Berbalang

Medium-size Monstrous Humanoid

Hit Dice: 4d8+4 (22 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft (4 squares), fly 60 ft (good)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+5
Attack: Claw +5 melee (1d4+1)
Full Attack: 2 claws +5 melee (1d4+1) and bite +0 melee (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: ---
Special Qualities: Astral travel, darkvision 120 ft, material projection
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +5
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 13
Skills: Hide +8, Listen +7, Move Silently +6, Search +3, Spot +7
Feats: Dodge, Flyby Attack
Environment: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 03
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 5-12 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: +4
 
This biped has dark, dried skin and pale white eyes, and is carried by powerful wings like those of a demonic bat. Its clawed arms are folded across its chest as it leers at you menacingly.

The berbalang is a dark and evil creature that spends most of its life in a comatose state while its spirit wanders the Astral plane. When it returns to the Material plane, it does so only to feed on the flesh of humans who dwell near its lair.

The berbalang is a gaunt biped with black, leathery skin. Its wide glowing eyes are watery and white in color. Two broad, bat-like wings sprout from the creature's back.

The berbalang averages around 5 1/2 feet tall and weighs around 100 pounds.

COMBAT
A berbalang is usually only encountered in its true form when creatures stumble into its hiding place, and awaken it from its trance. If the material body of a berbalang traveling the Astral Plane is discovered or disturbed, the berbalang immediately attempts to return to its body and animate it. Because the berbalang wanders so far and wide, the return process takes 1d10 minutes for the astral form to find the material form.

The berbalang is able to create a solid mental projection of itself; this duplicate travels forth in search of food for the berbalang. If the projection is harmed significantly it will attempt to flee at once, as its death may mean the death of the berbalang, and any damage to the projection slows down the feeding process. In case of such an emergency, the berbalang guides its projection back to the resting place as quickly as possible.

A berbalang or its material projection forced into combat makes the most of its ability to fly. The berbalang’s powerful leathery wings enable it to fly even while carrying up to a Heavy load. A Medium load reduces its flying speed to 30 ft (poor), a Heavy load to 20 ft (clumsy). When the berbalang strikes, it rips at its opponents with its claws and attempts to bite with its needle-like teeth.

Astral Travel (Su): The berbalang is able to shift from the Material plane to the Astral Plane at will, as a full round action. This ability works similarly to the astral projection spell, with some significant differences. This ability does not enable the berbalang to bring any other creature to the Astral Plane, nor does it enable the berbalang to travel to any other plane through the Astral Plane. In order to return to the Material plane, the berbalang must return to the spot in the Astral Plane that it first entered through. If the berbalang’s helpless physical body is destroyed, its astral form is also slain.

Material Projection (Su): When the berbalang is not on the Astral Plane, it can create an exact duplicate of itself as a free action. Remaining in its trance state, the berbalang manifests its spirit into a solid form on the Material plane. This projection can travel up to a distance of three miles from its physical body. This material projection looks and acts as the true berbalang, and is under the direct control of its creator. It fights in exactly the same manner as the berbalang itself, and has all of the berbalang’s abilities save that it is not able to enter the Astral Plane or create another projection of itself. It is immune to all mind-affecting effects (including charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).

If the projection is slain, the material berbalang must succeed at a Will save (DC 15) or die as well. If the projection is wounded, the berbalang cannot produce another for a number of days equal to the total points of damage suffered. When the projection returns to its master, it dissipates, and the material berbalang awakens from its trance.


BERBALANG SOCIETY
The highly unusual berbalang spends the vast majority of its life in a death-like trance that allows the monster's spirit to wander throughout the Astral Plane. Here the berbalang stalks creatures weaker than itself and engages in complex courtship and mating rituals with other berbalang. The Astral Plane is the only place where these creatures interact with each other, and they even build structures and form enclaves to talk, debate, and learn from one another.

Because the astral berbalang is slain if its body dies, the creature takes great care to seclude and protect the resting place of its physical body. It will move its lair every three or four months, usually from one well-hidden cave to another. This prevents its food supply from depleting, and from arousing alarm in local populations. It moves this way in the middle of the night to avoid confrontation. This is the only time when the berbalang physically leaves its lair.

Once per month, at the times of the full moon, the berbalang returns to the Material plane to send forth its material projection in search of food. Once the projection finds a slain human, or kills one, it flies off with the body. It can feast upon the body while it travels, leaving nothing but bones after one minute. As soon as the projection returns to the lair, the berbalang will awaken immediately, satisfied and refreshed.

A berbalang that is prevented from feeding will eventually seek revenge upon those that interfered with its feeding. Although there may be a lull while the body of the berbalang recovers from the shock of the attack on its projection, retribution is a certainty.

If the projection was forced back to its body or destroyed before it could find prey to feed upon, it will send forth another material projection as soon as it is able, in order to satisfy its hunger (regardless of the phase of the moon) before seeking its revenge.

How the berbalang is able to derive sustenance through its feeding and reproduce with other berbalangs through its projections is a mystery to even the most learned sages. This leads some scholars to believe that the berbalangs are not normal physical creatures at all.
 
1981 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Originally found in the first edition Fiend Folio (1981, Albie Fiore), and Monstrous Compendium MC3 – Forgotten Realms (1989). It originally appeared in White Dwarf #11 (February/March 1979).