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    Jinmenju 人面樹

    Huge plant (yokai), neutral

    Armor Class 12 (natural bark)

    Hit Points 44 (9d12 + 0)

    Speed 0 ft. (rooted)

    STR 15 (+2) · DEX 6 (−2) · CON 11 (+0) · INT 10 (+0) · WIS 14 (+2) · CHA 16 (+3)

    Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing

    Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, prone

    Senses blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 12

    Languages understands Common, Sylvan, Yokai Speech, Terran, Celestial, but only “speaks” via fruit whispers

    Challenge 2

    Traits

    Immobile. The Jinmenju is rooted in place. Its Speed is 0 ft. and cannot be increased by any means.

    Haunting Whispers. The Jinmenju’s fruit softly babble, laugh, or cry when creatures come within 20 feet. Any creature that completes a short or long rest within 20 feet of the Jinmenju hears faint voices in its dreams, though these whispers are harmless unless the creature eats a fruit (see Memory Fruit).

    Gentle Giants. Jinmenju are inherently passive. They will not attack unless provoked or forced to defend themselves.

    Actions

    Falling Fruit (Recharge 5 - 6). The tree’s laughing fruit drop en masse in an area beneath its canopy. Creatures of the Jinmenju’s choice within 15 feet of the trunk must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage from the tumbling fruits and fall prone. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw takes half damage and doesn’t fall prone.

    Branch Swipe. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.

    Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the Jinmenju is reduced to fewer than half its hit points, it cannot use this attack (it “withers” and no longer musters the strength).

    Special

    Memory Fruit. Any creature within 5 feet of the Jinmenju can use an action to pluck a single fruit, which resembles a small human head with distinctive facial features:

    • If a creature takes only a single bite from the fruit, it gains a momentary, dreamlike glimpse of another person’s memories (at the GM’s discretion). These visions might reveal lore or secrets from the past, giving advantage on one Intelligence (History) check within the next 24 hours.

    • If a creature eats the entire fruit in one sitting, it must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become memory-addled for 1 hour. While memory-addled, the creature can’t recall any events of the last 24 hours and has disadvantage on Intelligence checks and saving throws. At the end of each short or long rest, the creature repeats the save, ending the effect on a success.

    Roleplaying & Lore

    When the fruits find something humorous—especially a traveler’s confusion—they sometimes laugh themselves right off the branch, causing Falling Fruit.

    Legend claims the tree’s fruits are imbued with the memories of the dead. By nibbling on a fruit, one may glean precious secrets— or risk muddling their own mind.

    For adventurers seeking lost knowledge, the Jinmenju can be an invaluable resource. Its “memories” might help piece together ancient mysteries.

    Lore

    Tree bearing fruit with human-like faces that laugh and chatter.

    Arare yokai whose legacy weaves together both Japanese and ancient Chinese lore, the Jimmendju is regarded as one of the oldest of its kind, with origins steeped in centuries gone by. These gargantuan trees possess sprawling, powerful roots and vast branches that can dominate an entire forest grove or mountainside, no matter where they grow. Yet it is their fruit that truly stands out: each one appears as a human head—complete with eyes and a mouth, ranging in age from wrinkled, elderly visages to youthful faces. Most unsettling of all, these heads can speak, laugh, cry, moan, or even curse, just like living beings.

    Many ancient tales hold that these “fruits” are punished souls who died violently or committed grievous errors in life. Their spirits never found peace, eventually wandering into the tree and merging with it as fruit. In some traditions, Jimmendju is venerated as a sacred tree that absorbs wandering ghosts of the deceased, turning them into these uncanny fruits. The laughter and weeping echo the remnants of their previous human existence—a reminder that these souls remain aware, trapped in a strange sort of limbo.

    From Yokai Bestiary 5E, p. 18 · Fern Flower Press