| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| DEX | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| CON | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| INT | 2 | −4 | −4 |
| WIS | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| CHA | 4 | −3 | −3 |
Amphibious
The Chuul Drone can breathe air and water.
Hard Carapace
The Drone has advantage on saving throws against being knocked prone or moved against its will.
Minion
The Chuul Drone has 1 hit point. If it takes any damage from an attack or fails a saving throw against an effect that deals damage, it is destroyed. If it succeeds on a saving throw against an effect that normally deals half damage on a success, it instead takes no damage.
Pack Hunter
The Drone has advantage on the first attack roll it makes on its turn while within 10 feet of another Chuul, or Chuul Drone.
Ambush Predator
The Drone has advantage on the first attack roll it makes if successfully hidden.
Multiattack (special). When the Drone hits a creature with its Pincer and successfully grapples it, it may immediately make one Feeding Tentacles attack against that creature as part of the same action.
Pincer. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 14) from one of two pincers, this grapple does not reduce the target's speed to 0. Instead, the target's speed is reduced by 10 feet while the Drone remains attached.
Feeding Tentacles. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 12, one creature Grappled by the chuul drone. Failure: The target has the stunned condition until the start of the drones next turn.
Capture Sequence After resolving the Feeding Tentacles attack, the Drone may use any movement it has remaining to drag the grappled creature with it.
- While dragging a creature smaller than the Drone, the Drone moves at full speed.
- While dragging a creature of the same size, the Drone's speed is halved unless another Chuul Drone is assisting it.
- A creature larger than the Drone cannot be moved by a single Chuul Drone. Two or more Drones grappling the same creature can move it at half the slowest participating Drone's speed.
- Additional Drones beyond the minimum required do not further increase the movement speed.
Death Burst
When the Chuul Drone is destroyed, it emits a shrill, alien death screech audible throughout the surrounding waters.
The first time a Chuul Drone uses this trait during an encounter, begin a 1d4-round countdown. At the end of that countdown, one or more Chuul Hunters—or another nearby predator drawn by the Drone's distress call, at the DM's discretion—arrive at the encounter.
Additional Death Bursts do not reset or shorten this countdown.
A creature that is deafened, or an area affected by a silence spell or similar magical effect, prevents the Death Burst from being heard beyond the area of silence. If the first Drone is destroyed while its Death Burst is completely contained in this way, the countdown does not begin until a later Drone successfully emits an audible Death Burst.
Description
Chuul Drones are instinctive capture organisms rather than true combatants.
Once a Drone selects a target, it pursues that creature relentlessly until it is destroyed or the target escapes.
If the Drone is attacked but survives, it immediately seeks nearby cover whenever possible. It never takes the Disengage action and willingly provokes opportunity attacks if necessary to remain attached to its prey, reach cover, or continue the pursuit.
If the Drone has no target and another nearby Drone has grappled a creature, it immediately joins that Drone, swarming the same victim to assist in its capture.
Drones instinctively cooperate to drag grappled or stunned prey toward deeper water, flooded tunnels, Chuul Hunters, or other larger predators.
Drones ignore unconscious creatures while conscious prey remains, always prioritizing the capture of living targets.
Encounter Table
| Encounter | Composition | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrol | 1 Froghemoth + 4 Drones | Hard | Introduces the capture mechanic without overwhelming the party. |
| Hunter's Ambush | 1 Chuul Hunter + 6 Drones | Hard | Great encounter before the party ever meets the Froghemoth. |
| Lakeshore Nest | 1 Froghemoth + 6 Drones | Hard–Deadly | My baseline recommendation. |
| Predator Pack | 1 Froghemoth + 1 Chuul Hunter + 6 Drones | Deadly | Excellent boss encounter. The Hunter arrives after the Death Burst countdown, the Froghemoth later. |
| Brood Lair | 1 Froghemoth + 2 Chuul Hunters + 10 Drones | Very Deadly | Appropriate for a final lair or a party with significant magic items and excellent tactics. |
Encounter Structure
Example Encounter
- Round 0: Six Chuul Drones hidden in the shallows.
- First Death Burst: Start the timers.
- 1d4 rounds later: One Chuul arrives from deeper water.
- 3d4 rounds later (DM secret): An apex predator (Frogemoth, Giant Crocodile, Giant Constrictor Snake, etc.) emerges from the water.
This creates a natural escalation:
- Capture Phase – The Drones latch onto a victim and try to drag them away.
- Recovery Phase – The Chuul arrives and begins locking down tougher targets with true grapples and paralysis.
- Survival Phase – The apex predator arrives, and the encounter shifts from "save our friend" to "we need to survive."
If the party breezes through encounters
You have a few easy dials to turn without changing stat blocks:
- Increase Drones from 6 → 8 or 10.
- Add a second Chuul if the party is level 12+ or exceptionally optimized.
- Shorten the Chuul's arrival to a fixed 2 rounds instead of 1d4.
- Have additional Drones emerge from the shallows after the first Death Burst if the initial swarm is cleared too quickly.
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