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Monster
Canonical
The Cleaved
Physical Form: A massive, hulking entity that is split entirely down the middle. The two halves hover inches apart, connected only by jagged, arcing webs of searing Drift energy. The inside of the split is raw, pulsing anatomy that never heals. The Tragic Loop: It is in agonizing pain from being separated and desperately wants to fuse back into a single being. Because it cannot touch its own other half without repelling like a magnet, it tries to "sew" itself together using the bodies of living things. It captures travelers and beasts, skewering them across its gap to act as a physical bridge. However, the raw energy of the Drift eventually burns through these living bindings, pulling the creature apart again and forcing it to hunt for fresh "stitches." Reason for Breakage: The Cleaved appears in the Ashen Spine where the First Map's fault-line runs closest to the surface — typically inside or near a working forge whose hammer-rhythm has carried unbroken for generations. Vaultkeepers theorise the Cleaved is what happens when the Pattern is forced to split between two equally insistent realities: the forge's answer, and the answer of the rock the forge is built on.
Battle Stat Block
Drop this creature into any quest — every value here is ready for the table.
The Cleaved
large aberration (drift-cleft horror), chaotic neutral
Armor Class 15 (flayed plating of stitched bone and bark)
Hit Points 126 (12d10 + 60)
Speed 30 ft.
STR
20 (+5)
DEX
10 (+0)
CON
20 (+5)
INT
6 (-2)
WIS
12 (+1)
CHA
8 (-1)
Saving Throws STR +8, CON +8
Skills Athletics +8, Perception +4
Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning, force
Damage Resistances slashing, piercing, fire
Damage Immunities necrotic
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, exhaustion
Senses darkvision 60 ft., truesight 10 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages understands Common and Deep Speech; cannot speak coherently
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)Proficiency Bonus +3
Split Anatomy. The Cleaved exists as two halves hovering inches apart, connected by arcing Drift energy. It does not view living creatures as prey — it views them as missing pieces to stitch itself whole again.
Unstable Anatomy. When forced apart (e.g., the halves are pushed away from each other), the Cleaved's speed drops by 10 ft but its melee damage increases by 1d8 until the start of its next turn. When forced together, it instead suffers catastrophic destabilization (see Forced Unity weakness).
Burning Stitches. At the start of the Cleaved's turn, every creature restrained by Stitching Strike takes 2d6 fire damage. This damage increases by 1d6 each subsequent round the creature remains restrained.
Drift-Cleft. The Cleaved cannot heal itself. Damage dealt by crushing, compressing, binding, or synchronized dual strikes ignores its resistances.
Actions
Multiattack. The Cleaved makes one Stitching Strike and may use Repulsion Surge if recharged.
Stitching Strike. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 2d8 + 5 bludgeoning + Burning Stitches. Melee grapple attack against one creature within 10 ft. On a hit the target is restrained between the Cleaved's two halves, taking 2d8 + 5 bludgeoning damage. While restrained the target suffers Burning Stitches at the start of each of the Cleaved's turns. The target may escape with a successful Athletics or Acrobatics check (DC 16) at the end of its turn.
Repulsion Surge (Recharge 5-6). Each target must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw (each creature in 15 ft radius). half damage, no displacement Hit: 4d6 force. A violent force pulse erupts outward from the split. Each creature within 15 ft must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be hurled 20 ft backward and take 4d6 force damage (half on save). Restrained targets automatically fail.
Skewer the Living (Recharge after first use per encounter). Each target must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. half damage, no impalement Hit: 6d6 piercing. If a creature is restrained by Stitching Strike when the Cleaved is reduced to half HP, the Cleaved attempts to embed the creature between its halves as a "stitch." The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution save or be impaled, taking 6d6 piercing damage and gaining the unconscious condition. The Cleaved regains 15 HP.
Reactions
Failed Closure. When a player rolls a critical failure within 15 ft of the Cleaved, the creature reflexively lunges toward them and makes one Stitching Strike against them as a reaction.
DM Notes
Tactics. The Cleaved is not a hunter — it is a desperate, dying thing trying to make itself whole. It pursues the largest available body or the most physically present player and tries to grapple them between its halves. It avoids targets that have used Reflection or Resonance against its Echoes earlier in the session.
Counterplay. Forced Unity: when the two halves are physically forced together (grapples, binding magic, chains, vines, earth manipulation, magnetic effects, or synchronized dual strikes that hit both halves the same round), the creature takes the MAXIMUM damage of any attack that turn and is stunned until the end of its next turn. • Mirrored Attacks: an attack that strikes both halves simultaneously (e.g., a piercing line through both, twin strike from a pair of allies, a thrown chain) ignores resistances and deals double the rolled damage. • Crushing / Compressive damage: bludgeoning damage and force compression ignore the Cleaved's resistances and treat it as vulnerable. • Single-point destruction: slashing, single-point piercing, fire, and chaotic splash damage are absorbed into its instability. The Cleaved soaks uncontrolled destruction.
Designed for ~~32 (Stitching Strike + escalating burn) — designed for a 4–8 player party of mid-level adventurers. damage / round • brute
Extended Lore
meshy status
pending
meshy task id
019de4b9-7a14-742b-8d63-093298cc8c79
Appears In Stories
No stories reference this entity yet. This part of the world awaits its chronicler.
Connected Lore
Referenced across 7 elements of the world