Nelson
crouched ambusher of the walking grove
Nelson — The Encounter
crouched ambusher of the walking grove · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Nelson
Nelson is the patient one, the wood that learned to wait. It hunkers among real timber, indistinguishable from a wind-bent trunk, until the grove signals and it explodes into motion. The Afams use it as the opener—the surprise that staggers the foe in the first heartbeat so the slower kin arrive to a battle already half-lost for the enemy. It is no warlord and cannot sustain a long fight; its whole worth is the first pounce, after which it leans on the warband. Hunters who pass the same odd, leaning tree twice and find it nearer the second time have already walked into the grove's jaws.
Run Nelson in Sixty Seconds
- Stage the ambush then hide Nelson before combat and pounce with advantage on the first turn.
- Open with a knockdown then land both claws to floor a priority target for the grove.
- Support after the pounce then fight as a flanker beside packmates, not a lone duelist.
- Two claws a turn then expect ~14 slashing on a full hit, plus the round-one prone.
Nelson
Medium plant, neutral
CR 2 · 450 XP · GUIDELINECoiled Pounce. On the first turn of combat, Nelson has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn't acted yet. If it hits such a target with both claws, the target must succeed on a DC 12 Strength save or be knocked prone.
Flammable. Nelson is vulnerable to fire damage while not in contact with living soil.
Actions
Multiattack. Nelson makes two Raking Claw attacks.
Raking Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+3) slashing damage.
A tree-thing crouched low and coiled, branch-arms splayed and ready to spring from stillness the instant prey draws near.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
Hide before the fight and pounce on the first turn with advantage—both claws can knock a target prone for the grove to swarm. After the opener, fight as a flanker beside packmates. When bloodied, slip back into cover. Nelson is the ambush, not the anchor; never leave it alone.
Run Nelson as the warband's opener: stage it hidden, pounce the priority target to stagger it, then pile in with the pack. It strikes first and supports after, never solo.
Use Nelson to crack the enemy's formation on round one, then keep it in the moving grove as a flanker. Spread the warband so fire can't sweep the ambusher with the rest of the line.
Put Nelson on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Nelson?
Nelson is CR 2 (450 XP) at its native Tier 1. Scale its AC, HP, to-hit, and save DC into the Tier 2 or Tier 3 bands for higher-level parties; its pounce and claws never change.
How does Nelson fight alongside the rest of the Afams?
Nelson is the grove's opener. It waits hidden, pounces the priority target on round one to stagger and prone it, then fights as a flanker once the slower kin arrive. It strikes first and supports after, never alone.
Is Nelson a boss?
No. Nelson is rank-and-file and not solo_capable, with no legendary actions. Its value is the first-turn ambush; after that it leans on the warband and burns fast if caught isolated.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
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