D&D 5E Epic Monsters: Kongamato

A prehistoric terror known as the overwhelmer of boats: the kongamato.

D&D 5E – Epic Monsters: Kongamato | EN World | Dungeons & Dragons | Tabletop Roleplaying Games

First described and named by Frank Welland In Witchbound Africa (1932) as a large beaked, reddish creature with leathery wings, much of the writing about the kongamato points to locals identifying illustrations of a pterodactyl as the same creature. He also notes that “[locals] do not consider it to be an unnatural thing like a mulombe (demon) only a very awful thing, like a man-eating lion or a rogue elephant, but infinitely worse”. However the kongamato is a proper cryptid if there ever was one, there are many stories about it, and in truth it resembles a variety of airborne mythical creatures (including Papua New Guinea’s ropen).

The kongamato is generally thought to be in Angola, the Congo, and Zambia, but there are more specific historical references to Jiundu Swamp (northwestern Zambia) and Lake Bangweulu (also Zambia). Wherever it may be, people near its territory are said to carry charms called muchi wa Kongamato to protect them from it at certain river crossings. Rightly so—this monster capsizes canoes and attacks people on the shore, and though it mostly eats fish humans are still on the menu, and grisly enough it’s thought to dig up graves to steal and consume fresh corpses. A few of the stand out references to creatures that might be the kongamato are:

• In The Harleian Collections of Travels (1745) there’s a claim by Mr. E. Lopes (insert skeptical eye here) that in a province of Bemba (a sea coast from Ambrize River [maybe Ambriz in Angola?] to Coanza River [also Angola]) there are flesh eating ram-sized dragon-winged scaled blue green two-footed many-toothed tailed serpents that are worshiped as gods.
• In Collections of Voyages (1746) an Agent-General of the Royal Company of Africa named John Barbot wrote that off the coasts of South Guinea there were “winged serpents or dragons having a forked tail and a prodigious wide mouth, full of sharp teeth, extremely mischievous to mankind, and more particularly to small children.”
• In Mythical Monsters (1886) Charles Gould described winged dusky green and yellow predators with plenty of sharp teeth, clawed feet, two ears, and curiously “five prominent and conspicuous tubercles on the back.”
• In A Game Warden on Safari (1928) A. Blaney Percival recorded local tales from the Kitui Wakamba of “a huge flying beast which comes down from Mount Kenya by night” only seen against the sky and by its two-footed tracks and heavy tail, a creature they call the batamzinga.
• There are two accounts from Fort Roseberry west of Lake Bangweulu (the first by J. P. F. Brown in the Rhodesia Herald in 1956) of flying prehistoric creatures, the latter of which included a hospital report in 1957 about a chest wound delivered by a creature that a local claimed was a large bird—which when sketched out resembled a pterosaur.

Kongamato​

Large beast, unaligned
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 52 (7d10+14)
Speed 15 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR​	DEX​	CON​	INT​	WIS​	CHA​
18 (+4)​	15 (+2)​	14 (+2)​	3 (–4)​	13 (+1)​	6 (–2)​

Saving Throws Wis +3; Proficiency +2
Skills Athletics +6, Perception +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages —
Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Flyby. The kongamato doesn’t provoke an opportunity attack when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.

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

Swoop. If the kongamato flies at least 30 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a bite attack on the same turn, it can use a bonus action to try to bowl the creature over. The creature must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The kongamato attacks twice.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage.

Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14). The kongamato has two talons, each of which can grapple only one target while the kongamato is in the air.

REACTION
Soar. When the kongamato grapples a prone creature with its talons, it can use its reaction to fly up to half its flying speed.

Kongamato

A massive draconic creature with a birdlike head dives from the sky, letting loose a piercing scream as it descends.

Source: Pathfinder d20pfsrd.com

Kongamatos are primeval dragons that hunt the deep jungles of the world. Although not as intelligent or magically adept as their “true” cousins, kongamatos are respected and feared for their resilience and awesome strength. While the kongamato’s body is clearly draconic’ squat and dense with sharp claws capping each of its four limbs’ the creature’s head is distinctly avian, with a long, toothless beak and a pronounced crest. A kongamato’s hide is a rich emerald hue, with an ash-colored underbelly and crimson webbing on its broad wings. Females have smaller head-crests than males, and a rosy hue colors both the undersides of their wings and their underbellies.

Kongamatos are apex predators that make their lairs in the tops of the oldest and strongest trees, or in caves and ruins. Kongamatos are carnivorous and prey on large herd animals. Although they do not have teeth, their beaks are sharp and strong, allowing them to carve their kills with precision and to punch through wood, rock, and even metal. When possible, kongamatos hunt on the perimeter of their territories, gliding silently and gracefully through even the thickest forest foliage to surprise prey.

Both males and females grow to a length of almost 30 feet, with an equally broad wingspan, and can weigh up to 7 tons. Kongamatos live between 500 and 600 years.

Kongamato CR 15

XP 51,200 N Huge dragon Init +7; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision; Perception +23

DEFENSE

AC 29, touch 11, flat-footed 26 (+3 Dexterity, +18 natural, -2 size) hp 261 (18d12+144) Fort +19, Ref +16, Will +13 DR 10/magic; Immune magic paralysis and sleep; Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10; SR 26

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft., Fly 160 ft. (average) Melee bite +28 (2d6+2), 2 claws +28 (1d8+12), tail slap +26 (2d6+6), 2 wings +26 (1d8+6) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks wailing dive, breath weapon (50-ft. cone, 14d6 sonic damage, Reflex DC 20 for half, usable every 1d4 rounds)

STATISTICS

Strength 34, Dexterity 17, Constitution 26, Intelligence 9, Wisdom 14, Charisma 17 Base Atk +18; CMB +32; CMD 45 (49 vs. trip) Feats Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Power Attack, Snatch, Wingover Skills Climb +19, Fly +20, Intimidate +16, Perception +23, Sense Motive +15, Stealth +13, Survival +20 Languages Draconic SQ compression, piercing beak

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Piercing Beak (Ex)   A kongamato’s beak is extremely hard and adept at breaking objects. When attempting to damage an item, a kongamato’s beak attack does double damage and is treated as if it were adamantine for the purposes of overcoming the object’s hardness. Wailing Dive (Su) When a kongamato makes a charge while flying or uses its Flyby Attack feat, the creature’s body becomes infused with energy, causing its bite to deal an extra +1d6 points of sonic damage on that attack.

ECOLOGY

Environment tropical forests Organization solitary or pair Treasure standard

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.