Carrion Tyrant
Gargantuan • Monstrosity • Unaligned
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 139 (9d20 + 45)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., burrow 30 ft.
Initiative +4 (14)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 (+5) | 12 (+1) | 21 (+5) | 1 (-5) | 14 (+2) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Perception +8
Damage Resistances poison
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 120 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages -
CR 8 (XP 3,900 or 5,000 in lair; PB +3)
Spider Climb. The carrion tyrant can climb difficult surfaces, including along ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8, reach 10 ft. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) piercing damage plus 5 (1d10) poison damage.
Paralyzing Tentacles. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 16, one creature within 15 feet of the carrion tyrant that it can see. Failure: The target becomes poisoned for 1 minute and repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. While poisoned that way, the target is paralyzed.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Legendary Action Uses: 2 (3 in lair). Immediately after another creature's turn, the carrion tyrant can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The carrion tyrant regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Stench Blast. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 16, one creature within 15 feet of the carrion tyrant. Failure: 10 (3d6) poison damage.
Burrow Charge. The carrion tyrant moves up to 30 feet using its burrow speed. If it moved at least 15 feet and ends this movement within 5 feet of a hostile creature, it can make one Bite attack against that creature. If the attack hits and the target is Large or smaller, it is also grappled (escape DC 16). The carrion tyrant can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Swallow. Strength Saving Throw: DC 16, one Large or smaller creature grappled by the carrion tyrant (it can have one creature swallowed at a time). Failure: The target is swallowed by the carrion tyrant, and the grapple ends. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the carrion tyrant, and takes 10 (3d6) acid damage at the start of each of the carrion tyrant’s turns. If the carrion tyrant takes 25 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the carrion tyrant must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, each of which falls in a space within 5 feet of the carrion tyrant and is prone. If the carrion tyrant dies, any swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape from the corpse using 20 feet of movement, exiting prone.
Carrion Tyrant
Gargantuan • Monstrosity • Unaligned
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 87 (6d20 + 24)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., burrow 30 ft.
Initiative +3 (13)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 10 (+0) | 19 (+4) | 1 (-5) | 12 (+1) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Perception +7
Damage Resistances poison
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages -
CR 5 (XP 1,800 or 2,300 in lair; PB +3)
Spider Climb. The carrion tyrant can climb difficult surfaces, including along ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6, reach 10 ft. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) poison damage.
Paralyzing Tentacles. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 14, one creature within 15 feet of the carrion tyrant that it can see. Failure: The target becomes poisoned for 1 minute and repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. While poisoned that way, the target is paralyzed.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Legendary Action Uses: 2 (3 in lair). Immediately after another creature's turn, the carrion tyrant can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The carrion tyrant regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Stench Blast. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 14, one creature within 15 feet of the carrion tyrant. Failure: 7 (2d6) poison damage.
Burrow Charge. The carrion tyrant moves up to 30 feet using its burrow speed. If it moved at least 15 feet and ends this movement within 5 feet of a hostile creature, it can make one Bite attack against that creature. If the attack hits and the target is Large or smaller, it is also grappled (escape DC 14). The carrion tyrant can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Swallow. Strength Saving Throw: DC 14, one Large or smaller creature grappled by the carrion tyrant (it can have one creature swallowed at a time). Failure: The target is swallowed by the carrion tyrant, and the grapple ends. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the carrion tyrant, and takes 7 (2d6) acid damage at the start of each of the carrion tyrant’s turns. If the carrion tyrant takes 20 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the carrion tyrant must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, each of which falls in a space within 5 feet of the carrion tyrant and is prone. If the carrion tyrant dies, any swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape from the corpse using 20 feet of movement, exiting prone.
Carrion Tyrant
Gargantuan • Monstrosity • Unaligned
Armor Class 17
Hit Points 181 (11d20 + 66)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., burrow 30 ft.
Initiative +6 (16)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 (+6) | 14 (+2) | 23 (+6) | 1 (-5) | 14 (+2) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Perception +10
Damage Resistances poison
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 20
Languages -
CR 11 (XP 7,200 or 8,400 in lair; PB +4)
Spider Climb. The carrion tyrant can climb difficult surfaces, including along ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10, reach 10 ft. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) piercing damage plus 6 (1d12) poison damage.
Paralyzing Tentacles. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 18, one creature within 15 feet of the carrion tyrant that it can see. Failure: The target becomes poisoned for 1 minute and repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. While poisoned that way, the target is paralyzed.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Legendary Action Uses: 2 (3 in lair). Immediately after another creature's turn, the carrion tyrant can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The carrion tyrant regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Stench Blast. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 18, one creature within 15 feet of the carrion tyrant. Failure: 14 (4d6) poison damage.
Burrow Charge. The carrion tyrant moves up to 30 feet using its burrow speed. If it moved at least 15 feet and ends this movement within 5 feet of a hostile creature, it can make one Bite attack against that creature. If the attack hits and the target is Large or smaller, it is also grappled (escape DC 18). The carrion tyrant can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Swallow. Strength Saving Throw: DC 18, one Large or smaller creature grappled by the carrion tyrant (it can have one creature swallowed at a time). Failure: The target is swallowed by the carrion tyrant, and the grapple ends. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the carrion tyrant, and takes 14 (4d6) acid damage at the start of each of the carrion tyrant’s turns. If the carrion tyrant takes 30 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the carrion tyrant must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, each of which falls in a space within 5 feet of the carrion tyrant and is prone. If the carrion tyrant dies, any swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape from the corpse using 20 feet of movement, exiting prone.
QUICK REFERENCE
USING MONSTER VARIANTS
Monster variants allow the GM to adjust encounters to better match the party’s strength, narrative needs, or world-building logic. A weaker variant may represent a juvenile, wounded, or lesser specimen, while a stronger variant can serve as a leader, champion, ancient creature, or apex predator.
Variants can be used to fine-tune difficulty without changing the core identity of the monster, making them ideal for scaling encounters, reinforcing hierarchy within a faction, or creating memorable boss-style enemies. You can even use the same stat block but different variants in the same encounter if you want.
Design Note. Each monster is primarily balanced around its normal version. Weaker and stronger variants are derived adjustments and may not always preserve every tactical nuance or “feel” of the original creature. GMs are encouraged to review variants carefully and adjust abilities or tactics as needed to best suit their table.