Fylgja (Challenge +1)

About

Fylgja are hereditary protective guardians of individual humans from birth, pathing from ancestor to descendant. They appear as animals depending on the person’s alignment and give warnings or advice about the future. Seeing one upon awakening is usually a bad sign.

Strong and Thin. The bonds between the nine worlds are strong and thin. Creatures from Alfheim are summoned through divine intervention to connect with a mortal in Midgard.

Beast-Bond. Only a beast can be a fylgja. The beasts represent the person the fylgja bonds with. Lawful characters have oxen, goats, and boars. Chaotic characters have wolves, deer, black bears, eagles, lions, panthers, and poisonous snakes. Neutral characters have cats, mastiffs, rats, and ravens.

Creating a Fylgia

Note: This template may only be added to a creature with the Beast type (and the creature then becomes undead instead.)

When a beast becomes a fylgja, it retains its statistics except as described below. The beast loses any trait, such as amphibious, that assumes a living physiology.

Type. The fylgja’s type changes from beast to undead.

Skill Proficiencies. The fylgja is proficient in Intelligence (Investigation), Intelligence (Religion), Wisdom (Insight), and Wisdom (Perception) skill checks.

Damage Resistances. The fylgja has resistance to acid, fire, lightning, and thunder damage, and to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks.

Damage Immunities. The fylgja has immunity to cold, necrotic, and poison.

Condition Immunities. The fylgja can’t be charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, or restrained. It also doesn’t suffer from exhaustion.

Languages. The fylgja understands Common but can’t speak.

Senses . The fylgja gains blindsight with a radius of 10 feet and darkvision with a radius of 60 feet.

Challenge Rating. The fylgja’s challenge rating increases by 1.

Familiar. The fylgja can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a telepathic bond with its willing master. While the two are bonded, the master can sense what the fylgja senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. While the fylgja is within 10 feet of its master, the master shares the fylgja’s Portent trait. Only the creature’s death can sever the fylgja’s service as a familiar, ending the telepathic bond.

Incorporeal Movement. The fylgja 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.

Portent (3/day). When the fylgja makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, it can roll a d20 and choose to use this roll in place of the attack roll, saving throw, or ability check.

Undead Nature. The fylgja no longer requires air, food, drink, or sleep.