The Gargantuan Yodeler
Spiciness: 5/5
Feeds about 3-5 players, level 6-8
Scales for: Number of Players, Player Level
Ingredients:
- The Gargantuan Yodeler
Scale for Party Size. Give the Yodeler one Legendary Action Point per player character in the party, minus 1.
Scale for Level. For each level above 6, give the Yodeler +10 HP to keep it in the fight longer.
Preparation
The Gargantuan Yodeler wanders from place to place, usually a peaceful beast, so long as it's belly stays full. When hungry, it is a powerful and frightening predator to behold, with its massive size and powerful Yodeling which it uses to stun smaller creatures before swallowing them whole. It's often said that whistling in the wilds is dangerous-- as it seems to attract them.
Usually in this section I'd include things like pre-combat strategy for ambushes but uh-- there's no way this thing is sneaking up on anyone.
Things you should know
- A stunned creature is incapacitated, can't move, and can speak only falteringly. The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
- A prone creature's only movement option is to crawl, unless it stands up and thereby ends the condition. The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls. An attack roll against the creature has advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature. Otherwise, the attack roll has disadvantage.
- A restrained creature's speed becomes 0, and it can't benefit from any bonus to its speed. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature's attack rolls have disadvantage. The creature has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Cooking the Gargantuan Yodeler
Round 1. As soon as the first turn is done, open up with a Yodel! Your most powerful yodel, AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!, will likely stun a good number of the party.
On your turn, Stomp a non-stunned target to knock them prone, and then Bite them to grapple & restrain them. As soon as you can, use a legendary action to Swallow, freeing up your mouth and start doing some Acid damage to them.
Round 2. Now that you're digesting, open up with AAahhh!!. The creature in your belly will have disdvantage on the save, and even though it's only 20ft radius from you, you're gargantuan so that's actually a huge area, and you should be able to hit most of the party (excepting maybe anyone using a longbow or flying really high up).
On your actual turn, continue to stomp people to knock them prone (for advantage on the attack) and then bite them to Restrain them.
Round 3. You can swallow any number of size medium creatures, but the more you swallow, the more likely it is that they make you regurgitate-- so it's much better to just hold them in your mouth for now, and let go (as a free action) if you need to Yodel. Because of that, wait as long into the round as possible, then use your aaaahhhhh attack near some Stunned people. They'll automatically fail this save, and take up to 3d6 damage each, but more importantly will be knocked up to 30ft away and prone-- so even if they pass the next save on their stun, they'll have to burn their action to Dash if they want to get in melee range of you.
On your turn (and after as legendary actions), do as many bites & stomps as possible. Most the party should be half-dead by now, so your single target abilities will be great for finishing people off. If you
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The Gargantuan Yodeler
Gargantuan beast, unaligned
- Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 217 (14d20 + 70)
- Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 26 (+8) 12 (+1) 20 (+5) 12 (+1) 8 (-1) 16 (+3)
- Saving Throws Str +12, Con +9, Wis +3, Cha +7
- Skills Perception +7
- Senses passive Perception 17
- Languages —
- Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus +4
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Yodeler fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Belly Bass. Creatures swallowed by the Yodler have disadvantage on saves against it's Yodeling attacks.
Don't talk while you eat. While grappling a creature with it's mouth, the Yodeler cannot use its Yodel Attacks.
Actions
Multiattack. Yodeler makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its stomp.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 40 (5d12 + 8) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or it is grappled (escape DC 20). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and Yodeler can't bite another target or Yodel.
Swallow. Yodeler makes one bite attack against a Large or smaller creature it is grappling. If the attack hits, that creature takes the bite's damage and is swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside Yodeler, and it takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of Yodeler's turns.
If Yodeler takes 30 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, it must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of it. If Yodeler dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 20 feet of movement, exiting prone.Stomp. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 30 (5d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Legendary Actions
Yodeler can take X legendary actions
(x = party size - 1), choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Yodeler regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.Attack. (Costs 1 Actions) Yodeler makes one stomp or swallows.
aaaahhhhh (Costs 1 Actions) Each creature within 20ft of the Yodeler must make a DC 20 Strength Save or be knocked up to 30ft away and prone, taking 1d6 damage per 10ft it was moved.
AAahhh!! (Costs 2 Actions) Each creature that is within 20 feet of Yodeler and can hear it must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution or take 6d6 Thunder Damage, taking half on success.
AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! (Costs 3 Actions). Each creature that is within 120 feet of Yodeler and can hear it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become Stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on tself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Yodeler's Yodel for the next 24 hours.