before bonding defeated creatures reason

Snow Sphinx

monsters

whips around a feline face, revealing piercing blue eyes that can freeze foes with a single glance. Compared to its desert-dwelling cousins, this sphinx is far less likely to be defeated with reason or

Norker

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

and his followers the initial, unwilling recruits into his crusade. Today, hobgoblins chafe at the suggestion that creatures as lazy and untamed as norkers could claim such an honor. For that reason

alone, hobgoblin warlords are loath to use these creatures, preferring to keep them around as disposable labor in mines and quarries. Nasty, Brutish, and Short. Even goblins bully and harass norkers

Norker War Leader

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

norkers could claim such an honor. For that reason alone, hobgoblin warlords are loath to use these creatures, preferring to keep them around as disposable labor in mines and quarries. Nasty, Brutish

","rollDamageType":"slashing"} slashing damage. Fight On, You Slugs. The norker war leader picks up to three allied goblinoids within 60 feet that can see it. The chosen creatures can each use their reactions to

B'rohg

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

heads. They wear simple garb and like to hurl heavy rocks. A b’rohg can wield a weapon with each of its four arms, but it prefers to pound enemies with its fists and rip smaller creatures apart with

its bare hands. B’rohgs communicate with one another using grunts and basic hand signals; they have no spoken or written language. They prefer to be left alone and for that reason don’t

Pudding Gremlin

monsters

widespread pest during the festive season. The pudding gremlin’s sharp green horns and claws pose an immediate threat to those trying to quash these creatures. However, it is the tiny brandy

scented inferno that resides within each pudding gremlin that provides the drama the mage had wished for. Even when defeated, these not-so-sweet treats create an unwelcome surprise, exploding and spraying clumps of sticky, scalding-hot cake over their foes.Fire

Auril (Third Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to disturb her self-imposed isolation. Terrible blizzards have cut off Icewind Dale

time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is incapable of showing mercy or compassion. Play her as a supremely cold and

Auril (First Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

weak and vulnerable. In her self-inflicted weakened state, Auril is inclined to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to

can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is

Soul Shaker

Monsters Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

grasping mass of Humanoid limbs, a soul shaker is an obsessive claimer of corpses and collector of body parts. These nightmarish creatures arise from ghoulish collections of severed limbs exposed to

. If defeated, a soul shaker disperses into several skittering, animate limbs. The terror can only truly be vanquished by destroying these disembodied appendages. If more than one of these pieces

Nightmare Haunt

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

hit points equal to 5 times the number of unconscious creatures within 30 feet of itself.Multiattack. The nightmare haunt makes two Claw attacks. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6;{"diceNotation":"1d20+6

is also considered difficult terrain for creatures other than the nightmare haunt for the duration of its effect. A creature that starts its turn in the area and is already restrained by the tendrils

Dolgaunt

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Xoriat to conquer Khorvaire, they captured and transformed that land's indigenous creatures to create armies of hideous warriors. Dyrrn the Corruptor shaped dolgaunts from hobgoblin stock, turning them

into intelligent, cold, and efficient killers. When the daelkyr were defeated, the dolgaunts descended into the depths of Khyber with their masters. There, they study in cavernous monasteries, forging

Howler

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

enough to stand up against them. These nightmare creatures are native to Pandemonium, but they can be found on most of the Lower Planes, where they are trained as war hounds. Howlers can be domesticated

around the battlefield in a search for safety. Fiends especially prize howlers for this reason, because for a few crucial moments in a battle, their howls can neutralize an enemy.Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

basic principles than those of warm-blooded creatures. Their dismal swamp homes might lie hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement, but the gap between their way of thinking and that of the

other humanoids. Like most reptiles, their feelings largely revolve around fear, aggression, and pleasure. Lizardfolk experience most feelings as detached descriptions of creatures and situations

Yuan-ti Malison (Type 3) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

or were defeated by those who fought against their cannibalism and slavery, and the serpent folk were left in the ruins of their great capitals, far removed from other races. Cold of Heart. Humanoid

impossible to manipulate, influence, or control by nonmagical means, even as it seeks to control other creatures through terror, pleasure, and awe. Yuan-ti know that the world they hope to rule can

Caradoc

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or vanish and reappear in an unoccupied space within the keep. Incorporeal Movement. Caradoc can move through other creatures and objects as if they were

’s swiftly pulled back if caught beyond its walls without a host. Personality Trait. “I might be dead, but there’s no reason I can’t live it up a little.” Ideal. &ldquo

Hobgoblin Devastator

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Army Arcana. When the hobgoblin casts a spell that causes damage or that forces other creatures to make a saving throw, it can choose itself and any number of allies to be immune to the damage caused

of the magical arts, they learn the basics of weapon use, and they measure their deeds by the enemies defeated though their magic. They have the respect of other members of the host and receive

Khargra

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

metal with ease, organic matter and gems are repugnant to them. If a khargra eats such morsels for whatever reason, they remain lodged in its gullet for a few days of indigestion before the offending

material is coughed up. Reluctant Predators. Khargras find living flesh disgusting, and they attack creatures only when driven by hunger and a lack of safer options. After securing a meal of whatever

Stone Giant Dreamwalker

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

themselves become lost in the dream. Other stone giants are banished to the surface as punishment. Regardless of the reason they ended up on the surface, if they don’t take shelter under stone

surroundings, and this delirium leaches out into the world around them, affecting other creatures that get too close. Believing that they’re living in a dream and that their actions have no real

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

night while also granting spells to her devoted followers leaves Auril weak and vulnerable. In her self-inflicted weakened state, Auril is inclined to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures

might prove helpful: So long as she has mortal worshipers, Auril can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals

Demilich (Variant) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

16 Constitution saving throw or drop to 0 hit points. On a successful save, the creature is frightened until the end of its next turn. Life Drain. The demilich targets up to three creatures that it

its existence. Few liches seek to become demiliches, for it means an end to the existence they hoped to preserve by becoming undead. However, time can erode the lich’s reason and memory, causing

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

Kobolds are a lot less cute when they learn how to cast fireballs. — Volo Kobolds are often dismissed as cowardly, foolish, and weak, but these little reptilian creatures actually have a

a perfect world, the creatures would be left alone to dig their tunnels and raise the next generation of kobolds, all the while seeking the magic that will free their imprisoned god (see the &ldquo

Greater Star Spawn Emissary

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

","rollAction":"Unearthly Bile"}. The emissary expels bile that splashes all creatures in a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 120 feet of the emissary. Each creature in that area must make a DC

);{"diceNotation":"5d12","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Mind Cloud","rollDamageType":"psychic"} psychic damage. In addition, every spell ends on creatures and objects of the emissary’s choice in

Hutijin

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

other creatures in that area must each make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (4d8);{"diceNotation":"4d8","rollType":"damage","rollDamageType":"lightning storm"} lightning damage on a failed

figure, known only to the most learned infernal scholars. He has no cults of his own, and his servants are few in number. The reason is simple: Hutijin hates mortals. When summoned from the Hells, he

Mahadi the Rakshasa

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

rank most highly in his esteem. Of course, guests leaving Infernal Rapture are expected to pay their bills in full prior to departure. If a guest cannot pay for whatever reason, the contract they

at Infernal Rapture. If they possess a talent for sales, they might eventually obtain a business to run within the Wandering Emporium.Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical AttacksPiercing from Magic Weapons Wielded by Good Creatures

Lesser Star Spawn Emissary

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

and just as readily appear as people, animals, or other creatures—the more unassuming, the better. Should it reveal its true form, an emissary appears as a roughly bipedal mass of agitated organs

slurry. It then instantly returns in its greater form. Only if the emissary is defeated in its greater form does the star spawn die. After finishing a long rest, a greater star spawn emissary regains

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

Yondalla relate to tortles most of all. Tortles believe that night and day watch over them and other creatures. The moon is the eye of night that watches over them in darkness, and the sun is the

regard these settlements as places worth defending with their lives, and they will abandon a settlement when it no longer serves their needs. Most tortles like to see how other creatures live and

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

otherwise produce anything of value. They bully weaker creatures into doing their bidding, so they can take it easy. When a superior force tries to intimidate bugbears into service, they will try to escape

indolence offers no clue to how vicious the creatures are. Bugbears are capable of bouts of incredible ferocity, using their muscular bodies to exact swift and ruthless violence. At their core

Trade Talk

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild

Trade Talk Thessalar’s fixation on monster design provides an opportunity for bonding with any character with insight into that topic—or who can fake it well enough, either using suitable roleplaying

and player ingenuity, or a successful DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) check. Suggesting a new design for a magical creature (ideally one combining the aspects of two or more existing creatures in some particularly deadly way) can grant advantage on checks made to interact with the artificer.

Triton Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

spread across the world’s oceans and established protectorates to watch over deep sea trenches, portals, undersea caves, and other locations where their enemies might lurk. They defeated their

arrogant. They see themselves as caretakers of the sea, and they expect other creatures to pay them deep respect, if not complete deference. This attitude might grate on others, but it arises from a seed

Ancient Sapphire Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

. Sapphire dragons watch for signs of Aberrations and other creatures corrupted by the Far Realm. They frequently ally with emerald dragons, drawing on their kin’s knowledge of occult phenomena to

;{"diceNotation":"1d6","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Ideal"} Ideal 1 Solitude. A stranger is just an intruder I haven’t dealt with yet. (Neutral) 2 Preservation. Most creatures cannot be

Luba's Tarokka of Souls

Magic Items Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

released and destroyed. This reveals a fifteenth soul, a lich, that inhabits the Nether card, which appears only when the fourteen souls are defeated. If this ancient entity is destroyed, the Nether card

creatures of the night. “We may wander amid the shadows,” Mother Luba said. “But we must ever serve as a light to our fellow travelers.” Some years ago, Mother Luba disappeared into

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

, orcs breed prodigiously (and they aren’t choosy about what they breed with, which is why such creatures as half-orcs and ogrillons are found in the world). Females that are about to give birth are

relieved of their other roles and taken to the lair’s whelping pens, where they are tended to by Luthic’s followers. Orcs don’t take mates, and no pair-bonding occurs in a tribe

Crook of Rao

Magic Items Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

wizard Tasha). Although she was defeated, Iggwilv managed to damage the crook during the battle, infecting it with an insidious curse—and the potential for future victory. In the aftermath, the

from for 100 years. Failing Matrix. Whenever the Crook of Rao’s Absolute Banishment property is used, or when its last charge is expended, roll on the Extraplanar Reversal table. Any creatures

Auril's Everlasting Rime

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

nightly quest to hold the sun at bay stems from a need to preserve the beauty of things by freezing them. There is no way to reason with a being so bereft of compassion as Auril, but in her weakened

state, she can be defeated or forced to reckon with her cruel indifference toward life. Anyone who hopes to reach the Netherese city buried in the ice must first visit Auril’s island and obtain The

Cults of the Dragon Below

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War

organizations with global reach, the cults have no organizing structure or principle. They are an infection inflicted on the world without reason. “Cult of the Dragon Below” is a term that outsiders use

eyes in a deep vault, while new eyes grow in strange places on their own bodies. 2 A cult of Dyrrn the Corrupter seeks to transcend humanity by bonding with aberrations and symbionts. 3 A cult of

New Characters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

, the characters need a reason for Lord Neverember to request their help in chapter 1, even if it’s simply because their heroics are widely known. Regardless, 10th-level characters have already had long

character fought the cultists and defeated the cult’s archmage leader. 2 As a bodyguard for a high-ranking political or business figure, the character has staved off attacks from assassins and demons. 3

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