Page 271 - Monster Manual [11th Print]

S H A M B L I N G M O U N D
A shambling mound, sometimes called a shambler,
trudges ponderously through bleak swamps, dismal
marshes, and rain forests, consuming any organic
matter in its path. This rotting heap of animated
vegetation looms up half again as tall as a human,
tapering into a faceless "head" at its top.
All-Consuming Devourers. A shambling mound
feeds on any organic material, tirelessly consuming
plants as it moves and devouring animals that can't
escape it. Only the shambling mounds' rarity and
plodding speed prevent them from overwhelming entire
ecosystems. Even so, their presence leeches natural
environments of plant and animal life, and an unsettling
quiet pervades the swamps and woods haunted by these •
ever-hungry horrors.
U n seen H u nters. Composed of decaying leaves,
vines, roots, and other natural swamp and forest
compost, shamblers can blend into their environs.
Because they move slowly, they rarely attempt to
pursue and catch creatures. Rather, they remain in Large plant, unaligned
place, sustaining themselves by absorbing nutrients
from their surroundings as they wait for prey to come Armor Class 1 S (natural armor)
to them. When a creature passes near or alights upon Hit Points 136 (16dl0 + 48)
a shambling mound, the monster comes to life, seizing Speed 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
and absorbing the unwary prey.
Spaw n ed by Lightning. A shambling mound results STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
1
from a phenomenon in which lightning or fey magic 18 (+4) 8 (- ) 1 6 (+3) 5 (-3) 10 (+O) s (-3)
invigorates an otherwise ordinary swamp plant. As the
plant is reborn into its second life, it chokes the life from Skills Stealth +2
fi
plants and animals around it, mulching their corpses Damage Resistances cold, r e
Damage Immunities lightning
in a heap around its roots. Those roots eventually give Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, exhaustion
up their reliance on the soil, directing the shambling Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius),
mound to seek out new sources of food. passive Perception 10
T h e W e ed that W a lks. The instinct that drives Languages ­
a shambling mound is its central root-stem, buried Challenge 5 (1,800 P )
X
somewhere inside its ponderous form. The rest
of a shambler consists of the rotting heap that it Lightning Absorption. Whenever the shambling mound is
simultaneously accumulates and feeds on, which subjected to lightning damage, it takes no damage and regains
protects the root-stem and animates to smash and a number of i t points equal to the lightning damage dealt.
h
smother the life from any creature.
The dense mass of a shambling mound's body shrugs ACTI O N S
off the effects of cold and fire. Lightning reinvigorates Multiattack. The shambling mound makes two slam attacks.
the root-stem, strengthening the shambling mound and If both attacks hit a M e dium or smaller target, the target is
bolstering its consumptive drive. grappled (escape DC 14), and the shambling mound uses its
Despite its monstrous form, the shambling mound is a Engulf on it.
living plant that requires air and nourishment. Although
it doesn't sleep the way an animal does, it can lie Slam. Me/ee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach S ft., one target.
dormant for days on end before rising to hunt for food. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
A Resurgent Menace. If a shambling mound faces Engulf The shamb i n g mound engulfs a Medium or smaller
l
defeat before an overwhelming foe, the root-stem can creature grappled by it. The engulfed target is blinded,
feign death, collapsing the remains of its mound. If not restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a
subsequently killed, the root-stem beds down in the DC 14 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of the
shambler's remains to slowly regrow its full body, then mound's turns or take 3 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If the
1
once again sets out to consume all it can. In this way, mound moves, the engulfed target moves with it. The mound
shambling mound infestations long thought destroyed can have only one creature engulfed at a time.
can recur time and again.

SHAMBLING MOUND