The honeytrap is a roper-like creature which relies on deceit and camouflage to trap its prey. The upper half of its body bears the appearance of a beautiful young maiden, but this beauty is wrapped around a mass of tentacular horror.

Quicksand Hunter. The honeytrap’s favored tactic is to secrete a corrosive chemical capable of rendering even solid rock into a quicksand-like liquescence. When its prey draws near, the honeytrap will cry in terror and plead for their aid. It will wait until they are at their most vulnerable before striking: Its sternum will part into a ravenous maw, exuding a half dozen coiled tentacles which will burst forth and wrap themselves lethally around the honeytrap’s would-be saviors.

Tentacular Chase. The honeytrap prefers to lure its victims into a dangerous mixture of complacency and chivalry before striking, but those seeking to flee a ravenous honeytrap may be shocked as it wrenches itself free from its muck-ridden hunting grounds and pursues them with great speed upon a second tumultuous mass of tentacles extruding from its “maiden” waist.

More startling even than that diabolic chuckle was the scream that rose at my very elbow from the salt-compounded sand – the scream of a woman possessed by some atrocious agony, or helpless in the grip of devils. Turning, I beheld a veritable Venus, naked in a white perfection that could fear no scrutiny, but immersed to her navel in the sand. Her terror-widened eyes implored me and her lotus hands reached out with beseeching gesture.

The Abominations of Yondo, Clark Ashton Smith

HONEYTRAP

Large monstrosity, chaotic evil

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Armor Class 18

Hit Points 119 (14d10+42)

Speed 40 ft.

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STR 19 (+4), DEX 13 (+2), CON 17 (+3), INT 12 (+1), WIS 11 (+0), CHA 17 (+3)

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Skills Athletics +7, Deception +6, Persuasion +6, Stealth +5

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages Common, Elven

Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

Proficiency Bonus +3

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Grasping Tendrils. The honeytrap has six tendrils. Each tendril can be attacked (AC 18; 20 hit points; immunity to poison and psychic damage). Destroying a tendril deals no damage to the honeytrap. A tendril can also be broken if a creature takes an action and succeeds on a DC 16 Strength check against it.

Quicksand Liquiescence. A honeytrap can turn a 10 ft. radius of earth, dirt, or stone into quicksand in 1d4 minutes by excreting a powerful, acidic chemical. If a honeytrap is slain, moves, or stops excreting the chemical, the ground will re-solidify within 1d4 hours.

A creature entering quicksand sinks 1d4+1 feet and becomes restrained. At the start of each of its turns, the creature sinks another 1d4 feet. Creatures in quicksand can attempt a DC 10 + the number of feet it has sunk Strength check to escape. This check is made with advantage if they have hold of a rope or similar item attached to something out of the quicksand.

A creature completely submerged in quicksand cannot breathe and begins to suffocate. They are also no longer able to escape the quicksand without assistance.

A creature outside can pull a creature out of quicksand as an action with a DC 5 + the number of feet the target creature has sunk into the quicksand Strength check.

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ACTIONS

Multiattack. The honeytrap makes six attacks with its tendrils, uses Reel, and makes one attack with its bite.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 31 (6d8+4) piercing damage.

Tendril. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 30 ft., one creature. The target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained and has disadvantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, and the honeytrap cannot use the same tendril on another target.

Weakness. A honeytrap’s strands sap an opponent’s strength. Anyone grabbed by a strand must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw each round or suffer a level of exhaustion.

Reel. The honeytrap pulls each creature grappled by it up to 15 ft. straight toward it.

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Ash wraiths are the undead, burnt remains of corpses. They take the form of a swirling cloud of gray-black ash, usually vaguely humanoid in shape. Although they cannot properly be said to have corporeal bodies, their touch retains the passionate heat of their deaths and is scalding to mortal flesh.

Hauntings. Ash wraiths are most often found haunting ruined crematoriums or lingering near the horrors of execution pyres, but there are also tales of woods being haunted by ash wraith animals for years or even decades after the devastation of forest fires.

From One, Many. Ash wraiths can be created using the animate dead spell, although it requires special knowledge to do so.

Necromancers who perfect the rare art of creating ash wraiths are often able to claim two undead servants from a single corpse. Although the rites which create a skeleton usually consume the flesh of the corpse (if it has not already rotted away), a necromancer can first flense the corpse. The flesh and fat is then burned, providing the ashes for the wraith, while the skeleton is animated separately.

Undead Nature. An ash wraith doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

ASH WRAITH

Medium undead, neutral evil

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Armor Class 12

Hit Points 18 (4d8)

Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)

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STR 7 (-2), DEX 14 (+2), CON 11 (+0), INT 6 (-2), WIS 8 (-1), CHA 5 (-3)

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Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons

Damage Immunities necrotic, poison

Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, poisoned, prone, restrained

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9

Languages understands all languages it knew in life, but can’t speak

Challenge ¼ (50 XP)

Proficiency Bonus +2

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Ashen Movement. The ash wraith can move through other creatures’ spaces as if they were difficult terrain.

Undead Embers. If damage reduces the ash wraith to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw of DC 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the ash wraith will reform in 1d4 hours.

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ACTIONS

Fiery Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) fire damage.

Design Note: Ash wraiths are designed to provide an incorporeal form of undead that can be used in a fashion similar to skeletons and zombies. (In other words, minor undead that aren’t mind-searingly terrifying.) They were originally created for the original 1974 edition of D&D, and that stat block can be found here.

The likho is a lithe, slight humanoid with slick, purple-gray skin. Its slim limbs are wiry and muscular. Its face is dominated by a single large eye, beneath which are two thin slits for nostrils and a narrow gash of a mouth filled with needle-like teeth.

It has a strange, ever-changing gait — sometimes walking on its hands, sometimes on its legs, sometimes racing on all four — and will often vault and climb and clamber with wild abandon, slipping in and out of shadowy bowers or leaping out of black waters to surprise those peering into the deeps.

Personification of Misfortune. In the folk tales of the frontier, the likho is seen as the living embodiment of ill fortune and evil. “He’s had the likho on his back” is a saying that describes those who have suffered from a series of misfortunes. “Don’t stare the likho in its face” is a proverb suggesting that one should not tempt fate.

There are many who think this is just a turn of phrase. But, of course, the likho is quite real, and while most who suffer setbacks are just unlucky, some truly are cursed by the likho.

In some isolated communities that have a long history with the likho, lichy is a slang term that means something shoddy or unreliable. Some may also refer to likhoy, those who are too daring or foolhardy (and thus risk bringing ill fortune to both themselves and those around them).

Likho Items. Likho can create special bait items. These are often made to look quite valuable — e.g., a sword with a hilt of gold — in order to tempt the greed of their victims. Anyone touching a likho item will find that it is stuck in place and that they are unable to release it. (Wrenching their grasp free requires a DC 22 Strength check or a remove curse spell.) Furthermore, the likho who made the item is alerted as per an alarm spell. As the likho draws near, the one attached to a likho item will feel their presence growing like a darkness in their mind.

Many are the tales of those who have cut off their own hands in order to escape the approaching likho.

Likho’s Bargain. It is said that a likho can sometimes be bargained with. Its own evil can be turned back upon itself, if one can offer a great temptation or something of great worth related to a deadly sin. (Most commonly greed, like a blacksmith offering to make it a precious item or a wizard offering to conjure it a magical feast.)

In truth, however, the likho rarely honors these bargains: it will take what is offered and then betray the one who made the bargain with it. However, the clever can sometimes trick or cheat the likho.

LIKHO

Small fey, chaotic evil

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Armor Class 13

Hit Points 58 (13d6+13)

Speed 30 ft.

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STR 10 (+0), DEX 16 (+3), CON 12 (+1), INT 12 (+1), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 14 (+2)

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Skills Athletics +2, Deception +4, Insight +3, Stealth +5

Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive perception 13

Languages Common, Sylvan

Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Proficiency Bonus +2

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Adherence: If a creature touches or is touched by the likho, they must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the likho adheres to them and simultaneously vanishes, becoming both invisible and intangible. Truesight or other abilities that perceive the Ethereal Plane allow one to see the likho, which clings to the target’s shoulders from the Border Ethereal.

A character who has been adhered to by a likho feels a weight on their soul and suffers from bad luck. They suffer disadvantage on all checks and must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw each day at dusk or suffer one level of exhaustion. They do not recover from exhaustion after long rests.

A remove curse spell will break the likho’s adherence, freeing its victim and forcing it to return to the Material Plane.

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ACTIONS

Multiattack. The likho makes two claw attacks.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack. +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d8) slashing damage. If the likho hits with a claw attack, the target is subjected to the Adherence trait.

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A cerberus spawn is a large, three-headed dog. They usually have sleek, grey-brown fur, although some are jet black. One can often seen their veins, which glow like red-hot lava through their skin. Their eyes, too, glow red above their slavering maws.

Spawn of Hades. Cerberus spawn are said to be the get of Cerberus itself, the great hound who stands guard upon the gates of Hades. Like their forefather, cerberus spawn are used throughout Hades to keeps souls from escaping their gaols and masters.

Guard Dogs of the Lower Planes. From Hades, the cerberus spawn have spread throughout the Lower Planes, where many demons and devils employ them as guardians. Even wild packs are sometimes seen, roaming the Abyss, feasting upon the damned souls of Avernus, or  adding their howls to the lamentations of Cocytus.

Ghost Hounds. The gifts of cerberus spawn are also renowned on the Material Plane, where their affinity for souls makes them expert trackers of ghosts and other incorporeal undead.

Packs of cerberus spawn are also often brought to the Material Plane by more powerful fiends. They are sometimes abandoned by these masters, or left feral after mortal heroes dispose of their keepers. Such hounds often seek a way home, although some find the easy prey of the mortal world to their liking and settle down.

Cerberus spawn breed true, but rarely (only going into heat once every thirteen years), so fortunately these packs rarely become endemic. Druids often seek to eliminate them, however, because they tend to violently displace native predators. (It’s not unusual, for example, to find dead wolves marking the limits of a cerberus spawn’s territory.)

CERBERUS SPAWN

Large fiend, neutral evil

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Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 85 (10d10+30)

Speed 50 ft.

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STR 22 (+6), DEX 9 (-1), CON 17 (+3), INT 8 (-1), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 5 (-3)

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Skills Perception +5

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 15

Languages Infernal

Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Proficiency Bonus +3

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Three Heads: A spawn has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious.

Soul Scenter: A cerberus spawn gains advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks related to ghosts and similar undead.

Magic Resistance. A spawn has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

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ACTIONS

Multiattack. The spawn makes three bite attacks.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack. +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10+6) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

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The word dampf, in German, means “vapour.” In England, the term became used to describe a variety of gases encountered during mining:

• Firedamp refers to a flammable gas, most often methane.
• Whitedamp refers to a smothering, toxic gas (usually carbon monoxide resulting from burning coal). This is the gas which canaries were famously used to detect.
• Stinkdamp is hydrogen sulfide. Poisonous, corrosive, and very flammable, with the foul odor of rotten eggs.
• Afterdamp, the toxic mixture of gases left in the aftermath of an explosion. Could be any mixture of the above.

Corpsedamp is a gas most often extracted by necromancers from rotting corpses. It has a number of properties favorable to their work, but is particularly notable for allowing the creation of corpsedamp zombies: Shambling undead literally bloated by the mass of gas which has been used to animate them. Their rotting skin is drawn taut; the milky white remnants of their eyes often bulge from the face or are even pushed out to dangle against their cheeks by their internal pressure.

CORPSEDAMP ZOMBIE
Medium undead, neutral evil

Armor Class 8
Hit Points 22 (3d8+9)
Speed 20 ft.

STR 13 (+1), DEX 6 (-2), CON 16 (+3), INT 3 (-4), WIS 6 (-2), CHA 5 (-3)

Saving Throws Wis +0
Damage Immunities Poison
Condition Immunities Poisoned
Vulnerability fire
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8
Languages understands all languages it spoke in life, but cannot speak
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)

Explosive Death. If a corpsedamp zombie is reduced to 0 hit points, it immediately explodes. All creatures within 15 feet must make a DC 13 Dexterity save. A target takes 2d8 fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. (The fire spreads around corners and ignites flammable objects in the area that weren’t being worn or carried.)

Fiery Death. A corpsedamp zombie is vulnerable to fire. If they die as a result of fire damage, however, their Explosive Death ability deals 4d8 damage (or half on a successful save) instead of the normal amount.

ACTIONS

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (1d6+1) bludgeoning damage.

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