The Bake-Kujira
The bake-kujira, the curse of the whale, seeks to bring famine, plague, and other disasters to coastal communities. It appears as a huge skeleton of some great fish or whale, invariably accompanied by a host of strange birds and fish.
Ghost or Demon? Stories differ about the bake-kujira’s origin. Some claim the monster is the vengeful spirit of a butchered whale, while others declare the bake-kujira is a demon from some hellish abyssal ocean. Whatever the truth, the bake-kujira displays a number of seemingly contradictory abilities. It is both incorporeal and immensely strong. It swims through the water as well flies through the air. It combines potent innate spellcasting with crushing physical attacks.
Guardian or Destroyer? The bake-kujira usually brings doom to coastal communities near its lair. It ruins crops, sinks boats, and burns homes. Residents of afflicted communities who abase themselves sufficiently may purchase a measure of mercy and even protection from the bake-kujira. The cost for the bake-kujira’s sufferance is high, however, and the monster delights in demanding ever greater outrages be performed in its honor.
Bake-Kujira
Huge undead, chaotic evil
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 102 (12d12+24)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover), swim 60 ft.
Ability Scores STR 19 (+4), DEX 14 (+2), CON 15 (+2), INT 8 (-1), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 14 (+2)
Saving Throws Con +6, Wis +7
Skills Perception +7
Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning; bludgeoning and slashing from nonmagical attacks; piercing from magical attacks
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison; piercing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages Abyssal, Primordial, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
Echolocation. The bake-kujira can’t use its blindsight while deafened.
Incorporeal Movement. The bake-kujira can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Innate Spellcasting. The bake-kujira’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom. It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
At will: flaming sphere, fog cloud, thunderwave
3/day each: gust of wind, sleet storm, wind wall
2/day each: blight, control water, ice storm
1/day each: contagion (Spell Attack Bonus: +7), insect plague
Keen Hearing. The bake-kujira has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the bake-kujira fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Turn Resistance. The bake-kujira has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.
Actions
Multiattack. The bake-kujira makes two attacks: one with its bite and one one with its tail.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (5d6+4) piercing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (5d4+4) bludgeoning damage.
Legendary Actions
The bake-kujira can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The bake-kujira regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Innate Spellcasting (Costs 3 Actions). The bake-kujira can use its innate spellcasting ability.
Psychic Attack. The bake-kujira chooses a living creature it can sense within 120 feet of it. The creature must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw against this attack, taking 21 (6d6) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Sonic Boom (Costs 2 Actions). Each creature within 20 feet of the bake-kujira must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw against this burst of sound, taking 17 (5d6) thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
A Bake-Kujira’s Lair
The bake-kujira lairs in flooded sea caves or deep sea trenches. The water near its lair is always colder than surrounding waters, and the waves above its lair are choppy, tossed by gusting winds beneath scudding, dark clouds. Flocks of bizarre birds and schools of strange fish live in the region around the bake-kujira’s lair.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the bake-kujira takes a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects:
* A strong current moves through the bake-kujira’s lair. Each creature within 60 feet of the bake-kujira must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be pushed 60 feet away from the bake-kujira. On a success, the creature is pushed 10 feet away from the bake-kujira.
* Beasts arrive to defend the bake-kujira. In the water, four swarms of quippers arrive. Above the waves, sixteen swarms of ravens arrive. Otherwise, treat this lair action as conjure animals, to include the requirement for concentration.
* The water in the bake-kujira’s lair becomes uncannily cold. All creatures within 120 feet of the bake-kujira must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Regional Effects
The region around a bake-kujira’s lair is warped by the unnatural presence of the monster, creating the following magical effects:
* The weather and water currents in a 6-mile radius centered on the bake-kujira’s lair becomes unstable and hostile. The weather is always 1d4x10 degrees Fahrenheit colder than normal. When rolling to determine wind and precipitation, treat results less than 13 as 13 (see DMG, p. 109). Checks made related to swimming, navigation, et cetera, are made with disadvantage in the area of effect.
* Aquatic and avian creatures within 6 miles of the lair that have an Intelligence score of 2 or lower are charmed by the bake-kujira and aggressive toward intruders in the area.
If the bake-kujira dies, these effects fade immediately.
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