Menu Close

pennaggolan

Moving on to 3rd edition OA there are a few new monsters in this book that were not in 1e.  Converting them here.  

I knew about this monster first hand from my wife who’s family is from the Philippines.  This is actually a tamed down version of the real folk-version.  Philipinos (and many Asian cultures) really have horrific monsters.


PENNAGGOLAN DESCRIPTION

Pennaggolans are among the most fearsome undead creatures in existence. A type of vampire, they prey on the weak and sickly, attacking lone farm-houses or small bands of travellers while they sleep. In its natural form, a pennaggolan is a horrid floating head, with entrails and intestines hanging down from the neck. The creature can manipulate these gruesome tentacles with hideous strength, whipping them around throats and limbs to squeeze the life out of its victims before feeding on their blood.

Pennaggolans prefer to use stealth and guile to search for food. They can appear as normal humans by squeezing their entrails back into their original bodies, and often infiltrate isolated communities disguised as travellers or peasants. They can only feed in their natural form, however, and they are easily recognized in this form.

Pennaggolans speak any languages they knew in life.


PENNAGGOLAN TEMPLATE

A humanoid can become a pennagglolan. When a creature becomes a pennagglolan, it retains all its statistics except as noted below.

  • Type. Type is changed to undead (shapechanger).
  • Alignment. Lawful Evil.
  • Speed. In humanoid form, a pennaggolan’s speed is the same as the base creature. In its natural form, it flies at a speed of 50 feet.
  • AC. The base creature’s natural armor increases by +4.
  • Abilities. Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Dex +2, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +4.
  • Saving Throws. The pennaggolan gains proficiency in DEX, WIS and CHA saving throws if the base creature is not already proficient.
  • Skills. The pennaggolan gains proficiency in Deception and Stealth if the base creature is not already proficient.
  • Languages. Pennaggolans speak any languages they knew in life.
  • Damage Resistances. Pennaggolans gain resistance to cold, lightningbludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
  • Senses. The pennaggolan gains darkvision with a radius of 60 feet.
  • Challenge. Recaluclate the CR of the newly birthed pennaggolan pre the guidelines in the Dungeon Master’s Guide to recalculate the rating after you apply the template.
  • Create Spawn. Pennaggolans usually kill their victims by strangulation before draining all their blood. If a character dies from a pennaggolan’s blood drain ability, however, the victim is at risk of rising again as a pennaggolan. If the body remains unburied for three days, it is transformed into a pen- naggolan. The new creature is not under the control of the pennaggolan that created it, but it is irredeemably evil, feeling no attachment to its old life.
  • Fear Aura. As a free action, a pennaggolan in its natural form can create an aura of fear in a 30-foot radius. Creatures within this distance of the pennaggolan must succeed at a Wisdom save or become become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
  • Regeneration. The pennaggolan regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point. If the pennaggolan takes radiant damage or damage from jade weapons, this trait doesn’t function at the start of the pennaggolan’s next turn.
  • Shapechanger. A pennaggolan can make itself appear humanoid by squeezing its entrails back into the shell of its original body. (It must first soak the entrails in vinegar to reduce their engorgement.) In this form, it appears to be its original alignment when detect spells or the like are used on it, and it cannot be turned. If the body is destroyed while the head is separated from it, the pennaggolan dies in 1d4 days.
  • Turn Resistance. A pennaggolan has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.

New Actions

A pennaggolan retains all the attacks of the base creature and also gains a bite attack if it didn’t already have one. Anywhere where XX is noted calculated bonuses normally – for example for a to-hit it would be Strength (or Dex depending on which ability score is higher than the base creature) plus proficiency bonus for the final CR of the creature:

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +XX to hit, reach 5 ft., oone willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the pennaggolan, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 7 (1d6 + [Strength Bonus]) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the pennaggolan regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following night as a pennaggolan.

Entrails (Pennagglolan Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +XX to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (1d8 + XX) bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, the pennaggolan’ can grapple the target (escape DC XX). A grappled creature automatically takes 8 (1d8 + XX) bludgeoning damage at the start of its turn.

Domination. A pennaggolan can crush an opponent’s will just by looking into his or her eyes. The pennaggolan targets one humanoid it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see the pennaggolan, the target must succeed on a DC XX Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be charmed by the pennaggolan. The charmed target regards the pennaggolan as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn’t under the pennaggolan’s control, it takes the pennaggolan’s requests or actions in the most favorable way it can, and it is a willing target for the pennaggolan’s bite attack. Each time the pennaggolan or the pennaggolan’s companions do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until the pennaggolan is destroyed, is on a different plane of existence than the target, or takes a bonus action to end the effect

SAMPLE PENNAGGOLAN

This example uses a Crane Clan veteran as the base creature.

PENNAGGOLAN
Medium undead (shapechanger), lawful evil
Armor Class17 (O-Yori)
Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft.
STR      DEX     CON     INT      WIS     CHA
21 (+5) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 14 (+2)
Saving Throws DEX +4, WIS +3, CHA +4
Skills Athletics +5, Deception +4, Perception +3, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances cold, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical Attacks
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Common
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Create Spawn. Pennaggolan veterans usually kill their victims by strangulation before draining all their blood. If a character dies from a pennaggolan’s blood drain ability, however, the victim is at risk of rising again as a pennaggolan. If the body remains unburied for three days, it is transformed into a pen- naggolan. The new creature is not under the control of the pennaggolan that created it, but it is irredeemably evil, feeling no attachment to its old life.

Fear Aura. As a free action, a pennaggolan veteran in its natural form can create an aura of fear in a 30-foot radius. Creatures within this distance of the pennaggolan must succeed at a DC 11 Wisdom save or become become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.

Regeneration. The pennaggolan veteran regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point. If the pennaggolan takes radiant damage or damage from jade weapons, this trait doesn’t function at the start of the pennaggolan’s next turn.

Shapechanger. A pennaggolan veteran can make itself appear humanoid by squeezing its entrails back into the shell of its original body. (It must first soak the entrails in vinegar to reduce their engorgement.) In this form, it appears to be its original alignment when detect spells or the like are used on it, and it cannot be turned. If the body is destroyed while the head is separated from it, the pennaggolan dies in 1d4 days.

Turn Resistance. A pennaggolan veteran has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.

Actions

Multiattack. The pennaggolan veteran makes two katana attacks. If he has a wakizashi drawn, he can also make a wakizashi attack.

Katana. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage, or 10 (1d10 + 5) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Wakizashi. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) piercing damage.

Tate-Uguchi Shudo. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., oone willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the pennaggolan, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 7 (1d6 + [Strength Bonus]) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the pennaggolan regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following night as a pennaggolan.

Entrails (Pennagglolan Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, the pennaggolan’ can grapple the target (escape DC 15). A grappled creature automatically takes 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage at the start of its turn.

Domination. A pennaggolan can crush an opponent’s will just by looking into his or her eyes. The pennaggolan targets one humanoid it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see the pennaggolan, the target must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be charmed by the pennaggolan. The charmed target regards the pennaggolan as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn’t under the pennaggolan’s control, it takes the pennaggolan’s requests or actions in the most favorable way it can, and it is a willing target for the pennaggolan’s bite attack. Each time the pennaggolan or the pennaggolan’s companions do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until the pennaggolan is destroyed, is on a different plane of existence than the target, or takes a bonus action to end the effect.

 

                                                     “Pennaggolan” by Wayne Reynolds

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

Leave a Reply