Chapter 3: Monsters Ma Da

Meduim undead, neutral evil

MA DA Armor Class 12 (natural armor)

Hit Points 22 (4d8 + 4)
Ma Da, vengeful spirits of the watery depths, they are Speed 30ft., swim 40ft.
the tormented souls of those who met a watery grave and
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
found no peace in death. These malevolent entities appear
10 (+0) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 6 (-2) 8 (-1) 6 (-2)
as bloated, corpse-like figures with hair entwined with
water plants. Their childlike visage hides their sinister Skills Stealth +3
nature, for they exist to perpetuate their tragic fate. Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Having perished in agony, Ma Da cannot find solace until Languages Understands Common but cannot speak
they ensnare another to take their place. They haunt lakes Challenge 1 (100 XP)
and rivers, lurking beneath the surface, waiting to drag
unsuspecting victims into their watery grasp. Those who Drowning Grasp. The Ma Da’s touch is chilling adn
fall victim to a Ma Da's drowning embrace may find deadly. When the Ma Da makes a successful melee
themselves condemned to share in the Ma Da's eternal attack with its claw against a creature, the target must
torment, rising as one of these vengeful spirits after 24 succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take an
hours. additional 7 (2d6) cold damage, and its speed is reduced
by 10 feet until the end of its next turn. If the target is
While many consider these tales as mere cautionary
reduced to 0 hit points by this cold damage, it falls
stories to keep the unwary away from treacherous waters,
unconscious and begins to drown if it cannot breath
the dangers of Ma Da are all too real in the shadowy
underwater. Instantly failing one death save.
depths of both the feywilds and the lands around
Hrafnheim. Waterborne Amusher. The Ma Da has advantage on
Stealth checks made in water
Undead Nature. The Ma Da doesn’t require air, food, or
sleep.
Vengeful Drowning. When a Ma Da successfully
drowns a creature, the spirit of the victim becomes
tainted by the Ma Da's malevolence. After 24 hours, the
drowned creature rises as a Ma Da itself, cursed to roam
the waters seeking vengeance.

Actions
Multiattack. The Ma Da makes two attacks one with is
Clawe, and one with its Bite
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) slashing damage.
Drowned Embrace (Recharge 5–6). The Ma Da
reaches out to grapple a creature it can see within 5 feet
of it. The target must succeed on a DC 11 Strenght
saving throw or be grappled (escape DC 11). While
grappled, the creature is pulled underwater if it’s not
already submerged and begins to frown if it cannot
breath underwater. The drowning creature can survive
like this for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution
modifier. The Ma Da can grapple only one creature at a
time.
Ma Vú Dài
Emerging from the enchanting realms of the Feywild, the
Ma Vú Dài, known as the Long-Breasted Fey, is a
captivating enigma whose presence weaves through the
dense thickets and moonlit glens.
From a distance, she appears as an ethereal
embodiment of beauty, her form that of a mesmerizing
woman with long, ebony hair cascading like midnight.
Draped in an elegant, flowing white robe, with her visage
shrouded by a veil of hair, she exudes an otherworldly
allure. However, this captivating exterior conceals a
profound deception.
Drawn too near, her enchanting facade dissipates,
revealing her true and unsettling form. Her elongated
breasts and eerie countenance evoke an unsettling, almost
ghostly aspect. Hovering above the forest floor, her feet
engage in a spectral waltz. This uncanny transformation
serves as a stark reminder of the deceptive nature of the
Feywild, where enchantment and eeriness are forever
entwined.
Rarely does she seek to claim the lives of her victims.
Instead, she employs a peculiar and mystifying ritual. She
force-feeds them her spectral breast milk, a process
through which she siphons a portion of their life force,
preserving it for herself. Some succumb to this eerie
feeding, slipping into unconsciousness, only to awaken
with the taste of earth in their mouths, a vivid and
bewildering experience.
The Ma Vú Dài's motives remain enigmatic, her actions
less sinister than they first appear. Her unusual communion
grants fleeting glimpses into the arcane tapestry of the
Feywilds. Those who encounter her serve as both a
warning and an invitation, beckoning travelers to tread with
care in the mystical forests where beauty and eeriness
harmonize in an intricate dance.
Ma Vú Dài
Meduim Fey, chaotic neutral
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 66 (12d8 + 12)
Speed 30ft., fly 40ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 16 (+3)
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4
Damage Resistance Psychic
Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Sylvan, Common
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Glamour. The Ma Vú Dài can appear as an enchanting
woman when viewed from a distance. Her appearance
grants her advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks
to pass as a beautiful creature. When a creature
approaches within 60 feet of her, her true form is
revealed.
Innate Spellcasting. The Ma Vú Dài's innate
spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to
hit with spell attacks). She can innately cast the following
spells, requiring no material components:
At will: Minor Illusion
3/day each: Charm Person, Misty Step
1/day each: Sleep, Disguise Self
Ethereal Step. As a bonus action, the Ma Vú Dài can
move to and from the Feywilds to the Material Plane.
She remains on the other plane for up to 1 minute, or
until she uses this ability again.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.
Spectral Breastfeeding. Melee Spell Attack: +5 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) psychic damage,
and the target must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving
throw or fall unconscious for 1d4 hours. If the target falls
unconscious, it awakens with a mouthful of dirt, prone,
and with its hit point maximum reduced by the amount of
psychic damage taken. This reduction lasts until the
creature finishes a long rest. If the hit point maximum is
reduced to 0, the creature dies, and its soul becomes
bound to the Ma Vú Dài.
1
Thần Trùng: Harbingers
of the Shadowfell
From the eerie depths of the Shadowfell emerges the Thần
Trùng, spectral entities that haunt the twilight realm
between life and death. These malevolent beings are
drawn to the moments of transition, lurking near fresh
graves to prey upon the souls of the newly departed. In
their insatiable quest for knowledge and power, the Thần
Trùng relentlessly torture the spirits of the deceased,
extracting secrets about their living relatives.
Once armed with this sinister information, Thần Trùng
enact a dreadful curse, marking the living relatives as their
next targets. The curse invariably leads to a grim sequence
of events, as one by one, the cursed family members fall
prey to various wretched fates.
Thần Trùng often appear as ominous black birds, their
feathers as dark as the deepest shadows of the
Shadowfell. Blood-red beaks, a stark contrast to their
obsidian plumage, serve as a haunting reminder of their
malevolence. In some accounts, their avian heads meld
seamlessly into eerily human bodies, a grotesque fusion of
two worlds.
Within the Shadowfell, where the line between life and
death is tenuous, the Thần Trùng play a sinister role in
shaping the fate of souls. Their actions not only torment the
living but also contribute to the spectral population, as
tortured spirits are reborn as vengeful ghosts, banshees,
and specters under their shadowy influence. These cursed
souls, forever bound to the Thần Trùng, become
instruments of death and despair.
The Thần Trùng's presence serves as a foreboding
omen in the Shadowfell, where death's grip on the living is
ever-present, and malevolent spirits seek to extend their
influence beyond the grave.
Thần Trùng
Large Undead (Shadow, chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 150 (15d10 + 75)
Speed 40ft., fly 60ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 16 (+3) 20 (+5) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 18 (+4)
Saving Throws Wis +6, Cha +8
Skills Perception +6, Stealth +7
Damage Immunities Necrotic, Poison
Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Poisoned
Senses truesight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 23
Languages Common, Abyssal
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Innate Spellcasting. The Thần Trùng's innate
spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16). It can
innately cast the following spells, requiring no material
components:
● At will: Chill Touch, Minor Illusion, Mage Hand
● 3/day each: Inflict Wounds, Detect Thoughts,
Shadow Step
● 1/day each: Soul Drain, Gaseous Form
Shadow Step. The Thần Trùng can use a bonus action
to magically step into the Shadowfell from the Material
Plane, or vice versa. While on the Shadowfell, the Thần
Trùng has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made
to hide in dim light or darkness. This ability allows the
Thần Trùng to move between the Shadowfell and
Material Plane, as well as travel between shadows in the
Material Plane.
Soul Drain. The Thần Trùng targets one creature it can
see within 30 feet of it. The target must make a DC 16
Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes
22 (4d10) psychic damage, and the Thần Trùng learns
information about the target's living relatives, as per the
Speak with Dead spell. On a successful save, the target
takes half damage, and the Thần Trùng learns no
information. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or
more and dies from the soul drain, it is transformed into a
(roll 1d4) ghost(1), banshee(2), or specter(3,4) under the
Thần Trùng's control, becoming hostile to the creature's
living relatives. If there are no living relatives or the Thần
Trùng chooses not to transform the spirit, the spirit is
utterly destroyed.
Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If the Thần Trùng fails a
saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The Thần Trùng makes two attacks: one
with its Shadow Claw and one with its Beak.
Shadow Claw.. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 4) slashing damage plus 7
(2d6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a
DC 16 Constitution saving throw or have its maximum hit
points reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic
damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target
finishes a long rest.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage damage. If the
target is a spirit that has died within the 24 hours, or a
PC at 0hp it must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or
be forced to share information about its living relatives
with the Thần Trùng.
Blighting Gaze (Recharge 5-6). The Thần Trùng targets
one creature it can see within 60 feet of it and is aware of
it. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution
saving throw or take 35 (10d6) necrotic damage and be
paralyzed for 1 minute. The paralyzed target can repeat
the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending
the effect on itself on a success.
Deathly Call. The Thần Trùng emits a mournful wail.
Each creature of the Thần Trùng's choice that is within
120 feet of it and can hear it must make a DC 16
Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A
creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each
of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a
creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends
for it, the creature is immune to the Thần Trùng's Deathly
Call for the next 24 hours.
Summon Shadowspawn (1/Day). Once per day, the
Thần Trùng can invoke the power of the Shadowfell to
summon 1d4 shadowspawn, in a manner akin to the
*Summon Shadowspawn* spell. These shadowy entities
materialize under the Thần Trùng's complete control and
follow its commands, acting on its initiative in the
ongoing battle.