Skinwalker
"I saw a Skinwalker. It took the form of a coyote, but its eyes were human, of that I'm sure. I'm lucky it let me go. I'm lucky to be alive." -Dira Narasif, approximately one day before he was found, his body torn apart by a wild animal inside his home.
Once, these foul creatures walked the earth as men and women; simple albeit powerful druids. Few know how these creatures came to be; some popular stories include a druid who made a deal with a demon or devil, while others tell of a darker ritual involved.
Perverse Druids
These creatures use the destructive power of nature to great effect. They are still technically druids, though only just. It is believed that, as part of the ritual to become a Skinwalker, a druid must sacrifice his circle over the course of four full moons.
Powerful Names
A Skinwalker often destroys any and all who used to know it. A Skinwalker's human name holds power over it, and speaking a Skinwalker's human name in its presence reminds it of its lost humanity, forcing it back into its humanoid form and drastically weakening it.
Darkened Forms
A Skinwalker's Wildshape ability has been greatly altered by its transformation into a monstrosity. A Skinwalker cannot take a pure animal form anymore, and instead its forms become a strange hybrid of human and animal; a dog with human eyes, a deer that walks on two legs, or a wolf with human legs and arms.
Devious Stalker
A Skinwalker will rarely kill its prey outright. More often, they will spend time toying with it, frightening it and causing misfortune to befall it, until the creature grows bored of the games.
Skinwalker
Medium monstrosity, Chaotic Evil
- Armor Class 16
- Hit Points 150
- Speed 60 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18(+4) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 10 (0)
- Saving Throws Wis +9, Int +6
- Skills Perception +10, Nature +5, Survival +10
- Damage Resistances Necrotic, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonsilvered weapons
- Damage Immunities Poison, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonsilvered, nonmagic weapons
- Condition Immunities Exhaustion, poisoned, charmed, frightened
- Senses Darkvision, 120 ft., penetrates magical darkness. Passive perception 20
- Languages Common, druidic, other languages known pre-transformation
- Challenge 14
Keen Senses The Skinwalker has advantage on Wisdom (perception) checks.
Magic Resistance The Skinwalker has advantage on saves versus spells and other magical effects
Perverse Transformation The Skinwalker can take the form of an animal skin it wears, however this transformation is corrupted and wrong. The animal form has various inconsistencies that cause it to stand out as perverse; perhaps a deer has the eyes of a human, or a coyote has human feet and hands. On top of this, the animal form is enhanced and is much stronger than its natural counterpart.
Shapechanger The Skinwalker can use its bonus action to take the form of any humanoid it has seen, or any animal whose skin it is wearing. While in an animal form, the following rules apply:
Its physical statistics are replaced with the statistics of one of the "corrupted" beasts included along with this stat block. It retains its alignment, personality, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma scores. It also retains all of its skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as it and its bonus is higher than the Skinwalker's, it uses the creature's bonus instead of its own.
When the skinwalker transforms, it gains the beast's hitpoints as temporary hitpoints. These hitpoints are lost when Skinwalker reverts its transformation.
Speech is extremely difficult while in beast form. The Skinwalker can speak while in the form of a beast, but its voice sounds guttural and wrong.
The skinwalker retains the benefit of any features from its race, class, or other source and can use them so long as its new form is physically capable of doing so. It keeps the senses of its true form, along with gaining any senses gained by its new form.
The Skinwalker's equipment merges into its new form. The skinwalker must be wearing the skin of an animal in order to transform into that beast. It may only take an animal form twice per day.
Forgotten Humanity Speaking a Skinwalker's human name aloud in its presence weakens the creature. It is forced into its human form, stripped of its spellcasting abilities and its resistances and immunities, including its magic resistance.
Spellcasting: The Skinwalker is a 17th level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (save DC 18, +10 to hit). It has the following Druid spells prepared: Cantrips: Infestation, Primal Savagery, Druidcraft, Thorn Whip 1st Level (4 slots): Cure Wounds, Entangle, Longstrider 2nd Level (3 slots): Enemies Abound, Spike Growth, Enhance Ability 3rd Level (3 slots): Conjure Animals, Erupting Earth, Dispel Magic 4th Level (3 slots): Dominate Beast, Blight, Locate Creature, Grasping Vine 5th Level (3 slots): Insect Plague, Contagion, Wrath of Nature 6th Level (1 slot): Heal, Wall of Thorns, Bones of the Earth 7th level (1 slot): Whirlwind 8th Level (1 slot): Control Weather 9th level (1 slot) Foresight
Actions
Multiattack. The Skinwalker makes two Claw attacks
Claw Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, Reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 1d6+4 slashing damage + 2d6 poison damage
Piercing Gaze. (Recharge 6) So long as a character has not averted its gaze and is within twenty feet of the Skinwalker, the Skinwalker may force the character to make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or be charmed by it. The Skinwalker may then choose to merge with the person, possessing them. If the character is possessed, it may make another saving throw at the end of each of its turns. However, if it is merely charmed, it may only make another saving throw whenever it takes damage, ending the effect on a success. This ability may be used in animal form. While possessed, the Skinwalker disappears and the target is considered incapacitated and loses control of its body. The Skinwalker takes control of the body, and cannot be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, and it retains its alignment, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma scores as well as its immunity to being exhausted, poisoned, frightened, or charmed. It otherwise uses the possessed targets’ statistics, but doesn’t gain access to the targets’ knowledge, class features, or proficiencies. The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, the character makes its saving throw, or the Skinwalker ends it as a bonus action. When the possession ends, the Skinwalker reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the body. The target is immune to this effect for 24 hours after succeeding on its save
Corrupted Jackal
Large beast, Chaotic Evil
- Armor Class 15
- Hit Points 59 (7d10+21)
- Speed 60
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20 (+5) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 7 (+2)
- Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
- Condition Immunities None
- Senses Passive Perception (13)
- Languages ----
- Challenge 4
Keen Hearing And Smell The Jackal has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell
Actions
Multiattack. Corrupted Jackal makes two bite attacks
Bite Melee Weapon Attack +7 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 18 (3d8+5) Piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 15 strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Corrupted Eagle
Medium Beast, Chaotic Evil
- Armor Class 15
- Hit Points 42
- Speed 20 ft, fly 100 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 23 (+6) 18 (+4) 8 (-1) 14 (+2) 10 (0)
- Skills Perception (+4)
- Senses Passive Perception (14)
- Languages ----
- Challenge 4
Flyby The eagle doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it moves out of an enemy's reach
Keen Sight The eagle has advantage on wisdom (perception) checks that rely on sight
Actions
Multiattack. The eagle makes two attacks, one with its beak and one with its talons
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, 5 ft, one target. Hit: 2d6+5 Piercing damage
Talons Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, 5 ft, one target. Hit 2d6+5 Slashing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 additional slashing damage at the start of its next turn.
