DYBBUK – 5e stats

Medium fiend (demon), chaotic evil

Armor Class 14
Hit Points 37 (5d8 + 15)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)

Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +3 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
6 (-2)	19 (+4)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	15 (+2)	14 (+2)

Saving Throws (suggested) Dex +6
Skills Deception +6, Intimidation +4, Perception +4
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Abyssal, Common, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 4 (1100 XP)

Incorporeal Movement. The dybbuk can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Innate Spellcasting. The dybbuk’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

• At will: dimension door
• 3/day each: fear, phantasmal force

Magic Resistance. The dybbuk has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Violate Corpse. The dybbuk can use a bonus action while it is possessing a corpse to make it do something unnatural, such as vomit blood, twist its head all the way around, or cause a quadruped to move as a biped. Any beast or humanoid that sees this behavior must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of the dybbuk for 1 minute. The frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on it self on a success. A creature that succeeds on a saving throw against this ability is immune to Violate Corpse for 24 hours.

ACTIONS

• Tendril. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, its hit point maximum is also reduced by 3 (1d6). This reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
• Possess Corpse (Recharge 6). The dybbuk disappears into an intact corpse it can see within 5 feet of it. The corpse must be Large or smaller and be that of a beast or a humanoid. The dybbuk is now effectively the possessed creature. Its type becomes undead, though it now looks alive, and it gains a number of temporary hit points equal to the corpse’s hit point maximum in life. While possessing the corpse, the dybbuk retains its hit points, alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma , telepathy, and immunity to poison damage, exhaustion, and being charmed and frightened. It otherwise uses the possessed target’s game statistics, gaining access to its knowledge and proficiencies but not its class features, if any. The possession lasts until the temporary hit points are lost (at which point the body becomes a corpse once more) or the dybbuk ends its possession using a bonus action. When the possession ends, the dybbuk reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the corpse.

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DESCRIPTION

A dybbuk is a type of demon that can possess and animate dead bodies. It is a disembodied spirit that seeks to indulge in material pleasures, but lacks the physical form to do so. It is invisible and intangible, appearing as a faint flicker of light with a vague humanoid face and long tendrils. It can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, but takes damage if it ends its turn inside an object. It can communicate telepathically and has resistance to magic.

COMBAT

A dybbuk prefers to avoid direct combat, instead using its ability to possess corpses to deceive and manipulate others. It can enter a corpse that has been dead for no longer than one day, and give it a semblance of life. The dybbuk can use the corpse’s physical abilities, but not its mental ones. It can also access some of the corpse’s memories, but not all of them. The dybbuk can leave the corpse at any time, or be forced out by certain spells or effects.

When a dybbuk is forced to fight in its true form, it uses its tendrils to lash out at its enemies. It can also cast spells such as chill touch, crown of madness, dimension door, fear, and suggestion. A dybbuk is vulnerable to radiant damage and effects that banish or destroy fiends.

HABITAT / SOCIETY

A dybbuk originates from the Abyss, the chaotic evil plane of existence where demons dwell. It is a type of loumara, a class of demons that were once mortal souls corrupted by evil. A dybbuk is driven by a compulsion to experience the sensations of life, but has no regard for the consequences of its actions. It is selfish, cunning, and sadistic, delighting in sordid behavior and horrifying others with its unholy acts.

A dybbuk rarely associates with other demons, unless it can use them for its own benefit. It prefers to infiltrate mortal societies, using its possessed corpses as disguises. It looks for a “perfect” host body, one that is attractive, influential, and recently deceased. It then uses its new form to indulge in debauchery, violence, and corruption, until it is exposed or bored. It then moves on to another body, leaving behind a trail of chaos and death.

ECOLOGY

A dybbuk has no natural role in the ecology of any plane. It is an aberration that disrupts the natural order of life and death. It consumes the life force of its host body, gradually decaying it until it is unusable. It also spreads disease, pestilence, and madness among those it encounters. A dybbuk has no allies or enemies among other creatures, only potential victims or obstacles. A dybbuk has no purpose or goal beyond satisfying its twisted desires.