Suiko 水虎

Medium fey (shapechanger), lawful evil

Armor Class 17 (scaly hide)

Hit Points 95 (10d8 + 40)

Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.

STR 18 (+4) · DEX 16 (+3) · CON 18 (+4) · INT 14 (+2) · WIS 14 (+2) · CHA 12 (+1)

Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +7, Wis +5

Skills Athletics +7, Perception +5, Stealth +6, Survival +5

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical weapons

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages Common, Aquan, Sylvan

Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Traits

Amphibious. The suiko can breathe air and water.

Knee Blades. Any creature that starts its turn grappled by the suiko takes 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage from the jagged blades protruding from the suiko’s knees.

Pack Commander. Aquatic beasts and kappa within 60 feet of the suiko have advantage on attack rolls against any creature the suiko has hit this turn.

Weak Nose. A creature that begins its turn grappling the suiko can use its action to pinch the suiko’s nose. The grappler makes a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check contested by the suiko’s check. On a success, the suiko is incapacitated and its speed is 0 for 1 minute or until the grappler releases it. While incapacitated this way, the suiko is friendly toward the grappler. The effect ends if the suiko takes damage.

Actions

Multiattack. The suiko makes two Claw attacks and one Knee Blade attack, or it makes one Bite attack against a creature it is grappling.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage.

Knee Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Bite (Grappled Target Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature grappled by the suiko. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage, and the target’s hit-point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the piercing damage taken. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit-point maximum to 0. When the bite hits, the suiko regains hit points equal to the damage dealt.

Soul Drain (Recharge 5–6). The suiko exhales a 15-foot cone of necrotic mist collected from stolen souls. Each creature in the cone must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures reduced to 0 hit points by this damage die instantly.

Bonus Actions

Swift Lunge. The suiko moves up to its speed toward a creature it can see and may make one Claw attack against that creature.

Reactions

Rip Current. When a creature the suiko can see moves away from it while in water, the suiko creates a sudden vortex. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 15 feet closer to the suiko.

Legendary Actions

The suiko can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn; the suiko regains all spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Move. The suiko swims up to half its speed.

Claw Attack. The suiko makes one Claw attack.

Command Minion (Costs 2 Actions). The suiko targets one allied beast or kappa within 60 feet. That creature can use its reaction to make one attack.

Lore

A water yokai related to the kappa, known for draining the blood of careless victims.

Suiko (水虎), literally “water tiger,” is a term often used for the most ferocious kappas; sources stress a strict hierarchy in which a suiko commands forty-eight lesser kappa. As an officer in the aquatic world, the suiko is markedly more aggressive than an ordinary kappa. It kills for career advancement, showcasing its brutality and amassing trophies in the form of consumed souls. Within this hierarchy it answers to only one authority—the water dragon.

Physically, a suiko resembles a child of three or four, yet its body is armored with thick scales and completely hairless. Sharp, claw-like protrusions—knee blades—jut from each knee. Unlike typical kappa, it lacks the head-bowl of water, removing a key vulnerability and greatly boosting its combat effectiveness. Suiko dwell in rivers, lakes, and ponds throughout Japan, though chronicles most often cite the Iwakigawa basin in Aomori, where a shrine stands in its honor under the name Suiko-sama.

From Yokai Bestiary 5E, Book Two, p. 88 · Fern Flower Press