Behir, Adult

Family: Behir

Huge monstrosity, neutral evil

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 168 (16d12 + 64); Wound Threshold 42
Speed 50 ft., climb 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
23 (+6) 16 (+3) 18 (+4) 8 (-1) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)

Skills Perception +6, Stealth +7
Damage Immunities lightning
Condition Immunities frightened
Senses darkvision 90 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Behir, Undercommon
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The behir makes two attacks: one with its bite and one to constrict, or two playful swipes.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) piercing damage.
  • Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Large or smaller creature. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage plus 17 (2d10 + 6) slashing damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 18) if the behir isn’t already constricting a creature, and the target is restrained until this grapple ends.
  • Lightning Breath (Recharge 5-6). The behir exhales a line of lightning that is 20 feet long and 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 66 (12d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
  • Playful Swipe. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d10 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
  • Swallow. The behir makes one bite attack against a Medium or smaller target it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target is also swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the target is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the behir, and it takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of the behir’s turns. A behir can have only one creature swallowed at a time. If the behir takes 30 damage or more on a single turn from the swallowed creature, the behir must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate the creature, which falls prone in a space within 10 feet of the behir. If the behir dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 15 feet of movement, exiting prone.

ABOUT

Some behirs from agreements with the more savage tribes. They then become the executioners of ruthless judiciary systems. They sometimes have arenas or sinister pits carved out for them, into which their victims are dropped. The layout may be simple, or a veritable maze in which one could wander for hours. The judges may tell the convict that there’s an exit, and that they’ll be pardoned if they manage to escape. The behir itself may deign to spare some of its prey, while making sure any survivors are so few in number and so traumatized by the experience that people will live in terror of it, which seems to bring it great pleasure.

Behirs are certainly arcane creations, going back to the era of the Fated Kings. A wizard named Beh’Irren designed this monstrous species.

Beh’Irren may have been a drow living in the Netherworld deep beneath the Drakenbergen.

Their goal was to create a supreme guardian for their domain. However, Beh’Irren was confronted with a challenge. He (or she) was dead set on having a behir capable of speech and of understanding orders, but such an intelligent creature would be open to emotions, and might take pity on any intruders.

The ability to feel fear is indissociable from being able to recognize fear in others. This was also intimately linked with empathy and altruism. Beh’Irren decided to completely suppress their creation’s ability to feel fear in order to remove this flaw.

The experiment succeeded to an extent: without experiencing fear, behirs could no longer recognize it. Many believe that behirs take pleasure in instilling fear, but in reality, they’re simply amused by the erratic behavior caused by extreme terror. They enjoy what they gain by threatening others, seeing these methods as effective and easy to use.

From this unfortunate tale, we should note that Beh’Irren never obtained the guardians they desired, because they ended up being killed and devoured. Their lair was then charged with magic, meaning time had little impact on its state of decay, despite the centuries. It may still be possible to find Beh’Irren’s work there and learn how to restore the behirs’ sense of fear and empathy. Even if it’s a perilous quest, it’s no doubt easier than trying to exterminate these creatures.

The behir is a fascinating creature, possessing swift flexibility like a bright blue snake, and many legs with which it can cling to any rocky surface. It prefers the underground, gorges, and caves, but may also venture above ground, preferably in dark undergrowth or at night.

Passion for the Hunt

A behir’s existence is devoted to hunting, which it does in a manner similar to cats. It locates prey, ensures they have no escape, and toys with them. It tries to scare them with falling rocks, strange hooting, fleeting apparitions… Its victims’ nerves are viciously put to the test. It prefers to attack lone travelers (those off scouting, tending to biological needs, fetching water…), before hiding and savoring the resulting echoing sounds of panic. It also uses the Choosing your victory rule to frighten or stun instead of killing. After a while, when it gets bored, feels threatened, or its appetite gets worked up, it ramps up the violence to brutally end the game.

After amusing itself in this manner for a while, it will eventually strike. In this clash, the behir holds back its deadly abilities to avoid killing its victims too quickly. It uses Multiattack with two playful swipes instead of its normal attacks:

Playful Swipe. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage.

 

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Creatures Rulebook for the Fateforge Role-Playing Game Copyright © 2021 Studio Agate.

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