Giant Crab
Medium Beast, unaligned
25 XP
Special Abilities
Amphibious
The crab can breathe air and water.
Actions
Claw
Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 11). The crab has two claws, each of which can grapple only one target.
Quick Reference
Running This Encounter
Giant Crabs are best used as minor encounters or environmental hazards rather than primary threats. Use their high AC to challenge lower-level parties' accuracy, forcing them to think tactically. Consider having multiple crabs attack as a swarm to increase difficulty. They work well as surprise ambushes in coastal or underground water settings.
Combat Tactics
Giant Crabs attack with their claws, attempting to grapple and restrain enemies before dealing damage. They are simple creatures and will focus on the nearest threat, fighting to the death if cornered but fleeing to water if given the opportunity.
Environment & Setting
Coastal beaches, rocky tide pools, underground caverns with brine pools, or swampy marshlands near water sources. They are most dangerous when encountered in or near water where they have advantage and escape routes.