Spectral Eel of the Forgotten Tides

1 day ago by Admin - Monsters

The ethereal form glides silently through water and shadows, undulating as if dancing in an unseen current. Its body shimmers with a faint iridescence, resembling a ghostly eel but with elongated tendrils that trail behind it like flowing ribbons. Eyes like pools of darkness hold the gaze of any who encounter this being, instilling an unsettling sense of foreboding. Drawn to death and decay in aquatic environments, it can temporarily assume a corporeal form to strike at the living, feeding off their life essence. Adventurers who cross paths with this creature find themselves entangled in a struggle where their very strength and resolve are sapped away, leaving only despair in the depths.

Creature Type: Undead
Challenge Rating: 6 (2,300 XP)
Armor Class: 15 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 105 (14d8 + 42)
Speed: 0 ft., swim 60 ft. (can move through water or shadow)

Saving Throws: Dex +9, Wis +6
Damage Resistances: Cold, Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Truesight 120 ft., Passive Perception 12
Languages: Understands Common and Aquan but cannot speak
Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP)

Abilities:

• Amorphous Form: Can shift effortlessly between its ethereal state and a corporeal presence, allowing it to pass through solid surfaces like a phantom.

• Life Drain: Melee Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (4d10) necrotic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or have their maximum hit points reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest.

• Tidal Veil (Recharge 5-6): The creature envelops itself in a swirling mist of shadows and water. Until the end of its next turn, it is heavily obscured, and any creature that enters a 15-foot radius around it takes 14 (4d6) cold damage.

• Forgotten Influence: A creature that fails a DC 15 Charisma saving throw while within 30 feet of it becomes frightened until the end of its next turn, and must use its movement on its next turn to charge toward the creature if possible.

Actions:

• Multiattack: The creature makes two Life Drain attacks.

• Shadow Surge (Recharge 4-6): The creature channels the forgotten tides, creating a wave of dark energy that explodes in a 30-foot radius around it. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The creature then returns to its amorphous form, disappearing until the start of its next turn.

Set against the backdrop of an ancient underwater ruin or the misty banks of a sunken temple, this entity serves as a haunting reminder of the inevitable decay that accompanies life, compelling adventurers to face both their fears and their mortality.