Monster I’d Like To Fight: Carnival Creeper

Carnival creepers like to haunt carnivals and other amusements, camouflaged in darkness, waiting for stragglers to wander off alone. Then, when nobody is looking, they strike, elongating their arms, snatching their victims to be dragged back to their lairs.

Big Top Justice. A desperate carnival worker can summon a carnival creeper as part of a blood ritual. In trade for a willing soul, it will perform one task, usually of the revengeful type, for the summoner.

Carnival Keeper. Occasionally, a wealthy carnival creeper will fund a carnival of its own, funneling secret payments through a colluding ringmaster. It will also keep carnival workers under its employ well-protected from outside interference, as long as it can continue to take victims unabated.

Creeper Skin. A carnival creeper’s flesh retains some of its camouflaging capabilities even after death. As part of a long rest, if you have proficiency with leatherworker’s tools, you can use your tools to combine the carnival creeper’s remains and 100 gp in additional materials to create a special cloak. While worn, it grants advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide. The cloak loses this property 1d10 days after it was created.

Carnival Creeper

Large Fiend, Typically Lawful Evil

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Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 102 (12d10 + 36)

Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	10 (0)	12 (+1)	12 (+1)

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +6

Damage Resistances cold, fire

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14

Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal

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Chameleon Skin. The carnival creeper has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide.

Hauler. The carnival creeper’s speed is not halved when dragging or carrying grappled creatures.

Actions

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Multiattack. The carnival creeper makes two Grasping Claw attacks and one Chomp attack.

Chomp. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 15). The carnival creeper can grapple one target at a time with its chomp.

Grasping Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 20 ft. one target. Hit: 10 (1d12 + 4) slashing damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it is pulled up to 20 feet towards the carnival creeper.