D&D 5E [Let's Read] The Islands of Sina Una: 5e Fantasy inspired by Filipino legends

2rIeIkc.png

Chapter 4: Monsters

It wouldn’t be a D&D game without dangerous critters to fight, and the Islands of Sina Una delivers in spades! We have 37 stat blocks for general varieties of monsters, 16 stat blocks for spirits, and 18 for mundane animals. Technically the Celestial Eaters add 4 to the first category, but they don’t have stat blocks. Due to space limitations I won’t cover every monster here, but will try and highlight enough to give people a good sense of this chapter’s content.

Aghoy (CR 3) are large humanoid-shaped plants who hunt at night, their eerie whistling the first thing victims hear. They act as scouts and guardians of forests, and can be alternatively helpful or dangerous to people depending upon the latter’s relationship to the local ecosystem. They are melee-focused monsters that can blend in with trees when standing still, and their whistling can supernaturally slow listeners down on a failed Wisdom save.

Aswang are a new monster type. They are dark reflections of societal expectations, embodying taboos and the moral depths to which mortals can descend. Many aswang possess the ability to change shape, and they are supernaturally resilient to mundane attacks save for weapons immersed in salt. Aswang are also universally cannibals, preferring the taste of humanoid flesh and blood. While they can reproduce, their children cannot become “full” aswang until they eat a cursed black egg harvested from a dying elder.

We have eight different types of aswang, and their Challenge Ratings range from 1 to 15, although all but one fit within the first two Tiers of play. The balbal are like ghouls, lurking near graveyards to feast on the flesh of the dead, magically changing corpses they steal into pigs before feasting. The gabunan are aswang elders who refuse to pass on their powers via black eggs, and instead seek positions of entrenched social power via shapechanging. They are accomplished spellcasters and have Legendary Actions, being the highest-CR aswang at 15. Malakat look like hunched-over anthropomorphic predatory cats whose long prehensile hair can be used to grapple and choke victims. The Mamananggal appears as a regular person during the day, but at night performs a ritual where they separate the upper half of their body and grow wings, with entrails hanging out the bottom as they hunt for sleeping victims to suck their innards out with their tongues. The Mangkukulam is different from others of its kind, for while still wicked its presence is tolerated in one too many communities as a dark secret. For the monsters are accomplished spellcasters wise in the ways of curses, and people hire their services to take revenge on someone who wronged them (or believed wronged them). The aswang can then use this as blackmail material, with the unspoken threat that those who made dealings with the monster can face a similar fate as their enemies.

Bungisngis are CR 12 tusked one-eyed giants whose fickle nature swings between a nonviolent, helpful attitude and sudden bouts of violence. And no matter what they are always smiling, so people can’t easily tell their moods. Like most giants they are focused heavily on melee, but can swallow Medium or smaller targets and can use water buffaloes as thrown weapons in addition to boulders.

VbJBQeK.png

The Celestial Eaters get their own category, and are the only monsters detailed who have no stats. They are primordial horrors with an all-consuming desire to devour the celestial bodies. But one of them isn’t truly malevolent in attitude: Arimaonga is a lion-like spirit who views life as one big game, treating the world like a child would in playing with their favorite toys. The lion-like entity is unaware of the importance the moon holds in the world. Bakunawa by contrast, is much more malicious and envious of Bathala’s divine family. Minokawa’s motives are comparatively unknown regarding its desire for divine consumption, and islanders in the north use unique rituals that create fake moonlight to mislead the monster. Tambanokano is driven purely by wrath and spite, and the stormy waters and weather around his abode come from even his merest breath. Tambanokua is unique in that she doesn’t want to consume Mayari; she just wants to watch the world fall apart by capturing the moon goddess in a webbed prison.

Giants are our next category of monsters. Other varieties of giant like the bungisngis are considered lesser kin, and “true” giants in Sina Una are unique named beings large enough to rival mountains and other natural features. The average giant’s feet can reach the ocean floor and still have their chest rise above sea level. They all share an origin as creations of Bathala before the concept of death was created for mortals. Of all the beings mighty enough to stand against the Celestial Eaters, the giants have the best odds of defeating them, but they are loath to stop the end of the world. As to why, the first mortals did something terrible in Bathala’s eyes, and for this transgression they were banished from his creation and cursed with regret. Therefore, the giants welcome the end of the world.

I presume that this last part is the giants’ in-universe explanation, for it doesn’t line up with Bathala’s nature earlier in the book. And it may be poor wording, for mortals certainly haven’t been banished from the world at large. Perhaps the text meant to refer to giants as the banished ones?

We have 4 giants, each with a unique name. They range from CR 15 to 19 and are predictably melee-focused monsters with legendary actions. Angngalo is the oldest surviving giant, who was originally tasked with sprinkling salt upon the islands to kill aswang but one day clumsily tripped and spilled all the salt into the sea. Aran is Angngalo’s wife, and while she hates the aswang and hunts them, she is an abusive partner who likes to guilt-trip her husband over his failed duty. She believes that this will re-embolden his desire to hunt the monsters, but in reality this does the opposite. One of Aran’s daughters also became an aswang, which is an adventure hook as she does not truly know if she can bring herself to kill her own daughter. We don’t have any stats for this aswang-giant, so a missed opportunity.

Burinkantada is a one-eyed giant who lives on an island housing a mansion containing countless luxuries, which attracts many would-be thieves and has since turned the giant violently hostile against anyone who ends up on the island. He has lair actions centered around use of the environment, such as a spilled plant pot causing mountains of dirt to smother people or using a huge earthenware cup to trap someone. Gawigawen is the final listed giant, a multi-headed monster who collects the bones of those he’s slain in the mountains of the far north, and near his home grows a fruit tree whose food can cure any disease.

A Kibaan (CR 1) is a small fey with backwards feet who plays on a musical instrument and is attended to by fireflies. They are inveterate thieves, always on the lookout for pretty and valuable things to add to their treasure pile, and can shapechange into a bamboo shoot to blend in with nature. They aren’t very dangerous, but their primary ability is a Bag of Tricks that can produce one of four effects, such as blowing powder that can cast Bestow Curse on a target or summoning a malfunctioning clockwork chicken. No stats are referenced for this robot chicken, but we do have stats for Fowl later on in this chapter.

Mambabarang (CR 5) are wicked druids who use their magic to control swarms of insects which they treat like their own children. They send out these creatures to the homes of those who cross them, burning into their skin and eating them from the inside-out. Statwise they are 10th level druids who can polymorph into a swarm of insects, and can use insects as material components by dealing damage to themselves.

Mameleu is a CR 13 sea serpent who lives in deep ocean trenches, and instead of breathing fire they shoot it out of their eyes. Their presence is forewarned by a bellow coming from beneath the waves, and their ability to tear through ships with ease cause most vessels to flee the area upon hearing such a noise. While most people would ordinarily avoid such a monster at all costs, the mameleu’s body parts are a valuable resource, for they can be used as components for medicine potent enough to heal grievous injuries and broken bones. Some rumors say it may even be possible to use the dragon’s body parts to bring the dead back to life.

Maranhig (CR 2) are emaciated undead creatures driven by a never-ending hunger, and those they kill arise as one of them. It is not known how they were originally created, but the most common theory is that the aswangs made them. They have quite the fragile Armor Class of 10, but are truly immortal and will rise with full hit points in either 1 minute or during the next full moon depending on whether or not they died from radiant damage. The only surefire means to kill them is if they are immersed in running water, which deals damage to them much like a vampire’s weakness.

zxjBv9i.png

Merfolk are sea-dwelling humanoids who are generally xenophobic and distrustful of land-dwelling humanoids, and the feeling is largely mutual. In spite of this, merfolk can produce children with humanoids, so there are many tragic romantic tales that arise from lovers of the two civilizations striving to live together in spite of the judgment of their people. There are some settlements where humanoids and merfolk manage to befriend each other, and are economically prosperous as the groups trade each other materials from their respective civilizations that are otherwise hard for the other to come by. Sadly, more than a few unscrupulous humanoid traders sold them iron, which quickly rusts when immersed, so merfolk react with offense at the material’s presence.

We get four different stat blocks for sub-species and societal roles of merfolk, ranging from CR 1 to 5. Amanbuti are guardians of unhatched merfolk eggs, bearing poisonous spines and acidic mucus like a pufferfish. Kataw are the nobility of merfolk who possess a pair of legs instead of tails but still look unmistakably fish-like. They all can innately cast spells, with a tendency towards elemental stuff like Control Water and Control Weather. A Magindara is actually an aswang that takes a merfolk form, and have a similar role as sirens where they befuddle seafarers by singing before they murder the crew. They also hunt and kill merfolk, so they’re equally feared and hated by underwater civilizations. Mambubuno are merfolk who live in caves among brooks and rivers, containing ample amounts of gold and gems. They use such bounties to lure people in to kill and eat them. They are spellcasters and have the limited ability to cause people to jump forward in time as an attack, causing the target to pop out of existence for 1 round on a failed Wisdom save.

A Sigbin (CR ½) is a foul-smelling creature that looks like a cross between a dog and an over-sized rat, and are usually the summoned minions of aswang spellcasters. They hunt people traveling on the roads, cutting open corpses to take organs back to their masters. Such depredations popularized the practice of armed caravans traveling between settlements with large portions of wilderness between them. There isn’t much to say about them statwise other than that they are ambush hunters, with a pounce attack that can knock targets prone, the ability to turn invisible as an action until they attack or lose concentration, and radiates an AoE odor that imposes the poisoned condition on a failed Constitution save.

Tiburones (CR 7) is a Huge-sized sharklike monster capable of flying in the air, and they were such a persistent danger to the islanders that a hero from times of old named Handyong went on a one-person crusade to kill as many as possible. Handyong’s handiwork was one of the factors that allowed civilization to grow and thrive, but the monsters still exist and can be found among rivers and coastlines. Statwise they are basically flying sharks, but can only breathe out of water for up to 8 hours. We also have stats for Tiburones Pups who are CR 3 and weaker but otherwise have the same abilities.

A Tigbalan (CR 6) is a trickster fey who loves to play pranks on people in the wilderness, often with life-threatening results by using illusions to cause people to wander into hazards, be frightened to death, or become lost and starve to death or die from exposure to the elements. They do this because they view themselves as guardians of particular wilderness spaces, viewing encroaching outsiders as harmful against the growth of flora. Those who politely ask for permission to travel through are allowed through the tigbalan’s territory.

Their main attack is a melee kick and Vicious Mockery, but they are most dangerous when using their spells such as Maze and Phantasmal Killer, or when grappling people and flying away with them. They deal psychic damage to grappling targets as they impart horrifying sensations to the victim.

Content Warning: the following monster deals with miscarriage

A Tiyanak is an undead that is an unborn humanoid fetus. They dig out of their graves, umbilical cords still attached, and can shapechange into a humanoid baby to appear harmless. They possess an innate hatred for all living things, angered at being denied the opportunity to live. Their sole offensive feature is a bite attack that can paralyze a target much like a ghoul can. Individuals are CR ¼, but a swarm of them are CR 2.

Thoughts So Far: I like the diversity of monsters here, and the ones that have unconventional tactics or methods of defeating them are my favorite. Those are the Kibaan, Maranhig, and Tigbalan. I also liked Burinkantada’s Lair Actions which are themed around fighting in a house sized for a Gargantuan occupant, and I imagine it can make for a very interesting dungeon crawl and battlefield. I am let down that none of the Celestial Eaters were given stats. It feels all the weirder given that we have stats for giants, who are implied to be on par with them in power or at least a significant enough threat.

Join us next time as we finish this book by covering the rest of the bestiary and the Appendices!
 

log in or register to remove this ad

tvsf3Jp.png

Chapter Four, Part Two: Rest of the Bestiary

Spirits are a diverse range of beings animating the forces of reality. This chapter covers the ones intelligent and powerful enough to interact with mortals and be a threat, but not so all-powerful as to be gods.

Beast Spirits represent the souls of animals unable to move on to the afterlife for whatever reason. This is a template that can only be added to giant/dire versions of animals, changing their type to fey, giving them maximum possible hit points for their hit dice, increasing their mental ability scores to 10 unless already higher, and gaining a limited number of spells whose power depends on their Challenge Rating.

Danag (CR 11) are sky spirits who used to help mortals during farming, but got corrupted when a farmer started bleeding from an injury. When one of their number tried to lick the wound to help the farmer, the spirits discovered that blood was delicious, and the danag as a whole now hunt and eat mortals. They fight with manufactured weapons which gain a unique “blooded” condition whenever they damage a target, which deals bonus necrotic damage and can expend said condition to perform a variety of special abilities, such as casting Lightning Bolt or gaining temporary hit points.

Diwata (CR 12) are fey who hold supreme dominion over a stretch of nature such as a holy glade, ancient tree, or pristine river. They are worshiped like gods, with mortals offering tribute and respect. They have a variety of druidic-flavored spells, can shapechange into humanoids and giants, and can telepathically communicate with all allied beasts and spirits within their demesne.

Hukluban (CR 18) is a unique spirit who has the form of an old woman. She presides over the passing of dead souls, but unlike Magwayen she enjoys hastening the process via murder. She was banished by the rest of her kind for her perversions, and she looks for ever more ways to kill large amounts of creatures in the most efficient manners possible. In terms of stats Hukluban is an 18th level spellcaster specializing in death and insect-themed magic, has a rechargeable multi-target life-draining attack, and legendary actions and resistance.

Kumakatok (CR 3) are spirits who come in threes, all wearing black cloaks that shroud their faces in darkness. They travel to people’s homes to deliver premonitions of illness and misfortune, and people guard against them by lining their doors with salt. In spite of common belief, they do not possess the ability to bring curses and destruction on others. They are but diviners, and bring people bad news as their duty. They share a single stat block and space in combat, their sole offensive ability is a very damaging dagger attack, and their divination talents let them be aware of all doors within 100 feet, teleport between doors when passing through them, and cannot be surprised.

Litao (CR 2) is a unique fey spirit, who grows from bamboo thickets alongside rivers. He is kind to those who bring him gifts of fish, awarding them gifts in return. But he responds violently to those who cut down or despoil his bamboo, which he views as his home. Litao is in love with the daughter of the datu of a nearby village, but she rejects him due to knowing her father will never allow her to marry a spirit. In terms of stats he can teleport between bamboo like a dryad does between trees, knows some low-level druid spells, and fights with bamboo tendrils that have a long 20 foot reach.

3XQtADq.png

Nagined, Arapayan, and Makbarubak (collective CR 18) are the Aspects of Desire, War, and Poison, representing metaphorical concepts of inter-mortal harm. Such negative things have made them very powerful, and they travel the islands posing as mortal mercenaries. They believe that the more misery they spread, the more power they’ll get, which will eventually allow them to become gods. Although the Aspects manifest as three different spirits, they all share one mind and intelligence, although they still use separate stat blocks. They almost always fight together, reflecting the collective Challenge Rating listed earlier. The Aspect of Desire is primarily a spellcaster who uses powerful enchantment magic, the Aspect of War is a physical fighter who uses “death by a thousand cuts” with a bunch of individually weak Multiattacks, and the Aspect of Poison has a venomous gaze attack, can poison people as part of their bite, and ignores resistance and immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition with said attacks.

Tamawo (CR 6) are spirits who live in trees, appearing as beautiful humanoids but can be recognized by the lack of a philtrum. Their trees are a common gathering spot by babaylan training proteges, as the tree helps them undergo spirit visions. Yet tamawo can be indirectly dangerous, for they often abscond mortals they fall in love with into their tree and never allow them to leave. In terms of stats their primary method of offense is using a Songil weapon that is also poisoned, and they can cast a spell called Spiritual Spear at will. But this spell is not one I can find in official sources, and it’s not referenced anywhere else in the book. Tamawo don’t have very damaging attacks otherwise, being mostly utility and defensive; such as having perfect beauty that can force people to be unable to attack them on a failed Charisma save, or casting Dominate Person and Magnificent Mansion (entrance is in the tree) once per day each.

Beasts is our final category in Chapter 4, covering existing and new mundane animals. As you can expect, creatures that are native to tropical islands are found here, but one can also find cats that live in forests, deer who forage for food in mountains at night, and eagles who can be found on every island. The new stat blocks cover animals that are either virtually harmless or have low Challenge Ratings, with the Dire Eagle and Giant Coconut Crab being the strongest at Challenge Rating 3 each.

Appendices

The book’s final 16 pages cover 3 appendices. The first appendix discusses the writers’ real-world research and sources of inspiration, as well as what aspects they changed either for game design or modern sensibilities when transporting them into an RPG setting. The second appendix is a Glossary of common terms in the islands, while the third appendix is a Pronunciation Guide for common words.

The writers of Sina Una really brought their A-game when it came to research, and go into detail on just about every major facet of the world along with covering the major character options. For instance, the Mangangayaw Ranger subclass was inspired by the timawa warrior class of ancient Visayan societies, who were their own social class somewhere between the commonborn and nobility. Or how the spirit Paglipad was inspired by a Filipino folktale of a bat refusing to join the war between birds and mammals.

Our Sources, and Other Recommended Readings

A Sagada Reader by William Henry Scott
Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society by
William Henry Scott
Bikols of the Philippines by Maria Lilia F. Realubit
Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology by Maximo Ramos
Iranun and Balangingi: Globalization, Maritime Raiding, an the Birth
of Ethnicity by James F. Warren
Philippine Folk Literature Series by Damiana Eugenio
Raiding, Trading. and Feasting: The Political Economy of Philippine
Chiefdoms by Laura Lee Junker
The Aswang Project (aswangproject.com)
The Body Book by Fe Maria C. Arriola
The Boxer Codex
The Soul Book by Francisco R. Demetrio, Gilda Cordero-
Ferdando, and Fernando N. Zialcita

Thoughts So Far: I like a lot of the spirit monsters, as they have particularly interesting mechanics or backstories and thus adventure hooks in the case of the unique individual spirits. The Danag’s ability to draw from a pool of abilities when they damage targets in battle, Hukluban and the three Aspect’s ready-made roles as high-level villains, and the Kumakatok’s misunderstood role as harbingers of bad news are all quite thematic and can make for some memorable adventures and encounters. I don’t have much to say in regards to mundane animals, as they won’t be dangerous enough for most gaming groups to feel all that memorable. When it comes to Druid Wild Shaping, none of the beasts have any out-there abilities that make them ideal picks over existing official creatures.

I really enjoyed the Appendix going over research material. It’s nice to see where aspects of the setting originally came from. As a lot of D&D gamers aren’t as likely to be familiar with the Philippines in comparison to Western Europe, Japan, and China, it does a good job of showing that this culture is also full of neat ideas for fantasy gaming.

Final Thoughts: The Islands of Sina Una is very much a book with a lot of work put into it. The authors did their due diligence in pulling from their culture’s legends and myths to create a fantasy setting, they made ample use of evocative illustrations of lands, people, and creatures, and made sure to include material for both players and Dungeon Masters.

But in spite of this content, I cannot recommend this product for two major reasons. The first is in regards to balance, where many options for PCs are outright broken and break the system’s math. The other is that as far as settings go, it’s lacking a lot of detail that helps drive adventure and conflict. To say nothing of smaller errors, like the mislabeled content warning of the spider illustrations, the nonexistent Spiritual Spear spell, or the out-of-nowhere mention of Bathala having banished mortals in the giant entry. These last few things individually aren’t much, but when combined with the bigger picture lowers the book’s overall ratings.

The Islands of Sina Una can be a useful resource in taking elements of inspiration from Filipino legends and folklore for 5e games, and has a sizable bestiary for monsters and adversaries. But as a general product, it would take a lot of work to make it usable at the game table.
 

Trending content

Remove ads

Top