Fuzzletide Fiend
Large Aberration, Chaotic Neutral
Armor Class: 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 45 (6d8 + 18)
Speed: 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
Challenge Rating: 2 (450 XP)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 14 | 16 | 1 | 12 | 16 |
Saving Throws: Dexterity +4, Charisma +5
Skills: Deception +5, Performance +5
Damage Vulnerabilities: None
Damage Resistances: Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunities: None
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened
Senses: Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), Passive Perception 11
Languages: Understands Common but cannot speak
Spellcasting
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Actions & Abilities
Multiattack: The Fuzzletide Fiend makes two attacks with its Cotton Candy Whip.
Cotton Candy Whip: – Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
– Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be pulled 10 feet closer to the Fiend and grappled (escape DC 13). While grappled, the target is restrained until the grapple ends.
Tactical Note: This attack is great for closing the distance to keep enemies within reach, allowing the Fiend to control the battlefield while dealing damage.
Illusory Confections (Recharge 5-6): – The Fuzzletide Fiend creates an illusion of a delightful cotton candy treat anywhere within 60 feet. Creatures that start their turn within 10 feet of the illusion must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the illusion, believing it to be real for 1 minute.
– While charmed, affected creatures cannot attack the Fiend or take damage from it, though they can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on success.
Tactical Note: This ability can create a temporary diversion, allowing the Fiend to manipulate its enemies. It is perfect for distracting groups or isolating a single adventurer.
Sweet Breath (Recharge after Short or Long Rest): – The Fuzzletide Fiend exhales a cloud of sugary mist in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw.
– On a failed save: The creature takes 21 (6d6) poison damage and is poisoned until the end of its next turn.
– On a successful save: The creature takes half damage and is not poisoned.
– The area then becomes difficult terrain for 1 minute, as it is covered with glistening shards of hardened sugar.
Tactical Note: Use this ability when surrounded by foes to disorient them and control movement. The poison condition can hinder enemies, making them easier targets on subsequent turns.
Sticky Tendril (Recharge 5-6): – The Fuzzletide Fiend releases a strand of enchanted, sticky threads in a 15-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in the line must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw.
– On a failed save: A creature is restrained until it or another creature uses its action to make a DC 13 Strength check to free the restrained creature.
– On a success: The creature isn’t restrained.
Tactical Note: This action can be employed to control the movement of multiple targets and create strategic advantages by bottlenecking foes.
Ethereal Flutter (Recharges After a Short or Long Rest): – As a bonus action, the Fuzzletide Fiend can briefly shift into an ethereal state, allowing it to fly up to 30 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. During this movement, it can pass through creatures and objects; however, it ends its turn if it ends its movement inside an object.
Tactical Note: This ability allows the Fiend to avoid danger, reposition strategically, or escape when heavily threatened.
Legendary Actions (Optional for Added Challenge): – The Fuzzletide Fiend can take 1 legendary action, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Fiend regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
1. Mesmerizing Display (Costs 1 Action): The Fiend performs an enchanting trick, forcing one target within 60 feet to make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target is incapacitated until the end of its next turn, mesmerized by the show.
2. Cotton Burst (Costs 2 Actions): The Fiend releases a burst of sweet vapor that erupts in a 5-foot radius sphere centered on itself. Creatures within this area must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. Creatures that fail the save are also blinded until the end of their next turn.
Appearance
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Size and Shape: The Fuzzletide Fiend is a large, ethereal creature resembling a billowing, fluffy cloud, standing approximately 8 feet tall at its tallest point but often appearing much larger due to its amorphous, cloud-like form. Its body undulates and shifts, making it seem both substantial and ghostly.
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Coloration: Its surface displays a delightful array of pastel colors, with the dominant shades being a soft pink interspersed with vibrant blues and purples. These colors swirl together in a mesmerizing pattern that seems to shift as it moves, creating an enchanting but unsettling visual.
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Texture and Surface Features: The exterior of the Fiend appears fluffy and soft, mimicking the appearance of freshly spun cotton candy. However, upon closer inspection, there’s a subtle, sticky texture that suggests danger, indicating an enchanting yet treacherous composition. The edges of its form fade into sinuous tendrils that seem to dissipate into thin air.
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Facial Features: The creature features an enchanting yet disconcerting face with narrow, glinting eyes that sparkle mischievously like gems, predominantly in shades of bright green and yellow. Its wide mouth, lined with jagged, sharp teeth, reveals its predatory nature. When it grins, the teeth seem to emerge ominously from the fluffy facade, providing a stark contrast to its otherwise whimsical appearance.
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Limbs and Appendages: The Fuzzletide Fiend has no traditional limbs; instead, it possesses multiple tendrils that extend from its main body. These sticky appendages are used for grappling and ensnaring its prey and resemble elongated strands of spun sugar dancing in the air. In addition, two large, feathery wings, reminiscent of cotton candy cones, unfurl gracefully from its back, enabling it to hover and glide silently through the air.
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Special Features: Tiny, ephemeral butterflies constantly flit around the Fiend, made apparent by the shimmering pixie dust it leaves in its wake. This dust sparkles with every movement, creating an illusion of a magical, whimsical environment. The Fiend’s glimmering eyes occasionally glow when it employs its magical abilities, drawing the unsuspecting closer in a trance-like state.
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Posture and Movement: The Fiend often sways as if caught in an ethereal breeze, giving it a buoyant, otherworldly posture. It moves with a whimsical grace, gliding rather than walking, allowing it to navigate through the air and around obstacles effortlessly. When threatened, it can shift rapidly into a more menacing form, its tendrils snapping into place like a predator ready to strike.
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Additional Notable Traits: The Fuzzletide Fiend has a lingering, sweet scent that trails behind it, making it alluring yet dangerous. This aroma can mesmerize and captivate those nearby. Along its body, glistening shards of hardened sugar occasionally form and dissolve, hinting at its power and the underlying threat of its sugary nature. The creature’s surface subtly glimmers with magical energy, occasionally sparking as it channels its enchanting abilities.
Tactical Information
Combat Behavior of the Fuzzletide Fiend
Tactical Overview
The Fuzzletide Fiend excels in deception and utility, leveraging its illusions and mobility to disorient and manipulate its opponents. It employs a hit-and-run strategy, making good use of its flight and illusions to both confuse its victims and retreat when needed. It avoids direct confrontations unless advantage can be seized or the helplessness of its prey can be ensured.
Combat Strategy
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Initial Engagement:
The Fuzzletide Fiend opens combat by utilizing Illusory Confections before approaching its opponents. This allows it to charm adventurers right off the bat, potentially neutralizing threats without raising suspicion. The Fiend treats combat engagement like a performance, playing on its whimsical theme to create an enchanting, yet dangerous atmosphere. -
Mobility and Positioning:
With a flying speed of 30 feet and hovering capability, the Fiend maintains distance, swooping in and out of melee range. It uses the Cotton Candy Whip primarily for targets it manages to charm or those who are far away, pulling them closer and potentially separating them from their party members. -
Area Control:
The Fiend employs Sweet Breath to create difficult terrain, limiting the movement options of its foes and creating an area of hazard where they might not want to linger or chase after it. This allows the creature to control the battlefield, enticing characters into its hazardous domain of sugary shards that makes them hesitate to attack. -
Adapting to Threats:
If facing a formidable opponent, the Fiend will prioritize mobility, escaping through the air if severely challenged, using illusory distractions to cover its retreat if necessary. In turn, should it find itself at an advantage — particularly with its victims separated from their allies — it will engage directly and begin grappling with the Cotton Candy Whip to set up powerful follow-up attacks. -
Retreat and Recovery:
If the situation turns against it during the encounter, the Fiend does not shy away from retreating to regroup. It may use its legends to encourage enemies to forget it in the chaotic movement, or employ the Sweet Breath to cover its flight. Magical creatures like the Fiend exploit terrain and environmental factors to mislead opponents, often repositioning in a way that takes full advantage of their illusions and mastery of deception.
Narrative Interactions
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Entrancing Encounters:
When adventurers stumble upon the Fuzzletide Fiend, they are initially met with a charming display of colorful lights and swirling sugary vapors. The creature may engage in playful banter, teasing at the promises of joy hidden in its illusions. Kind-hearted dialogue may offer a rich immersion for players, captivating them with the perfect balance of excitement and dread as they slowly unveil its sinister motives. -
Ambush and Ruin:
The Fiend will often lure its victims deeper into its lair, whispering sweet encouragements that border on madness. It might offer to share a taste of wondrous delights while stealthily preparing to ensnare its prey. As the adventurers delve deeper into the landscape shaped by the Fiend’s illusions, they find themselves struggling to differentiate between reality and mirage. -
Mysterious Presence:
For anyone investigating the dreary remnants of Sweetgrove, the Fiend appears as a fleeting shadow within swirling colors, leaving stolen laughter echoing in the breeze. It may manipulate its surroundings or other elements (such as environmental hazards) to dissuade adventurers from encroaching upon its territory, unveiling its terrifying wonders only in distressing doses. -
Cliché Caution:
As the fight unfolds, narrative elements should emerge that reflect the creature’s whimsical yet twisted nature; laughing echoes, mesmerizing illusions, and a strange sense of being watched. While adventurers may take action, the giggles of the Fuzzletide Fiend echo around them, filling the atmosphere with an eerie sense of foreboding.
Conclusion
The Fuzzletide Fiend embodies a multifaceted interaction both in combat and narrative situations, combining enchanting, charming elements with a touch of horror. It serves as a unique challenge, encouraging players to strategize and think critically about deception and the seductive nature of danger that sugarcoats their world. Through clever tactics and engaging narrative, the Fiend promises a memorable encounter for players navigating the Carnival of Dread.
