I need to come up with a monster that is spreading a plague type sickness across the plants and animals in a forest. Something with diseased properties. I thought of tricking out a Plague Blight but I am curious if anyone out there has ideas or stories of monsters that have worked in similar situations. I am definitely looking for a monster. I do not want it to be a Plague Priest. They are a high level campaign (lvl 14 on average) and all ideas and stories are welcome.
You should read through this Encounter of the Week: The Dying Unicorn and see if any of the details of the corrupted unicorn and forest glade are relevant to what you are trying to do.
maybe a dire troll whose grotesque need for cannibalism has corrupted the very nature of the forest itself. especially after injesting a rot troll. maybe you can combine those two to make the threat you are looking for.
My solution to this was a Gulthias Tree. They're basically the source of all Blights as it corrupts the plants around it. Gulthias Trees are usually associated with creepy dead-tree forests (since the Gulthias Tree drains other plant/animal life). Attempting to fight a Gulthias Tree will cause it to spawn a ton of Blights to defend it so it can be a tricky encounter.
They deal necrotic damage and can summon other creatures that have been "Blighted"/corrupted. It's got lair and legendary actions so a pretty decent Boss. It can also be hard to figure out the "source" of a Gulthias Tree is exactly since one tree can cause entire miles of forest to wither and rot, and they look similar to all the other twisted, dead trees around it (although it usually has a sort of frightening aura or is a bit larger).
By the way, while the monster entry I linked is homebrew, the Gulthias Tree is mentioned in the Vine Blight's Monster Manual passage.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. In the end I decided that a Night Hag is performing strange rituals on a couple of chained up Bulezau demons deep in the forest. In addition to the hag's blood magic, the chained demons are being harassed by a number of stirges, who feast on their blood at night and are spreading a sort of abyssal form of slimy doom throughout the forest.
I've taken on a Gulthias Tree as a PC before. After we defeated it my DM allowed me to take some of its branches and have a new magic item crafted. I added them to the homebrew list awhile back. Arrows of Blood Drinking
I've taken on a Gulthias Tree as a PC before. After we defeated it my DM allowed me to take some of its branches and have a new magic item crafted. I added them to the homebrew list awhile back. Arrows of Blood Drinking
I was going in the direction of this and then I saw your comment...Thank you for my first campaign "baddy" idea! I was seeking something that corrupted the forest, maybe created some giant creatures and this is prefect.
Plant creatures that will become "animated" and corrupt the forest due to the local "folk hero" who slayed the vampire whose blood grew the Guththias tree that started it all. I plan to start with small problems like moss or ooze and then move into all green* giant frogs, insects and Awakened shrubs. Then move onto twig blights and definitely wood woads*. First Campaign though so it needs work...
Have any suggestions for my Sylvan stalker "mastermind" behind this?
I watched a fascinating documentary on Netflix about how impossibly large fungus can grow under the forest floor - we only see the caps that sprout up but the organism literally takes up miles and miles of square footage. If you are going with a plant based/corrupted motif, this could provide an interesting baddie. Especially if the fungus is able to produce spores that have mind effecting properties. Thats not so much a "mastermind" as much as a "hivemind." But a centrally corrupted fungus growing at the roots of a Gulthias tree could be pretty cool.
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I need to come up with a monster that is spreading a plague type sickness across the plants and animals in a forest. Something with diseased properties. I thought of tricking out a Plague Blight but I am curious if anyone out there has ideas or stories of monsters that have worked in similar situations. I am definitely looking for a monster. I do not want it to be a Plague Priest. They are a high level campaign (lvl 14 on average) and all ideas and stories are welcome.
Something that can command a few Bulezau demons would be a good start.
EDIT: Maybe an Oinoloth? It's about the right CR and is a plague demon of sorts.
Good suggestions. Thanks!
You should read through this Encounter of the Week: The Dying Unicorn and see if any of the details of the corrupted unicorn and forest glade are relevant to what you are trying to do.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Watch the movie Fern Gully.
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Not what I was looking for but I thoroughly enjoyed that encounter. Good stuff.
maybe a dire troll whose grotesque need for cannibalism has corrupted the very nature of the forest itself. especially after injesting a rot troll. maybe you can combine those two to make the threat you are looking for.
Jesus Saves!... Everyone else takes damage.
My solution to this was a Gulthias Tree. They're basically the source of all Blights as it corrupts the plants around it. Gulthias Trees are usually associated with creepy dead-tree forests (since the Gulthias Tree drains other plant/animal life). Attempting to fight a Gulthias Tree will cause it to spawn a ton of Blights to defend it so it can be a tricky encounter.
They deal necrotic damage and can summon other creatures that have been "Blighted"/corrupted. It's got lair and legendary actions so a pretty decent Boss. It can also be hard to figure out the "source" of a Gulthias Tree is exactly since one tree can cause entire miles of forest to wither and rot, and they look similar to all the other twisted, dead trees around it (although it usually has a sort of frightening aura or is a bit larger).
By the way, while the monster entry I linked is homebrew, the Gulthias Tree is mentioned in the Vine Blight's Monster Manual passage.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. In the end I decided that a Night Hag is performing strange rituals on a couple of chained up Bulezau demons deep in the forest. In addition to the hag's blood magic, the chained demons are being harassed by a number of stirges, who feast on their blood at night and are spreading a sort of abyssal form of slimy doom throughout the forest.
I've taken on a Gulthias Tree as a PC before. After we defeated it my DM allowed me to take some of its branches and have a new magic item crafted. I added them to the homebrew list awhile back. Arrows of Blood Drinking
A corrupted or sic Nymph? Its connection to the nature around it effected by its own sickness.
That is epic!!!
I was going in the direction of this and then I saw your comment...Thank you for my first campaign "baddy" idea! I was seeking something that corrupted the forest, maybe created some giant creatures and this is prefect.
I’ll be adapting Xanthoria chapter in candlekeep mysteries for a similar storyline of mystery corrupting plague.
Plant creatures that will become "animated" and corrupt the forest due to the local "folk hero" who slayed
the vampire whose blood grew the Guththias tree that started it all. I plan to start with small problems
like moss or ooze and then move into all green* giant frogs, insects and Awakened shrubs.
Then move onto twig blights and definitely wood woads*. First Campaign though so it needs work...
Have any suggestions for my Sylvan stalker "mastermind" behind this?
I watched a fascinating documentary on Netflix about how impossibly large fungus can grow under the forest floor - we only see the caps that sprout up but the organism literally takes up miles and miles of square footage. If you are going with a plant based/corrupted motif, this could provide an interesting baddie. Especially if the fungus is able to produce spores that have mind effecting properties. Thats not so much a "mastermind" as much as a "hivemind." But a centrally corrupted fungus growing at the roots of a Gulthias tree could be pretty cool.