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No illustration this time. The book has one, but it’s quite gross.

The Penanggalan is a monster from Southeast Asian folklore (the name used here is Malay). It was first statted up for D&D in the Fiend Folio, and this is its 4e debut. This entry does make some effort to tie its lore to the Nentir Vale, but I still think it fits into the “generic monster” category.

The Lore

Legend has it that the first penanggalan was a young baroness in Harkenwold, who was very smart but “plain of face and scant of suitors”. She found a cache of old diabolism texts from Bael Turath one day, and decided to use them to improve her situation. She conjured a devil using the Turathi rituals, and made a deal where the devil would make her forever young and beautiful in exchange for eternal servitude.

The lady did become beautiful, but it was the sort of beauty that comes from a devil’s bargain: so beautiful she was that armies clashed for her hand, and that her father eventually decided to lock her up in a tower for protection. Alone in her tower, the baroness prayed to the gods and begged for forgiveness, swearing to do penance before them.

The devil that made the deal with her did not like this one bit, and before she could start atoning for her sins, he whispered the secret of her beauty in the ear of Harkenwold’s high priest. The priest was one of those “zero tolerance” types, so he had the lady hanged as a diabolist. Her body remained in the gallows until midnight, and then her head and entrails separated from it and went hunting.

All penanggalans have a similar origin: women who make dark pacts for immortal beauty and try to renege, but who die before completing their penance and freeing their souls. The creatures share some superficial similarities to vampires, in that they’re undead monsters who feed on the living. Some embrace their new nature, some keep trying to complete their atonement to perhaps find a cure, but all of them are afflicted by a powerful hunger for the purity that once rain in their veins. Even a penitent penanggalan can only resist this hunger for about three days before going berserk, so atonement is really hard for them.

The book doesn’t go into details on how they feed, but from what I see in Wikipedia the original legend does say they drink blood. You could interpret the book’s information to say they eat flesh instead. In either case their attacks are quite fatal because even the traditional blood drinker version spreads a wasting disease to its victims.

As long as a penanggalan’s original body is in good condition, she can squeeze back into it and disguise herself as a mortal woman. The creatures often look for jobs as midwives or nursemaids, making victims of young kids and their mothers. Others prefer seduction as a means to get potential victims alone with them in a private spot. The original legend also has this really neat (and gross) detail that the creature bathes its dangling entrails in vinegar to shrink them up and fit them through the body’s neck, but that’s not necessary in the D&D version.

If a penanggalan’s body is destroyed, the creature is forever stuck as a floating head, and usually becomes a lot more desperate and obvious in its attacks.

The Numbers

Penanggalans are Natural Humanoids with the Undead tag. Individuals with bodies are Medium while in mortal form. The floating head with trailing guts is Small.

As undead they’re immune to disease and poison, resist necrotic damage, and are vulnerable to radiant damage. They have darkvision and a ground speed of 6, as well as a flight speed of 8 in head form.

Penanggalan

The basic model is a Level 10 Elite Lurker with 162 HP. It has the Shapechanger tag and can switch between woman and head forms.

In woman form, the penanggalan can defend herself with a dagger, but she’s likely in disguise and will try to use her soothing voice to literally lull her victims into a false sense of security. This is an encounter spell that attacks the Will of everyone in a Close Burst 1, and while it does no damage it slows on a hit (save ends). After the first failed save, this worsens to unconsciousness!

I would say that Soothing Voice can be disguised as a song or conversation, since it’s supposed to be subtle. Targets might not notice something is wrong at first.

Once the jig is up, the penanggalan undergoes her Horrific Transformation, which is so gross it works as a Close Burst 2 attack vs. Will, dealing heavy psychic damage and dazing for a turn on a hit. This of course transforms the monster into its head form. The body is considered a corpse for game purposes, and the penanggalan can return to it with a standard action if it’s on the same space and the body is not completely destroyed.

In head form, the monster attacks with Bites that do physical damage and ongoing poison damage (save ends). It can also use its Grasping Entrails (recharge 4+) to attack up to two creatures at Reach 2. On a hit, this deals poison and necrotic damage and grabs the victim (escape DC 22). Targets grant combat advantage until they escape, and are exposed to Blistering Corruption (see below).

The penanggalan can use its Maleable Form as a standard action to gain phasing for a turn and shift up to its speed. If it starts its next turn hidden from all enemies, Graping Entrails recharges, and the monster can use both it and Bite in the same action when it next attacks.

Penanggalan Bodiless Head

A penanggalan who had its body destroyed a while ago and had to adapt to survive. It’s a Level 9 Skirmisher with 94 HP.

This monster attacks with bites that do physical damage, and also slow (save ends) if the target is granting combat advantage. It can also use its flailing entrails to deal poison damage and slide 1 square on a hit.

The penanggalan can perform a malleable rush with its move action, gaining phasing for a turn and shifting its speed. This recharges after it’s first bloodied. When it dies, it explodes, and the resulting Death Burst attacks a Close Burst 1, deals poison damage, and exposes victims to Blistering Corruption.

Penanggalan Head Swarm

Exactly what it sounds like, a pack of floating, starving penanggalan heads. It’s a Medium Swarm of Small creatures, and a Level 8 Soldier with 87 HP.

Its Swarm Attack aura (1) slows enemies caught inside. Its basic attack is a Swarm of Entrails that targets a Close Burst 2, deals light poison damage (or more if the target is slowed), and slides the target 1 square to a space adjacent to the monster.

Blistering Corruption

Turns out this version of the penanggalan also spreads a wasting disease. Blistering Corruption is like supernaturally-boosted measles or chickenpox, causing sores, blisters and boils to erupt all over the victim’s body. You get exposed to it through contact with penanggalan entrails, and must succeed on a save to avoid contracting it as usual.

This level 10 disease is resisted with Endurance, and has a Maintain DC of 13 and an Improve DC of 18. Its effects are cumulative. At Stage 1, it inflicts a -2 penalty to Fortitude. At Stage 2 it also halves your maximum HP (making you permanently bloodied) and healing surge value. At Stage 3, you gain an aura 2 that cannot be deactivated, and eats a healing surge from any creature that gets caught inside.

As with other diseases, you stop making recovery rolls once you hit stage 3. Blistering Corruption doesn’t kill you, but it makes you weak and unbearable to be around. Only Remove Affliction or equivalent powers can save you from this fate once you hit Stage 3.

Final Impressions

D&D’s penanggalan is surprisingly similar to the traditional story I saw on Wikipedia. The story has somewhat more varied origins for the creature, though the “woman who practiced evil magic and was cursed by it” is also there.