Resembler

Tiny aberration, neutral evil

Armor Class 11
Hit Points 21 (6d4 + 6)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

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

Skills Stealth +5
Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages —
Challenge ½ (100 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Hold Breath. The resembler can hold its breath for 15 minutes.
• Planar Sense. The resembler is aware of points of transit between planes within 100 feet of it. It knows the distance and direction to each point, but can’t sense anything else about it.

ACTIONS

• Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d6 + 1) slashing damage.
• Poisonous Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage, and if the creature is a Humanoid, it is poisoned for the next 24 hours. If the poisoned condition is not removed within 24 hours, the creature dies. Creatures killed by this effect may be the target of the resembler’s Duplicate action.
• Duplicate. The resembler targets a recently deceased humanoid creature that had been poisoned by a resembler within the past 24 hours. If a resembler is within 30 feet of at least five willing resemblers, all of them can spend 10 minutes using this action to transform into a replica of the Humanoid. The individual resemblers’ statistics are replaced by those of the deceased Humanoid from when it was alive (see the “Resembler Replica” sidebar). If a resembler takes another action during the 10 minutes, the process is unsuccessful and can’t be resumed.

TACTICS

During mating season, resemblers make their way to Limbo, the Void, or other chaotic places in the multiverse to spawn.

Outside of mating season, a resembler is usually trying to make its way to the Material Plane to permanently become part of a replica. Travelers sometimes follow resemblers in the hopes of finding a path to another plane.

Resembler replicas have a variety of motivations since they are essentially newly formed beings. They may share behaviors, interests, and desires with the original Humanoid or be wildly different. Most resembler replicas put an emphasis on self-preservation by avoiding fire and guarding their secret.

It is not uncommon to spot resemblers alongside replicas. While the replicas will likely claim these creatures are simply pets, there is often a desire to share their existence with a fellow replica, one which it may have to ensure is created.

ABOUT

A resembler is an extraplanar lizard that kills an unsuspecting humanoid and takes its place. To assume the form of another, the resembler must merge with others of its kind, coalescing into a near perfect replica.

A resembler hides beneath cover or waits until after dark and then bites a Humanoid. Once it has successfully drawn blood, it runs away quickly. Later, it returns with at least five others to take the place of the bitten. If the Humanoid has been healed or is not yet dead, the resemblers may attack to hasten its death. When the Humanoid dies, its entire body turns into white smoke that the resemblers inhale as part of their transformation.

Otherworldly Origins. Resemblers are thought to originate from Limbo and other chaotic places in the multiverse. The chaos of their spawning grounds makes holding their replica forms a challenge, and so they are drawn to the Material Plane where they can retain such forms indefinitely.

Replica Drive. Although their replica forms are more powerful and intelligent, the resemblers themselves are simple creatures. Scholars believe that resemblers are driven purely by instinct to form replicas. Any Humanoid can be a target, but resemblers have shown an odd preference for tieflings, satyrs, minotaurs, and other humanoids with horns.

Sounds of Success. Resemblers are unable to speak, but they communicate using the length of their hissing. A series of short hisses in a rapid succession means a resembler has bitten its prey recently. A resembler makes a long hiss to warn others that get in its way or otherwise irritate it.

Signs of the Replica. The irises of a resembler replica’s eyes are more vibrant than the original Humanoid. Additionally, when a resembler replica speaks, a wisp of white smoke occasionally escapes from its mouth. The smoke increases in frequency as a resembler replica takes damage. Replicas may also display a fear of fire and extraplanar travel.

Resembler Replica

A resembler replica is for all intents and purposes a new creature that happens to have the memories and skills of a deceased Humanoid.

It knows its origin and most likely keeps it a close guarded secret. A resembler duplicate has the same game statistics as the deceased Humanoid with an added damage vulnerability to fire and the following trait.

Destabilized. A resembler replica immediately and irreversibly transforms into six resemblers if it experiences one or more of the following circumstances:

• The resembler replica has half its hit points or fewer.
• The resembler replica is the target of a spell like polymorph or similar effect that transforms it into something else.
• The resembler replica spends more than 1 hour outside of the Material Plane.
• The resembler replica wants to revert to its original forms. If the resembler replica is injured before it transforms into resemblers, some of the resemblers may be injured or dead when the transformation ends.