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A silent killer that strikes without warning, death wrack is the subtlest of the maleophages. It festers, growing and growing until it reveals itself in an explosion of toxins that is instantly lethal to most creatures. It is surprisingly intelligent and acts with malignant purpose, seeking out individuals in positions of influence and power and hiding within them until a crucial moment when it can strike them dead. A death wrack is almost impossible to identify until after it has struck, its victims showing no outward symptoms until it is too late. Those who suffer an attack from death wrack experience excruciating pain in their chests before collapsing. To the untrained eye, it can appear to be a common heart attack, though experienced healers are quick to deduce a supernatural cause. It takes great skill in medicine to exterminate death wrack, whose intelligence makes it all the more difficult to pin down.

DEATH WRACK

Tiny ooze, chaotic evil

Armor Class 5
Hit Points 218 (23d4 + 161)
Speed 0 ft.

Saving Throws Con +11, Int +5, Wis +8
Skills Deception +10
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, grappled, incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned, unconscious
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 14
Languages understands Common but cannot speak
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)

TRAITS

Damage Transfer. When anything other than the death wrack deals damage to the infected creature, the death wrack takes half the damage dealt to the infected creature, and the infected creature takes the other half (before damage resistances and immunities are applied).

Hidden Malady. The death wrack’s effects occur inside the body of an infected creature and are invisible. As an action, a creature can attempt a DC 19 Wisdom (Medicine) ability check, detecting the death wrack on a success. Unless discovered in this manner or until it attacks, the death wrack is considered hidden while infecting a creature.

Sentient Disease. The death wrack is a microscopic, sentient disease. It cannot be targeted and can only be harmed when infecting a creature. While not within a host, the death wrack can infect any flesh-and-blood creature that comes within 60 feet of it. If the host dies, the death wrack can infect a new creature. Creatures immune to disease can still be infected by it but have advantage on saving throws against it. If an infected creature is affected by a spell or effect that would remove a disease, the death wrack remains in the creature but loses 30 hit points. It may only infect a single creature at a time, and when the ooze is slain, the infected creature is cured of the disease.

Additionally, if the death wrack is not hidden, at the start of each of its turns an infected creature aware of the disease can attempt a DC 19 Constitution saving throw. On a success, the death wrack leaves the infected creature and infects a new flesh-and-blood creature within 60 feet. If there are no uninfected flesh-and-blood creatures within 60 feet, the death wrack remains in its host but loses 30 hit points.

ACTIONS

Festering Corruption. When the death wrack next deals damage, it deals an additional 22 (5d8) necrotic damage. If it uses this ability again, the extra damage increases by an additional 22 (5d8), to a maximum of an extra 135 (30d8) necrotic damage. Once the death wrack deals damage or changes hosts, this extra damage is lost.

Healing Suppression. Until the end of the infected creature’s next turn, it cannot regain hit points.

Wrack. The death wrack corrodes the organs of the creature it is infecting. The creature must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or take 27 (5d10) acid damage. If the creature fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it instead takes 55 (10d10) acid damage.

Ref: TPKB1 p168