Greater Death Butterfly Swarm — fantasy monster illustration. Greater Death Butterfly Swarm is a huge beast (Challenge Rating 6).

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Greater Death Butterfly Swarm

Huge Beast (Swarm), chaotic evil

AC
15
HP
84
Speed
5
CR
6

These enormous clouds of orange and green butterflies add a reek of putrefaction to the air, stirred by the flapping of their delicate wings.
Demon-Haunted. A death butterfly swarm results when a rare breed of carrion-eating butterflies, drawn to the stench of great decay, feeds on the corpse of a fiend, demon, or similar creature.
Dizzying and Poisonous. The colorful and chaotic flapping of the insects’ wings blinds and staggers those in its path, allowing the swarm to necrotize more flesh from those it overruns. Attracted to rotting material, the swarm spreads a fast-acting, poison on its victims, creating carrion it can feed on immediately.
Devour the Undead. Undead creatures are not immune to a death butterfly swarm’s poison, and a swarm can rot an undead creature’s animating energies as easily as those of the living. Given the choice between an undead and living creature, a death butterfly swarm always attacks the undead. Such swarms find ghouls and vampires particularly appealing. Some good-aligned forces regard summoning these swarms as a necessary evil.


Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 84 (13d12)

Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)


STR
1 (-5)
DEX
16 (+3)
CON
10 (+0)
INT
1 (-5)
WIS
15 (+2)
CHA
12 (+1)

Damage Vulnerabilities cold, fire

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing

Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, petrified

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12

Challenge 6


Traits

Potent Poison. The death butterfly swarm's poison affects corporeal undead who are otherwise immune to poison.

Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny insect. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.

Weight of Wings. As death butterfly swarm but with DC 16 Dexterity saving throw

Actions

Multiattack. The swarm makes a Bite attack against every target in its spaces.

Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 0 ft., every target in the swarm's space. Hit: 24 (6d6 + 3) piercing damage, or 13 (3d6 + 3) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer. The target also takes 17 (5d6) poison damage and becomes poisoned for 1d4 rounds; a successful DC 15 Constitution saving throw reduces poison damage by half and prevents the poisoned condition.

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Greater Death Butterfly Swarm — fantasy monster illustrationPrimary
FTTHelper · auto-generated · monster · monster

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Further reading

Jetpack7 Game Master Series
The Game Master's Book of Random Encounters
Jeff Ashworth · 2020
The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles and Dungeons
Jeff Ashworth · 2022
The Game Master's Book of Legendary Dragons
Aaron Hübrich · 2022