Shrieking Terror

by Macekill

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Abyssal Weapons

"I assure you Hakon, this creature is unlike any you've seen before. The best way I can describe it, would be: It is a nightmarish flying starfish with five ravenous and hateful humanoid heads. Its dagger-like teeth is its true weapon, but its baleful green gaze and inhuman shriek is enough to turn even the most veteran adventurer. Are you sure this is the right choice?" - Valus, aspiring magus

Abominations of War. None know who was the first to create these monsters, only that the demon lords of the Abyss sought their continued creation for their war efforts against one another. After all, the shrieking terror is a large whirlwind of teeth and voice that drags swathes of enemies to the grave. Gifted with an incredible regenerative body, shrieking terrors are seldom brought to the brink of death, lest the creature fighting them knows its weaknesses. Another gift is its large body, which is much larger than a fully grown horse and weighs nearly two tons. Its wings when fully opened stretch to 16 feet in either direction and carries it aloft with exceptional control, able to propel itself forward in a sudden burst of inhuman speed to catch its enemies off guard. Its most valuable gift however, is the potent toxins it secretes when it bites into its prey - which adorns each one of its scale-ridden faces.

Revered and Despised. Being the result of experimentation on a vargouille and a hydra, many have come to admire the power of such communion, while others are disgusted by its very nature. The shrieking terror however is intelligent enough to communicate, which both the vargouille and hydra lack, making them perfect frontline troops for the demon lords. While many vargouille worship the shrieking terror as a higher being, there are few of their kind that are disgusted with them - having been known to attack the hybrid when their hate is powerful enough.

Twisted Arsenal. The reason why a shrieking terror is so valuable to demon lords, is their ability to create vargouille that are uncharacteristically drawn to the shrieking terror -- much to the creature's distaste -- and is an easy source of replenishing its forces. While a shrieking terror may be a solitary creature, it may at any given time be surrounded by two or three swarms of vargouille that flock to, and around it as it either rests or travels. Because of this, the shrieking terror has been known to consume these fiends for food since they drive its prey away more often than not. However, its natural weapons are enough to fell whatever measly creatures try to fight it. Ranging from it poisonous bite that leaves a festering wound that isn't able to be healed; or its cacophonic shriek that locks up any creature unlucky enough to hear it, or lastly its cursed kiss which can turn any humanoid unlucky enough to be the victim of it into a vargouille.














































Shrieking Terror from the D&D 3.5 Monster Manual, owned obviously by Wizards of The Coast



Shrieking Terror

Large Aberration, Typically Neutral Evil


  • Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
  • Hit Points 161 (17d10 + 68)
  • Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
21 (+5) 16 (+3) 19 (+4) 6 (-2) 12 (+1) 8 (-1)

  • Skills Perception +9, Stealth +7
  • Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning
  • Damage Immunities poison
  • Condition Immunities poisoned
  • Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 19
  • Languages Abyssal, Infernal
  • Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)

Multiple Heads. The shrieking terror has five heads. While it has more than one head, the shrieking terror has advantage on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious. Whenever the shrieking terror takes 30 or more damage in a single turn, one of its heads dies.

At the end of its turn, it grows two heads for each of its heads that died since its last turn, unless it has taken fire or acid damage since its last turn. The shrieking terror regains 10 hit points for each head regrown in this way.

Pounce. If the shrieking terror moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a bite attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the shrieking terror can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.

Reactive Heads. For each head the shrieking terror has beyond one, it gets an extra reaction that can be used only for opportunity attacks.

Regeneration. The shrieking terror regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn. If the shrieking terror takes fire or acid damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of the shrieking terror's next turn. The shrieking terror dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate.

Wakeful. While the shrieking terror sleeps, at least one of its heads is awake.

Actions

Multiattack. The shrieking terror makes as many bite attacks as it has heads. It can substitute any one of these attacks with a kiss attack.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. A creature that is poisoned in this way is unable to regain hit points for the duration. At the end of each of the creature's turns, it can remake the saving throw, ending the effect on a success.

Kiss. The shrieking terror kisses one incapacitated humanoid within 10 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or become cursed. The cursed target loses 2 points of Charisma after each hour, as its head takes on fiendish aspects. The curse doesn't advance while the target is in sunlight or the area of a daylight spell; don't count that time. When the cursed target's Charisma becomes 2, it dies, and its head tears from its body and becomes a new vargouille. Casting remove curse, greater restoration, or a similar spell on the target before the transformation is complete can end the curse. Doing so undoes the changes made to the target by the curse.

Cacophonic Shriek. The shrieking terror shrieks in unison with its other heads. Each creature, other than a vargouille or a shrieking terror, within 60 feet of the shrieking terror and able to hear it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of the shrieking terror's next turn. While frightened in this way, a target is paralyzed. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the Cacophonic Shriek of all shrieking terrors for 1 hour.



Vargouille Swarm

Large Swarm of Tiny Fiends, Chaotic Evil


  • Armor Class 13
  • Hit Points 37 (5d10 + 10)
  • Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
6 (-2) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 4 (-3) 7 (-2) 2 (-4)

  • Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
  • Damage Immunities poison
  • Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, poisoned, restrained, stunned
  • Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8
  • Languages understands Abyssal, Infernal, and any languages it knew before becoming a vargouille but can't speak
  • Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny head. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.

Actions

Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 14 (4d6) piercing damage plus 21 (6d6) poison damage, or 7 (2d6) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.

Kisses. The swarm kisses one incapacitated humanoid within its space. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or become cursed. The cursed target loses 1 point of Charisma after each hour, as its head takes on fiendish aspects. The curse doesn't advance while the target is in sunlight or the area of a daylight spell; don't count that time. When the cursed target's Charisma becomes 2, it dies, and its head tears from its body and becomes a new vargouille. Casting remove curse, greater restoration, or a similar spell on the target before the transformation is complete can end the curse. Doing so undoes the changes made to the target by the curse.

Stunning Shriek. The swarm shrieks. Each humanoid and beast within 30 feet of the swarm and able to hear it must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of the swarm's next turn. While frightened in this way, a target is stunned. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the Stunning Shriek of all vargouilles for 1 hour.

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