I need a monster that can pass through walls and doors, potentially magically locked doors. Any ideas?
I am writing a short dungeon where a group of monks had brewed whiskey and beer and made cheese in a cave underneath a small monastery. Some type of monster needs to have come in and wiped them out. The monks had made a lot of money selling their liquor ("Fire Giant Fire Whiskey) and cheese. This attracted the attention of the monster. They had a set of magical keys to wizard lock the doors, but the monster passed right through them. (https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/dungeon-masters-only/170322-whiskey-dungeon-with-a-neat-magic-item) Alternatively, it could be a traditional monster that left some of the trapped doors alone and took damage as it went through the rest.
I am open to suggestions. Thanks in advance!
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I am a 40 something year old physician who DMs for a group of 40 something year old doctors. We play a hybrid game, mostly based on 2nd edition rules with some homebrew and 5E components.
Party is lower level. If the suggestion is too powerful but fits the idea well, I will just nerf it's abilities/damage. Rules are made to be broken
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I am a 40 something year old physician who DMs for a group of 40 something year old doctors. We play a hybrid game, mostly based on 2nd edition rules with some homebrew and 5E components.
Rather than monsters that pass through doors, you could just use oozes that squeezed under and around them
The monks were doing some renovations to the cave for more storage space and inadvertently created an opening for the oozes to get in
As oozes generally don't leave behind corpses, it could even be something of a mystery what happened to the monks
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Lots of options...but I would probably go for rats, lots and lots of rats. They have a tendency to get into places they are not wanted, they can chew through floor boards, get into wall cavitiies etc and generally be a real pain in the posterior. Have some were-rats leading the charge and being the tactical acumen behind the attack. They entered through the sewers/monastaries toilet facilities and commenced their attack.
EDIT: you could also have some journal entries for the PC's to find with things like:
"Brother Jonas said he saw a shadowy creature in the hallway near the refectory last night but it disappeared when he tried to folllow it" This would then start you players thinking about Shadows and undead being the culprits. It was actually a Were-rat in hybrid form that was scouting out the monastary and assumed its rat form to get away once it was around a corner.
"Brother Altman was found dead last night and his face was the picture of fear" In reality he was poison and the posion mimic'd a heart attack but if his corpse is still around the players could use medicine skill checks to ascertain the poisoning. The dead monk was a keeper of teh monastary keys so was bumped off so the rats could get entry to other area's.
"We've had reports of ungodly stenchs drifting around the cells at night and weird scraping noises on the walls" This could make you players think of other undead such as Ghouls or Ghasts which all plays into the Were-rat ploy of using subterfuge and misdirection to accomplish their goals.
You could even have a Were-rat masquarading as an injured monk when the PC's arrive.
Any creature capable of entering and leaving the Ethereal Plane can easily bypass magically locked doors. Phase Spiders, for example. Or Ethereal Filchers.
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I need a monster that can pass through walls and doors, potentially magically locked doors. Any ideas?
I am writing a short dungeon where a group of monks had brewed whiskey and beer and made cheese in a cave underneath a small monastery. Some type of monster needs to have come in and wiped them out. The monks had made a lot of money selling their liquor ("Fire Giant Fire Whiskey) and cheese. This attracted the attention of the monster. They had a set of magical keys to wizard lock the doors, but the monster passed right through them. (https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/dungeon-masters-only/170322-whiskey-dungeon-with-a-neat-magic-item) Alternatively, it could be a traditional monster that left some of the trapped doors alone and took damage as it went through the rest.
I am open to suggestions. Thanks in advance!
Velstitzen
I am a 40 something year old physician who DMs for a group of 40 something year old doctors. We play a hybrid game, mostly based on 2nd edition rules with some homebrew and 5E components.
Do a search for Incorporeal Movement and/or Amorphous and you'll get a list of creatures that might work for you.
What level is the party?
The trait is called Incorporeal Movement
Do a search in DND Beyond and it should show you a whole skew of monsters with Incorporeal Movement
Party is lower level. If the suggestion is too powerful but fits the idea well, I will just nerf it's abilities/damage. Rules are made to be broken
Velstitzen
I am a 40 something year old physician who DMs for a group of 40 something year old doctors. We play a hybrid game, mostly based on 2nd edition rules with some homebrew and 5E components.
I think a lot of ghost, spectre type monsters can pass though walls. Shadows can pass though tiny spaces
Name
Agony
Allip
Avatar of Death
Banshee
Caradoc
Celeste
Cloud Giant Ghost
Draconic Shard
Dream Eater
Dryad Spirit
Dybbuk
Dybbuk
Ebondeath
Eidolon
Eigeron's Ghost
Fidelio
Flitterstep Eidolon
Foresworn
Gallows Speaker
Geist
Ghost
Ghost Dragon
Ghostblade Eidolon
Greater Shadow Horror
Haint
Indentured Spirit
Kalaraq Quori
Leedara
Lonelywood Banshee
Marisa
Meri
Miirym
Mormesk the Wraith
Nass Lantomir's Ghost
Obzedat Ghost
Phantom Warrior
Phantom Warrior (Archer)
Poltergeist
Reaper Spirit
Rilago
Rosavalda "Rose" Durst
Shadow Demon
Shadow Horror
Shemshime
Snow Maiden
Specter
Spirit
Spirit Troll
Starlight Apparition
Thornboldt "Thorn" Durst
Undead Spirit
Will-o'-Wells
Will-o'-Wisp
Wraith
Well, that answers the question.
The star spawn seer has a similar trait that's pretty neat.
Rather than monsters that pass through doors, you could just use oozes that squeezed under and around them
The monks were doing some renovations to the cave for more storage space and inadvertently created an opening for the oozes to get in
As oozes generally don't leave behind corpses, it could even be something of a mystery what happened to the monks
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Lots of options...but I would probably go for rats, lots and lots of rats. They have a tendency to get into places they are not wanted, they can chew through floor boards, get into wall cavitiies etc and generally be a real pain in the posterior. Have some were-rats leading the charge and being the tactical acumen behind the attack. They entered through the sewers/monastaries toilet facilities and commenced their attack.
EDIT: you could also have some journal entries for the PC's to find with things like:
"Brother Jonas said he saw a shadowy creature in the hallway near the refectory last night but it disappeared when he tried to folllow it" This would then start you players thinking about Shadows and undead being the culprits. It was actually a Were-rat in hybrid form that was scouting out the monastary and assumed its rat form to get away once it was around a corner.
"Brother Altman was found dead last night and his face was the picture of fear" In reality he was poison and the posion mimic'd a heart attack but if his corpse is still around the players could use medicine skill checks to ascertain the poisoning. The dead monk was a keeper of teh monastary keys so was bumped off so the rats could get entry to other area's.
"We've had reports of ungodly stenchs drifting around the cells at night and weird scraping noises on the walls" This could make you players think of other undead such as Ghouls or Ghasts which all plays into the Were-rat ploy of using subterfuge and misdirection to accomplish their goals.
You could even have a Were-rat masquarading as an injured monk when the PC's arrive.
Any creature capable of entering and leaving the Ethereal Plane can easily bypass magically locked doors. Phase Spiders, for example. Or Ethereal Filchers.