Stirge
Tiny Beast · · CR 1/8
- Beast
- Tiny
- Tier 1
Stirge, CR 1/8, fills the tiny beast role with unaligned disposition. Encounter regions: coastal, desert, forest, grassland, hill, mountain, swamp, underground, and urban. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 1/8
- Type
- Beast
- Size
- Tiny
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Coastal, Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Mountain, Swamp, Underground, Urban
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024), Flee, Mortals!
Ecology
Stirges are bat-and-mosquito hybrids that breed in damp, warm caverns and ruined cellars. A clutch produces dozens of larvae that mature in days, feeding on insects until grown enough to attack mammals. Their proboscis injects a mild anticoagulant, ensuring victims continue bleeding even after the stirge is detached. They prefer roosting upside-down on stone ceilings, dropping silently onto warm prey. Predators include giant centipedes, owls, and certain fungal molds that infect their wing membranes.
Behaviour
Stirges hunt at dusk and night, using infrared sensitivity to locate warm bodies. They are not territorial in the traditional sense; rather, they cluster wherever blood is available. After feeding, a stirge becomes sluggish for several hours and is easily killed during this digestion period. They are silent hunters except for a soft droning hum when agitated. Captive stirges can be trained to drain specific colored markers if conditioned with rewards.
Origin
Stirges are believed to be the result of an ancient druidic curse on a corrupt nobleman who taxed villages dry; his servants were transformed into the first flock to forever drain rather than be drained. Other scholars suggest stirges evolved naturally from cave-dwelling proto-bats during a period when blood-rich megafauna roamed the surface. Either way, their persistence in dungeons makes them a constant low-level menace.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Stirge
- What is the challenge rating of Stirge?
- Listed CR for Stirge: 1/8. Match it to a party that fits a tier-1 party (levels 1-4).
- What type of creature is Stirge?
- Stirge is classified as a beast in D&D 5e, tiny size.
- Where does Stirge live?
- The bestiary places Stirge in Coastal, Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Mountain, Swamp, Underground, Urban.