Abaia

Huge fey, neutral

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)

Hit Points 152 (16d12 + 48)

Speed 10 ft., swim 60 ft.

STR 22 (+6) · DEX 14 (+2) · CON 17 (+3) · INT 12 (+1) · WIS 15 (+2) · CHA 16 (+3)

Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +7, Wis +6, Cha +7

Skills Athletics +9, Insight +6, Perception +6, Stealth +6

Damage Resistances lightning, thunder

Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16

Languages understands Aquan and Sylvan but can’t speak

Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

Traits

Amphibious. Abaia can breathe air and water.

Guardian of the Lake. While Abaia is completely submerged, it gains advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, and ranged weapon attacks against it have disadvantage.

Magical Sight. Abaia can see invisible creatures and objects and automatically succeeds on saving throws to disbelieve illusion spells or effects.

Actions

Multiattack. Abaia makes two attacks: one with its Bite and one with its Tail.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) piercing damage.

Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage.

If the target is in water, it must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 15 feet straight toward Abaia and knocked prone. If the target is on land, it is instead pushed 15 feet away and knocked prone on a failed save.

Raging Current (Recharge 5–6). Abaia lashes its tail, stirring a 30-foot-radius sphere of water centered on itself. Each creature of Abaia’s choice in that area must make a DC 16 Strength saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. Creatures that fail the save are also pulled 20 feet toward Abaia and restrained by churning water until the end of their next turn. The affected water is difficult terrain for all creatures except Abaia until the end of Abaia’s next turn.

Bonus Actions

Surging Glide. While submerged, Abaia moves up to its swim speed without provoking opportunity attacks, provided it ends this movement at least 10 feet closer to a hostile creature it can see.

Reactions

Wave Break. When a creature Abaia can see moves within 10 feet of it while both are in water, Abaia can move up to 10 feet and make a Tail attack against that creature.

Lore

A magical eel that controls the weather and can become extremely vengeful if disturbed.

Abaia is a freshwater eel, described as a gigantic magical creature whose power manifests through raging currents, deadly whirlpools, and sudden floods. In folklore, it stands as a mighty guardian and protector, portrayed as an enormous eel with a body covered in shimmering scales. Some tales say that bright markings run along its skin, their intricate patterns slowly changing with time. But its most striking feature is its massive body—especially the tail, with which the creature can raise colossal waves and whirlpools in a single sweep.

All of this comes out of the legends of New Guinea, the monster’s homeland. One story tells how villagers were once netting fish from the lake beside their settlement with great enthusiasm. At some point they caught Abaia’s favored little fish and angered him deeply. The answer came quickly: that night he stirred up a storm, the water climbed out of its banks, and the lake wiped the village away as though it had never existed. They say only one young woman survived—she hadn’t eaten any of the fish and, by some miracle, scrambled up a tree in time. Maybe she liked reading late at night; no one kept exact records.

From Oceanian Bestiary 5E, p. 10 · Fern Flower Press