COSMIC SEAS: WITCHLIGHT MARAUDER

WITCHLIGHT MARAUDER

Witchlight Marauders are creatures that were bred by Orcish Mages during the Unhuman Ward to “counter ruthless elf aggression”, as one surviving orc scroll reads. In truth, the marauders were shock troops, organic first-strike weapons meant to devastate whole elven planets. Their efficiency as killing machines was matched only by their fast breeding.

Witchlight marauders are terrors that can lay waste to an entire planet, leaving nothing but barren rock and briny seas. Marauders can digest animal and vegetable matter, as well as metal and precious minerals—but not bare rock. They often strip the land down to bedrock before moving on. Marauders excrete a dark sludge that reeks of burning tar and supports no life. Their insatiable hunger can devour all life on a world in a few years’ time if left unchecked.

Cosmic Seas: In the Cosmic Seas setting, the Witchlight Marauders were a weapon gleaned from remnants of the Far Realm/Space Titan wars by Orcish Warlocks and Clerics. They are officially considered abominations by the Celestial Church, though clerics of the Tyrant secretly covet knowledge on these monsters. 

PRIMARY MARAUDER

Primary marauders are the largest of the terrestrial marauders. They are slug-like creatures that are over 100 feet in length and surrounded by a thin, sickly green cloud of gas. Primary marauders have many mouths all around their bodies that constantly tear and chew the surrounding terrain and anything that gets within their range. Everything in the marauder's path is food: plants, animals, cities, and mountains. All food—including metals and minerals—makes its way to their blast-furnace stomach to produce poison gas and to spawn more witchlight marauders.

Primary marauders are active in cycles. They mindlessly eat and spawn secondary marauders for 5-8 (1d4+4) weeks before they instinctively delve underground, literally eating the ground out from under themselves. Once they've burrowed to a sufficient depth (rarely less than 500 feet) they begin to spawn another primary marauder. This takes 1d6+1 days, during which time the primary marauder is unable to make full-round actions. At the end of this period, another primary marauder is born, and the two go their separate ways.

Gargantuan aberration, chaotic evil

Hit Points. 1,125 hp (50d20+600)

Speed. 30 ft. Burrow 20ft, Swim 20ft. 

Armor Class. 20

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
45 (+17)	6 (-2)	34 (+12)	3 (-4)	10 (+0)	3 (-4)

Damage Immunities. Cold, Disease, Poison, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, And Slashing from Non-magical Weapons.

Condition Immunities. Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned.

Damage Resistances. Acid, Fire, Lightning, Necrotic, Thunder.

Senses. Blindsight 120 Ft., passive Perception 10

Challenge. 30 (155,000)

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Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the primary marauder fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Immutable Form. Witchlight Marauders are immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Regeneration. The marauder regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn. If the marauder takes radiant or lightning damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of the marauder’s next turn. The marauder dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate.

Siege Monster. The primary marauder deals double damage to objects and structures.

Spawn Secondary Marauder. Once it starts feeding, a primary marauder will spawn 1d4+1 secondary marauders per day.

Toxic Cloud. The Primary Marauder is surrounded by a poisonous cloud. Any creature coming within 50 feet of the creature must make a Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 5d8 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures are affected even if

they hold their breath or don't need to breathe.

ACTIONS

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Multiattack. The primary marauder can use its frightful presence or its toxic cloud and then make one bite or six claw attacks. 

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +26 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: (4d12+17) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it is grappled (escape DC 20). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the primary marauder can't bite another target.

Claws (Secondary Bites). Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: (2d8+17) piercing damage.

Frightful Presence. Each creature within 120 feet of the primary marauder and aware of it must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the primary marauder is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the primary marauder’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.

Swallow. The primary marauder makes one bite Attack against a Large or smaller creature it is Grappled. If the Attack hits, the target takes the bite's damage, the target is swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is Blinded and Restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the primary marauder, and it takes 56 (16d6) acid damage at the start of each of the primary marauder’s turns.

If the primary marauder takes 60 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the primary marauder must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the primary marauder. If the primary marauder dies, a swallowed creature is no longer Restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 30 feet of Movement, exiting prone.

Legendary Actions

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Primary Marauders can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Primary Marauder regains spent legendary actions at the start of their turn.

Attack. The primary marauder makes one bite attack or six claw attacks.

Move. The primary marauder moves up to half its speed.

Chomp (Costs 2 Actions). The primary marauder makes one bite attack or uses its Swallow.

SECONDARY MARAUDER

Secondary marauders are twenty-foot tall creatures with a vaguely humanoid shape. Its arms are tipped in long, metal talons; and its stump-like feet have many gripping toes. It has no head, only the mockery of a face on its chest. Secondary marauders eat just about anything in their path. Unlike primary marauders, secondaries will spread out in an erratic pattern to look for food. They often sunder the weapons and equipment of their foes. This isn't a battle tactic, but rather them attempting to rend whatever they come across in any way possible.

Huge aberration, chaotic evil

Hit Points. 187 (15d12+90)

Speed. 60 ft, Climb 20ft, Swim 10ft. 

Armor Class. 23

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
29 (+9)	10 (+0)	23 (+6)	3 (-4)	10 (+0)	3 (-4)

Damage Immunities. Disease, Poison, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, And Slashing from Non-magical Weapons.

Damage Resistances. Acid, Cold, Fire

Condition Immunities. Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned

Senses. Blindsight 120 Ft., passive Perception 10

Challenge. 11 (7,200)

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Immutable Form. Witchlight Marauders are immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Magic Resistance: The secondary marauder has advantage on Saving Throws against Spells and other magical effects.

Regeneration. The secondary marauder regains 5 hit points at the start of its turn. If the marauder takes radiant or lightning damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of the marauder’s next turn. The marauder dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate.
Siege Monster. The secondary deals double damage to objects and structures.

Spawn Tertiary Marauder. Once it starts feeding, a secondary marauder will spawn 1d4 tertiary marauder every day.

Spider Climb. The secondary marauder can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Actions

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Multiattack. The secondary marauder can use its acid spray attack or make four attacks: two with its claws, one with its bite and one with its tail.

Acid Spray. The secondary spits acid in a line that is 30 feet long and 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d10 + 9) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it is Grappled (escape DC 20). Until this grapple ends, the target is Restrained, and the secondary marauder can't bite another target.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d6 + 9) slashing damage, and the target must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d8 + 9) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

TERTIARY MARAUDER

Tertiary Marauders are the least form of Marauder and serve as swarming skirmishers for the Secondary and Primary Marauders. The creatures are roughly humanoid in shape with dark rubbery flesh. Their arms end in crude sword blades that are constantly moving. The smallest of the marauders, standing less than 5 feet in height, tertiaries are vicious fighters. They lack a head but sprout a mass of weaving tentacle from their neck.

Medium aberration, chaotic evil

Hit points. 26 (4d8+8)

Speed. 40ft.

Armor class. 18

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	17 (+3)	14 (+2)	3 (-4)	10 (+0)	3 (-4)

Damage Immunities. Disease, Poison, Psychic

Damage Resistances. Acid, Fire.

Condition Immunities. Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned

Senses. Blindsight 120 Ft., passive Perception 10

Challenge. 3 (700xp)

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Immutable Form. Witchlight Marauders are immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Keen Smell. The tertiary marauder has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Reckless. At the start of its turn, the berserker can gain advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls during that turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its next turn.

Actions

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Multiattack. The tertiary marauder makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (2d6 + 4) piercing damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.