I'm a very new DM running a story from the "Candlekeep Mysteries" anthology book where the players are sent to Candlekeep by the local village to seek aid from a sage there because, in the past year, the crops and livestock have been withering and rain has dwindled. The mage that recommends seeking out the sage at Candlekeep is supposed to have determined that the town has been cursed but at the end of the story the Mage is supposed to be dead and the book leaves you with the ability to expand the story now that the players need to find a new solution.
Instead of a curse, I was thinking maybe the famine is being caused by a monster that has begun nesting in the area and have been trying to find one that fits. Ideally, it would already be around CR4 (I have 4, sometimes 5, new players who will be level 4 by the end of the Candlekeep part of the story) but I am willing to try and make some adjustments. I am trying to avoid enemies with the general intelligence to have to be doing this for a specific motivation because I'm unsure how to go about creating a good motivation. I'm also trying to avoid monsters that would have had to be summoned for the same reason. Preferably they would have some form of trait that would explain the famine/crop death but just an association with such would be fine too.
Blights are quite literally corrupted plants, coming from Gulthias trees, which corrupt nearby plant life. You could have the Gulthias tree be a shambling mound or a buffed up awakened tree and just make the adds be the main threat.
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
The oinoloth is associated with plagues, but not a particularly good enemy for a 4th level party. Aside from blights, you might use other plant-based horrors like a shambling mound
In my GREYHAWK campaign i had a shambling mound reflavored as a twisted tree that was an Icon of Incaboulos that caused drought and famile in a large area around it as the farms crop were rotting and the land dried.
just give any monster the ability to cast abi-dalzans horrid wilting or blight?
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Pronouns: Any/All
About Me: Godless monster in human form bent on extending their natural life to unnatural extremes /general of the goose horde /Moderator of Vinstreb School for the Gifted /holder of the evil storyteller badge of no honor /king of madness /The FBI/ The Archmage of I CAST...!
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Fun Fact: i gain more power the more you post on my forum threads. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
I know you said unintellegent, but this seems custom built for a green hag. Hags enjoy opressing people, so that's the motivation right there.
You might want to boost the hag (or other villain), if this is meant for a climax. A CR 4 is an easy fight for 4 level 4 PCs (D&D builds its CR with the expectation that the party can tackly 8 such encounters per long rest), and a boss fight should be challenging. By the way, if you want to use or boost a hag, see here
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
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I'm a very new DM running a story from the "Candlekeep Mysteries" anthology book where the players are sent to Candlekeep by the local village to seek aid from a sage there because, in the past year, the crops and livestock have been withering and rain has dwindled. The mage that recommends seeking out the sage at Candlekeep is supposed to have determined that the town has been cursed but at the end of the story the Mage is supposed to be dead and the book leaves you with the ability to expand the story now that the players need to find a new solution.
Instead of a curse, I was thinking maybe the famine is being caused by a monster that has begun nesting in the area and have been trying to find one that fits. Ideally, it would already be around CR4 (I have 4, sometimes 5, new players who will be level 4 by the end of the Candlekeep part of the story) but I am willing to try and make some adjustments. I am trying to avoid enemies with the general intelligence to have to be doing this for a specific motivation because I'm unsure how to go about creating a good motivation. I'm also trying to avoid monsters that would have had to be summoned for the same reason. Preferably they would have some form of trait that would explain the famine/crop death but just an association with such would be fine too.
Locusts come to mind. Swarms of locusts devouring the plants. Just scale them up or re-skin an appropriate CR enemy.
Blights are quite literally corrupted plants, coming from Gulthias trees, which corrupt nearby plant life. You could have the Gulthias tree be a shambling mound or a buffed up awakened tree and just make the adds be the main threat.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
The oinoloth is associated with plagues, but not a particularly good enemy for a 4th level party. Aside from blights, you might use other plant-based horrors like a shambling mound
In my GREYHAWK campaign i had a shambling mound reflavored as a twisted tree that was an Icon of Incaboulos that caused drought and famile in a large area around it as the farms crop were rotting and the land dried.
some kind of corrupted mangrove Trent?
just give any monster the ability to cast abi-dalzans horrid wilting or blight?
Pronouns: Any/All
About Me: Godless monster in human form bent on extending their natural life to unnatural extremes /general of the goose horde /Moderator of Vinstreb School for the Gifted /holder of the evil storyteller badge of no honor /king of madness /The FBI/ The Archmage of I CAST...!
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Fun Fact: i gain more power the more you post on my forum threads. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
What you might consider is some sort of slightly powered up Bulezau.
I know you said unintellegent, but this seems custom built for a green hag. Hags enjoy opressing people, so that's the motivation right there.
You might want to boost the hag (or other villain), if this is meant for a climax. A CR 4 is an easy fight for 4 level 4 PCs (D&D builds its CR with the expectation that the party can tackly 8 such encounters per long rest), and a boss fight should be challenging. By the way, if you want to use or boost a hag, see here
https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1025-journey-to-the-feywild-with-these-free-adventures
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
Okay, the link didn't work. Trying again.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1025-journey-to-the-feywild-with-these-free-adventures
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)