Shambling mound

A shambling mound was a large, animated plant with predatory tendencies. It was also known as a shambler.

Description
They appeared to be moving, vaguely man-shaped mounds of rotting vegetation.

Serpentine
A serpentine shambling mound was one that had been corrupted by tainted blueberries. Their bodies were stretched so that they resembled serpents with the head and hands on one end and the legs on the other, but otherwise they had nothing in common with serpents. There were only a few of these creatures. They dwelled in the east starwood area of the forest of Cormanthor, north of the Halfaxe Trail.

Habitats
Shambling mounds were often found in temperate marshlands.

In northwest Faerûn, they could be found in the Mere of Dead Men and the Stump Bog.

In interior Faerûn, they could be found in the Vast Swamp of Cormyr.

In south Faerûn, they could be found in the Great Swamp of Rethild, occasionally in the Thornwood,, occasionally in Chondalwood, and wandering the jungles of Samarach.

History
In 1357 DR and up to 1368 DR, shambling mounds could occasionally be found in the sewers beneath Waterdeep.

In 1374 DR, the Shadowscale lizardfolk lured a shambling mound into the back entrance of their warren by bringing it animal carcasses. It served a dual purpose as both guardian and waste disposal. However, when they stopped feeding it (being undead, they no longer needed to eat), it went off and hunted on its own, but used the area as a den. Two shocker lizards joined it, forming a mutualist relationship: they gained the shambler's protection and ate its leavings, while their electric shocks bolstered and healed the shambler.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Dungeon #30: "... And a Dozen Eggs" • Curse of the Azure Bonds • Curse of Strahd
 * Novels
 * Sentinelspire
 * The Council of Blades
 * Video Games
 * Curse of the Azure Bonds • Gateway to the Savage Frontier • Dungeon Hack • Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor •Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal • Icewind Dale: Trials of the Luremaster • Icewind Dale II • Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer • Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir • Baldur's Gate: The Black Pits • Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition • Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
 * Card Games
 * AD&D Trading Cards
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * The Lady in Flames • A Fool's Errand
 * The Lady in Flames • A Fool's Errand