Sometimes an acute infestation of direflies re-animates trees as terrifying deadwoods. Now a mobile host for the fae parasites, deadwoods steadily become a wicked weald the unwary enter and never leave. Endlessly rotting, a deadwood first appears the be a hulking husk of gnarled branches, sickly leaves, and thorny roots. When it senses prey a jaundiced glow oozes from ruptured knots, roots pull from fallow earth, and branches strive to crush the living.

Vile Resource. Fey of the Waning Court prize deadwood trees above all others. The wood, already infused with abominable magic, is easy for the withered folk to mold into weapons and tools. Skilled artisans go even further and carve terrible constructs from the violate lumber. Even those not of the fae prized Deadwood for its magical properties and use it for destructive wands, weapon hilts, and the ilk.

Deadwood

Huge plant, Chaotic Evil

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)

Hit Points 138(12d12+60)

Speed 20ft

Str 23 Dex 8 Con 21 Int 7 Wis 12 Cha 6

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from non-magical weapons that aren’t silvered, lightning, thunder

Damage Vulnernabilities fire.

Senses blindsight 60ft (blind beyond this radius) passive Perception 11

Languages Understands Sylvan, but cannot speak

Challenge 9 (5000 XP)

Unquiet Roots.

Whenever a creature is reduced to 0 hitpoints within 30ft of a Deadwood the tree regains 18 (2d8+10) hit points and gains advantage on attacks until the end of its next turn.

Actions

Multiattack.

The deadwood makes two slam attacks per action.

Slam.

Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d6+6) bludgeoning damage.

Direfly Chorus.(Recharge 6)

Creatures that can hear within 15ft of the deadwood are overwhelmed with murmured blasphemies and curses and must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) psychic damage on a failure. In addition, the creature also suffers disadvantage on attack rolls until the end of its next turn. On success a creature takes half damage and does not have disadvantage.

Lesser Deadwood

Large plant, Chaotic Evil

Armor Class 12 (natural armor)

Hit Points 59(7d10+21)

Speed 20ft

Str 17 Dex 6 Con 16 Int 7 Wis 12 Cha 6

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from non-magical weapons that aren’t silvered.

Damage Vulnernabilities fire.

Senses blindsight 60ft (blind beyond this radius) passive Perception 11

Languages Understands Sylvan, but cannot speak

Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Direfly Infestation.

If a creature starts its turn within 5ft of an infested tree it must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom save or take 4 (1d6) psychic damage. .

Actions

Slam.

Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d6+3) bludgeoning damage.

Optional Rule: Dead Wood Harvested from a full-grown Deadwood tree this profaned lumber embues items made with it with a sliver of sinister power. Magic wands made from deadwood gain an addition +1 charge back per day, as one example. Weapons sculpted from the wood often bypass the bludgeoning or piercing damage resistance of good-aligned fey and outsiders. Suits of armor are known to lend thunder or lightning resistance. Even if no magical effect is gained from such goods they are twice as resilient as those made with aged oak, but also twice as unsightly.