Púca

Large fey, neutral evil

Armor Class 12
Hit Points 142 (19d10 + 38)
Speed 50 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
19 (+4)	14 (+2)	15 (+2)	12 (+1)	10 (+0)	18 (+4)

Saving Throws Cha +7, Str +7
Skills Athletics +6, Perception +3
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with cold iron weapons
Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Sylvan, Umbral
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Beguiling Aura. The mere sight of the púca is a temptation for road-weary travelers. Whenever a creature that can see the púca starts its turn within 30 feet of the púca, that creature succeed on make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 minute. A charmed creature must take the Dash action and move toward the púca by the safest available route on each of its turns, trying to get within 5 feet of the fey horse to mount it. Each time the creature takes damage and at the end of each of its turns, the creature can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the púca’s Beguiling Aura for the next 24 hours.
• Nightmarish Ride. If a creature mounts the púca, the creature must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or become paralyzed and restrained by chains on the púca’s back until the next dawn. While it has a rider captured in this way, the púca takes the Dash or Disengage actions on each of its turns to flee with the rider. After it moves 100 feet, it disappears with the captured rider, magically racing along a nightmarish landscape. At the next dawn, it returns to the space where it disappeared or the nearest unoccupied space, the rider lands in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the púca, and the púca flees. At the end of the ride, the rider suffers one level of exhaustion.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The púca makes two Chain Whip attacks and one Hooves attack.
• Chain Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15) if it is a Medium or smaller creature and the púca doesn’t have two other creatures grappled. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained.
• Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be forced prone.

ABOUT

A dark horse draped in thick silver chains emerges from the shadows between the trees, its eyes glowing with an eerie light.

This mysterious equine fey appears at night beside lonely forest roads and tempts weary travelers to ride it. Once upon its back, however, the púca takes the foolish individual on a nightmarish ride through the dark woods before returning them to where they started at dawn, exhausted. Those who have ridden a púca report seeing twisted, otherworldly forests and strange creatures.

Redeemable. The púca is a fey creature corrupted by shadow. If a rider who is pure of heart willingly climbs astride the púca, enjoys the ride, and thanks the púca when they return at dawn, the púca is cleansed of the shadow taint, and the chains fall away from its body. The púca is then free to aid lost travelers instead of terrorizing them.