Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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hags. Hags. Hags. I love hags so much. I like them because not only are they absolutely horrifying, they can also do creepy magic like Hag eyes or making fey deals.
The easy DM answer is mimics. Because once they hit one - it instills a sense of caution. Especially if you go with the non-traditional "I am a treasure chest" - and do a door instead. And once you do that - and have other mimics in the room (that busted chair in the corner? A mimic. The table that was turned over? A mimic.) - and show a mimic colony... players get hyper paranoid about touching things. "Ahead, you see a long wooden bridge..."
"It's mimics. I know it is. Ever plank on that bridge is a mimic!"
But really, it depends on the game I am running - because certain monsters have become "iconic" to that specific campaign.
For what I call the "Work Game" - it's been hags. The party killed a green hag, and the Coven wants their revenge. Two of my players (many, many, many years ago) had left the campaign (they were friends - one was a co-worker who got a job elsewhere, and said he'd need to drop) and so his friend dropped as well. Since both were present at the killing of the Green Hag, I did something I normally don't do - and made them victims of the hag. The party discovered the severed fingers of the wizard in their room one day, with a note from the hags. Then later, a banderhobb showed up and spat out the remains of the bard, a message from the hags. (Party fought and killed the banderhobb).
In the Off Week Game, as I call it - it's definitely Sahuagin - because in that game takes place on a cursed island, and one of the first things I had them run into was the Sahuagin as they washed ashore. And, man Sahuagin are severely over powered - their CR is 1/2 but their Blood Frenzy. The sahuagin has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points. ability is a monster of an ability. So they became very memorable - and the party has gone around befriending so many of the monsters I had planned (kobolds, goblins) - that it's become a long running joke that the Sahuagin are the most evil thing (because I've thrown them at them a few times, and it's always - literally - a very bloody battle) - and made them one of the boss fights in one of the sessions (when they had taken command of a giant turtle and the merfolk had asked the party to help them free the turtle of the Sahuagin Priestess' hold).
For the "Ben Game" as I call it - there's not really been anything traditional that's been a constant. Some assassins who follow a Beholder (who runs a very lethal Thieves Guild) - the assassins (only used once) proved problematic to the party as did a young White Dragon. But really haven't found that niche thing in that game that's fun to throw at them.
And my in person game, had just recently restarted so it's still very new there.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
One Idea I am fond of to replicate pack tactics is to give the PC the ability to use their BA to distract a creature, possibly rolling a check, and if they succeed, granting advantage on attack rolls against the target.
As for the actual question: I agree with Summoning, I want mind flayers. I have the idea for a race which is a mind flayer who got severed from their colony and so has diminished pyscic powers (represented by the scaled back racial abilities). Give them telepathy, a natural weapon, and some innate spellcasting and you've got a decent basis for a race. could definitely make an interesting character.
Hey, It's me, RaccoonMaster! I'm back! I disappeared for a while there, but now everything's good and I'm trying to get into more games!
I'm an actor, writer, singer (opera, musical theatre, and rock are my preferred genres), backpacker, and tall person (6'5 and counting). Pronouns are whatever, I mostly use They/Them though.
My Characters: Elsenia Selevarum: The Popular Paladin, Aasimar Noble, Level 5 Paladin of Redemption;
Hope to see you around!
I enjoy using new monsters in unique ways. Confronting the characters with foes they ain't never seen before.
As a player, I usually play whatever the party needs, which usually turns out to be a magic using healer.
As a GM: Humanoid & monstrous NPCs, I love playing the variety of characters. If that doesn’t count as “monsters” for the purposes of your question, then my answer is kobolds. You can do so many things with them.
As a Player: I enjoy playing support characters, specifically socialites and/or skill monkeys like bards, artificers, and warlocks.
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We’re falling, so here’s a QotD:
Is there a particular D&D item or character option that inspired you to create a deeply detailed character? For us forever-GMs, what’s a monster or item that did the same, but for an adventure or campaign, or perhaps the backstory of an essential NPC?
Hmm....Well, I once made a Goliath Giant Barbarian who was inspired by the crown of the wrath bringer. the idea for the character was that they were the "broken king" who was seeking to reclaim the lost glory of giants and was bitter at Annam for abandoning them.
Well, since you guys usually play those types, how is playing melee strikers in the Temple game treating ya?
Hey, It's me, RaccoonMaster! I'm back! I disappeared for a while there, but now everything's good and I'm trying to get into more games!
I'm an actor, writer, singer (opera, musical theatre, and rock are my preferred genres), backpacker, and tall person (6'5 and counting). Pronouns are whatever, I mostly use They/Them though.
My Characters: Elsenia Selevarum: The Popular Paladin, Aasimar Noble, Level 5 Paladin of Redemption;
Hope to see you around!
As a player, the Wizard of High Sorcery for the current Dragonlance campaign I am in.
I had two ideas for the campaign I am in - I was either going to play a Kender (bring back my Kender I played in the AD&D days!) or a Wizard, who has a family from the Knights of Solamnia. Someone else did a rogue - so I picked the Wizard. And I've immensely enjoyed playing my wizard.
My love for the Dragonlance settings has really allowed me to dive into this - and the other players are all equally creative.
I wrote two segments I really enjoyed -
http://www.neverendingnights.com/archives/4650
http://www.neverendingnights.com/archives/4655
For my own homebrew world - it was funny how it worked out.
So in my campaign I had too many gods - many of them (throughout my various campaigns) just weren't being used by me or players. So, during my Dwarf/Drow campaign war I had - I had the Drow goddess ascend and kill eight of the gods (one for each of her legs, as a Spider). One of them was the god of Wisdom. I made a quick thing that a priest of that deity was thrust with all this wisdom (because the god of wisdom also had foresight, which granted him this wisdom). Well this turned out to be too much and that mortal went insane and thrust a magical gem into his eye (in this madness) to try and channel the magic into the gem. The process killed him and his skull became a relic of his skull became powerful - whispering endless secrets. This is how I introduced an Allap to the party who discovered the power of the skull - and the secrets it whispered relentlessly turned him into an Allap. This lead to a Beholder wanting the skull - just because I made a photoshop of a Beholder wearing the skull. Then I thought, "What if this Beholder wanted to become a god?" And so that turned into a major story line and headed as the final battle of my work campaign. (But that's still a ways away before that battle comes about, so things may change...) But yes, just the idea that I wanted to clean up my deities, leading to the idea to create the spider queen ascending and killing eight gods, one of them being a god of wisdom, then the idea of introducing an Allap because he gets a hold of this skull, and.... yeah. My brain is weird.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Whenever I get the chance to play a monk I enjoy it greatly. My first real character was a monk who was super fun to play so I've enjoyed playing one again.
I'm glad someone else thinks monks are cool. I got the chance to play an owlin monk with 1 lvl in warlock in a more story-driven less crunchy game and enjoyed it immensely.
Hey, It's me, RaccoonMaster! I'm back! I disappeared for a while there, but now everything's good and I'm trying to get into more games!
I'm an actor, writer, singer (opera, musical theatre, and rock are my preferred genres), backpacker, and tall person (6'5 and counting). Pronouns are whatever, I mostly use They/Them though.
My Characters: Elsenia Selevarum: The Popular Paladin, Aasimar Noble, Level 5 Paladin of Redemption;
Hope to see you around!
I realized that a Small Rune Knight would be able to use Heavy weapons while they were Large, so I made a little gnome librarian who went out to find something to protect his clan when they were in trouble. He found giants' runes, including the rune of Strength, which he tattooed all over his body and gave the wee lad a 16 Strength score. The little "special linguist" wearing chainmail, a gigantic hammer on his back, and two big axes on his hips is truly a force to be reckoned with. He's a lot of fun to play.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
It’s been fun. I still get to be a Charismatic Skill Monkey, just not so much. And being a melee striker is fun too. Kinda like bein’ a EB blaster, just with having to dip in and out more.
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In video games I like to be healer, in D&D I haven't been able to play one yet.
I am enjoying the game very much except I am discovering some foibles about a throwing character that I had not anticipated.
Daggers - can throw 2 per turn and get throwing weapon bonus but not archery and not sharp shooter (if I get it).
Darts - can only throw one but get both archery and throwing weapon bonus and sharp shooter.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Hi all,
Sorry I vanished -- I have been knocked down for a week by a really bad case of viral gastroenteritis.
Still not recovered, but if you are wondering why I have been absent, that's why.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
^ This. This is how we know you are not well. Two sentences? Yeah, you're in a bad way.
I hope you recover soon.
Sending positive waves.
/HUGS
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
This is kind of a hard question for me because I tend to try to do it all. One current character is a 9 Tempest Cleric/2 Fighter who has been good at frontline (but not nearly as good as the fighter/rogue), a solid tank (with AC, but lacks great hp), a decent healer (but probably not as good as the bard), and a decent control/damage caster (but not as good as the bard or even the warlock/rogue at times). My other character is 5 Land Druid/5 Ascendant Dragon Monk (terrible build, it's only this way because I wound up not liking druid as much as I thought) that also kind of excels at nothing in particular but can do a lot of little things. I'm cursed with terrible FOMO that has me stretching characters too thinly a lot of the time (I run into this problem in video games too).
Yeah… it was so short I thought it was Tawmis or Sposta!
I’m sending a few lesser restorations and upcast healing words your way. Too low level to send much else. Hopefully you’ll receive the raven with a potion of greater healing in a few days!
That "/HUGS" is giving me old person vibes lol. ;)
But more seriously, I hope ya get better soon, AEDorsay. And happy Valentine's Day to all of you!
I've been playing around a bit with Heroforge for fun and playing chess. Truly, I am spending this holiday like a god tier nerd!
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.Funny you should say that, I just got out of hospital myself. Been there since Saturday. 🙄 I hate hospitals. Alls well that ends well though I suppose.
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Hey! I write a lot of rambling, long winded posts! (It's just most people read the first two sentences and go, "Oh, this guy..." and skip the rest!) :D
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up