Camouflage Expert:
The Buffler can blend into its surroundings with remarkable skill. When in dim light or darkness, it has advantage on Stealth checks to hide. Additionally, it can use its bonus action to hide, even if only lightly obscured.
Burrower:
The Buffler can burrow through soft earth and loose stone at a speed of 20 feet. It leaves no tunnel or trace behind, making it difficult to track.
Ambush Predator:
When the Buffler hits a surprised creature with an attack, it deals an additional 2d6 piercing damage.
Flexible Neck:
The Buffler’s long, snake-like neck allows it to extend its reach by 10 feet for melee attacks, and it can move its head through narrow openings as though they were 1 foot wider.
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Bite Attack (Melee)
Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.
The Buffler uses its fly-like head and sharp mandibles to bite its target. The bite may also inject venom (optional trait). -
Claw Attack (Melee)
Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 8 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage.
The Buffler slashes with its powerful, ant-like legs, aiming for vulnerable spots in its prey's defenses. -
Venomous Bite (Melee)
Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 9 (2d6) poison damage and become poisoned for 1 minute.
The Buffler’s venomous bite injects potent toxins into its prey, paralyzing or weakening them. -
Burrow (Movement)
The Buffler burrows through the earth at a speed of 30 feet, moving through dirt and rock to reach new positions. It can use this action to escape danger or close the distance to its prey. -
Winged Flutter (Movement)
Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30 ft., one target.
Hit: 6 (1d6 + 2) psychic damage.
The Buffler flutters its large butterfly wings, disorienting an opponent. The attack causes mental fatigue, leaving the target vulnerable to future strikes. -
Neck Lash (Melee)
Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
The Buffler lashes out with its long, flexible neck, striking from unexpected angles. Its head moves with precision, catching prey unaware.
Camouflage:
The Buffler can use its bonus action to blend into its surroundings, becoming nearly invisible in dim light or darkness. It gains advantage on Stealth checks to hide until the start of its next turn. Even if the Buffler is not in complete darkness, it can still find cover in shadows or cluttered terrain.
Quick Strike:
The Buffler can use its bonus action to make a quick strike with its tail. This attack deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage and can be used against a creature that is within 5 feet of the Buffler.
Burrow:
The Buffler can burrow up to half its movement speed in a straight line as part of its bonus action. This allows it to quickly retreat into the earth or reposition in tight spaces. It can also move through any space that is large enough for its body, ignoring difficult terrain and obstacles.
Retaliatory Strike:
When a creature within 5 feet of the Buffler hits it with a melee attack, the Buffler can use its reaction to make a tail strike against the attacker. This attack has a +7 to hit and deals 9 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage. The Buffler can only use this reaction once per turn.
Escape the Depths:
If the Buffler is grappled or restrained, it can use its reaction to burrow up to 10 feet, escaping the grapple or restraint. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks and allows the Buffler to re-establish itself in a more advantageous position.
Vibrational Alert:
When a creature within 30 feet of the Buffler makes an attack roll, the Buffler can use its reaction to impose disadvantage on the roll. It detects the vibrations of the attack through the air, using its keen senses to dodge or deflect the blow at the last moment.
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Burrow
The Buffler burrows up to 20 feet in a straight line, avoiding opportunity attacks and moving through terrain with ease. -
Venomous Strike
The Buffler uses its Venomous Bite attack, dealing extra poison damage or adding more venom damage to its attack. -
Tremor Strike
The Buffler slams its body against the ground, causing the earth to shake and disorient nearby creatures. All creatures within 10 feet of the Buffler must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Mythic Action Name. 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
The Buffler is a fearsome and elusive subterranean predator, known for its ability to ambush prey with terrifying precision. A creature of dark, narrow tunnels, it uses its spindly, segmented body and powerful, ant-like legs to navigate the underground with ease. Its long, snake-like neck allows it to strike from unexpected angles, while its fly-like head, with compound eyes and sensory hairs, helps it detect vibrations and movements in the air, even from great distances.
Though its large butterfly wings are not used for flight, they serve as a form of camouflage, shimmering with iridescent patterns that reflect the faintest light in the darkness of its subterranean home. These wings grant the Buffler swift bursts of motion when hunting or evading threats, making it a dangerous adversary in close quarters.
The Buffler’s burrowing abilities make it a master of its domain. It can dig through the earth with minimal effort, leaving no trace of its passage behind. Its stealth and agility are unmatched, often allowing it to strike before its prey even realizes it's been spotted. The Buffler is a relentless hunter, using its heightened senses and ambush tactics to prey on any creature unfortunate enough to cross its path in the dark, cramped corridors it calls home.
Lair and Lair Actions
The Buffler makes its home deep within the network of dark, narrow tunnels beneath the earth. Its lair is a series of interconnected chambers carved into soft stone, shaped by the creature’s burrowing activities. The walls of these tunnels are often slick with moisture, and the air is thick with the earthy scent of damp soil. The Buffler creates intricate webs of sticky silk-like threads, often strung between rock outcroppings and stalagmites, which it uses to detect vibrations and movement in the ground. The tunnels are full of sharp turns, dead ends, and treacherous terrain, making it easy for the Buffler to trap and ambush unwary intruders.
In these darkened halls, its camouflage ability thrives, allowing it to blend into the shadows effortlessly. The winding corridors make movement challenging, but the Buffler is in its element here, able to sense vibrations and attacks with precision. The lair often features pools of stagnant water or small pits that the creature can use to ensnare prey or retreat into when needed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Buffler can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects. The Buffler cannot use the same effect two rounds in a row:
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Tremor Shock:
The Buffler causes the ground to shake violently, sending a ripple of tremors through the lair. All creatures within a 20-foot radius must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. On a failed save, creatures also take 2d6 bludgeoning damage from falling debris. -
Sticky Web:
The Buffler creates a thick, sticky web in a 15-foot radius area within the lair. Creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or become restrained by the web for 1 minute. A creature restrained by the web can use its action to break free by making a DC 14 Strength check. -
Darkness Cloak:
The Buffler can summon an unnatural darkness that fills a 30-foot radius area around it. The area becomes heavily obscured, and all creatures within the area must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. The darkness dissipates at the start of the Buffler’s next turn.
Regional Effects
The region containing the Buffler’s lair is warped by its presence, creating eerie and dangerous effects in the surrounding area. These effects are felt within a 1-mile radius of the lair:
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Vibration Distortion:
The ground shakes with unnatural vibrations. Travelers and creatures within the region have disadvantage on checks to track or navigate, as the constant tremors interfere with their senses. -
Foul Air:
A thick, oppressive atmosphere hangs over the region, making it difficult to breathe. All creatures within 1 mile of the Buffler's lair must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion due to the humid, stifling air. -
Chilling Silence:
The usual sounds of wildlife and nature are replaced by a heavy, unnatural silence. Creatures with the ability to hear must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or feel a sense of dread, giving them disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and saving throws for 1 hour.
Effect After Death
If the Buffler dies, the regional effects gradually fade over the course of 1d10 days. The unnatural silence and vibrations cease, and the air begins to clear, allowing the region to slowly return to normal. However, the disturbance it caused may leave lingering effects on the local wildlife and ecosystem.