Kafligkaal

Large undead, chaotic evil

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 142 (15d10 + 60)
Speed 40 ft., fly 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
23 (+6) 12 (+1) 18 (+4) 6 (-2) 15 (+2) 21 (+5)

Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Common
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Create Kafligkaal. Any humanoid that dies while transformed by a kafligkaal rises 1 hour later as an independent kafligkaal.
  • Immutable Form. The creature is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The kafligkaal makes one bite attack and two claw attacks.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 16).
  • Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 16 (3d6 + 6) slashing damage.
  • Despairing Drone (Recharge 5-6). Each creature within 60 feet of the kafligkaal must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or become unable to attack or target any creature with harmful abilities, spells, or other magical effects for 1 minute. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
  • Face Removal. If the kafligkaal begins its turn grappling a creature, it cuts at the creature’s face. The creature must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 22 (4d10) slashing damage, loses its face (reducing its hp maximum by an amount equal to the slashing damage taken until it receives a regenerate or similar spell), and permanently polymorphs into an insect creature of the kafligkaal’s choice (as the polymorph spell; it can be reversed by a polymorph spell). On a success, the creature takes half as much damage, retains its face, and does not polymorph.
  • Horrifying Visage. Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of the kafligkaal that can see it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the frightened condition on itself on a success. If a target’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the kafligkaal’s Horrifying Visage for the next 24 hours.

ABOUT

Long and thin, winged like some great, desiccated black mantis, this creature wears a ghastly mask fashioned from the dried and stretched face of a man. Black eyes glitter behind the empty eye sockets of its macabre mask. Its wings move slowly against one another, emitting a dry, keening moan.

Victims of Polymorph. Humanoids who die while unwillingly transformed into another creature and horrified by their transformation return as kafligkaals. Despite the circumstances of their change of shape or the actual shape they took when they died, kafligkaals have a uniform appearance. Scholars speculate that an insectoid demon lord with the ability to polymorph was responsible for the undead creatures’ visage, a reflection of the demon lord’s true form. If not for the kafligkaals’ murderous nature, it might seem tragic that they remain locked in their gruesome shapes regardless of any magical attempts to revert them to their former appearances.

Homicidal Denial. A kafligkaal deludes itself in the belief it still retains its humanoid exterior and often attempts to comport itself as an ordinary member of society. A newly created kafligkaal that sees its reflection briefly realizes its horrific nature, which forces it to murder to maintain its facade. The kafligkaal doesn’t care from what victim it harvests a face, and it often takes multiple faces in order to more effectively “blend in.”

A Spreading Curse. Kafligkaals curse their victims with similar transformations, inadvertently at first but relishing the cruelty of the change once they understand the effects. Rather than kill their victims, the undead prefer to excise their prey’s faces and turn their prey loose after conversion. Unable to speak due to their insectoid natures, these victims run afoul of villagers or adventurers seeking to dispatch what they see as horrific abominations. Regrettably, this merely marks the genesis of more kafligkaals.

Undead Nature. The kafligkaal doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Warlock Grimoire 3. Authors: Lou Anders, Wolfgang Baur, Celeste Conowitch, Basheer Ghouse, Richard Green, Gabriel Hicks, Victoria Jaczko, Jeff Lee, Jerry LeNeave, JB Little, Christopher Lockey, Sarah Madsen, Ben McFarland, Jonathan Miley, Kelly Pawlik, Richard Pett, Jon Sawatsky, Mike Shea, Brian Suskind, Prakash Upadhyayula, Ashley Warren, Mike Welham, and Steve Winter. © 2022 Open Design LLC.

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