Bestiary: Bhaergala

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Next from the Creature Catalog II in Dragon Magazine #94 we have the bhaergala, also by Ed Greenwood.  I based my conversion more from the 2nd Edition Forgotten Realms Monstrous Compendium version.

I thought it fit best as a fey creature.  Too magical for a beast, though I did think about making it monstrosity.  The bhaergala has a spell turning ability, and I thought that was best represented by giving it Legendary Resistance, though this version takes an action.  That ability made it harder to assign a CR for it, but I just pretty much guess on them anyway.  I had it pegged at 2 before the resistance, so raised it only to 4, figuring the vulnerability to song knocked it down a bit.

The bhaergala is a large predator that roams temperate and tropical jungles or woodlands in search of prey. It is greatly feared by travelers because of its fondness for human, elven, and satyr prey.

A bhaergala looks something like a cross between a wolf and a lion, although it is clearly not related to either creature.The fur of a bhaergala gives off a faint but unmistakable odor, which has been described as smelling like fresh bread or biscuits.

The bhaergala can mimic the speech and songs of men and elves with great skill. When hunting, it often uses this power to lure them into an ambush. Most bhaergalas can speak the common tongue of men.

In normal combat, the creature lashes out with its two front claws and tears at its foes with its powerful jaws. The bhaergala is fearsome in combat and often rips great pieces of flesh from an enemy, which are then dropped for later consumption. The bhaergala has been known to keep ripping apart a body that has long since ceased fighting back.

The bhaergala is a solitary creature that stalks its prey from the dense underbrush common to jungles and sylvan woodlands. It normally moves in on its prey from downwind so that its distinctive scent does not give it away before it can strike.

Bhaergala seek out others of their kind only to mate. When they do find a partner, they mate only in sandy areas (river banks, sandbars, and so forth). Six months later, the female bhaergala gives birth to a litter of 2d4 cubs.

The parents remain together for just over a year to raise their progeny. As soon as the cubs make their first kill, they are turned out from their parents’ den and must go their own way. At this point, they have all the powers and abilities of adult bhaergalas, but have only half the adults hit points. Further, their attacks cause only half the usual damage. When the last of the cubs is gone, the parents also part company, never to meet again.

An adult bhaergala usually sleeps in the boughs of tall trees, returning to its lair only rarely. This well-hidden den is often in a caves, ruin, or similar place of desolation and serves as a storage area for whatever items the bhaergala has collected over the years. As a rule, there is little if any true treasure in the lair of a bhaergala. It often collects musical instruments and noise-makers, which are usually broken, from the bodies of its victims. From time to time, an unusual or even magical instrument has turned up in the lair of a bhaergala.

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