Hollowed Carrier (5e Template)

Hollowed Carrier

Its Innards eaten away by the Corpse Worms inside of it the Hollowed Carrier is on a mission to find a Sea of Blood or enough Corpses to sustain the Swarm of Corpse Worms within its magically controlled body. The worms press it on, and in their bid for survival they are threatening and aggressive towards any that get in their way.

The Hollowed Carrier looks like a dead and down-trodden version of its former self, but with a deadening of the skin matching the color of the worms within, the areas once filled by its organs and in some cases its muscles occasionally writhing as the infesting worms make their way through these parts of its slowly degrading body. Along the extremities holes mar the skin as the Corpse Worms stab their way out of its body to view the surroundings or to attack.

Prerequisite

Be of Small Size or Larger and be infested by a Swarm of Corpse Worms

Creation

A Hollowed Carrier can be created by manifesting bound Corpse Worms into a creature's corpse affixed with a necrotic symbol. If the corpse is first stuffed with excess organs or other innards it will become a Bloated Hollowed Carrier that still retains its health bonus and other attacks.

Statistics

Speed. Unmodified

Abilities. Str +2, Dex +1, Con +2, Int -2, Wis -2, Cha -4

Damage Immunities. cold, necrotic, poison

Damage Resistances.

Condition Immunities. charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, prone,

Languages Undercommon (understands, does not speak)

Skills. As base creature, accounting for modified ability scores, In addition the creature gets the Improved grappling Feat, and a +2 to the Athletics skill.

Saving Throws. Gains proficiency with Dexterity Saving throws

Senses. blindsight 30 ft, passive Perception 11

Alignment unaligned

Traits

General. The modified creature retains the base creature’s traits, however is treated as an Undead filled with smaller necrotic beings.

Corpse Seeker The entity is drawn to graveyards or other places filled with the dead, whereupon reaching it uses its necrotic eruption ability in order for the corpse worms it harbors to feast.

Necrotic Strength Any melee attack the creature possessed goes up 1di (ex: a 1d4 becomes a 1d6), except d12s which are instead doubled, and are changed to doing Necrotic damage.

Infested with Worms Any grapple or the ability ‘Worm Slam’ are immediately followed by the ‘Bites of the Worm’ attack as a free action.

Actions

Melee Attack — Worm Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage.

Melee Attack — Bites of the Worm. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 0 ft., one creature grappled by or just struck by the hollowed carrier or otherwise occupying the same space as the hollowed carrier. Hit: 20 (4d8) piercing damage, or 10 (2d8) piercing damage if the Hollowed Carrier has half hit points or fewer.

Melee Attack — Necrotic Eruption. The Hollowed Carrier erupts in a 15-foot radius around itself. Each creature in that area must make a DC 12 Dexterity Saving Throw, taking 21 (6d6) Necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. This eruption releases a Swarm of Corpse Worms in the middle of the blast, unaffected by the blast itself. (If slain this move automatically activates unless there is no corpse left from which it could activate.)

Black Tentacles The Hollowed Carrier casts Black Tentacles around itself or its foe. (With a Range of 90 feet.)

CR Calculation

• AC. 12
• HP. 28 (5d10) added on to the Base Creature’s Health
• See Statistics, Traits, and Actions above.

Variant: Bloated Hollowed Carrier

A stronger Hollowed Carrier that has amassed so many corpse worms within that it is ready to burst at any moment. This being loses all previously obtained bonuses to hit dice or hit points (unless made through necrotic ritual) and instead gains the charger feat. With the Charger feat it lunges forward activating Necrotic Eruption first thing in combat. Black Tentacles is cast behind it constantly as it moves, leaving a trail of writhing tentacles behind it as it walks or runs. This version of Necrotic Eruption does 42 (6d12) damage instead, and spawns 1d4 fully healed swarms rather than just one.

The Bloated Carrier's skin is ripped asunder, the wriggling corpse worms beneath showing through as if a writhing new layer of hulking muscle, and black tentacles sprout up before it as it lurches forward, intent on finding something for the grown swarm to feast upon. (Those formed from Necrotic Ritual normally look bloated and fat due to the corpse worms having more internal structure to feed upon and less need to rip apart the outer skin of their host.)

0.00

(0 votes)

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Creatures → Templates