Sluagh Swarm

Family: Sluagh

Medium swarm of Tiny Undead (Swarm), chaotic evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 66 (12d8 + 12)
Speed 0 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14 (+2)	16 (+3)	13 (+1)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)	15 (+2)

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +5
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Sylvan
Proficiency Bonus +2
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Flyby. The sluagh doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.
• Harmed by Running Water. The sluagh takes 20 acid damage when it ends its turn in running water.
• Incorporeal Movement. The sluagh can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
• Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The sluagh takes 20 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
• Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny sluagh. The swarm can’t regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
• Undead Nature. A sluagh doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The swarm makes one Talons attack and one Grasping Claws attack.
• Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target in the swarm’s space. Hit: 7 (2d6) slashing damage, or 3 (1d6) slashing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
• Grasping Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 0 ft., one creature in the swarm’s space. Hit: 7 (2d6) necrotic damage, and the creature must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be restrained. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, taking 7 (2d6) necrotic damage on a failed save. When the swarm moves, any Medium or smaller target that is restrained moves with it. The creature is freed if it succeeds on this saving throw, the swarm moves out of the creature’s space, or the swarm dies.
• Absorb Soul. The sluagh can absorb the soul of a Humanoid it killed within the past 10 minutes as an action. The victim’s soul is trapped in the sluagh for 24 hours, after which time it loses all memory of its former life and the person is incapable of being revived. If the sluagh dies before the soul is fully absorbed, the soul is released. While a soul is trapped in the sluagh , any magic that tries to restore the soul to life has a 50 percent chance of failing and being wasted.

ABOUT

You see a vast flock of black ravens twined about with undulating shadows. Closer inspection reveals that the great birds look more like wretched thin shades of their previous selves, with gnarled talons similar to the blackthorn’s barbs for hands and feet, and wings of dusty smoke.

The sluagh (sloo-AH), also known as the “host of the dead,” are harbingers of the Unseelie Court. These malevolent entities are believed to be fallen angels who roam the midnight skies, seeking out lost souls and causing sickness and death in animals.

Sluagh have the ability to approach and pick up individuals from any direction, transporting them through the air to distant locations. While they might occasionally rescue humans from perilous situations, their intentions are typically sinister.

Sluagh are believed to be the souls of the dead flying through the air. They are associated with the feast of the dead, which is also considered the festival of the fairies. These entities are thought to be able to transport people from one island to another, further fueling their reputation as dangerous beings.

They serve as minions or messengers for more powerful unseelie fey, carrying out their sinister commands. Sluagh are known to spread sickness and fear, and they are often encountered in areas associated with death, darkness, and the unknown.

Sluagh replenish their ranks through murderous swarms, descending like locusts on those foolhardy enough to travel alone at night. The dead are transformed into tiny winged fey that look vaguely reminiscent of their forms in life.