Yali

Medium construct, unaligned

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 51 (6d8 + 24)
Speed 50 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
20 (+5) 14 (+2) 18 (+4) 7 (–2) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)

Saving Throws Dex +4, Wis +4
Skills Perception +6, Stealth +4
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages understands Common but can’t speak
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Construct Nature. The yali doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
  • False Appearance. While the yali remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary statue.
  • Flinging Pounce. If the yali moves at least 20 feet straight toward a Large or smaller creature and then hits it with a Tusk attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be thrown up to 15 feet in a random direction and forced prone. If the thrown target strikes a solid surface, the target takes 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it was thrown. If the target is thrown at another creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and be forced prone.
  • Standing Leap. The yali’s long jump is up to 40 feet and its high jump is up to 20 feet, with or without a running start.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The yali makes one Tusk attack and one Claw attack.
  • Tusk. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) piercing damage.
  • Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d4 + 5) slashing damage.
  • Trumpeting Blast (Recharge 5–6). The yali unleashes a warbling sound in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 10 (4d4) thunder damage and is deafened for 1 minute. On a success, a creature takes half the damage and isn’t deafened. A deafened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

ABOUT

This living statue has the claws and mane of a lion, the ears and trunks of an elephant, and the hindquarters of a swift horse.

With mighty tusks, claws, and a trumpeting blast, yali are steadfastly loyal guardian constructs. Some variants have the heads of tusked horses or dogs, and while they may bellow or bark rather than bugle, such differences are purely cosmetic.

Ageless and Unyielding. Priests and abbots employ extended rituals to craft packs of yali dedicated to protecting holy sites. Created as stoic and incorruptible defenders of a sacred temple or a sprawling monastery, they are most commonly found in tropical environments. Yali can stand perfectly still, mimicking carved pillars or gate ornaments, awaiting the command to leap into action and repel bandits, heretics, or enemy soldiers.

Mounts of Unusual Size. Despite being smaller than a horse, the yali’s great strength means they can, and occasionally do, act as mounts for the faithful of a particular temple.

Sometimes this service is temporary to ensure important messengers arrive unharmed, while other times they are given as gifts to those who have performed a great deed for the institution. They can easily carry a single human or two halflings and don’t tire as a horse does, making them prized among professional couriers.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Beasts 3 © 2022 Open Design LLC; Authors: Eytan Bernstein, Celeste Conowitch, Benjamin L. Eastman, Robert Fairbanks, Scott Gable, Basheer Ghouse, Richard Green, Jeremy Hochhalter, Jeff Lee, Christopher Lockey, Sarah Madsen, Ben Mcfarland, Jonathan Miley, Kelly Pawlik, Sebastian Rombach, Chelsea Steverson, Brian Suskind, Mike Welham

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