Simhamukha

Those who say that the good and wise are meek and gentle have never seen the simhamuka in her full rage, striking down evil with the fury of a raging lion.

Huge celestial (dakini), chaotic good

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 115 (11d12 + 44)
Speed 50 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
21 (+5) 15 (+2) 19 (+4) 12 (+1) 17 (+3) 19 (+4)

Saving Throws Charisma +7, Strength +8
Skills Perception +6
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, psychic; bludgeoning, piericing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison, radiant
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

Special Traits

  • Magic Weapons. The simhamukha’s weapon attacks are magical.
  • Magic Resistance. The simhamukha has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
  • Smite (3/day). When the simhamukha hits a creature with a melee attack, it can choose to deal an additional 9 (2d8) radiant damage.
  • Innate Spellcasting. The simhamukha’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

Actions

  • Multiattack. The simhamukha makes two attacks with its kartika, or one with its kartika and one with its bite.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) piercing damage. If this damage reduces Dakini, Simhamukha the target to 0 hit points, the simhamukha kills the target by decapitating it.
  • Kartika. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) slashing damage.
  • Staff Sweep (Recharge 5-6). Each creature within 15 feet of the simhamukha must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 13 (3d8) bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone. On a success, it takes half the damage and isn’t knocked prone.
  • Weird (Recharge 6). The simhamukha draws upon the deepest fears and regrets of the creatures around it, creating illusions visible only to them. Each creature within 40 feet of the simhamukha, must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, taking 11 (2d10) psychic damage on a failure or ending the effect on itself on a success.
  • None May Stop Death. When a creature within 30 feet of a dark father regains hp through any means other than resting, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or take 3 (1d6) necrotic damage and have disadvantage on its next death saving throw.

Actions

  • Life Drain. Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 14 (4d6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or its hp maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hp maximum to 0.
  • Final Curtain. The dark father targets a corpse it can see within 30 feet that has been dead for no longer than 1 hour. A stream of dark energy flows between the corpse and the dark father. At the end of the dark father’s next turn, the dark father absorbs the corpse and it vanishes completely. Any worn items or possessions are unaffected. A corpse destroyed in this manner can’t be retrieved other than by a wish spell or similar magic.

Reactions

  • Banish Hope. When a spell from the evocation or necromancy school is cast within 30 feet of the dark father, the dark father can counter the spell with a successful ability check. This works like the counterspell spell with a +5 spellcasting ability check, except the dark father must make the ability check no matter the level of the spell.

About

The simhamukha is a dakini of great vengeance and wrath but also of vast enlightenment. It appears as a titanic woman with blue-black skin and the head of a white lion with a golden mane. The lion’s face has three yellow or red eyes with the third in the center of its forehead.

Manifestations of Energy. Dakinis are lesser goddesses that take active roles in the world. They are an embodiment of enlightened awareness and wisdom and seek to help others to achieve a higher state of being. of the dakinis, the simhamukha is the most wrathful, seeking to punish those who have harmed protected beings.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Creature Codex. © 2018 Open Design LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Dan Dillon, Richard Green, James Haeck, Chris Harris, Jeremy Hochhalter, James Introcaso, Chris Lockey, Shawn Merwin, and Jon Sawatsky.