Kopuwai

Large giant, chaotic evil

Armor Class 16 (scaled natural armor)

Hit Points 153 (18d10 + 54)

Speed 40 ft., swim 40 ft.

STR 22 (+6) · DEX 12 (+1) · CON 17 (+3) · INT 8 (−1) · WIS 13 (+1) · CHA 11 (+0)

Saving Throws Str +9, Con +7, Wis +4

Skills Athletics +9, Perception +4, Survival +4

Damage Vulnerabilities fire

Damage Resistances cold

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14

Languages Common (Māori), Giant

Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)

Traits

Amphibious. Kopuwai can breathe air and water.

Keen Smell. Kopuwai has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Reeking Scales. A nauseating fish-stink hangs about Kopuwai. A creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of him must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. A creature that succeeds is immune to Kopuwai’s Reeking Scales for 24 hours.

Water Swallower (Recharge 5–6). As a bonus action while Kopuwai is standing in or adjacent to water, he inhales with supernatural force. Until the start of his next turn, the first creature other than Kopuwai that begins its turn submerged in the same body of water within 30 feet of him must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet toward Kopuwai and knocked prone.

Actions

Multiattack. Kopuwai makes three attacks: one with his Bite and two with his Claws.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d10 + 4) piercing damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.

River-Crushing Slam (Recharge 6). Kopuwai slams both fists into the ground or water in a 15-foot radius around him. Each other creature in the area must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) bludgeoning damage and being knocked prone on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures in water make this save with disadvantage.

Reactions

Scaled Deflection. When Kopuwai is hit by a ranged weapon attack that he can see, he can add 3 to his AC against that attack, potentially causing it to miss.

THE NOR'-WESTER WIND (Optional Weakness)

If the battle takes place in or near Kopuwai’s cave and the warm nor'-westerly wind is blowing (DM’s discretion), Kopuwai automatically falls unconscious for 1 minute whenever he fails a saving throw against being charmed or frightened. He awakens if he takes damage or if another creature uses an action to shake him awake.

Lore

A giant with a dog’s head who roams with a pack of two-headed dogs.

Kopuwai (Kopuwai), literally “Water Swallower.” The name is more than a description—it marks the key moment in the tale when the furious monster drank a huge stretch of the Mata-Au River while trying to haul back an escaped captive. Kopuwai is a giant, a supernatural being said to lurk in deep pools, caves, or out at sea. He belongs to the class of dangerous, predatory creatures known for cannibalism and for kidnapping people to eat or enslave.

Kopuwai’s appearance is terrifying and grotesque. Legends paint him as a humanoid covered in fish-like scales. The scales act as natural armor and hint at his constant life in the water. His most striking feature is a dog’s head, which grants him razor-sharp hearing and an extraordinary sense of smell—perfect for tracking prey. Old accounts say his arrival is announced by the rank stank of fish, a passive trait that can disorient or fill nearby foes with dread.

From Oceanian Bestiary 5E, p. 38 · Fern Flower Press