Xylophagus
lean horned skirmisher with twin serrated cleavers
Xylophagus — The Encounter
lean horned skirmisher with twin serrated cleavers · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Xylophagus
Xylophagus runs the flanks for the Dreadblood Maulers, a quick-footed skirmisher that the warband sends to chase down stragglers and bleeding prey. The Lesser Key names such restless dead as hounds of the slaughter, too eager to stand in a line, set loose to harry whoever breaks and runs. It does not duel; it circles, lunges, and slips away, reopening cuts the heavier reavers have already made. Where the Maulers grind a village's defenders down, it is Xylophagus that runs the survivors to ground in the alleys, and the warband counts on it to leave no one alive to carry word.
Run Xylophagus in Sixty Seconds
- Lunge 20 feet then Frenzied Lunge gives advantage on the strike.
- Kill-priority is the back line then dart at isolated casters and archers.
- Strike then slip then use Skirmish Step so it can't be cornered.
- It's a flanker, not solo then keep heavier reavers holding the center.
Xylophagus
Medium undead, chaotic evil
CR 5 · 1,800 XP · GUIDELINEFrenzied Lunge. If Xylophagus moves at least 20 ft. straight toward a target before a melee attack, it has advantage on that attack roll this turn.
Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces Xylophagus to 0 hit points, it makes a Constitution save (DC 5 + the damage taken, radiant or a critical hit auto-fails). On a success, it drops to 1 hit point instead.
Actions
Multiattack. Xylophagus makes two cleaver attacks.
Serrated Cleaver. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) slashing damage; a bloodied target takes an extra 3 (1d6) slashing damage.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Skirmish Step (Bonus Action). Xylophagus moves up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks from the creature it last attacked.
A sinewy, fast-moving reaver that darts between foes, twin serrated blades flashing to open old wounds wider.
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.
Use Xylophagus to chase the squishiest PC. It lunges in, swings twice, then steps away so it can't be pinned. Pair it with slower reavers that hold attention while it darts the edges.
Open with a 20-ft. lunge for advantage onto an isolated caster or archer. Bonus-action step out of reach after striking, and prioritize already-bloodied targets for the bonus damage. Skirmishes on the flanks of the warband, never alone.
Three ways to run it: a hit-and-run flanker pecking the back line, a runner that hunts fleeing NPCs, or a pair that leapfrogs each other across the field. Always part of the pack, never the boss.
Put Xylophagus 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 Xylophagus?
Xylophagus is CR 5 at its native Tier 2 (AC 15, 110 HP). Tier 1 (~CR 2) and Tier 3 (~CR 11) blocks let you scale it to your party.
How does Xylophagus fight alongside the rest of the Dreadblood Maulers?
It is the warband's flanker and runner, not a leader. Heavier reavers hold the front while Xylophagus darts the edges, lunges at isolated prey, and chases down anyone who flees. Run it as part of the pack.
Can Xylophagus be pinned in melee?
Its Skirmish Step bonus action lets it leave the last creature it attacked without provoking, so block its escape lanes or grapple it to keep it in place.
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.
Played Xylophagus at your table? Log in with your Obsidian Tavern account to leave a balance note, a war story, or a file issue — the sharpest reports get the block revised.
Log in to comment