Mwanga
gilded warchief of the rhino-brute Battle Borta
Mwanga — The Encounter
gilded warchief of the rhino-brute Battle Borta · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Mwanga
Among the Battle Borta—a warband of armored rhinokin who hire their horns to any war that pays in plunder—Mwanga wears the gilded spoils of a hundred sackings as a crown of office. He does not lead by cunning but by sheer immovable presence: where Mwanga plants his feet, the line holds, and the lesser brutes Tutu, Samori, and Hossu close ranks around his banner. His bellowed cadence keeps the warband from breaking even when bloodied, and his scepter-mace settles disputes of rank as readily as it caves in shields. Folk of the borderlands whisper that the Battle Borta will fight to the last so long as Mwanga still roars.
Run Mwanga in Sixty Seconds
- He's the anchor then keep Mwanga planted; the whole warband fights better near his banner.
- Charge first then open with Goring Charge to knock a foe prone before the brutes pile in.
- Bellow saves brutes then spend Rallying Bellow the moment a Battle Borta ally hits 0 hit points.
- Drive the Line then use the 2-action legendary to surge the warband forward as one wall.
Mwanga
Medium humanoid (rhinokin), lawful neutral
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINEWarchief's Roar. Allies of the Battle Borta within 30 feet of Mwanga that can hear him have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Goring Charge. If Mwanga moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and hits it with a horn attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) damage and must succeed on a DC 16 Strength save or be knocked prone.
Actions
Multiattack. Mwanga makes one Mace attack and one Horn attack.
Gilded Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10+5) bludgeoning damage.
Horn. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) piercing damage.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Rallying Bellow (Reaction). When an ally within 30 feet is reduced to 0 hit points, Mwanga can bellow; that ally instead drops to 1 hit point. Once per short rest.
Legendary Actions (3/Round)
Mace Smash. Mwanga makes one Gilded Mace attack.
Drive the Line (Costs 2 Actions). Mwanga moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks; each Battle Borta ally he passes may move 5 feet as a reaction.
A scarred rhino-brute crowned in plundered gold, raising a flanged scepter-mace above the warband's banner.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
Open with Goring Charge into the nearest soft target, then bellow to steady the brutes around him. Keep Mwanga between the party and the rest of the Battle Borta so the warband fights from behind his bulk.
Charge to break the front rank, then Multiattack the most armored foe while his Roar keeps Tutu and Samori swinging. Spend Rallying Bellow the instant a brute drops, and use Drive the Line to surge the whole warband forward together.
Anchor the center and let legendary actions punish anyone who flanks his brutes. Goring Charge the enemy leader, then hold position so the Battle Borta grind the encounter down around him rather than chasing kills.
Put Mwanga on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Mwanga?
Mwanga is CR 6 (2,300 XP) at his native Tier 2. Scale his AC, HP, to-hit, and save DC to the tier table for Tier 1 or Tier 3 play.
How does Mwanga fight alongside the rest of the Battle Borta?
He is the warband's anchor and morale engine: his Roar steadies brutes like Tutu and Samori, Rallying Bellow keeps a falling ally up, and Drive the Line moves the whole pack together. Run him as the immovable center the others rally around.
Is Mwanga a solo boss?
Yes—he is the clear champion sculpt and carries two legendary options plus a punishing reaction, so he can headline a fight. He plays best, though, leading a few rhinokin brutes rather than standing truly alone.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
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