Steel answers their call before flesh ever does. Surrounded by clanking constructs and guided by a whirring mechanical arm, an arcforge chief turns the battlefield into a workshop, bringing their own army of helpers with them.
💬 Would your party rush the mastermind… or dismantle the machines first?
The peaks of the Ashen Scape loom large on the horizon, towering over the plains to the west and separating them from the seas. This mountain range was formed from now-dormant volcanoes as the continent drifted across shifting plates deep beneath the ocean. Though these mountains no longer rain down fiery death upon the lands, the soil was infused with vast deposits of a material known as murex, which gives the neighboring forest both its name and its purplish hue.
Anatomy of a Murexian Creature
Murex exists at all levels of the food chain in the Grove, permeating from the soil to the plants to the herbivores and carnivores, then back into the soil and carrion feeders. Though murex is highly toxic when creatures are exposed to it directly, the denizens of the forest adapt to the murex and incorporate it into their bodies. In addition to the bright purple stripes, spots, rings, and other markings, the murex can cause more extreme mutations. Creatures corrupted by murex will become venomous, injecting deadly poisons into any prey that hasn't itself adapted to endure the effect.
On occasion, these mutations extend to new physiological features such as back and tail frills or bioluminescence. The intensity of the physical mutations increases with higher levels of corruption.
A plant or animal newly introduced to the Murexian Grove, if not killed and eaten by the deadly poisonous predators there, will start to mutate after subsisting on a murexian diet for about one month. Most of the physical changes will last until the creature dies or is removed from the Grove for more than 1d4 days. Constructs and undead, as well as creatures that are already immune to poison, are immune to murexian corruption.
Murexian Corruption Levels
Murexian creatures have varying traits due to the severity of corruption caused by the murex in their systems. The following traits apply to all murexian creatures of given challenge rating thresholds; lower corruption traits also apply to creatures with more severe corruption, unless otherwise noted. In addition, creatures corrupted by murex gain the monstrosity type in addition to their current types.
Partial Corruption
Challenge 1 or lower
Murexian Immunity. The squirrel is immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition, including those caused by murexian poisons.
Poisonous Skin. If another creature comes into direct contact with a murexian creature's body, it must succeed on a DC 9 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with the murexian creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Additionally, if a creature eats a murexian plant or animal, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour.
Severe Corruption
Challenge 2-5
Enhanced Poisonous Skin. The DC on the Poisonous Skin trait's saving throw is now increased to the recommended level for the creature's challenge rating (after murexian corruption modifications). For example, a creature with challenge 2 has a recommended save DC of 13, and a creature with challenge 8 increases the save DC to 16. See the Dungeon Master's Workshop chapter in the Dungeon Master's Guide for reference.
Additionally, a creature that fails this saving throw is paralyzed until the end of its next turn.
Murexian Poison. All attacks and traits of a murexian creature that deal poison damage or cause the poisoned condition treat poison immunity as poison resistance and ignores a target's normal poison resistance, unless the target has specific resistances or immunities to murexian poisons. Targets with poison immunity or murexian poison resistance have advantage on saves against murexian poisons, and targets with murexian poison immunity automatically succeed on such saves.
Toxic Injection. The sludge coursing through the veins and fangs of murexian creatures is highly toxic to those who come in contact with it. When a murexian creature hits a creature with an attack using a natural weapon (e.g. a Bite or Claws attack), the attack deals an additional 1d6 murexian poison damage.
Complete Corruption
Challenge 6 or higher
Toxic Infusion. The Toxic Injection trait deals an additional 3d6 murexian poison damage on a hit with attacks using a natural weapon.
Venom Surge. A creature that is already poisoned by murex and fails the Poisonous Skin saving throw instead suffers one level of exhaustion. A creature cannot have more than one level of exhaustion at a time caused by the Venom Surge trait from the same murexian creature.
Example Murexian Creatures
The following creatures are all based on existing creatures and modified with murexian traits based on their original challenge rating (the murexian squirrel is based on a rat with climbing speed and pack tactics added). This can serve as an example of how murex corruption affects a stat block. Note that the addition of poison immunity, contact poisons, and increased damage on attacks can affect the challenge rating; an effort has been made to recalculate challenge ratings accordingly, and some attributes have been adjusted to better match the new challenge rating.
Keen Smell. The squirrel has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Pack Tactics. The squirrel has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the squirrel’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and isn’t incapacitated.
Poisonous Skin. If another creature comes into direct contact with the squirrel's body (including as part of the squirrel's Bite attack), it must succeed on a DC 9 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned with murex for 1 minute. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with the squirrel can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
Senses: blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 9
Languages: understands Common but can't speak
Challenge: ⅛ (25 XP)
Proficiency Bonus: +2
Special Traits
False Appearance. While the blight remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a dead shrub.
Poisonous Skin. If another creature comes into direct contact with the twig blight's body (including as part of the twig blight's Claws attack), it must succeed on a DC 9 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned with murex for 1 minute. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with the squirrel can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Actions
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.
Charge. If the boar moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a tusk attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) slashing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Murexian Poison. All murexian poison damage and poisoned conditions dealt by the boar treat poison immunity as poison resistance and ignore a target's normal poison resistance, unless the target has specific resistance or immunity to murexian poisons. Targets with poison immunity or murexian poison resistance have advantage on saves against murexian poisons, and targets with murexian poison immunity automatically succeed on such saves.
Enhanced Poisonous Skin. If another creature comes into direct contact with the boar's body (including as part of the boar's Tusk attack), it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned with murex for 1 minute and paralyzed until the end of its next turn. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with the boar can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Relentless (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). If the boar takes 10 damage or less that would reduce it to 0 hit points, it is reduced to 1 hit point instead.
Actions
Tusk. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage plus 3 (1d6) murexian poison damage.
Languages: Infernal, telepathy 300 ft. (with other hellwasps only)
Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)
Proficiency Bonus: +3
Special Traits
Magic Weapons. The hellwasp’s weapon attacks are magical.
Murexian Poison. All murexian poison damage and poisoned conditions dealt by the hellwasp treat poison immunity as poison resistance and ignore a target's normal poison resistance, unless the target has specific resistance or immunity to murexian poisons. Targets with poison immunity or murexian poison resistance have advantage on saves against murexian poisons, and targets with murexian poison immunity automatically succeed on such saves.
Enhanced Poisonous Skin. If another creature comes into direct contact with the hellwasp's body (including as part of the hellwasp's Sting or Sword Talons attacks), it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned with murex for 1 minute and paralyzed until the end of its next turn. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with the hellwasp can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Actions
Multiattack. The hellwasp makes two attacks: one with its sting and one with its sword talons.
Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) fire damage and 3 (1d6) murexian poison damage.
Sword Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) murexian poison damage.
Murexian Poison. All murexian poison damage and poisoned conditions dealt by the tyrannosaurus treat poison immunity as poison resistance and ignore a target's normal poison resistance, unless the target has specific resistance or immunity to murexian poisons. Targets with poison immunity or murexian poison resistance have advantage on saves against murexian poisons, and targets with murexian poison immunity automatically succeed on such saves.
Venom Surge. If another creature comes into direct contact with the tyrannosaur's body (including as part of the tyrannosaur's Bite or Tail attack), it must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned with murex for 1 minute and paralyzed until the end of its next turn. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with the tyrannosaurus can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Additionally, a creature that is already poisoned by murex and fails this saving throw instead suffers one level of exhaustion. A creature cannot have more than one level of exhaustion at a time caused by the Venom Surge trait from the same murexian creature.
Actions
Multiattack. The tyrannosaurus makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its tail. It can't make both attacks against the same target.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 32 (4d12 + 6) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) murexian poison damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 17). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the tyrannosaurus can't bite another target.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (4d6) murexian poison damage.
Murexian Beholder
It is a strange scenario indeed for a beholder to allow itself to become corrupted by murex. This might occur if the beholder was driven out of its lair and was forced to flee, finding itself in the Murexian Grove and subsisting on the tainted flesh of the beasts found there to survive. Or it may have been a conscious decision, some play to take in these powerful toxins to use against its real or perceived foes. The ambitions of a beholder are sometimes difficult to predict, and a beholder prefers it this way.
However it came to be, the beholder will find not only its body infused with murex, but also its mind. The poison clouds thought and judgment, twisting the beholder's innate paranoia. The aberrant mind becomes more so, reducing the beholder's intelligence and making it fearful of anything it encounters, thinking that it has discovered an agent of its foes. Such a beholder will generally try to kill creatures on the spot rather than converse or negotiate terms. It still makes an effort to anticipate its enemies' next actions, but it becomes a generally less effective tactician.
Murexian beholders will happily make their new surroundings into a lair, tending to create vast tunnels underground amidst the mexite deposits from ancient volcanic activity. Their slaves dig until they hit magma flows, so that the beholder might better protect its interests through ever more hazardous pathways.
Antimagic Cone. The beholder's central eye creates an area of antimagic, as in the antimagic field spell, in a 150-foot-cone. At the start of each of its turns, the beholder decides which way the cone faces and whether the cone is active. The area works against the beholder's own eye rays.
Murexian Poison. All murexian poison damage and poisoned conditions dealt by the beholder treat poison immunity as poison resistance and ignore a target's normal poison resistance, unless the target has specific resistance or immunity to murexian poisons. Targets with poison immunity or murexian poison resistance have advantage on saves against murexian poisons, and targets with murexian poison immunity automatically succeed on such saves.
Venom Surge. If another creature comes into direct contact with the beholder's body (including as part of the beholder's Bite attack), it must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned with murex for 1 minute and paralyzed until the end of its next turn. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with the beholder can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Additionally, a creature that is already poisoned by murex and fails this saving throw instead suffers one level of exhaustion. A creature cannot have more than one level of exhaustion at a time caused by the Venom Surge trait from the same murexian creature.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) murexian poison damage.
Eye Rays. The beholder shoots three of its magical eye rays at random (reroll duplicates), choosing one to three targets it can see within 120 feet of it. See the beholder stat block in the Monster Manual for eye ray effects; the Enervation Ray is replaced with a Murexian Ray which behaves as follows:
Murexian Ray. The targeted creature must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 36 (8d8) murexian poison damage and is poisoned by murex as described in the Venom Surge trait. On a successful save, the ray damage is halved and the target is not poisoned by murex.
Legendary Actions
The beholder can take 3 legendary actions, using the Eye Ray option below. It can take only one legendary action at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The beholder regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Eye Ray. The beholder uses one random eye ray.
[id: lore for the Murexian Grove, mechanics for modifying a creature corrupted by murex, and several example murexian creatures. The murexian squirrel, murexian hellwasp, and murexian beholder are all depicted; each of them has various mutations, including fangs, purple stripes, and viscous purple liquid oozing from various orifices]
This skeletally thin woman has a mothlike face, flies upon dragonfly wings, and is wrapped in shadows.
XP 25,600
CE Medium outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, extraplanar)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see thoughts; Perception +32
DEFENSE
AC 28, touch 22, flat-footed 20 (+4 deflection, +7 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural)
hp 175 (14d10+98)
Fort +11, Ref +16, Will +16
Defensive Abilities shadow mantle; DR 10/good; Immune electricity, mind-affecting effects, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 24
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (perfect)
Melee 2 claws +21 (1d4+2), tongue +21 (1d6+2 plus thought siphon)
Special Attacks oviposition, sneak attack +3d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th; concentration +20)
At will—calm emotions (DC 18), charm person (DC 17), detect thoughts (DC 22), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), invisibility, modify memory (DC 19), sending
3/day—hold person (DC 19), quickened invisibility, suggestion (DC 19)
1/day—dream, feeblemind (DC 21), nightmare (DC 21), summon (level 4, 1 oolioddroo 35% or 1d4 shadow demons 35%)
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 25, Con 24, Int 21, Wis 24, Cha 23
Base Atk +14; CMB +16; CMD 38
Feats Dodge, Lightning Stance, Mobility, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (invisibility), Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse, Wind Stance
Skills Acrobatics +21, Bluff +23, Diplomacy +23, Fly +32, Knowledge (arcana, planes) +22, Perception +32, Sense Motive +32, Spellcraft +22, Stealth +28, Use Magic Device +23; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception, +4 Stealth
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic; telepathy 300 ft.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Oviposition (Su) As a full-round action once per day, an oolioddroo can use its tongue to implant its eggs into the brain of a helpless, sleeping, unconscious, or willing creature, dealing 1 point of Intelligence damage. Typically, the oolioddroo uses modify memory immediately after an oviposition, making its victim forget the violation. The egg gestates in the victim’s brain for 24 hours, after which a small caterpillar-like larva emerges and nestles painlessly within the victim’s brain. At this point, the oolioddroo can track the victim’s location as if the victim were under the effect of a status spell, can communicate telepathically with the victim across any distance, and can use its detect thoughts, modify memory, and suggestion spell-like abilities through the link to target the victim. The larva (and its link to its oolioddroo) becomes inert whenever the victim and the oolioddroo are on separate planes. Victims carrying this larva radiate a chaotic and evil aura. Anyone who reads the victim’s thoughts, such as via detect thoughts or telepathy, can attempt a Sense Motive check opposed by the oolioddroo’s Bluff check to notice the presence of a second, alien set of thoughts in the target’s mind. Dispel chaos and dispel evil can each immediately end the oviposition—the implanted larva melts into harmless fluid and is absorbed by the victim’s body. This is not a disease effect, though, so heal or remove disease offer no aid in ending the effect. As an immediate action, an oolioddroo can use its feeblemind spell-like ability on the carrier—it uses this “scorched earth” tactic if it fears that the host is about to be rescued or cut off from its influence, such as occurs when the effects are ended via dispel chaos or dispel evil.
Using feeblemind in this way automatically destroys the larva, regardless of whether or not the victim succeeds at the saving throw against the feeblemind effect, so an oolioddroo typically waits until the last moment to use this ability.
See Thoughts (Su) An oolioddroo can see a creature’s thoughts, interpreting them as a shifting mass of colors, images, and shapes that infuse a creature’s aura. An oolioddroo gains the effects of see invisibility against creatures with an Intelligence score as a result of this unusual sense. This ability also grants the oolioddroo a +8 racial bonus on Sense Motive checks.
When it uses detect thoughts, it does not have to study an area or subject to gain all 3 rounds of information—it gains all of this information on the 1st round of using the ability. In addition, it gains a +4 racial bonus to the save DC of its detect thoughts spell-like ability. A blind oolioddroo loses the ability to see thoughts.
Shadow Mantle (Su) The supernatural shadows that wreathe an oolioddroo grant the creature a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks and a +4 deflection bonus to its Armor Class.
Thought Siphon (Su) Whenever an oolioddroo damages a creature with its tongue attack, it can drink away one of the creature’s thoughts or memories. A creature can resist this attack with a successful DC 23 Will save. On a failed save, the oolioddroo targets the victim with one of the following effects. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Memory Drain: The victim is immediately affected by the oolioddroo’s modify memory spell-like ability. The oolioddroo can adjust up to 5 minutes of memories immediately—it does not need to increase the spell’s casting time to match the duration of the modified memory.
Skill Drain: The victim loses all skill ranks in a skill of the oolioddroo’s choosing for 24 hours. Lost skill ranks can be recovered immediately with a restoration or greater restoration spell.
Spell Drain: The victim immediately loses one prepared spell or one unused spell slot of the oolioddroo’s choice; this lost spell or spell slot can be replenished normally.
Wisdom Drain: The victim takes 2 points of Wisdom drain.
Tongue (Ex) An oolioddroo’s tongue attack is a primary attack that deals piercing and slashing damage. Whenever an oolioddroo damages a foe with its tongue, it can use its thought siphon attack.
ECOLOGY
Environment any (Abyss)
Organization solitary, pair, or cult (3–6)
Treasure standard
Oolioddroos, known also as moth demons, are an especially insidious breed of fiend that can infest the brains of living creatures with their eggs, allowing them to manipulate their victims’ thoughts and minds from afar. This might mean an oolioddroo’s victim could go about its normal life for months or even years before the demon capitalizes on the link and forces it to undertake a particularly nefarious or vile deed. In the worst cases, the victim commits crimes or heinous acts at the oolioddroo’s bidding and then immediately forgets about these acts, creating the perfect sleeper agent who not only unknowingly does the oolioddroo’s bidding, but might, when not controlled, be significantly involved in efforts to oppose the acts of sabotage and terrorism the oolioddroo commands. To the oolioddroo, the torment, shame, and despair a victim feels upon realizing he’s been at least somewhat responsible for such actions is as delicious and delightful as the pain and suffering caused by the acts themselves.
An oolioddroo appears as a skeletally thin woman with gray flesh. Its shadow mantle typically appears in the form of a flowing, diaphanous gown of semisolid shadows and smoke, but the demon can make this defense appear to be black clothes or simply its own shadow.
The oolioddroo’s deeply unsettling face is that of a horned moth, and her tongue, while flexible, is strong enough to penetrate flesh and bone with ease.
An oolioddroo stands 6 feet tall, but weighs only 100 pounds. These sinister demons form from the souls of those who used brainwashing, mind control, and similar techniques, either magical or mundane, to trick or force the innocent into committing terrible acts of brutality.
Oolioddroos are particularly valued in more subtle invasions of the mortal realm, where the act of possession might be too blatant a tactic to use against the innocents of the world. When an oolioddroo does its job well, none even suspect demonic influence; instead they think that the devastating cruelties its influence has engendered rose entirely from the debased thoughts of lone fanatics or sociopaths.
An encounter with an oolioddroo can be rather complex due to the nature of the creature’s special abilities—especially if a PC is its intended victim. If an oolioddroo attempts to seize control of a lone PC, one tricky tactic is to simply ask the character’s player to attempt all the necessary rolls and checks beforehand.
Typically, one of these demons attempts to implant eggs in a character who is alone or asleep, in which case that character can attempt a Perception check (at a –10 penalty if the character is sleeping) and a saving throw against the modify memory spell—if both fail, the implanted egg hatches without the player noticing. Thereafter, the source of the strange voices and compulsions in the character’s mind, as well as the source of the periodic suggestions and other magical attacks, can be as frighteningly mysterious to the player as they are to the character.
Of course, the GM should take care not to go too far with this—and if a PC or an ally uses detect evil, for example, she might guess that something is afoot when a normally nonevil PC radiates an unexpected aura.
