Treants Treant Lore History DC 15: The living trees of the deep wood seldom march to war beyond the bounds of their home groves, but when they do their fury is a thing to be feared; a siege tide that crumples steel and tears through stone as though it were breadcrusts. Nature DC 10: Like the ancient groves they emerge from, most varieties of treant are quite flammable, though the largest treants are able to disregard any flames too low to reach their vulnerable canopies, and some extraplanar varieties have no fear of fire at all. Nature DC 15: Treants live and die slowly and deliberately, taking sometimes hours to react to danger, and weeks or months to succumb to a fatal wound or disease. These doomed treants, known as splinterboughs, often become bitter and hostile as they inch toward death, consumed with thoughts of vengeance. Survival DC 10: It is considered wise to avoid overextraction from a single grove of trees, not just for the health of a grove but for that of the logger, as the risk that the forest will retaliate by awakening some of its number as treants increases steadily the more a grove suffers. Survival DC 15: Larger logging operations often find simply accounting for the costs of replacement workers and mercenary guards more appealing than exercising restraint in their extractive pursits, however, particularly in regions with ample stocks of prisoners to recruit from. Splinterbough Treant Tactics Splinterbough treants tend to be bitter and vengeful, ranging far beyond the boundaries of their home forests in search of those that they belief responsible for the mortal injury or disease that reduced them to this state. They attack creatures that have wronged them personally with single-minded focus, with little regard for survival or strategy, and have no qualms about the damage they take from using their Splintering Swing. When attacking settlements, they often are unable to reach the specific targets of their ire, and will focus on destroying vital infrastructure and food stores as a way of making their displeasure known. Brasswood Treant Tactics Brasswood treants try to ward off anything that seems to threaten the overall health of the forest, though they will usually abide the taking of individual trees. If it cannot intimidate a creature into fleeing, the treant replaces an attack with its Sundrip each turn as long as it has targets that are not already covered, using its Grasping Roots whenever available if it can catch at least two foes in the area.
Brasswood Treant Lore Nature DC 15: Endemic to areas soaked in long and searing sunlight such as those which border the Elemental Plane of Radiance, the gleaming brasswood groves and the treants that spawn from them absorb and store both light and head, at the peak of a sunstorm glossing to a shine reminiscent of molten gold. Splinterbough Treant Large plant, chaotic neutral Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor) Hit Points 92 (8d12 + 40) Speed 20 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 21 (+5) 8 (-1) 21 (+5) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing Damage Vulnerabilities Fire Senses Passive Perception 13 Languages Common, Druidic, Elvish, Sylvan, Treeish Challenge 3 (700 XP) Deadwood Core. Whenever the treant deals bludgeoning damage with a melee attack, it loses an equal amount of hit points. The treant cannot recover hit points by any means. Wooden Body. If the treant takes any fire damage, it begins Burning (1d10). While it is Burning, attacks against the treant are made at advantage, the treant's melee attacks deal an additional 5 (1d10) fire damage. Actions Splintering Swing. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning plus 7 (2d6) piercing damage. Reactions Slivered Shrapnel. As a reaction to being hit with a melee attack that deals slashing damage, the treant forces the attacker to succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be Blinded until the end of the treant's next turn. Toppling Vengeance. When the treant drops to 0 hit points, it may use its reaction to fall onto a creature within 10 feet before dying. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone and be restrained under the treant's corpse (escape DC 15), or move to the nearest unoccupied space on a success.. Brasswood Treant Huge elemental/plant, unaligned Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor) Hit Points 103 (9d12 + 45) Speed 25 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 21 (+5) 8 (-1) 21 (+5) 11 (+0) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) Damage Resistances Fire, Radiant; Bludgeoning and Piercing from Attacks made without Advantage Senses Passive Perception 13 Languages Common, Treeish Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Sun-Soaked. In bright sunlight, the treant gleams as though made of precious metals, reflecting glaring light in a 10 foot radius. A creature that starts its turn in the area must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be Blinded until the beginning of its next turn. Huge Stature. A creature adjacent to the treant may spend half of its movement to attempt a DC 16 Strength (Athletics) check. On a success, the creature climbs onto the treant. While climbing on the treant, a creature has advantage on melee attacks against the treant, and the treant has disadvantage on melee attacks against it. Actions Multiattack. The treant makes two attacks with its Earthshaking Slam, one of which it may replace with a use of its Sundrip. Earthshaking Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage and the target must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Sundrip. One creature within 20 feet of the treant must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be coated in a drop of sunsap. Until a creature takes an action to remove it, the creature takes 9 (2d8) radiant damage at the beginning of each of its turns. Grasping Roots (Recharge 5-6). Each creature within 15 feet of the treant must succceed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or take 19 (3d12) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone and restrained (escape DC 16) until the end of the treant's next turn. A creature that was already prone makes this save at disadvantage. Reactions Kindled Lifeblood. As a reaction to taking any fire or radiant damage, the treant uses its Sundrip against a creature in range.
Stronghollow Treant Lore Nature DC 15: Woods sprites and other tiny fey often form extensive villages within the boughs of the living trees known as stronghollows, protected from harm and detection while nestled in its branches. Such treants are occasionally even sought for protection by greater fey, who encase a portion of their vital essence in amber and secrete it within the treant's trunk, thus binding their fates together. Such a bond is no light undertaking, and oaths made before such trees are considered binding on a deeper level than any merely arcane compulsion could reach. Stronghollow Treant Tactics Stronghollow Treants focus their attacks on melee foes that deal slashing damage, particularly those attempting to climb on them, and initially use their Sprite Mischief to unattune them from any magic weapons they are wielding. Whenever a creature casts a spell that targets a weakness of theirs or of another forest creature, they follow up immediately with their Slip From Mind to prevent it from casting that spell again. Fey creatures pursued by enemies will often flee to stronghollows for safety, in which case the treant uses its first action in combat to use its Safeguard Soul ability. Grovetender Treant Tactics Grovetender treants in combat alternate between using their Earthshaking Slam to knock a creature prone and following up with their Grasping Roots to restrain it, and using their Sweeping Grasp and Hurl Creature while their Grasping Roots is recharging. If no creature is within their reach, they advance while using their Hurl Stone, avoiding targeting any creature that takes cover behind a living tree, and use their Forest Allies reaction whenever available. If burning, they typically use their action to douse themselves on the turn after they kill an enemy, though if set flame once again they wait until the battle is concluded to do so again. Stronghollow Treant Huge fey/plant, chaotic good Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor) Hit Points 149 (13d12 + 65) Speed 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 21 (+5) 15 (+2) 19 (+4) 17 (+3) 21 (+5) 16 (+3) Damage Resistances Bludgeoning and Piercing from Attacks made without Advantage Senses Passive Perception 15 Languages Common, Druidic, Elvish, Sylvan, Treeish Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) Giant Stature. A creature adjacent to the treant may spend half of its movement to attempt a DC 16 Strength (Athletics) check, climbing onto it on a success. A creature climbing on the treant has advantage on melee attacks against the treant, and the treant has disadvantage on melee attacks against it. Greenweald Vitality. At the end of each of its turns, nomagical fires within 10 feet of the treant are doused and each condition affecting it ends. Actions Multiattack. The treant makes two attacks with its Earthshaking Slam and uses its Sprite Mischief. Earthshaking Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage and the target must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Sprite Mischief. The sprites that lair in the treant scamper invisibly, targeting a creature within 30 feet of the treant with one of the following effects: Trick Trinket. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or become unattuned from one magic item is carrying. Slip from Mind. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or forget the last spell it cast until it completes a short or long rest. Distracting Tickle. The creature has disadvantage on the first attack it makes on its following turn. Safeguard Soul (1/Day). The treant secures a portion of the life essence of a willing fey creature within 5 feet inside of its trunk. Whenever the creature takes damage, it reduces that damage by 10, and the treant loses hit points equal to the damage prevented. When the treant dies, each creature whose essence it carries must succeed on a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or take 2d6 points of Exhaustion, or half as much on a success.
Grovetender Treant Huge plant, chaotic good Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor) Hit Points 149 (13d12 + 65) Speed 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 23 (+6) 8 (-1) 21 (+5) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) Damage Resistances Bludgeoning and Piercing from Attacks made without Advantage Senses Passive Perception 13 Languages Common, Druidic, Elvish, Sylvan, Treeish Challenge 9 (5,000 XP) False Appearance. While the treant remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal tree. Rootspeech. While in its home forest, the treant knows the number, type, and approximate location of each creature within 10 miles of it. Giant Stature. A creature adjacent to the treant may spend half of its movement to attempt a DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check, climbing onto it on a success. A creature climbing on the treant has advantage on melee attacks against the treant, and the treant has disadvantage on melee attacks against it. Wooden Body. If the treant takes any fire damage, it and each creature climbing on it begin Burning (1d10). While it is Burning, attacks against the treant are made at advantage, the treant's melee attacks deal an additional 5 (1d10) fire damage. Actions Sweeping Grasp. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 18). Each other creature within 5 feet of the target must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or take half the attack's damage and be pushed up to 5 feet away. Earthshaking Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage and the target must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Hurl Stone (Requires a stone or other large object). Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage and the target is knocked prone. Bonus Actions Hurl Creature (Requires a grappled creature). Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage. On a hit or miss, the thrown creature takes the attack's damage. Grasping Roots (Recharge 5-6). Each creature within 15 feet of the treant must succceed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or take 19 (3d12) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone and restrained (escape DC 18) until the end of the treant's next turn. A creature that was already prone makes this save at disadvantage. Reactions Forest Allies. As a reaction to a creature that is within 10 feet of a mundane tree hitting the treant with a ranged attack, the treant magically impels the tree to make an Earthshaking Slam attack against the attacker, using the treant's statistics.
Ironmaw Treant Lore Nature DC 15: Found throughout the lower planes and beyond, ironmaws are a carnivorous form of treant, warped by demonic energies which allow them to grow even without sunlight and harden their bark to the consistency of solid iron. Though sometimes found in groves around particularly rich hunting grounds, these creatures are more usualy solitary, as they frequently stamp out young saplings to avoid competition. Nature DC 20 These treants seem to take a great deal of sadistic pleasure in pelting passersby with their clustered fruits, which can range in consistency consistency from that of grapeshot to revolting mush, and explode in a hail of shrapnel when perfectly ripe. Ironmaw Treant Huge fiend/plant, neutral evil Armor Class 20 (Natural Armor) Hit Points 200 (16d12 + 96) Speed 20 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 22 (+6) 8 (-1) 23 (+6) 11 (+0) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) Saving Throws STR +10, CON +10, CHA +7 Damage Resistances Cold, Fire, Lightning, Bludgeoning and Piercing from Attacks made without Advantage Damage Immmunities Poison Condition Immunties Poisoned Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12 Languages Abyssal Challenge 12 (8,400 XP) Dolorous Aura. The area in a 1 mile radius around the treant is dull and drained of color and vibrancy. A creature that completes a Short or Long Rest in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or gain a point of Exhaustion. Bladeridge Bark. A creature that climbs onto the treant or makes a saving throw to avoid falling off takes 9 (2d8) slashing damage. Locust-Thorn Limbs. The treant has four limbs (AC 20; 40 HP), each of which can grapple a single creature. Destroying a limb deals no damage to the treant, which regrows all lost limbs when it completes a long rest. Giant Stature. A creature adjacent to the treant may spend half of its movement to attempt a DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check, climbing onto it on a success. A creature climbing on the treant has advantage on melee attacks against the treant, and the treant has disadvantage on melee attacks against it. Actions Multiattack. The treant makes three attacks, one of which may be with its Bladeridge Bite. Bladeridge Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one grappled target. Hit: 25 (3d12 + 6) piercing damage. and the target must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be Swallowed (escape DC 18). A creature Swallowed in this way takes 9 (2d8) slashing damage whenever it takes an action, and may attempt to escape as a reaction whenever the treant uses this attack. Locust-Thorn Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) piercing damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 18). A creature grappled in this way loses 5 hit points and is dragged up to 30 feet toward the treant at the start of each of its turns. Bonus Actions Ironplum Bushel Fling. The treant hurls a cluster of ironplums at a point it can see within 60 feet, rolling a d4 to determine the effect: 1. Unripe. The ironplums scatter in a 15 foot cone emanating from the point of impact. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. 2-3. Ripe. The ironplums shatter explosively in a 15 foot radius spray of shrapnel. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) fire plus 14 (4d6) piercing damage. 4. Overripe. The ironplums burst, exuding a foul stench reminiscent of carrion in a 15 foot radius. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned until the end of the treant's next turn.
Ironmaw Treant Tactics Ironmaw treants begin combat by grappling as many creatures as possible, using their Ironplum Bushel Fling first to avoid hitting their own limbs. On subsequent turns, they use their Bladeridge Bite whenever available, and will release grappled creatures if necessary to hit more of them with its Ironplums, generally assuming the Unripe area of effect when selecting targets. Widowmaker Treant Tactics Widowmaker Treants pick carefully through the forest to avoid disturbing other plants and animals, generally alternating between their Sonorous Growth and Drop Widowmaker early in a fight. If their foes weaponize fire or attack other forest creatures, however, widowmakers begin preferring their Timber Stomp, trying to hit a creature twice so they can use their Crumple Iron on it. Widowmaker Treant Gargantuan plant, chaotic neutral Armor Class 17 (Natural Armor) Hit Points 247 (15d20 + 90) Speed 40 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 25 (+7) 8 (-1) 23 (+6) 17 (+3) 22 (+6) 15 (+2) Saving Throws STR +12, CON +11, WIS +11 Skills Nature +8, Perception +11, Survival +16 Damage Resistances Bludgeoning and Piercing from Attacks made without Advantage Senses Passive Perception 21 Languages Common, Druidic, Elvish, Sylvan, Treeish Challenge 14 (11,500 XP) Rootspeech. While in its home forest, the treant knows the number, type, and approximate location of each creature within 10 miles of it. Flammable Crown. If the treant takes 20 or more fire damage from a source that could reach its lower canopy (40 feet above the ground), it begins Burning (1d10). If the treant was already Burning, the Burning damage increases by 1d10. While it is Burning, attacks against the treant are made at advantage, and the treant's melee attacks deal an additional 5 (1d10) fire damage. Bark Titan. A creature adjacent to the treant may spend half its movmeent to attempt a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check, climbing 15 feet up the treant on a success. While climbing on the treant at least 40 feet above the ground, a creature has advantage on melee attacks against the treant, and the treant can't target the creature with its Timber Stomp. Strength of Ages. If the treant fails a saving throw against any effect that would inapacitate it, immobilize it, alter its form, or reduce its speed, it can choose to succeed instead. If it does, it loses 25 hit points. Actions Multiattack. The treant makes two attacks with its Timber Stomp, each of which it may replace with a use of its Drop Widowmaker. Timber Stomp. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (4d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage, plus an additional 9 (2d8) bludgeoning damage if the target was prone. On a hit or miss, the target and each other creature within 10 feet of it must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Drop Widowmaker. The treant drops an enormous seedcone from one of its high branches. One creature within 20 feet of the treant must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or take 28 (8d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. Sonorous Growth (Recharge 6, Concentration). The treant begins a slow and groaning chant in old treeish. When the treant uses this ability and at the beginning of each of its turns for the next minute, it may cause a size Huge nonmagical tree to burst from the earth at a point it can see within 120 feet. Each creature in the tree's space is pushed 80 feet into the air, then may make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw to catch hold of the tree's canopy and avoid falling. Bonus Actions Crumple Iron. One creature wearing nonmagical metal armor that the treant hit with two Timber Stomp attacks this turn must make a DC 20 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature's armor takes a permanent and cumulative penalty to the AC it offers equal to amount the creature failed by. Armor reduced to an AC of 10 in this way is destroyed. Tear Stone. The treant smashes through a barrier of nonmagical stone or softer material of up to 15 feet thick. Each creature on the other side of the barrier within 20 feet of the treant takes 9 (2d8) bludgeoning damage. Chittering Throng. A mass of angry squirrels swarms over the treant's branches, forcing each creature climbing on the treant to succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or fall off. Reactions The Boughs Shake. As a reaction to taking 15 or more damage from a single source, the treant uses its Drop Widowmaker ability.
Art Credits Great Oak Guardian by Steven Belledin Colfenor, the Last Yew by Filip Burburan Ancient of the Equinox by Jaime Jones Cantankerous Thirst by Carl Frank Bisk, Goblin King by Rae Elderidge I've Got a Subreddit! Want more monsters like this? Come check out r/bettermonsters, where I post all my work. Don't see something there? Drop a request and I'll usually get it to you within a day if I've got something on hand, and I'll shoot you a message when it's ready if not. You Found the Free Books! The Part Where I Shill My Patreon Want to support the creation of content like this? I post new monsters with lore and tactics to my patreon five times a week, joining the more than 1300 already there, indexed in a big PDF along with formats for Foundry and 5eTools.