Intelligent alien creatures such as aboleths, as well as the occasional mad wizard or capricious deity enjoy tinkering with creatures to make them more suited for their environments or just as a thought exercise. Then the PCs have to go out and fight things like owlbears or chimeras.

Doesn’t it make you want to get in on the action? Monster Mix crosses two monsters from the Tales of the Valiant Monster Vault to create new horrors that combine elements from the original creatures beyond just shuffling their component abilities.

This time? Things that fly crossed with things that should never fly.

Heat Wyrm

Scales cover this massive blue-white centipede. It defies gravity thanks to two sets of draconic wings matching its body’s color.

Horrific Blend. Heat wyrms mix wyvern and remorhaz attributes, largely favoring the insectoid’s side. However, the wyvern adds the ability to fly (awkwardly) and a poison sting.

Endless Hunger. Because their flight takes considerable effort, heat wyrms spend most of their waking hours hunting for food. They rely on the surprise granted by their additional avenue of attack to slaughter unsuspecting prey before they can react. When faced with determined resistance, heat wyrms nosedive into the ground to protect themselves.

HEAT WYRM    CR 10

Huge Monstrosity

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 196
Speed 30 ft., burrow 20 ft., fly 20 ft.
Perception 11    Stealth 15
Resistant cold | Monstrosity Resilience
Immune fire, poison | poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft.
Languages —

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
+9	+1	+8	−3	+1	−3

Clumsy Flyer. The heat wyrm makes an easy target when aloft. Ranged attacks targeting it while it flies are made with advantage.

Heated Body. A creature that touches the heat wyrm or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 5 (2d4) fire damage.

Monstrosity Resilience. The heat wyrm is resistant to exhaustion and to the frightened condition.

ACTIONS

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft. (5 ft. while flying), one target. Hit: 32 (6d8 + 5) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) fire damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 DEX save or be swallowed by the wyrm. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks outside the wyrm, and it takes 10 (3d6) acid damage and 7 (2d6) fire damage at the start of each of the wyrm’s turns.

If the wyrm takes 30 damage or more on a single turn from a swallowed creature, the wyrm must succeed on a DC 18 CON save at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the wyrm. If the wyrm dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 15 feet of movement, exiting prone.

Stinger. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15 ft. (10 ft. while flying), one target. Hit: 27 (4d10 + 5) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) poison damage.

Flying Rake (Recharge 5–6). The wyrm flies in a straight line up to twice its flying speed. Each creature within 5 feet of the wyrm as it flies must make a DC 16 DEX save, taking 14 (4d6) slashing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. This action provokes opportunity attacks, but a creature making an opportunity attack has disadvantage on its save.

BONUS ACTIONS

Diving Speed. If the wyrm used its flying speed during its turn, it can take the Dash action but only to burrow.

Purple Doom

Massive, feathered wings, two rows of talons, and a powerful beak accentuate this gigantic bluish-purple worm.

No Escape. A purple doom, which crosses a roc with a purple worm, can attack prey above or below ground.

Weaker Tunnellers. With a beak in place of powerful teeth, purple dooms can’t penetrate solid stone when burrowing. They use their talons to aid with their digging when they don’t otherwise use them to grasp future meals.

PURPLE DOOM         CR 13

Gargantuan Monstrosity

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 255
Speed 30 ft., burrow 30 ft., fly 30 ft.
Perception 14    Stealth 10
Resistant Monstrosity Resilience
Senses tremorsense 60 ft.
Languages —

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
+9	+0	+10	−4	+4	+0

Clumsy Flyer. The purple doom makes an easy target when aloft. Ranged attacks targeting it while it flies are made with advantage.

Monstrosity Resilience. The purple doom is resistant to exhaustion and to the frightened condition.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The purple doom makes one Beak attack and one Stinger attack or two Talons attacks.

Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft. (5 ft. while flying), one target. Hit: 36 (6d8 + 9) piercing damage.

Stinger. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft. (5 ft. while flying), one target. Hit: 19 (3d6 + 9) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 19 CON save, taking 35 (10d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (4d6 + 9) slashing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 17) if it is a Large or smaller creature. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained. The purple doom can grapple up to two separate targets with its talons.

Crush (Recharge 5–6). If the purple doom is flying, it can suddenly crash to the ground. Each creature in the doom’s space and each creature grappled by the doom when it lands must make a DC 19 DEX save. On a failure, a creature takes 45 (10d8) bludgeoning damage and is stunned until the end of its next turn. On a success, a creature takes half the damage and isn’t stunned. A creature grappled by the doom has disadvantage on its save. The doom must succeed on a DC 19 DEX save or take 22 (5d8) bludgeoning damage.

BONUS ACTIONS

Tossed Prey. The purple doom throws a creature it has grappled one of its talons. The creature takes damage as if it fell from the doom’s height plus 10 feet. The doom can target another creature with the thrown creature, making a melee ranged attack with a +5 bonus. On a hit, the target takes half the damage of the thrown creature.

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