Gargantuan monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 247 (15d20 + 90)
Speed 50 ft., burrow 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 7 (−2) | 22 (+6) | 1 (−5) | 8 (−1) | 4 (−3) |
Saving Throws Con +11, Wis +4
Senses blindsight 30 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages —
Challenge 15 (13,000 XP)
_Tunneler_. The worm can burrow through solid rock at half its burrow speed and leaves a 10-foot-diameter tunnel in its wake.
Actions
Multiattack. The worm makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its stinger.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d8 + 9) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed by the worm. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the worm, and it takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of the worm’s turns.
If the worm takes 30 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the worm must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the worm. If the worm dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 20 feet of movement, exiting prone.
Tail Stinger. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 19 (3d6 + 9) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
1 Comment
Purple Worms are massive creatures, covered in thick armor plates that darken and harden with age. Young worms are born pink and soft, but their color darkens as they grow into their armored body. In similar manner, the oldest specimens are deep purple, bordering on black in extreme cases. Worm lifespan has been estimated at 150 years, an extraordinary amount of time for an invertebrate, although adults often die in battle long before old age can claim them.
Adult Purple Worms can reach anywhere from 60 to 80ft in length, weighing anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 pounds. A few extraordinary individuals have been reported exceeding 100ft in length, but accurate measurements are difficult to prove. The Worm will typically have a girth of six to seven feet in diameter, more than sufficient to swallow a man or horse whole.
The most prominent feature of the Purple Worm is its maw, a set of powerful stone crushing jaws lined with inward facing incisors for tearing apart prey. A pair of small secondary flaps exist on the sides of the beast’s mouth, folding inward to help push food down its gullet. Within the mouth itself are multiple circular rows of teeth designed to help tear apart food as it is pulled towards the Worm’s stomach.
If its jaws and size proved insufficient, the Purple Worm has another deadly weapon at its disposal. A tail stinger armed with enough venom to bring down creatures as large as a bull elephant. The venom itself is fast acting, causing muscle paralysis, nerve damage, and ultimately death. An anti-venom can be derived from the Worm’s blood, but collection proves a monumental undertaking.