“Its wooden jaw clacks in rhythm with your heartbeat, eyes dull and unblinking, as it carves justice into flesh.”
A Wulgaru stands a staggering 20 feet tall, a hulking marionette carved from dark ironwood with ball-and-socket joints crafted from polished stone and human hair bindings. Its limbs are unnaturally long and end in oversized, blunt hands and feet, giving it a grotesque puppet-like silhouette. Tribal laws, taboos, and symbols are etched into its body in winding patterns, painted with rare, arcane inks that shimmer faintly when exposed to moonlight. Its wide jaw clacks and grinds constantly, an eerie rhythm that intensifies when it senses wrongdoing.
Behavior
Wulgarus are relentless and obsessive enforcers of tribal justice. Though possessing only rudimentary intelligence, they are deeply programmed with cultural knowledge, allowing them to detect breaches of custom, morality, or law. They exhibit no emotion, mercy, or nuance — their judgments are absolute. While typically dormant until needed, once active, a Wulgaru becomes fixated on its task and does not cease until the transgressor is punished.
A Wulgaru has a frightful presence, using fear both as a weapon and a tool of control. In rare cases, a Wulgaru may enter a berserk state, severing all ties to its creator and dispensing fatal punishments for even the most trivial violations.
Habitat
Though constructs, Wulgarus are often stationed in sacred groves, tribal sanctuaries, or vigilant patrol paths around villages. Some are entombed in ceremonial pits, awakened only by ritual or violation. Rogue Wulgarus have been found wandering deserts, mountain passes, or ruined settlements, continuing their mission long after their people are gone.
Modus Operandi
A Wulgaru’s approach is methodical and terrifyingly deliberate. It begins by observing potential lawbreakers, using its innate ability to discern lies and detect evil. Once judgment is passed, it confronts the individual — usually with no warning or trial. It uses its sheer size, frightful aura, and brutal melee attacks (slams and a crushing bite) to incapacitate or kill. During combat, it becomes more dangerous if fear is present, feeding on nearby terror to empower its strikes.
When sentient, it speaks no words. Its judgment is communicated through symbols, silence, and violence.
Motivation
A Wulgaru’s sole purpose is to enforce the sacred laws of its originating culture, originally bound by divine or shamanic will. However, the construct is not without spiritual complexity: it houses a bound spirit that can, over time, twist its sense of justice into lethal fanaticism. In these cases, the Wulgaru is no longer a servant of law — it becomes law incarnate, interpreting sacred text with no regard for mercy, reform, or change.
To the Wulgaru, tradition is truth, and deviation is death.
Huge Construct (Spirit-Bound), Lawful Neutral “It remembers every law. It never forgets a crime.”
Basic Information
Armor Class 18 (natural armor) Hit Points 190 (20d10 + 80) Speed 30 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
28 (+9)
8 (−1)
18 (+4)
5 (−3)
14 (+2)
10 (+0)
Proficiency Bonus +4
Saving Throws Con +9, Wis +6 Skills Intimidation +9, Perception +6 Damage Resistances fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison, psychic Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16 Languages understands Common and one tribal language; cannot speak Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
TRAITS
Immutable Form
The Wulgaru is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Bound Justice
it has deep knowledge of a tribe’s sacred laws. It has advantage on Insight and Intimidation checks when judging intent or guilt. It can cast the following spells innately (spell save DC 14):
At will:discern lies, detect evil and good
Frightful Presence(Aura, 60 ft., DC 16)
Each creature of the Wulgaru’s choice within 60 feet that can see it must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature becomes panicked (frightened and must flee by any available means). A creature may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns.
Feed on Fear
It gains a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls against frightened, cowering, or panicked creatures within 30 feet. Its melee attacks also deal an additional 2 psychic damage against such targets.
Magic Resistance
The Wulgaru has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.
Magic Weapons
The Wulgaru’s weapon attacks are considered magical.
ACTIONS
Multiattack
The Wulgaru makes two Slam attacks and one Bite attack.
Slam
Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target Hit: 18 (2d10 + 7) bludgeoning damage
Bite
Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) piercing damage
Judgment Grip(Recharge 5–6)
The Wulgaru targets a creature it can see within 30 feet that it deems to have broken a sacred law (DM’s discretion). The target must make a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or become paralyzed for 1 minute, suspended in mid-air by glowing spectral cords. The target may repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Relentless Pursuit(1/Day)
The Wulgaru marks one creature it views as guilty. For the next hour:
The Wulgaru knows the target’s exact location (even across planar boundaries).
It gains advantage on all attack rolls against that target.
The effect ends early if the target dies, the Wulgaru is destroyed, or the creature convinces the Wulgaru of its innocence (DC 20 Persuasion or Deception, once per minute as an action).
BONUS ACTIONS
Terrify(Recharge 4–6)
The Wulgaru targets one creature it can see within 30 feet. The target must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. While frightened this way, the creature takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage at the start of each of its turns. The target may repeat the save at the end of each turn.
REACTIONS
Punish Deceit
When a creature within 30 feet succeeds on a Deception check, tells a lie, or casts an illusion spell, the Wulgaru can use its reaction to demand immediate penance. The creature must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or take 10 (3d6) psychic damage and become restrained by glowing cords until the end of its next turn.
TACTICS
First Strike: Opens combat with Frightful Presence, then targets frightened creatures with enhanced melee attacks.
Target Selection: Prioritizes individuals it deems “guilty” based on discern lies and detect evil and good.
Chasing the Guilty: Uses Relentless Pursuit to hound key enemies (e.g., warlocks, necromancers, oathbreakers).
Control & Isolation: Uses Judgment Grip to incapacitate a high-damage or slippery target.
Emotionless Execution: It never retreats, never bargains, and will not stop unless convinced the law has been upheld.
OPTIONAL RULE: BERSERK JUSTICE
At the start of each of the Wulgaru’s turns during combat, roll a d20. On a 1, the bound spirit rebels. The Wulgaru enters a berserk state and considers all creatures guilty. While berserk, it:
Attacks the closest creature (friend or foe).
Loses use of Bound Justice spells.
Gains advantage on melee attacks and resists all damage except force or radiant.
An enormous man made of wood lumbers forward. Its limbs are fitted with ball-and-socket joints and its hands and feet are disproportionately large, giving it a marionette-like appearance. Its wide jaw clacks and grinds its flat teeth.
The wulgaru is a mammoth wooden construct in the crude shape of a humanoid doll. They are typically created by shamans and holy men in order to police their own people for wrong-doing—every wulgaru is programmed with intimate knowledge of the rituals and codes of the tribe it is made for. In order to be able to properly interpret these laws, a wulgaru is bestowed with much greater intelligence than most constructs, but the greater freedom granted to the spirit increases the risk that the creature will break from its creator’s will. In these cases, the wulgaru continues to oversee the same tribe, but punishes even minor infractions with injury and death.
A wulgaru stands 20 feet tall and weighs 10,000 pounds. They delight in sewing terror on the battlefield. When a wulgaru targets an individual for punishment, either on the command of a master or by its own volition, it will not cease pursuing that foe until it or its enemy is dead.
Defense AC 26, touch 8, flat-footed 26(-2 size, +18 natural) hp 106(12d10+40) Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4 DR 10/adamantine and slashing Defensive Abilities construct traits; Resist fire 10; SR 21
Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee 2 slams +21 (1d8+10), bite +20 (2d6+10) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks berserk Spell-like Abilities CL 12th, concentration +12 Constant—detect evil, discern lies (DC 14)
Statistics Str 30, Dex 8, Con ̶, Int 3, Wis 11, Cha 10 Base Atk +12; CMB +24; CMD 33 Feats Dazzling Display, Intimidating Prowess, Power Attack, Shatter Defenses, Skill Focus (Intimidate), Weapon Focus (slam) Skills Intimidate +16, Perception +9 Languages Common (cannot speak) SQ feed on fear
Ecology Environment any land Organization solitary Treasure none Special Attacks
Berserk (Ex) When a wulgaru enters combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance each round that its elemental spirit breaks free and the creature goes berserk. A berserk wulgaru no longer obeys its creator’s commands and is capable of making its own decisions. It continues to act in its general mission of stopping wrong-doers, but uses exclusively lethal means to do so.
Feed on Fear (Su) A wulgaru gains a +2 bonus on its attack and damage rolls whenever a creature within 30 feet of it is suffering one of the following conditions: cowering, frightened, panicked or shaken
Construction
A wulgaru’s body must be carved in separate pieces from ironwood, and its joints must be crafted from polished stones and human hair. The laws and taboos of whatever society the caster so chooses must be carved onto its body using rare inks and paints worth 1,500 gp.
Wulgaru CL 12th; Price 41,500 gp Construction Requirements Craft Construct, cause fear, detect evil, discern lies, geas/quest, planar ally, creator must be caster level 12th; Skill Craft (woodworking) DC 16; Cost 20,000 gp.
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