It’s finally time! Epic Monsters is offering up the daddy of all monsters today, bane of both mortals and gods, a deity with more snakes than you can throw a stick at: Typhon!
Also known as Typhoeus, Typhaon, or Typhos, this son of Gaia (Earth) and Tartarus (with help from Aphrodite) was created because Gaia was mad about the ascent of the Olympians and destruction of her Titan children. Or maybe he was birthed only by Gaia, or maybe by Hera when she got angry about Zeus birthing Athena by himself—depends on what tales you’re looking at. Typhon’s got even more different descriptions than he has origins! We’re going with Apollodorus’ because that has the closest available artwork: a mountain-sized winged monster with a head that "brushed the stars", a human form above the waist, snake coils under that, and fire coming out of his eyes.
Typhon married the half-woman half-snake Echidna and sired many, many monstrous offspring. The list grew over the years with new contributions by various sources,and now includes but is not limited to: the Caucasian eagle, Cerberus, the Chimera, the Colchian dragon, the Crommyonian Sow, the medusa Gorgon, harpies, the dragon Ladon, the Lernaean Hydra, the Nemean Lion, Orthrus, Scylla, the Sphinx, some sea serpents, and even storm winds. What Typhon’s best known for is trying to overthrow Zeus and there are (surprise surprise) many different accounts of how that went down, ranging from Typhon trying to jump him in his sleep, to most of the rest of the gods of Olympus fleeing in animal forms, Typhon being tricked by Pan into coming out into the open, and one where Zeus has his tendons ripped out and he’s thrown into a cave before returning to defeat Typhon. These largely all end the same way: Zeus seals Typhon beneath the earth (or into Tartarus), and that’s where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions come from.
Design Notes: So we’ve got a very big monstrous man that’s incredibly strong, inexhaustible, with a fiery gaze, flames flashing around his face, emanating monstrous roars and screams and hisses, and with shoulders that have 100 snakes and also a fearful dragon. Quite the list! We’re going to let the dragon go because frankly enough things are going on here, but the rest of it makes for an impressive enough creature it’d be icing on icing. Getting near Typhon means getting bitten by his legion of snakes, and that’s not an easy thing to do with Scorching Whirlwind or Sea Maelstrom throwing adventurers around the map. What’s really monstrous with Typhon here is his damage output so let’s do the numbers! The DMG puts him at a smidge past 27 and the Blog of Holding at 29.5, averaging out above 28. We haven’t gotten to Zeus—yet—but with Typhon’s offensive capacity there’d plenty of design room for him to win the occasional fight between the two.
Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
Hit Points 356 (23d20+115)
Speed 60 ft.
Skills Athletics +16, Perception +11
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, thunder
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities frightened, poisoned, stunned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 21
Languages Common, Primordial
Challenge 28 (120,000 XP)
Fiery Gaze. If Typhon isn’t incapacitated and can see, he can use a bonus action to unleash flames in a 60 foot-cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 21 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Typhon fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Typhon has advantage on saving throws made against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Typhon’s weapon attacks are magical.
Primordial Poison. A creature immune to poison damage takes half damage from any poison damage dealt by Typhon.
Shoulder Snakes. A hundred snakes writhe from Typhon’s shoulders, snapping at everything in a 15-foot radius. When a creature starts its turn in the area or first enters into it on a turn, Typhon makes a Snake Shoulders attack against it.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. Typhon uses his Monstrous Emanations and makes two melee attacks.
Snake Hands. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 25 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (3d10+8) piercing damage plus 21 (6d6) poison damage.
Snake Shoulders. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one creature. Hit: 17 (2d8+8) piercing damage plus 21 (6d6) poison damage.
Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, range 120/480 ft., one target. Hit: 34 (4d12+8) bludgeoning damage.
Monstrous Emanations. Typhon constantly emanates monstrous hisses, roars, and screams while he is not incapacitated. Each creature that starts its turn within 50 feet of Typhon and can hear the emanations must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature becomes frightened for 1 minute, and on a failure by 5 or more the creature is terrified, dropping anything it is holding. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Typhon’s Monstrous Emanations for the next 24 hours.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Typhon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Typhon regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
MYTHICAL ACTIONS
When Typhon is reduced to 178 hit points or less, he gains the following legendary action options for 1 hour.
Also known as Typhoeus, Typhaon, or Typhos, this son of Gaia (Earth) and Tartarus (with help from Aphrodite) was created because Gaia was mad about the ascent of the Olympians and destruction of her Titan children. Or maybe he was birthed only by Gaia, or maybe by Hera when she got angry about Zeus birthing Athena by himself—depends on what tales you’re looking at. Typhon’s got even more different descriptions than he has origins! We’re going with Apollodorus’ because that has the closest available artwork: a mountain-sized winged monster with a head that "brushed the stars", a human form above the waist, snake coils under that, and fire coming out of his eyes.
Typhon married the half-woman half-snake Echidna and sired many, many monstrous offspring. The list grew over the years with new contributions by various sources,and now includes but is not limited to: the Caucasian eagle, Cerberus, the Chimera, the Colchian dragon, the Crommyonian Sow, the medusa Gorgon, harpies, the dragon Ladon, the Lernaean Hydra, the Nemean Lion, Orthrus, Scylla, the Sphinx, some sea serpents, and even storm winds. What Typhon’s best known for is trying to overthrow Zeus and there are (surprise surprise) many different accounts of how that went down, ranging from Typhon trying to jump him in his sleep, to most of the rest of the gods of Olympus fleeing in animal forms, Typhon being tricked by Pan into coming out into the open, and one where Zeus has his tendons ripped out and he’s thrown into a cave before returning to defeat Typhon. These largely all end the same way: Zeus seals Typhon beneath the earth (or into Tartarus), and that’s where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions come from.
Design Notes: So we’ve got a very big monstrous man that’s incredibly strong, inexhaustible, with a fiery gaze, flames flashing around his face, emanating monstrous roars and screams and hisses, and with shoulders that have 100 snakes and also a fearful dragon. Quite the list! We’re going to let the dragon go because frankly enough things are going on here, but the rest of it makes for an impressive enough creature it’d be icing on icing. Getting near Typhon means getting bitten by his legion of snakes, and that’s not an easy thing to do with Scorching Whirlwind or Sea Maelstrom throwing adventurers around the map. What’s really monstrous with Typhon here is his damage output so let’s do the numbers! The DMG puts him at a smidge past 27 and the Blog of Holding at 29.5, averaging out above 28. We haven’t gotten to Zeus—yet—but with Typhon’s offensive capacity there’d plenty of design room for him to win the occasional fight between the two.
Typhon
Gargantuan monstrosity, chaotic evilArmor Class 20 (natural armor)
Hit Points 356 (23d20+115)
Speed 60 ft.
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
27 (+8) | 15 (+2) | 21 (+5) | 17 (+3) | 19 (+4) | 21 (+5) |
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, thunder
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities frightened, poisoned, stunned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 21
Languages Common, Primordial
Challenge 28 (120,000 XP)
Fiery Gaze. If Typhon isn’t incapacitated and can see, he can use a bonus action to unleash flames in a 60 foot-cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 21 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Typhon fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Typhon has advantage on saving throws made against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Typhon’s weapon attacks are magical.
Primordial Poison. A creature immune to poison damage takes half damage from any poison damage dealt by Typhon.
Shoulder Snakes. A hundred snakes writhe from Typhon’s shoulders, snapping at everything in a 15-foot radius. When a creature starts its turn in the area or first enters into it on a turn, Typhon makes a Snake Shoulders attack against it.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. Typhon uses his Monstrous Emanations and makes two melee attacks.
Snake Hands. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 25 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (3d10+8) piercing damage plus 21 (6d6) poison damage.
Snake Shoulders. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one creature. Hit: 17 (2d8+8) piercing damage plus 21 (6d6) poison damage.
Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, range 120/480 ft., one target. Hit: 34 (4d12+8) bludgeoning damage.
Monstrous Emanations. Typhon constantly emanates monstrous hisses, roars, and screams while he is not incapacitated. Each creature that starts its turn within 50 feet of Typhon and can hear the emanations must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature becomes frightened for 1 minute, and on a failure by 5 or more the creature is terrified, dropping anything it is holding. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Typhon’s Monstrous Emanations for the next 24 hours.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Typhon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Typhon regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
- Attack. Typhon makes a melee attack.
- Fiery Gaze. Typhon uses his Fiery Gaze.
- Scorching Whirlwind (Costs 2 Actions). Typhon erupts with fire and wind in a 60-foot radius. Each creature in the area must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage and 14 (4d6) thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that takes 15 or more thunder damage is flung up to 30 feet in a random direction and knocked prone. If a thrown creature strikes an object, such as a wall or floor, it takes 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it was thrown. If the thrown creature hits another creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage as the thrown creature and be knocked prone.
In addition, until the end of Typhon's next turn other creatures that make ranged weapon attacks within the area have disadvantage.
MYTHICAL ACTIONS
When Typhon is reduced to 178 hit points or less, he gains the following legendary action options for 1 hour.
- Virulent Poison. Until the end of his next turn, poison damage dealt by Typhon ignores resistances and immunities.
- Sea Maelstrom (Costs 3 Actions). Typhon sends the sea around him into a maelstrom. Creatures within 100 feet of Typhon must make a DC 21 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and pushed 50 feet away from him. For the next round, creatures within 50 feet of him must make a DC 21 Strength (Athletics) check to move in the water. Any creature that has a swim speed makes this check with advantage.
