Aartuks are intelligent plant creatures that live to wage war. Beholders destroyed their original home world and scattered the survivors across the Material Plane. These survivors formed small nomadic cells.
Aartuk cells can be found throughout Wildspace, including aboard spelljamming ships whose former crews were either murdered or forcibly ejected by a band of aartuks.
An aartuk’s body is shaped like a five-pointed star and is covered with thick, flexible bark.
The tips of its branch-like extremities end in suction cups that allow the creature to climb on vertical surfaces and along ceilings.
Each suction cup houses three retractable pseudopods that are used to manipulate small objects.
The head of an aartuk surmounts a 6-foot-tall stalk that can be extruded from the center of the star.
The head contains the aartuk’s sensory organs, including a long tongue that the creature uses as a weapon.
An aartuk continues to grow throughout its long life. Aartuk elders can be as large as 12 feet in diameter.
An aartuk’s preferred method of attack is to shoot forth its gooey tongue and use it to drag enemies toward the center of its body so that it can batter them with its powerful branches. It can also spit pellets of radiant energy.
Aartuks have no deities of their own, but certain groups have adopted various gods of war and vengeance, including Gruumsh, Hextor, and Sargonnas.
The Aartuk language is made up of rustling sounds, snaps, pops, and hisses. It has no written form.
Medium Plant, Typically Lawful Evil
Pro¦ciency Bonus: +2
Armor Class: 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 38 (7d8 + 7)
Speed: 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
STR – 14 (+2)
DEX – 12 (+1)
CON – 13 (+1)
INT – 10 (+0)
WIS – 13 (+1)
CHA – 10 (+0)
Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages: Aartuk
Challenge: 2 (450 XP)
Spider Climb: The aartuk can climb dificult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Actions
Multiattack: The aartuk makes two Branch attacks, two Radiant Pellet attacks, or one of each.
Branch: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Radiant Pellet: Ranged Spell Attack: +3 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (3d4 + 1) radiant damage.
Bonus Actions
Tongue (Recharge 6): The aartuk tries to use its gooey tongue to snare one Medium or smaller creature it can see within 30 feet of itself.
The target must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the target is grappled by the tongue (escape DC 12) and pulled up to 25 feet toward the aartuk.
The tongue can grapple one creature at a time grapple one creature at a time.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article about Aartuk Warrior, and I hope it was helpful in clarifying what it was about.
If you liked this post, please share with your friends.