A shambling mound, sometimes called a shambler, trudges ponderously through bleak swamps, dismal marshes, and rain forests, consuming any organic matter in its path. This rotting heap of animated vegetation looms up half again as tall as a human, tapering into a faceless “head” at its top.   All-Consuming Devourers. A shambling mound feeds on any organic material, tirelessly consuming plants as it moves and devouring animals that can’t escape it. Only the shambling mounds’ rarity and plodding speed prevent them from overwhelming entire ecosystems. Even so, their presence leeches natural environments of plant and animal life, and an unsettling quiet pervades the swamps and woods haunted by these ever-hungry horrors.   Unseen Hunters. Composed of decaying leaves, vines, roots, and other natural swamp and forest compost, shamblers can blend into their environs. Because they move slowly, they rarely attempt to pursue and catch creatures. Rather, they remain in place, sustaining themselves by absorbing nutrients from their surroundings as they wait for prey to come to them. When a creature passes near or alights upon a shambling mound, the monster comes to life, seizing and absorbing the unwary prey.   Spawned by Lightning. A shambling mound results from a phenomenon in which lightning or fey magic invigorates an otherwise ordinary swamp plant. As the plant is reborn into its second life, it chokes the life from plants and animals around it, mulching their corpses in a heap around its roots. Those roots eventually give up their reliance on the soil, directing the shambling mound to seek out new sources of food.