Monster
Comments from the Finger: Everyone needs a good huge sandworm. If you’ve read the Waste Update, this one is a bit of an update.
W’rnoctur
The fearsome w’rnoctur worms wait beneath the sands of thousands of desert worlds, waiting for unwary prey to disrupt the dunes above. It’s unclear how such a ubiquitous predator spread to so many worlds in the first place, but any world with vast expanses of sand is feared to contain at least one pair of w’rnocturs.
Desert Legends. Nothing is more dreaded in the wastelands than a w’rnoctur striking from beneath. Death is almost instant to any unfortunate individual ambushed by a w’rnoctur, and the strike is not soon forgotten by survivors. As such, the worms have become legendary throughout the ‘verse as a nearly omnipresent threat on sandy worlds. Such a reputation has a pinch of exaggeration, however; though w’rnocturs are common, they are perhaps only found on half of desert worlds.
Pair Predators. W’rnocturs mate for life and are almost always found hunting in pairs. In the terrifying circumstance that a massive w’rnoctur explodes from the sand, travelers should yet be wary: another monstrosity is not far behind.
Female w’rnocturs are larger, and carry with them a large clutch of eggs, which mature over the course of decades. It’s unknown how long the worms live individually, but if their egg’s development is anything to go by, adult w’rnocturs may very well be ancient.
Moisture Hunters. W’rnocturs live deep underneath the sand, emerging only to hunt, and always strike with uncanny accuracy. How the w’rnocturs detect their prey was long a topic of debate until amoeboid researchers discovered that w’rnoctur sense organs detect the moisture of other living beings; thus, constructs are practically invisible to them, as long as they remain dry and carry no potions. Other living things can only tread lightly on the dunes and hope that the worms are soundly asleep in hibernation.
W’rnoctur
Gargantuan monstrosity, neutral
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 171 (11d20 + 55)
Speed 30 ft., burrow 50 ft.
STR 27 (+8) DEX 10 (+0) CON 21 (+5)
INT 3 (-4) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 4 (-3)
Saving Throws Con +9, Wis +4
Senses blindsight 30 ft., tremorsense 120 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages ―
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
Ambusher. The w’rnoctur has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it has surprised.
Moisture Sense. The w’rnoctur’s blindsight can only detect creatures with liquid water in their bodies. Constructs, as well as other creatures whose bodies lack moisture, such as fire elementals, can remain invisible to the w’rnoctur, as long as they do not move.
Tunneler. The w’rnoctur can burrow through solid rock at half its burrow speed and leaves a 10-foot-diameter tunnel in its wake.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The w’rnoctur makes two attacks: one with its bite and one to constrict.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8 + 8) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed by the w’rnoctur. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the w’rnoctur, and it takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of the w’rnoctur turns. If the w’rnoctur takes 30 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the w’rnoctur must succeed on a DC 18 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 w’rnoctur. If the w’rnoctur dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 20 feet of movement, exiting prone.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 16). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained.
