It’s time to get Celtic with Epic Monsters as we unpack that mischievous shapeshifting November-harvest-fairy-blasting prankster of northwestern Europe known as the púca!
The shapeshifting púca (also known as the pooka, phouka, pwca, or bucca) are bearers of fate hailing from Celtic mythologies all over northwestern Europe, bestowing bad luck or good fortune. Although they are able to assume human shapes these creatures never entirely lose their animal features when doing so (keeping donkey-like ears, a tail, and so on), otherwise taking the forms of common animals like cats, dogs, foxes, goats, horses, rabbits, ravens, and wolves (and “bogeyman”, goblin, or eagle), always with dark fur no matter the beast. Púca are also tied to agriculture through the Samhain, a Goidelic festival of the harvest, and said to bring rot and ruin to wild fruits at the start of each November (when anything not yet harvested becomes “puka” and therefore inedible), but the first day of that month is the only time they can be expected to behave kindly.
As might be expected they are fey (or at least very fey-like) and delight in pranks, such as offering someone a ride upon their back only to take off and buck the rider about—though it’s said that anyone wearing sharp spurs can control such a mischievous steed, though the creature won’t approach if it knows as much. Only the High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, is said to have been able to ride one as a reliable mount (and did so with a bridle incorporating three púca tail hairs). A púca can be quite generous however, doing some of a farmer’s hard work and rewarding those who are kind to it in turn (including a drink that ensures happiness), or agree to guard something sacred. Of course it’s not all fun and games with these: some tales tell of bloodthirsty, vampiric púca that consume their victims, humans included, and others of a mountain and hill-dwelling creature doling out prophecies to those who seek it out.
Design Notes: Seems like we’ve got a shapeshifting nature prankster with a little bit of vampiric stuff going on and some divinatory powers to boot. It has some commonly taken beast forms but there’s no overwhelming push to hold them to that so its got a wider array available with Change Shape, and then some Innate Spellcasting to give it some insight on prophecies. Otherwise its killer speed and ability to negate provokes should make it excellent at kiting, drawing foes into chases where it can implement more mischief. Let’s do the numbers! The DMG lands flat on 3 and the Blog of Holding at 3.166, so by all accounts this fey is solidly at CR 3.
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 55 (10d8+10)
Speed 45 ft.
Saving Throws Str +4, Con +3, Int +4, Wis +4
Skills Insight +4, Perception +4, Stealth +8, Survival +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Common
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Change Shape. The púca magically polymorphs into a Tiny, Small, Medium, or Large beast of a CR no greater than its own, or back into its true form. Other than its size, its statistics are the same in each form. If the púca dies, it reverts to its true form.
Combat Footing. Whenever the púca makes a melee attack against a creature on its turn, it doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature until the end of its turn.
Innate Spellcasting. The púca’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma. The púca can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The púca attacks once with its bite and twice with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) piercing damage. The púca regains hit points equal to the piercing damage taken.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) slashing damage.
The shapeshifting púca (also known as the pooka, phouka, pwca, or bucca) are bearers of fate hailing from Celtic mythologies all over northwestern Europe, bestowing bad luck or good fortune. Although they are able to assume human shapes these creatures never entirely lose their animal features when doing so (keeping donkey-like ears, a tail, and so on), otherwise taking the forms of common animals like cats, dogs, foxes, goats, horses, rabbits, ravens, and wolves (and “bogeyman”, goblin, or eagle), always with dark fur no matter the beast. Púca are also tied to agriculture through the Samhain, a Goidelic festival of the harvest, and said to bring rot and ruin to wild fruits at the start of each November (when anything not yet harvested becomes “puka” and therefore inedible), but the first day of that month is the only time they can be expected to behave kindly.
As might be expected they are fey (or at least very fey-like) and delight in pranks, such as offering someone a ride upon their back only to take off and buck the rider about—though it’s said that anyone wearing sharp spurs can control such a mischievous steed, though the creature won’t approach if it knows as much. Only the High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, is said to have been able to ride one as a reliable mount (and did so with a bridle incorporating three púca tail hairs). A púca can be quite generous however, doing some of a farmer’s hard work and rewarding those who are kind to it in turn (including a drink that ensures happiness), or agree to guard something sacred. Of course it’s not all fun and games with these: some tales tell of bloodthirsty, vampiric púca that consume their victims, humans included, and others of a mountain and hill-dwelling creature doling out prophecies to those who seek it out.
Design Notes: Seems like we’ve got a shapeshifting nature prankster with a little bit of vampiric stuff going on and some divinatory powers to boot. It has some commonly taken beast forms but there’s no overwhelming push to hold them to that so its got a wider array available with Change Shape, and then some Innate Spellcasting to give it some insight on prophecies. Otherwise its killer speed and ability to negate provokes should make it excellent at kiting, drawing foes into chases where it can implement more mischief. Let’s do the numbers! The DMG lands flat on 3 and the Blog of Holding at 3.166, so by all accounts this fey is solidly at CR 3.
Púca
Medium fey, chaotic neutralArmor Class 14
Hit Points 55 (10d8+10)
Speed 45 ft.
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
15 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 13 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 16 (+3) |
Skills Insight +4, Perception +4, Stealth +8, Survival +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Common
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Change Shape. The púca magically polymorphs into a Tiny, Small, Medium, or Large beast of a CR no greater than its own, or back into its true form. Other than its size, its statistics are the same in each form. If the púca dies, it reverts to its true form.
Combat Footing. Whenever the púca makes a melee attack against a creature on its turn, it doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature until the end of its turn.
Innate Spellcasting. The púca’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma. The púca can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
Constant: speak with animals
At will: augury, detect magic, druidcraft, pass without trace
1/day each: commune with nature, goodberry
1/week each: divination, find the path
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The púca attacks once with its bite and twice with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) piercing damage. The púca regains hit points equal to the piercing damage taken.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) slashing damage.
