Variant
Perception +18; darkvision, tremorsense (imprecise) 30 feet
Languages Aklo, Undercommon
Skills Athletics +21, Nature +18, Occultism +17, Stealth +17, Survival +16
Str +6, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +0, Wis +3, Cha +0
AC 31; Fort +21, Ref +18, Will +15
HP 140; Immunities poison
Attack of Opportunity
Speed 30 feet, swim 25 feet
Melee claw +22 (reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8+12 bludgeoning plus Grab
Constrict 1d8+12 bludgeoning, DC 28 (grabbed by claws only)
Draining Venom (poison) Saving Throw DC 28 Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 drained 1 (1 round); Stage 2 drained 2 (1 round)
Mind Feeding Requirements A drained creature is grabbed by the chuul’s tentacles; Effect The creature takes 3d6 mental damage.
Swamp Stride The Voidbracken chuul ignores difficult terrain and greater difficult terrain in swamps.
Tentacle Transfer Requirements The Voidbracken chuul has a creature grabbed; Effect The chuul transfers the grabbed creature from its claws to its tentacles, or vice versa. The creature is exposed to the chuul’s draining venom when transferred into the tentacles and at the start of each of the chuul’s turns if it remains grabbed by the tentacles.
Chuul
Also known as chu’ulothis, these large, armor-plated, crustacean predators lurk beneath the surface of pools, mires, and ponds, waiting to snatch up prey with their massive claws before paralyzing them with their tentacles. At that point, they begin to feed, eating their quarry alive.
Chuuls can live in fresh or saltwater, and indeed are found in aquatic environs the world over—even in the subterranean oceans and lakes of the Darklands. While chuuls are good swimmers, they prefer terrestrial prey. Their preferred method of hunting is by lunging out of the water, paralyzing their victims with their poison-coated tentacles, then gleefully dragging their twitching food into the water to drown if they cannot simply eat such morsels alive. Chuuls that dwell aboveground prefer to dine on lizardfolk, while those swimming the subterranean lakes of the Darklands readily eat anything but xulgaths, whose flavor and stink they find off-putting.
Chuuls are capable of speech and reason, but these creatures rarely speak with those outside their species except to taunt their food. Before it begins consuming its prey, a chuul often speaks in a gurgling, nearly incomprehensible dialect about how it will enjoy feasting on the creature’s flesh. Perhaps chuuls believe that insults and degradation lead to more tender and tastier food, but the truth will likely never be known; almost all chuuls stubbornly refuse any meaningful conversation, even when imprisoned and compelled by treats or pain.
It is unknown if a chuul society exists beyond their frenzied mating season. Chuuls’ intellects seem devoted only toward eating, causing psychological pain to sentient creatures, decorating their lairs with mementos of their favorite meals and victories, and breeding.
Chuul Treasure
While chuuls are uninterested in money, gems, tools, or magic of any kind, they have a nearly compulsive need to collect trophies of their victories, perchance to savor the memories of the kill and the meat. What treasure they have are typically such mementos.