Tiny and built like a caricature of a person, this creature’s enlarged head is filled with pointed teeth.

Bodily Children. Broodikens are crude servants created by humanoid spellcasters willing to grow them within their own bodies. They resemble their creators in the most obvious ways, with the same number of limbs and basic features, but all broodikens stand one foot tall with overly large heads and heavily fanged mouths. Those born to monstrous humanoids with wings or horns have ineffective, decorative versions that do not help the creature fly or fight.

Emotional Echoes. Broodikens have little personality of their own and respond to their creators’ emotions, growling when their creators feel anger and babbling happily when their creators feel joy. When their creators are more than 100 feet away, they cry loudly with a sound that resembles children of the creator’s own species. If discovered crying by anyone other than their creator, they attack. When their creators focus their anger on specific individuals, the broodikens attack as a group, using Stealth to get close and overwhelm single opponents.

Born With Daggers. Broodikens are created by eating the heart of a dead broodiken. Once this “seed” is consumed, 2d4 broodikens grow inside of the “mother” or creator. Nurturing the growing brood requires consuming specific muds, ashes, and plants, which cost 50 gp/day for each incubating broodiken. The incubation period requires one month and takes a toll on the creator’s health. During this time, the creator becomes fatigued after four hours without eight hours’ rest.

If the creator is not a spellcaster, a spellcaster who meets the requirements below must supervise the incubation and birth. Most spellcasters birth the broodiken using a dagger before the broodiken tears its way out. A “mother” can only control one brood of broodiken at a time. Incubating a second brood makes the first brood furiously jealous, and it will turn on its own creator.

Constructed Nature. A broodiken doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Broodiken

Tiny construct, neutral
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 55 (10d4 + 30)
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (-1)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	2 (-4)	10 (+0)	6 (-2)

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages —
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Immutable Form. The broodiken is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Magic Resistance. The broodiken has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Shared Rage. A broodiken cannot speak with its creator telepathically, but it feels strong emotions and recognizes the objects of those emotions. A creator can telepathically order broodiken to hunt for and attack individuals by sending the broodiken an image of the creature and the appropriate emotion. As long as the broodiken is on such a hunt, it can be more than 100 feet away from its master without wailing.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage.

Attach. When a broodiken succeeds on a bite attack, its teeth latch on, grappling the target (escape DC 9). On each of its turns, its bite attack hits automatically as long as it can maintain its grapple.