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Shikigami: Kami of Civilisation

Converted here to be used for my OA campaign.

This tiny, crudely carved statue of a robed man has glowing runes running across its surface.

SHIKIGAMI

Tiny celestial (kami), chaotic neutral
Armor Class 13 (plus stoneskin)
Hit Points 17 (5d4 + 5)
Speed 30 ft.
STR        DEX        CON        INT        WIS        CHA
13 (+1)   17 (+3)    12 (+1)    10 (+0)   14 (+2.    13 (+1)
Skills Acrobatics +5, Deception +3, Perception +6, Stealth +7
Damage Resistance bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses Blindsight 30 ft., Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Elvish, Spirit Tongue (Kami)
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Innate Spellcasting. The kami’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16, Spell Attack +8). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

False Appearance. While the kami has stoneskin active and remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an inanimate statue.

Local Knowledge. As a nature spirit, a kami is intimately familiar with the natural world in the area where it lives. A nature spirit automatically has access to the information learned from the commune with nature spell.

Magic Resistance. The kami has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Regeneration. As long as a kami is within 120 feet of its ward, it has regeneration 2 so long as it has at least 1 hit point remaining. However, it dies if its ward is killed or destroyed.
Speak with Beasts and Plants.The kami can communicate with beasts and plants as if they shared a language.
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.
Exception: A kami may move anywhere within the same natural feature its ward resides in. For example a tree kami could move anywhere in the same forest that its tree ward grows even if it is more than 300 yards away.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The kami makes two improvised weapon attacks.
Improvised Weapon. Melee or Range Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or 20/40 ft range, one target.
Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing, slashing or bludgeoning damage. If the kami had advantage on the attack roll, the attack deals an extra 10 (3d6) piercing damage.


DESCRIPTION

Shikigami are the least of the kami, yet they make up for their lowly status with their loyalty and bravery. Unlike most other well-known types of kami, shikigami are more often associated with rural and urban regions than with natural settings. These kami are the protectors of the minor works of civilization—things like milestones, waymarkers, tiny garden statues, and other relatively mundane works of art crafted by humanoid hands.

No two shikigami look exactly alike, as befits a race of kami that associates with such a wide range of wards. While all shikigami have the ability to merge with their wards, these kami are also fond of spending time in their physical forms, watching over their wards either invisibly or in the form of a tiny statue. In combat, a shikigami fights with whatever objects it finds at hand. Although relatively weak, these improvised weapons have an uncanny knack for hitting harder than they should.

Shikigami are as friendly and curious as other kami, but they are quick to leave an area they see as being polluted by ideals that disrupt the virtues of nature. When they do, they generally take their wards with them. They do not engage humanoids who desecrate the environment, but their absence leaves a profound mark on the morale of perceptive villagers. Should the shikigami leave, town officials who know the function of the miniature kami are quick to change policies in their community to reflect a more naturalistic approach, hoping to rekindle the relationship between shikigami and people, lest the community fall into the disfavor of more powerful and less passive kami.

Shikigami typically stand 2 feet tall and weigh 30 pounds, or 50 pounds when taking their statue forms.

A spellcaster must have the Improved Familiar feat (or something similar), an alignment of lawful neutral, and an arcane caster level of 7th or higher to gain a shikigami familiar. Whenever a shikigami becomes a familiar, it treats its master as its ward.

Original.

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

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