Large monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 17 (Natural Armor)
Armor Class (suggested) 22 (frontal), 16 (sides), 14 (belly)
Hit Points 94 (9d10 + 45)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 40 ft. (suggested 20 ft.)
Proficiency Bonus +3
Proficiency Bonus +4 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 (+4) | 11 (+0) | 21 (+5) | 2 (-4) | 10 (+0) | 5 (-3) |
Skills Perception +6
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
ACTIONS
- Multiattack (suggested). The bulette makes three attacks, one with its bite and two with its claws.
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 30 (4d12 + 4) piercing damage.
- Claws (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) slashing damage.
- Deadly Leap. If the bulette jumps at least 15 ft. as part of its movement, it can then use this action to land on its feet in a space that contains one or more other creatures. Each of those creatures must succeed on a DC 16 Strength or Dexterity saving throw (target’s choice) or be knocked prone and take 14 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (3d6 + 4) slashing damage. On a successful save, the creature takes only half the damage, isn’t knocked prone, and is pushed 5 ft. out of the bulette’s space into an unoccupied space of the creature’s choice. If no unoccupied space is within range, the creature instead falls prone in the bulette’s space.
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
The bulette, also known as a landshark, is a fearsome beast that hunts and devours anything in its path. No creature, not even other monsters, dares to challenge the bulette’s ferocity. Some say the bulette is the result of a twisted experiment that fused an armadillo and a snapping turtle, but no one knows for sure.
The bulette’s body is covered with hard plates and scales that range from gray-blue to blue-green, blending with the earth. Its head and hind legs are blue-brown, and its nails and teeth are dull ivory. Its eyes are yellowish with blue-green pupils, and they are surrounded by brown-black skin.
COMBAT
The bulette is a relentless predator that will attack anything that it can eat, except for elves, which it hates, and dwarves, which it dislikes. The bulette is always hungry, and it roams its territory in search of prey. It burrows underground and senses vibrations to locate its targets.
When it finds something edible, the bulette bursts out of the ground with its crest and launches its attack. The bulette is very aggressive and fearless, and it does not care about the size, strength, or number of its enemies. It will always attack, preferring the easiest or closest prey. It uses its powerful jaw and front claws to bite and slash.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
The bulette is a lone hunter that rarely tolerates another of its kind, except for its mate, if it has one. The bulette’s territory is usually avoided by other predators, who fear becoming its prey. The bulette does not have a lair, but wanders over its territory, burrowing underground to rest or hunt. The bulette’s hunger is insatiable, and it needs a large territory of up to 30 square miles to satisfy its appetite.
The bulette does not discriminate between food and non-food items, and it will swallow anything it catches, including clothing, weapons, and magic items. The bulette’s stomach acids can digest almost anything, leaving no trace of its victims. The bulette will also eat coins and other valuables, without caring about their worth.
The bulette will move to a new territory when it has exhausted the food supply in its current one. The bulette does not care about the type of terrain or the presence of civilization, as long as there is enough food. The bulette will often terrorize human and halfling settlements, and attack their livestock and crops.
The bulette’s life cycle is a mystery to most scholars. No one has ever seen a bulette egg or a young bulette, though some have encountered smaller landsharks of 6 Hit Dice. Some speculate that the bulette hatches from tiny eggs, and that only a few survive to adulthood. Others suggest that the bulette gives birth to live young. Some also believe that the bulette grows larger with age, as there have been reports of giant landsharks of 11 feet tall or more. However, no one has ever found a dead bulette that died of natural causes.
ECOLOGY
The bulette is a menace to the ecosystem of any area it inhabits. It does not spare any living thing that moves – human, animal, or monster. It also destroys the environment by uprooting large trees and causing landslides with its underground movements. Even ogres, trolls, and some giants flee from the bulette’s presence.
The bulette can ruin a peaceful farming community in a matter of weeks, as no sane human or demihuman will stay in a region where a bulette has been spotted.
The only known benefit of the bulette is that its plates behind its head can be made into excellent shields by dwarven smiths, with a bonus of +1 to +3. Some also claim that the soil that the bulette has passed through gains magical properties that can dissolve rocks. However, many would argue that these benefits are not worth the cost.
Bulette is employed as material component to empower the following spells: