Familiar Eater

Small magical beast, chaotic evil

Armor Class: 19
Hit Points 31 (9d6)
Speed: 5 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
12 (+1)	18 (+4)	15 (+3)	10 (0)	12 (+1)	7 (-2)

Skills: Perception +4, Stealth +7, Survival +4
Senses: darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense, passive Perception 14
Damage Resistances: poison
Damage Immunities: none
Condition Immunities: poisoned, Paralyzed
Languages: none
Challenge: 4 (1,100 XP)

Special Traits

• Familiar Infection: This supernatural disease only works on a familiar. When stung by the familiar eater, the creature is implanted with larvae which incubate inside of it, feeding off of both the familiar and its magical link to its master. Each week, the familiar loses 1d4 points of Constitution, while any spells the master uses through its familiar (or abilities the familiar uses, either its own or its master’s) see their save DC and damage reduced by an equivalent amount, cumulative. When the familiar’s Constitution reaches zero, it dies as the larvae burst forth, a swarm of immature familiar eaters. A DC 20 Constitution save will negate the effects of the disease as the familiar’s immune system attacks and kills the larvae. If the save is failed, the only way to cure the familiar is through a greater restoration spell, which grants the familiar a new save, with advantage.
• Familiar Sense: The familiar eater can sense the exact location of any familiar within 1 mile and is drawn inexorably to its location. This ability functions exactly like the locate creature spell, except that the familiar eater does not need to be familiar in any way with the creature or location it is trying to track.
• Multiattack: a familiar eater attacks with its stinger and claws each round.

Actions

• Stinger. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 1 targets. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage plus victim is poisoned for 1d4 hours (DC 10 Constitution save negates), or is infected (if a familiar; see familiar infection, above).
• Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 1 target. Hit: 3 (1d6) slashing damage.

About

Though it is not remembered who created familiar eaters, it is known they were created to overthrow a cabal of black wizards. By preying upon the black wizards’ familiars, the familiar eaters weakened the spellcasters, leaving them open to the attacks which would later destroy them.

Familiar eaters are small, reptilian creatures. Usually between three and four feet in length, a familiar eater flies using large, bat-like wings. They lack legs and must depend on their wings to move about. Despite their penchant for attacking familiars, familiar eaters mainly survive on small insects and rodents. They reproduce, however, only by slaying the familiars of wizards.

Familiar eaters are difficult to kill simply because they passionately avoid melee combat under all circumstances.

When confronted with force, they take flight, trying as hard as possible to get away. If backed into a corner, they attack with their stinger and claws, keeping to the air when possible.

A familiar eater usually strikes only to infect the familiars of wizards and sorcerers (or, using the rules presented in these rules, the familiars of any character), which it locates via its familiar sense ability.