Medium aberration, neutral evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 38 (11d8 – 11)
Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +5 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 (-1) | 16 (+3) | 9 (-1) | 17 (+3) | 11 (+0) | 10 (+0) |
Saving Throws Dex +5, Int +5
Skills Arcana +5, History +5, Insight +2, Perception +2, Religion +5
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages all, but rarely speaks
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Spectral Duplicate (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). As a bonus action, the berbalang creates one spectral duplicate of itself in an unoccupied space it can see within 60 feet of it. While the duplicate exists, the berbalang is unconscious. A berbalang can have only one duplicate at a time. The duplicate disappears when it or the berbalang drops to 0 hit points or when the berbalang dismisses it (no action required). The duplicate has the same statistics and knowledge as the berbalang, and everything experienced by the duplicate is known by the berbalang. All damage dealt by the duplicate’s attacks is psychic damage.
Projection (suggested). Once per month, the creature alters its trance slightly and manifests an exact duplicate of itself, known as a projection. Once the projection is formed, it is sent forth in search of the berbalang’s only food — a freshly slain human being. The projection, which is controlled directly by the berbalang, can travel up to three miles from its body. If the projection must fight, it does so just as the berbalang itself would
Innate Spellcasting. The berbalang’s innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 13). The berbalang can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: speak with dead
- 1/day: plane shift (self only)
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The berbalang makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.
Multiattack (suggested). The berbalang makes two attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. - Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage.
- Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
The berbalang is a sinister creature that lurks in the shadows of the Astral plane, where it hunts for prey with its keen senses. It rarely leaves this realm, except when it needs to feed on the living flesh of humans. The berbalang can enter a state of suspended animation, where its body remains motionless and vulnerable, while its spirit roams freely in search of victims.
A berbalang resembles a skeletal humanoid with black, leathery skin and bat-like wings. Its eyes are pale and luminous, and grant it the ability to see through illusions and invisibility up to 120 feet away. The berbalang is swift and agile in flight, and can use its sharp claws and teeth to tear apart its foes.
COMBAT
The berbalang prefers to fight from the air, using its wings to evade and surprise its enemies. It slashes with its razor-sharp claws and bites with its fangs, aiming for vital organs and soft tissues.
The berbalang can also project its spirit into a physical form that looks identical to its body. This projection can act independently of the berbalang, but shares its senses and emotions. The projection is immune to mind-affecting spells, but any damage it suffers is also felt by the berbalang. If the projection is wounded, it retreats back to the berbalang’s body, which remains hidden and defenseless.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
The berbalang lives a dual existence, split between the Astral plane and the Prime Material plane. It spends most of its time in the Astral plane, where it hunts, mates, and competes with other berbalangs. It can enter a trance-like state, where its body becomes inert and its spirit travels freely in the astral realm. The berbalang is aware of its surroundings and can sense if its body is in danger. It can return to its body at any time, but this may take several minutes depending on how far it has wandered.
The berbalang’s body is vulnerable when it is in trance, so it hides it in a secluded and protected place. If the body is disturbed or destroyed, the berbalang’s spirit also perishes. The berbalang is very secretive and paranoid about its hiding place, and will defend it fiercely if discovered.
The berbalang needs to feed on human flesh once a month, during the full moon. To do this, it creates a projection of itself, which looks exactly like its body. The projection is controlled by the berbalang’s spirit, and can travel up to three miles from its body. The projection seeks out human prey and tries to kill them quickly and quietly.
The projection is not as durable as the berbalang’s body, and any damage it suffers is also felt by the berbalang. If the projection is injured, it flees back to its body as fast as possible. If the projection is killed, there is a high chance that the berbalang will also die from the shock. The berbalang can only create one projection at a time, and it takes several days to recover from any injury before it can create another one.
The projection dissolves when it returns to the berbalang’s body, leaving no trace behind. The berbalang then consumes the flesh of its prey, which sustains it until the next full moon. If the projection fails to find food, the berbalang will try again as soon as possible, regardless of the moon phase.
The berbalang is very vengeful and will not forget those who interfere with its feeding or harm its projection. It will plot and wait for an opportunity to strike back at its enemies, using its projection or other means at its disposal.
ECOLOGY
The berbalang has a unique way of feeding on human flesh, which involves its projection and its body. When the projection kills a human, it carries the corpse back to its lair, where the berbalang’s body is waiting. As the projection travels, it starts to eat the flesh of its prey, and the berbalang’s body also feels the nourishment. By the time the projection reaches the lair, the corpse is almost completely devoured, and the berbalang’s hunger is quenched.
The berbalang is careful not to expose its lair to prying eyes, and changes its location every few months. It only moves at night, and avoids any conflict if possible. Therefore, it is very rare to encounter the berbalang’s body in person, as opposed to its projection.
The berbalang’s feeding method is a mystery to most scholars, who do not understand how it can gain sustenance from a projection that is not physically connected to its body. Some speculate that the projection has a subtle link to the berbalang’s spirit, and that the energy from the flesh is transferred through this link. Others suggest that the projection is actually a part of the berbalang’s body, and that it can detach and reattach itself at will.
The berbalang’s reproduction is also a puzzle, as it only mates with other berbalangs in the Astral plane, where they have no physical form. Some believe that the berbalangs exchange their essence in a spiritual union, and that this essence manifests in their bodies as offspring. Others propose that the berbalangs have a hidden way of producing physical offspring in their lairs, and that they use their projections to transport them to the Astral plane.