Sundiata
head-taking enforcer of the rhino-brute Battle Borta
Sundiata — The Encounter
head-taking enforcer of the rhino-brute Battle Borta · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Sundiata
Sundiata is the Battle Borta's grim closer, the one sent to break the will of a foe that will not rout. The warband of rhinokin mercenaries values him for theater as much as butchery: he takes a head from each engagement and carries it into the next, so that enemies who have heard the warband's reputation see the proof of it dangling at his hip. He fights at the edge of Mwanga's line, hunting officers and standard-bearers, and the panic his trophies sow does as much to crack a shield-wall as Tutu's axes. The Battle Borta let Sundiata pick his targets; they have learned his eye for the kill that empties a battlefield.
Run Sundiata in Sixty Seconds
- He's the closer then send Sundiata after wounded or isolated foes to chain Trophy-Taker fear.
- Charge for the bonus then open with Goring Charge to add piercing damage on the rush in.
- Kills spread fear then drop a target near a cluster so the DC 15 Wisdom save hits several enemies.
- Tag-team Tutu then let the berserker soften foes and have Sundiata finish them for the morale break.
Sundiata
Medium humanoid (rhinokin), neutral
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINETrophy-Taker. When Sundiata reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, each enemy within 20 feet that can see it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom save or be frightened of Sundiata until the end of its next turn.
Goring Charge. If Sundiata 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 7 (2d6) damage.
Actions
Multiattack. Sundiata makes one Khopesh attack and one Horn attack.
Khopesh. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10+4) slashing damage.
Horn. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage.
An armored rhino-brute stalking forward with a hooked sickle-sword, a severed head swinging from his off-hand.
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.
Aim Sundiata at the weakest enemy first so a quick kill triggers Trophy-Taker and rattles the rest. Let the other brutes hold the line while he hunts for the morale-breaking blow.
Goring Charge into an isolated foe, then Multiattack to drop it and fan fear across nearby enemies with Trophy-Taker. Coordinate with Tutu: Sundiata finishes whatever the berserker has softened, turning each kill into a panic wave for the warband.
Use Sundiata as the warband's executioner, never solo. Hunt the enemy leader once the brutes have pinned the line, and time each finishing blow so the resulting fear cascades while Mwanga's pack presses in.
Put Sundiata 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 Sundiata?
Sundiata is CR 6 (2,300 XP) at his native Tier 2. Rescale AC, HP, to-hit, and DC from the tier table for Tier 1 or Tier 3.
How does Sundiata fight alongside the rest of the Battle Borta?
He is the warband's executioner and morale-breaker—he hunts wounded officers, finishes what Tutu softens, and his Trophy-Taker fear cracks shield-walls so Mwanga's brutes can push through.
Is Sundiata a solo boss?
No. He is an elite enforcer with no legendary actions; his power comes from chaining kills within a warband. Field him alongside other Battle Borta, never 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.
Played Sundiata at your table? Log in with your Obsidian Tavern account to leave a balance note, a war story, or a file issue — the sharpest reports get the block revised.
Log in to comment