Aughisky

Large fey (shapechanger), Chaotic Evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 114 (12d10 + 48)

Speed 60 ft., swim 60 ft.

STR 19 (+4) · DEX 14 (+2) · CON 18 (+4) · INT 12 (+1) · WIS 14 (+2) · CHA 16 (+3)

Saving Throws Str +7, Con +7, Wis +5

Skills Athletics +7, Deception +6, Perception +5, Stealth +5

Gear None

Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages Common, Sylvan, Aquan

Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

Traits

Adhesive Hide (Horse Form Only). A creature that touches the Aughisky or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet automatically becomes Grappled (escape DC 15). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have Disadvantage if the Aughisky is submerged in water or within 5 feet of a body of water.

Amphibious. The Aughisky can breathe air and water.

Jelly Demise. If the Aughisky dies, its body dissolves into a pool of medusa-shaped, jelly-like slime. It leaves behind no remains or physical form by the following dawn.

Silver Susceptibility. The Aughisky's magical protections are broken by silver. If the Aughisky takes damage from a silvered weapon, its resistances to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, as well as its Adhesive Hide trait, are suspended until the end of its next turn.

Actions

Multiattack. The Aughisky makes two attacks: one with its Bite and one with its Hooves (Horse Form), or two with its Pummel (Human Form). It can replace one attack with a use of Spellcasting.

Bite (Horse Form Only). Melee Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d10 + 4) piercing damage, and the target is automatically Grappled (escape DC 15).

Hooves (Horse Form Only). Melee Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the target is knocked Prone.

Pummel (Human Form Only). Melee Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.

Spellcasting. The Aughisky casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (Spell Save DC 14):

At Will: Charm Person (PHB, p. 249), Shape Water (XGE, p. 164)

1/Day Each: Command (PHB, p. 251), Create or Destroy Water (PHB, p. 258)

Bonus Actions

Change Shape. The Aughisky magically transforms into a Medium human or back into its true Large horse form. Its statistics, other than its size and available attacks, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Water Dash. If the Aughisky is submerged in water, it can take the Dash action.

Reactions

Drowning Drag. When a creature Grappled by the Aughisky attempts to escape the grapple and fails, the Aughisky can immediately move up to half its swimming speed, dragging the grappled creature with it. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

illustration A deep Celtic sea inlet (loch) and coastal landscape in November. Samhain dusk atmosphere, eerie, cold, and misty, with a low, pale crescent moon background of fantasy game concept art, vivid colors, flat colors used

"The Blacksmith of Raasay."

On the Scottish island of Raasay, in the deep lake of Loch na Mna, a ferocious Each-Uisge took up residence. The monster terrorized the local people, devouring sheep and cattle. But one day it did the unthinkable—it kidnapped and devoured the blacksmith’s daughter. The next morning the grief-stricken father found only signs of a struggle on the shore.

Maddened by sorrow, the blacksmith swore to destroy the creature. He knew that ordinary weapons could not pierce a water horse, so he resolved to use his craft. Together with his eldest son he built a temporary forge right on the lake’s edge.

They forged a massive, unbelievably sharp iron hook and heated it in the hearth until it glowed white-hot. To lure the monster from the depths, the blacksmith slaughtered a sheep and began roasting it over a fire. The smell of fresh blood and roasting meat drifted across the water. Soon the terrifying Each-Uisge rose from the lake. The moment the monster hauled itself onto shore and reached for the bait, the blacksmith and his son leapt at it. They drove the gigantic white-hot hook straight into the water horse’s flesh.

The creature let out a deafening roar that made the whole island shudder. It thrashed and tried to drag the blacksmith into the water, but the iron burned through it to the very core. By dawn the monster was dead. When the townsfolk came to view their fallen enemy, they found that the Each-Uisge’s body had melted in the sunlight, leaving behind only a puddle of slime.

“The Blacksmith of Raasay Island”

On the Scottish island of Raasay, a vicious each-uisge—an evil “water horse”—had taken up residence in the dark waters of Loch na Mna. The creature terrorized the locals, gulping down their sheep and cattle. But one day it went further than anyone imagined: it dragged off the blacksmith’s young daughter and devoured her. The next morning the heartbroken father found nothing on the shoreline but signs of a desperate struggle.

Driven mad with grief, the smith vowed to destroy the beast. He knew ordinary weapons couldn’t pierce a water horse’s hide, so he turned to the one thing he truly mastered: iron. With his eldest son, he set up a makeshift forge right on the lake’s edge.

Together they hammered out a colossal iron hook, honed it razor-sharp, and left it in the fire until it glowed white-hot. To lure the monster from the depths, the blacksmith slaughtered a sheep and roasted it over an open flame. The smell of fresh blood and sizzling meat drifted out over the water.

It wasn’t long before the horrifying each-uisge broke the surface. The moment it hauled itself onto the bank and reached for the bait, the smith and his son sprang into action. They rammed the gigantic, searing hook deep into the creature’s flesh.

The monster’s roar shook the whole island. It thrashed wildly, trying to drag the blacksmith into the lake, but the white-hot iron burned straight through to its innards. By dawn the beast was dead. When the townsfolk gathered to see the fallen terror, they found its body melting in the early sunlight, leaving behind nothing but a puddle of slime.

Lore

the creature’s name comes from the Old Irish each-uisce, meaning “water horse.” This mythic predator from the Celtic isles, also known as each-uisge in Scotland and cabbyl-ushtey on the Isle of Man, embodies humankind’s fear of destructive waters and holds a unique place in local lore as the most savage and dangerous water spirit.

Aughisky (pronounced “Aw-ish-kee”)—the name comes from Old Irish each-uisce, literally “water horse.” This Celtic predator, known in Scotland as the each-uisge and on the Isle of Man as the cabbyl-ushtey, embodies humankind’s dread of destructive water and is remembered in local lore as the fiercest, most lethal water spirit of them all.

Aughisky’s look is inseparable from its magic. It can shape-shift at will, most often into a jet-black—occasionally snow-white—horse with a sleek, almost oily sheen, said to come from the salt water it swims in. Because the creature is magical, it can also pass for human, usually appearing as a charming young man who wins people’s trust with ease. The glamour isn’t perfect, though: strands of seaweed or river silt may cling to its hair, and in poorly pulled-off transformations hooves replace feet. Some tales even describe a trace of fur or a mane running down its back.

From The Fairy Tale Compendium · Fern Flower Press