Sigh. The Xorn now have fully formed knees which is great given the knee issues in the previous two editions, but that is the only improvement. It’s green and has giant lips on its huge mouth. I’m not sure I understand why they made it green. It looks less like an earth elemental, and more like some deformed frog. I almost feel bad for it… as if it is telling me to just kill it and take it out of its misery.

And please… Don’t even get me started on the lips.

The 3/3.5e Xorn was introduced in the first Monster Manual (2000 / 2003) which is a small victory over 2e where it had to wait until the second monster manual. The Xorn is given very little in the way of description and the Xaren is completely removed in 3e and going forward. But it isn’t a complete wash for the Xorn as it is given three versions that your unfortunate adventurers could get attacked by. There is the Minor, Average (statted above) and Elder Xorn; each Xorn is pretty similar to each other with changes mostly in the size of the monster, hit points, and damage dealt.

One key feature that the Xorn now has is All-Around Vision. The Monster Manual goes on to explain that because of its symmetrical eye placement, it is able to look in any direction. This gives it a bonus to spot and search checks and that it can’t be flanked.

The tactics that the Xorn use are the same as it’s always been. It will attempt to demand food from adventurers, and when that doesn’t work it’ll just attack them for their stuff. The monster manual lists these creatures as neutral, but I’m pretty sure that if I just started demanding things, and when I didn’t get it, I just started attacking people; I’d be listed as an evil asshole. But, I suppose that when they are on their home plane they are far nicer as they have such a huge supply of food and aren’t attacking people.

Before, we mentioned there were three forms of the Xorn. While they mostly stay the same, the Elder Xorn is a CR 8 creature, making it a pretty fearsome threat to mid level characters. Adding to that, they sometimes travel in pairs or even packs of 6-11 at a time, and that makes them go from fearsome to downright deadly. They will send one xorn to ‘negotiate’ for food, while the rest of them position themselves under the characters and lie in wait for the adventurers to say no. They then attack.

With an average of 130 hp, four attacks and some added feats, players may learn to give up some of their riches than be attacked by those hideous lips and mouth again. The Feats, for those with little experience with 3.5e, are as follows:

Awesome Blow - Send smaller opponents flying away from you

Cleave - If you knock a creature to 0 hp, you can make an attack against another creature near you

Improved Bull Rush - You can rush at an enemy and push them back without taking Attacks of Opportunity

Power Attack - Take a minus to your hit and deal more damage.

Toughness - Gain extra hit points

4e - Xorn

Xorn - Level 9 Skirmisher

Medium elemental magical beast (earth), XP 400

Initiative +8 / Senses Perception +7; all-around vision darkvision

HP 102; Bloodied 51

AC 23; Fortitude 24, Reflex 19, Will 20

Speed 5, burrow 5; see also earth glide

> Claw (standard; at-will) • +14vs.AC; 1d6 + 5 damage.

> Triple Strike (standard; at-will) - The xorn makes three claw attacks, each against a different target.

> Earthy Maw (standard;at-will) • +14 vs. AC; 2d6 + 5 damage.

Earth Glide: A xorn can burrow through solid stone as if it were loose earth.

Retreat (immediate reaction, when the xorn is missed by a melee attack; at-will) The xorn burrows its speed.

Submerge (minor; at-will) The xorn sinks partially under the ground and gains a +2 bonus to AC until it moves.

Alignment Unaligned / Languages Common, Primordial

Str 20 (+9) | Con 22 (+10) | Dex 15 (+6) | Int 12 (+5) | Wis 17 (+7) | Cha 12 (+5)

Finally… I can actually get behind this picture of the Xorn. Fearsome. Mighty. And it may even make your players crap their pants when it comes for their treasure.