Witherwild Adversaries draft (Patreon)

Published:

2025-08-28 16:00:20

Imported:

2026-06

Content

Here are the WIP drafts of the adversaries I showed off and made during this week's stream, plus the Hive Eater's Burrow environment.

SNARE LILY

Tier 1 Withered Skulk
A mutated plant the size of a grown elf with innocuous roots that ensnares travelers and prey and a massive floral maw that softens and dissolves its prey with acidic fluids.
Motives & Tactics: Pose as a normal plant, constrain prey with roots, consume & grow

Experiences: l Predatory Plant +2, Enticing Scent +2

FEATURES
Innocuous - Passive: The Snare Lilly looks like any other plant. The Lilly has a +2 difficulty on rolls to notice or identify it as a threat.

Wrap & Pull - Action: Make an attack against a target within Very Close. On a success, the target takes 1d10 physical damage, is pulled into melee with the snare lilly, and becomes Restrained. A target may break free with a Finesse Roll or when the Snare Lilly takes Severe damage.

Down the Hatch - Action: Make an attack against a Restrained target in Melee. On a success, Spend a Fear and force the target to take 2d10 direct physical damage and mark a Stress.

Scent Lure - Reaction: When a PC moves within Close range of the Snare Lilly, mark a Stress to force them to make an Instinct Reaction Roll or move into Very Close range of the Snare Lilly.

NEEDLER

Tier 1 Withered Ranged
A mutated porcupine that shoots its spines at prey, paralyzing them.
Motives & Tactics: Lie in wait, disable with spines, gather food for the long night

Experience: Sense of Smell +2, Ambusher +2

FEATURES
Paralyzing Spines - Passive: A PC that marks HP from a Stinging Needle attack must also mark a Stress.

Spine Spray - Action: Mark a Stress to force all targets within Very Close to make an Instinct Reaction Roll or take 2d6 phy damage and mark a Stress.

Protective Spines - Reaction: When the Needler marks HP from an attack within Melee, the attacker must mark an armor slot as several needles stab into them.

Wither-Warped Spine - Reaction: When the Needler succeeds with a Stinging Needle attack, spend a Fear to force the target to take an additional 2d6 phy damage.

HIVE EATER - RAVENOUS PREDATOR

Tier 1 Withered Solo
A horse-sized bipedal anteater with digging claws and witherwild-touched acidic blood.
Motives & Tactics: Consume, convert pests, defy reason, rampage

Difficulty: 14 | Thresholds: 8/15 | HP: 8 | Stress: 4
ATK: +3 | Claw Swipe: Very Close | 1d10+3 phy
Experience: Tremor Sense +2, Predator +2

FEATURES
Relentless (2) - Passive: The Hive Eater can be spotlighted up to two times per GM turn. Spend Fear as usual to spotlight them.

Burrower - Passive: The Hive Eater can move up to a Far distance underground by burrowing through the earth.

Earth Eruption - Action: The Hive Eater bursts out of the ground. All creatures within Very Close range must succeed on an Agility Reaction Roll or be knocked over, making them Vulnerable until they next act.

Lashing Tongue - Action: Spend a Fear to have the Hive Eater whip its barbed tongue at all targets within Close. Each target within range must make an Agility Reaction Roll or suffer 2d8+3 phy damage.

Trunk Club - Action: Spend a Fear to have the Hive Eater grab a tree and make an attack against a target within Very Close. On a success, the target takes 2d10+4 phy damage.

Subborned Swarms - Reaction: When the Hive Eater takes Severe damage, mark a Stress to create a Withered Swarm, which emerges at melee distance and takes the spotlight.

Momentum - Reaction: When this adversary makes a successful attack against a PC, you gain a Fear.

Survival Instinct - Reaction (Phase Change): When the Ravenous Predator marks its last HP, it retreats, trying to return to its burrow. Replace it with Desperate Monstrosity, which takes the spotlight immediately.

HIVE EATER - DESPERATE MONSTROSITY

Tier 1 Withered Solo
Now injured, the Hive Eater retreats toward its burrow to seek safety, its Witherwild mutations growing more chaotic.
Motives & Tactics: Consume, escape, hurt pursuers

FEATURES
Relentless (3) - Passive: The Hive Eater can be spotlighted up to three times per GM turn. Spend Fear as usual to spotlight them.

Burrower - Passive: The Hive Eater can move up to a Far distance underground by burrowing through the earth.

Contagious Wither - Passive: Any target that marks HP from an attack by Desperate Monstrosity must make a Strength Reaction Roll or take a Wither Token.

Burrowing Dive - Action: The Hive Eater rapidly digs an escape tunnel, descending a Very Close distance and then moving forward a Close distance.

Eruption - Action: The Hive Eater digs up under a PC from its tunnel, making a Flailing Claws attack with advantage. If the attack is successful, the target also marks a Stress. On a failure, the target is knocked back to a Close distance.

Wild Thrashing - Action: Spend a Fear to move up to a Close distance. Make an attack against every target in the path. Any targets the attack succeeds against take 2d8+4 phy damage and must make a Strength Reaction Roll or be thrown back to a Close distance and additionally mark a Stress.

Retaliation - Reaction: When the Hive Eater takes Severe damage from an attacker within Very Close, mark a Stress to make a Flailing Claws attack against the target.

Momentum - Reaction: When this adversary makes a successful attack against a PC, you gain a Fear.

Death Throes - Reaction: When Desperate Predator is defeated, it takes the spotlight to use Wild Thrashing, collapsing in a heap at the end of its movement after making attacks.

WITHERED SWARM

Tier 1 Withered Horde (5/HP)
Dozens of fist-sized mosquitoes, flying together for protection.
Motives & Tactics: Fly away, harass, steal blood

Experience: Camouflage +2

FEATURES
Horde (1d4+1) - Passive: When the Mosquitoes have marked half or more of their HP, their standard attack deals 1d4+1 physical damage instead.

Flying - Passive: While flying, the Mosquitoes have a +2 bonus to their Difficulty.

Bloodsucker - Reaction: When the Swarm attack causes a target Major Damage, you can mark a Stress to force the target to instead take Severe Damage (for Wither Tokens).

HIVE EATER’S BURROW

Tier 1 Exploration Environment
A bear cave has been dug out with a larger entrance and transformed into the monstrosity’s home. The cave is rank with the smell of death and decay, with bodies in varying piles along the walls.
Impulses: Offer refuge to the wounded beast, limit attacker’s numbers, store food

Difficulty: 12

Cloying Darkness - Passive: The burrow is unlit, dark and dank. Rolls to attack or use sight are at disadvantage without a light source.

Harvested Treasures - Passive: A PC may make an Instinct Roll to investigate the piles of refuse and discarded bodies, finding two handfuls of gold and a consumable (1d12 or 1d20) on a success. On a result with Fear, mark a Stress from the filth and offal.

Carrion Feast - Action: Once per scene, the Hive Eater sets upon a corpse it had set aside for later consumption or incubating its young, tearing into the meat to expedite its healing. The Hive Eater clears 1d4+1 HP.

Incubating Corpse - Action: Spend a Fear to have a Withered Swarm burst forth from a carcass the Hive Eater used for incubating its monstrosities.

Slip and Fall - Reaction: On a failed action roll, the attacker must make an Agility Reaction Roll to keep their balance. On a failure, they mark a Stress and become Vulnerable until they next take the spotlight.

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This text is not official content of Darrington Press or Critical Role and does not represent the opinions or stances of anyone other than Mike themself. This product includes materials from the Daggerheart System Reference Document 1.0, © Critical Role, LLC. under the terms of the Darrington Press Community Gaming (DPCGL) License. More information can be found at [https://www.daggerheart.com](https://www.daggerheart.com). There are no previous modifications by others.