Emperor Stag

Devrie was old — she had spent nearly eight decades defending the
forest and a cold night like this made her bones ache and reminded her
that soon a spring would come that she would not see. But for now, the
recruits looked at her expectantly, their faces lit by the low-burning fire.
“A story?” she repeated. There, in the darkness, a large shape caught
her eye. None of the young folk had seen it. “Aye, I’ll tell you about the
Emperor Stag who lives in these here woods…”
Envoy of the Earth Goddess. This spirit rules over the deep forests and
maintains the Laws of the Wood at the command of Denev, the Earth
Mother, criss-crossing its domain with the speed of the wind to serve 9
her will. The stag is able to speak the languages of all the animals that
live in the forest, many of whom act as his eyes and ears, passing word
back to him of what occurs in his realm. The emperor stag watches
travelers and repays their deeds in kind: acts of mercy are rewarded, and
acts of violence are paid in full.

The majestic emperor stag has large, intelligent eyes and a rich pelt that Reluctant Steed. Legend has it that a hero who catches an emperor
glows in the twilight beneath the ancient trees. Its antlers spread the stag unaware, leaps onto its back, and whispers a destination will be
like the branches of venerable oak, and gleam like polished iron. taken there in the span of a single night, no matter how great the
distance. Whether this deed is truly so simple is questionable, and in
any event the servant of the goddess is a begrudging mount at best:
it may dutifully carry the hero as directed, but will make no promises
about the safety of the journey.
Emperor Stag
Large fey, lawful neutral
Tactics. The stag fights boldly but with patience and intelligence. It
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA will use its trampling charge in multiple passes against groups when
21 (+5) 18 (+4) 23 (+6) 17 (+3) 20 (+5) 16 (+3) appropriate, but against a powerful single foe it will first use its charge
Armor Class 17 (natural armor) to knock its target prone, then attack with antlers and hooves. If clearly
Hit Points 126 (11d10 + 66) outmatched, the stag might gather a pack of forest animals, or even a
Speed 60 ft. stand of willow tree warriors, to assist it.
Skills Athletics +9, Insight +9, Perception +9, Survival +9
Senses darkvision 120 ft., blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages can speak with any beast of its domain, and
understands but is unable to speak elven and human languages
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Blur of Speed. Opportunity attacks against the stag or its rider
are made with disadvantage.
Run Like the Wind. At night the stag can quickly cover great
distances. To a rider, or to any observer passed along the way,
the stag seems to be galloping merely as fast as a swift horse, but
Denev’s magic allows it to cover a hundred leagues per hour.
Trampling Charge. While the emperor stag moves in a straight
line, after moving at least 20 feet it can then move through
spaces occupied by Medium or smaller creatures. Each creature
in its path may use its reaction to attempt a DC 20 Strength
(Athletics) test; if successful the stag’s movement is stopped. If
the stag is not stopped, the creature must succeed at a DC 18
Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone and take 14 (4d6)
bludgeoning damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The emperor stag makes two hoof attacks and one
antler attack.
Antler Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) piercing damage.
Hoof. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
Reactions
Antler Parry. When attacked by a melee weapon attack, as a
reaction the stag adds 4 to its AC against that attack, potentially
causing it to miss.

C r eat u r e C ol lec t ion 15

 Feral (Demon)
“Another wretch falls to my sword! Who else wants some of that?” Vangal’s Vengeance. When seen in the Scarred Lands, ferals seldom
1/2
“Hmm, tough little beggar.” have a purpose other than the utter destruction of anything in their
“This one…doesn’t want…to die.” path. They are dispatched at the whim of the demon god Vangal to
“Warrior needs healing! Badly...” please him with wanton murder and destruction. A pack of ferals that
(Crunching sounds) falls upon a village leaves naught but a crudely designed temple of gore
and rubble to their god.
With horrible tusks and cloven hooves, the hulking man-beast strides
forward, its wickedly jagged spear at the ready. A nearby howl signals Sundered Soul. Chosen from the most brutish souls that make their
the arrival of the rest of its pack. way into the Abyssal Caldera that is Vangal’s kingdom, a single soul
is splintered into as many as sixteen parts, and from those a pack of
ferals is formed. Forever bound to each other, if any of its members are
destroyed, their vital energy simply flows back into the remaining pack
members to make them stronger.
Feral
Medium fiend (demon), chaotic evil
Collective Consciousness. A pack of ferals operates with one mind. All
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA ferals of a pack who are within a mile of each other remain in constant
12 (+1) 11 (+0) 14 (+2) 9 (-1) 8 (-1) 5 (-3) telepathic and sensory communication: if one is aware of something,
Armour Class 13 (natural armor) they all are.
Hit Points 13 (2d8 + 4)
Speed 30 ft. Tactics. Feral ‘tactics’ aren’t recognizable as such: they mostly just swarm
over anything in their path and attack the nearest creature that isn’t a
Skills Athletics +3, Perception +1, Survival +1
pack mate. If out of combat range they will often howl while closing.
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Infernal
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Keen Smell. The feral has advantage on Wisdom (Perception)
checks that rely on smell.
Packmind. When a feral succeeds at a Perception check, all
pack mates within 1 mile are considered to have succeeded at
the same check.
Packsoul. When a feral dies, remaining members of the pack
gain 4 temporary hit points, and these points are cumulative
with any previous temporary hit points. For every three ferals
that die, the survivors gain a +1 bonus to all attack rolls, damage,
saving throws, ability checks, and saving throw DCs.
Thrill of the Hunt. When the feral takes the Dash action, scores
a critical hit, or reduces an enemy to 0 hit points it can howl as a
bonus action.
Actions
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.
Spear. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range
20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage, or 5 (1d8
+ 1) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee
attack.
Howl. Each creature within 60 ft. of the feral who can hear,
and isn’t already frightened of the pack, must make a DC 10
Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of the pack until
the end of its next turn. On a result of 20 or higher the creature
is immune to this effect for the next 24 hours.

16 S ca r r ed L a n ds
 Thunder Orb
Hovering a couple feet off the ground, this 4-foot diameter sphere of Relentless Defenders. Thunder orbs are magical constructs tasked
5
dark basalt stone crackles with electricity. Its stone surface is carved with guarding vaults, tombs or other important places. It attacks
with arcane runes of confinement which seem to glow from a brighter anyone not allowed safe passage by its creator. Made by an arcane
source within the orb. spellcaster by binding an elemental spirit into the orb, it will not
retreat before superior foes. Indeed, the spirit trapped within knows
that should the orb be destroyed, it will be released, free to return to
its own plane.
Thunder Orb Tactics. Thunder orbs rarely close with their opponents and if the
Medium construct, unaligned
party gangs up on one it will attempt to use its movement and its
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA free-floating reaction to move away from the group, using its grand
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 3 (-4) 13 (+1) 10 (-0) lightning if available. In more elaborate dungeons, two or more
Armor Class 12 thunder orbs will guard an area, programmed so that when one uses
Hit Points 95 (10d8 + 50) its grand lightning, the others are in the line of fire so that they receive
Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover) temporary hit points.
Skills Perception +4
Damage Resistances cold, fire, piercing and slashing from
nonmagical attacks that aren’t adamantine
Damage Immunities lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened,
exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned, prone,
unconscious
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages understands the languages of its creator but
does not speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Lightning Absorption. If the thunder orb receives
lightning damage, it takes no damage and instead gains
temporary hit points equal to the damage amount.
Actions
Lightning. Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/90 ft.,
one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) lightning damage.
Grand Lightning (Recharge 5-6). Each creature in a line
100 feet long and 5 feet wide originating from the orb
must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. A creature
takes 28 (8d6) lightning damage on a failed save, or half
as much damage on a successful one. The lightning
ignites flammable objects in the area that aren’t being
worn or carried.
Reactions
Free-floating. When struck by a melee attack, the thunder
orb can move half its speed without provoking an
opportunity attack.

48 S ca r r ed L a n ds
 Wyrmspawn
“Farmer says his cow fell over dead in the field and all these little snakes
1/2
started wiggling out of it. We’re hired to look into it and clean up the
1 mess. It’s going to be the easiest bit of coin ever.”
— Jurkart the Unlucky
Adult wyrmspawn are the size of dogs with reptilian snouts, long
serpentine bodies and four narrow limbs. Between the forelimbs and
body are a bat-like wing membranes that allow the wyrmspawn to fly
for short distances. It nests in trees and ventures out at night to feast
upon rodents and other small animals. They are found everywhere from
the Hornsaw Forest to the Kelder Mountains.
Spontaneous Reproduction. Most scholars of the Scarred Lands do
not know how wyrmspawn reproduce and legends are told about how
they grow from rotten fruit, or rise from the body of someone who
died performing an evil deed, or are born on moonless nights when
the lightning crashes. In truth, adult wyrmspawn spread their young by
Swarm of Wyrmspawn Young
Small swarm of Tiny beasts, unaligned
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
6 (-2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 1 (-5) 10 (+0) 1 (-5)
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 28 (8d6)
Speed 20 ft.
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, prone
Senses blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages —
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Paralysis. If the swarm successfully bites a creature, it can use
a bonus action to inject its venom into the target. The creature
must make a DC 8 Constitution saving throw or become
paralyzed for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at
the end of its turn, ending the effect on a success.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and
vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large
enough for a Tiny wyrmspawn. The swarm can’t regain hit points
or gain temporary hit points.
Actions
Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in
the swarm’s space. Hit: 5 piercing damage or 2 piercing damage
if the swarm has 14 or fewer hit points.
58 S ca r r ed L a n ds
breathing out a noxious gas at a suitable host (usually a sleeping one).
The tiny creatures take root in the lungs of the host, bursting forth days
later as horrid, snake-like beasts. Often their poison paralyzes the host
and they have their first meal ready-made for them. An active host can
be cured by using the lesser restoration spell.
Cautious Hunters. Adult wyrmspawn prefer to attack weak and
exposed targets from the air. If a flock gathers, it will begin to hunt
larger prey, such as livestock and humanoids.
Tactics. Wyrmspawn young display no tactics. They will attack their
host or any suitable creature that they can get to, stopping only after
they have eaten their fill. Adult wyrmspawn are much more cautious,
preferring to wait in hiding until they can either attack in unison or use
flight to their advantage. They will use their larval cloud to cover their
escape (wyrmspawn are absent parents and won’t return, even to check
on their offspring).
Wyrmspawn Adult
Small beast, unaligned
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 19 (+4) 12 (+1) 1 (-5) 13 (+1) 1 (-5)
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 18 (4d6 + 4)
Speed 20 ft., fly 80 ft.
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages —
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Cowardly. A wyrmspawn that starts its turn with less than 9 hit
points becomes frightened of all hostile creatures and will take
the Disengage action and flee.
Paralysis. If the wyrmspawn successfully bites a creature, it
can use a bonus action to inject its venom into the target. The
creature must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or
become paralyzed for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving
throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on a success.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Larval Cloud (1/day). The wyrmspawn can expel a cloud of
noxious gas 10 feet in diameter. Each creature must succeed at
a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become blinded for 1
minute. After the blindness ends, each affected creature must
make another DC 13 Constitution saving throw. Creatures that
fail will be surprised by a swarm of wyrmspawn young emerging
from their body 1d4 + 2 days later. The young automatically hit
and do double damage the round that they emerge.
Wyrmspawn

C r eat u r e C ol lec t ion 59

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