Crawfordsville Monster (Crawvil), “The Spectral Predator”
“Chilling Sightings of the Crawfordsville Monster (Crawvil): A Flying Phantom With Flaming Eyes!”

he Crawfordsville Monster, a terrifying entity that appeared over Crawfordsville, Indiana, in 1891, remains one of the most unsettling mysteries in American folklore. Witnesses described the creature as a colossal, undulating serpent-like being, with glowing red eyes that seemed to pierce the night. Its most bizarre feature was the lack of a visible head, making it appear as a disembodied form floating eerily in the sky. Those who saw it reported hearing strange, wheezing sounds and cries that added to its spectral and unnerving presence.
This mysterious figure was said to behave erratically, drifting slowly through the air with an almost deliberate slowness that left witnesses frozen in terror. Some accounts claim the creature hovered near the ground before vanishing, only to reappear elsewhere in the night sky. It moved in ways that defied explanation, adding to its spectral nature. The glowing red eyes and the distorted shape were particularly visible during the dead of night, under conditions of heavy humidity and low visibility, further distorting its form and leaving onlookers in a state of confusion and fear.
The monster appeared at a time when Crawfordsville had just installed new electric lights, and the combination of these lights with the humid atmosphere may have contributed to a surreal visual effect. However, the most plausible explanation for this terrifying phenomenon was later discovered to be a large flock of disoriented killdeer birds. As the birds flew in large, erratic formations, their reflective undersides and haunting calls may have been misinterpreted by witnesses, particularly under the low light conditions of the night.
Despite these explanations, the story of the Crawfordsville Monster continues to captivate those fascinated by cryptozoology and paranormal phenomena. Whether it was a case of mass hysteria, a misunderstood natural event, or something far more mysterious, the Crawfordsville Monster has become a symbol of the unknown, leaving behind a legacy of eerie tales and unexplainable sightings.
Crawfordsville Monster 5e
Crawfordsville Monster Pathfinder
Crawfordsville Monster

Gargantuan Aberration, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class: 18 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 310 (27d12 + 135)
Speed: 40 ft., fly 80 ft. (hover)
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 (+7) | 16 (+3) | 21 (+5) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 22 (+6) |
Saving Throws: Dexterity +9, Constitution +11, Wisdom +10, Charisma +12
Skills: Perception +10, Intimidation +12, Stealth +9
Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from non-magical attacks
Damage Immunities: Psychic, Necrotic
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Prone
Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 20
Languages: Deep Speech, Common, Infernal
Challenge Rating: 18 (20,000 XP)
Traits
Gargantuan Form. The Crawfordsville Monster occupies a 20×20-foot space and has a reach of 30 feet with its tentacle-like appendages. Its massive size allows it to attack enemies up to three floors above or below it when hovering.
Ethereal Bulk. The monster can move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 10 (3d6) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Supernatural Terror. Any creature that starts its turn within 60 feet of the Crawfordsville Monster and can see it must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Blazing Eyes. The Crawfordsville Monster’s blazing red eyes radiate an oppressive and supernatural energy:
- Piercing Stare. Any creature within 60 feet that meets the Crawfordsville Monster’s gaze must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed or frightened (monster’s choice) until the end of the creature’s next turn.
- Burning Gaze (Recharge 5-6). The Crawfordsville Monster focuses its blazing eyes on a single creature within 120 feet. The target must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 36 (8d8) radiant damage and be blinded for 1 minute. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw takes half damage and isn’t blinded. A blinded creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the Crawfordsville Monster fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Shadowed Presence. The Crawfordsville Monster can obscure itself in its own misty aura, granting it partial concealment (attack rolls against it have disadvantage) unless the attacker has truesight.
Actions
Multiattack. The Crawfordsville Monster makes three attacks: two with its Tentacle Lash and one with its Crushing Coils.
Tentacle Lash. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target.
Hit: 25 (3d10 + 7) slashing damage and 10 (3d6) psychic damage.
Crushing Coils. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target.
Hit: 35 (5d10 + 7) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 20). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the Crawfordsville Monster can make no more than one Crushing Coils attack on another target.
Horrifying Wail (Recharge 5-6). The Crawfordsville Monster lets out a soul-piercing scream. Each creature of its choice within 120 feet that can hear it must make a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 54 (12d8) psychic damage and is stunned for 1 minute. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t stunned.
Mist Surge (Recharge 6). The monster creates a 60-foot-radius cloud of dense fog centered on itself. The area is heavily obscured, and all creatures within must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or take 27 (6d8) necrotic damage and be blinded until the end of their next turn. The fog dissipates after 1 minute or if the monster uses this ability again.
Legendary Actions
The Crawfordsville Monster can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature’s turn. It regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Tentacle Sweep. The Crawfordsville Monster makes one Tentacle Lash attack.
- Fearful Glare (Costs 2 Actions). One creature within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 19 Charisma saving throw or be paralyzed with fear until the end of its next turn.
- Ghostly Flight (Costs 3 Actions). The Crawfordsville Monster moves up to its flying speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Crawfordsville Monster

This pale shining creature hangs impossibly in the air, its body buoyed by the flapping of hundreds of small fins. It is nearly featureless except for a single immense red eye.
Taken from the Creature Codex
A crawvil is a strange atmospheric life form that lives its entire life in the sky. In the atmosphere, they are something like aerial whales, consuming swarms of insects and flocks of birds in a single gulp of their immense maws. They most frequently come to ground when such food is scarce in order to prey on terrestrial creatures. They are frequently curious about landlocked lifeforms, and may appear sometimes to simply watch them in action.
Crawvils are of animal intelligence, but are savvy combatants. Their luminous eyes can cycle through an array of magical effects, which they use wisely to disrupt opposition and single out a prey item. If badly threatened, they can tear themselves apart into swarms of bird-like shreds of tissue, which can scatter in all directions to escape an enemy. Any creature swallowed by a crawvil when it transforms finds itself released immediately—which can be a bad thing if the aberration is airborne. Due to this strange transformation, many people think that crawvils are merely an illusion caused by large flocks of birds traveling in unison. Those that have battled these sky predators know differently.
A crawvil stretches nearly thirty feet long and is roughly cylindrical in shape. Its mouth is nearly invisible when closed, but gapes open in a massive maw when it feeds or fights.
Crawvil CR 10
XP 9,600
N Gargantuan aberration
Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +14
Defense
AC 25, touch 11, flat-footed 20(-4 size, +5 Dex, +14 natural)
hp 127 (15d8+90)
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +12
DR 10/magic; SR 21
Resist cold 20, fire 20
Offense
Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (perfect)
Melee bite +16 (4d6+13/19-20 plus grab)
Ranged eye beam +11 touch (varies)
Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks eye beams, swallow whole (AC 17, 12 hp, 4d6+13 bludgeoning damage)
Statistics
Str 29, Dex 20, Con 22, Int 2, Wis17, Cha 17
Base Atk +11; CMB +24 (+28 grapple); CMD 38 (cannot be tripped)
Feats Cleave,Combat Reflexes,Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Vital Strike
Skills Fly +17, Perception +14
SQ swarm form
Ecology
Environment any land
Organization solitary or pod (2-8)
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Eye Beams (Su) As a swift action once per round, a crawvil can fire a beam of light from its eye. Treat this as a ranged touch attack with a range of 120 feet and no range increment. This eye beam can have one of the following effects
- Fire The beam deals 8d6 fire damage (no save)
- Repulsion The beam deals 2d6 bludgeoning damage and the creature struck must succeed a DC 20 Reflex save or be pushed 20 feet and knocked prone.
- Confusion The creature struck must succeed a DC 20 Will save or be confused (as the spell) for 1d4+1 rounds.
- Paralysis The creature struck must succeed a DC 20 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1 round.A crawvil can use this beam at will, but cannot use the same beam effect two rounds in a row. The save DC is Charisma based.
Swarm Form (Su) As a standard action, a crawvil may transform itself into four swarms. Use the statistics of a raven swarm for each swarm, except that the crawvil’s hit point total is divided among the four swarms. A creature grappled or swallowed by a crawvil is immediately released from the grapple. The crawvil may return to its original form as a full round action any round in which the surviving swarms are adjacent to each other—its hit point total becomes the sum of the hit points of any and all remaining swarms.