Mngwa

Medium aberration, neutral evil

Armor Class 16 (Ethereal Coat)
Hit Points 91 (14d8 + 28)
Speed 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
19 (+4) 17 (+3) 15 (+2) 11 (+0) 17 (+3) 17 (+3)

Skills Perception +5, Stealth +7
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Sylvan
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Ethereal Coat. The mngwa’s AC includes its Charisma modifier (included above).
  • Ethereal Sight. The mngwa can see 30 feet into the Ethereal Plane when on the Material Plane and vice versa.
  • Feline Passivism. No felines or weretigers can willingly attack the mngwa. They can be forced to do so through magical means.
  • Keen Smell. The mngwa has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
  • Pack Tactics. The mngwa has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the mngwa’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
  • Running Leap. With a 10-foot running start, the mngwa can long jump up to 25 feet.
  • Speak with Felines. The mngwa can communicate with felines as if they shared a language.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The mngwa makes one Ethereal Bite attack and two Claw attacks.
  • Ethereal Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage plus 5 (2d4) force damage.
  • Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage.

BONUS ACTIONS

  • Ethereal Step. The mngwa magically shifts from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane, or vice versa. When it leaves or enters the Material Plane, a puff of gray smoke briefly appears in the space on the Material Plane it leaves or enters.

ABOUT

Tiny wisps of grayish smoke ooze from the slate-colored coat of this leonine creature.

Ethereal Lions. The elusive mngwa (MING-wah) are the offspring of a sentient feline beast from the Ethereal Plane that mated with a lioness long ago. Also called nunda (“smoke-cats”), mngwas are strong, cunning hunters who can elude pursuit or approach their prey unnoticed by disappearing briefly into the ether.

Rocky Terrain. Mngwas choose their hunting ground carefully, avoiding flatlands where competing predators are plentiful. They favor rocky and treacherous terrain where their talent for dancing along the veil between worlds allows them to outmaneuver their prey.

Feline Allies. The strongest mngwa recruit other great cats into their prides, though these associations tend to be shortlived. They hunt with especially savage groups of nkosi, though only a great pridelord can command one during a hunt. When the hunt is over, the mngwa move on, and sometimes they take one of the young nkosi with them to become a shaman.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Beasts 1 ©2023 Open Design LLC; Authors: Daniel Kahn, Jeff Lee, and Mike Welham.

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