Archmage Phanell fashioned ambelks as guardians to defend his keep and its subterranean vaults. A paranoid wizard, Phanell didn’t trust mercenaries or followers. Enlarging beetles and insects, he utilized scrap metal as armor for his creations, providing them with a sturdy carapace that the softer, natural limbs and body parts could rely on. The spikes on their bodies bore a potent poison, a concoction crafted by Phanell and often deployed in traps within his vaults. The final touch was an amber-colored stone embedded in each ambelk’s head, granting the creature heightened senses and allowing Phanell complete control over it. Each ambelk could now oversee a part of Phanell’s land.
As time passed, Phanell dedicated more of his hours to surveilling his domain through the amber-colored stones, no longer trusting his own creations to care for his protection. This obsession consumed Phanell, depriving him of sleep until he finally succumbed to exhaustion. In death, the ambelks, now masterless, ventured beyond the keep in search of sustenance and potentially a new master.
Ambelk
Large Construct, Unaligned
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (6d10 + 12)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 4 (-3) | 12 (+1) | 3 (-4) |
Skills Perception +3
Senses blindsight 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 13
Languages —
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Critical Wound. If an attack against the ambelk is a critical hit, the ambelk loses its blindsight and has the blinded condition until it finishes a long rest.
Actions
Multiattack. The ambelk makes two Spike attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (4d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Spike. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) poison damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or it has the poisoned condition for 1 minute. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
While poisoned in this way, a creature suffers the following additional effects:
- • Dizzy. At the beginning of each of its turns, the creature moves 10 feet horizontally in a random direction, or as far as its speed allows if its speed is less than 10 feet.
- • Headache. When the creature casts a spell, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or the spell fails and has no effect.
Downloads
Further Reading
Con checks on spell cast not enough against spellcasters? Try a mage-bane skitter against them.
What could Phanell’s vaults hold? Perhaps a shield of the chimera or an arcanovore crossbow.
Imagery created with Midjourney.
