestation of the Blighted Scourge that infests its very being.
More than just an aggressive predator, the Hive Lord exerts a sinister influence over the surrounding blighted terrain. Its Spreading Thorns Aura poisons the air, inflicting piercing wounds and advancing the infection on those who dare step within its reach. It can unleash waves of barbed vines, entangling entire groups of enemies in its deadly embrace. Worse still, when it is slain, its death triggers a violent eruption of corrupted spores, ensuring that its infection lingers even after its destruction.
Whispered legends claim that these creatures are merely the first stage of an even greater infestation. If left unchecked, they may one day overgrow entire forests, turning once-lush landscapes into nightmarish labyrinths of thorn and decay.
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