Jacky Longlegs

The forests are dark and deep, and the secrets that live The Jack's Cough
within it are beyond that of mortal ken. Those that enter, if If a creature fails it initial saving throw against a
they return at all, remember little of the twisting, bramble jacky longlegs' Nausea by 5 or more, it becomes
choked paths that wind through the gnarled heart of the infected with a psionic disease called the Jack's
woods. Those that do remember, those that ventured past the Cough. While infected with the Jack's Cough, a
warnings in search of the missing children, speak of horrors. creature must make a DC 10 Constitution saving
Little bodies, flayed alive and strung in the branches with throw before taking the Dash action or casting a
thorns. Writhing sacks of living flesh, desperate voices spell with verbal components. On a failure, the
shrieking from within. creature becomes overwhelmed by coughing up
And an impossibly tall man with impossibly long claws. A thick black phlegm and sap and cannot attempt to
faceless man in dark formal attire. A man that follows and take the Dash action or cast spells with verbal
components until the beginning of its next turn. At
watches. A man that they call Jacky Longlegs. midnight each night, an infected creature makes a
Psionic Horrors. A jacky longlegs is inscrutable, pursuing DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, its Charisma
incomprehensible goals and butchering humanoids without score is reduced by 1d4. If it succeeds by 5 or
clear purpose. Faceless, it speaks no languages and more, it is cured of the Jack's Cough. If the
communicates nothing, though it can touch the minds of creature's Charisma score is reduced to 1 (-5), the
others with the slimy tendrils of its thoughts. The very creature becomes charmed by the jacky longlegs
presence of a jacky longlegs causes nausea and that infected it. Once its Charisma score is reduced
uncontrollable coughing, muddling the mind and foiling to 1 a creature no longer must make a Constitution
divination. To even look at the jacky longlegs causes mental saving throw before taking the Dash action.
damage, and it always knows when it is being looked at. A creature infected with the Jack's Cough is
Those that survive the horror of a jacky longlegs may even psionically linked to the jacky longlegs that
find themselves unable to remember the terrible events. infected it. The jack that infected it is always aware
Those are the lucky ones. The most unfortunate of the jacky of the distance to and the direction of the infected
longleg's victims suffer a terrible disease where their lungs creature. As an action, the jacky longlegs can begin
or stop perceiving through the senses of any
and brains are filled with a poisonous sap, slowly rotting creature infected by it. The jacky longlegs can cast
them from within until they're mere shells of themselves, any of its at will psionic spells on a creature
enslaved to the jack's bizarre will. infected by it regardless of distance so long as the
Bastard Child of Oak. The first jacky longlegs was born creature and the jack are on the same plane of
from the womb of a dryad impregnated by dark dreams from existence.
beyond the stars. Her belly swelled with madness and horror
and her flesh was ripped asunder by the abomination that
gestated within her. Now the dream has taken root in the
world, and other dryads find the same corruption planted in
their wombs, clawing at their minds and devouring their
flesh.
These wretched perversions of the natural order still bear
traits of their tree mothers. They can step through trees, just
like their dryad mothers, and they bear many of the same
strengths and weaknesses of wood. Though weak to the
burning of flame and the chopping of axes, the tough flesh of
a jacky longlegs is immune to clubs and fists. Their
motivations, however, are entirely alien. These abominable
children of corrupt nature find little love among the fey
courts, though the scheming hags, the psionic meenlocks,
and the bloodthirsty redcaps all find these terrible creatures
appealing.
Jacky Longlegs Psionic Aura. The jack constantly emits an aura of
psionic energy with a 60-foot radius. This aura creates
Large fey, chaotic evil
a number of effects, as detailed below.
Armor Class. 16 (barkskin-like) Coughing. When a creature starts its turn within the
Hit Points. 123 (13d10 + 52) aura, it must make a DC 10 Constitution saving
Speed. 50 ft., climb 40 ft. throw or be overcome with a fit of coughing until
the end of its next turn. While coughing a creature
cannot take the Dash action or provide verbal
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA components for spells.
20 (+5) 17 (+3) 18 (+4) 19 (+4) 16 (+3) 18 (+4) Naseua. Any creature that starts its turn within the
aura must make a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw.
Skills. Perception +7, Stealth +7 On a failure, the creature becomes poisoned for the
Damage Resistances. cold, lightning; piercing damage duration of the time it spends in the aura. While
from non-magical weapons poisoned in this way, a creature has disadvantage on
Damage Vulnerabilities fire; slashing damage from Wisdom saving throws. A creature can repeat the
magical weapons saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending
Damage Immunities. bludgeoning damage the effect on a success. If a creature's saving throw
Condition Immunities. blinded, charmed, deafened, is successful, the creature is immune to the jack's
exhaustion, frightened, petrified Nausea for the next 24 hours.
Senses. blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 17 Interference. A creature other than the jack itself that
Languages. telepathy 120 ft. attempts to cast or maintain concentration on a
Challenge. 12 (8,400 XP) divination spell or psionics while within the aura
must succeed on a DC 16 saving throw using their
spellcasting attack modifier or the spell fails. This
Don't Look. Any humanoid that starts its turn able to applies to the sensors of spells such as clairvoyance
see the jack takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage. This that are placed within the aura.
includes through divination magic. Unless the target is Forgetting. When a creature leaves the aura, it must
surprised, the target can avert its eyes. Until the start of succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or
its next turn, a creature that averts its eyes has forget everything that occurred while the aura. All
disadvantage on attack rolls against the jack. events for the 10 minutes preceding entering the
The jack automatically becomes aware when a aura and occurring 10 minutes after leaving the aura
humanoid is looking at it or a representation of it and will be muddled and confused.
knows the general direction of and distance to the Tree Stride. Once on its turn, the jack can use 10 ft.
humanoid. This includes through divination spells. of its movement to step magically into one living tree
Empowered Strikes. The jack's weapon attacks count as within its reach and emerge from a second living tree
magical for the purpose of overcoming damage within 60 ft. of the first tree, appearing in an
reduction. unoccupied space within 5 ft. of the second tree. Both
trees must be Large or bigger.
Innate Spellcasting. The jack's innate spellcasting ability
is Intelligence (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell
attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, Actions
requiring no components: Multiattack. The jack makes six attacks: two with its
At will: compulsion, confusion, detect thoughts, claws and four with its tentacles.
dominate person, fear, locate creature, modify memory Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft.,
1/day each: dimension door one creature. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage.
Woodland Stealth. While in a forested area, the jack can Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15 ft.,
take the Hide action as a bonus action. Its stealth one creature. Hit: 9 (1d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage and
bonus is also improved to +11. the target is grappled (escape DC 17). The jack can
only grapple up to four Medium or smaller creatures at
a time.