Shambling Mound

Source: Monster Manual (2024) p. 276. Available in the SRD and the Free Rules (2024)

Shambling Mound

Manifestation of Primeval Power

• Habitat. Forest, Swamp
• Treasure. None

Shambling mounds—also known as “shamblers”—embody the tenacity of the wilderness, seeking only to consume and grow. These masses of vegetation rise up to half again as tall as a human and possess thick limbs and a vague head. As they move through bogs and undergrowth, they ensnare creatures that come within reach. Shambling mounds bury those they catch within their own forms as compost.

Strange circumstances might give rise to shambling mounds, transforming vegetation into hulks with rudimentary cunning. Such conditions include strikes from magical lightning, nature defending itself, or druidic curses. Roll on or choose a result from the Shambling Mound Cultivation table to inspire a shambling mound’s origins and features.

Shambling Mound Cultivation

dice: 1d6	The Shambling Mound Is…
1	Covered in vibrant alien or Feywild blooms.
2	Hauling a rune-etched menhir in its torso.
3	Infested with vermin or fungi.
4	Made up of knotty vines entangling skeletons.
5	Mutated and leaking glowing pollution.
6	The remains of an ancient tree or a treant.
^shambling-mound-cultivation