Mokumokuren 目目連

Medium undead (yokai), neutral evil

Armor Class 13 (10+3)

Hit Points 66 (12d8 + 12)

Speed 0 ft. (Anchored to shoji; see “Bound to the Frame”)

STR 6 (−2) · DEX 16 (+3) · CON 12 (+1) · INT 12 (+1) · WIS 14 (+2) · CHA 16 (+3)

Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +4

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +5

Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, poisoned, prone, restrained

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14

Languages Yokai Speech, understands Common, cannot speak (communicates via telepathic whispers within 30 ft.)

Challenge 4

Traits

Bound to the Frame. Mokumokuren cannot move on its own in the usual sense. It occupies one or more old shoji panels in a structure, effectively granting it a “stationary” 0 ft. walking speed. However, it can slide or swivel across any connected doorway or partition in the same building as an action (up to 10 feet of lateral movement). If the shoji is destroyed or removed, Mokumokuren dissipates unless it finds another suitable partition within 30 feet.

Eyes Everywhere. Mokumokuren’s many eyes are scattered across its paper panels. It has an advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight and can see in all directions simultaneously.

Shadowy Presence. While in dim light or darkness, Mokumokuren has an advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Paper Body. Mokumokuren is treated as an object (AC 14, 25 hit points per shoji panel) for the purpose of targeted attacks against the physical frame. If the panel it inhabits is reduced to 0 hit points, Mokumokuren must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or be banished from that structure.

Actions

Multiattack. Mokumokuren makes two Ghostly Eye attacks or one Ghostly Eye attack and uses Terror Gaze if available.

Ghostly Eye. Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one target.

Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) psychic damage. As an unsettling eye forces direct contact, the target briefly perceives a bizarre, flickering stare from beyond the mortal realm.

Terror Gaze (Recharge 5 - 6). Mokumokuren focuses a cluster of eyes on one creature it can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. While frightened in this way, a creature has a disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks as it senses eyes everywhere. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Reactions

Hungry Eyes. When a creature within 5 feet of the shoji is frightened or unconscious, Mokumokuren can use its reaction to siphon the target’s vitality. The target takes 7 (2d6) psychic damage, and Mokumokuren regains hit points equal to the amount dealt.

Lair or Environmental Effect (Optional)

Living Architecture. In a cursed or abandoned house, Mokumokuren can extend its influence to other parts of the building. Doors slide shut on their own, tatami floors creak ominously, and illusions of additional eyes flicker across the walls. Creatures in the same building have a disadvantage on saving throws to resist fear effects from Mokumokuren.

Lore & Behavior

Mokumokuren activates its powers after sundown, fixating its eyes on anyone who intrudes upon its domain.

Dozens of eyes may blink open in ripped or neglected shoji paper, silently observing.

Some versions of the legend say Mokumokuren simply vanishes at dawn, leaving behind only tattered panels. Others insist that those who stare too long into its many eyes may lose their own.

Lore

Haunted sliding screens covered in blinking eyes, observing and unsettling onlookers.

Mokumokuren takes up residence in tattered, disused shoji—those paper doors or sliding partitions found in traditional homes—and is most commonly encountered within abandoned buildings. At times, this yokai transfers itself from one shoji to another, especially when people attempt to discard or destroy the old partition. If you ever dare to spend a night in a derelict house, you run a high risk of meeting Mokumokuren. Its multitude of staring eyes is more than enough to unnerve any traveler who seeks shelter there, disturbing one’s rest with an ominous presence that breeds fear and paranoia. Certain accounts even claim it steals the eyes of those who slumber under the same roof; the victim awakens blind, while Mokumokuren’s shoji sprouts two new sinister eyes.

Like most yokai and other malicious spirits, Mokumokuren stirs to life after dark. One popular tale tells of a tired traveler who, delayed on the road, found a deserted house at night. It was better, he thought, than sleeping under the open sky—especially when journeying alone. Dilapidated roof, torn shoji panels, a damp musty odor… not ideal, yet still preferable to the dangers of the forest. Spreading out his bedding, he was on the verge of sleep when he sensed someone—or something—watching him. Peering at the damaged shoji, he glimpsed movement. Then he saw them: eyes—many eyes—various shapes and sizes, blinking and silently following his every motion. The traveler kept his composure. Taking a needle and thread, he started sewing up each hole. With every stitch, one eye vanished. By the time he finished, they were all gone, and the entire room fell still. In the morning, the screen looked as it always had: just a ragged old panel. The yokai had departed.

From Yokai Bestiary 5E, p. 34 · Fern Flower Press