Shambling Mound

The shambling mound is a fictional plant-like creature in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Shambling mounds are also called shamblers, a name which lends itself to the eponymious magic spell.

Ecology
Shambling mounds are intelligent, carnivorous plant creatures, though they appear to be rotting heaps of vegetation.

Environment
Shambling mounds are commonly found in temperate marshes.

Typical Physical Characteristics
Shambling mounds are usually about six feet tall, with an eight foot girth, when they stand erect. Most weigh around 3,800 pounds. Their brains and sensory organs are located in their upper regions. In their natural environment, shambling mounds are almost invisible. They can move through water easily, and have been known to creep into camps in their range at night to attack. Stories tell of shambling mounds moving about in electrical storms without flinching from the frequent lightning strikes, even direct strikes.

Society
Shambling mounds are solitary creatures, unless summoned via magic.

Creative origins
The shambling mound first appeared in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual (1977). Some have noted the creature's resemblance to the comic characters Man-Thing and Swamp Thing, both of which were preceded by a similar comic character called the Heap.
 
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