Linnorm

The statistics block below contains details for more than one shape, size, or type of linnorm. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.

Corpse Tearer • Dread Linnorm • Gray Linnorm

Linnorms are truly primeval creatures thought to be offshoots of dragons. No young ones have been sighted for centuries, so it is possible that these monsters are dying out. At any rate, by dragon accounting, the youngest known linnorms are ancient, and the more powerful individuals are even older than that.

A linnorm is easily distinguished from its more numerous draconic cousins by its lack of wings and rear legs. A linnorm has an immense, serpentine body, and it moves through a combination of walking with its forelegs and snakelike slithering.

No good or lawful linnorms are known to exist; these creatures are universally hateful, spiteful, and cruel. None of the three varieties is known for keeping its word or for honoring bargains. About the best that can be said of linnorms is that not all of them are avaricious.

Linnorms speak Draconic and Abyssal.

Combat

Linnorms rely on their breath weapons and prodigious strength in battle. They are also brilliant tacticians and strategists, so they usually delay attacking until conditions are to their advantage. Once battle is joined, they quickly single out the most dangerous foes for swift elimination.

Breath Weapon (Su): Using a breath weapon is a standard action. Once a linnorm breathes, it must wait 1d4 rounds before using a breath weapon again, no matter how many kinds it has. A blast from a breath weapon always starts at the linnorm’s mouth and extends in a direction of its choice, with an area as noted in the description. At the time of use, the linnorm can choose to shape its breath weapon into either a line or a cone. The exact dimensions vary with the variety of linnorm (see the individual descriptions), but lines are always 5 feet high and 5 feet wide, and cones are as high and wide as they are long. If the breath weapon deals damage, each creature caught in the area can attempt a Reflex save (see individual descriptions for DCs) to take half damage. Saves against nondamaging breath weapons use the same DC, but the types vary as noted.

Crush (Ex): A flying linnorm can land on opponents three or more size categories smaller than itself as a standard action. A crush attack affects as many creatures as can fit under the linnorm’s body. Each creature in the affected area must succeed at a Reflex save (DC equal to that for the linnorm’s breath weapon) or be pinned, automatically taking the given amount of bludgeoning damage. Thereafter, if the linnorm chooses to maintain the pin, treat it as a normal grapple attack. While pinned, the opponent takes crush damage each round.

Tail Sweep: A linnorm can sweep with its tail as a standard action. The sweep affects creatures four or more size categories smaller than the linnorm within a 20-foot-radius half-circle centered on the linnorm’s rear. Each affected creature that fails a Reflex save (DC equal to that for the linnorm’s breath weapon) takes the given amount of damage; a successful save halves the damage.

Immunities: A linnorm is immune to sleep and paralysis effects.

Keen Senses (Ex): A linnorm sees four times as well a human in low-light conditions and twice as well in normal light. It also has darkvision with a range of 120 feet.

Corpse Tearer ⬆️

This hideous beast is generally considered to be the worst of a very bad lot. Characters who are lucky enough to encounter the creature in one of its rare, agreeable moods discover that it is knowledgeable about many ancient, magical mysteries. Whatever its initial mood, however, no meeting with it is likely to end without bloodshed unless the intruders pay a staggering duty⁠—​and even that is no guarantee of safety.

A corpse tearer’s immense body is only a little shorter than that of a dread linnorm, but it usually keeps itself in a compact shape. Its scales are covered with slime, fungus, moss, lichen, and tufts of branching cilia. When it is lying still, a corpse tearer resembles an enormous, ancient, fallen tree.

Corpse tearers adjust easily to any climate or terrain, but they always make their homes beneath ancient burial grounds. Their lairs are usually guarded by their undead servants⁠—​everything from skeletons to very powerful undead such as vampires and banshees. These creatures are often the remains of adventurers who came looking for treasure, or just unlucky travelers who wandered too near the creature’s territory. When not on guard duty, these undead tunnel into the ancient graves above the corpse tearer’s lair in search of more gold, gems, and other treasures to increase its hoard.

Combat

A corpse tearer seldom fights in its lair becuase it prefers that intruders never find its home. Instead, when a threat draws near, it sends out undead minions to delay the strangers and learn their weaknesses. Then, when it feels that it has enough information about its foes, it takes to the sky and attacks with its breath weapons and spells, crushing or clawing paralyzed characters as the opportunity arises. It falls back on teeth and claws only as a last resort.

Breath Weapon (Su): As a standard action, a corpse tearer can breathe either paralysis or disease, each as either a 60-foot cone or a 120-foot line. The paralysis breath forces each living creature caught in its area to succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 32) or be paralyzed for 1d6+12 rounds. Every living creature caught in the area of the corpse tearer’s disease breath must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 32) or contract linnorm fever. The incubation period is 12 hours, and the disease deals 1d6 points of Strength damage and 1d3 points of Constitution damage (see Disease).

Energy Drain (Su): Any living creature hit by a corpse tearer’s claw gains one negative level. For each negative level bestowed, the corpse tearer heals 5 points of damage. If the amount of healing is more than the damage the creature has taken, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. If the negative level has not been removed (with a spell such as restoration) before 24 hours have passed, the afflicted opponent must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 28) to remove it. Failure means the opponent’s level (or Hit Dice) is reduced by one.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will⁠—​fly; 1/day⁠—​animate dead, control undead, darkness, dimension door, enervation, etherealness, polymorph, protection from good, speak with dead, spectral hand, vampiric touch, water breathing. Caster level 15th; save DC 14 + spell level.

Spells: A corpse tearer can cast divine spells as a 17th-level cleric. It has access to spells from the Destruction and Evil domains (spells/day 6/7/6/6/6/5/4/3/2/1; save DC 15 + spell level.)

Feats: A creature that is flung by a corpse tearer after being snatched travels 110 feet and takes 11d6 points of damage. If the corpse tearer is flying, the creature takes this damage or the appropriate falling damage, whichever is greater.

Dread Linnorm ⬆️

The dread linnorm is the largest of the linnorms. These creatures are aggressively territorial, defending their vast lairs vigorously against intruders.

A dread linnorm can grow to an immense length. Two shaggy, draconic heads, each at the end of its own long, serpentine neck, top its mammoth body. A dread linnorm’s scales are primarily charcoal black, but they shimmer and flicker from black to gray as if lit from within.

This creature prefers to lair in a cave located in some remote, desolate place. Few natural caverns are big enough to house a dread linnorm comfortably, so it usually devotes considerable energy over the course of several centuries to excavating its home. Eventually, its lair becomes a tremendous subterranean labyrinth of twisting corridors, plunging shafts, lakes, hot springs, and fabulous natural grottoes, which can stretch for miles below the surface. Invaders could wander for weeks through a dread linnorm’s lair without ever encountering the monster. The creature also fits out its lair with deadly traps to capture, bewilder, or kill intruders. These obstacles are often built around natural perils, such as scalding geysers, and sometimes they include triggers for hazards, such as massive rockfalls that can seal passages.

Treasure is not as important to a dread linnorm as it is to a dragon. A typical dread linnorm accumulates immense wealth over its long life but cares little for it. Most of its treasure lies forgotten wherever it was dropped after a brief examination. Given the extensiveness of the creature’s lair and the casual way it leaves valuables strewn about, it might seem easy to sneak in, scoop up a few bags of gold and silver, and slip away unseen. In fact, however, such an act unfailingly brings severe retribution. A dread linnorm doesn’t care whether a thief stole a sack of gems, an ancient magic rod, or a bucket of rocks; it cares only that the sanctity of its lair was violated and its possessions stolen. Should this occur, it does all in its power to recover the stolen items and punish the thieves. Failing that, it vents its rage on its surroundings, laying waste to the countryside, leveling villages, burning crops, and devouring livestock.

Dread linnorms are always surly and uncommunicative.

Combat

A dread linnorm relies primarily on its twin breath weapons and its spells in combat. Once its opponents are severely damaged, it switches to melee attacks.

Breath Weapon (Su): As a standard action, a dread linnorm can breathe either with one head or with both heads simultaneously. It can produce two different breath weapons, cold or fire, each as either a 70-foot cone or a 140-foot line. Each head can use a different breath weapon, shape its breath weapon differently, or both. Whatever the shape, the cold breath deals 12d6 points of cold damage and the fire breath deals 12d6 points of fire damage. A successful Reflex save (DC 30) halves the damage from either attack. A creature caught in both breath weapons is affected by both and must save against each one separately.

Energy Drain (Su): Any living creature bitten by either head of a dread linnorm gains one negative level. For each negative level bestowed, the dread linnorm heals 5 points of damage. If the amount of healing is more than the damage the creature has taken, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. If the negative level has not been removed (with a spell such as restoration) before 24 hours have passed, the afflicted opponent must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 25) to remove it. Failure means the opponent’s level (or Hit Dice) is reduced by one.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will⁠—​fly, telekinesis; 4/day⁠—​move earth; 3/day⁠—​power word stun; 2/day⁠—​antipathy, sympathy. Caster level 18th; save DC 15 + spell level.

Spells: A dread linnorm can cast arcane spells as an 18th-level sorcerer (spells known 9/5/5/4/4/4/3/3/2/1; spells/day 6/8/7/7/7/7/6/6/5/3; save DC 15 + spell level).

Immunities (Ex): In addition to sleep and paralysis effects, a dread linnorm is immune to all spells of the Enchantment school.

Feats: A creature that is flung by a dread linnorm after being snatched travels 120 feet and takes 12d6 points of damage. If the dread linnorm is flying, the creature takes this damage or the appropriate falling damage, whichever is greater.

Gray Linnorm ⬆️

These creatures are the smallest of the linnorms. They are also the meanest and most aggressive.

The body of a gray linnorm is long, sleek, and very snakelike. It never uses its two arms to drag or support itself; instead it moves entirely as a snake, keeping the front portion of its body raised upright at all times. Its scales form a subtle pattern of variegated gray.

A gray linnorm lays claim to all that it can see, so it always seeks out a natural cave in a high place with a commanding view. By extension, any other creature it sees is a trespasser, and it never tolerates trespassers in its territory. As soon as it spots intruders, it moves to attack, usually via either magical flight or wind walking. A gray linnorm does not pause to study its foes or lay a careful trap; instead, it relies on speed, terror, and overwhelming offense.

Combat

A gray linnorm casts as many spells as possible while closing in on enemies, but it prefers fighting tooth and claw to standing off and pelting foes with magic. On the other hand, it prefers casting spells to taking a beating, so it always errs on the side of survival. In dire straits, a gray linnorm typically uses meld into stone to hide, and then wind walk or some other spell to leave the area.

Acid Breath (Su): A gray linnorm can breathe caustic slime in either a 50-foot cone or a 100-foot line. This attack deals 6d8 points of acid damage, or half that amount on a successful Reflex save (DC 21). On a failed save, the slime also eats away the target’s nonmagical metal weapons and armor, making them useless in 1d6+5 rounds.

Poison (Ex): The tip of a gray linnorm’s tail carries a venomous stinger that delivers its poison (Fortitude save DC 21) with each successful tail slap attack. The initial damage is 1d6 points of Constitution damage, and the secondary damage is 2d6 points of Constitution damage.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will⁠—​fly, protection from arrows; 3/day⁠—​contagion, meld into stone, wind walk. Caster level 17th; save DC 13 + spell level.

Spells: A gray linnorm can cast divine spells as a 17th-level cleric. It has access to spells from the Destruction and Evil domains (spells/day 6/6/6/6/6/4/4/3/2/1; save DC 14 + spell level).

Feats: A creature that is flung by a gray linnorm after being snatched travels 70 feet and takes 7d6 points of damage. If the gray linnorm is flying, the creature takes this damage or the appropriate falling damage, whichever is greater.

Source: Monster Manual II, page 140. These creatures’ statistics blocks have been updated to version 3.5 as given in the D&D® V.3.5 Accessory Update for Monster Manual II and corrected for errata.