Merry-Go-Round Steed

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Large Construct, Chaotic Neutral

Armor Class 17 (lacquered wood and iron)

Hit Points 161 (19d10+57)

Speed 60 ft.

STR 20 (+5)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 16 (+3)

INT 12 (+1)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 18 (+4)

Saving Throws Dex +7, Wis +6, Cha +8

Skills Perception +6, Persuasion +8

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Damage Immunities poison

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16

Languages Common

Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +4

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the merry-go-round steed fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Carousel Heart. The merry-go-round steed is immune to effects that would forcibly teleport it or move it against its will. In addition, it can move across difficult terrain without spending extra movement, and it leaves behind faint calliope music wherever it moves.

A Horse Must Join the Ride. When a Beast with a walking speed is within 60 feet of the merry-go-round steed and can hear its music, that beast has disadvantage on saving throws against the steed's Recruit to the Ride action. A beast that fails such a saving throw is charmed by the steed for 24 hours. While charmed, the beast follows the steed's commands and refuses to willingly leave its presence. The beast can repeat the saving throw whenever it takes damage from the steed, ending the effect on a success.

Unending Circuit. The merry-go-round steed does not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. If it is reduced to 0 hit points inside its lair, it is instead reduced to 1 hit point unless it has taken radiant damage since the end of its previous turn.

Actions

Multiattack. The merry-go-round steed makes two Hoof attacks and one Bite attack.

Hoof. Melee weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8+5) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Bite. Melee weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) piercing damage. The bite leaves behind the smell of sawdust and sugared apples.

Galloping Charge. Melee weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (4d8+5) bludgeoning damage. The merry-go-round steed moves at least 20 feet straight toward the target before the attack. If the attack hits, the target must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 15 feet and knocked prone.

Recruit to the Ride (3/Day). The merry-go-round steed plays a bright, irresistible fanfare. Each Beast within 60 feet that can hear it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become charmed by the steed for 24 hours. A charmed beast uses its action on each of its turns to move toward the steed by the safest available route. If it reaches the steed, it willingly allows itself to be fitted with an invisible carousel pole and becomes part of the steed's ride. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns if it is not within 10 feet of another charmed beast.

Carousel Spin (Recharge 5-6). The merry-go-round steed pivots in place as painted stars and spectral poles whirl around it. Each creature within 15 feet must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. On a failed save, a creature is also moved up to 10 feet to an unoccupied space of the steed's choice and knocked prone.

Reactions

No Goodbyes. When a creature within 30 feet willingly moves away from the merry-go-round steed, the steed causes the floor, walls, or nearby scenery to fold and slide. The creature must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or its movement ends in the space it occupied before moving. On a success, the creature's movement is reduced by 15 feet until the end of its turn.

Legendary Actions

The merry-go-round steed 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. The steed regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Prancing Hoof. The merry-go-round steed makes one Hoof attack.

Spiral Away. The merry-go-round steed moves up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks. During this movement, it can move through the space of a charmed Beast, and that beast can move with it.

Fanfare of Possession (Costs 2 Actions). One Beast within 60 feet that can hear the steed must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be affected by Recruit to the Ride until the end of its next turn.

Lair

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the creature can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; it can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:

The Floor Becomes the Wall. The lair rearranges itself. The steed chooses up to three 10-foot-square spaces it can see; each space becomes difficult terrain, and any creature in one of those spaces must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be slid up to 15 feet in a direction chosen by the steed.
Curtain Call. A velvet curtain, painted facade, or mirrored panel drops between the steed and its enemies. Until initiative count 20 on the next round, the steed has three-quarters cover, and one 10-foot-long, 10-foot-high section of the lair becomes opaque and blocks line of sight.
The Ride Goes On. Up to three charmed Beasts within the lair can use their reactions to move up to half their speeds without provoking opportunity attacks. Each beast that ends this movement within 5 feet of the steed gains 10 temporary hit points.

Environment Urban, Grassland, Forest

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"Do not dismount while the music plays. Jubilee hates an empty saddle." — Mara Venn, missing stablemaster of the Moonrise Pavilion

Lore & Description

Appearance

This Large carousel horse is carved from honey-gold wood and coated in glossy red, blue, and cream lacquer. Its mane and tail are made from stiff brass ribbons, its eyes are glass marbles containing tiny spinning stars, and an iron pole rises from its back into empty air. Brass bells hang from its tack, chiming in time with music no one else can hear. When it gallops, painted flowers crawl across its flanks and the ground briefly resembles a painted carousel platform.

Behavior & Origins

Once named Jubilee, this enchanted carousel horse escaped from the abandoned Fair of Saint Orra after its creator dismantled the ride without saying farewell. Jubilee interpreted the silence as betrayal and now seeks to assemble the greatest ride in the world from living horses, unicorns, nightmares, and anything else with four legs. Its current lair is the shuttered Moonrise Pavilion, whose corridors loop back into the same glittering carousel hall. Jubilee does not want to kill intruders unless they try to leave; it wants them to stay for one last ride and applaud when the music stops.

Running Merry-Go-Round Steed

Tactics

Jubilee opens with Recruit to the Ride if real horses or other Beasts are present, using its enthralled followers to block exits and grant it room to charge. It uses Galloping Charge against isolated targets, then relies on Carousel Spin when surrounded, while No Goodbyes prevents wounded enemies from escaping. When bloodied, it retreats through shifting scenery to gather charmed beasts around itself; it fights to the death inside the Moonrise Pavilion but flees any battlefield where its music cannot be heard.

DM Tips

Telegraph Jubilee with distant calliope music, fresh horseshoe marks that abruptly become carousel tracks, and real horses staring toward empty air.
Play Jubilee as extravagantly polite and desperately possessive; it calls enemies guests, begs them not to leave, and becomes frantic when anyone says goodbye.
To weaken the encounter, remove Legendary Resistance and reduce Recruit to the Ride to one use per day; to strengthen it, begin with three charmed riding horses already in the lair.
Make the lair visibly rearrange between rounds so players understand that separating from Jubilee is a puzzle, not merely a matter of running down a hallway.

Loot

Jubilee's Brass Rosette — A warm brass award ribbon bearing the date of the Fair of Saint Orra. Once per long rest, its holder can cast charm person, but the spell produces faint calliope music.
The Missing Stable Ledger — A water-stained ledger listing every horse Jubilee has recruited, including the name and location of a prized warhorse taken from the duke's stables.
Star-Eyed Glass Marble — One of Jubilee's enchanted eyes. It reveals invisible carousel poles and hidden doors within 30 feet, but whispers invitations to any nearby Beast.

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Generation Info

Original prompt:
"CR 10: A carousel horse that escaped and now recruits real horses into the ride. Its lair rearranges itself to spare it from goodbyes."

Created: Sep 3, 2026
Modified: Sep 11, 2026

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