New Combat Actions for the Creatures in the Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
The bugbear chief nurses a gushing wound in her side before issuing an order of retreat to her allies. A bright light forms around the angel’s dying body, blinding everyone near it as it passes on from the world of the living. With blood streaming down its torso, an enraged hill giant slams its fists into the ground and causes the earth around it to quake.
Bloodied & Bruised is a series providing new combat actions for the creatures in the 5e roster. When pushed to their limits in combat, these monsters, critters, fiends, and foes gain new abilities that aid them in battle, or perhaps spell their doom depending on the circumstances. Bloodied & Bruised takes inspiration from the "bloodied" condition from 4e, making entirely new combat actions that can completely change the nature of a fight.
In addition, Bloodied & Bruised also introduces several "death throes" to the game, marking the demise of certain creatures with a grand explosion, heavy fall, or other unique effect to make the slaying of a great monster a truly unique experience.
Examples of Bloodied Actions
Anhkolox
When bloodied at 78 HP, the anhkolox has the following features.
- Frailty: Heavy Load. While bloodied and holding a creature within its rib cage, the anhkolox’s speed is lowered by 20 feet (to a minimum of 25 feet.)
- New Ability: Rib Cage Crush. As an action while bloodied, the anhkolox can crush the creature grappled in its rib cage. The grappled creature must make a DC 18 Strength saving throw, taking 23 (5d6 + 6) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The anhkolox then regains a number of hit points equal to half the damage dealt. While bloodied, the anhkolox can make a Rib Cage Crush attack in place of its Entrapping Rend attack when using its Multiattack.
- Trigger Ability: Cornered. When first bloodied, the anhkolox can make a Claw attack against a creature within range as a reaction.
Lord Soth
When bloodied at 114 HP, Lord Soth has the following features.
- Ability Recharge: Legendary Actions. When first bloodied, Soth regains all expended uses of its legendary actions.
- New Ability: Cast Attack. While bloodied, if Soth uses an action to cast a spell, he can make a melee attack as a bonus action.
- Trigger Ability: Spellcasting. When first bloodied, Soth can use his reaction to cast a spell that normally costs an action to cast.
- Death Throes: Vow of the Knight. Soth issues a final order to all undead within 120 feet of him when he dies. Undead creatures within range that can hear Soth all train their focus on the creature that just killed Soth, focusing all their future attacks on the creature until it is dead.
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