Bathala
Bathala — The Encounter
Sky-Father of creation, who hurls the first lightning · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Bathala
Before the islands, before the sea was named, there was Bathala the Maykapal — the Maker, who wove the world from the strife of sky and water. From his hand fell the first lightning, and where it struck, the mountains rose and the rivers were given their courses. The tribes of the water buffalo clans still leave rice and salt upon high stones, for they know the Sky-Father watches from the thunderheads and weighs every oath sworn beneath them. He does not rage as lesser spirits rage; his judgement is the slow turning of the seasons and the sudden, certain stroke from a clear sky. The Manananggal flees his gaze, the Tikbalang bows its horned head, and even the great serpent Bakunawa keeps to the deep when his light is upon the waters. To stand against Bathala is to stand against the firmament itself — and the firmament does not forgive.
Run Bathala in Sixty Seconds
- He is the boss — run Bathala as a tier-3 solo. His Aegis trait means he survives one would-be killing blow per round, so don't panic when the party 'drops' him; he pops back to 1 HP and acts again.
- Open from the sky — first round, hover 60+ feet up, cast call lightning, and snipe the enemy caster with Heaven's Bolt to shut off their reactions. Never start in melee.
- Kill-priority is mobility — whoever can fly, teleport, or close fast threatens him most. Use Sky Sunders and thunderwave to push them off the peak and prone them every round.
- When bloodied (104 HP) — go defensive: control weather for fog/storm to break line of sight, retreat with Riding the Wind, and spend legendary actions on Crackling Heavens so he keeps dealing damage while kiting.
- Three ways to run him — (1) lonely god-king: solo with legendary actions for an epic duel; (2) the storm above: he hovers and rains lightning while Manananggals/Tikbalangs swarm the floor; (3) shrine guardian: scale down to tier 1-2 as a divine miniboss the party must appease, not slay.
Bathala
Medium celestial (deity), lawful neutral
CR 13 · 10,000 XP · GUIDELINESky-Father's Aegis. Bathala has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. The first time each turn he would be reduced below 1 hit point, he instead drops to 1 hit point.
Skyborne Authority (Signature). The heavens answer when he points. When Bathala casts a spell or uses an action that deals lightning or thunder damage, each enemy within 10 feet of him must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet and knocked prone as the air itself recoils.
Innate Spellcasting. Bathala's spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 17). He can innately cast the following SRD spells, requiring no material components: at will: command, guiding bolt, thunderwave; 3/day each: call lightning, sleet storm; 1/day each: insect plague, control weather.
Actions
Multiattack. Bathala makes two attacks: one with his Creator's Staff and one Heaven's Bolt, or he casts a spell and makes one attack.
Creator's Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 13 (3d8) radiant damage.
Heaven's Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +9 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (6d8) lightning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be unable to take reactions until the end of its next turn.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Riding the Wind (Reaction). When a creature Bathala can see ends its turn within 30 feet of him, he can move up to half his fly speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Legendary Actions (3/Round)
Legendary Actions. Bathala can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. He regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Word of Creation. Bathala casts command or makes one Creator's Staff attack.
Crackling Heavens (Costs 2 Actions). A spear of lightning strikes a point Bathala can see within 120 feet. Each creature within 10 feet of that point must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.
Sky Sunders (Costs 2 Actions). Bathala calls a sudden gale. Each enemy within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be pushed 20 feet away and knocked prone.
An elder god robed in patterned weaves and beaded gold stands atop a riven mountain peak, waterfalls pouring from the stone he split open; one hand grips a serpent-headed crook of creation while the other summons a writhing bolt of red lightning from an empty sky.
Bathala, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEPlumes of Dawn (signature). Allies within 10 feet of the Bathala have advantage on saving throws against being frightened. While the bird is within 30 feet of Bathala, Bathala's Heaven's Bolt deals an extra 4 (1d8) radiant damage.
Actions
Radiant Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage plus 9 (2d8) radiant damage.
Reactions
Skyward Rescue. When an ally within 30 feet drops to 0 hit points, the Bathala flies to them (up to its 60 ft. fly speed) and can use a bonus action on its next turn to stabilize them.
A many-hued celestial fowl crowned in fire, the omen-bird that announces the Sky-Father's coming and shields his faithful in his radiance.
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 Heaven's Bolt on the squishiest caster, then back away on the wind. If the party clusters to gang the front-liner, drop a thunder effect to scatter them and knock them prone. At this scale he is a fragile demigod cameo, so kill-priority is whoever is touching him in melee.
Lead with call lightning, then hover out of reach and snipe with Heaven's Bolt to lock down reactions. If enemies bunch, use Crackling Heavens or thunderwave to push and prone them off the peak. Focus fire the party's healer; pair him with a Sarimanok or lesser sky-spirits as escorts.
Open from the air with call lightning, then Multiattack the front line while spending legendary actions on Crackling Heavens between turns. When bloodied, lean on Sky-Father's Aegis and control weather/sleet storm to deny the casters line of sight. Kill-priority is whoever can fly or close the gap; keep moving with Riding the Wind so he is never pinned.
Put Bathala 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 Bathala?
His native build is CR 13 (10,000 XP), a tier-3 solo boss. Because he has legendary actions and the Sky-Father's Aegis trait, he plays up a band, so his sheet is dropped one tier from where a non-solo sky-god would sit. Scaled-down tier-1 and tier-2 versions are provided for lower-level tables.
Can Bathala be a companion or ally?
Rarely, and only as a divine patron rather than a party member — gods do not march in the marching order. He works best as a quest-giver who lends aid from afar (a single Heaven's Bolt, a control weather, an omen). If you need a flying celestial ally at the table, use his bound companion the Sarimanok instead.
Why is Bathala a celestial and not a fiend?
The render shows a robed creator-deity wreathed in radiant divine lightning atop a sky-mountain, not an infernal or demonic figure. Per SRD typing he is a celestial (deity), which is why he carries radiant damage, lightning/thunder immunity, and resistance to nonmagical weapons rather than fiendish traits.
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.
Technical Specifications
32mm, 75mm
STL, Pre-supported STL
Standard or ABS-like resin, 0.05mm layer height
Yes — ready to print, optimized supports included
Played Bathala 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