mordenkainens tome of foes

116

ALLIP

When a mind uncovers

a secret that a powerful being

has

protected with a mighty curse, the result

is often the

emergence of an a llip. Secrets protected

in this manner

range in scope from

a demon lord's true name to the

hidden truths of th

e cosmic order. The allip acquires

the secret, but the

curse annihilates its body and leaves

behind a spectral creature compose

d of fragments from

the victim's psyche and overwhelmi

ng psychic agony.

Blasphemous Secr e ts. Every

allip is wracked with

a horrifyin

g insight that torments what remains of

its

mind. In the pres ence of other

creatures, an allip see ks

to relieve this burden by sharing

its secret. T he creature

can impart

only a shard of the knowledge that doom

ed

it, but

that piece is enough to wrack the recipient

with

tempo

rary madness. The survivors of an allip

's attack

are

sometimes left with a compulsion to learn

more

about what spawned

this monstrosity. Strange phrases

echo through their minds,

and weird visions occupy

their dreams. The

sense that some colossal truth sits

just outside their recall plagues the m

for days, months ,

and sometimes years after their fateful

encounter.

Undead Nature.

An allip doesn't require air, food,

drink, or sleep.

INSIDIOUS L

ORE

An allip might attempt to share its lore

to escape its curse

and enter the afterlife. It can transfer

knowledge from its

mind by guiding another creature

to write down what it

knows. This process takes days

or possibly weeks. An allip

can

accomplish this task by lurking in the study

or work-

place of a scholar. If the allip remains hidden,

its victim is

gradually overcome by manic energy. A schola

r, driven by

sudden insights to work night and day,

produces reams of

text with little

memory of exactly what the documents con

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tain. If

the allip succeeds, it passes from the world-and

its

terrible secret hides somewhere in the scholar's text

,

waiting to be discovered by its next victim.

ALLIP

Medium undead,

neutral evil

Armo r Clas

s 13

Hit Points 40 (9d8)

Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)

STR

6 (-2)

DEX

17 (+3)

CON

10 (+O)

Saving Throws Int +6, Wis +5

Skills

Perception +5, Stealth +6

INT

17

(+3)

WIS

15 (+2)

CHA

16 (+3)

Damage Resistances acid, fire , lightning, thunde

r; bludgeoning,

piercing, and s lashing from nonmagical attacks

Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison

Condition Immunities charmed, exh

austion, frightened,

grappled, paralyzed, petrified,

poisoned, prone, rest rained

Senses

d arkvision 60 ft ., passive Perception 15

Language

s the languages it knew in life

Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

CHAPTER

6 I BESTIARY

Incorporeal

Movement. The allip can move throug h

other

creatures and objects as

if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5

(ldlO) force damage if it ends its turn inside

an object.

ACTIONS

Maddening Touch.

Melee Spell Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one

target. Hit: 17 (4d6 + 3) psychic damage.

Whispers

of Madness. The allip chooses up to three

creatures it

can see within 60 feet

of it. Each target must succeed on a DC

14 Wisdom saving throw, or it takes 7 (ld8

+ 3) psychic dam-

age and must use its reaction to make a

melee weapon attack

against one crea

ture of the allip's choice that the allip can see.

Constructs and undead are immune

to this effec t.

Howling Babble (Recharge 6). Each creatu re

within 30 feet of

the allip that can hear

it must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving

throw. On a failed

save, a target takes 12 (2d8 + 3) psychic

damage, and it is stunned until the end

of its next turn. On

a successful

save, it takes half as much damage and isn't

stunned.

Constructs and undead are immune to this effect.

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