Zuuhge
Large • Aberration • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 102 (12d10 + 36)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +0 (10)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 (+4) | 11 (+0) | 17 (+3) | 7 (-2) | 12 (+1) | 10 (+0) |
Saving Throws Str +7, Con +6
Skills Athletics +7
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, poison
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Deep Speech
CR 6 (XP 2,300; PB +3)
Spider Climb. The zuuhge can climb difficult surfaces, including along ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The zuuhge makes two Claw attacks and one Engulfing Bite attack.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7, reach 5 feet. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Engulfing Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7, reach 5 feet. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it becomes grappled (escape DC 15). While grappled this way, the target is restrained and can’t speak or form verbal components.
Acidic Spittle (Recharge 5-6). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 14, each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 30 feet. Failure: 22 (5d8) acid damage. Success: Half damage.
BONUS ACTIONS
Gulp. Strength Saving Throw: DC 14, one Medium or smaller creature grappled by the zuuhge. Failure: The target drops one item it is carrying of the zuughe’s choice, and the zuughe swallows it into its gullet (it can have up to five items in its gullet at a time).
Flesh-Wrapped Objects. The zuughe spits out all items in its gullet to randomly determined spaces in a 30-foot cone. Each object animates, wrapped into organic material that serves as legs, and becomes a Construct (Small, AC 10, HP 10, +4 to hit, dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage on a hit) for 10 minutes under the zuuhge’s control. The effect also ends if the zuughe dies. In combat, objects take their turn immediately after the zuughe. When such a Construct is reduced to 0 hit points, any non-magical object it is made of is destroyed.
Zuuhge
Large • Aberration • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 67 (9d10 + 18)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +0 (10)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 10 (+0) | 15 (+2) | 7 (-2) | 12 (+1) | 10 (+0) |
Saving Throws Str +5, Con +4
Skills Athletics +5
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, poison
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Deep Speech
CR 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Spider Climb. The zuuhge can climb difficult surfaces, including along ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The zuuhge makes two Claw attacks and one Engulfing Bite attack.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 5 feet. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Engulfing Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 5 feet. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it becomes grappled (escape DC 13). While grappled this way, the target is restrained and can’t speak or form verbal components.
Acidic Spittle (Recharge 6). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 12, each creature in a 5-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 30 feet. Failure: 22 (5d8) acid damage. Success: Half damage.
BONUS ACTIONS
Gulp. Strength Saving Throw: DC 12, one Medium or smaller creature grappled by the zuuhge. Failure: The target drops one item it is carrying of the zuughe’s choice, and the zuughe swallows it into its gullet (it can have up to four items in its gullet at a time).
Flesh-Wrapped Objects. The zuughe spits out all items in its gullet to randomly determined spaces in a 30-foot cone. Each object animates, wrapped into organic material that serves as legs, and becomes a Construct (Small, AC 10, HP 5, +3 to hit, dealing 1d4 bludgeoning damage on a hit) for 10 minutes under the zuuhge’s control. The effect also ends if the zuughe dies. In combat, objects take their turn immediately after the zuughe. When such a Construct is reduced to 0 hit points, any non-magical object it is made of is destroyed.
Zuuhge
Large • Aberration • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 144 (17d10 + 51)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +1 (11)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 (+5) | 13 (+1) | 19 (+4) | 7 (-2) | 12 (+1) | 10 (+0) |
Saving Throws Str +9, Con +8
Skills Athletics +9
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, poison
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Deep Speech
CR 9 (XP 5,000; PB +4)
Spider Climb. The zuuhge can climb difficult surfaces, including along ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The zuuhge makes two Claw attacks and one Engulfing Bite attack.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9, reach 5 feet. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) slashing damage.
Engulfing Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9, reach 5 feet. Hit: 27 (4d10 + 5) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it becomes grappled (escape DC 17). While grappled this way, the target is restrained and can’t speak or form verbal components.
Acidic Spittle (Recharge 5-6). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 16, each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 30 feet. Failure: 22 (5d8) acid damage. Success: Half damage.
BONUS ACTIONS
Gulp. Strength Saving Throw: DC 16, one Medium or smaller creature grappled by the zuuhge. Failure: The target drops one item it is carrying of the zuughe’s choice, and the zuughe swallows it into its gullet (it can have up to six items in its gullet at a time).
Flesh-Wrapped Objects. The zuughe spits out all items in its gullet to randomly determined spaces in a 30-foot cone. Each object animates, wrapped into organic material that serves as legs, and becomes a Construct (Small, AC 10, HP 15, +5 to hit, dealing 1d8 bludgeoning damage on a hit) for 10 minutes under the zuuhge’s control. The effect also ends if the zuughe dies. In combat, objects take their turn immediately after the zuughe. When such a Construct is reduced to 0 hit points, any non-magical object it is made of is destroyed.
QUICK REFERENCE
Combat
- Opens with ranged attacks by hurling rocks or debris to weaken or separate targets before closing
- Uses Slam to grapple the most isolated or weakest-looking target, then follows with Crush to apply heavy burst damage
- Throws grappled targets into allies to sow chaos or to reposition them away from advantageous ground
- Takes advantage of Arm Sweep whenever an enemy misses, knocking them prone to control positioning
- Avoids Dashing due to the risk of falling prone unless it desperately needs to reposition
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.