Shriekhawk

There are many creatures in the Oakwood which can be deadly to those folk daring to venture into the forest. Often, travelers through the woods are seen as prey by the creatures that make their homes in the haunted forest, but sometimes, they might simply be victims of "collateral damage". Such is the case when an encoutner with a Shriekhawk occurs.

The Shriekhawk is a small-sized hawk fit for a life of hunting smaller birds and tiny ground animals benath the gnarled oak canopy of the forest. Extremely swift and agile fliers, they are capable of darting to and fro amid the branches of overhanging trees in pursuit of winged victims. Their extremely keen eyesight allows them to detect small creatures scurrying and hiding on the forest floor. But their most useful weapon - the one that gives the creature its name - is the high-pitched, deafening screech they can emit to stun prey within its range.
Name
Shriekhawk
Alternate Name/Nickname
Type
Beast
Size
Tiny
Speed
80ft flying
Habitat
Rare: Oakwood Forest



Gamemaster Notes

A wild Shriekhawk will generally not attack a party as it will not see typical characters as prey. (Small creatures in a party's company, such as pixies, sprites, or small companion animals might alter this.) The creature will use its Deafening Shriek as a defense mechanism if threatened.

The creatures can be captured (or raised from hatched eggs) and trained using standard falconry techniques.

The Shriekhawk is an excellent "random encounter" opportunity: describe a commotion overhead as one of these creatures pursues a smaller bird through the trees before emitting a Deafening Shriek.
Laurels & Loot Statblock
Stamina Points: 8
Injury Points:2

Talons: 1d4 damage
Beak: 1d4 damage

Deafening Shriek: Any creature within a 30ft (10m) radius that fails a CON DC18 save is immediately Deafened. Deafened characters cannot communicate vocally with one another, nor can they perform any magic with a Verbal component. The Deafness lasts for 10 minutes.
 

Credits

Side Panel Image by Dorothe from Pixabay
Banner Image from Pixabay (No creator cited there!)

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