Bodak

* 5e
* 4e
* 3e
* 2e
* 1e

**Bodaks** (pronounced: /ˈboʊdæk/ *BO-dæk* about this audio file listen) were what was left of a humanoid that had been destroyed by the touch of pure evil, such as that of a nightwalker. Undead creatures devoid of personality or souls, bodaks were cruel and relentless hunters, either of their own volition or at the behest of some greater power, such as the nightwalker that created them.

## Description

Bodaks resembled their living form to a certain extent, being roughly the same size and shape. However, there were differences which were immediately obvious to the eye. A bodak's skin was a deathly pale white or gray, devoid of any hair at all. More eerie still was its face, which was twisted into an inhuman visage of sheer madness and horror with empty, white eyes.

## Abilities

Bodaks possessed a number of unusual abilities granted to them by their undead state. For instance, each bodak had the capacity to gaze into the soul of a nearby creature, gravely injuring or killing them if they were already weakened, an attack often known as a "death gaze". Those killed with this gaze were likely to subsequently become bodaks themselves. Similarly, bodaks projected an aura of death around them, injuring and hindering the actions of any creature within roughly 25 feet (7.6 meters) of them.

Like many undead creatures, bodaks had an inherent weakness against brilliant light, and therefore shunned sunlight whenever they were able to. They were, however, completely invulnerable to disease or poison and had a strong resistance against the effects of necrotic power.

## Psychology

Although mostly devoid of any semblance of their past selves, bodaks occasionally experienced flashbacks of their life, an occurrence sometimes triggered within combat. In such cases, a bodak might take pause for a moment, stopping whatever it was doing. If an enemy triggered this flashback, the bodak was less likely to take effective action against the enemy for sometime thereafter.

## Significance

Bodaks were favored monsters of the goddess of bad luck, Beshaba.

## Appendix

### Gallery

NwN Bodak.jpgA bodak in the game editor of *Neverwinter Nights*.Bodak1e.jpgA bodak mage.
### References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mike Mearls, *et al*. (November 2016). *Volo's Guide to Monsters*. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, *et al*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 127. ISBN 978-0786966011.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). *Monster Manual 3.5*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
3. ↑ Allen Varney, ed. (June 1994). *Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 36. ISBN 978-1560768623.
4. ↑ Gary Gygax (August 1983). *Monster Manual II 1st edition*. (TSR, Inc), p. 19. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
5. ↑ Frank Mentzer (January 1985). “Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd”. In Kim Mohan ed. *Dragon* #93 (TSR, Inc.), p. 25.
6. ↑ J. Paul LaFountain (1991). *Monstrous Compendium: Outer Planes Appendix*. Edited by Timothy B. Brown. (TSR, Inc.), p. 5. ISBN 1-56076-055-9.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet and Monte Cook (October 2000). *Monster Manual 3rd edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 27. ISBN 0-7869-1552-1.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). *Monster Manual 4th edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 36. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
9. ↑ Sean K. Reynolds (2002-05-04). Deity Do's and Don'ts (Zipped PDF). Wizards of the Coast. p. 10. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2018-09-08.