Azata, Gancanagh

Family: Azata

Medium celestial (azata), chaotic good

Armor Class 14
Hit Points 60 (8d8+24)
Speed 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 20 (+5) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 21 (+5)

Damage Resistances cold, fire
Damage Immunities lightning
Condition Immunities petrified
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages all
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Innate Spellcasting. The gancanagh‘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:
  • Invigorating Passion (1/Day). The gancanagh can bless a mortal with a kiss, healing them for 1d8 hit points and allowing them to ignore exhaustion. This benefit ends after 1 hour, at which point the creature must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or gain a level of exhaustion.
  • Smoke Weakness. The gancanagh has disadvantage on all saving throws against smoke or vapors.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The gancanagh makes two attacks.
  • Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, 5 ft. reach, 1 target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage.

ABOUT

Male azatas of extraordinary and radiant beauty, gancanaghs are Elysium’s knights-errant, but they are best known as inveterate wooers of mortals and immortals alike. While gancanaghs are incorrigible flirts, a gancanagh’s true attention tends to alight on one man or woman at a time, and he throws himself into wooing and courting his current target, into a brief but earnest fling before his quicksilver passions change yet again. A typical gancanagh stands 6 feet tall but weighs only 130 pounds.

Demon Hunters. Gancanaghs hate succubi and incubi more than anything else, as they feel that the mere existence of such creatures profanes the spirit of romance with the shadow of the demons‘ seduction and violence, leading good people who share the gancanagh’s flirtatious and open nature to be compared to evil creatures. One can give a gancanagh no greater offense than to mistake him for an incubus, and more than one hotheaded gancanagh has challenged a misinformed paladin or other ally of good to a duel over such an insult.

Trinkets. While many gancanaghs carry whimsical-looking pipes because they like the way they look, they can’t stand smoke, and so rarely make use of them. A gancanagh’s flute, on the other hand, is a cherished possession, as they enjoy both the beauty of the music and its ability to sway the heart.

Azatas are a race of celestials native to the plane of Elysium, where the pursuit of freedom and goodness is paramount.

Azatas are champions of these concepts, great bards, knights, and explorers who roam the planes in search of good folk in need of their help. Frequently described as the most elven or fey-like celestials, azatas nevertheless often have strange, inhuman shapes or can take elemental or eldritch forms, though all are created and nourished by the influx of goodly mortal souls. Like most celestials, they cannot reproduce with each other in the mortal fashion, and often tryst with mortals who prove charming and good spirited. Azatas dally frequently with their own kind, being quick to seek out feelings of love, joy, and companionship, but rarely feel bound or exclusive to merely one lover, regardless of its race.

Azatas can speak with almost any creature because of their truespeech special ability.

Wanderers. Azatas rarely stay in one place for long and prefer the thrill of motion and discovery to creature comforts. Most azata “settlements” are little more than a collection of tents around a landmark, gathered over the course of a day to share news, stories, and perhaps good-natured duels, and then packed up again a few days later. Such temporary settlements are colorful and have a celebratory atmosphere, as azatas are quick to greet any of their kind as old friends. Although few can predict when and where an azata community might arise, some groups of azatas gather in cycles for traditional festivals and reunions. Such gatherings typically take place at a time of mystical consequence, such as on the evening of the lunar equinox, or during less predictable times, such as upon the wedding of two seers, and always in a place of pristine or stunning natural wonder. All azatas fundamentally know when and where the closest or next gathering of their people might occur, and while none are required or even expected to attend, all are welcome. These gatherings do not preclude more permanent azata holdings and communes, however, and the heights of Elysium endlessly ring with the songs of azata choirs.

Knights Errant. Most azatas have some knightly or courtly title, such as duke, countess, or prince, apparently hereditary, perhaps from a celestial monarchy long abandoned and forgotten. Azatas do not exploit these titles to exert influence over each other, instead using them for personal identification or a bit of self-importance. They are deadly and resolute foes of evil, fearless and clever in battle. They are driven by a crusading nature and feel bored when forced to stay in one place too long.

This tendency also means they are unlikely to agree to serve mortals for an extended period of time, preferring to arrive, get the job done, and move on to some other quest or challenge. As much as they seek to spread the cause of freedom and joy, azatas realize that they cannot enforce such virtues throughout the multiverse. Without darkness there can be no light, and without struggle there can be no victory.

Understanding this, these celestials remain removed from the majority of mortal conflicts, preferring to act as advisors in such situations rather than champions, granting goodly mortals ownership over their own triumphs. In cases where the forces of evil act overtly, however, and intrude upon mortal worlds, azatas are quick to rally to defend such realms and aid those who have no hope of defending themselves.

Azatas generally work together, but their powerful personalities and strong sense of individual freedom often see them disagreeing on how best to handle a particular situation. While both parties have the greater good at heart, these arguments can fester and grow into long-lasting grudges. In cases where a single azata is convinced his way is right, he might even enter a sort of self-imposed exile, abandoning the support of his kin so he can launch a oneazata crusade against the cruelties of the multiverse.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Faerie Bestiary (5E) © 2022, Legendary Games; Authors Matt Kimmel, Michael “solomani” Mifsud, Miguel Colon, Robert J. Grady, Jason Nelson, Jeff Ibach, Tim Hitchcock.

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