Medium celestial, lawful good
Large celestial, lawful good (suggested)
Armor Class 19 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 97 (13d8+39)
Hit Points (suggested) 110 (13d10+39)
Speed 30 ft., fly 90 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +6 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 20 (+5) | 17 (+3) | 18 (+4) | 20 (+5) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws Con +5, Wis +7, Cha +6
Damage Resistance Radiant
Damage Immunities Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing From Nonmagical Attacks
Senses Truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages All, Telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Ethereal Creature (suggested). The Couatl can enter the Ethereal Plane at will as a Dash action.
Innate Spellcasting. The couatl’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring only verbal components:
- At will: detect evil and good, detect magic, detect thoughts
- 3/day each: bless, create food and water, cure wounds, lesser restoration, protection from poison, sanctuary, shield
- 1/day each: dream, greater restoration, scrying
Magic Weapons. The couatl’s weapon attacks are magical.
Shielded Mind. The couatl is immune to scrying and to any effect that would sense its emotions, read its thoughts, or detect its location.
Psionic Powers (suggested). The Couatl has 318 (13d12 + 234) PSPs and can use the following psionic powers, mental attacks and mental defenses:
- Mental Attacks: n/a
- Mental Defenses: n/a
- Clairsentience — Science: Clairvoyance, Precognition Devotions: All-round Vision, See Sound
- Psychometabolism — Science: Energy Containment, Shadow Form Devotions: Chemical Simulation, Ectoplasmic Form.
- Psychoportation — Science: Teleport, Probability Travel Devotion: Time Shift
- Telepathy — Science: Ejection, Mindlink Devotions: ESP, Invisibility
ACTIONS
- Multiattack (suggested). The couatl makes two attacks, one with its poisonous bite and one with its constricting tail.
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a dc 13 constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 24 hours. Until this poison ends, the target is unconscious. Another creature can use an action to shake the target awake.
- Poisonous Bite (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (1d4 + 5) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 constitution saving throw or suffer 52 (15d6) poison damage.
- Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one medium or smaller creature. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape dc 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the couatl can’t constrict another target.
- Constricting Tail (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 50 ft., one medium or smaller creature. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the couatl can’t constrict another target. The couatl can bite a grappled target with advantage.
- Change Shape. The couatl magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating equal to or less than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (the couatl’s choice). In a new form, the couatl retains its game statistics and ability to speak, but its AC, movement modes, Strength, Dexterity, and other actions are replaced by those of the new form, and it gains any statistics and capabilities (except class features, legendary actions, and lair actions) that the new form has but that it lacks. If the new form has a bite attack, the couatl can use its bite in that form.
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
A couatl is a magnificent creature that resembles a long, feathered serpent with a pair of rainbow-colored wings. It has a noble and benevolent personality, and it serves as a guardian of good and a punisher of evil in the celestial planes. It can speak all languages, as well as communicate telepathically, and it possesses great magical and psionic abilities. A couatl’s scales are usually bright and varied, reflecting its mood and alignment.
Some believe that couatls are distant relatives of dragons, although this remains unproven. They are so rare as to be considered almost legendary, and they are revered by the natives of the regions they inhabit. They are also highly intelligent and curious, and they seek to acquire and share wisdom.
A couatl can change its shape into a humanoid or a beast, either to disguise itself or to adapt to different situations. It can also travel through the ether, exploring other planes of existence.
COMBAT
A couatl prefers to avoid combat unless it is necessary to protect itself or its allies. It uses its innate spellcasting to heal, shield, and aid its friends, or to detect, deter, and disable its foes. It can also polymorph into another, more effective form in combat.
If forced into melee, a couatl can bite with its venomous fangs, which can render an enemy unconscious for a day. It can also constrict with its powerful coils, squeezing the life out of its prey. A couatl’s weapon attacks are magical, and it is resistant or immune to many types of damage.
A couatl will seldom attack without provocation, though it will always attack evildoers caught red-handed. Whenever possible, a couatl will attack from the air. Since it is highly intelligent, the couatl will frequently use its spells from a distance before closing with its foes. If more than one couatl is involved, they will discuss their strategy before a battle.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
A couatl lives in warm jungles, where it blends in with the foliage and the wildlife. It is usually solitary or paired with a mate, but sometimes it forms a flight of 3-6 individuals for a common purpose. A couatl is highly intelligent and wise, and often possesses valuable treasure and knowledge. It may be worshiped by the people who inhabit the same area as it, or it may act as a mentor or a patron to them.
A couatl’s origin lies with the ancient sarrukh clans from the kingdom of Okoth, who fled to other planes of existence when their empire was failing. Some of them prayed to Jazirian, a fragment of the World Serpent, for aid, and he transformed them into the first couatls. The rest of the sarrukh became their enemies, and a war ensued that lasted until Jazirian was slain by Merrshaulk, another fragment of the World Serpent.
Although solitary in nature, couatls think of themselves as a single, extended clan. This clan is led by the oldest and wisest of their numbers but assembles only in dire emergencies.
Most couatls dwell alone, making their lairs in caves and abandoned buildings in remote, uninhabited regions. They hunt jungle animals for food once every fortnight or so. Many enjoy traveling, often undertaking long journeys of exploration.
On rare occasions, a pair will mate for life and establish a joint lair. Unlike many other reptiles, the couatl bear live young. Births are rare, averaging only one per couple each century. Both parents participate in the rearing and education of the single offspring, and will fight to the death if their child is threatened. Young couatls reach maturity in thirty or forty years and, though some will elect to remain with their parents for as long as a century, will eventually set off in search of the couatl’s never-ending quest for wisdom.
Intellectually curious, all couatls have vast stores of information and enjoy learning more. When one of them learns some new and fascinating fact he will inevitably set out in search of his brethren to share and discuss it.
Couatls can sometimes be persuaded to help good adventurers or give sound council. If they feel that they are being sought for frivolous reasons, they will simply fly away. They are not greedy and do not seek treasure for its own sake. Aid from a couatl may well take the form of a magical item from its hoard.
ECOLOGY
A couatl is a carnivore that feeds on small animals and birds. It does not need to eat often, as it can create food and water with its magic. It also does not need to sleep, as it can enter a trance-like state that restores its energy. A couatl is immortal, but it can choose to die if it has fulfilled its purpose or if it wishes to pass on its power to another creature. A couatl reproduces by laying a single egg every few centuries, which hatches into a new couatl after a year.
The couatl usually reigns supreme in its jungle, having little to fear from most other monsters. It is a protector of the natural balance and a foe of evil and corruption. It is also a friend of the good and the innocent, and a source of inspiration and wonder for many.
Couatl is employed as material component to empower the following spells: