Okuri-inu 送り犬

Large fey (guardian spirit), neutral

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 60 (9d10 + 9)

Speed 50 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR 17 (+3) · DEX 16 (+3) · CON 13 (+1) · INT 6 (−2) · WIS 14 (+2) · CHA 10 (+0)

Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +4

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +7, Survival +4

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical attacks

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14

Languages understands Common and Sylvan but can’t speak

Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Traits

Invisible Escort. Until it makes an attack or forces a saving throw, the okuri-inu is invisible and inaudible except for soft pawfalls a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check can notice.

Mountain Sure-Footed. Rough stone and steep slopes count as normal terrain for the okuri-inu, and it has advantage on Strength and Dexterity saves made to resist being shoved or knocked prone.

Judgement of Misstep. The okuri-inu has advantage on attack rolls against prone creatures. A prone creature that, as a reaction, shouts “Dokkoi-sho!” (or an equivalent rallying cry) before the okuri-inu’s next turn negates this advantage for that turn.

Guardian or Executioner. A creature that ends its movement adjacent to a safe shelter (such as a house, cave mouth, or way-shrine) can use an action to bow and thank the spirit. If it does so, the okuri-inu must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or immediately become indifferent toward that creature and cease attacking it.

Actions

Multiattack. The okuri-inu makes one Bite attack and one Claw attack.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) slashing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Reactions

Executioner’s Pounce. When a creature the okuri-inu can see within 10 feet falls prone, the okuri-inu moves up to 10 feet to an unoccupied space adjacent to the creature and makes one Bite attack against it.

Lore

The escorting wolf who invisibly shadows travelers at night, shielding them from other yokai.

Okuri-inu, literally “the escorting dog.” The idea of this yokai grew out of the everyday life of villagers who had to farm the perilous mountain slopes and now and then ran into wolf-kami. In the tales it is simply called Okuri-inu, and the spirit is imagined as a large canine—usually invisible, yet unmistakably present—that shows up whenever someone takes a mountain trail at dusk or in the dark. Folklore stresses the creature’s dual nature: it follows the traveler, alertly guarding him from other predators and thus acting as a mountain guide, but under certain conditions it can just as easily become an executioner.

Okuri-inu is a mountain dog-spirit who stands watch on the border between the human world and the spirit realm. Its behavior follows a strict code. It will accompany a traveler and refrain from attacking as long as that person displays absolute self-command. The traveler must not stumble, dawdle, or relax his guard; any lapse tells the spirit the person is unworthy of further protection, and the yokai is free to strike. Should a fall occur, the correct reaction is to shout “Dokkoi-sho!”—a traditional cry the Japanese use when mustering strength to lift a heavy load. The phrase serves a magical purpose, restoring inner balance: the traveler signals to the world that he did not fall from weakness, only from a misstep, and that he is already back on his feet. In doing so he cancels the spirit’s right to attack.

From Yokai Bestiary 5E, Book Two, p. 74 · Fern Flower Press