Marrow Tollwader
CR 5 monstrosity
A tall, heron-legged thing with a wet gray hide, its long neck ending in a split beak that opens too far. Its chest is a cage of ribs wrapped around a green-black church bell, and when it steps, the bell swings and rings faintly.
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 110 (13d10+39)
Speed 15 ft., wade 40 ft.
Saving Throws Str +6, Con +6
Skills Stealth +5, Perception +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages understands Common but can't speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Drowned Bell. A bronze church bell sits inside the tollwader's ribcage. At the start of each of the tollwader's turns, if it is standing in mud, reeds, or water, the bell tolls. Each creature within 300 feet that can hear the bell and is not undead must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is charmed by the tollwader until the start of the tollwader's next turn. While charmed this way, the creature's speed is halved and it moves by the shortest route toward the tollwader's position, ignoring the danger of water, mud, and drops. A creature that enters deep water or mud it cannot leave this way begins to drown or sink, which the DM adjudicates.
Marsh Walker. The tollwader ignores difficult terrain caused by mud, reeds, and shallow water. It can breathe air and water equally well.
Ribcage Shell. The bell gives the tollwader a hard shell over its chest. Attacks against it that deal piercing damage have disadvantage if the attacker is not within 5 feet of it.
Actions
Multiattack. The tollwader makes two attacks: one with its beak and one with its drag.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) piercing damage.
Drag. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one Medium or smaller creature. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the tollwader moves its full speed in water or mud toward its own space, pulling the target with it.
Bell Strike. Ranged Spell Attack: +6 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d8) thunder damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be deafened until the end of its next turn. Only usable when the bell has tolled this round.
Reactions
Heavy Settle. When a creature the tollwader can see moves into its reach, the tollwader can sink one step into the mud, granting it advantage on its next Drag attack against that creature.
Tactics
The tollwader stays in mud or reeds out of sight, rings the bell at the start of its turn, and waits for charmed victims to walk into its reach. It Drags the nearest charmed creature under and uses Bell Strike on anyone who is not charmed. It fights in the water, does not leave the marsh, and sinks back into the mud to flee when reduced below 30 hit points.
Lore
The bell was cast for a parish chapel on the Sallow Reach until a spring tide took the chapel and everyone who had rung it. The creature that now wears it crawled out of the drowned nave, and it still rings the bell to call the living down into the mud.