Peryff

Medium aberration, neutral evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 39 (6d8 + 12)
Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
17 (+3)	14 (+2)	15 (+2)	9 (-1)	9 (-1)	13 (+1)

Skills Perception +3
Damage Resistances psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, prone
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Deep Speech
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Alert. The peryff has advantage on initiative checks, it can’t be surprised while it is conscious, and other creatures don’t gain advantage on attack rolls against the peryff due to being unseen by it.
• Overexposure. If a spell or other magical effect that creates bright light targets the peryff, or the peryff starts its turn within an area brightly lit by magical light, it takes 4 (1d8) radiant damage and is blinded until the start of its next turn.
• Unusual Nature. The peryff doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

ACTIONS

• Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or contract a disease. One hour after contracting the disease, clusters of blinking, cloudy eyeballs form in random spots all over the target’s flesh. Until the disease is cured, the peryff has advantage on attack rolls made against the target and on Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track the target.
• Expel Eye Cluster (1/Day). One of the peryff’s eyeball clusters separates from its mass and appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the peryff. The cluster functions as if created by the spell arcane eye, except that it is a Tiny object with AC 10 and 1 hit point. The cluster remains for up to 1 hour or until the peryff dismisses it as a bonus action, at which point it collapses to the ground as a lifeless cluster of eyes.

BONUS ACTIONS

• Discordant Vibrations. A creature the peryff can see within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence saving throw or take 4 (1d8) psychic damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll or saving throw it makes before the end of its next turn.

ABOUT

A peryff is a foul creature from realms far and weird.

It resembles a humanoid gently hovering over the ground. However, it lacks eyes, hands, and feet. In place of these appendages, the peryff has thick clusters of milky, ever-blinking eyeballs. From a distance, the eyeballs resemble cysts or tumors.

Although they lack mouths, the peryff still communicates audibly. It twitches its myriad eyes, creating vibrations that duplicate the sounds of a speaking creature. Those who’ve had the misfortune of encountering the peryff say that the vibrations cause mild nausea.

Peryffs can separate their eye clusters from their body, creating creatures similar to the sensors created by the arcane eye spell. The peryff can also infect targets with a disease dubbed the Curse of Eyes. This disease transplants some of the peryff’s eyes onto a host, allowing the peryff to track the creature and anticipate its moves. Both of these features make peryffs excellent spies. Peryffs often work for other aberrant creatures or spellcasters who summon them for the purpose.

An autopsy of a peryff revealed that, in addition to the hundreds of eyes covering its body, the peryff’s chest cavity contained distorted and atrophied humanoid organs. The subject had a heart, too, within which a large, yellow eye hid. This heart eye seemed to control the other eyes. Even though the peryff was dead, the heart eye continued to twitch and observe its surroundings.

Curiously, the peryff lacked a brain. Where its brain and skull should be, the peryff only had more eyes, clusters upon clusters. Scholars theorize that peryffs were once humanoids altered by prolonged exposure to the aberrant energies of the realms beyond.