Sources
CR
Type
Size
Alignment
Movement

Aartuk Starhorror

Medium Plant, Lawful Evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 52 (8d8 + 16)
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
STR
12
+1
DEX
10
+0
CON
14
+2
INT
13
+1
WIS
16
+3
CHA
10
+0
Skills Stealth +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Aartuk
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Traits

Spider Climb. The aartuk can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Spellcasting

Spellcasting (Psionics). The aartuk casts one of the following spells, requiring no spell components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability:

1/day each: revivify, speak with plants

Actions

Multiattack. The aartuk makes two Branch attacks, two Radiant Pellet attacks, or one of each.

Branch. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit:8 (2d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.

Radiant Pellet. Ranged Spell Attack: +2 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit:7 (3d4) radiant damage.

Bonus Actions

Rally the Troops (1/Day). The aartuk magically ends the charmed and frightened conditions on itself and each creature of its choice that it can see within 30 feet of itself.

Tongue (Recharge). The aartuk tries to use its gooey tongue to snare one Medium or smaller creature it can see within 30 feet of itself. The target must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the target is grappled by the tongue (escape DC 11) and pulled up to 25 feet toward the aartuk. The tongue can grapple one creature at a time.

Lore

Aartuks are intelligent plant creatures that live to wage war. Beholders destroyed their original home world and scattered the survivors across the Material Plane. These survivors formed small nomadic cells.