The Heart Devourer

Content warning: The lifecycle section may contain descriptions that can be considered graphic or gruesome.

The Heart Devourer have 6 legs and a flattened circular body, small compared to the length of the legs. From the center of the back a spike extends. Their carapace is hosts 12 eyes in varying size. Under the eyes a set of chelicerae and they also have a set of raptorial pedipalps modified for grabbing and retaining smaller prey. The 6 legs are jointed legs and covered in setae. The legs end in small but sharp claws.
The 12 eyes are capable of perceiving infrared heat for for 18 m (60 ft).

Habitat

Young Heart Devourer can be found in most places where you can find dark damp places for them to hide. Most commenly near caverns but also in forests with older trees that are ideal for burrowing as well as lakes and swamps that provides ample food sources. As they grow older they start moving closer to shady dense forests interface with open areas such as game tracks and roads.

Lifecycle

All Heart Devourers are born male. When a male reaches 1-2 years of age they will have molted a total of 3 times and are ready to mate. The females of the Heart Devourer emit a pheromones that the male will have to follow to find her.
When the male finds the female he will coat his spike in spermatophores and attach himself to her abdomen with the spike. The female will then attach her eggs to the spermatophore coated spike.
The female, with the male at her abdomen, will seek out a victim and attach herself to their mouth. The male will then detach from the female, taking the fertilized eggs with him and crawl down the victims esophagus and burrow into the heart.
When the male detaches from the females abdomen, she dies and subsequently falls of the victims face.

From the heart the male will burrow out of the body at the top of the ribcage, the victims heart firmly attached to it's spike on the back. The male will then seek out a safe hideout where the eggs inside the heart can gestate. While the eggs grow the male molts and transform into a female, loosing the spike and growing in size.

At the end of the molt, the eggs hatch and eat their way out of the heart. The newborn male then attach themselves to the male turned females back, staying there until their first molt. After their first molt they fall of and have to fend for themselves and the female is now ready to mate.
Statblock

Heart Devourer CR: 7

Tiny aberration, chaotic evil

Armor Class: 15

Hit Points: 51 (6d8+24) 6d8+24

Speed: 40 ft

STR

6 -2

DEX

14 +2

CON

13 +1

INT

12 +1

WIS

11 +0

CHA

10 +0

Skills: Perception +2, Stealth +4

Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Condition Immunities: Blinded

Senses: Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), Passive Perception 12

Languages: Deep Speech understands but can't speak, Telepathy 60 ft.

Challenge Rating: 7

Heat Sense. The heart devourer can pinpoint, by blindsight, the location of any creature, within 60 feet of it that has a heart, unless the creature is protected by a thick barrier or spell that blocks it's body heat.

Corrosive Blood. Any nonmagical weapon made of metal or wood that hits the heart devourer corrodes. After dealing damage, the weapon a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to damage rolls. If it drops to -5 the weapons is destroyed. If the heart devourer is attacked while grappling a creature, the attack deals half as much damage to the creature as it does to the heart devourer.

Spider Climb. The heart devourer can climb difficult surfaces, without the need to make an ability check.

Actions

Multiattack. The heart devourer can make two attacks with its claws.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 1d20+6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) 2d4+2 slashing damage.

Grappler. If an attack from the heart devourer hits the target, the target is grappled as the heart devourer's claws dig into the target's face. The target creature can resist the grapple on it's turn each round of combat by making a DC 15 Strength saving throw.

Devour Heart. The heart devourer targets the creature it has grappled. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. If succeeded the target takes 11 (2d10) 2d10 necrotic damage. If failed the heart devourer uses Implantation.

Implantation. If the target fails the saving throw against Devour Heart or when the target is rendered unconscious, the heart devourer falls off and dies. The next coming 2d6 2d6 h, the target creature starts to feel sick, its speed is halved and has disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws. After 2d6 h passed, the heart devourer spawn chews its way out of the target's chest in one round, killing the target in the process. A heart devourer spawn can be removed with a greater restoration or greater magic to cure a disease.

The Heart Devourer have 6 legs and a flattened circular body, small compared to the length of the legs. From the center of the back a spike extends. Their carapace is hosts 12 eyes in varying size. Under the eyes a set of chelicerae and they also have a set of raptorial pedipalps modified for grabbing and retaining smaller prey. The 6 legs are jointed legs and covered in setae. The legs end in small but sharp claws. The 12 eyes are capable of perceiving infrared heat for for 18 m (60 ft).

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Art by Juno (haematicartwork.tumblr.com).
Thanks to Izhi for all the amazing input.

Suggested Environments

Forest, Mountain, Swamp, Underdark

Art by Juno (haematicartwork.tumblr.com).
Thanks to Izhi for all the amazing input.
Header photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

Average Lifespan
3-5 years

Average Height
Fully grown male: 12 cm (4.7 in)
Fully grown female: 20 cm (7.9 in)

Average Length
Fully grown male: 15 cm (5.9 in)
Fully grown female: 30 cm (11.8 in)

Geographic Distribution

Art by Juno (haematicartwork.tumblr.com)