Baleful Miasma

Medium elemental, neutral evil

Armor Class 13
Hit Points 52 (8d8 + 16)
Speed 0 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
13 (+1)	17 (+3)	14 (+2)	6 (–2)	11 (+0)	6 (–2)

Damage Resistances lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Auran
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Air Form. The baleful miasma can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. It can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
• Asphyxiate. If a creature that breathes air starts its turn in the baleful miasma’s space, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or begin suffocating as its lungs fill with the poisonous air emitted by the miasma. The suffocation lasts until the creature ends its turn in a space not occupied by the baleful miasma or the baleful miasma dies. When the suffocation ends, the creature is poisoned until the end of its next turn.
• Elemental Nature. The baleful miasma doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The baleful miasma makes two Slam attacks.
• Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) poison damage.

REACTIONS

• Swift Advance. If a creature in the same space as the baleful miasma moves, the miasma can move up to its speed with the creature. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks, but the miasma must move in the same spaces the creature moved, ending in the creature’s space or the space nearest to the creature.

ABOUT

A dark form floats in the air, looking like a ragged shroud of smoke. Dull red points of light glow like eyes beneath a deep cowl.

Air elementals are sometimes stranded in toxic areas, unable to return to the pure atmosphere of their home on the Elemental Plane of Air. Over time, these elementals become weakened and corrupted, forming hateful masses of poisonous fumes that seek to envelop and smother living creatures they come upon. These corrupted air elementals are known as baleful miasmas.

Hatred of Air Elementals. Baleful miasmas hate reminders of their past forms.

Baleful miasmas attack air elementals in preference to other targets, and if a baleful miasma kills an air elemental, the air elemental reforms as a new baleful miasma.

Mistaken for Undead. Because of its dark, smoky form, a baleful miasma can be mistaken for a wraith, ghost, or other type of incorporeal undead. This sort of misidentification can be deadly, as adventurers may waste precious time using attacks and spells advantageous in a fight against undead but useless against this corrupted elemental.