Deryth, Disjoined

Tiny fey (titanspawn), any neutral

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
5 (-3) 13 (+1) 11 (+1) 6 (-2) 12 (+1) 11 (+0)

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 10 (3d4 + 3)
Speed 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (hover)
Skills Stealth +3
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, prone, stunned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Titan Speech; telepathy 30 ft.
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Special Traits

  • Amorphous. The disjoined deryth can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
  • Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The disjoined deryth’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
    • At will: friendship
    • 1/day: sleep
  • Magic Resistance. The disjoined deryth has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
  • Merge Form. Using its Meld attack, a disjoined deryth can merge with a Medium humanoid, disappearing entirely into the host creature’s body. Once merged, the disjoined can be removed only by means of a wish spell or similar magic, or with a dispel evil and good or a greater restoration cast upon the host. Each successive disjoined that melds with the same host grants certain abilities, but also causes the creature to suffer a negative effect, as shown below.

Actions

  • Attach. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) psychic damage, and the disjoined deryth attaches to the target. While attached to the target, the disjoined deryth can attack no other creature except the target, but it has advantage on its attack rolls. The disjoined deryth’s speed also becomes 0, it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed, and it moves with the target. A creature can detach the disjoined deryth by making a successful DC 13 Strength check as an action. On its turn, the disjoined deryth can detach itself from the target by using 5 feet of movement.
  • Meld. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0 ft., one Medium humanoid to which the disjoined deryth is attached. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) psychic damage, and the target must make a DC 8 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save the disjoined deryth merges completely with the target (see Merge Form.) A creature can choose to fail this save intentionally. Any host who has merged with five separate disjoined deryth transforms completely into a deryth, most likely resulting in a player character becoming an NPC. The disjoined deryth can be reunited through their ability to meld with other living creatures, and naturally, they feel an overwhelming need to be made whole. Unfortunately, they can accomplish union only by bonding with a sapient life form, and many a host has regretted his decision as more and more disjoined deryth bits meld with his body, until his own identity is lost and he becomes little more than a helpless host. The disjoined deryth appear as small amorphous blobs of varying colors. Each has four small sensory organs located equidistant around its body.
Number of Disjoined Deryth Merged Host Benefit Host Drawback
1 +1 bonus to Armor Class -2 penalty to Intelligence
2 Can’t be incapacitated or stunned -2 penalty to Wisdom
3 +2 bonus to Constitution, to a maximum of 18 -2 penalty to Charisma
4 Gain deryth’s Body Spikes and Magic Resistance traits 25 percent chance each round of being incapacitated for the round (ignores natural immunity)

Tactics

A disjoined deryth will make an offer to any humanoid that it finds – ‘allow me to join you, and you will become more powerful!’

Those that take them up on the offer soon discover that not only is there a consequence to the joining, but it is also nearly impossible to undo it. If the creature attacks the disjoined deryth it might try to flee, but it is more likely to attach itself to the creature and try to forcibly meld with it.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Creature Collection 5e Copyright 2020 Onyx Path Publishing, Inc.