Hello again, and welcome back to Frightful Fridays! This week’s entry is inspired by the #dungeon23 prompt, “noise,” and my thoughts turned to the thundering hooves of plains-roaming bison. The thunder becomes dangerous to those in the path of a running storm bison, presented below.
Thanks for reading! See you again next Friday with another dungeon23-themed monster.
This brown bison has shocks of golden hair springing forth from its shaggy hide. The animal moves with surprising grace.
Storm Bison CR 5
XP 1,600
N Large magical beast
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 17 (+1 Dex, +8 natural, –1 size)
hp 57 (6d10+24)
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +3
Resist electricity 10, sonic 5
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.
Melee headbutt +10 (2d6+5), hooves +5 (1d6+2 plus 1d4 electricity)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks thunderous charge, trample (1d6+7 plus 1d4 electricity, DC 18)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +7)
1/day—call lightning (DC 13, move action instead of standard action to call down lightning)
STATISTICS
Str 21, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 10
Base Atk +6; CMB +12; CMD 23 (27 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Run
Skills Perception +10
ECOLOGY
Environment any plains
Organization solitary, pair, or herd (3–60)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Thunderous Charge (Su) When the storm bison charges, creatures within 5 feet of the bison as it charges must succeed at a DC 17 Reflex saving throw or take 1d6 sonic damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.
In locations where the borders between the Material Plane and the Elemental Plane of Air become thin, some creatures changed as a result. High-plains bison, in particular, absorbed lightning and thunder cast out by the plane, creating a new species of storm bison. The creatures’ diets and habits remained unchanged, so they gather in herds and graze on grasslands as their forebears did. However, they became quicker and nimbler, they can discharge lightning from their hooves, and, when they run, they create harmful shock waves.
Terrestrial predators are less likely to take down storm bison, but other elemental-touched creatures hunt the bison, keeping their populations from exploding. Cloud and storm giants who prize the bison’s meat raise the creatures as livestock, while smaller creatures who can endure the bison’s electricity and thunder train them as mounts.
Someone who successfully skins a storm bison and fashions the hide into a cloak or armor can grant a measure of the bison’s resistances (electricity and sonic 5 [changing as appropriate per system]) through the garment.
A typical storm bison stands seven feet tall, measures 11 feet in length, and weighs 1,200 pounds.
STORM BISON CREATURE 5
N Large Beast
Perception +12; darkvision
Skills Athletics +13, Survival +10
Str+5, Dex +1, Con +4, Int –3, Wis +2, Cha +0
AC22; Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +9
HP 89; Resistances electricity 8, sonic 4
Speed 35 feet
Melee [one-action] head +15, Damage 2d8+7 bludgeoning
Melee [one-action] hoof +13, Damage 2d6+7 bludgeoning plus 1d8 electricity
Primal Innate Spells DC 19; Cantrips (1st) electric arc
Thunderous Charge [two-actions] (evocation, primal, sonic) The storm bison Strides up to double its Speed in a straight line. Any creature the storm bison was adjacent to at any point during the Stride takes 1d10 sonic damage (DC 24 basic Reflex save).
Trample [three-actions] Medium or smaller, hoof, DC 24
Storm Bison
Large Beast, Neutral
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Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 114 (12d10 + 48)
Speed 40 ft.
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STR 19 (+4), DEX 13 (+1), CON 18 (+4), INT 5 (–3), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 10 (+0)
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Damage Resistances lightning, thunder
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages —
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
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Thunderous Charge. If the storm bison moves at least 30 feet in a straight line before attacking, all creatures within 5 feet of the bison as it moves must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 3 (1d6) thunder damage.
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Actions
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Multiattack. The storm bison makes a Head Butt attack and a Hooves attack.
Head Butt. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If the storm bison moved at least 20 feet in a straight line, the target takes 4 (1d8) bludgeoning damage and 3 (1d6) electricity damage and must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) electricity damage.
Spellcasting (1/Day). The storm bison casts call lightning(using a bonus action to call down lightning instead of an action), requiring no spell components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 13).
Trampling Charge (Recharge 4–6). The storm bison moves up to 30 feet in a straight line and can move through the space of any Medium or smaller creature. The first time the bison enters a creature’s space during this move, that creature must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or take 13 (2d8 +4) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) electricity damage and be knocked prone.
Mythopoeic Rambling 