Kukudhi

Medium undead (shapechanger), lawful evil

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)

Hit Points 152 (18d8 + 72)

Speed 40 ft.

STR 20 (+5) · DEX 18 (+4) · CON 18 (+4) · INT 16 (+3) · WIS 16 (+3) · CHA 18 (+4)

Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +8, Wis +7, Cha +8

Skills Deception +12, Insight +7, Perception +7, Persuasion +8, Stealth +8

Damage Vulnerabilities slashing damage from beasts (such as wolf bites or claws), damage from a garrote fashioned of fresh grapevine

Damage Resistances cold, necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Damage Immunities poison

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned

Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 17

Languages Common, Infernal, Elvish, plus three regional tongues

Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

Traits

Sun-Hardened Undead. The kukudi is not harmed by sunlight and can move, act, and regenerate in daylight as normal.

No Shadow, No Reflection. The kukudi casts no shadow and is invisible in mirrors. A creature that can see this absence has advantage on checks to discern the kukudi’s true nature.

Icy Presence. A supernatural chill surrounds the kukudi. A creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the kukudi takes 5 (1d10) cold damage.

Swift as Thought. The kukudi has advantage on initiative rolls and can take the Dash or Disengage action as a bonus action on each of its turns.

Magic Resistance. The kukudi has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Spellcasting. The kukudi is an 8th-level spellcaster (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It requires no material components.

At will: disguise self (PHB, p. 233/262), invisibility (PHB, p. 254/289), suggestion (PHB, p. 279/321)

3/day each: dimension door (PHB, p. 233/262), greater invisibility (PHB, p. 246/281)

1/day: dominate person (PHB, p. 235/266)

Actions

Multiattack. The kukudi makes three attacks: two with its Claws or Saber and one with Goat-Tail Lash.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.

Saber (Humanoid Disguise Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (1d10 + 8) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.

Goat-Tail Lash. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Predatory Bolt (Recharge 5–6). The kukudi launches a searing lance of pale energy at a creature it can see within 60 feet. The target must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The kukudi regains hit points equal to half the necrotic damage dealt.

Bonus Actions

Shadow Step. The kukudi teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see that is in dim light or darkness.

Reactions

Uncanny Celerity. When the kukudi would take damage from a weapon it can see, it halves the damage against it.

Lore

A wandering breed of vampire that drinks blood but usually leaves its victims alive.

In Albanian demonology (Europe), the Kukudhi is seen as the ultimate form of a vampiric revenant, having evolved over time from a more primitive entity known as the *Lugat*. The very name of this creature is directly linked to the Albanian cry of grief, “kuku,” underscoring the persistent semantic bond between the Kukudhi’s image and the themes of inevitable sorrow, disease, and death. In southern Albanian dialects, “kukudi” can also refer to a particularly severe illness—something considered even more dangerous than cholera.

The Kukudhi’s appearance is described as almost human but marked by distinct anatomical anomalies. The typical form is that of a stocky, short man with disproportionally short legs, who hides a goat’s tail beneath his clothing. At rest, his face arouses no suspicion, but in moments of rage, his eyes glow with a pale, phosphorescent fire. His skin is dry and unnaturally pale, his fingernails elongated and tough, resembling claws. An icy cold constantly radiates from him, and he casts neither shadow nor reflection in a mirror. Typically, this vampire takes the guise of a merchant, always on the move, driven by an insatiable thirst for travel.

From Vampire Bestiary 5E, p. 60 · Fern Flower Press