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OA BESTIARY: CON-TINH

In this set of blog entries I aim to convert the original 1e Oriental Adventure monsters to 5e to provide some extra fodder for an OA campaign. I am using both the original 1e source and the updated 3e source as reference for the build. 

CON-TINH

Medium fey (yokai), chaotic evil

Armor Class 11
Hit Points 45 (10d8)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
7 (-2) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 17 (+3)

Damage Resistances acid, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that are not crystal
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11;
Languages The con-tinh speaks the languages common to the area, as well as any languages she knew in life.;
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Ancient Curse. Anyone who destroys the tree of a con-tinh must make a successful DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or suffer the effect of a bestow curse spell with unlimited duration.  In addition to the normal affects of the spell the curses typically involve annual crop failure (if the character is a farmer or land-owner) or periodic spontaneous fires in the victim’s home (or other building owned by the character or his family). This power is automatic and can occur day or night.

Ethereal Sight. The yokai can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.

Tree Heart. A con-tinh’s lifeforce is tied to that of a single fruit tree. She carries the fruit of this tree in her basket.  The fruit crumbles when anyone other than the con-tinh touches it.  The con-tinh cannot leave the area within a 100-foot radius of her tree. She spends daylight hours hiding in its branches, and usually is active only at night. However, if the con-tinh’s tree is disturbed at any time, she will attack.  If the tree is destroyed (chopped down, burned, or rotted with magic), the con-tinh dies immediately.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the con-tinh has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

ACTIONS                    
Vile Grasp. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 17 (4d6 + 3) psychic damage.

Maniacal Laugh (1/day). The con-tinh cackles like a mad woman. Characters within 20 feet of the laughing spirit must make a DC 13 Wisdom save or be stricken with a debilitating insanity.  This insanity reduces the victim’s Intelligence and Charisma score to 2.  The creature can’t cast spells, activate magic items, understand language, or communicate in any intelligible way.  The creature can, however, identify its friends, follow them, and even protect them.  A greater restorationheal, or wish spell restores sanity; each day, victims recover 1 point of both Intelligence and Wisdom until their original scores are fully reinstated.

Project Spirit (Recharge 6). One humanoid that the con-tinh can see within 5 feet of her must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or be possessed by the con-tinh; the con-tinh then disappears, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body.  The con-tinh now controls the body and deprives the target of awareness.  The con-tinh can’t be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead, and it retains its alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and immunity to being charmed and frightened.  It otherwise uses the possessed target’s statistics, but doesn’t gain access to the target’s knowledge, class features, or proficiencies.  The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, the con-tinh ends it as a bonus action, the body is moved more than 100 feet away from her tree, or the con-tinh is turned or forced out by an effect like the dispel evil spell.  When the possession ends, the con-tinh reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the body.  The target is immune to this con-tinh’s possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends.

DESCRIPTION                    
The malicious con-tinh is a lesser spirit believed to be the spirit of a maiden who died continhbefore her time. She appears as a beautiful maiden (human or humanoid) with flowing hair and sparkling eyes. She wears the attire of a princess, and carries a large fan and a basket of fruit. A con-tinh is sometimes accompanied by a pair of cranes or sky blue doves, which serve as her familiars (as the wizard spell of the same name).

The con-tinh’s single desire is to destroy life, especially characters of the race she once belonged to herself (usually, this means humans). She is greatly feared. If an area is reputedly the home of a con-tinh, fools and wise men alike will avoid it, especially after nightfall.

According to legend, the Celestial Bureaucracy creates a con-tinh from the spirit of a young maiden who has died before her time, usually as a result of a misdeed. The most common misdeed is an illicit love affair, which ends when the maiden is murdered by a rival or jealous spouse. On rare occasions, sisters who conspired in the same misdeed both become con-tinh, their lifeforces tied to identical, adjacent trees.

A con-tinh with a crane or dove as a familiar often sends it scouting for victims. Mistaking the bird for a good omen, unwary victims may follow it straight to the con-tinh’s tree.  A con-tinh’s treasure (whatever she takes from victims) usually is buried near the base of her tree, in a deep hole.

Wu-jen’s seek the dust of a crumbled fruit from a con-tinh’s tree which is used as a component for a potion of longevity.

Posted in 5e, Dungeons & Dragons, Monstrous Compendium, Oriental Adventures

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