Nare

Medium undead (shapechanger), chaotic evil. Drowned Girl.

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)

Hit Points 136 (16d8 + 64)

Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.

STR 18 (+4) · DEX 18 (+4) · CON 18 (+4) · INT 12 (+1) · WIS 14 (+2) · CHA 20 (+5)

Saving Throws Wis +6, Cha +9

Skills Deception +9, Perception +6, Performance +9, Stealth +8

Damage Resistances Cold; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Damage Immunities Poison

Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Poisoned

Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16

Languages Common, Sylvan; telepathy 60 ft.

Challenge 9

Traits

Amphibious. The Nare can breathe air and water.

Shapechanger. The Nare can use its action to polymorph into a Medium humanoid female, appearing as a beautiful woman with green hair, or back into its true form. Its statistics 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.

Luring Song. The Nare sings a magical melody. Every humanoid within 300 feet of the Nare that can hear the song must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until the song ends. The Nare must take a bonus action on its subsequent turns to continue singing. It can stop singing at any time. The song ends if the Nare is incapacitated.

While charmed by the Nare, a target is incapacitated and ignores the songs of other Nare. If the charmed target is more than 5 feet away from the Nare, the target must move on its turn toward the Nare by the most direct route, trying to get within 5 feet. It doesn't avoid opportunity attacks, but before moving into damaging terrain, such as lava or a pit, and whenever it takes damage from a source other than the Nare, the target can repeat the saving throw. A charmed creature can also repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If the saving throw is successful, the effect ends on it.

A target that successfully saves is immune to this Nare's song for the next 24 hours.

Watery Embrace. If the Nare grapples a creature, the grappled creature is also restrained and unable to breathe unless it can breathe water.

Actions

Multiattack. The Nare makes two Claw attacks or two Slam attacks.

Claw (Humanoid Form). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.

Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage.

Slam (True Form). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.

Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage.

Drag Below. The Nare attempts to grapple one creature within reach. Grapple check: +8. If successful, the Nare can use a bonus action to move up to half its speed and pulls the grappled creature with it. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Drowning Kiss (1/Day). The Nare kisses one incapacitated humanoid within 5 feet of it. The target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target's hit point maximum is reduced by 21 (6d6) necrotic damage, and the Nare regains hit points equal to that amount. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. This reduction lasts until removed by the greater restoration spell or similar magic.

Reactions

Enraged Retaliation. When the Nare takes damage from a creature within 20 feet of it that it can see, it can use its reaction to target that creature with a harrowing scream. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of its next turn.

Lore

Strikingly beautiful mermaids with fish tails who lure travelers to drown them mercilessly.

In Eastern Europe, mermaids are called Nare, and according to legends, they differ from classic mermaids, though there are common traits. It is said that a Nare could be the spirit of a girl who drowned before her wedding. There is no clarification as to whether her death was accidental or intentional. But records tell that such a girl's spirit found no peace, even if all funeral traditions and rites were observed. She remains in the river where she drowned and subsequently turns into a mermaid.

By nature, she is an evil mermaid, depicted as being waist-deep in water, with long, loose green hair. It should be added that her hair isn't always green; it turns greener as the mermaid ages. One could say that the greener the hair, the older the mermaid. There's no exact confirmation that she has a fish tail instead of legs. Perhaps when she wants to come ashore, it transforms into human legs. There's no reliable information, but legends say that this type of mermaid can come out of the water and visit villages, even participating in celebrations. She often does this deliberately to lure a young man closer to the water—usually a river. As soon as they're near the river and the opportunity arises, she drags him into the water and pulls him to the bottom.

From The Witchwood Bestiary 5E, p. 76 · Fern Flower Press