Monster Monday: Funayurei, the Japanese Ghost That Sinks You With a Spoon

Today's Monster Monday is the funayurei, a drowned ghost from Japanese mythology.  In the stories told by Japanese sailors, funayurei are the restless spirits of dead seamen who take their frustration out by sinking the boats of the living.  One of the spirits appears by the boat and asks for a spoon or ladle - a simple enough request, but one with deadly results.  As soon as the funayurei has the ladle, it multiplies it a thousand times over, and a thousand funayurei hands appear and begin to ladle water into the boat with alarming speed.  Soon the boat is swamped, and the funayurei drag the crew down into the depths to join them in their watery grave.

Amusingly, Japanese boats that sail waters said to be haunted by funayurei carry ladles with holes in them specifically to foil the funayurei's evil spoon-based plans.

via Wikimedia

My wife brought this monster to my attention while she was reading an interesting book called Yurei: The Japanese Ghost, by Zack Davisson.  On its own, the undead spirit of a drowned sailor is a pretty good monster, but the weird spoon thing really makes this myth stand out, so I determined to incorporate it into their stat block.  You can see the result below.  I think the abilities of the monster allow it to pose a serious threat with a spoon, but they are versatile enough that they can be deadly on their own with nary a ladle in sight.

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2016 Jonah Bomgaars.

Funayurei   CR 3

XP 800

NE Medium undead (aquatic)

Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., lifesense 60 ft., mistsight; Perception +5

Aura fear (30 ft., DC 15; shaken 5d4 rounds), hold ship

DEFENSE

AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +3 natural)

hp 30 (4d8+12)

Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +6; channel resistance +4

Immune undead traits

Vulnerability fire

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., Swim 50 ft.

Melee 2 claws +5 (1d4+2 plus grab)

Special Attacks drown, swamp ship

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4^th)

   at will – dancing lights, ghost sound, suggestion (DC 14), quickened water walk (self only)

STATISTICS

Str 14, Dex 15, Con --, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 16

Base Atk +3; CMB +5 (+9 grapple); CMD 17

Feats Improved Initiative, Iron Will

Skills Climb +8, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (religion) +3, Perception +5, Sense Motive +4, Stealth +7, Swim +14

Languages common

SQ control seas, double damage against ships, suggestible fear

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Control Seas (Su)

Four or more funayurei working together can cast control water, control winds, and fog cloud once per day at a caster level equal to the number of funayurei participating in the casting (maximum 9th).

Double Damage Against Ships (Ex)

A funayurei that makes a full attack against a ship deals double damage and ignores 5 points of hardness. 

Drown (Su)

If the funayurei is grappling a creature underwater and the creature is holding its breath, the funayurei can attempt a grapple combat maneuver against its opponent as a free action.  If it succeeds, the opponent reduces the remaining duration it can hold its breath by 1d6 rounds. 

Hold Ship Aura (Su)

Funayurei have the supernatural ability to hold a ship in one place, no matter the winds or currents.  The pilot can attempt to move the ship, but suffers a -4 penalty on his check for each funayurei within 30 ft. of the ship. 

Suggestible Fear (Su)

When a funayurei uses its suggestion spell-like ability, instead of targeting a single creature it can simultaneously target all creatures that are currently shaken by its fear aura.  Those creatures must still be able to hear and understand the funayurei’s speech. 

Swamp Ship (Su)

Once a funayurei has obtained a ladle or bucket or spoon via its suggestion spell-like ability, all other funayurei within 100 ft. magically obtain a copy of that object, which they retain so long as the first funayurei retains the original object.  All funayurei holding such an object can spend a full-round action to ladle water into an adjacent boat with supernatural speed.  It takes a single funayurei ten rounds to swamp a Medium-sized boat, twenty rounds to swamp a Large-sized boat, forty rounds to swamp a Huge boat, and so on.  Multiple funayurei make the process go faster.  Funayurei cannot swamp ships with decks, such as galleys and cogs, and must resort to other methods to prey on their crews.  Once the boat has been swamped, it gains the sinking condition as if it had been reduced to 0 hp, and will sink in 10 rounds unless at least half of the water is removed. 

ECOLOGY

Environment any water

Organization solitary, pair, or clan (3-18)

Treasure none

Funayurei are the restless spirits of those who drowned at sea, returning to the surface with an insatiable desire to visit the terror of drowning upon others.  They have pallid, waterlogged flesh that glows faintly in the dark, and they are dressed in pure white versions of the clothing they wore in death - often kimonos, simple tunics, or samurai armor. 

   A favorite tactic is for a large group of funayurei to halt a ship in the water, especially during a storm or other inauspicious weather.  One of the funayurei then rises up to the surface and uses its suggestion spell-like ability to request a ladle, bucket, or spoon - a reasonable-enough request to those unfamiliar with these evil spirits.  Once such a water-carrying device is acquired, the funayurei creates copies for all of its companions and they begin to scoop water into the boat at an alarming rate, reveling in the terror of the sailors as they draw ever closed to a watery grave.  Funayurei also enjoy pulling sailors overboard by seizing their oars, or swarming larger ships and dragging the crew off the deck.  Sometimes they have to resort to tearing holes in the ship to achieve the desired result.  Once the sailors are in the water, the funayurei seize them and begin squeezing the air from their lungs as they drag them down to the depths.

   A DC 20 Profession (sailor) or Knowledge (local or religion) check reveals knowledge of the funayurei’s favorite tactics.  Some boats that frequent areas known to be haunted by funayurei carry ladles or buckets with holes in the bottom so that the funayurei won’t be able to use them.   

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This is my second monster from Japanese mythology - not an area that I frequently delve into, but there is some interesting monster fodder there.  I'm always keeping my eyes out for more interesting monsters to stat up!

My patrons on Patreon got to see this monster back in early January, along with several other monsters.  If you want weekly Monster Mondays, why not support me on Patreon?

-your onryō d20 despot