Ballybog

Tiny fey (familiar), neutral

Armor Class 14
Hit Points 18 (4d4 + 8)
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft., climb 10 ft., swim 10 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
6 (-2)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)	5 (-3)	10 (+0)	5 (-3)

Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances fire
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages understands Sylvan but can t speak
Proficiency Bonus +2
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Amphibious. The ballybog can breathe air and water.
• Camouflage. The ballybog has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in its natural environment of bogs and mudholes.
• Fey Ancestry. The ballybog has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put it to sleep.

ACTIONS

• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
• Familiar. The ballybog can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a telepathic bond with its willing master, provided that the master is at least a 3rd-level spellcaster. While the two are bonded, the master can sense what the ballybog senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. If its master causes it physical harm, the ballybog will end its service as a familiar, breaking the telepathic bond.
• Mud Puddle. The ballybog creates a puddle of mud that is either slippery or sticky (ballybog’s choice). The puddle is 1 inch deep and covers the ground in the ballybog’s space. The puddle is difficult terrain For all creatures except ballybogs and lasts for 1 hour. If the mud is slippery, any creature that enters the puddle’s area or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. If the mud is sticky, any creature that enters the puddle’s area or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be restrained.
• On its turn. a creature can use an action to try to extricate itself from the sticky puddle, ending the effect and moving into the nearest safe unoccupied space with a successful DC 12 Strength check.

BONUS ACTIONS

• Ballybog Mud. The ballybog excretes nonflammable mud from its pores. The ballybog chooses whether the mud is slippery or sticky and can change the mud on its skin from one consistency to another as a bonus action.
• Slippery Mud. While coated in slippery mud, the ballybog gains advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks made to escape bonds, squeeze through narrow spaces, and end grapples.
• Sticky Mud. While coated in sticky mud, the ballybog gains advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to grapple and any ability check made to maintain a hold on another creature, a surface, or an object. The ballybog can also climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

ABOUT

Ballybogs are tiny, bizarre-looking creatures with mud-covered, almost perfectly round bodies. Their heads lack a discernible neck and sit directly atop their rotund forms. Their spindly arms and legs appear too frail to support their weight, giving them an unsteady gait. The mud coating their bodies gives them a chocolate-covered appearance.

Ballybogs are inhabitants of peat bogs, mudholes, and marshy environments. Their affinity for these areas aligns with their role as guardians of such habitats.

Ballybogs have a reclusive and solitary nature. While they primarily protect their chosen territories from intruders, they may occasionally become mischievous. They have been known to lead travelers astray, causing them to lose their way or waste time in the bogs. Despite their odd and repugnant appearances, ballybogs are integral to the delicate balance of their wetland ecosystems.