Samjogo
Samjogo — The Encounter
Three-Legged Sun-Bird of the Dawning East · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Samjogo
In the old records of the eastern kingdoms, Samjogo is the three-legged bird that dwells within the sun, and by its three legs it stands upon heaven, earth, and the threshold between. Where ordinary crows scatter at dawn, Samjogo carries the dawn upon its back, and farmers once burned offerings of grain so that it might draw the morning sooner over frostbitten fields. Its plumage is said to be kindled from the sun's own hearth, never cooling, and to look upon it directly is to be struck blind as if staring into noon. Scholars who keep the bird-omens hold that a single feather, shed and found, foretells a harvest spared from drought. It is no fiend nor monster but a herald: where Samjogo wheels above a battlefield, the just take heart, for the bird does not lend its fire to the cruel, and tyrants have watched it circle their banners as a quiet sentence.
Run Samjogo in Sixty Seconds
- Stay airborne. Samjogo is a strafer, not a brawler. Open from the air, drop only to peck, and use Updraft after every melee hit to peel off and reset.
- Lead with Searing Crow. Aim the 30-ft line through the most clustered PCs to blind them, then Multiattack a blinded target so Talons trip it prone.
- Kill-priority is the healer/caster. Use flight to reach the back line; Solar Plumage taxes anyone who chases it into melee.
- When bloodied, it climbs out of melee reach, blinds the party with Solar Plumage's light kept on, and kites with Searing Crow until reinforcements arrive.
- Three ways to run it: a holy herald that spares the just (it disengages from good-aligned foes), a wild sun-beast guarding a shrine, or the aerial wing-piece screening a grounded boss.
Samjogo
Large celestial, lawful good
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINEThree-Legged Stance. Samjogo's third talon grants it uncanny balance. It has advantage on saving throws against being knocked prone or restrained, and can't be surprised while it can hear.
Solar Plumage. A creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of Samjogo, or strikes it with a melee attack, takes 4 (1d8) fire damage from its kindled feathers. While in dim light or darkness, Samjogo sheds bright light in a 20-foot radius.
Sunward Sight. Samjogo sees through magical and nonmagical darkness as if it were bright light, and ignores the blinded condition entirely.
Actions
Multiattack. Samjogo makes one Beak attack and one Talons attack.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) fire damage.
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Searing Crow (Recharge 5-6). Samjogo unleashes a beam of dawnlight in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in the line must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. A creature that fails is also blinded until the end of its next turn.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Updraft. When Samjogo is hit by a melee attack, it can use its reaction to beat its wings and fly up to half its flying speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
A Large three-legged sun-bird with vast flame-tipped wings spread wide, crowned by a fiery crest and perched on a triple set of golden talons. Its feathers glow like coals catching the first light of morning.
Samjogo, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEWarming Down (signature). While the Samjogo is within 10 feet of its bonded ally, that ally has resistance to cold damage and can't be blinded.
Actions
Hot Peck. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) fire damage.
Reactions
Flare. When an enemy within 10 feet hits the Samjogo's ally, the chick flares its down; the attacker must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity save or take 5 (2d4) fire damage.
A downy three-legged hatchling that smolders rather than burns, riding a shoulder and warming whoever it favors.
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 by flying in and using Searing Crow on the most clustered pair, then drop to peck the squishiest caster. Keep airborne with Updraft so melee can't pin it; Solar Plumage punishes anyone who closes. Pair it with a grounded brute that holds the line while Samjogo strafes.
Open with Searing Crow down a line of clustered PCs to blind, then Multiattack the blinded target so Talons trip them prone. Kill-priority is the party healer; use flight + Updraft to stay out of reach and let Solar Plumage tax melee. This is the aerial-control piece, so pair it with a bigger boss that anchors the ground.
Recharge Searing Crow every round you can to keep a lane blinded, then Multiattack to knock prone and lock down. Stay high and use Updraft after each melee hit so reach builds can't pin it. As an add-on at this tier it screens a flagship caster; protect that caster and force the party to split fire.
Put Samjogo 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 Samjogo?
Its home tier is CR 6 (Tier 2, levels 5-10): AC 15, 123 HP, +7 to hit, save DC 15. Dial it to CR 2 for low levels or CR 11 for high using the tier table; the traits and tactics never change, only the numbers.
Can Samjogo be a companion or ally?
Yes. It is a lawful-good celestial herald that won't lend its fire to the cruel, so it makes a natural ally for a just party or a sky-mount. For a downscaled bonded version use the Ember-Chick, Bound companion block (AC 13, 38 HP) that warms and shields its partner.
Why does Samjogo have three legs?
The three-legged sun-bird stands upon heaven, earth, and the threshold between them, a public-domain motif from eastern bird-omen lore. Mechanically the third talon grants its Three-Legged Stance: advantage against prone and restrained, and it can't be surprised while it can hear.
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
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