Malk ra Ngeraod

Medium monstrosity, neutral

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32)

Speed 30 ft., fly 20 ft. (hover)

STR 16 (+3) · DEX 14 (+2) · CON 15 (+2) · INT 11 (+0) · WIS 14 (+2) · CHA 16 (+3)

Saving Throws Wis +4, Cha +5

Skills Insight +4, Perception +4, Stealth +4

Damage Vulnerabilities thunder (see Shattering Cry)

Condition Immunities charmed, frightened

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14

Languages understands Common and Palauan; telepathy 60 ft.

Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Traits

Keen Sight. The malk has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Golden Curse. Any non-magical gold the malk broods is cursed. A creature that willingly takes or keeps such a coin must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become cursed with avarice. While cursed, the creature can’t willingly part with the coin and has disadvantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks not related to acquiring wealth. Remove curse ends this effect.

Rooster’s Resilience. The malk has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects that would alter its form or put it to sleep.

Actions

Multiattack. The malk makes three attacks: one with its Beak and two with its Talons.

Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.

Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage.

Dominating Gaze (Recharge 5–6). The malk fixes its unsettling eyes on one creature it can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become charmed and incapacitated for 1 minute. While charmed in this way, the creature is possessed: it regards the malk as a trusted ally and will use its action each round to defend the malk or gather its gold, as the malk telepathically directs. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. A creature that succeeds on the save is immune to this gaze for 24 hours.

Bonus Actions

Shattering Cry (1/Day). The malk emits a piercing crow. Each creature within 20 feet that can hear it must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 14 (4d6) thunder damage and is deafened for 1 minute. On a success, the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t deafened. The malk takes 7 thunder damage when it uses this ability, echoing its mythic vulnerability.

Reactions

Deflect Greed. When a creature the malk can see moves within 5 feet of its gold hoard, the malk can make one Talon attack against that creature.

Special Sense

Gildsense. The malk magically knows the location of all gold within 120 feet of it.

Lore

A rooster with a human head that hatches gold coins on Spirit Mountain and drives mad anyone who sees him.

Malk ra Ngeraod is one of the most intriguing beings in Oceanic mythology, hailing from Palau, a nation in Western Micronesia. In Palauan, malk literally means “chicken” or “rooster.” Within Palauan culture the rooster is a potent male emblem, its image often carved onto men’s meeting houses as a sign of prestige and power. Ngeraod, meanwhile, denotes a legendary sacred place—either a mountainous region or an ancient settlement. Taken together, Malk ra Ngeraod can be read as “The Rooster—Symbol of the Sacred Heights.”

Malk ra Ngeraod is a mid-sized creature with the sturdy, muscular frame of a rooster and razor-sharp talons. Its most unsettling feature is a human head where the bird’s head ought to be. The plumage blazes in vivid colors traditionally linked with high rank.

From Oceanian Bestiary 5E, p. 42 · Fern Flower Press