I'm on the cusp of publishing a new monster, ported from 3.5e. The guecubu is a close cousin of the dybbuk, both being of the loumara family of demons, known for their incorporeality and penchant for possession. Due to the unique nature of these monsters, I'm having trouble giving them a CR. On the face of it, a guecubu isn't that powerful. It has mediocre HP, average AC, and it can deal a maximum of 24 damage with the catapult spell each round. Possession throws a wrench in the CR calculations, as does the natural invisibility. My instinct is to place in between the dybbuk and invisible stalker, at a CR 5.
The spreadsheet I've made, which adapts the tables from chapter 9 of the DMG predicts that it'd have a CR of ~3.75, but this relies on a few approximations, notably I'm assuming that the natural invisibility quality acts like the faerie dragon's superior invisibility. The main difference is that the guecubu need not use a bonus action or concentrate to maintain its invisibility. Also note that these calculations include the monster's resistances, fear aura, etc.
Where would you place this monster on the CR scale?
Fear Aura. Any creature hostile to the guecubu that starts its turn within 20 feet of the guecubu must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw, unless the guecubu is incapacitated. On a failed save, the creature is frightened until the start of its next turn. If a creature's saving throw is successful, the creature is immune to the guecubu's Fear Aura for the next 24 hours.
Incorporeal Movement. The guecubu can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Innate Spellcasting. The guecubu’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
Sleep Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or fall asleep and remain unconscious for 1 minute. The target awakens if it takes damage or another creature takes an action to wake it.
Possession (Recharge 6).One sleeping humanoid that the guecubu can see within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or be possessed by the guecubu; the guecubu then disappears, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body. The guecubu now controls the body but doesn't deprive the target of awareness. The guecubu can’t be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, and it retains its alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and immunity to being charmed and frightened. It otherwise uses the possessed target’s statistics, but doesn’t gain access to the target’s knowledge, class features, or proficiencies.
The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, the guecubu ends it as a bonus action, or the guecubu is forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, the guecubu reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the body. The target is immune to this guecubu’s Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends.
Description
Unseen Threat. Guecubus are naturally invisible. A creature might feel a strange unsettling feeling in the guecubu's passing, but the demon remains invisible even when it attacks. A spell that allows someone to see the invisible reveals only the guecubu’s vague outline.
I think you’re gonna have to hold off on publishing for a while. That’s the sort of thing that gets determined through a couple months of playtesting and editing. It’s a good practice anyway. If you publish, you cannot edit it anymore, and republishing means jumping through hoops, and then it also has unintended consequences. I do not recommend publishing until after playtest and editing.
Yeah, we've discussed this elsewhere. I don't really see publishing new copies as jumping through hoops. It's very easy. What unintended consequences do you have in mind?
I mean I've been doing this for years. My Talisid homebrew that I made for a guy has like dozens of revisions, and I'm liable to revise it again every once in a while. This one is nowhere near unique for me either.
Monsters are not such a problem, but spells.... spells leave a mess in your back end. Republish a spell a few times and then go to attach it as a class feature. It will show you everyone of those copies, but with no indication as to which one is correct. Republish that spell again, and then you will have to go back and re-update the subclass, only now there will be even more to choose from, but only one of them will be correct.
Monsters are not such a problem, but spells.... spells leave a mess in your back end. Republish a spell a few times and then go to attach it as a class feature. It will show you everyone of those copies, but with no indication as to which one is correct. Republish that spell again, and then you will have to go back and re-update the subclass, only now there will be even more to choose from, but only one of them will be correct.
Oh, I guess I've seen some of that. There are a few copies of my old spell drafts floating in the form where I choose a template, but I tend not to link my homebrews together. For instance, I never include homebrew spells in homebrew subclasses and so on. Not publicly anyway. I see how that could be a pain, though.
Once I wrote 4 spells for 1 subclass, didn’t know about the issues, ended up having to republish the same spell almost 10 times. And it started with an “A,” so it’s the first several things I see every time I go to attach any spells to anything. And if you mistakenly put it on the spell list for a specific subclass.... 😖 There are other things too. As long as it isn’t published you can change it as much as you want. But no matter how many times I proofread, I regularly end up finding a spacing issue or a typo and it drives me nuts.
Hi all,
I'm on the cusp of publishing a new monster, ported from 3.5e. The guecubu is a close cousin of the dybbuk, both being of the loumara family of demons, known for their incorporeality and penchant for possession. Due to the unique nature of these monsters, I'm having trouble giving them a CR. On the face of it, a guecubu isn't that powerful. It has mediocre HP, average AC, and it can deal a maximum of 24 damage with the catapult spell each round. Possession throws a wrench in the CR calculations, as does the natural invisibility. My instinct is to place in between the dybbuk and invisible stalker, at a CR 5.
The spreadsheet I've made, which adapts the tables from chapter 9 of the DMG predicts that it'd have a CR of ~3.75, but this relies on a few approximations, notably I'm assuming that the natural invisibility quality acts like the faerie dragon's superior invisibility. The main difference is that the guecubu need not use a bonus action or concentrate to maintain its invisibility. Also note that these calculations include the monster's resistances, fear aura, etc.
Where would you place this monster on the CR scale?
Fear Aura. Any creature hostile to the guecubu that starts its turn within 20 feet of the guecubu must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw, unless the guecubu is incapacitated. On a failed save, the creature is frightened until the start of its next turn. If a creature's saving throw is successful, the creature is immune to the guecubu's Fear Aura for the next 24 hours.
Incorporeal Movement. The guecubu can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Innate Spellcasting. The guecubu’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: catapult
3/day each: telekinesis
Invisibility. The guecubu is invisible.
Sleep Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or fall asleep and remain unconscious for 1 minute. The target awakens if it takes damage or another creature takes an action to wake it.
Possession (Recharge 6). One sleeping humanoid that the guecubu can see within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or be possessed by the guecubu; the guecubu then disappears, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body. The guecubu now controls the body but doesn't deprive the target of awareness. The guecubu can’t be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, and it retains its alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and immunity to being charmed and frightened. It otherwise uses the possessed target’s statistics, but doesn’t gain access to the target’s knowledge, class features, or proficiencies.
The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, the guecubu ends it as a bonus action, or the guecubu is forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, the guecubu reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the body. The target is immune to this guecubu’s Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends.
Description
Unseen Threat. Guecubus are naturally invisible. A creature might feel a strange unsettling feeling in the guecubu's passing, but the demon remains invisible even when it attacks. A spell that allows someone to see the invisible reveals only the guecubu’s vague outline.
I think you’re gonna have to hold off on publishing for a while. That’s the sort of thing that gets determined through a couple months of playtesting and editing. It’s a good practice anyway. If you publish, you cannot edit it anymore, and republishing means jumping through hoops, and then it also has unintended consequences. I do not recommend publishing until after playtest and editing.
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Yeah, we've discussed this elsewhere. I don't really see publishing new copies as jumping through hoops. It's very easy. What unintended consequences do you have in mind?
Keep republishing things and you’ll see.
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I mean I've been doing this for years. My Talisid homebrew that I made for a guy has like dozens of revisions, and I'm liable to revise it again every once in a while. This one is nowhere near unique for me either.
Monsters are not such a problem, but spells.... spells leave a mess in your back end. Republish a spell a few times and then go to attach it as a class feature. It will show you everyone of those copies, but with no indication as to which one is correct. Republish that spell again, and then you will have to go back and re-update the subclass, only now there will be even more to choose from, but only one of them will be correct.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Oh, I guess I've seen some of that. There are a few copies of my old spell drafts floating in the form where I choose a template, but I tend not to link my homebrews together. For instance, I never include homebrew spells in homebrew subclasses and so on. Not publicly anyway. I see how that could be a pain, though.
Once I wrote 4 spells for 1 subclass, didn’t know about the issues, ended up having to republish the same spell almost 10 times. And it started with an “A,” so it’s the first several things I see every time I go to attach any spells to anything. And if you mistakenly put it on the spell list for a specific subclass.... 😖 There are other things too. As long as it isn’t published you can change it as much as you want. But no matter how many times I proofread, I regularly end up finding a spacing issue or a typo and it drives me nuts.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting