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Saresh - AI-generated fantasy Monster

Saresh

Locals call the guardian Saresh, a name remembered from the first person who returned from the sunken gate with a warning instead of a wound. Saresh claims that the stone doors seal something that must not hear the living world. Whether this is true or an old deception, the guardian has kept its post for generations.

Monsters
Large monstrosity · CR 4 , moderate-to-hard encounter for four 4th-level characters · Unique

Saresh

A custom serpent-bodied sentinel keeping watch over a half-buried stone gate, fighting with a long glaive and choking vapor.
AC16
HP85/85
CR4 , moderate-to-hard encounter for four 4th-level characters
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

Combat

AC 16 · HP 85 · CR 4 , moderate-to-hard encounter for four 4th-level characters

Saresh

Large monstrosity (serpent guardian), lawful neutral
Armor Class16 (natural armor)
Hit Points85 (10d10 + 30)
Speed
30 ft.,
Swim 30 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsStrengthConstitution
SkillsAthleticsPerceptionStealth
Weaknesses
Saresh is bound to defend the gate and will not pursue enemies more than 60 feet from it.
It is slow to attack anyone who addresses it respectfully and openly states their purpose.
Senses
Darkvision 60 ft.,
Passive Perception 14
Languages
Common,
Draconic
Challenge4 , moderate-to-hard encounter for four 4th-level characters
Proficiency Bonus+2
Passive Perception14
At Home in the Flood. Saresh ignores difficult terrain caused by shallow water and has advantage on ability checks and saving throws made to avoid being knocked prone while in water.
Watch at the Gate. Saresh has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell while within 30 feet of the gate.

Actions

Multiattack. Saresh makes two attacks, in any combination of Glaive and Coil Slam.
Glaive. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11 () slashing damage plus 3 () poison damage.
Coil Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 () bludgeoning damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Sseth-Ka's Breath. Recharge 5-6. Saresh exhales a 15-foot cone of choking green vapor. Each creature in the area must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 18 () poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. A creature that fails also cannot take reactions until the start of its next turn.

Reactions

Guarding Sweep. When a creature Saresh can see moves within 10 feet of it, Saresh makes a Coil Slam attack against that creature. On a hit, the creature's speed becomes 0 until the end of its turn.
Role
Gate guardian and area-control bruiser
Built for
4th level party; designed as a challenging single guardian for four characters

Gear

  • Notched bronze glaive (Weapon, Worth 35 gp as an art object; its notches match carvings on the gate.)A long bronze polearm with a broad, hooked blade, balanced for use from the water.

Notes for the game master

Saresh is a custom D&D 5e monster, not a canonical creature.
Knee-deep water in the encounter area is difficult terrain for creatures without a swimming speed.
Saresh's reaction attack can occur only once per round.

Tactics

  1. Opening

    Saresh calls out from behind the roots, demanding that intruders state their purpose. If they advance or threaten the gate, it opens with Sseth-Ka's Breath against clustered characters.

  2. Mid-fight

    Use Coil Slam to knock a front-line character into the water, then attack a separated target. Saresh tries to keep the party in the depression where roots obstruct their approach.

  3. End of the fight

    Below 30 hit points, Saresh gives one final warning and tries to hold the gate rather than pursue fleeing foes. If the party presses on, it uses its breath weapon to cover a retreat toward the gate.

  4. Retreat

    Saresh does not flee while the gate is threatened. If reduced to 15 hit points or fewer and the party withdraws, it allows them to leave after extracting a promise not to disturb the seal.

How it fights

Saresh fights from cover when possible and avoids standing in the open between the stone plates.
It uses its reach to keep attackers out of the gate's immediate approach.
Saresh saves its breath weapon for clustered foes or characters attempting to cross the water together.

Who it attacks first

A creature threatening or attempting to open the gate.
A ranged attacker occupying an elevated stone plate.
A creature isolated in the water after being knocked prone.

Works well with

A small group of archers on the elevated plates can force characters to choose between engaging Saresh and suppressing ranged fire.
Root-covered terrain can conceal lesser guardians or provide a protected route for an ally to flank.

How to beat it

Ranged attacks from the elevated stone plates can pressure Saresh while staying out of its reach.
The shallow water does not hinder swimming or prevent ranged attacks, and characters can use the roots as cover.
Poison resistance or immunity greatly reduces the threat of Saresh's breath and glaive.
A successful DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that Saresh is guarding the gate, not hunting intruders.

Ways to avoid a fight

Saresh can be persuaded to answer one question about the gate if the party offers a respectful explanation for coming.
A character who studies the carvings and succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check can discover that the gate is sealed, not merely stuck.
Saresh may permit passage if the party agrees to leave the seal intact and helps clear a root-choked drain.

Ecology

A broad-shouldered serpent guardian with slate-green scales, a humanlike torso, and a long, powerful tail. Its bronze glaive is notched with tiny crescent marks. Pale roots trail over its shoulders like ceremonial cords, and its eyes shine like coins beneath the water.

Behavior

Patient and formal, Saresh prefers a warning to a fight. It treats the sunken gate as a sacred boundary, not personal property, and pauses briefly when an opponent speaks respectfully or names Sseth-Ka.

How it lives

Saresh needs little food and can remain submerged for hours. It tends the roots and stones around the gate, keeping paths open enough to watch from but tangled enough to frustrate a charge.

Lair

Saresh keeps watch in the flooded hollow directly before the gate. It sleeps in a narrow dry niche behind a curtain of roots.

Habitat
An overgrown hollow before a half-buried stone gate. Roots provide scattered cover, two raised stone plates offer elevated positions for ranged attacks, and knee-deep water makes quick movement difficult.

Signs that it is near

Freshly cut roots arranged in deliberate warning marks.
A faint, rhythmic clink of bronze against stone beneath the water.
Scales caught on the gate's lower carvings.

Tags

custom monster,
guardian,
serpent,
gate sentinel,
encounter Wache am versunkenen Tor,
quest Das Flüstern von Sseth-Ka

Lore

Locals call the guardian Saresh, a name remembered from the first person who returned from the sunken gate with a warning instead of a wound. Saresh claims that the stone doors seal something that must not hear the living world. Whether this is true or an old deception, the guardian has kept its post for generations.

What drives it

Keep the sealed gate undisturbed and judge whether visitors are dangerous, desperate, or worthy of an answer.

After the fight

When Saresh falls, the water briefly runs clear, exposing carved scales and a stone keyhole beneath the gate. The gate does not open by force alone: the markings suggest that Saresh's warning, or the name Sseth-Ka, is part of the answer.

“Saresh claims that the stone doors seal something that must not hear the living world.”
From its lore

Variants

A weary Saresh may be an uneasy ally who guides the party through the flooded hollow but refuses to cross the threshold.
A younger Saresh has 60 hit points and deals one fewer die of damage with Sseth-Ka's Breath.
An enraged Saresh has 105 hit points and uses its breath weapon as soon as two or more enemies cluster in its cone.

Hooks

Plot hooks

Saresh insists that something beneath the gate has begun whispering again, although no one else can hear it.
The notches on Saresh's glaive match a sequence of marks needed to open a safe passage through the gate.
A rival expedition has already climbed the stone plates and left fresh blood in the water.

How to use it

Use the two elevated stone plates as exposed firing positions with clear sightlines across the depression.
The knee-deep water is difficult terrain for creatures without a swimming speed, but does not impede Saresh.
Roots provide half cover to creatures who crouch behind them; Saresh knows which gaps remain open.
A party that answers Saresh's questions honestly may avoid combat or gain a chance to negotiate passage.

Treasure

The notched bronze glaive, worth 35 gp as an art object.
A small stone token carved with the gate's seal, useful as proof of Saresh's trust.
A waterproof pouch hidden in Saresh's dry niche containing 18 gp and a fragment of an old map.

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