Shambling Mound
Large Plant · · CR 5
- Plant
- Large
- Tier 2
CR 5 large plant, unaligned — that's Shambling Mound. Native to forest and swamp. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 5
- Type
- Plant
- Size
- Large
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Forest, Swamp
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024), Flee, Mortals!
Ecology
A shambling mound is a creeper-moss colony that achieved animate consciousness through accumulated lightning-strikes in a swamp or wet forest. They feed on living creatures, slowly digesting prey within their tangled mass. They prefer high-humidity environments and rot rapidly in arid climates. Lightning fully heals them, so they migrate toward storm-frequent regions over decades, leaving paths of wilted vegetation behind. Their composted matter enriches downstream soil, an ecological side-effect ignored by adventurers.
Behaviour
Mounds are not intelligent in the conventional sense; they have plant-cognition centered on light, moisture, and vibration. They sense prey via pressure-changes in nearby ground. A mound's territory expands with its size, and very old shamblers can be the size of small hills. They do not communicate, mate, or socialize; instead, they fragment occasionally, with sections breaking off to start new colonies. Druids who befriend a shambler describe its 'thought' as slow patient hunger.
Origin
Druidic legend holds that the first shambling mound formed when a lightning-elemental died in a swamp and its body fed nearby creepers. Modern theory suggests they arise spontaneously from any dense vegetation exposed to repeated electrical storms. Some shamblers are deliberately created by druids as guardians for sacred groves; these magic-bound specimens are smarter and may follow simple commands. Wild shamblers do not. The species has endured since prehistory.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Shambling Mound
- What is the challenge rating of Shambling Mound?
- Shambling Mound's challenge rating is 5. A party in this band fits well-established adventuring parties.
- What type of creature is Shambling Mound?
- By creature type, Shambling Mound is a plant, large size.
- Where does Shambling Mound live?
- Shambling Mound is typically encountered in Forest, Swamp.