Ahuizotl by

### Ahuizotl

A most powerful creature which often lurks in the darker corners of the feywild, the ahuizotl finds its home within murky swamps, fog-covered lakes, and perilous rivers. Resembling a large purple jackal, the ahuizotl's back is covered with large razor-sharp spines, clawed hands can be found at the ends of its front legs and tail, and its body is adorned in precious jewelry containing fragments of the souls it has claimed.

***Keeper of Souls.*** The ahuizotl is an Archfey obsessed with the concept of identity. It possesses the unique ability of being able to mimic other creatures on a metaphysical level, being able to steal a creature natural abilities, skills, and talents. Its diet primarily consists of other sentient creatures, as it gains the memories and voice of any creature it consumes. But its most unique ability is being able to see other creature's souls, and contain fragments and echoes of them into precious gemstones. It will often decorate its domain with gemstone hearts, each containing the identities of their most prized prey.

It enjoys tracking and learning about its prey before hunting them to completion, using its intellect to outsmart them into cleverly designed traps, rather than mindless killing.

***Lurker of the Depths.*** The ahuizotl makes it's home in dangerous swamps, rivers, and lakes, being able to somewhat influence the aquatic wildlife and rapids of its environment. It can breathe both water and air, and can swim and carry its prey unimpeded underwater. Though a devastating foe in the water, do not underestimate it on land, as it can trick the mind of its victims to believe they are drowning. It often will seek out living near sources of fresh water, to lure poor souls in need of a drink to its lair.

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***Maker of Deals.*** Sometimes, if it's not particularly hungry, it will be willing to spare the lives of its prey in exchange for certain items. These treasures often include objects which possess sentimental or historical significance. The ahuizotl loves treasures which show the personality, identity, or overall essence of a person or place. An ahuizotl may ask the wizard for their precious spellbook. A cleric for their holy symbol. A monk for their prized weapon.

However, if the ahuizotl is feeling particularly cruel, it may ask for something more immaterial. Perhaps, a spell to be permanently removed from a person's repertoire. A cherished event removed from their memory. A feat or skill stricken from their knowledge. The ahuizotl is not above leaving its domain, stalking creatures for vast distances, or taking hostages and collateral. Using its intelligence, it can often trick the people into doing evil deeds for it, such as stealing important artifacts, killing good-aligned creatures, or gathering dangerous information.

A deal made by shaking the Ahuizotl's hand cannot be broken without dire consequences. If a player intends to break an ahuizotl's deal, their Charisma ability score is reduced by 1 each dawn until they fulfill their end of the bargain, or the ahuizotl dies. While a bargain is being broken, the ahuizotl knows the location of the player, even if they are in a different plane. If a deal is fulfilled, the players Charisma returns to normal. If a player's charisma reduces to 0, their soul is ripped from their body, and transfered to a soul stone in the ahuizotl's lair. A player can be revived breaking their soulstone within 5ft feet of their body.

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> ## Ahuizotl
>*Large Fey, Neutral Evil*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 18
> - **Hit Points** 280
> - **Speed** 40 ft., 60 ft swim
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|17 (+3)|22 (+6)|15 (+2)|18 (+4)|16 (+3)|20 (+5)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** Dexterity +11, Charisma +10
> - **Skills** Deception, Insight, Performance, and Persuasion. 
> - **Damage Vulnerabilities** Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Sky-Iron weapons.
> - **Damage Resistances** Psychic.
> - **Damage Immunities** Force; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from non-magical weapons.
> - **Condition Immunities** Charmed, and Frightened
> - **Senses** Darkvision 120 ft.
> - **Proficiency Bonus** +5
> - **Languages** Common, Sylvan, Elven, Primordial, and Infernal.
> - **Challenge** CR 15 (13,000 XP)
> ___
>
> ***Amphibious.*** The ahuizotl can breathe air and water.
>
> ***Grasping Tail***. When creature of medium size or smaller is grappled by the ahuizotl's tail, the ahuizotl's movement speed is not effected. Any creature grappled by the ahuizotl moves with the ahuizotl.
>
> ***Legendary Resistance (3/Day).*** If the ahuizotl fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
>
> ***Magic Resistance.*** The ahuizotl has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.
>
> ***Mocking Call.*** The ahuizotl can perfectly imitate the voice or sound of any creature it has heard before.
> 
> ***Pounce.*** If the ahuizotl moves at least 20 ft. straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the panther can make one tail attack against it as a bonus action.
> 
> ***Spined Hide***. The ahuizotl is covered in sharp spines. When a creature hits the ahuizotl with a melee attack, the creature automatically takes 1d4 piercing damage.
>
> ***True Name.*** As an Archfey, the ahuizotl becomes vulnerable if its true name is spoken. The ahuiztols true name can be one other than 'ahuizotl', at the DM choosing. If the auizotl's true name is spoken aloud within 1 mile of it, it loses all of its condition and damage immunities, its magic resistance trait, legendary resistance, and legendary actions.
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The ahuizotl makes three attacks: Two with its claws, and one with its tail.
>
> ***Claw.*** *Melee:* +8 to hit, 5 ft., one target. *Hit* 17 (3d8+3) Slashing damage
> 
> ***Tail.*** *Attack Style:* +11 to hit, Reach 15 ft., one target. *Hit* 13 (2d6+6) Slashing damage. On a hit, the target must succeed a DC 18 Grapple check, becoming grappled on a failure. A target can repeat its grapple check at the end of each of its turns. If an already grappled target fails its grapple check, it becomes Restrained.
>
> ***Soul Gaze.*** The ahuizotl can see the location of all living creatures with souls within 30 feet of it, and its movement speed becomes 0 until the beginning of its next turn.
>
> ***Reflect Soul.*** The ahuizotl targets a creature it can see within 60 ft. of it. The target must make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the ahuizotl chooses one class or racial feature that the target creature possesses. The ahuizotl then can use the chosen feature as if it were its own. The ahuizotl uses its own ability scores in regards to the chosen feature. If the ahuizotl chooses the Spellcasting (or similar) feature, it gains access to the target's current prepared spells, and is considered to have the same number and levels of spell slots that the target did upon failing its save. If the feature has a limited number of uses, the ahuizotl has the same number of remaining uses the target did upon failing its save. If the feature utilizes a class resource (such as Ki or Sorcery Points), the ahuizotl is considered to have the same number of the appropriate resource the target did upon failing its save. The ahuizotl retains the chosen feature until it targets another creature with this ability or attempts to choose a different feature.

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> ### Legendary Actions
> The ahuizotl can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The ahuizotl regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
>
> ***Tail.*** The ahuizotl makes one tail attack.
>
> ***Charm.*** The ahuizotl casts the *charm person* spell (DC 18).
>
> ***Soul Gaze. (Costs 2 Actions)*** The ahuizotl uses its soul gaze action.
>
>  ***Drown. (Costs 3 Actions).*** The ahuizotl targets one creature within 60 ft. of it, which can hear it. The target must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target takes an amount of psychic damage equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1), taking half as much on a success. A target which fails its saving throw begins to feel like it is drowning, and gains the Frightened Condition. At the end of each of its turns, the frightened creature can remake the saving throw, having its hit point maximum reduced by the same amount on a failure. This effect lasts until a different creature is targeted with this ability, the ahuizotl becomes incapacitated, or the creature is targeted by a *lesser restoration* spell or an effect of greater or equal power.

### An Ahuizotl's Lair

The ahuiztol's lair is a place of confusion and deception. Depending on the mood of the ahuizotl, warnings in the form of mutilated corpses could be left all about, or clear roads and shores could lead prey invitingly to it's waters.

#### Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the ahuizotl takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the ahuizotl can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:

* Pools of water that the ahuizotl can see within 120 feet of it surge outward in a grasping tide. Any creature on the ground within 20 feet of such a pool must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet into the water and knocked prone.
* The ahuizotl summons a **Swarm of Quippers** within 120 feet of it. The swarm acts on the lair's initiative, and remains until either it is killed, the ahuizotl dismisses them as an action, the ahuiztol uses this lair action again, or the ahuizotl dies. The swarm can fill a 20-foot-radius sphere, and counts as lightly obscured.
* A magical field of silence spreads from a point the ahuizotl chooses within 120 feet of it, filling a 30-foot-radius sphere until the ahuizotl dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The area of effect spreads around corners. No sound can be created within or pass through the sphere of silence. Any creature or object entirely inside the sphere is immune to thunder damage, and creatures are deafened while entirely inside it. Casting a spell that includes a verbal component is impossible there. However, should the ahuizotl wish, any creature within the sphere can perceive any sound it wishes, as if having cast the *minor illusion* spell. These sounds can appear to be coming from any direction, and can be of any nature.

#### Regional Effects

The region containing the ahuizotl's lair is warped by the ahuoztl's sylvan magic. which creates one or more of the following effects.

* Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are fouled and black. Enemies of the ahuizotl are unable to drink this water without regurgitating it immediately, and cannot see more than 5 feet while under this water.
* Fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the lair.
* Precious stones shaped like hearts grow on trees, rocks, and other features within 1 mile of the lair. Upon breaking one of these stones, a creature must succeed a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 4d6 psychic damage. On a success, the creature gains one random Class feature, Racial trait, or Feat between 1st and 5th level, which the creature does not already possess. The DM choses this gained ability. This gained ability lasts for 1 hour, or until another stone is broken. A creature can only have one ability gained this way at a time.
* A creature that sleeps within 6 miles of the lair must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the ahuizotl knows the exact location of that creature, and the creature becomes either Charmed or Frightened by the ahuizotl until its next long rest.

> ##### Credits
> Art by: u/twolegmike
> </br>
> Homebrew by: u/twolegmike
> </br>
> Document created with: GM Binder