Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel brings with it 11 new monsters for players to discover in adventures set across new corners of the Dungeons & Dragons multiverse. One of these new creatures—the tlacatecolo of San Citlán—is a chilling new addition to any Dungeon Master’s menagerie, and it is one that will make the characters at your table yearn for a sunny beachside vacation should they survive its wrath.

Making its appearance in "The Fiend of Hollow Mine," an adventure for 4th-level characters, the tlacatecolo holds a few tricks up its sleeve that promise to leave a lasting impression on the unfortunate adventurer.

• Monster Preview: Tlacatecolo
• Get Down With the Sickness
• Bringing the Tlacatecolo to Your Table
• Where to Find the Tlacatecolo

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

This article contains minor spoilers for a creature from Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel. While the information included here will not spoil any plot points, if you wish to remain ignorant of the monster's traits, turn back now!

Monster Preview: Tlacatecolo

Loosely based on the real-world tlacatecolotl (Nahuatl for “demon,” or—literally—“owl-person”), the tlacatecolo is a demon that lurks in the night, spreading a chilling plague that saps all vitality from its victims. Sickly and owl-like in appearance, the tlacatecolo has poison-packed talons and the ability to take to the wind with a flying speed. With darkvision and a solid bonus to Stealth, this creature of nightmares is well-suited for nighttime ambushes. Its real terror, however? The plague-bearing winds that it unleashes upon its victims.

Get Down With the Sickness

The tlacatecolo's Plague Winds trait is bone-chilling, and it reflects just how deadly an encounter with this fiend can be. As an action, the tlacatecolo can emit a frigid wind over a large area. Any creature caught by this wind must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take a hefty amount of cold damage, as well as be poisoned. This isn’t any ordinary poison or disease, however. Not only does it prevent healing, but it continually siphons away the victim’s vitality, granting levels of exhaustion at hour-long intervals should the victim continue to fail additional saving throws.

Exhaustion and Its Effects

The effect of this ailment becomes deadlier as it progresses; any creature unfortunate enough to reach a third level of exhaustion will have disadvantage on further saving throws against it. Even those with access to healing magic may be out of luck. Magic that ends poison or disease, such as a lesser restoration spell, will not end this ailment unless the targeted creature is in direct sunlight.

Should any living being fall ill to this sapping chill, time is of the essence. They must find their way to full sunlight to temporarily stave off the effects, or else to be cured by magical means. There is only one other way to end this consuming curse—kill the fiend responsible.

Bringing the Tlacatecolo to Your Table

The tlacatecolo can find a home in nearly any setting, and at nearly all tiers of play! It can be hard to spot, and its unique Plague Winds trait can have players guessing at how to end the affliction it spreads. Be wary, however. Low-level characters have a drastically increased chance of dying to the Plague Winds effect, if only due to its capacity to deal lethal damage.

While its potency is heightened where sunlight is scarce—underground, in the Shadowfell, in light-starved Domains of Dread, or even under Auril’s influence in Icewind Dale—a fiendish visit to even a sunbaked locale can bring a dramatic twist to an otherwise lighthearted tale. The swift strike of a tlacatecolo in the latest hours of the evening may be just enough to introduce a gripping adventure hook, while not being deadly given the swiftly coming dawn.

Where to Find the Tlacatecolo

Players that explore the nexus that is the Radiant Citadel will have a chance to encounter the tlacatecolo in "The Fiend of Hollow Mine." You can also see this fiend in action by watching D&D Beyond's playthrough of the adventure featuring Matthew Mercer and DM Eugenio Vargas!

Cameron (@CameronRPowell) is a moderator for D&D Beyond. He is a real-life bard who accidentally dumped Charisma, and has played Purloque the loxodon cleric on Dice, Camera, Action!. When he’s not behind the DM’s screen, he enjoys hiking Icelandic volcanoes, knitting, and creating his hundredth unused character on D&D Beyond.