A tick buried into the skin of reality, Sym'bluhns superficially resembles a giant, bloodsucking insect. Scabrous flesh covers the sides of its bloated, purple abdomen of gelatinous goo and quivering hairs as tall as a halfling. Sym'bluhns’ axe-like head always bears eight porcelain masks arranged five and three on the two halves of the head. These masks are ever-changing based on the thing’s needs or when it ‘gifts’ one to a creature. A pair of claws hang from its body, similar to lobster’s weapons but also made from leathery meat. When hungry, a sinuous tendril with a tooth-lined gullet slithers from its center mass and plunges into its prey.

Sym'bluhns’ feeds on both living things' liquids and their sanity. It appears to only want to eat most of the time but clearly has other inscrutable plans for the real world. The masks it produces can be fused with other creature’s faces, dominating their will to serve the aberration’s needs. Sometimes this is to simply bring it food, other times uncanny artifacts and strange stones. Cultists that fall under the Elder Tick’s sway cover their faces with stylized masks as well, the most fanatic anchoring them to their skulls. They seek to summon Sym'bluhns into material plan, so it may glut and bring a discordant existence to all.

Sym'bluhns

Large aberration, chaotic evil

Armor Class 22 (natural armor)

Hit Points 263 (17d10 + 170)

Speed 50ft

Burrow 50ft

Swim 50ft

Str 28 Dex 22 Con 30 Int 23 Wis 21 Cha 27

Saving Throws Str +16, Wis +12

SkillsDeception +15, Insight +12, Performance +15

Damage Immunities psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages Deep Speech

Challenge 23 (50,000 XP)

Amorphous.

Sym'bluhns can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

Ethereal Sight.

At the start of her turn, Sym'bluhns affixes a mask to a creature she is grappling with her claw. The creature must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution save or the mask fuses with their skin and they become charmed by Sym'bluhns. The charmed target must use its action before moving on each of its turns to make a melee attack against a creature other than itself that Sym'bluhns mentally chooses. The target can act normally on its turn if Sym'bluhns chooses no creature or if none are within its reach.

The creature remains charmed by Sym'bluhns until the mask is removed with a successful DC 23 Strength check. The mask can also be destroyed. It has a AC of 18, 25 hit points and is immune to psychic and poison damage. Sym'bluhns may have 8 such masks affixed at any one time.

Corrode Reality.

Any non-artifact weapon made of metal that hits Sym'bluhns corrodes. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to damage rolls. If its penalty drops to -5, the weapon is destroyed. Ammunition made of metal that hits Sym'bluhns is destroyed after dealing damage. If struck by a magical weapon, the weapon's wielder must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom save or the weapon suffers the above effect. Non-magical weapons receive no save.

Sym'bluhns can eat through 1 foot-thick, nonmagical metal and stone in 1 round.

Whenever Sym'bluhns successfully saves against a spell, the spell's caster must succeed on a DC 20 save using their spell-casting attribute or expend an additional spell slot of that spell's level.

Magic Resistance.

Sym'bluhns has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magic Weapons.

Sym'bluhns' weapon attacks are magical.

Actions

Multiattack.

Sym'bluhns makes two claw attacks.

Claw.

Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 30 (6d6+9) bludgeoning damage. In addition, the creature is grappled (escape DC 24). Sym'bluhns can only grapple two creatures this way at one time.

Sanity Spike

Ranged Spell Attack: +15 to hit, range 600 ft., one target. Hit: 24(7d6) psychic damage.

Soul Lamprey

Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (4d8) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 25 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0, leaving an empty, dry husk. Whenever Sym'bluhns kills a creature this way, it regains hit points equal to the creature's hit dice.

Bonus Actions

Shifting Mask.

Sym'bluhns gains expertise in a skill of its choice until the end of it's next turn.

Legendary Actions

Sym'bluhns can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Sym'bluhnsregains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Attack (1 point).

Sym'bluhns makes a Claw or Sanity Spike attack

Flow of Madness (1 point).

A creature wearing one of Sym'bluhns' masks that is within 90ft gains Advantage on its next attack and deals an additional 13 (3d8) necrotic damage> However, the creature takes half-as much damage if the attack is successful.

Save Face (2 actions).

All creatures wearing one of Sym'bluhns' masks within 120 detonate in a tide of mind-searing damage dealing 13 (3d8) psychic damage to themselves and to every creature within 10ft of them that does not succeed on a DC 23 Wisdom save. If this damage kills a masked creature, it deals an additional 9(2d8) psychic damage. All masks worn by these creatures are destroyed.