Tayag
great-white were-shark plunderer who lunges for the loot
Tayag — The Encounter
great-white were-shark plunderer who lunges for the loot · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Tayag
Among the reef-corsairs, Tayag is the one sent over the rail first, not to fight but to find the gold. A great-white were-shark with a thief's quick hands, he wears a dead quartermaster's greatcoat and keeps tally of every chest the crew cracks open. He cares little for the killing that Captain Inchan loves, except where a throat stands between him and a coffer. The warband tolerates his light fingers because no one is faster at clearing a hold, and a sated Tayag means a richer raid. Sailors who survive his boarding speak of a grinning shark who took the strongbox and left them their lives, almost as an afterthought.
Run Tayag in Sixty Seconds
- Dash then bite so Greedy Lunge adds 2d6 on the opening chomp.
- Smell blood then Blood Frenzy hands him advantage on the hurt.
- Pick a pocket then Snatch and Run grabs a potion and disengages.
- Chase the loot then prioritize chests, downed foes, and casters' gear.
- Stay mobile then keep him on the flank, not toe-to-toe with the tanks.
Tayag
Medium monstrosity (shapechanger), chaotic evil
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINEBlood Frenzy. Tayag has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Greedy Lunge. On a turn Tayag uses the Dash or Disengage action, his first Bite this turn deals an extra 7 (2d6) piercing damage if it hits.
Amphibious. Tayag can breathe air and water.
Actions
Multiattack. Tayag makes two Bite attacks, or one Bite and one Claw.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 4) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Snatch and Run. As a bonus action, Tayag can make a DC 14 Sleight of Hand check to grab an unsecured object from a creature within 5 feet, then Disengage.
Coat flapping and jaws wide, Tayag dives past the swordsmen to snatch the strongbox, biting anything that tries to stop the haul.
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.
Dash past the front line to trigger Greedy Lunge, biting whoever guards the loot. Use Snatch and Run to steal a component pouch or potion, then peel away. Works the flanks of the warband, never solo.
Open by Dashing to the squishiest backliner so the Greedy Lunge bite lands hard, then full Multiattack while Blood Frenzy is online. Grab and flee with anything valuable. Lets the heavier sharks hold the line while he raids.
Fight as part of the boarding pack: dart to loot or downed PCs, bite bloodied targets with advantage, and use Snatch and Run to deny the party gear. Never stands and trades blows alone, he relies on the warband to pin.
Put Tayag 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 Tayag?
He is a CR 6 (2,300 XP) Tier 2 elite at his native numbers, with Tier 1 (~CR 2) and Tier 3 (~CR 11) stat lines provided to scale him to your table.
How does Tayag fight alongside the rest of the Pirate Sharks?
He is the warband's looter. While Captain Inchan and the bruisers hold the deck, Tayag slips to the valuables and downed foes, biting anyone in the way and stealing gear with Snatch and Run. He thrives with allies pinning the party.
Can Tayag run a fight by himself?
No, solo_capable is false. He has no legendary actions and folds without the warband, frame him as a hit-and-grab raider, not a boss.
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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