Aurumvorax Small monstrosity, Unaligned Armor Class 19 (natural armor)

19 (natural armor) Hit Points 102 (12d8 + 48)

102 (12d8 + 48) Speed 45ft., burrow 15ft STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 19(+4) 15 (+2) 18 (+4) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 8 (-1) Skills Athletics +12, Perception + 5

Athletics +12, Perception + 5 Damage Resistances Fire, bludgeoning from nonmagical weapons.

Fire, bludgeoning from nonmagical weapons. Damage Immunities Poison

Poison Condition Immunities Poisoned, Frightened

Poisoned, Frightened Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 15

darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 15 Languages -

- Challenge 9 (5000 XP) Keen Smell. The Aurumvorax has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. Actions Multiattack. The Aurumvorax makes a bite attack. On a hit, it then makes a Rake attack against the same target. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage. If possible, the aurumvorax will hold on to its victim, causing it to become grappled if it is small or medium size (escape DC 20). While stuck in the jaws of the aurumvorax, the target takes an additional 4 (1d8) piercing damage at the start of its turn. The aurumvorax won't release until either it or its target reaches 0 hit points, but it can be torn off with a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check, dealing 4 (1d8) slashing damage to the victim with every attempt. Rake. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one grappled target. Hit 32 (8d6 + 4) slashing damage.

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Aurumvorax

Despite being only the size of a large badger, the aurumvorax, or golden gorger, is an incredibly dangerous creature. The animal is covered with coarse golden hair and has small silver eyes with golden pupils. It has eight powerful legs that end in 3-inch-long copper claws. The aurumvorax’s shoulders are massively muscled while its heavy jaw is full of coppery teeth. The creature weighs over 500 pounds. This incredible density provides the animal with much of its natural protection. This, combined with its speed, power, and sheer viciousness, makes it one of the most dangerous species yet known.

The aurumvorax makes its solitary home in light forests, hills, and at the timberline on mountainsides. An aurumvorax chooses a likely spot and then uses its powerfully clawed legs to create a burrow, sometimes into solid rock. Due to their unusual dietary needs, aurumvoraces make their lairs in spots that either contain rich veins of gold ore or are very near to an area where gold is readily available.

The aurumvorax is a solitary creature which jealously guards its territory, even from others of its kind. The only time adult aurumvoraces willingly meet is during mating season, which occurs approximately every eight years. The pair will stay together for a week or two before the male returns to his territory and the female prepares for the birth of her kits. A litter of 3 to 8 kits is born four months after mating. For the first two weeks of life, the kits are blind and hairless. They must be fed both meat and precious ores, including gold, in order to survive. It is unusual for more than two of the strongest kits to survive. If a kit is found and adopted before its eyes are open, it can be tamed and trained. Dwarves tend to dislike aurumvoraces, though some communities have been known to raise one or more of the beasts for use in sniffing out veins of ore.