Acorn King
Large Fey, Neutral Evil
Armor Class: 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 84 (12d10 + 24)
Speed: 30 ft, climbing 20 ft
Challenge Rating: 4 (1,100 XP)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 15 | 17 |
Saving Throws: Charisma +6, Wisdom +5
Skills: Deception +6, Perception +5, Stealth +4
Damage Vulnerabilities: none
Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities: none
Condition Immunities: poisoned, charmed
Senses: darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 14
Languages: Common, Sylvan
Spellcasting
Spellcasting. The Acorn King is a 6th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The Acorn King has the following spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): *Druidcraft*, *Thaumaturgy*, *Poison Spray*
1st level (4 slots): *Entangle*, *Goodberry*, *Faerie Fire*
2nd level (3 slots): *Hold Person*, *Barkskin*
3rd level (2 slots): *Plant Growth*, *Bestow Curse*
4th level (1 slot): *Greater Invisibility*
**Special Notes**: The Acorn King often casts *Entangle* before combat to create a difficult terrain for intruders and may use *Goodberry* to provide sustenance for his minions or himself during encounters. The *Greater Invisibility* spell lets him blend further into the shadows of his domain, allowing for surprise maneuvers.
Actions & Abilities
Multiattack: *The Acorn King can make two attacks in one turn, choosing from his melee and ranged options.*
– **Description**: The Acorn King lashes out with one powerful swing of his wooden arm followed by a barrage of necrotic energy from his vile seeds. This showcases his duality of festivity and danger.
Slam: – **Type**: Melee Weapon Attack
– **Attack Bonus**: +7 to hit
– **Reach**: 10 ft.
– **Target**: One creature
– **Damage**: 16 (2d10 + 3) bludgeoning damage
– **Description**: With a powerful swing of his massive oaken arm, the Acorn King deals a crushing blow to his enemies. The weight and momentum behind his attack emphasize his immense strength, leaving foes staggering.
Vile Seed: – **Type**: Ranged Spell Attack
– **Attack Bonus**: +6 to hit
– **Range**: 60 ft.
– **Target**: One creature
– **Damage**: 10 (3d6) necrotic damage
– **Effect**: The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.
– **Description**: The Acorn King hurls an ominous seed, which bursts upon impact, releasing poisonous spores. The necrotic energy from the seed represents the darker side of nature that he has embraced.
Summon Acorn Minions (Recharge 5-6): – **Description**: The Acorn King’s connection to the woodland allows him to summon animated acorn minions.
– **Effect**: Summons 2d4 Animated Acorns (use the statistics for *Swarm of Insects* but replace the insects with tiny animated acorns). The acorn minions swarm around nearby enemies, distracting and harassing them. They can provide flanking opportunities or create chaos.
– **Tactical Use**: This action can be strategically employed to divert attention away from the Acorn King, making it difficult for players to focus on him directly.
Festive Illusion (Recharge after a short or long rest): – **Spell**: Casting *Major Image*
– **Area**: 60 ft. radius
– **Target**: Area creatures
– **Saving Throw**: DC 15 Wisdom saving throw
– **Effect**: Creatures who encounter the illusion must succeed on the saving throw or be charmed and unable to act for one turn.
– **Description**: The Acorn King conjures an enchanting vision of a vibrant autumn festival complete with dancing leaves and woodland creatures. This mixture of joy and deception lures adventurers into a false sense of security, allowing him to maneuver or attack with surprise.
Mossy Retreat (Reaction): – **Type**: Reaction
– **Trigger**: When the Acorn King is hit by a melee attack
– **Effect**: The Acorn King can retreat 10 feet into the walls. Any creature within 10 feet of him must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) acid damage, or half on a successful save.
– **Description**: As he is struck, the Acorn King seems to meld into the slimy walls of his lair. The acidic sap that glistens from him creates a hazardous environment for attackers, allowing him an escape and further complicating the players’ attempts to pursue him.
Appearance
No data available
Tactical Information
Tactical Information for the Acorn King
Combat Behavior:
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Initial Engagement:
- The Acorn King begins combat with a desire to manipulate and control the battlefield. He will cast Major Image (Festive Illusion) to create a joyful festival atmosphere, enticing adventurers into the illusion. He’ll use this to charm at least one adventurer early in the encounter, making them a potential distraction or ally, depending on their response to the festivities.
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Minion Summoning:
- After the initial round, the Acorn King prioritizes using Summon Acorn Minions whenever possible. He aims to overwhelm the party with numbers to divert their attention, harass spellcasters, and create chaos. The Animated Acorns will provoke opportunity attacks and provide advantageous statuses to their master, allowing him to stay evasive.
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Area Control:
- Choosing to leverage his environment, the Acorn King uses Mossy Retreat for damage mitigation. His slimy lair allows him to retreat and reposition himself behind cover while dealing additional damage to adjacent attackers. This helps maintain distance from melee fighters, whom he perceives as the greatest threat.
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Diversion Tactics:
- The Acorn King will constantly shift tactics. If he’s being overwhelmed, he re-engages using Vile Seed to inflict poisoning and damage, trying to spread the party out and create openings for his minions to attack. He focuses on characters who appear weaker or are separated from the group.
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Evasive Maneuvers:
- When low on hit points (below 50%), the Acorn King becomes more desperate. He will utilize terrain advantages to hide and ambush, using Slam attacks on characters who stray too close. He can also exploit the Difficult Terrain to make it hard for players to follow him efficiently, positioning himself to take minimal damage.
Narrative Interactions:
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Opening Dialogue:
- As the adventurers enter his lair, the Acorn King greets them with a deep, rumbling voice that echoes through the corridors, “Welcome, brave souls, to my autumnal revelry! Have you come to celebrate with me, or shall I show you the darker side of what nature demands?”
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Persuasion Attempts:
- The Acorn King is charismatic and attempts to sway adventurers to his side, using charm and spectacle. He may offer treasures or wisdom, playing on their desires while subtly hinting at the necessity of maintaining balance within nature.
- If he senses someone seeking power or treasure, he might suggest a pact, saying, “Great rewards await those who embrace the bounty of nature. Just a small gesture in return…”
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Moment of Desperation:
- Before a significant attack, the Acorn King may show a flicker of his former self, leveraging nostalgia, “Once, I cherished a simpler harvest. Might you be the key to restoring this land’s beauty? Fight beside me, and we can scar away the rot in our world.”
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Bargaining for Mercy:
- Upon receiving significant damage, the Acorn King might try to negotiate rather than continue fighting. “Very well, if you seek my fall, let us parley. What will you trade for my life? My woods offer secrets that could change your fates!”
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Final Moments:
- If defeated, the Acorn King’s form begins to crumble, his voice full of grief rather than malice. “You have claimed victory, but nature is never truly defeated… I hope you embrace the chaos that follows. Remember, this was once a kingdom of joy.”
Conclusion:
The Acorn King’s combat strategy and interactions are designed to encapsulate his dual nature of whimsical charm and eerie threat. He presents a moral complexity to players, encouraging them to consider their choices not only in combat but also in conversation, adding layers to the encounter that resonate with the themes of nature’s beauty and its potential for darkness.
