Soul Swallower by

## Soul Swallower
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As their namesake implies the soul swallower's sole purpose is to consume souls. Driven only by an insatiable hunger, the soul swallower will devour whole villages, towns, and even kingdoms if left unchecked. Sometimes called a 'Pale Worm' as they resemble the purple worm found in the upper planes. The very presence of a soul swallower causes the land around it to wither leaving total desolation in it's wake.

**Primal Demons.** These demonic creatures were some of the first beings to form out of the darkness in the deepest layers of the abyss, and only rarely do they creep out of these bowels and find passage into other planes. Only the most deranged and depraved conjurors dare to summon such a being as their primal origin makes them especially difficult to bind.

**Harbingers of Souls.** Some soul traders may be brave enough to track a soul swallower through the abyss to slay it and collect it's prize bounty. For when a soul swallower is slain the souls of it's victim's burst outward escaping into the abyss. Unless captured by soul traders these fleeing souls will eventually become corrupted by the abyss and themselves turned into demonic beings. Rarely however, non evil aligned souls are able to stave off the plane's influence long enough to find passage to their respective afterlives.

**Nightmares Incarnate.** On average a soul swallower is 10 ft. wide in diameter and about 60 ft. long, though these terrors can grow to enormous sizes as they swell from their indulgence. The occupation of a pale worm causes nightmares to plague lands nearby, usually visions of the coming catastrophe. Necromantic energy seeps into the ground around the monster's burrows and raises the dead from their crypts. It's roar is literally the wails of trapped souls climbing to the forefront of it's maw. </div>
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> ## Soul Swallower 
> *Gargantuan fiend (demon), Chaotic Evil*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 18 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 370 (20d20 + 160)
> - **Speed** 40 ft., burrow 30ft
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|28 (+9)|10 (0)|26(+8)|3 (-4)| 9 (-1)|10 (0)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** Wis +5, Cha +6
> - **Damage Resistances** bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons.
> - **Damage Immunities** poison, necrotic
> - **Condition Immunities** poisoned
> - **Senses** blindsight 60 ft., tremorsense 120 ft.,
passive Perception 9
> - **Languages** understands Abyssal but cannot speak.
> - **Challenge** 20 (25,000)
> ___
> ***Tunneler.*** The worm can burrow through solid rock at half its burrow speed and leaves a 15-foot-diameter tunnel in its wake.
>
> ***Devouring Aura.*** A hostile creature receives 10 necrotic damage at the start of it's turn if it is within 15 ft. of the soul swallower.
>
> ***Unavoidable Death*** Any necrotic damage the soul swallower deals  treats immunity to necrotic damage as resistance to necrotic damage.
>
> ***Soul Drain.*** When the soul swallower deals necrotic damage to a creature that has a soul, that creature's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the soul swallower regains hit points equal to half that amount. A creature dies if this effect reduces it's hit point maximum to 0 and their soul is devoured by the soul swallower; the soul swallower then gains 30 hit points. A creature who has their soul devoured can not be restored to life for as long as the soul swallower lives. The hit point reduction lasts until a creature finishes a long rest, or is cured with Greater Restoration magic.
> ### Actions
>
> ***Multiattack.*** The worm can use its Sorrow. Then makes one bite attack.
>
> ***Bite.*** Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 29 (3d12 + 9) piercing damage plus 18 (4d8) necrotic damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 23 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 36 (8d8) necrotic damage at the start of each of the worm’s turns.
>
>If the worm takes 40 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the worm must succeed on a DC 23 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.
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> ***Soul Siphon (Recharge 3-5).*** The Soul Swallower inhales spirit energy within a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that cone must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) necrotic damage on a failed save and is pulled up to 30 ft. toward the soul swallower, or half as much damage on a successful one and is not pulled.
>
> ***Sorrow.*** The cries of trapped souls howl in agony. Each creature of the worm's choice that is within 120 feet of the soul swallower and aware of it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute; if a creature fails it's save by 5 or more than it also has it's movement speed reduced to 0 for the duration. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the worm's Sorrow for the next 24 hours.

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**Return to Dust.** The necrotic energy that consumes the life force causes one's body to age and wither. In the event of death -- the victims body shrivels until their flesh and bone is utterly reduced to dust. If one is lucky enough to survive their encounter with the worm, their physical forms will be restored after enough rest or when healed by greater magics.

### Playing a Soul Swallower
A soul swallower is not shy and should be deployed with caution for the sake of an adventure. Much like the Tarrasque it will endlessly consume until their is nothing left.

**Careless Brute** This monster is a near mindless eating machine and does not understand self preservation, nor would it care if it did. Thus, it always fights to the death. The creature's damage output may seem low at first glance, but do to the nature of it's Unavoidable Death and Soul Drain traits -- the monster poses as a deadly challenge to any unsuspecting party of heroes.

**Undying Destroyer.** The soul swallower's regenerative properties make it especially difficult to kill even when taking significant damage. A battle that seems nearly won could quickly turn tables in favor of the worm if it manages to catch multiple creatures in it's stomach or soul siphon.

**Heroes Bane.** The necrotic nature of this being completely drains the life force out of it's victims. Since this damage can not be healed until a long rest or with the use of greater restoration, the fight becomes a battle against time itself, a battle that if lost has consequences more permanent than death.

*Happy hunting! - Dice*

### Credits

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Art: Wizards of the Coast LLC

Image 1: Soul Swallower by Izzy Medrano

Image 2: Soul Swallower by Marco Nelor

Brewed by: Prof. Rollin Dice (Mikhael Scott)
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