Buy me a coffeeJubjub Bird, Harbinger of Madness
Beware the deadly Jubjub Bird—its piercing scream chills the soul and its shadow brings nightmares to life!
Standing about five feet tall, the Jubjub Bird is cloaked in sleek, jet-black feathers that shimmer with an oily iridescence under moonlight. Its fierce crimson eyes glow faintly in the dark, set above a long, curved beak sharp as obsidian. Ragged, bristly plumage frames its snarling face, while broad, tattered wings enable swift, erratic flight. Razor-sharp talons curve like scythes, perfect for gripping and tearing.
Behavior:
Unpredictable and fiercely aggressive, the Jubjub Bird strikes with sudden bursts of speed and emits terrifying screams that disorient prey and foes alike. Highly territorial, it attacks without hesitation but retreats to dense thickets or shadowy nests when threatened.
Habitat:
Preferring bleak, shadowed places like twisted forests, jagged cliffs, and mist-shrouded moors, the Jubjub Bird thrives where fog lingers and sunlight struggles to penetrate, using darkness as cover for hunting and nesting.
Tactics:
Hunting mainly at dusk or under cover of darkness, it stuns prey with a piercing cry before swooping down with deadly talons. Using hit-and-run attacks from above or the shadows, it retreats before enemies can retaliate. Its scream also serves as a psychological weapon, sowing panic and confusion to isolate targets.
Motivation:
Driven by primal survival instincts and dominance, the Jubjub Bird fiercely protects its territory and young. It seeks not only to hunt but to inspire fear, ruling the shadowy wilds through terror and chaos—the embodiment of nature’s untamed fury.
Jubjub Bird 5e
Jubjub Bird, Pathfinder
Jubjub Bird, Harbinger of Madness
Medium monstrosity, chaotic neutral
Armor Class: 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 105 (14d8 + 42)
Speed: 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (erratic flight)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 8 (−1) | 14 (+2) | 12 (+1) |
Saving Throws: Dex +7, Wis +5
Skills: Perception +5, Stealth +7
Damage Resistances: Psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities: Frightened
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages: Understands Sylvan but cannot speak
Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP)
Traits
Erratic Flight. The Jubjub Bird moves unpredictably in flight. As a bonus action, it can move up to half its flying speed in any direction and hover.
Terrifying Screech (Recharge 5–6). The bird unleashes a blood-curdling scream in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute and disoriented, suffering disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. Creatures can repeat the save at the end of each of their turns.
Shadowmeld. While in dim light or darkness, the Jubjub Bird has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Actions
Multiattack. The Jubjub Bird makes two attacks: one with its beak and one with its talons.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) piercing damage.
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be grappled (escape DC 15). The bird can grapple only one target at a time.
Madness Induction (Recharge 6). The Jubjub Bird targets one creature within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or suffer short-term madness (as per the Dungeon Master’s Guide) for 1 minute. The target can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns.
Legendary Actions
The Jubjub Bird can take 2 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 bird regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Screech (Costs 1 Action). The Jubjub Bird uses its Terrifying Screech if available.
- Dive Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The bird flies up to its speed toward a target and makes one talon attack with advantage.
Tactics
The Jubjub Bird strikes with sudden bursts of speed and unsettling cries, using hit-and-run tactics to confuse and isolate foes. It opens combat with its Terrifying Screech to scatter groups, then swoops in to grapple and disable key targets. Its Madness Induction targets vulnerable minds, sowing chaos and fear. When threatened, it retreats with erratic flight, using shadows to vanish and strike again from unexpected angles.
Jubjub Bird
[This content was created for the Pathfinder rules by Paizo Publishing LLC and is part of the Pathfinder RPG product line.]
This enormous bird has a lizardlike tail and bright purple feathers on its back and wings; the rest of its body is bare and scaly.
The jubjub bird is a rare and dangerous bird that resembles a giant dodo bird, but with long, muscular legs and wings that provide functional, if awkward, flight. When attacked with magic, a jubjub bird’s plumage shifts randomly in hue and pattern with each spell hurled against it. Like the bandersnatch and other legendary creatures such as the jabberwock, the jubjub bird originally hails from the primal world of the fey.
It has the dubious honor of being the least powerful and least intelligent of these creatures, which are known collectively as the “Tane,” yet one should never assume that the jubjub bird is a pushover’ its penchant for snapping off heads with its razor-sharp beak can quickly put such ideas to rest.
Powerful fey sometimes keep jubjub birds as guardians, and there are even reports of giants (particularly powerful tribes of jungle giants) using them as mounts. Such avian allies must be carefully trained, for few giants and fey are able to comfortably exist alongside a creature so prone to uttering such stunning shrieks so often.
Jubjub birds stand about 20 feet tall and weigh roughly 6,000 pounds.
| Jubjub Bird CR 15 |
| XP 51,200 N Huge magical beast Init +2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision, Scent; Perception +24 |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 31, touch 11, flat-footed 28 (+2 Dexterity, +1 Dodge, +20 natural, -2 size) hp 230 (20d10+120); fast healing 10 Fort +18, Ref +14, Will +11; Defensive Abilities adaptive defense; Immune acid; SR 26 |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 50 ft., Fly 20 ft. (poor) Melee bite +31 (3d6+19/19-20/x3 plus grab), 2 talons +31 (1d8+13) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. (20 ft. with bite) Special Attacks deadly bite, shriek, swallow whole (3d6+19 bludgeoning plus 2d6 acid damage, AC 20, 23 hp) |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 37, Dexterity 15, Constitution 22, Intelligence 2, Wisdom 16, Charisma 13 Base Atk +20; CMB +35 (+39 grapple); CMD 48 Feats Blind-Fight, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Critical (bite), Iron Will, Mobility, Power Attack, Run, Spring Attack Skills Acrobatics +14 (+22 when jumping), Fly +7, Perception +24; Racial Modifiers +12 Acrobatics, +8 Perception SQ planar acclimation |
| SPECIAL ABILITIES |
| Adaptive Defense (Su) When first encountered, a jubjub bird has no energy resistance. When damaged by an attack that causes cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage, it gains resistance 30 to that energy type until the end of its next turn. If an attack causes more than one type of energy damage, the jubjub bird gains resistance 30 to all the types of energy damage dealt. Deadly Bite (Ex) A jubjub bird applies 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier to damage dealt by its bite attack. A successful critical hit decapitates and instantly slays a Large or smaller victim (DC 33 Fort negates decapitation; creatures without a head are immune to this effect) and deals triple normal damage regardless of the decapitation result. The save DC is Strength-based. Planar Acclimation (Ex) A jubjub bird is always considered to be on its home plane, regardless of what plane it finds itself upon. It never gains the extraplanar subtype. Shriek (Ex) Once every 1d6 rounds as a standard action, a jubjub bird can voice a piercing screech. All creatures (other than jubjub birds) within a 60-foot-radius spread must succeed at a DC 26 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1d4 rounds. This is a sonic effect. The save DC is Constitution-based. |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment temperate or warm forests Organization solitary or pair Treasure incidental |
Section 15: Copyright Notice – Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Jesse Benner, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, Michael Kenway, Rob McCreary, Patrick Renie, Chris Sims, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, and Russ Taylor, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.