Mummy lord is pretty much tailored as a major villain for this environment, and makes a great campaign-level mastermind foe at least up through mid levels. Just be careful with them, as they won't stand up to a straight-up fight with a party of anything close to their CR without significant minion support. That vulnerability to fire and 97 HP means a 5th level wizard can almost one-shot it with a fireball, and a party of equivalent level (13) will nuke it before it even gets an action if they get the drop on it. It will come back, and it can be fun to have it come back a few times, but it can be anticlimactic to have your big bad be basically a combat annoyance. Played smart and creepy, though, and they can be great and add a lot of flavor.
I created these in my homebrew for a one-shot I'm runnning. They are based on the Egyptian gods, with some slight variation (anubis being the god of death, Horus the god [i made it a female for story reasons] of the sun, and sobek the crocodile god of the nile).
CR may not be super accurate, they're probably more around 15, but I don't follow CR super closely cause it's pretty broken anyway. These aren't meant to represent the full gods, just avatars of them. In the one-shot, the avatars have been corrupted, and that's why they're evil. If you want to use these and need some more info just let me know.
Set's statblock is based off the mummy lord, mentioned by @torvaldhammerhand. I kept some actions and changed spells and others. In my one-shot, Set takes a mummy lord's body, so that's why.
Another option, beyond just choosing desert-appropriate creatures, is re-skinning creatures that exist and placing them in a desert setting. For example, perhaps you have a cactus-roper that deals piercing damage to any creature it currently has grappled.
I love tweaking trolls to reflect how they've mutated/adapted to different environments. A desert one might do extra necrotic damage with its claws as it sucks the very moisture from your flesh to fuel its regeneration, for instance
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Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter) Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Another option, beyond just choosing desert-appropriate creatures, is re-skinning creatures that exist and placing them in a desert setting. For example, perhaps you have a cactus-roper that deals piercing damage to any creature it currently has grappled.
I love tweaking trolls to reflect how they've mutated/adapted to different environments. A desert one might do extra necrotic damage with its claws as it sucks the very moisture from your flesh to fuel its regeneration, for instance
That's a good troll variant.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
A lot depends on level. At low levels a pack of any of the pack tactics creatures is NASTY. Hyeanas/jackals/Vultures may be CR 0, but with advantage they become glass cannons. Same with Kobolds/Jackalweres.
At higher levels, Yuan-Ti and undead can be interesting. When you really get up there, I feel that a good sphinx tends to fit in with the area.
Of course, another great idea is to have a totally aquatic big battle at an Oasis. After role-playing all the way through a dry, dusty environment suddenly having to face a Water Elemental can be a surprise twist.
Indeed, I’ve experienced 100 degree F swings between 3PM and 3 AM in the American SW deserts. 120 in the sun to 20 at night - welcome to the moderating effects of water vapor.
Yup. People can freeze to death in what we typically think of as “hot deserts.” (Many forget there can be arctic deserts too, since a “desert” is defined by having an absence (or scarcity) of liquid water.) Others too can die from the shock of such drastic temperature changes. If none of that gets you, the venomous snakes, spiders, and scorpions can. And that’s just in our RL deserts….
I've planned this one around a RL desert, but the freezing temptutures at night give me ideas for those little imp like creatures that look like ice or sand, and combine them both!
Taking some of the dinosaur creatures and applying the undead features to them can make for something interesting. Ancient undead trex that still wanders the wastes? No thanks.
Gnolls if they were not already mentioned are good option for marauders. And the Yuan-ti have a place in temples worshipping Ancient gods in the best way they know how. Living sacrifice. I love/hate yuanti.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
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Mummy lord is pretty much tailored as a major villain for this environment, and makes a great campaign-level mastermind foe at least up through mid levels. Just be careful with them, as they won't stand up to a straight-up fight with a party of anything close to their CR without significant minion support. That vulnerability to fire and 97 HP means a 5th level wizard can almost one-shot it with a fireball, and a party of equivalent level (13) will nuke it before it even gets an action if they get the drop on it. It will come back, and it can be fun to have it come back a few times, but it can be anticlimactic to have your big bad be basically a combat annoyance. Played smart and creepy, though, and they can be great and add a lot of flavor.
I created these in my homebrew for a one-shot I'm runnning. They are based on the Egyptian gods, with some slight variation (anubis being the god of death, Horus the god [i made it a female for story reasons] of the sun, and sobek the crocodile god of the nile).
Anubis
Sobek
Horus
CR may not be super accurate, they're probably more around 15, but I don't follow CR super closely cause it's pretty broken anyway. These aren't meant to represent the full gods, just avatars of them. In the one-shot, the avatars have been corrupted, and that's why they're evil. If you want to use these and need some more info just let me know.
I also made one for Set, egyptian god of storms
Set
Set's statblock is based off the mummy lord, mentioned by @torvaldhammerhand. I kept some actions and changed spells and others. In my one-shot, Set takes a mummy lord's body, so that's why.
Updog
I love tweaking trolls to reflect how they've mutated/adapted to different environments. A desert one might do extra necrotic damage with its claws as it sucks the very moisture from your flesh to fuel its regeneration, for instance
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter)
Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
That's a good troll variant.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
what is the name of the scorpion people again? Them and the thi-keen would make good desert natives.
Yeah, Thri-kreen are a gimme. The only “scorpion people” from D&D that are leaping to my mind are the “Manscorpions^” and the “Nimurians.^”
^http://www.mojobob.com/roleplay/monstrousmanual/m/manscorp.html
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Actually, I believe he's referring to the Tlincalli, released in VGtM.
Updog
All the Pyramid labor in the multiverse was expended to build my recreation of the Luxor Casino. Maybe try a dome in your game, or a Rhomboid.
Seconding Sphinxes and Blue Dragons. Blue Dragons I believe even have some sandy lair effects.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Which appear to be the same creatures as manscorpions (also scorpion folk, scorpionmen, and stingers).
Formians would be appropriate, but don't seem to have made it into 5e.
A simple way of doing this is to just look at the random encounter tables for Desert in XGTE, though.
Yes, that's the one. Will paralyze you, and place their young on your chest, and then the larvae will eat you alive.
Black puddings, brownies, or ice cream golems.
Oh, you said desert, not dessert. Nevermind.
Another like that for higher level parties are the Phaerimm from FR - very nasty.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
That’s just the 5e non-sexist name for Manscorpions.
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this is a relly good idea!
Feral halflings.
Riding vultures.
Radscorpions. Arrgghh I hate those things!
Desert tortles. Maybe they’re friendly. Maybe they’re territorial. Maybe they’re just hungry. And eating your party doesn’t count as cannibalism.
Kruthik
A lot depends on level. At low levels a pack of any of the pack tactics creatures is NASTY. Hyeanas/jackals/Vultures may be CR 0, but with advantage they become glass cannons. Same with Kobolds/Jackalweres.
At higher levels, Yuan-Ti and undead can be interesting. When you really get up there, I feel that a good sphinx tends to fit in with the area.
Of course, another great idea is to have a totally aquatic big battle at an Oasis. After role-playing all the way through a dry, dusty environment suddenly having to face a Water Elemental can be a surprise twist.
That would be a really cool idea
Taking some of the dinosaur creatures and applying the undead features to them can make for something interesting. Ancient undead trex that still wanders the wastes? No thanks.
Gnolls if they were not already mentioned are good option for marauders. And the Yuan-ti have a place in temples worshipping Ancient gods in the best way they know how. Living sacrifice. I love/hate yuanti.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."