Impundulu

Large monstrosity (shapechanger), chaotic neutral

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)

Hit Points 153 (18d10 + 54)

Speed 30 ft., fly 120 ft. (hover)

STR 19 (+4) · DEX 18 (+4) · CON 16 (+3) · INT 14 (+2) · WIS 15 (+2) · CHA 13 (+1)

Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +7, Wis +6

Skills Arcana +6, Perception +7, Stealth +8

Damage Vulnerabilities fire

Damage Resistances lightning, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Condition Immunities poisoned

Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 17

Languages understands Common and any languages its mistress knows but can’t speak

Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

Traits

Shapechanger. The impundulu can use a bonus action to magically shrink into a Tiny humanoid form (3-inch tall) or back to its true bird form. Other than size, its statistics are the same in each form. Equipment it is carrying doesn’t transform.

Storm Rider. While outdoors during rain, heavy wind, or a thunderstorm, the impundulu has advantage on attack rolls, and attack rolls against it have disadvantage.

Electrostatic Aura. A crackling field surrounds the impundulu. A creature that ends its turn within 5 feet of the bird must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (1d10) lightning damage.

Lightning Curse. When the impundulu deals lightning damage to a creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with “sleeping sickness.” While cursed, the creature is poisoned and can’t regain hit points except by magic such as lesser restoration or remove curse, which also ends the curse.

Hereditary Familiar. The impundulu is magically bound to the creature that last claimed it as a familiar (often a witch). It can’t willingly move more than 3 miles from its mistress while she lives, and it automatically knows her distance and direction. If she dies without bequeathing the familiar, this bond ends.

Actions

Multiattack. The impundulu makes three attacks: one with its Beak and two with its Talons. It can replace one Talon attack with Thunderbolt if available.

Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d8 + 4 piercing plus 2d6 lightning) damage.

Talon. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4 slashing plus 1d6 lightning) damage.

Thunderbolt (Recharge 5–6). The impundulu releases a crack of living thunder in a 60-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in the line must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. Objects made of metal in the line automatically fail the save.

Reactions

Redirect Current. When the impundulu is subjected to lightning damage from a spell or other magical effect, it takes no damage and instead chooses one creature it can see within 30 feet. That creature takes the lightning damage instead.

Lore

A vampire bird that serves witches, hunting people at night and drinking their blood.

Impundulu, the “lightning bird,” combines the traits of a spirit, a vampire, and a hereditary familiar of witches. In its true humanoid form—which, incidentally, only a handful of witnesses have ever seen—it barely reaches three inches in height (around 7–8 cm) yet contains an enormous concentration of magical energy. Sources indicate that in this state it uses a peculiar flying apparatus. The legends offer no concrete description of this device, but it is safe to say it is less a vehicle than a mystical or magical mechanism that carries the tiny familiar over great distances. Its most striking feature is that it is powered solely by blood.

The second form in which this vampire is often spotted by ordinary people or travelers is that of a human-sized bird with black-and-white plumage, fiery-red legs, beak, and tail, eyes that shine a brilliant crimson, and a wingspan of up to eleven feet (about 3.5 m). Traditional lore explains thunder as the sound of these wings flapping. Granted, such a vampiric creature is hard to miss—especially at night—and there’s no doubt an encounter with it would linger in one’s memory for a very long time.

From Vampire Bestiary 5E, p. 50 · Fern Flower Press