Vu-murt

Medium fey (water spirit), Typically Lawful Evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 105 (14d8 + 42)

Speed 20 ft., Swim 50 ft.

STR 16 (+3) · DEX 14 (+2) · CON 16 (+3) · INT 14 (+2) · WIS 16 (+3) · CHA 14 (+2)

Skills Deception +5, Perception +6

Gear Black garments, 3d6 x 10 gp in ornate sunken jewelry, and 1d4 severed Belemnite Fingers. (A creature can Utilize a Belemnite Finger to crush it into powder, instantly stabilizing a dying creature or stopping any bleeding/blood loss effects, and restoring 1d4 + 2 Hit Points to a target).

Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16

Languages Aquan, Common, Sylvan (or Urmud)

Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Traits

Amphibious. The Vu-murt can breathe air and water.

Aquatic Regeneration. The Vu-murt regains 10 Hit Points at the start of its turn if it is in a body of water and has at least 1 Hit Point. If it takes Fire damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of the Vu-murt's next turn.

Unusual Anatomy. The Vu-murt possesses a single eye located on the back of its head, granting it panoramic perception. It can't be surprised, and attackers don't gain Advantage on attack rolls against it as a result of being hidden or flanking.

Land Sluggishness. The Vu-murt is tied deeply to aquatic environments. If the Vu-murt starts its turn entirely outside of a body of water, its Speed is halved and it loses its Resistances to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage until it enters water again.

Actions

Multiattack. The Vu-murt makes two Belemnite Claw attacks. It can replace one attack with a use of Spellcasting or Hypnotic Lure.

Belemnite Claw. Melee Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) Slashing damage, and the target is Grappled (Escape DC 14). While Grappled in this way, the target takes 4 (1d8) Slashing damage at the start of each of its turns as the petrified, razor-sharp cephalopod fingers dig into its flesh.

Hypnotic Lure. Magic Attack: +6 to hit, range 60 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) Psychic damage, and the target is Charmed until the end of the Vu-murt's next turn. While Charmed in this way, the target's Speed is halved, and it must use its movement on its turn to move directly toward the Vu-murt by the safest available route.

Drowning Drag. Melee Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target Grappled by the Vu-murt. Hit: 18 (3d10 + 3) Bludgeoning damage, and if the Vu-murt is in water, it can move up to its Swim speed, carrying the target with it without suffering the normal movement penalty for moving a Grappled creature.

Spellcasting. The Vu-murt casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (Spell Save DC 14):

At Will: Minor Illusion (PHB, p. 341), Shape Water (XGE, p. 164)

1/Day Each: Create or Destroy Water (PHB, p. 258), Fog Cloud (PHB, p. 276)

Bonus Actions

Stir the Depths. While underwater, the Vu-murt violently kicks up silt, mud, and debris. A 15-foot-radius sphere of water centered on the Vu-murt becomes Heavily Obscured until the start of its next turn. The Vu-murt's vision is not impaired by this effect, allowing it to easily ambush disoriented prey.

Reactions

Splintering Digits. When a creature within 5 feet hits the Vu-murt with a melee attack, the Vu-murt intentionally snaps off one of its petrified stone fingers deep into the attacker's flesh. The attacker takes 5 (1d10) Piercing damage, and its Speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.

Lore

A human-like, black-clad water spirit from Votyak folklore that lives in aquatic families, can regrow lost fingers, and is known for dragging people underwater.

Vu-murt is a composite word in the language of the Urmuds, a people who live on the border between Europe and Asia. “Vu” means “water” and “murt” means “man,” so the name literally translates as “water-man”—a dangerous, largely unpredictable being tied to wild, untamed places.

Legends describe a Vu-murt as a blend of human and otherworldly traits. From a distance it can pass for a person, a trick it uses to lure in victims, but it gives itself away with pitch-black clothing—signifying the realm of the dead—and long, loose hair, traditionally linked to the water element. Its most striking feature is a single eye, set either in the middle of its back or on the back of its head, entirely replacing normal vision and hinting at a reversed, otherworldly origin. Another oddity: instead of fingers it has the petrified shells of extinct cephalopods—belemnites—that snap off easily yet regenerate instantly. These broken, always-cold “fingers” are prized as relics of the dead world and as a remedy for bleeding wounds.

From The Fairy Tale Compendium · Fern Flower Press