Gargantuan monstrosity (titan), unaligned
Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
Armor Class (suggested) 24 (natural armor)
Hit Points 297 (17d20 + 119)
Speed 15 ft., fly 80 ft. (hover)
Proficiency Bonus +7
Proficiency Bonus +7 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 7 (-2) | 25 (+7) | 5 (-3) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws (suggested) Str +16, Dex +5, Wis +9, Cha +11
Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +9
Skills Perception +9
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages –
Challenge 21 (33,000 XP)
Antimagic Cone. The astral dreadnought’s opened eye creates an area of antimagic, as in the antimagic field spell, in a 150-foot cone. At the start of each of its turns, the dreadnought decides which way the cone faces. The cone doesn’t function while the dreadnought’s eye is closed or while the dreadnought is blinded.
Antimagic Cone (suggested). The astral dreadnought’s opened eye creates an area of antimagic, as in the antimagic field spell, in a 300-foot cone. At the start of each of its turns, the dreadnought decides which way the cone faces. The cone doesn’t function while the dreadnought’s eye is closed or while the dreadnought is blinded. Any target caught in the antimagic cone that meets the astral dreadnought’s gaze must also make a DC 21 Charisma saving throw or suffer the frigthened condition.
Astral Entity. The astral dreadnought can’t leave the Astral Plane, nor can it be banished or otherwise transported out of the Astral Plane.
Demiplanar Donjon. Any creature or object that the astral dreadnought swallows is transported to a demiplane that can be entered by no other means except a wish spell or this creature’s Donjon Visit ability. A creature can leave the demiplane only by using magic that enables planar travel, such as the plane shift spell. The demiplane resembles a stone cave roughly 1,000 feet in diameter with a ceiling 100 feet high. Like a stomach, it contains the remains of the dreadnought’s past meals. The dreadnought can’t be harmed from within the demiplane. If the dreadnought dies, the demiplane disappears, and everything inside it appears around the corpse. The demiplane is otherwise indestructible.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the astral dreadnought fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Weapons. An astral dreadnought’s weapon attacks are magical.
Sever Silver Cord. If the astral dreadnought scores a critical hit against a creature traveling through the Astral Plane by means of the astral projection spell, the dreadnought can cut the target’s silver cord instead of dealing damage.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The astral dreadnought makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 36 (5d10 + 9) piercing damage. If the target is a creature of Huge size or smaller and this damage reduces it to 0 hit points or it is incapacitated, the astral dreadnought swallows it. The swallowed target, along with everything it is wearing and carrying, appears in an unoccupied space on the floor of the astral dreadnought’s Demiplanar Donjon.
- Bite (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d10 + 9) piercing damage. If the target is a creature of Huge size or smaller and this damage reduces it to 0 hit points or it is incapacitated, the astral dreadnought swallows it. The swallowed target, along with everything it is wearing and carrying, appears in an unoccupied space on the floor of the astral dreadnought’s Demiplanar Donjon. If the Astral Dreadnought scores a critical hit the target’s armor is completely destroyed (DC 24 Strength saving throw to avoid), and if the target wears no armor one of its limbs is severed (DC 24 Dexterity saving throw to avoid).
- Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d6 + 9) slashing damage.
- Claw (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (4d8 + 9) slashing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 24) and automatically takes 17 (3d6+9) bludgeoning damage due to constriction. Until this grapple ends, the astral dreadnought can make a fist attack for 17 (3d6+9) bludgeoning damage instead of a claw attack or bite the grappled target with advantage.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The astral dreadnought can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dreadnought regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Claw. The astral dreadnought makes one claw attack.
- Donjon Visit (Costs 2 Actions). One creature that is Huge or smaller that the astral dreadnought can see within 60 feet of it must succeed on a DC 19 Charisma saving throw or be magically teleported to an unoccupied space on the floor of the astral dreadnought’s Demiplanar Donjon. At the end of the target’s next turn, the target reappears in the space it left or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied.
- Psychic Projection (Costs 3 Actions). Each creature within 60 feet of the astral dreadnought must make a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw, taking 15 (2d10 + 4) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
An astral dreadnought is a gargantuan creature that roams the Astral Plane, hunting down travelers who dare to explore the realm of pure thought. It resembles a monstrous crab with a serpentine lower half, a single large eye, and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Its body is covered with spiked armor plates that protect it from harm. It is said that its tail is infinite, stretching endlessly into the astral void. Some cutters who have seen one claim that its tail has no end, but rather forms a silver cord as thick as a stout barrel. If this is true, it would imply that the astral dreadnought is not a native of this plane and is projecting its spirit into the Silver Void from some prime-material world.
COMBAT
An astral dreadnought is a fearsome opponent in combat, capable of crushing, biting, and swallowing its prey with ease. Its eye emits a cone of antimagic that nullifies any magic within its range, making spellcasters powerless against it. Its claws can sever the silver cord of an astral traveler, instantly killing them. Its bite can swallow a creature whole, sending it to a demiplane that serves as the dreadnought’s stomach. There, the creature must find a way to escape or face a slow death by digestion. The dreadnought’s sole interest appears to be feeding on any astral traveler unlucky enough to cross its path. No one has managed to communicate with the dreadnought and lived to tell the tale. The dreadnought has a very unusual and specific diet: It devours astral bodies. The monster is uninterested in creatures who are physically present in the Silver Void, so characters who are plane shifted, probability travelling, or present in the Astral Plane by means of a magical device are beneath the notice of the dreadnought. On the other hand, characters who are astrally projecting form the basis of the monster’s diet. The astral dreadnought usually destroys and then devours the astral body, but does not strike at the silver cord except as it may be incidental to the process of devouring the astral character. The astral dreadnought is encountered only when an astral body is nearby. It does not bother physical travelers unless they happen to get between it and its prey.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
An astral dreadnought has no society or culture, as it is a solitary and territorial creature. It wanders the Astral Plane in search of food, ignoring anything that does not pose a threat or interest to it. It has no allies or enemies, except for those who cross its path or challenge its might. It does not communicate with other beings, except for a primal roar that signals its presence and hunger. It is unknown if there are more than one astral dreadnoughts in existence, or if they ever reproduce. Fortunately, astral dreadnoughts are exceedingly rare. In fact, some sages argue that only one of the creatures can exist at any given time. The astral dreadnought roams the Astral Plane without cease, searching for prey. The creature appears to be joined with the astral plane on a level not fully understood by other beings: sages have theorized that the dreadnought is of the Astral, not on it. This property allows it to avoid or ignore phenomena such as shifting conduits, ether cyclones, and similar hazards.
ECOLOGY
An astral dreadnought does not need food, water, or sleep to survive, as it draws its sustenance from the Astral Plane itself. However, it has a voracious appetite for the astral projections of travelers, as they provide it with a unique and satisfying flavor. It does not digest its food in a conventional way, but rather transports it to a demiplane that acts as its stomach. There, the food remains until it is consumed by the dreadnought’s psychic energy or escapes by planar travel. The demiplane vanishes when the dreadnought dies, releasing everything within it back to the Astral Plane.