KODAMA NEZUMI
Lore
Kodama nezumi is a yokai of north-eastern Japan whose name literally reads “little ball mouse” (小玉鼠). The name points directly to the creature’s appearance: a tiny rodent curled into a perfect globe, much like a hibernating Japanese dormouse. Yet in Matagi folklore, this harmless sleeper is a messenger of a curse, believed to be the souls of hunters trapped by the mountain goddess Yama-no-Kami.
The legend tells of two hunting companies. One day a young woman—the goddess Yama-no-Kami in disguise—asked the "Kodama school" hunters for food and shelter, but they mistook her for a vagrant and drove her away. She then turned to the "Aoba school" hunters, who offered her hospitality. For their insults, the goddess cursed the first group into kodama mice, while blessing the second with good fortune.
Stat block
Armor Class
15 (preternatural hide)
Hit Points
18 (4d4 + 8)
Speed
20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Saving Throws
Dex +5, Wis +4
Skills
Perception +4, Stealth +7
Damage Resistances
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical attacks
Damage Immunities
cold, poison
Condition Immunities
frightened, poisoned, prone
Senses
darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages
understands Common and Sylvan but can’t speak
Challenge
1/2 (100 XP)
