Husk
Crystal Husk
CR 12
Large Husk — Directed (non-sentient)
In the World
A husk that has spent decades in a high-Essa environment — a collapsed Forge site, a ley line junction, the aftermath of a catastrophic Essa event. The Essa doesn't animate it differently. It doesn't give it greater purpose or awareness. What it does is saturate the body until the Essa crystallizes into the bone structure and replaces the soft tissue entirely. A Crystal Husk cannot be distinguished from a large quartz formation until it moves. Then it cannot be stopped by anything that is not magical. The Citadel of the Still has recovered three. They are in containment. The containment is holding.
Traits
Crystalline Shell
The Crystal Husk is immune to the critical hit mechanic — attacks against it cannot deal additional dice from critical hits. Non-magical weapons that deal damage to it must succeed on a DC 15 check (using the attacker's attack roll) or the weapon takes 1d4 Durability damage (a Durability-tracked weapon that reaches 0 breaks).
Essa Reflection
When the Crystal Husk is targeted by a Technique with a single target, roll a d6. On a 1–2, the Technique is reflected back at the caster at the same Power level. The caster makes a Feedback Save at the standard DC.
Undead Resilience
The Crystal Husk has advantage on saving throws against effects that would cause it to drop to 0 HP.
Slow Regen
At the start of each of its turns, the Crystal Husk regains 5 HP unless it has taken radiant damage since its last turn.
Actions
Multiattack
The Crystal Husk makes two Crystal Fist attacks.
Crystal Fist
Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft, one target. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage plus 9 (2d8) force damage. On a critical hit, the target is knocked prone.
Crystalline Eruption (Recharge 5–6)
Crystal shards burst outward in a 15 ft radius. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 17 DEX saving throw or take 35 (10d6) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) force damage (half on success).