Shikki-Gaki

Medium undead (shapechanger), chaotic evil

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 36 (8d8)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	17 (+3)	10 (+0)	11 (+0)	10 (+0)	8 (?1)

Skills Nature +2, Stealth +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, paralyzed, poisoned, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Fungus Form. During daylight hours, shikki-gaki are transformed into oversized mushrooms nearly a foot tall. They typically hide themselves in caves or cellars where they sleep during the day in this form. Their snoring is audible in mushroom form, and they exhale a noxious vapor while they slumber, causing any creature within 5 feet to make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 poison damage, or half as much on a successful save. A creature failing its save also contracts a random disease, as if it had been struck by the gaki’s claws. A shikki-gaki is treated as unconscious while in fungus form.
• Gaki Fever. Creatures infected by a shikki-gaki’s diseased claws do not automatically recover after 7 days. Instead, they can attempt a new saving throw every 7 days, recovering from the disease only after succeeding on three consecutive saving throws. Lesser restoration removes one disease from a shikkigaki, while remove curse does not end any of the diseases but allows them to end normally once 7 days have passed.
• Regeneration. The gaki regains 2 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point.

ACTIONS

• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage.
• Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage, plus the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or contract a random disease, as the contagion spell.
• Change Shape. The shikki-gaki can turn into a Tiny flying insect, typically a moth or mosquito, with a fly speed of 20 ft. It cannot attack in this form but it has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

ABOUT

Gaki are the restless spirits of wicked mortals that are condemned to wander the land of the living in the form of misshapen monstrosities as cosmic punishment for their sins. The exact appearance of each gaki varies based on their home culture and the nature of their crimes, but there are several common categories into which they fall.

Jikki-Nikki-Gaki. Spirits of greed, avarice, and gluttony, jikki nikki-gaki retain their basically humanoid form but their flesh is rotten and repulsive, pallid and flaking. Some are bloated and corpulent as a mark of their eternal gluttony, while others are emaciated as through forever starving with a hunger that cannot be satisfied.

Shikki-Gaki. Spirits of faithless and negligent servants, herbalists, healers, and gardeners, and sometimes even the corrupted remnants of kami or other nature spirits, these unfortunates are accursed for the sins of sloth and cruel indifference to the suffering of those around them.

Shinen-Gaki. Spirits of cowardly or treacherous soldiers who abandoned their posts or betrayed their allies, shinen-gaki are most active at night. They resemble burning skeletons, writhing in anger and terror at the same time, but their feet never quite touch the ground as they float on a draft of smoke.

Sunlight causes their fires to grow dim and ashen, and they typically hide themselves during daylight hours. By night, they can transform into hovering balls of flame, often yellow, white, red, or even blue. These burning lights may mislead or attract the attention of the unwary, but close inspection reveals a handful of black spots floating at the center of their fiery mass, like eyespots or even an anguished skull-like mask.