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Breadcrumb

Flumph Familiar

Challenge
Terrain
str
6
dex
14
con
10
int
14
wis
14
cha
10

AC 12

HP 7 (2d6; bloodied 3)

Speed 5 ft., fly 30 ft., swim 30 ft.


Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 12

Damage Vulnerabilities psychic

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12

Languages understands Common and Undercommon but can’t speak, telepathy 60 ft.


Amphibious. The flumph can breathe air and water.

Flumph Light. As a bonus action, the flumph can cast dim light for 30 feet, or extinguish its glow. The flumph can change the color of the light it casts at will.

Telepathic Spy. The flumph can perceive any telepathic messages sent or received within 60 feet, and can’t be surprised by creatures with telepathy. The flumph is also immune to divination and to any effect that would sense its emotions or read its thoughts, except for the Telepathic Spy feature of another flumph.

Tippable. If a flumph is knocked prone , it lands upside down and is incapacitated . At the end of each of its turns, it can make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw , flipping itself over and ending the incapacitated condition on a success.

Flumph Familiar. The flumph can communicate telepathically with its master while they are within 1 mile of each other. While the flumph is within 10 feet of its master, its master gains telepathy out to a range of 60 feet.


ACTIONS

Tendrils. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) acid damage. 

Stench Spray (1/Day). Each creature in a 15-foot cone makes a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw . On a failure, the creature exudes a horrible stench for 1 hour. While a creature exudes this stench, it and any creature within 5 feet of it are poisoned . A creature can remove the stench on itself by bathing during a rest.

Combat

When threatened, flumphs use their Stench Spray and flee. They attack with their tendrils only when cornered.


Legends and Lore

With an Arcana or History check, characters can learn the following:

DC 10 Flumphs are jellyfish-like aberrations that propel themselves through the air on puffs of harmless gas. Despite their strange appearance, flumphs are intelligent and generally kind-hearted creatures.

DC 15 Flumphs feed on psychic energy and can “hear” telepathic conversations near them, an ability that makes them excellent spies.

DC 20 When frightened, flumphs involuntarily emit a foul-smelling gas that nauseates their enemies.

Description

The glowing and color-changing flumph is a strange, jellyfish-like creature commonly found in underground caverns. Flumphs possess special glands that emit harmless gases and act as jets, propelling the creature through the air. 

Psionic Empaths. Flumphs communicate through a combination of telepathy and the color of their glow. Flumphs are highly sensitive to the emotional states of nearby creatures. A flumph glowing in muted blue tones might be mourning the loss of another flumph, but it also might be reacting to sadness it senses from a passing traveler.

Benevolent Parasites. Flumphs feed on psionic energy and are often found lurking near communities of aberrations and psions. Flumphs take this energy stealthily and without doing harm. Their ability to eavesdrop on telepathic conversations makes them a good source of information and gossip.

Flumph Colonies. Flumph colonies can grow as large as three hundred individuals if their source of psionic energy is plentiful. Within each colony, flumphs have individualized roles. It is common for small colonies to adopt non-flumphs that support the colony by finding food sources, protecting the colony, or healing injured flumphs.

Behavior

Lone Behavior

1 Turned over on its back and can't get up: if helped, will share information about a nearby monster

2 Hiding from a predator: telepathically asks for an escort back to its colony

3 Interested in joining forces with good heroes: it wants to be a hero itself

4 Scouting for a distant colony of flumphs, staying hidden when possible


Group Behavior

1 Dancing in a silent circle, part of a ritual to keep their presence hidden from enemies

2 Sending frantic telepathic messages asking for help

3 Holding a trial to judge a captured creature

4 Emigrating, having lost their home to a fearsome monster

Signs

1 A strange, repeated “flumph” sound, like a soft burst of air

2 A glow like colored lanterns in the distance

3 DC 14 Wisdom check: a snippet of a telepathic conversation, unintelligible and probably not meant for you

4 A grimlock or other local monster, covered in flumph Stench Spray and sickened

Encounters

Flumphs most commonly travel in deep caverns but can also survive in underwater environments.

CR 0–2 1d6 flumphs

Monster Type Description

Aberrations are unnatural beings that don’t belong to this plane of existence. Many aberrations are telepathic and use a mental power known as psionic power instead of magic. An aboleth is an aberration.