Slow as a snail and massive in size, a living keep is a magical mimic that takes on the guise of a haunted castle. Crawling across the landscape in the dead of night, a living keep positions itself on the edges of civilization, piquing the interests of adventurers, barons, and explorers looking to make a name for themselves. Each keep is unique in its design, chosen by the mimic to best integrate with the surrounding culture. Within its “halls” are bizarre organs that appear as traps, animated suits of armor to assault intruders, and a confusing maze of corridors. Living keeps are extraordinary deceptive, able to disguise the origin of every action and assault it commits. Most of their victims have succumbed without ever realizing what was truly responsible.
LIVING KEEP
Titanic Monstrosity (shapechanger, 100 ft. by 100 ft. space, 40 ft. tall), neutral
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points Special
Speed Special
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
23 (+6) | 1 (-5) | 24 (+7) | 11 (+0) | 19 (+4) | 8 (-1) |
Saving Throws Str +11, Con +12, Int +5
Skills Perception +9, Deception +9
Damage Resistances fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities paralyzed, prone, restrained, unconscious
Senses blindsight 5 ft., darkvision 300 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages —
Challenge 16 (15,000 XP)
TRAITS
Animated Garrison. The keep can fill its halls with a garrison of animated armor, generating them from its own body. When the keep finishes a short rest, it can generate ten animated armors, or twenty-five when it finishes a long rest. The keep can have up to fifty animated armors created in this fashion, which inhabit the keep’s Halls section. If an animated armor ever moves farther than 500 ft. from the keep, it is destroyed instantly.
Shapechanger. When the keep finishes a long rest, it can assume the form of a castle that is appropriate for its size. In this state, the keep is indistinguishable from an ordinary castle. Each of the keeps sections is connected by a “door” that permits access between them and may be filled with a wide number of rooms and features befitting a castle. The keep must always be in the shape of a castle appropriate for its size and cannot be forced to revert to its “true” form by any means.
Sturdy Architecture. The keep is both a creature and a structure.
Subtle Presence. The keep has a passive Deception of 19 to conceal its true nature. When the keep takes actions or causes an effect that may betray its nature, a creature that observes the action or effect must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom (Insight) ability check, or attribute the action or effect to something that is not the keep’s true nature (such as a trap, magical effect, or other source).
Titanic Creature. The keep is a titanic creature which is so large that combat involves dividing its body into various sections, each of which has a fixed initiative count on which it acts (losing initiative ties), detailed in its description. Each section is considered a unique creature for purposes of targeting (in case an effect or attack would include multiple targets), and effects that include an area may affect multiple sections of the keep if the area is large enough. Each section has its own hit points and actions but shares the keep’s other statistics (such as damage resistances, saving throws, etc.). When a section is reduced to 0 hit points, it becomes incapacitated until it regains hit points or the keep is slain, which causes the section to die along with the keep. If a section has a speed, the keep can move up to that section’s speed during the section’s turn. Creatures can enter and occupy the same space as the keep, and the keep cannot make opportunity attacks. Additionally, the keep is immune to effects that would forcibly move, banish, or magically teleport it.
LIVING KEEP - BATTLEMENTS
Hit Points 192 (11d20 + 77)
Initiative 20
Speed 5 ft.
TRAITS
Bastion of Sight. Effects that would attempt to influence the keep’s sight (such as blinding or making eye contact with it) can only affect this section (all other sections are immune). If this section is blinded, all other sections are as well.
Position. The battlements of the keep are at least 40 ft. above the space it occupies. The section is approximately a 100 ft. by 100 ft. square.
ACTIONS
Catapult Volley (Recharge 5-6). The battlements launch three massive boulders at up to three spaces within 500 ft, no two of which can share of the same area. Creatures and Objects in the affected area must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 45 (10d8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. A successful saving throw halves this damage and prevents the prone condition. Objects not being worn or carried, and structures take double damage from this effect.
Focus Energy. The Battlement’s turn ends, and the Halls section immediately takes a turn.
Hail of Arrows. Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, 150 ft./600 ft. Any number of targets within range. Hit: 10 (1d8 + 6) piercing damage.
Spotlight. The battlements emit a beam of bright light 15 ft. wide and 500 ft. long for 1 minute. Creatures within the beam cannot be invisible and have their vision reduced to 5 ft. If a creature inside the area of the beam attempts to move out of it, the keep can choose to follow its movement with the beam, keeping the creature within the area if the creature remains with 500 ft. of the keep.
LIVING KEEP - HALLS
Hit Points 315 (18d20 + 126)
Initiative 15
TRAITS
No Way In/Out. Creatures and objects other than the keep’s appendages cannot enter the Hall’s space unless they pass through a hole in its structure. Anything within the Hall’s space has total cover against everything outside the space. Position. The halls of the keep are directly above the space it occupies. The section is a 100 ft. by 100 ft. cube approximately 40 ft. tall.
Regeneration. At the start of each of the hall’s turns, it regains 30 hit points. This effect ends when the keep is slain. Stalking Walls (1/turn). When the halls deal damage to a creature, it may deal an additional 28 (8d6) damage.
ACTIONS
Crushing Walls (1/Short or Long Rest). The walls of the halls crash together in a 30 ft. cube within the hall’s space. Creatures within the area must attempt a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw, moving the edge of the area on a success. On a failure, a creature takes 33 (6d10) bludgeoning damage and are knocked unconscious until the start of its next turn.
Fire Arrow Trap. Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, range 30 ft./ 60 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 6) piercing and 11 (2d8) fire.
Spike Trap. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 0 ft., each creature in a 10 ft. square on the floor of the halls. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage.
Toxic Gas. The 30 ft. cube section of the Halls are flooded with toxic gas for 1 hour. When a creature enters the area of the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must attempt a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 26 (4d12) poison damage on a failed saving throw, or half as much on a success.
LIVING KEEP - CORE
Hit Points 210 (12d20 + 84)
Initiative 10
TRAITS
Bastion of the Mind. Effects that would attempt to influence the keep’s mind (such as psychic damage, the stunned and unconscious conditions, or effects that force an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw) can only affect this section (all other sections are immune). If this section is charmed, deafened, frightened, incapacitated, stunned, or unconscious, all the other sections are as well.
Hidden. The core is magically hidden within the body of the keep and cannot be found without great effort. Creatures wishing to locate the core must search through the keep’s Halls section. At the end of each of its turns, a creature within the Hall’s section may attempt a DC 19 Intelligence (Investigation) ability check, coming closer to deducing the Core’s exact location on a success. Once a creature (or group of creatures that are sharing the results of their efforts) have succeed on three checks made in this manner, the location of the core and the shortest path to it is revealed. Any attempt to locate the core in a manner other than this method automatically fails, unless the attempt comes from an effect of a spell of 8th level or higher. At its discretion, the keep can also allow a creature to find its core.
No Way In/Out. Creatures and objects other than the keep’s appendages cannot enter the Core’s space unless they pass through a hole in its structure. Anything within the Core’s space has total cover against everything outside the space.
Position. The Core section is a 25 ft. cube in the shape of a throne room. The core of the keep is located somewhere within the Hall’s section. The keep can change the location of this section to somewhere within the Halls section whenever it finishes a long rest.
Vulnerability. When this section is reduced to zero hit points, the keep is slain. Additionally, this section takes double damage from all sources.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The core makes two carpet tongue attacks.
Carpet Tongue. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 25 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d12 + 6) bludgeoning and 14 (4d6) acid.
Donate Life. The core can choose to lose up to 50 hit points and divide them amongst other sections of its choice.
Focus Energy. The Core’s turn ends, and the Halls section immediately takes a turn.
Guards! The core magically teleports up to six animated armors it has created to unoccupied spaces within 10 ft. of it.
Ref: TPKB1 p58-60