Phoenix Fledgling

Tiny elemental, neutral

Armor Class 12
Hit Points 5 (2d4)
Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
6 (-2)	13 (+1)	10 (+0)	4 (-3)	14 (+2)	5 (-3)

Skills Perception +4, Insight +4
Damage Immunities fire, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses passive Perception 14
Challenge ? (25 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Keen Sight. The phoenix has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
• Molten Egg. If the phoenix fledgling dies it becomes enveloped in a molten egg. Dealing 5 damage to the egg (AC 10) destroys it. If the egg is not destroyed, after ten minutes the phoenix hatches and is restored to its hit point maximum.
• Phoenix Tear. As a bonus action, the phoenix fledgling can sacrifice itself to heal a creature within 5 feet. The fledgling dies and causes the chosen creature to regain 1d4 hit points. That creature may immediately spend any number of hit dice to recover lost hit points.

ACTIONS

• Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.

REACTIONS

• Phoenix Dive. When a creature the phoenix can see within 40 feet would take damage from a targeted attack, spell, or ability, the phoenix can use its reaction to move up to 40 feet to a space within 5 feet of that creature’s location and the phoenix becomes the target instead.location and the phoenix becomes the target instead.

ABOUT

Phoenix fledglings are young elementals that resemble recently-hatched eagles or peacocks, albeit a bit larger. They sport beautiful red and orange down feathers that glow softly like embers and are always warm to the touch. With time, this down will slowly give way to radiant, fiery plumes. Their beaks and talons are crystalline sapphire, hard as diamond, and their eyes are bright and intelligent. Phoenixes are eternal creatures born of pure energy, and this energy radiates from them at all times as a warm aura.

Grown phoenixes can learn to control this aura, suppressing it to a gentle simmer or expanding it to a spectacular radiance of light and heat intense enough to melt metal. Fledglings have not learned such control, nor do they yet have such power at their disposal. As they learn, they tend to heat up based on emotion rather than will, becoming white-hot with anger or surprise, or cooling to a gentle spark when afraid, though such fear is rare in the noble phoenix.

Crusade Unending. Phoenix fledglings are bold and intelligent. As beings of energy, phoenixes have no need of food or sleep, and seem to exist purely to champion righteous causes and burn out evil from the world. Fledglings, though confused and a bit shaky in the first years after a fresh rebirth, get to work on this immediately, seeking out good folk to aid. Adult phoenixes rarely have need of help and tend to work alone, but fledglings will sometimes align with particularly noble souls and lend their power and protection, as long as that person continues to follow the righteous path and pursue just causes with courage and conviction. Fledglings are highly intelligent and can comprehend most languages very quickly, regaining their ability to communicate within a year. Fledglings “speak” by resonating their whole being, rather than with vocal cords, and are quick to express their praise for good acts or harshly condemn whatever they see as evil.

Eternal Flame. Newly hatched phoenixes have no memory of their many past lives, or of falling to ash and finally burning out to become an egg again.

Despite this amnesia, they are well and truly immortal, and each phoenix has existed since ages beyond reckoning. They are creatures born of flame and radiant energy. Once they reach maturity, a phoenix has enough energy to persist for many hundreds of years, but that process is sometimes cut short when a fledgling unleashes its budding power too quickly, whether in an attempt to heal itself or preserve the life of another. When a fledgling falls to ash they leave behind only their heart, an egg of ruby-crystal that burns with inner light. This crystal recharges until the energy within is strong enough to burst forth in a fiery blaze and become a phoenix once again.