Living deep in cursed forests, bajangs grow in tree trunks like pustules of evil, emerging to terrorize nearby settlements.
Evil nature spirits found in corrupted tropical jungles, bajangs are typically encountered near the site of a bloody battle, the burial place of an evil wu jen, or the secret meeting place of an evil cult.
They look like stunted, stocky humans (averaging 3 feet tall, 120 pounds) with blunt noses, wispy hair, and pale brown skin. Their eyes are beady and orange, and their wide lipless mouths are permanently creased in evil sneers. Their hands are bony claws and their feet resemble the talons of a vulture.
How do bajangs fight?
Bajangs are vicious and devious fighters, preferring weak or helpless prey. They prefer to attack sleeping victims or ambush single creatures from behind.
Bajangs originally appeared in Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition’s Oriental Adventures. This is an update for Fifth Edition.
Bajang
Small fey (shapechanger, spirit), chaotic evil
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 21 (6d6)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Abilities Str 12 (+1), Dex 15 (+2), Con 10 (+0), Int 13 (+1), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 15 (+2)
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +4
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Sylvan
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Shapechanger. The bajang can use its action to polymorph into a wildcat with light brown fur and orange eyes, or back into its true form. Its statistics are the same in each form. Anything it is wearing transforms with it, but nothing it is carrying does. It reverts back to its true form if it dies.
Innate Spellcasting. The bajang’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12). The bajang can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
3/day each: bane, divination, gust of wind, light, mass suggestion
Magic Resistance. The bajang has advantage on saving throw against spells and other magical effects.
Tree Symbiosis. A bajang’s lifeforce is tied to a single tree in the forest where it dwells. If the tree is destroyed (chopped down, burned, or rotted with magic) the bajang dies immediately.
Actions
Multiattack. The bajang makes two claw attacks.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage. If the target is a creature it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Steam Breath (Recharge 5-6). The bajang exhales scalding steam in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
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My players are currently in a pseudo-Asian setting (Shou in Forgotten Realms), so I’m sure to whip up some more monsters from the old Oriental Adventures handbook.
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