Basan 波山

Medium monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)

Hit Points 52 (7d8 + 21)

Speed 30 ft., fly 50 ft.

STR 14 (+2) · DEX 16 (+3) · CON 16 (+3) · INT 6 (−2) · WIS 12 (+1) · CHA 10 (+0)

Saving Throws Dex +5, Con +5

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +5

Damage Immunities fire

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13

Languages understands Common and Sylvan but can’t speak

Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Traits

Fire-Eater. If Basan would take fire damage, it instead regains hit points equal to half the fire damage dealt.

No-Heat Flame. Effects created by Basan’s Spectral Flame Breath deal necrotic damage and produce no heat or light.

Wing-Rustle Camouflage. While Basan remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an oversized, brightly colored rooster; a creature must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to recognize it as a yokai.

Actions

Multiattack. Basan makes two attacks: one with its Beak and one with its Claw.

Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.

Spectral Flame Breath (Recharge 5–6). Basan exhales cold blue fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails the save is also slowed until the end of its next turn; its speed is halved and it can’t take reactions.

Bonus Actions

Rustling Takeoff. Basan beats its wings, kicking up ash. Until the start of its next turn, ranged attack rolls against it are made with disadvantage, and Basan immediately flies up to half its flying speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Reactions

Basabasa Vanish (2/Day). When Basan is hit by an attack roll, it can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. If the space contains open flame or glowing coals, Basan regains 5 hit points upon arrival.

Lore

A gigantic chicken yokai that breathes a cold blue flame.

Basan is a rare yokai that lives mainly in the mountain regions of Shikoku, in what was once Iyo Province of Ehime Prefecture. The name is written with the characters 波山 and read “ba-san.” The sound pattern basabasa mimics the rustling, flapping noise of its wings—something people almost always hear before they ever see the bird itself. In various tales it is also called Basabasa or Inu-ho, the “dog-phoenix,” yet every legend agrees it is a bird of living fire.

Physically, Basan looks like an enormous rooster or hen, about the size of a turkey. Its bright plumage shimmers in shades that resemble tongues of flame, and the comb on its head stays a rich crimson, making the silhouette easy to pick out in the dark. The main anomaly is its breath: it spits a blue flame that gives off no heat, never scorches skin, and won’t set anything ablaze. Folklore treats this fire as pure spiritual or spectral energy, so the damage is felt in one’s life-force rather than as burns. There is no thermal harm, but the victim can suffer brief paralysis, disorientation, and a deep inner chill.

From Yokai Bestiary 5E, Book Two, p. 14 · Fern Flower Press