Kallikantzaros by

## Kallikantzaroi
These diminutive fey look like black-furred goblinoids and sport beady red eyes, twisted horns, and small but sharp tusks. The appearance of a kallikantzaros might even be described as comical if not for the menacing wood-cutting hatchets they are almost never seen without. Most kallikantzaroi spend the majority of the year hibernating within the Feywild, seldom waking unless disturbed. When the winter solstice draws near, they rouse from their slumber and seek fey crossings into the Material Plane, where they can spread havoc.

***Lost Goblinoid Kin.***  It is believed that kallikantzaroi were once goblins attempting to escape the wrath of their tyrannical gods by fleeing into the Feywild where they burrowed deep underground. Once there, they began feeding on the roots of powerful enchanted trees, which slowly turned them into the fey creatures they are known as today.

If true, this would explain the kallikantzaroi's affinity for woodworking and digging hidden homes amongst forest groves. During most of the year, they chop away at magical tree roots around their home and sustain themselves on the enchanted tree sap they harvest. They've also developed a knack for evading detection by druids and other fey that view them as destructive pests.

***Winter Revelry.*** On the days near the Winter Solstice, kallikantzaroi will spring from the ground and find crossing into the Material Plane to go on their celebratory rampages. They have a taste for sweets, devouring them on sight and chopping apart anything that stands between them and a newly discovered treat. Sweetmeats are among their favorite meals, but they will also chop down trees to get at the sweet sap they prize, with the sap of evergreens being especially delicious to a kallikantzaros.

Their attraction to sweets and evergreens inevitably draws kallikantzaroi to winter festivals, where they find an abundance of treats and holiday trees to feed on and chop apart. They make no attempt to bargain with the humanoids of these festivals, and as soon as they see an opportunity, kallikantzaroi will take and destroy all they can without ever being satiated. The kallikantzaroi will not leave until they’ve devoured every sweet and destroyed every tree unless driven out by force or the Winter Solstice comes to a close. Once the solstice comes to a close, the kallikantzaroi retreat to the Feywild for another year.

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***Drop Attackers.*** Kallikantzaroi love dropping out of trees and from rooftops onto their enemies whom they attach to, essentially forcing their victim to give them a piggyback ride. Once a kallikantzaros lands on its target’s back, it will mercilessly start lashing its victim with its axe. Many have fallen victim to these attacks while attempting to stop marauding kallikantzaroi from destroying festive trees or stealing from food shops. Kallikantzaroi will also drop onto unsuspecting targets cooking sweet foods such as ham or baked treats and lash the cook into submission before stealing their goods.

Kallikantzaroi rarely seek to lethally wound humanoids unless they are in a life-or-death fight and will usually only injure their victims as much as is necessary to prevent them from interfering with their revelry. Hacking apart objects and creatures that aren’t made of wood and devouring anything that isn’t sweet brings a kallikantzaros little joy.

***Kallikantzaros Foreman.*** Most kallikantzaros groups are led by at least one foreman. These kallikantzaroi fill the same role as goblin bosses, bullying other kallikantzaroi and keeping them in line. Most kallikantzaroi prefer to pilfer and destroy when others aren’t looking and will flee from formidable opponents, but the presence of a foreman can embolden them to become more aggressive in their tactics. Kallikantzaroi will fight more aggressively with a foreman leading them, and those who attempt to flee are caught and literally thrown back into the fray by their unforgiving boss.

### Art Credit
* Kallikantzaros - Joseph Snouwaert
* Snow-Covered Forest - Jim Nelson, Wizards of the Coast
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___
> ## Kallikantzaros
>*Small fey, chaotic evil*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 13 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 33 (6d6 + 12)
> - **Speed** 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|15 (+2)|14 (+2)|15 (+2)|6 (-2)|7 (-2)|7 (-2)|
>___
> - **Skills** Athletics +4, Stealth +4 
> - **Damage Resistances** cold
> - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8
> - **Languages** Goblin, Sylvan, Undercommon
> - **Challenge** 1/2 (100 XP)      **Proficiency Bonus** +2
> ___
>
> ***Fall Resistance.*** The kallikantzaros has resistance to fall damage. 
>
> ***Sunlight Sensitivity.*** While in sunlight, the kallikantzaros has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
>
> ***Violent Piggybacker.*** The kallikantzaros can attach to any creature it is sitting on or grappling (no action required). While attached to a creature, the kallikantzaros occupies its space and moves with it where ever it goes. The kallikantzaros has advantage on all attacks against the creature it is attached to, and it can't attack other targets while attached this way. Attacks that are made against the kallikantzaros while it is attached this way that miss are then made against the target it is attached to. 
>
>The kallikantzaros can detach itself by spending 5 feet of its movement to enter an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target. It is also detached if it is forced to move from its location. A creature within 5 feet of the kallikantzaros, including the target it is attached to, can use its action to make DC 12 Strength check, detaching the kallikantzaros on a success and pushing it into an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target it was attached to.
>
>
> ***Wood Cutter.*** The kallikantzaros's axe attacks have advantage against and deal double damage to creatures, objects, and structures made of wood.
> 
> ### Actions
>
> ***Axe.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit*: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage. If the kallikantzaros had advantage on the attack roll, it instead deals 9 (2d6 + 2) slashing damage.
>
> ***Drop Attack.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, one Small or larger creature the kallikantzaros has just dropped on. *Hit:* 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage per 10 feet fallen, up to a maximum of 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage, and the kallikantzaros attaches to the target using its Violent Piggybacker ability without taking fall damage. *Miss:* The kallikantzaros lands in an unoccupied space next to the target.
>
> ### Bonus Actions
>
> ***Nimble Escape.*** The kallikantzaros takes the Disengage or Hide action.

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___
___
> ## Kallikantzaros Foreman
>*Small fey, chaotic evil*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 14 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 77 (14d6 + 28)
> - **Speed** 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|16 (+3)|16 (+3)|15 (+2)|8 (-1)|7 (-2)|10 (+0)|
>___
> - **Skills** Athletics +5, Stealth +5 
> - **Damage Resistances** cold
> - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 8
> - **Languages** Goblin, Sylvan, Undercommon
> - **Challenge** 2 (450 XP)       **Proficiency Bonus** +2
> ___
>
> ***Brute.*** A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the kallikantzaros hits with it (included in the attack)
>
> ***Fall Resistance.*** The kallikantzaros has resistance to fall damage.
>
> ***Sunlight Sensitivity.*** While in sunlight, the kallikantzaros has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
>
> ***Violent Piggybacker.*** The kallikantzaros can attach to any creature it is sitting on or grappling (no action required). While attached to a creature, the kallikantzaros occupies its space and moves with it where ever it goes. The kallikantzaros has advantage on all attacks against the creature it is attached to, and it can't attack other targets while attached this way. Attacks that are made against the kallikantzaros while it is attached this way that miss are then made against the target it is attached to. 
>The kallikantzaros can detach itself by spending 5 feet of its movement to enter an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target.It is also detached if it is forced to move from its location. 
>
> A creature within 5 feet of the kallikantzaros, including the target it is attached to, can use its action to make DC 13 Strength check, detaching the kallikantzaros on a success and pushing it into an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target it was attached to.
>
> ***Wood Cutter.*** The kallikantzaros's axe attacks have advantage against and deal double damage to creatures, objects, and structures made of wood.
>
> ### Actions
>
> ***Axe.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage. If the kallikantzaros had advantage on the attack roll, it instead deals 17 (4d6 + 3) slashing damage. 
>
> ***Drop Attack.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, one Small or larger creature the kallikantzaros has just dropped on. *Hit:* 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage per 10 feet fallen, up to a maximum of 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage, and the kallikantzaros attaches to the target using its Violent Piggybacker ability without taking fall damage. *Miss:* The kallikantzaros lands in an unoccupied space next to the target.
>
> ***Fling.*** The kallikantzaros chooses one other willing kallikantzaros or an object that's Small or smaller within 5 feet of it and throws it up to 30 feet away. If the target hits a solid surface, it takes 8 (1d10 + 3) and lands prone. 
> If the thrown target would hit another creature, the creature that would be hit must make a 13 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is hit, takes 8 (1d10 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and is knocked prone. On a successful save, it dodges out of the way, takes no damage, and is not knocked prone. 
> If a thrown kallikantzaros hits a creature, it may attach to that creature using its Violent Piggyback ability, in which case it takes no damage and is not knocked prone.
>
> ### Bonus Actions
>
> ***Nimble Escape.*** The kallikantzaros takes the Disengage or Hide action.

### Kallikantzaros Adventures
The following table provides some ways to introduce kallikantzaroi into your games:

##### Kallikantzaros Adventure Hooks

| d6  | Adventure Hook |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  1  | While traveling through deep woods in the dead of winter, the players find a hermitic druid who offers them much-needed supplies if they can help rid his grove of a kallikantzaros infestation.  |
|  2  |A massive, well-decorated evergreen tree serves as the centerpiece of a town’s winter festival. However, the festivities are interrupted when the tree comes under attack by a gang of kallikantzaroi who begin sawing off branches and dropping them on people below.  |

|   |  |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  3  | A traveling  candy merchant asks the players to help protect her wagon from raiding kallikantzaroi as she travels from town to town over the winter holidays.   |
|  4  | Kallikantzaroi have stolen every holiday tree from a small village and disappeared into the woods to devour their prizes. The villagers beg the players to rescue their precious trees before they’re eaten. |
|  5  | The players come to town in winter, which keeps a strict night curfew. Superstitious villagers keep their food locked up and won’t say why, only warning players to keep an eye to the trees and rooftops. |
|  6  | Many people in a town are reporting being attacked by kallikantzaroi at night. Unbeknownst to everyone, the kallikantzaroi are being sent by a powerful fey to attack those who are being unfaithful partners. |

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### Change Log
#### 1.0.0
* Document release