Ancient Deep Crow
Acquisitions Incorporated p. 211
- Size
- Huge
- Type
- monstrosity
- Alignment
- unaligned
- AC
- 18 (natural armor)
- Hit Points
- 187 (15d12+90)
- Speed
- walk 20 ft., fly 80 ft.
- Saving Throws
- Con +11, Wis +7
- Skills
- Perception +7, Stealth +13
- Resistances
- bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Senses
- blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft.
- Passive Perception
- 17
- Languages
- Deep Crow
- Challenge
- 15
- Lineage
- Deep Crow
Traits
Magic Resistance
The ancient deep crow has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Shadow Stealth
While in dim light or darkness, the ancient deep crow can take the Hide action as a bonus action.
Actions
Multiattack
The ancient deep crow makes three attacks: one with its mandibles and two with its claws.
Mandibles
Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 19). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the ancient deep crow can't use its mandibles on another target.
Claw
Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.
Shadow Caw
The ancient deep crow releases an ear-splitting caw. Each creature within 60 feet of the crow and able to hear it must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage.
Legendary Actions
Legendary Actions (3/Turn)
The monstrosity 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 monstrosity regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
recharge
3/TURN
Detect
The deep crow makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Shadow Caw (Costs 2 Actions)
The ancient deep crow uses Shadow Caw.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions)
The ancient deep crow beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the deep crow must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The ancient deep crow can then fly up to half its flying speed.
A Deep Crow's Lair Categoría: lair
Deep crows and ancient deep crows roost in places both deep and warm, favoring sites with access to exposed lava. The spires of volcanic rock the creatures prize as roosts are common in such places, whose ambient warmth provides constant temperature regulation for the creature's eggs.
Regional Effects Categoría: lair
The region containing an ancient deep crow's lair is transformed by the creature's presence, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Supernatural shadow turns all bright light to dim light in underground regions within 6 miles of the lair.
- Intermittent, echoing caws can be heard coming from all directions within 6 miles of the lair.
- Subterranean beasts within 1 mile of the ancient deep crow's lair serve as the creature's eyes and ears, alerting it to the presence of intruders and making it all but impossible to surprise the ancient deep crow.
If the ancient deep crow dies, these effects fade immediately.
Other data
description
So little is known of the deep crows that even less is known of their monstrous leviathan cousins, the ancient deep crows. Whether these gargantuan specimens are elder deep crows grown to great size or some higher form that holds lesser deep crows in thrall remains to be determined. Ideally by someone else. Seriously, stay away from these things.
Deep Crow: The only warning you'll get is that fearsome, far-off caw, echoing from the darkness like a death knell. For by the time those glowing red eyes fix on you, it's far too late to run...
Some adventurers and sages whisper that deep crows were first spawned as the familiars of evil arcane casters, abandoned in the subterranean depths and left to grow to enormous size. Others claim these creatures were once normal crows transmuted by vile essence and viler powers. But one thing all agree on is that ending up a meal for one of these monstrosities is a too-real threat for those who stumble into their deadly lairs. Though the deep crow most immediately resembles a massive version of its namesake bird, this creature is a unique form of avian insect. Seen up close, it can easily be discerned from any other giant bird by its insectoid maw, its four-clawed feet, and the cluster of red eyes that are the most unsettling part of its appearance.
Terror from Above: The deep crow's most fearsome attack is the bite of its mandibles, which can seize and hold almost any creature. Their preferred attack is a snatch-and-grab that sees a deep crow flying off with a living victim before its companions have any chance of counterattack. Provided the doomed prey doesn't struggle, the deep crow takes it back to its lair to be devoured at leisure. Creatures that do struggle might be repeatedly dropped from a height to soften them up a bit.
Family Ties: Deep crows live alone for an unknown length of years, emerging from the lair only to hunt, to look for potential threats, and to mate. Mating is a once-in-a-lifetime urge that sees each deep crow involved in the pairing produce a cluster of four to eight eggs. Incubation lasts a year, followed by a year during which the fledgling deep crows stay close by their parent's side. The young then set out to establish lairs of their own.
Unknown and Inscrutable: The mindset of these intelligent yet alien creatures is a mystery, but some who have encountered them relate that they are quick to hold a grudge. For years. Of even greater importance, they can teach their chicks to harbor the same resentments, instilling a cross-generational hatred of chosen foes that can last for centuries.