Mushussu
Mushussu — The Encounter
Scaled Serpent-Dragon of the Gate, Lion-Pawed and Eagle-Taloned · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Mushussu
The mushussu is the dread serpent-dragon carved upon the glazed gates of old Babylon, the beast sacred to the storm-lord whose city it warded. Scribes name it the "furious snake": scaled like a viper from snout to tail, crowned with the horns of divinity, set upon the forelimbs of a lion and the hind talons of an eagle, so that it might run down the impious and hold the threshold of holy places. It does not breathe fire as the dragons of colder lands; its venom rides in its bite, and its strength is in the seizing grip and the lash of its tail. Temples bred them as living wards, chaining pairs at sanctuary doors to devour any who entered without rite or tribute. Where one is found loose among ruins, look for a shrine it still believes itself sworn to guard, for the mushussu keeps its post long after the gods who set it there have gone to dust.
Run Mushussu in Sixty Seconds
- Hold the threshold. The mushussu is a guard-beast, not a wanderer. Plant it in a doorway or archway and Gate-Warden's Vigil gives it advantage against anyone trying to pass.
- Open with the grapple. Lead with two Lion Claws on the front-liner. Land both and they're grappled (DC 15); then your bonus-action Hind Talon rakes and can knock them prone.
- Kill-priority: the grabbed target. Once you have someone pinned and prone, pour Bite and talon into them. The poison rider adds up fast.
- When bloodied, stop chasing. It defends its post to the death and uses Serpent's Lash on anyone who tries to slip past out of its reach.
- Three ways to run it: doorway-warden (advantage on passers-by), grappler-bruiser (claw-lock then rake), or skirmish-denier (tail-lash anyone fleeing). Always an add-on to a bigger boss.
Mushussu
Large monstrosity, neutral evil
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINETwin Talons. The mushussu's front limbs end in lion's claws and its hind limbs in an eagle's talons. When it hits a creature with both Lion Claw attacks in the same turn, the target is grappled (escape DC 15) and the mushussu can rake it with a hind talon as a bonus action.
Gate-Warden's Vigil. The mushussu has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being frightened. While it guards a doorway, archway, or threshold it can occupy, attacks made against creatures trying to pass it have advantage.
Actions
Multiattack. The mushussu makes one Bite attack and two Lion Claw attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) poison damage.
Lion Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Hind Talon. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one grappled target. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) slashing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Serpent's Lash. Reaction. When a creature the mushussu can see moves out of its reach, the mushussu whips its serpentine tail at it: the creature takes 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage and its speed is reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn.
A regal serpent-dragon mantled in interlocking scales, its crowned and horned head turning on a sinuous neck, lion's claws set on the forequarters and an eagle's talons gripping the broken pillar it guards.
Mushussu, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEPack Ward (signature). While within 10 feet of its bonded ally, the hatchling and that ally each have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or poisoned.
Actions
Nipping Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) poison damage.
Reactions
Tail Trip. Reaction. When an enemy within 5 feet hits the hatchling's bonded ally, the hatchling lashes its tail: that enemy must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
A young serpent-dragon barely the size of a hound, scales still soft, that mirrors its keeper's stance and snaps at any who threaten them.
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.
Open from a doorway so its Gate-Warden's Vigil gives advantage, then bite the softest caster. If two melee fighters cluster, grapple one with twin claws and rake. Pair it with a temple cultist or summoner so the party can't just focus it down.
Open with Multiattack on whoever stands in the threshold; land both Lion Claws to grapple and free up the Hind Talon prone-rake. Kill-priority is the grappled, prone target. This is the guard-beast piece: pair it with a bigger threat (a priest-king or a goetic spirit) and let it pin runners with Serpent's Lash.
Use it as the doorkeeper of a tier-3 flagship boss, not the boss itself. Grapple-and-rake the front-liner, then use Serpent's Lash to deny the rogue's disengage. When bloodied it fights to the death on its threshold and never pursues past the door it guards.
Put Mushussu 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 Mushussu?
Its home stat block is CR 6 (2,300 XP) for tier-2 parties (levels 5-10). Scaled versions are provided for tier 1 (CR ~2 feel) and tier 3 (CR ~11 feel); traits stay identical and only the numbers move.
Can Mushussu be a companion or ally?
The full-grown adversary is too dangerous to tame, but a Sirrush Hatchling, Bound (AC 14, 38 HP) is offered as a bonded companion that wards its keeper against fear and poison and trips attackers with its tail.
Does the mushussu breathe fire like a dragon?
No. Unlike western dragons it has no breath weapon; its threat is venomous bite, a lion-clawed grapple, an eagle-taloned rake, and a serpent-tail lash that locks fleeing foes 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.
Technical Specifications
32mm, 75mm
STL, Pre-supported STL
Standard or ABS-like resin, 0.05mm layer height
Yes — ready to print, optimized supports included
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