Extraordinarily powerful creatures possess exploitable weaknesses, and well-prepared PCs learn about them before charging into the fray.

These creatures aren’t dumb. They recognize their own weakness. Some cultivate relationships with less powerful creatures to help offset those weaknesses. They offer protection or treasure in exchange for the lesser beings’ useful abilities.

These lesser beings are called “rider monsters.” Rider monsters add a wrinkle in combats against boss monsters you might find in the Tales of the Valiant Monster Vault. They force PCs to deal with the minor threat until they can negate the advantages granted by these riders.

Splodebold

This reptilian humanoid has scales colored to resemble a true dragon and seethes with barely contained power.

Kobold Fanatics. While most kobolds connect with more powerful creatures for mutual gain, splodebolds devote themselves only to dragons.

Alchemical Alterations. When a splodebold bonds to a dragon boss, it undergoes a treatment making it immune to that dragon’s breath weapon. This treatment also changes the splodebold to absorb the energy in the breath weapon, convert it to another type of energy, and using that to augment its attacks. As its ultimate expression of loyalty, a splodebold can detonate, dying but harming its boss’s enemies in the process.

First Line of Defense. Splodebolds throw themselves into the fray when their dragon is threatened. However, they prefer to stay in range of their boss’s abilities that feed them energy. This allows them to deliver additional punishment to intruders, using their converted energy attacks to subvert expectations of intruders who were prepared for the dragon’s main energy attack.

Second Chances. Surviving an encounter that kills its boss marks a splodebold as a pariah, and it temporarily loses its ability to manipulate energy. The splodebold can undergo another round of alchemical treatment to restore its abilities, and it uses this time to find another dragon or powerful creature to accept it as a minion. Then it makes sure not to fail its new boss.

SPLODEBOLD            CR 4

Small Humanoid

Armor Class 14 (leather armor)
Hit Points 85
Speed 30 ft.
Perception 10     Stealth 13
Immune Splodebold Resilience
Senses darkvision 60 ft.
Languages Common, Draconic

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
−1	+3	+4	+0	+0	+1

Bonded Dragon. The splodebold is devoted to a single dragon. It follows the dragon’s commands but otherwise acts to protect the dragon or itself without any commands. The splodebold can’t be magically compelled to attack its bonded dragon. If the dragon dies while the splodebold survives, it loses its Energy Absorption and Splodebold Resilience, and it can’t bind to another dragon for 1 year.

Energy Absorption. When the splodebold takes damage that matches the type dealt by its bonded dragon’s breath weapon, it takes no damage and instead absorbs the energy from it. It gains temporary HP equal to the amount of damage dealt. These temporary HP can’t exceed its HP maximum.

Energy Conversion. The splodebold chooses one damage type: acid, cold, fire lightning, poison, or thunder. When the splodebold absorbs damage through Energy Absorption, it can power up its attacks to deal damage of its chosen damage type. This chosen type doesn’t change once selected.

Pack Tactics. The splodebold has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the splodebold’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.

Splodebold Resilience. The splodebold is immune to the damage type dealt by its bonded dragon’s breath weapon.

Sunlight Sensitivity. When in sunlight, the splodebold has disadvantage on attack rolls, and its Perception is 5 when perceiving by sight.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The splodebold makes two Dagger attacks or two Sling attacks.

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage. If the splodebold has temporary HP due to Energy Absorption, this attack also deals 13 (3d8) damage of the type dealt by either its bonded dragon’s breath weapon or its chosen Energy Conversion damage type. Then the splodebold loses 5 temporary HP.

Sling. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the splodebold has temporary HP due to Energy Absorption, this attack also deals 13 (3d8) damage of the type dealt by either its bonded dragon’s breath weapon or its chosen Energy Conversion damage type. Then the splodebold loses 5 temporary HP.

Explode (Requires Temporary HP). The splodebold detonates in a 30-foot-radius centered on itself and dies instantly. Each creature in the area must make a DC 14 DEX save, taking 27 (6d8) damage of its converted damage type on a failure, or half as much damage on a success. This damage can’t exceed the total of the splodebold’s current HP plus temporary HP.

BONUS ACTIONS

Scurry. The splodebold moves up to 15 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. If the splodebold is aware of traps in the area, the splodebold can choose if this movement triggers any of them.

REACTIONS

Bathe. When a spell or effect deals damage that matches the type dealt by its bonded dragon’s breath weapon in an area, the splodebold can move up to its speed toward the area.

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