Vaettr, Sjovaettir

Family: Vaettir

Huge fey (shapechanger), neutral

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 66 (7d12 + 21)
Speed 10 ft., swim 50 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 18 (+4)

Skills Animal Handling +3, Deception +6, Perception +3, Performance +6
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages Aquan, Common
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Special Traits

  • Amphibious. The sjovaettr can breathe air and water.
  • Emissary of the Sea. The sjovaettr can communicate simple ideas with amphibious and water-breathing beasts. They understand the meaning of its words, but it cannot understand them in return.
  • Innate Spellcasting. The sjovaettr’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It can cast the following spell, requiring only verbal components:
  • Portent (3/day). When the sjovaettr or a creature it can see makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, the sjovaettr can roll a d20 and choose to use this roll in place of the attack roll, saving throw, or ability check.
  • Shapechanger. The sjovaettr can use its action to polymorph into a Medium humanoid or back into its true form, which is a fishhumanoid hybrid. Its statistics, other than its AC, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Actions

  • Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 14) and pulled 5 feet toward the sjovaettr. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, the sjovaettr tries to drown it, and the sjovaettr can’t constrict another target.
  • Drowning Hypnosis. The sjovaettr chooses one humanoid it can see within 150 feet of it. If the target can see the sjovaettr, the target must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed while the sjovaettr maintains concentration, up to 10 minutes (as if concentrating on a spell). The charmed target is incapacitated, and instead of holding its breath underwater, it tries to breathe normally and immediately runs out of breath, unless it can breathe water. If the charmed target is more than 5 feet away from the sjovaettr, the target must move on its turn toward the sjovaettr by the most direct route, trying to get within 5 feet. It doesn’t avoid opportunity attacks. Before moving into damaging terrain, such as lava or a pit, and whenever it takes damage from a source other than the sjovaettr or drowning, the target can repeat the saving throw. A charmed target can also repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If the saving throw is successful, the effect ends on it. A target that successfully saves is immune to this sjovaettr’s hypnosis for the next 24 hours.

About

These beautiful merfolk are creatures of the sea and generally benevolent, but not to be trusted. They are sought after for their ability to foretell events of great importance.

They are fond of shapechanging into their humanoid forms, driving milk-white cattle over the dunes, or in early summer sea mists. Those who find them alluring and make the mistake of following a sjovaettir back into the water find that the beautiful maiden they thought was just wet and shivering from the cold can breathe water … and they can’t.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

5E RPG: Viking Adventures. Copyright 2020, Mal and Tal, LLC; Author Michael Tresca.

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