A frightful gourd with delusions of grandeur and a grin wider than a banker’s bonus.
Scene Setup — Read Aloud to Players
You stumble into a moonlit pumpkin patch that smells of damp soil and regret. The pumpkins watch you. They shouldn’t, but they do.
One giant gourd creaks to its feet, shaking loose mud and worms. Glowing eyes, jagged grin, legs made of twisted roots, arms like angry green whips. It points a vine at you.
“Oi! You there! Stop fiddling with my cousins or I’ll roast you with cinnamon!”
The glowing grin widens. Welcome to your seasonal doom: the Great Pumpkin.
The Great Pumpkin (Homebrew Monster)
Appearance
Nine feet tall, shaped like a prize-winning pumpkin that decided to start a career in mugging travellers.
BECMI Stats
Armour Class: 3
Hit Dice: 8+2 (36 HP)
THAC0: 12
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 2 vine slashes (1d8 each) or pumpkin-spit (range 20’, 2d6 fire, 1/3 rounds)
Save As: Fighter: 8
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: Special (see Loot Table below)
XP Value: 1,250
5e Stats
Large Plant, Chaotic Neutral (with delusions of villainy)
AC: 15 (thick rind)
HP: 85 (10d10+30)
Speed: 30 ft.
STR 18 (+4), DEX 12 (+1), CON 17 (+3), INT 8 (-1), WIS 11 (+0), CHA 14 (+2)
Saving Throws: Con +5, Wis +2
Damage Resistances: Fire (claims it’s because of “pumpkin spice immunity”), Piercing from non-magical weapons
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages: Understands Common, speaks only in seasonal puns
Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)
Actions:
Vine Slash. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+4) slashing.
Pumpkin Spit (Recharge 5–6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) fire damage; target must succeed DC 13 Dex save or be blinded by hot seeds until end of next turn.
Gourd Grin (Recharge 6). Emits a blinding orange flash; all creatures within 15 ft. make DC 14 Wis save or be frightened until the end of their next turn.
Loot Table — Roll 1d8
1. Pumpkin Spice Residue (50 gp) — worth a fortune to desperate café chains.
2. Gourd Grenades (2d4) — deal 1d6 bludgeoning + 1 fire on impact; smell faintly of regret.
3. Seed of Spite — once per day can be thrown to cast Grease (slippery patch of pumpkin slime).
4. The Royal Compost Crown — +1 CHA when dealing with farmers or hedge witches.
5. Sticky Candied Coins (3d20 cp) — unspendable until scraped clean.
6. A Half-Eaten Map to the Great Squash Vault — leads nowhere, but makes a nice wall decoration.
7. Ladle of Lanternlight — once per long rest can cast Light in the shape of a screaming face.
8. Cursed Pumpkin Pie — heals 2d8 HP but causes uncontrollable hiccups, disadvantage on Charisma checks for 24 hours.
Encounter Notes
The Great Pumpkin is angry at seasonal pie production and teenagers smashing pumpkins for fun. It can be reasoned with if you speak politely and offer compost.
Player Choices — Three Possible Conclusions
1. Pumpkin Pie Fight:
You charge in, weapons raised. The Great Pumpkin retaliates with lashings and fire-spit, vowing revenge for every latte ever sold. When slain, it explodes in blazing pulp. Everything within 10 ft. smells of burnt muffins for days.
2. The Seed-ling Alliance:
You attempt diplomacy, pledging to defend the patch from hooligans. The Great Pumpkin swears you in as its “Royal Composters.” Everyone gains 50 XP and receives a free pumpkin bread loaf.
3. The Great Escape:
You bolt for it. The Great Pumpkin heckles you with bad puns while throwing flaming seeds. You survive but will forever be mocked in tavern songs titled The Ballad of the Cowardly Squash Dodgers.
Flavour Text
Each round the Great Pumpkin delivers a pun so bad it causes psychic damage. DC 12 Wisdom save or suffer disadvantage on your next attack from embarrassment.
Examples:
“You’re about to get squash-ed.”
“I’m the pick of the patch!”
“Prepare for gourd-geous defeat!”
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