Kushtaka

Medium humanoid (shapechanger), chaotic evil

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Armor Class: 15 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 95 (10d8 + 50)
Speed: 40 ft., swim 40 ft.

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Stat	STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
Score	16 (+3)	18 (+4)	20 (+5)	14 (+2)	12 (+1)	16 (+3)

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Saving Throws: Dex +7, Con +8
Skills: Acrobatics +7, Perception +4, Stealth +7, Survival +4
Damage Resistances: Cold
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages: Common, Aquan, Sylvan
Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP)

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Traits

• Shapechanger. The Kushtaka can use its action to transform between two forms:
  • Hybrid Form: The Kushtaka’s default form, a grotesque blend of humanoid and otter. Its upper body is humanoid, with webbed hands, sharp claws, and a long, powerful otter-like tail. It has a grotesque face with both human and otter features. It is highly agile, with webbed feet and quick movements, making it deadly in both land and water.
  • Otter Form: The Kushtaka transforms fully into an otter, becoming a sleek and agile water creature. In this form, it has no humanoid traits, can swim with ease, and is adept at evading predators or fleeing combat. It retains its intelligence and communication abilities but loses its offensive capabilities.
• Amphibious. The Kushtaka can breathe both air and water.
• Pack Tactics. The Kushtaka has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the Kushtaka’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
• Innate Illusion. The Kushtaka can cast Disguise Self once per day, allowing it to appear as a humanoid of any race. This illusion lasts for 1 hour or until the Kushtaka attacks or casts a spell. The illusion can be used to mimic the appearance of a person in distress, such as a crying child, in order to lure prey into an ambush.
• Drown (Recharge 5-6). If the Kushtaka is within 5 feet of a creature and that creature is submerged in water, the Kushtaka can use its action to attempt to drown the target. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked unconscious and start suffocating. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

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Actions

• Multiattack. The Kushtaka makes two attacks: one with its claws and one with its bite.
• Bite.
  Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  Hit: 12 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. The poisoned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
• Claws.
  Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  Hit: 10 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage.
• Rippling Waters (Recharge 5-6). The Kushtaka slams its tail into the water, creating a shockwave that affects creatures within 20 feet of the Kushtaka. All creatures within range must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The water around them becomes difficult terrain for 1 minute.
• Lure of the River. The Kushtaka can use its action to create a haunting cry that mimics a lost child or person in need of help. Any creature within 300 feet that hears the cry must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the Kushtaka for 1 hour. A charmed creature will attempt to approach the Kushtaka, seeking to aid or investigate its cries. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

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Legendary Actions (3/Day)

The Kushtaka can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Kushtaka regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

• Claw Attack. The Kushtaka makes one claw attack.
• Submerge. The Kushtaka retreats into the water, becoming invisible to any creature not within 10 feet of the water. It can reappear in a space it can see within 30 feet of its original position.
• Lure Cry (Costs 2 Actions). The Kushtaka creates a haunting cry that forces all creatures within 60 feet to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 minute.

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Tactics

The Kushtaka is a master of deception and ambush. It prefers to lure its prey in with the Lure of the River ability, mimicking the cries of someone in need, to weaken the resolve of its targets. If it detects multiple intruders, it will use Rippling Waters to create difficult terrain, disrupting movement and forcing enemies into disarray.

• Pack Tactics: Kushtakas work best in groups, and they often rely on Pack Tactics to overpower lone targets. If there is more than one Kushtaka, they will coordinate to gain advantage on their attacks.
• Drown: The Kushtaka will attempt to subdue any creature within 5 feet of water using its Drown ability, incapacitating the target and forcing it to suffocate. If possible, it will drag the victim under the water to drown.
• Submerge: When the Kushtaka feels cornered, it will use Submerge to retreat into the water, disappearing into the shadows and reappearing later to strike again. This tactic is especially useful when the Kushtaka is outnumbered and needs to reposition.
• Legendary Actions: The Kushtaka uses its legendary actions to Claw Attack or Submerge to remain unpredictable and dangerous in the environment. If the Kushtaka is losing the fight, it may use its Lure Cry to cause confusion or attempt to charm an enemy into hesitation.

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Environment

Kushtakas are native to remote, mist-filled riverbanks, lakes, and coastal regions, particularly in the dense, shadowy forests of the far north. They thrive in regions where the water is deep enough for them to conceal themselves but accessible enough to trap prey. Kushtakas use the natural terrain to their advantage, often setting ambushes near rivers or forests, where they can hide in the shadows or strike from underwater.

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Roleplaying the Kushtaka

• Tactics: The Kushtaka is a cunning, predatory creature that doesn’t fight fair. It uses its Lure of the River ability to trick adventurers, often leading them into peril. Kushtakas will use their Hybrid Form in combat to leverage their physical strength, but will often retreat if the battle turns against them, making them more dangerous as they strike from the shadows or beneath the water.
• Personality: The Kushtaka is sadistic and enjoys watching its prey squirm. It will toy with adventurers, leading them to the brink of destruction before moving in for the kill. It enjoys causing fear and confusion, and will never hesitate to use Illusions to mislead or manipulate its enemies.
• Appearance in Battle: When fighting, the Kushtaka might appear as a monstrous humanoid with sharp claws and teeth, with its otter-like face and sleek fur. In water, it might seem like nothing more than a ripple or shadow, its Otter Form allowing it to move undetected and strike with deadly precision.

Kushtaka

Kushtaka are found in the stories of the Tlingit Indians of Southeastern Alaska, kushtaka means, “land otter man”.

This seems like a normal guy in a rowboat. Then, just as you least expect anything weird to happen, he turns into a furry, white animal the size and general shape of an otter or seal. An instant latter, it grows into a bloated, marine horror with the lower half of a cetacean and a shaggy, bearlike torso rising at the front like that of a deformed centaur. This last form has long white hair, boar like tusks, and a pair of beefy, flipper like arms with gnarly claws, and is the size of a warhorse. The boat sinks.

In the wild, forested coastlands, drowning and being stranded are common hazards. Much worse, however, are the nature spirits that embody the lulling doom of being consumed by the woods. Kushtakas are dark fey spirits of the lost… and the found. In its natural form, a kushtaka resembles an albino land otter. However, when a group of humans comes through their territory, they change forms quickly.

Taking on the shapes of family and friends (often long lost ones), the monsters attempt to lure their victims away from their parties, so that they may be ambushed and dragged into the sea. They use their powers to prevent easy escape, often creating fog banks to cause shipwrecks so as to strand sailors in places where they are easy to snatch. If continually frustrated or attacked, the kushtakas assume monstrous shapes and rend the poor mortals limb from limb.

Kushtakas are organized into small clans, each of which inhabits a lonesome, forested island or a system of hidden grottos. Here they keep their not-yet transformed captives, as well as any treasure they may have gathered. Kushtaka Shamans (see next entry) often collect magic items.

Kushtaka are shape-shifters capable of assuming either human form or an otter. They are cruel creatures who take delight in tricking poor sailors to their deaths. they confuse lost individuals by distracting them with illusions of their family and friends as they transform their subject into a kushtaka. Kushtaka will imitate the cries of a baby or the screams of a woman to lure victims to the river. Once there, the kushtaka either kills the person and tears them to shreds or will turn them into another kushtaka.

Originally Posted by Return of the Flumph of the Wizards Community forums.

On this Thread

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Kushtaka
Medium fey
Hit Dice	6d6+18 (39 hp)
Initiative	+3
Speed	30/Climb 20/Swim 50
Armor Class	17 (10+3 Dexterity+4 nat), touch 13, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple	+3/+4
Attack	bite +6 melee (1d4+1)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	Alternate Form, obscuring mist, Airy Water, Transformation, Hold Breath
Special Qualities	DR 5/cold iron, SR 17
Saves	Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities	Strength 12, Dexterity 16, Constitution 16, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 14, Charisma 14
Feats	Power Attack, Dodge, Weapon Focus (bite)
Challenge Rating	6
Treasure	Standard
Alignment	Usually lawful evil
Advancement	7-24 (medium)

Combat

If it looks like there will be trouble, the kushtakas will dive into the nearest body of water and one will cast obscuring mist (they can see perfectly in heavy mist). When all is obscured, the monsters will emerge, in horror form, and begin lurching around, surrounding and pursuing their foes until none remain. Any enemies taken alive are dragged to the lair for transformation.

Alternate Form (Su): As a standard action, a kushtaka can assume the physical shape of any humanoid from small to large size, like a polymorph effect. They use this to impersonate a person’s relatives (how they know what these look like is unknown).

If threatened or angry, a kushtaka will grow into a giant seal monster bear thing. In this form, they grow to large size, gain +14 to strength, +4 to Constitution, +2 to natural armor, and their base bite damage increases to 2d4. Finally, they also gain two claw attacks as secondary attacks, each of which deals 2d6 base damage. They lose their Climb speed in this form, but can move on land by pulling their bloated bodies along with their arms.

obscuring mist (Sp): A kushtaka can cast obscuring mist at will as a sixth level druid.

Airy Water (Su): A kushtaka radiates an Airy Water effect within a five foot radius of itself. It can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.

Transformation (Su): Any mortal humanoid that is bound in a kushtaka lair and fed the right magic herbs begins an eerie transformation. The victim spends 1d4 days in a psychedelia trance, reliving its memories of time spent with its loved ones. As this occurs, the memories themselves erode. Dispel Evil and remove curse can save one from this. Once the memories are all gone, the amnesic creature starts physically mutated into an albino land otter, which takes an additional week. At this point, only wish or miracle can help. A fully transformed character is beyond redemption; even killing and raising him will only bring him back as a kushtaka.

Hold Breath (Nat): A kushtaka can hold its breath for one minute for every two Constitution points it possesses before the drowning rule applies.

Kushtaka Shaman
Large fey
Hit Dice	18d6+108 (171 hp)
Initiative	+1
Speed	20/Swim 40
Armor Class	22 (10-1size+1 Dexterity+8 nat+4 deflection), touch 14, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple	+10/+19
Attack	slam +13 melee (1d8+5)
Space/Reach	10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks	Alternate Form, Omniscience, Bleed, Transformation, Spell-Like Abilities, Spells
Special Qualities	DR 20/cold iron, SR 25, durability, regeneration 10 (energy or good)
Saves	Fort +10, Ref +13, Will +19
Abilities	Strength 20, Dexterity 12, Constitution 22, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 24, Charisma 18
Feats	Combat Casting, Expand Spell, Empower Spell, Spell Penetration, Maximize Spell, Dodge, Alertness
Challenge Rating	14
Treasure	Triple Standard
Alignment	Always lawful evil
Advancement	19-36 (large)

Rising from the swamp, at least ten feet tall, this amphibious humanoid regards you with cold and hungry evil. It wears a shaman’s headdress on its froglike head, and a bearskin cloak hangs around its body. All around it, ghostly white otters emerge from the mist.

If kushtakas are only made by the transformation of a humanoid by another kushtaka, it stands to wonder how the cycle begin. The answer lies in these cruel fairies. Kushtaka shamans are collectors of forlorn and desperate souls, nature’s bitter appeasement to those who the seas and woodlands consume.

Kushtaka shamans sleep most of their lives. After creating a few minor kushtakas, they sit back in their ponds and use their omniscience to observe the deeds of their children in their dreams. When the kushtakas are in real trouble, big daddy awakens.

The kushtaka shaman lives in a hidden, sacred place with many kushtaka clans nearby. Lesser kushtakas regard these creatures as divine.

Combat

Unlike their spawn, kushtaka shamans are not melee bruisers. They prefer to stay out of sight and use their omniscience to pinpoint the enemy for a long ranged spell barrage.

Alternate Form (Su): As a standard action, a kushtaka shaman can become any creature within one size category of itself with which the beast is familiar, including that of a lesser kushtaka (in any form). It often becomes an animal local to the area to walk unseen or escape, while it becomes a monstrous kushtaka to fight in melee (though it tries to avoid this).

Omniscience (Nat): A kushtaka shaman constantly sees through the eyes of all kushtakas within ten miles of itself.

Bleed (Su): At will, a kushtaka shaman can cause one creature within thirty feet to bleed to death from the inside out. The creature is entitled to a fortitude save to resist (DC 23). On a failure, the victim takes one point of damage per round until death. Nothing short of heal can undo this damage or end the condition.

Transformation (Su): Any mortal humanoid that is bound in a kushtaka lair and fed the right magic herbs begins an eerie transformation. The victim spends 1d4 days in a psychodellic trance, reliving its memories of time spent with its loved ones. As this occurs, the memories themselves erode. Dispel Evil and remove curse can save one from this. Once the memories are all gone, the amnesic creature starts physically mutated into an albino land otter, which takes an additional week. At this point, only wish or miracle can help. A fully transformed character is beyond redemption; even killing and raising him will only bring him back as a kushtaka.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At will-obscuring mist, alter memory, Airy Water, suggestion.

All as cast by a tenth level caster.

Spells (Sp): A kushtaka shaman casts spells as a fourteenth level druid.

Durability (Nat): A kushtaka shaman never suffers from environmental effects or drowning.