Tengu

Medium fey (yokai), chaotic neutral

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)

Hit Points 136 (16d8 + 64)

Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (wings) the Dash action as a bonus action while airborne.

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

Saving Throws Dex +6, Wis +5, Cha +4

Skills Athletics +7, Perception +5, Stealth +6, Acrobatics +6, Deception +4, Survival +5

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks (optional) in swirling mists of illusions. Until the start of its

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages Yokai Speech, Common (or local dialect), Auran or Sylvan

Challenge 8

Traits

Skybound Adept. The Tengu has advantage on Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics)

Actions

Multiattack. The Tengu makes three attacks in any combination of Katana and Claw.

Bonus Actions

Wind Step. The Tengu briefly harnesses the wind for mobility. It moves up to 20 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. This movement can be straight upward or horizontal, representing a short, explosive leap or flap of wings.

Reactions

Counter. When a creature within 5 feet misses the Tengu with a melee attack, the Tengu can use its reaction to quickly slash with its katana or lash out with its claws. Make one Katana or Claw attack against the attacker.

Lair Actions

If the Tengu lairs in a craggy mountain peak or dense forest:

Illusory Echoes: At initiative count 20 (losing ties), the Tengu’s mocking caws or illusions cause one hostile creature within 30 ft. to make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on its next attack roll.

Steep Cliffs & Gusts: Slopes around the lair impose difficult terrain for non-climbing creatures. If the Tengu is perched above, it can swoop down with advantage on the first attack of a round.

Behavior & Lore

Tengu can toy with travelers, challenging them to duels or spooking them with illusions.

May teach swordsmanship or aerial techniques if suitably impressed by a mortal’s humility or skill.

Some Tengu belong to a clan or follow a local O-Tengu lord.

Lore

Avian spirits with long noses, skilled in martial arts and mischief.

The term “tengu” originally comes from China, where it referred to meteors believed to herald disasters. Fiery objects that blazed through the sky and exploded with thunderous roars were compared to beastlike spirits barreling overhead with growls and howls.

There’s an old account of a massive star blazing across the sky above a city, accompanied by a noise like distant thunder. People who saw it started arguing about what they’d just witnessed. “That thunder came from the star as it fell,” some said. But others shook their heads, convinced otherwise: “No, that was the sound of an earthquake triggered by the star hitting the earth.” At last, a monk named Min, newly returned from his travels, declared: “It was no star at all—it was a tengu. Its roar is like the sound of thunder.”

From Yokai Bestiary 5E, p. 104 · Fern Flower Press