Medium beast, chaotic evil
Armor Class: 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 72 (9d8 + 36)
Speed: 40 ft., fly 20 ft.
STR: 17 (+3)
DEX: 14 (+2)
CON: 18 (+4)
INT: 6 (-2)
WIS: 13 (+1)
CHA: 4 (-3)
Saving Throws: DEX +4, CON +6
Damage Resistances: Psychic, necrotic
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., blindsight 10 ft., keen smell; passive Perception 11
Languages: Understands Common but cannot speak
Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP)
Proficiency Bonus: +3
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
- Hieratic Camouflage: The Sekhem-Khnem’s skin and fur shimmer with faint runes and symbols that shift in the moonlight, granting advantage on Stealth checks made in desert or temple ruins environments. It can attempt to hide even when lightly obscured by shadows or debris.
- Divine Scent: The Sekhem-Khnem can detect creatures within 30 feet that are not behind total cover. It has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on smell, especially when tracking divine or cursed entities.
- Mesmerizing Howl: As an action, the Sekhem-Khnem emits a haunting, divine howl. Creatures within 60 feet that can hear it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned for 1 minute. Creatures immune to being frightened are unaffected. The effect ends early if the creature takes damage or uses an action to shake off the effect.
- Cursed Gaze: The Sekhem-Khnem can lock eyes with a creature within 30 feet as a bonus action. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be cursed for 1 minute. While cursed, the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks involving Wisdom. The curse ends early if the creature is damaged by the Sekhem-Khnem.
ACTIONS:
- Multi-attack: The Sekhem-Khnem makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.
- Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 12 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with divine exhaustion for 1 minute. - Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 9 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage.
DESCRIPTION:
The Sekhem-Khnem is a creature born from the divine and the cursed, embodying the ancient Egyptian mythic fusion of beast and deity. Its body is humanoid but crowned with the head of a jackal—yet unlike traditional Cynocephali, this creature’s form is more regal and terrifying. Its fur is a dark, silken black, marked with glowing runes and hieroglyphs that pulse faintly with divine energy, hinting at its connection to sacred curses and lost temples. Its eyes shimmer with a strange, otherworldly light—neither wholly animal nor divine—reflecting its role as a guardian of forbidden knowledge and cursed relics.
Its wings are small and membranous, not used for sustained flight but capable of short, powerful bursts to aid in sudden ambushes or escapes. The creature moves with a predatory grace, stalking deserts, ruined temples, and cursed tombs—places where the divine and the profane intertwine. Its presence exudes an unsettling aura, as if it is both protector and punisher, embodying the wrath of ancient gods long forgotten.
The Sekhem-Khnem’s howls and gaze are tools of domination and fear—used to manipulate or terrify prey or intruders into submission. It is a creature of chaos and divine retribution, feared by those who dare disturb sacred grounds or meddle with forbidden knowledge. To encounter a Sekhem-Khnem is to face the wrath of ancient, divine curses wrapped in the form of a cunning, deadly beast.