\page # The Garden of Demons It has long been known that the forest called the Garden of Demons is haunted, but recently whatever is controlling that place has been overextending its reach. Travelers across the edge of the forest, normally in no more danger than any other road in the world as long as they didn't "trespass," now have no longer been reaching their destinations. ### Running the Adventure This one-shot adventure is made for 3 to 5, 11-12th-level adventurers. Originally made for a homebrew world, the Garden of Demons can be placed in any world, only needing to adjust the Siabrae's origin and motivations. ### Background Information The creature at the heart of the Garden of Demons is a Siabrae, a archdruid long given in to darker powers to protect their home, but in the process becoming a lich-like creature that is the antithesis to what they originally stood for. In this case, the Siabrae used to be a druidess named Maeria. She - they - no longer use this name, though older druids may remember it. When the arcane gates opened, most of the impact was on the land nearest the rifts. Other places though absorbed the impact despite being relatively remote. A blight spread across Maeria's homeland. For years they tried to fix it, but no known druidic magic could lift the curse, and it began not only affecting the plants, but soon enough the animals as well, and eventually the druids who called it home. Most of the druids fled before it could take their life and their children's, but Maeria was crazed, desperate to save her home. She tapped into the magic of the blight itself, and instead of killing her, transformed her. She infused this blighted magic into their Matriarch Tree in the heart of the forest, one of the few plants yet untouched. Joining her druidic magic to this undead curse, she now controls the entire forest, renamed in years to come the Garden of Demons, as horrible shrieking is often heard from the nearby road, and twisted, dead looking vines encompass nearly everything inside. Only the strongest adventurers return after entering the forest, but those lucky enough to survive simply never made it close enough to the Siabrae's lair for her to finish them off herself.``` ``` ``` ### The Garden of Demons This forest is *blighted* and thus has some special features attributed to it: * **Gloom**: The thick canopy blocks out the sun, putting it in perpetual dim light * **Desecrated**: the entire forest gives off a strong aura of evil, undead energy. Undead have advantage on all saving throws. * **Changing landscape**: the forest has a mind of its own, and is difficult to travel. A DC 17 Survival check must be made to continue towards the center of the forest, or spend 1d6 hours getting back on track. * **Razorvine**: Razorvine is a thorny plant that grows in hedges, and is found everywhere in the Garden. A 10-foot-high, 10-foot-wide, 5-foot-thick wall or hedge of razorvine has AC 11, 25 hit points, and immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and psychic damage. * When a creature comes into direct contact with razorvine for the first time on a turn, the creature must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (1d10) slashing damage from the razorvine’s bladelike thorns. Pushing through Razorvine does the same amount of damage for every 5 feet of movement. * **Blight**: This disease has learned to infect other creatures other than plants. Any creatures that fall asleep in the forest must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become infected by the blight. This counts as a disease for spell purposes. Unless cured of blight, the creature will need to remake the saving throw after each long rest, though a success does not remove the disease. No effect on plants, constructs, or undead. ##### Blight Infection | Level | Effects | |:-------:|:---------:| | 1 | No external effect is seen. It has taken root under their skin. | | 2 | Fungi begin growing on their face and hands. They feel a pull to the center of the Garden, and now have *disadvantage* against attacks on plant creatures. | | 3 | Extensive fungal growth extends across their body. They can only think of getting to the center of the Garden. As the fungi absorb their life, their *HP maximum* is reduced by 20, and they gain one point of exhaustion. They have disadvantage on death saving throws. | | 4 | They do not truly wake up on a fourth failed save. The Garden of Demons has taken them, and they are ressurrected as a **reclaimed (variant)**. Only Resurrection can return them to their true self. |

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\page ### Beginning the Adventure There are innumerable ways you can begin this adventure, but here are a few plot hooks to get the story started: * The players have down time in a larger campaign, and are either handed a request from a local town leader to deal with the situation in the Garden, or a familiar NPC in a tavern sees they have no leads at the moment and gives them a heads up that this might be something they'd be interested in taking care of, for a price of course. * A famous adventurer, noble, or friend of the party was last known to be traveling near the Garden of Demons, but aren't usually stupid enough to go through the forest. They never arrived at their destination. * The party itself is traveling near the Garden. If they have a druid or nature-based character in the party, they hear a call to join deep in the forest. If they have a divine-attuned member of the party, they feel a great unease as they approach. ### Into the Garden As they party approaches the forest, gazing out onto its undead, twisted features, they hear screams. A traveling merchant's cart has been knocked over, horse rearing and shrieking, as vines whip and twist across four merchants, flinging them into the air and bashing them into the ground. One is being slowly pulled into the forest itself as she claws at the ground, attempting to pull herself free. These are **vine terrors** - carnivorous, parasitic plants - one for each merchant. Their main goal is to pull the merchants in alive, but overall want fresh meat brought into the Garden. If any merchants are pulled to the mouth of the vine terror, instead of biting they push them into the forest, and razorvine closes behind them. If any are saved (should be an easy fight for the players, but the merchants have *commoner* stats), they thank the party and tell them that they don't think they're the only ones who have been pulled in recently. Generally, as long as travelers stick to the road they're safe from the forest, but now, it appears as though the *thing* in the forest is getting more bold and attacking passing travelers. The merchants say it would be a great help if they could find a way to stop the creature that lives in the middle of the forest, though they know that's a tall order as this place has been cursed for centuries. However, as this is a well-trafficked merchant road, any city along it would be more than willing to pay for the ensured safety of its merchants, certainly. The merchants don't know what exactly lives in the Garden of Demons, only that it is powerful, and the land is cursed. They will tell them that no one who enters the forest leaves alive, unless they are very lucky, and no one who has left alive has met what lives at the center of the forest. One may point to the enormous tree at the center of the forest that dwarfs the rest, and say whatever controls the land is rumored to live at that tree. ___ > ## Vine Terror >*Large plant, unaligned* > ___ > - **Armor Class** 16 *(natural armor)* > - **Hit Points** 74 (8d10 + 30) > - **Speed** 0ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|18 (+4)|10 (0)|18 (+4)|4 (-3)|10 (0)|6 (-2)| >___ > - **Condition Immunities** poison, psychic > - **Senses** blindsight 120ft (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 14 > - **Languages** --- > - **Challenge** 3 (700 XP) > ___ > ***Overgrowth.*** A 30ft. radius area around the vine terror is difficult terrain caused by thick vines and undergrowth > > ***False Appearance.*** While a vine terror is motionless, it is indistinguishable from other plants. > ### Actions > ***Multiattack.*** The terror makes two attacks with its vines, and one with its bite. > > ***Vines.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, range 40ft., one target. *Hit* 9 (2d4 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If the target is medium or smaller, it is pulled 10ft and is grappled (escape DC 15) if the terror is not already grappling a creature. Until the grapple ends, the target is pulled 10ft closer to the vine terror at the start of each of its turns. > > ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, range 5ft., one target grappled by the vine terror. *Hit* 18 (3d8 + 4) piercing damage. ___ ### The Darkness Inside Walking into the Garden of Demons is easy, going through it - or returning out of it - is harder. The players, being careful to avoid the razorvine and vine terrors that border the edge of the forest, can make it inside unscathed, but it immediately feels different than outside of the forest. It is much darker inside than out, and the normal sounds of a forest are absent. Characters with a high passive Perception (DC 15) immediately feel as if they are being watched, though looking around and See Invisibility reveal nothing. The main goal of this section is to set the mood of the adventure, as well as impart the danger and trickery of the forest (The Garden of Demons, page 1). Have whoever is leading through the trees make a Survival check (DC 17), and add 1d6 additonal hours of travel for every failed save. The forest counts as difficult terrain for travel purposes. Without any encounters or failed checks, it should take the characters approximately 4 hours to get to the Matriarch Tree.

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\page #### Encounters The first leg of this journey is meant to fill characters with a sense of dread and how dangerous the forest is. Since this is a one-shot, 2 encounters in the first part of the journey is appropriate, though you can add more if you plan on this being more than 1-2 sessions. The time spent wandering lost through the forest can be imparted by the threat of spending the night here, more viscious creatures assaulting the party, or simply creepy imagery around every trunk. Any creatures off the trail have partial to full cover from the trees. Razorvine lines most of the trails, meaning players will either have to take damage (1d10) wading through it or wind their way around to get to creatures. Creatures at home in the forest do not take damage from the razorvine.

##### False Guardians After roaming throught the forest for a while, especially if they've failed a Perception check and gotten lost, the party finds the trail once again, and just around the corner of a large tree the party sees a corpse pinned to sharpened boughs and branches of the tree directly in front of them, wood puncturing through their throat and sternum. The wind whipping through the trees gives the corpse a slight, eerie motion. The corpse is pinned to a **tree blight** *(CoS)*, with another directly across from it, and both attack as soon as they notice the corpse.

##### Deja Vu As the party walks through the forest, they are greeted by a battered adventuring group coming the opposite direction. They explaining they found the woods too dangerous and are leaving as fast as they possibly can. They refuse any healing offered despite their battered condition, and if any character points in the direction they came they run off as fast as possible. A little farther into the woods, the party finds the corpses of the same adventuring group, gathered around the sputtering embers of a fire. The corpses are crushed and bloody, dismembered by some unknown force, and have died within the last 24 hours (DC 15 Medicine check). The deaths of these adventurers has attracted the notice of a **bodak** *(VGtM)*, which waits silently between the trees, and then uses its Death Gaze on a party member who is scanning the trees for a cause of the party's death.
#### Random Encounters There are no living creatures inside the Garden of Demons - at least, not for long. The majority of the creatures that populate it are either plant creatures or undead. If you need extra encounters for the adventure, here are some
examples: ``` ``` ##### Forest Encounters | Percentile | Creatures | |:---------:|:--------:| | 1-15 | 5 **vine terrors** hiding along the trail ambush the party | | 15-30 | The party stumbles upon a **corpse flower** *(MToF)*, which blocks further passage on the trail | | 31-45 | A **gas spore** *(MM)* blocks the trail, which looks like a beholder until they succeed on a DC 15 Nature check | | 46-60 |A party member begins to notice that everything looks familiar. Slowly it dawns on them that the trees are all identical, right down to that twig that snapped off when it caught on you backpack (good for a failed Survival check). | | 61-75 |7 **zombies** held together by vines, commanded by a druidic **wraith** attempt to surround the party. The vine zombies have 30 HP, an AC of 12, and 2 *vine* attacks (+3 to hit, range 10ft, 1d4+2 bludgeoning) instead of the *slam* attack. They can replace one vine attack with a grapple, which they have advantage on. | | 76-90 | One member of the party hears the creaking of the trees and sounds of the forest suddenly stop, then a voice right behind them whispers their name on a hoarse voice, but there is no one there. None of the others notice anything different. | | 91-100 | 3 **undead shambling mounds** *(W:DotMM)* attack the party. |

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\page #### The Reclaimed Another creature the party might stumble upon is a **reclaimed** (stat block below). These are humanoids that have succumbed to the blight and claimed by the Siabrae. They are not a major threat to the party (CR 1/2), but act as scouts for her throughout the forest. And if a character succumbs to the blight, they become a **reclaimed variant**, which has the same resistances and vulnerabilities as the reclaimed, but with the rest of the character's features, such as HP, AC, and class features (but loses their racial features). ___ > ## Reclaimed >*Medium undead, lawful evil* > ___ > - **Armor Class** 12 *(natural armor)* > - **Hit Points** 25 (3d10 + 9) > - **Speed** 25ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|14 (+2)|5 (-3)|17 (+3)|5 (-3)|7 (-2)|1 (-5)| >___ > - **Damage Resistances** poison, piercing from non-magical weapons > - **Senses** tremorsense 120ft (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 8 > - **Languages** --- > - **Challenge** 1/2 (100 XP) > ___ > ***Wooden Grasp.*** Creatures grappled by the reclaimed have disadvantage on Strength checks to break free > >***Mind Link*** The reclaimed have a psychic connection to the Siabrae, who can see through their eyes and command from the Matriarch Tree > > ### Actions > ***Seize.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, range 5ft., one target. *Hit* 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage. If the target is medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 12) and the reclaimed can't seize another. > > ***Crush.*** The reclaimed crushes the creatures it is grappling, dealing 1d10+2 bludgeoning damage.

**Image Used:** *Silent Pool* by Riaveg8

``` ``` ### The Silent Pool Depending on how lost the party got in the accursed woods (2 hours straight through + however often they got lost), they should eventually see a break in the trees. This break brings them to a still pool, once a source of clean water for the druids. It is still and silent, green-blue in color, and those less in tune with the unnatural may believe is to be an oasis, though in truth the undead presence is no weaker here than anywhere else. This pool is a cold spring, fed by an underground cavern system. And under the water lives 5 beautiful but deadly **rusalka**, waiting for their chance to lure in unsuspecting adventurers. If the party stops here for a short rest, they will wait until they have settled down to begin their attack. If the adventurers are too suspicious and attempt to leave, the rusalka spring into action before they get too far away. The rusalka will begin to *sing* to charm the party, using their unnatural beauty to lure them in to a false sense of security, and once they have a hold on a character, they will start to pull them downward into the icy caverns below. Anyone who enters the pool will have to make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion from the freezing depths. For each minute the character is submerged, it will have to make another saving throw or gain further points of exhaustion. Creatures immune or resistant to cold automatically succeed. The caverns below are a maze to navigate, and anyone who follows after the rusalka and is not charmed will have to make a DC 15 Perception check to try to find their drowning party member. For every round, the DC increases +2 unless the party has Freedom of Movement or another feature that lets them swim as fast at the slippery rusalka. They want a fresh meal, not their own deaths, so will fight until they are at 30 HP, then flee.

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\page ___ > ## Rusalka >*Medium fey undead, neutral evil* > ___ > - **Armor Class** 17 *(natural armor)* > - **Hit Points** 97 (13d8 + 39) > - **Speed** 30ft., swim 50ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|12 (+1)|18 (+4)|16 (+3)|10 (0)|14 (+2)|20 (+5)| >___ > - **Skills** Deception +7, Perception +4, Stealth +6 > - **Senses** darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 14 > - **Languages** Common, Sylvan > - **Challenge** 4 (1100 XP) > ___ > ***Slippery.*** The rusalka has advantage on ability checks and saving throws made to escape a grapple. > >***Universal beauty.*** The rusalka appears different and uniquely beautiful to match the tastes of each humanoid that perceives it. Truesight reveals the rusalka's true undead form. > >***Waterbound.*** The rusalka cannot willingly leave the body of water to which it is bound. If forcibly removed, the rusalka takes 11 (2d10) necrotic damage for every minute until it returns. > > ### Actions > ***Charm.*** One creature the rusalka can see within 100 ft. of it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed for 1 hour. The charmed target must spend its turns trying to move as close to the rusalka as it can. The target can't take reactions, and for its action, can only take the Dash action. If the target suffers any harm, the target can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. If the target successfully saves against the effect, the target is immune to the rusalka's Charm for the next 24 hours. The rusalka can have only one target charmed at a time. If it charms another, the charm on the previous target ends. > > ***Tresses.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, range 10ft., one target. *Hit* 14 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 16) and pulled 5ft. towards the rusalka. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, the rusalka tries to drown it, and the rusalka can't use its tresses on another target. > > ***Tickle.*** One creature grappled by the rusalka must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated with laughter for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. ``` ``` ### Ghosts of the Past An hour past the rusalka pool (granted no failed Survival checks), the party will come across another break in the thick vegetation. This time, it appears to be an abandoned druid village. Homes are intricately woven into the trees themselves, and a somber air hangs about the place. If they players investigate any of the buildings, the framework is still intact, but any personal belongings that may have been kept here have been destroyed by the elements long ago. If they players stay long enough, they will be greeted by the ghost of **Aracyne** (*neutral good ghost*). She appears as an elderly elf (visibly older despite her elven heritage), with druidic robes, a gnarled staff, and a tall crown of antlers. If they come closer, they see she also has fungi growing from her hands and face. * Aracyne was the old matriarch of the lost druid tribe. She attempted to protect her village, but eventually succumbed to the blight. * She is tied to this last vestige of her homeland, and cannot leave as long as the Siabrae controls this place. * If they speak with her, she can tell them of the Siabrae and how she came to be (see Background Information). She will not speak her true name, as she believe the Siabrae still knows it and it may draw her here. * Aracyne warns them that they may not be able to defeat the Siabrae completely. This land has been blighted for centuries, and an entire druid conclave was not able to restore it. But if she is destroyed, the land may rest for a time, and the travelers outside the forest may be safe on the road once more. * If the players look a bit worse for wear, Aracyne will offer to heal the party: Mass Cure Wounds, Heal, or Heroes' Feast, depending on how bad off the party is as well as how nice they are to Aracyne. No evil creatures under the Siabrae's control can enter the druid's grove. The players may stay as long as necessary, though Aracyne warns them about the blight infecting them if they haven't experienced a night in the forest yet.

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\page ### The Matriarch Tree The gloom around the party becomes darker, the bark on the trees a sickly grey-black, and white fungi envelops nearly everything. The treeline thins into a clearing, dominated by a singular tree, 50 feet wide and hundreds of feet tall, with twisted, gnarled branches that seem to be poised towards the party, as if ready to attack. Runes are carved into the trunk vertically, and disappear from view between the branches. In the clearing are a few stone statues covered in foliage. High Perception (DC 17) reveals these to be petrified bodies, mid attack and weathered by time. At the base of the tree is an intricate throne carved out of the tree itself. Sitting on the throne, as still as the plant life, is the Siabrae herself. Her grey-green skin is pulled taught across her face and arms. Fungi cover her body forming the appearance of a dress. Her hands are gnarled and claw-like. Across her brow grow stony antlers, tall, curving, and sharp. She opens her eyes as the party enters the clearing, sunken pits with glowing white centers.

"I've been watching you all as you force your way through my forest," she says, in a voice like cracking branches and rolling thunder. "I'm sure you have all have heard that no one that comes here... leaves alive. You were foolish to think your fate would be any different"

The Siabrae, Maeria, is as patient as the trees that make up her home. She is confident in her abilities, and regardless of if they kill her today, the earth will reform her body in time so she can continue her rule. She will attack the party the moment they show outward signs of aggression, but is willing to converse with them. She will tell them how she came to be if the players do not know everything already, but she also will not reveal her original name. She not only knows that true names can hold power in these lands, but also it has been buried so deep after centuries that she has a difficult time recalling it anyway. As for beginning to attack those on the road, not just content to attack fools who trespass, the Siabrae will say that after centuries being content with just her home forest, she has realized she can grow her power by expanding the forest boundaries, and for things to grow, the forest needs nutrients. Unsuspecting travelers work well to fertilize the soil. You can expand on her motivations to tie into an overarching story. For example, the arcane forces that created the blight in the first place are becoming unstable once again, for the first time in centuries. She knows not for what reason, but she wants to grow more powerful to weather any destruction that is coming. ``` ``` #### Running the Battle If the characters have been conversing with the Siabrae, she will have been telepathically calling to the creatures of her forest to surround the clearing. Depending on what your players can handle and how deadly you want the battle to be, they will either stand between the trees, blocking escape and adding to the threatening atmosphere, or join her in the assault against the adventurers. The clearing is 110ft. in diameter, with the center 50 ft. being taken up by the Matriarch Tree. The first 10ft. circumferencially around the base of the tree is difficult terrain due to the thick roots. The Siabrae's tree is set into the tree itself, so there is 10ft. of difficult terrain to get to her original position. The Siabrae is a tactician, with centuries of killing trespassers, and will use her abilities to stop the characters as quickly as possible while taking as little damage as she can. Gore attacks can be used to petrify those that get into melee range, and she will conjure creatures (undead - same statistics as normal but add necrotic resistance, immune to poison and the poisoned condition, as well as the Undead Fortitude feature). Area control spells such as Plant Growth and Wall of Thorns can be used to keep characters out of melee range. Blightbond and Change Shape can be used for HP buffs. Legendary and Lair Actions are included on her stat block, and can be used or left out depending on how difficult you want the battle to be. If the party is successful in defeating the Siabrae, she crumbles to dirt after the killing blow. The undead creatures slowly sink back into the shadows, and do not bother the party on their way out, but the aura of evil and undead still hangs over the place. The blight, as Aracyne mentioned, is extremely difficult to remove. A single casting of Hallow, Wish, or Divine Intervention can remove the curse on the land. Otherwise, the blight can be removed by casting Druid Grove around the Matriarch Tree for 10 days, which is the max time for resurrection of the Siabrae if she died on blighted land. If she is prevented from returning by these spells, the Siabrae will permanently die and the blight removed, though it will take the land much longer to fully heal. ##### Treasure If the adventurers search around the clearing, a DC 15 Investigation check will reveal the Siabrae has been collecting magic items dropped by fallen adventurers over the years under the tree roots. As it is likely a variety of adventurers have fallen here you can put any number of magic items appropriate to your campaign and adventurer level.

**Image Used:** *Rage of Demons Set 2*, WotC

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\page ___ ___ > ## Siabrae >*Medium undead, neutral evil* > ___ > - **Armor Class** 16 *(natural armor)* > - **Hit Points** 133 (14d8 + 70) > - **Speed** 30ft., burrow 30ft., earth glide >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|14 (+2)|14 (+2)|20 (+5)|12 (+1)|18 (+4)|11 (+0)| >___ > - **Saves** Con +10, Int +6, Perception +9 > - **Skills** Medicine +9, Nature +6, Perception +9 > - **Damage Resistances** necrotic; piercing and slashing from non-adamantine and non-magical weapons > - **Damage Immunities** fire, poison > - **Senses** passive Perception 19 > - **Languages** Druidic plus any two languages > - **Challenge** 13 (10,000 XP) > ___ > ***Blight Mastery.*** Any magic a siabrae uses that can normally only affect beasts can also affect undead beasts. > > ***Rejuvenation.*** If it dies on blighted land, a destroyed siabrae gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 1d10 miles of the siabrae's death site, in a stony area large enough to contain the siabrae. A siabrae who dies on non-blighted land may attempt a DC 20 Constitution saving throw to reform, though the process takes 1d10 weeks. > > ***Turn Resistance.*** The siabrae has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead. > > ***Spellcasting.*** The siabrae is a 14th-level spell caster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisom (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). The siabrae can cast *alter self* at will and has the following druid spells prepared: > > Cantrips (at will): *druidcraft, guidance, poison spray, shillelagh* > > 1st level (4 slots): *create or destroy water, entangle, faerie fire, speak with animals* > > 2nd level (3 slots): *animal messenger, hold person, spike growth* > > 3rd level (3 slots): *call lightning, conjure animals, dispel magic* > > 4th level (3 slots): *blight, dominate beast, giant insect, wall of fire* > > 5th level (3 slots): *antilife shell, contagion, insect plague* > > 6th level (1 slot): *wall of thorns* > > 7th level (1 slot): *fire storm* > > ### Legendary Actions > > The siabrae can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature's turn. The siabrae regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. > > ***Cantrip.*** The siabrae casts a cantrip. > > ***Gore (Costs 2 Actions).*** The siabrae uses its Gore. > > ***Blightbond (Costs 3 Actions).*** The siabrae gains 50 temporary hit points and resistance to all damage except radiant and psychic until the end of its next turn. > > ### Actions > ***Gore.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +9 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. *Hit* 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage and if the targe is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is instantly Petrified. Otherwise, a creature that fails the save begins to turn to stone and is Restrained. The Restrained creature must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn, becoming Petrified on a failure or ending the effect on a success. The petrification lasts until the creature is freed by the Greater Restoration spell or other magic. > > ***Change Shape (2/Day).*** The siabrae magically polymorphs into a beast or elemental with a challenge rating of 4 or less, and can remain in this form for up to 7 hours. The siabrae can choose whether its equipment falls to the ground, melds with its new form, or is worn by the new form. The siabrae revert to its true form if it dies or fails unconscious. The siabrae can revert to its true form using a bonus action on its turn. > >While in a new form, the siabrae retains its game statistics, gore attack, and ability to speak, but its AC, movement modes, Strenth, and Dexterity are replaced by those of the new form, and it gains any special senses, proficiencies, traits, actions, and reactions (except for class features, legendary actions, and lair actions) that the new form has but that it lacks. The new form's attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunity to nonmagical attacks. > > ### Lair Actions > > On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the siabrae can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the siabrae can't use the same effect two rounds in a row: > > * The siabrae rolls a d8 and regains a spell slot of that level or lower. If it has no spent spell slots of that level or lower, nothing happens. > > * A bestial curse affects one character, turning them into a blighted savage that attacks their nearest ally if they fail a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. > > * A siabrae calls forth the spirits of creatures that died in its lair. These apparitions materialize and attack one creature that the siabrae can see within 60 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 25 (8d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. The apparitions then disappear. ___ ___

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\page ### Credits ##### Original Story by Maria Vercelli
##### Siabrae Statblock: [Kain's 5e Monstrous Manual](https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/dicefreaks/kain-s-5e-monstrous-manual-t561-s430.html)
##### PDF Template: [Homebrewery](Homebrewery.naturalcrit.com)
*All unlabeled photos are under a free for commercial use, no attribution required license.*
### Creature Origin Book Acronyms *CoS* -- Curse of Strahd
*MM*: -- Monster Manual
*MToF* -- Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
*VGtM* -- Volo's Guide to Monsters
*W:DotMM* -- Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage ``` ```
*I hope you enjoyed! This was my first ever campaign written from scratch. Hopefully, there will be more to come! -Maria*

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

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