A monster in my Oriental Adventure campaign. PCs negotiated with them and turned the into special military units/followers (I am using Stronghold and Followers for castle management) after taking over Ashina Castle.
I ran a heavily modified Frozen Wind (with heavy doses of The Hungry Storm – in particular the tower battle) as a bit of a side trek for my PCs as they travel to The Ruby Phoenix Tournament. They managed to defeat the Wind Yai Rimiko and the boon they received from the mountain kami was to call for its aide once in battle – as a military unit or just as an npc.
KOCHIYAMA
KAMI of the MOUNTAIN
Huge Celestial (kami), neutral
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 161 (17d12 + 51)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft (ice and snow only), swim 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 8 (-1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)
Damage Resistances acid; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Condition Immunities enchantment
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Kami, Telepathy 50 ft.
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Innate Spellcasting.Kochiyama’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 10). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: detect evil and good, detect magic, invisibility, plane shift (between the Spirit World and the Material Plane only), polymorph (self only).
Keen Smell. Kochiyama has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Local Knowledge. Kochiyama is intimately familiar with the natural world in the area where it lives. It automatically has access to the information learned from the commune with nature spell.
Magic Resistance. Kochiyama has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Numbing Cold. When Kochiyama deals cold damage to a creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be staggered until the end of their next round. A staggered creature may only take one action – Attack, Move, Bonus or Reaction.
Regeneration. As long as Kochiyama is within 120 feet of its ward, it has regeneration 10 so long as it has at least 1 hit point remaining. This kami’s ward is the monastery and the area around it.
Ward. Each kami is mystically bound to a natural feature — small spirits to a branch,
small stone, or stream, medium spirits to a tree, flower, rock, or bamboo grove, and large spirits to a mountain, boulder, ancient tree, or small island. The nature spirit cannot stray more than 300 yards from its feature. If it does, it becomes ill and dies within 24 hours. If the feature to which it is bound is destroyed, the nature spirit dies. Animal kami can move around freely as they essentially fuse with their animal ward permanently. Kochiyama’s ward is the monastery and the area around it.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. Kochiyama makes three attacks: one with his bite and two with his claws.
Bite. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Freezing Strikes (Recharge 6). The avatar uses Multiattack. Each attack that hits deals an extra 5 (1d10) cold damage. A target that is hit by one or more of these attacks has its speed reduced by 10 feet until the end of the myrmidon’s next turn.
Military Unit Note: Away from the monastery Kochiyama does not have the regeneration trait and his cost drops to 649.