Froghemoth

Over its long history, Dungeons & Dragons has given rise to some truly absurd monsters (half the original Fiend Folio, for example); and while many of these critters are simply silly – flumph, I’m looking at you – some of them were just weird enough to be pretty damn cool.

In this update of the Critter Companion Blog, I’ve chosen one of my favorite weird monsters from the murky history of D&D. Because I know that your game simply doesn’t have enough weird in it, I give you a monster so ridiculous and so powerful that you can’t help but take notice and marvel at its sheer ludicrousness. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the froghemoth.

BD

________________________________________

Froghemoth

Froghemoths are bizarre, amphibian monstrosities that dwell within deep swamps and impenetrable bogs. They are near mindless engine of destruction and appetite, devouring anything small enough to fit within their cavernous maw – which is typically any living thing they encounter.

Froghemoth Lore

A character knows the following with a successful Nature check.

DC 20: Resulting from what can only be crazed, magical experimentation; froghemoths are a disturbing mixture of frog and octopus, likely mixed with troll essence, and then grown to a colossal size. The name of the deranged mage or sorcerer that created the first froghemoth is not known, but his creation has proved both viable and hardy, and a number of swamps throughout the known world are rumored to hold the lairs of these titanic abominations.

DC 25: Froghemoths are resistant to fire, and can regenerate from even the most grievous wounds. Only strong alchemical acid can cause any lasting harm to these monsters, as they can regrow severed body parts, including their heads, within a matter of hours.

Froghemoth XP 12,000
Level 19 Solo Lurker
Huge natural magical beast (aquatic)
Initiative +17 Senses Perception +20; low-light vision
Regeneration 15 (if the froghemoth takes acid damage, regeneration does not function until the end of its next turn).
HP 930; Bloodied 465
AC 35; Fortitude 33, Reflex 27, Will 29
Resist 15 fire
Saving Throws +5
Speed 4 (swamp walk), swim 8
Action Points 2
Tongue Lash (standard; at-will)
Reach 4; +24 vs. AC; 1d10+9 damage, the target is grabbed (until escape) and pulled to an unoccupied square adjacent to the froghemoth. Once it has grabbed a target, the froghemoth cannot use its tongue lash attack, but it can use bite and swallow or tentacle slam.
Tentacle Slam (standard; at-will)
Reach 4; +24 vs. AC; 2d6+9 damage, and a Large or smaller target is grabbed (until escape). A froghemoth can grab up to 4 Large or smaller targets at once with its tentacles.
Bite and Swallow (standard; at-will)
Grabbed adjacent target only; +24 vs. AC; 2d8+9 damage, and the froghemoth makes a secondary attack on the same target. Secondary Attack: +22 vs. Fortitude; on a hit, the target is swallowed and restrained (no save) and takes 10 damage plus 10 acid damage on subsequent rounds at the start of the froghemoth’s turn. The swallowed creature can make melee basic attacks with one-handed or natural weapons. If the froghemoth dies, any creature trapped inside it can escape as a move action, ending that action in a square formerly occupied by the froghemoth. If the froghemoth fails to swallow a target, the target is still grabbed, and the froghemoth can attempt to swallow it on its next turn.
Crushing Constriction (minor 2/round; at-will)
Target grabbed by tentacle only; +22 vs. Fortitude; 2d6+9 damage, and the target is dazed until the end of the froghemoth’s next turn.
Tentacle Eruption (standard; recharge )
The froghemoth makes four tentacle attacks. It cannot make more that two tentacle attacks on any one target. The froghemoth can only use this attack if it is not currently grabbing a target with one of its tentacles.
Tentacle Grab
A froghemoth can attack and grab with up four tentacles at a time. While grabbing a target, the froghemoth can act normally, but it can’t use that tentacle for another attack. An enemy can attack a tentacle to make the froghemoth release a grabbed victim. The tentacles' defenses are the same as the froghemoth’s, and an attack that hits a tentacle does not harm the froghemoth, but does cause it to let go of a grabbed target.
Virulent Healing * Healing
If a froghemoth is reduced to 0 hit points by an attack that does not deal acid damage, it rises on its next turn (as a move action) with 15 hit points.
Alignment Unaligned Languages –
Skills Stealth +18
Str 28 (+18), Dex 18 (+13), Wis 22 (+15)
Con 26 (+17), Int 5 (+6), Cha 15 (+11)
Description The still, stagnant waters of the swamp suddenly erupt into frenzied motion as something huge moves beneath the surface. When the horror finally pulls its behemoth bulk from the water, it is both shockingly alien and laughably absurd. A twisted mixture of frog and octopus, the huge beast has a round, fleshy body supported by two pillar-like legs. Four massive tentacles, each as thick as a man’s waist, sprout from the below the monsters neck, writhing like a forest of green serpents. But the beast’s crowning terror is its vast, globular head, bisected nearly in half by a wide, fanged maw from which a long, barbed tongue protrudes a full 10 feet. Sitting atop this nightmarish head is a telescoping stalk containing three bulbous eyes, all focused on your party with obvious hunger.

Froghemoth Tactics

Despite its massive bulk, the froghemoth is an accomplished ambush predator. It waits beneath the surface for prey to wander into range of its tongue or tentacles with only its telescoping eyestalk and nostrils above the water. When a suitable victim comes along, the froghemoth lashes out with its barbed tongue, entangling the target, and pulling it into range of its gigantic maw. Once prey is adjacent to the beast, it spends an action point to use bite and swallow to gobble its meal down.

When confronted with multiple small opponents, the froghemoth begins combat with tentacle eruption and attempts to grab and crush as many targets as possible. Once it has grabbed one or more enemies, it continues to crush them, saving its tongue lash and further tentacle attacks for any foes that escaped its initial assault.

Encounter Groups

Froghemoths are almost always encountered alone, as they consider every thing smaller than themselves to be a potential meal. However, a few degenerate tribes of lizardmen have been known to worship these weird monstrosities from time to time – usually ending up on the menu for their devotions. In addition, since undead are the only creatures a froghemoth will not eat, certain types of intelligent undead use froghemoths as guardians and attack beasts.

Level 23 Encounter (XP 26,800)

• 1 larval mage (level 21 elite artillery)
• 3 rot harbingers (level 20 soldier)
• 1 froghemoth (level 19 solo lurker)