Shapechanger As an action, the Doppelganger can polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid it has seen, or return to its natural form. Its statistics remain unchanged except for its size, and equipment it carries or wears does not transform with it. If killed, its stolen appearance collapses and its corpse returns to its disturbing natural form. The creature doesn't simply imitate someone's appearance. It watches mannerisms, posture and behaviour, using its considerable talent for deception to make the disguise convincing.
Ambusher The Doppelganger prefers manipulation over a direct confrontation. It may follow intruders through Babblebrooke's underground passages for hours, learning who trusts whom before choosing an identity. When attacking a creature it has successfully surprised, the Doppelganger has advantage on its attack rolls.
Surprise Attack If the Doppelganger surprises a creature and successfully strikes it during the first round of combat, the attack deals an additional 10 (3d6) damage. This makes isolation particularly dangerous. The creature may impersonate a familiar face long enough to approach within striking distance before revealing itself.
The Impostor Beneath Babblebrooke What makes this creature dangerous isn't simply its ability to change shape—it's the uncertainty it creates. Once the party discovers that a Doppelganger inhabits the underground, every familiar face becomes questionable. A rescued prisoner could be the creature. A friendly guard could have been replaced. A companion returning from scouting could be an impostor. And somewhere in the darkness, the Doppelganger may already be wearing the face of someone the party trusts.
Multiattack. The doppelganger makes two melee attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Read Thoughts. The doppelganger magically reads the surface thoughts of one creature within 60 feet of it. The effect can penetrate barriers, but 3 feet of wood or dirt, 2 feet of stone, 2 inches of metal, or a thin sheet of lead blocks it. While the target is in range, the doppelganger can continue reading its thoughts, as long as the doppelganger's concentration isn't broken (as if concentrating on a spell). While reading the target's mind, the doppelganger has advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion) checks against the target.
Description
Babblebrooke Underground Doppelganger Medium Monstrosity (Shapechanger), Neutral Deep beneath Babblebrooke, where forgotten tunnels twist beneath ancient streets and ruined foundations, lurks a creature that survives not through brute strength, but through deception, patience, and stolen identities. The Babblebrooke Underground Doppelganger is a pale, unsettling shapechanger that studies those who enter its territory before becoming something—or someone—they trust.
Appearance In its natural form, the Doppelganger is a slender, almost humanoid creature with smooth grey-white skin stretched across an unnaturally lean frame. Its long fingers end in dark nails, while its almost featureless face is dominated by large, watchful eyes. Its expressions seem incomplete, as though it learned emotion entirely by watching other people. When threatened or hunting, subtle ripples travel beneath its skin as facial features briefly appear and disappear—fragments of the countless people whose forms it has memorised. Most adventurers, however, never see its true face.
It can transform into any Small or Medium humanoid it has previously observed. A missing guard may return to his post. A merchant encountered hours earlier might inexplicably appear underground. Most dangerously, an adventurer separated from their companions might seemingly return to the group—while the real person remains somewhere in the tunnels.
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