#5e monstrosity

[vivi-the-goblin]

Fun fact- lickitung couldn't learn lick in gen 1. It was exclusive to the Ghastly and Jynx lines. And...look, it's the end of the year. I'm gonna be real, my creativity's a bit burnt out from the holiday rush. maybe I'll come back and add encounter ideas later, but I'm just kinda out of it. Seriously, every entry for both of these just says it has a big tongue with paralyzing saliva. I've got little to go off here. and all my searches just say they're based on a yokai that licks the walls of old bathrooms? Which exists for some reason? So we're doing this without the descriptions like I used to. I'm gonna take a small hiatus to recover now, but I'll be back to posting when I can! I'll be back, and in the meantime will still be on youtube and posting the stuff I make for there. I know, it's not the same, but I need to take a break from one of the two to get any amount of freetime. The youtube algorithm will sweep away all my progress in 2-3 weeks, tumblr won't. I'll come back. I always do.

[5ecardaday]

Guildmasters of Ravnica, Pt. 1

This is just a preview of five, brand-new high CR encounters for D&D 5e. Based on legendary creatures from MtG's Ravnica: City of Guilds.

If you'd like to see all five, as well as support my work and get access to other releases, you can do so over on my Patreon! Be quick though, because this release will only be public until next month.

[thirdtofifth]

Protean Scourge Medium monstrosity (shapechanger), neutral evil Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 161 (19d8 + 76) Speed 40 ft., climb 10 ft. Str 20, Dex 17, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 19 Damage Immunities poison Damage Resistances cold, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered Condition Immunities petrified, poisoned Senses darkvision 60 ft. passive Perception 12 Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal Challenge 12 (8400 XP) Magic Resistance. The protean scourge has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Shapechanger. The protean scourge can use its action to polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid, or back into its true form. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Spellcasting. The protean scourge is a 8th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). The protean scourge has the following sorcerer spells prepared: Cantrips (at will): dancing lights, mage hand, prestidigitation 1st level (4 slots): charm person, color spray, mage armor 2nd level (3 slots): mirror image, scorching ray, spider climb 3rd level (3 slots): blink, haste 4th level (2 slots): greater invisibility Actions Multiattack. The protean scourge makes either two attacks with its claws and one attack with its gore; or three attacks with its scythe and one attack with its gore. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8+5) slashing damage. Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10+5) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Scythe. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) slashing damage. Reactions Split. When the protean scourge is subjected to damage, it splits into two new protean scourges if it has at least 10 hit points. Each new protean scourge has hit points equal to half the original protean scourge's, rounded down. Each new protean scourge can cast spells, but they share a pool of spells per day as if they were one creature. The two protean scourges can recombine in a process that takes one minute and requires both protean scourges to be within 5 feet of each other. The separate protean scourges are incapacitated while recombining, and only two protean scourges who were originally separated from each other can recombine.

These deadly shapechanging assassins are often mistaken for denizens of the Abyss. With abnormally-long legs and pebbly red skin, the confusion is understandable. They love killing above all else, and seek out opportunities to do so, happily submitting to the service of evil warlords and the like to sate their bloodlust. These thoroughly-cruel creatures stand around 7 feet tall and weigh 200 pounds.

Originally from the Monster Manual III

[crocodile-i-guess]

Owlbear

[cumberworld44]

Kelpi encounter I homebrewed in for Wild Beyond the Witchlight. Good campaign but not enough combat me thinks.

[sheppi-isometrics]

⚔️ Chitine on Patreon

-

🌟 Get access to more than 200 creatures, maps and assets by supporting us on Patreon! Complement your campaigns with hi-res monster tokens and start building the adventure of your dreams with our isometric and 2D assets 🏰!

[clickityweasel]

mission: run lightning through aatoi to try and speak to aliens was a SUCCESS, SOMEHOW

[archivestarlyht]

patch notes : kar’niss is now correctly labeled a monstrosity

sol’rys approves

[adndmonsteraday]

A harpy (pl: harpies) was a malign race of monstrous humanoid winged creatures. A group of them was referred to as either a "flock" or a "gaggle".

A harpy had the upper body of a female humanoid and the lower body of an reptilian creature, with scaly legs, clawed feet, and clawed hands with knotty fingers. Harpies had coal-black eyes in faces like cruel old women, with hair that was filthy, tangled, and crusted with old dry blood. They possessed powerful leathery wings with which they could fly and carry away their victims.

Harpies did not wear any clothing, but would adorn themselves with jewelry or trinkets from their victims.

There was no physical difference between male and female harpies. The males possessed breasts just like the females did, leading to the misconception that male harpies did not exist.

Harpies were notoriously malevolent and sadistic, taking enormous joy in hurting, torturing and killing their victims, and were always seeking more. They were fond of entrancing travelers with their songs and luring them to shockingly cruel dooms. When they were done playing with their captives, they slew them and finally devoured them.

They were not particularly intelligent creatures, and were prone to cowardice in the face of superior power.

The deadliest power of the harpy was its insidious and captivating song. A harpy's song, while it was heard, acted like a charm affecting all non-harpies up to 300 feet (91 meters) away. It took an effort to will to resist; those who did could count themselves safe for a day, at least from that one harpy's song. In those who succumbed, it induced a trance-like state in which the victim was compelled to move directly towards the harpy. If dangers obstructed their path, they could shake off the effect, but if they could not, they could do little but try to protect themselves. However, once within reach of the harpy, the victim was at the harpy's mercy and made no attempt at defending themselves. Creatures who could not hear were unaffected by the magical song. Elves were naturally resistant to the effects of the harpy's song.

They had keen hearing and skills in deceit, intimidation, and, curiously, oratory.

Harpies used primitive weapons, usually big bones wielded as improvised clubs, but a few harpy archers mastered the use of bows. Otherwise, they could also bite and attack with their claws. They often attacked on the wing, striking with their weapons. They had no preference over their victims, and enjoyed the killing and torture of any creature.

Female harpies could lay eggs from the age of two and would lay a total of up to twenty during their lifetime, but only around three of those would successfully hatch, and any deformed young were killed by a parent. It was unclear whether harpies looked after their young or not, but if they did, it consisted of nothing more than feeding their young, similar to birds.

The lifespan of a harpy was up to 50 years, but most died around 25–30 years. When old age weakened a harpy, it was killed by its kin.

They were almost exclusively carnivorous, but if meat was unavailable, they would resort to eating vegetation. Their preferred food was fresh demihuman meat, especially elves. Due to the natural resistance elves had to the harpy's song, harpies viewed their meat as an especially rare delicacy.

Harpies made homes in groups of six or more individuals within marshlands or in caves near shorelines, which were preferably near well-traveled routes. They were often encountered alone, in pairs, or in packs of seven to a dozen harpies known as "flights". However, a tribe of harpies, known as a "scream", could be as large as two hundred. There was no social structure to harpy life. There was constant quarreling, which sometimes resulted in fights to the death. When deaths did occur, harpies were willing to eat their own kind. Otherwise, harpies ventured out to hunt, and their victims were often brought back to the lair to be killed and eaten.

Harpies were generally uninterested in treasure or wealth, but they would always take at least one possession from a victim back to their lair as a symbol of their kill.

A few successful harpies took up the bow as archers, mastering this tactic and going at it alone as cruel hunters, bandits, and mercenaries, usually operating as bandits when not hired as mercenaries. Such harpies acquired much wealth in the form of the tools of their trade.

It was not unknown for harpies to cooperate with other evil humanoids if it served their interests.

Harpies with long tails were known to dwell in and around the Kingdom of Nix, a goblin realm that lay upon the high Forbidden Plateau in the Utter East, beside a glacier in the Wu Pi Te Shao Mountains of the Yehimal. The harpies of Nix were known to be merciless hunters.

Harpies were also known to be in the many forests and jungles of Maztica.

Harpies living within the Kingdom of Nix were instrumental in Redfang the Reaper's reign of terror over Vanesci Hamlet in the 7th century DR. Swooping down from high in the skies they would kidnap villagers in nets, carrying them away and eventually dropping them into the cauldrons of Nix. The demise of their hapless victims produced a burst of mana that powered the kingdom's bloodforges.

Source: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Harpy

[dndcreaturesinfo]

Azor, the Lawbringer

[y-rhywbeth2]

D&D Vampire Lore Dump #2

"Biology" Their "metabolism" and their physical body, their senses, why they're not aging and "vampires actually make fantastic torture victims, if you're a monster: vampire healing and how to inflict scars on them."

OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER FOR FIRST TIME READERS: There are two things to note about the lore presented here: First, while the standard stat block in the monster manual is the default, in terms of lore vampires have this annoying tendency to be incredibly, stupidly varied. They are magical monstrosities ruled by the power of symbolism and superstition above anything else.

The next is that D&D is decades old, spans five editions, several settings and hundreds of writers. One guy establishes a piece of lore, and then the next picks it up goes "nah" and writes something else. I collected info from four different source books, all from different editions, which naturally don't entirely agree on how vampires work. Lore never stays consistent and may contradict itself. You may see information somewhere else from a source I don't have that contradicts what I wrote here. If you read this and like some of this stuff but not other bits, take the good and ditch the rest. Larian themselves have not written BG3 totally compliant with some established D&D lore or the original games.

Basically, in D&D, canon is what you decide it is.

Feeding | "Biology" | Hierarchy | Weaknesses and Cures | Psychology

The transformation into a vampire causes little physical change, except for the fangs, and the fact that their facial features seem take on a permanent hardened expression, appearing more "feral" in a way that is likened to a starving wolf. Spawn moreso than freed vampires, and in 5e they have claws despite the fact that freed vampires don't. Rarely a vampire's eyes turn red upon changing, but this doesn't usually happen. Their eyes do start glowing red when they're angry through.

Most of the vampire's five senses are sharpened by undeath. They can see perfectly in the dark, for example, and are very hard to catch off guard. The only one that gets duller than it was when they were alive is the sense of touch - "a blunt, phantom sense of touch, more mechanical than biological. It is a pale, crude approximation of a real tactile sense." They don't feel the effects of physical exertion and their ability to feel pain is dulled (but not nonexistent). They're not particularly bothered by high or cold temperatures unless they're at extremes (like frostbite levels, or "standing by a lava pool" levels). They're also largely unbothered by electric shocks.

They don't breathe, though they do actually have a heartbeat as their blood still gets pumped around their body. It doesn't provide any biological need of a living circulatory system, but is possibly part of keeping the body animated via magic.

Vampires do not produce body heat and tend to be room temperature to the touch unless they've fed within the last 24 hours, in which case they appear alive.

Lacking brain activity on account of being dead, vampires are immune to mind effecting spells and psionics. The fact that Astarion is affected by the tadpole is likely due to Netherese magic. The parasite is canonically modifying his undead state to its needs and has shut down his vampiric abilities, as he observes in one banter.

Their physical abilities massively increase. They have superhuman strength, speed and reflexes and are far more durable than the living.

Vampiric blood looks like humanoid blood at first glance, but takes on a golden sheen when held up to a light source. Also if the vampire it came from is still alive, then that blood can have strange magic properties… which are random! Maybe it burns like acid, or puts you under mind control if you touch it, or explodes into flame when exposed to sunlight! You won't know 'til you find out, it could do anything or nothing.

Vampires are capable of siring partially-undead children with the living (Dhampirs). Dhampirs are alive but as they grow up and their undead heritage starts to manifest they begin to share their vampire parent's cravings and feeding habits and are not terribly fond of said parent, as a rule.

Vampires are the only undead that require sleep. That turned out to be a very long topic of its own though, so maybe I'll focus on the details another time. Short version: Vampires have an instinctive knowledge of how close sunrise is. Some vampires can chose to sleep much like humans, others will immediately shut down the second the sun appears over the horizon and be dead until the moment it next sinks below said horizon, at which point the vampire is 1000% aware and awake again. They are bound to soil from their grave/homeland and must sleep on/in that or be destroyed. In BG3 specifically, looking at Cazador, elves still reverie (trance) in undeath. (In reverie, elves relive their memories of years gone by in vivid real time instead of dreaming. It's how elves avoid forgetting their own lives while living 700+ years) Vampires also hibernate, where they chose to go into a deep sleep for an unknown and uncontrollable length of time reaching centuries in length. Usually due to depression.

A vampire's body is frozen in time, and they will always have the same appearance they had when they died. The magic that keeps the vampire frozen in time, unageing, also gives them regenerative properties as it tries to reset them. Within minutes of receiving a wound, the wound has closed itself as if it were never there. "Wounds close, broken bones reform themselves, even missing limbs regenerate…" Reducing a vampire to 0 hit points also does not kill them, but that's for a later instalment. If one were to torture a vampire one could get both incredibly creative and make it last indefinitely.

They also can't get new tattoos or piercings, as the body heals them over again and pushes out the ink/metal. On the same logic if they had body modifications before they died then they'd never be able to get rid of them - if you scrape off the skin a tattoo is on or tore off a pierced lobe, the skin that grows back will still have the tattoo and the ear will have the hole for the earing still there.

However, there are forms of magical damage that inflict permanent marks on a vampire, which are called stigmata. Sunlight, holy water, holy symbols and the like are known to leave a scar. A silver plated blade might also do it.

There are two energy planes: Positive and Negative. Also known as the Planes of Life and Death, whose energies infuse the Prime Material Plane (which contains worlds like Earth and Toril). Living creatures are powered by positive energy (also called "radiant"), while the undead are animated by negative energy ("necrotic"). It's actually theorised that the undead somehow exist on the Prime Material Plane and the Negative Energy Plane simultaneously, though this seems gets into a lot of planar lore and conflicting information that I'm not going into. Traditionally, due to this difference, the undead are healed by spells made of negative/necrotic energy such as Inflict Wounds spells, but in reverse would be harmed by healing spells. 5e has not included this detail, that I've seen.

[rpgsandbox]

The 10 Most Anticipated TTRPGs For 2024!

EN World's annual vote on the most anticipated titles of the coming year, and yes, some games have appeared on this list in previous years.

10 Tales of the Valiant (Kobold Press)

1st appearance Kobold Press joins the 'alternate 5E' club with this rewritten, non-OGL version of the game! A million dollar Kickstarter last year, and a new one for the GM's book going on right now, Kobold Press announced this as 'Project Black Flag' during the OGL crisis of 2023, but being unable to trademark that name opted for Tales of the Valiant instead. The system, however, is still called the Black Flag Roleplaying System.

9. Mothership 1E (Tuesday Night Games)

3rd appearance On this list three years running, the boxed Mothership 1E game should be coming out this year! This is sci-fi horror at its best -- you can play scientists, teamsters, androids, and marines using the d100 'Panic Engine'. Yep, it's Alien(s), pretty much.

8. Monty Python's Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Program (Exalted Funeral)

2nd Appearance Exalted Funeral made quite a splash when they announced this game last year, which went on to make neary $2M on Kickstarter. And how could they not? It's Monty Python fergoodnessake! A rules-lite gaming system, spam, a minigame with catapults, spam, coconut dice rollers, spam, and an irrepressible Python-eque sense of humour. Did I mention the spam? It was at #10 on this list last year, but it's claimed to #8 this year.

7. Daggerheart (Darrington Press)

1st appearance From the Critical Role folks, Daggerheart is a new fantasy TTRPG with its own original system coming out this year with "A fresh take on fantasy RPGs, designed for long-term campaign play and rich character progression."

6. Cohors Cthulhu (Modiphius)

1st appearance It's Ancient Rome. It's Cthulhu. It uses Modiphius' in-house 2d20 System. You can be a gladiator, a centurion, or a Germanic hero. Did I mention Cthulhu?

5. Dolmenwood (Necrotic Gnome)

1st appearance The British Isles, a ton of folklore, and a giant Kickstarter--Dolmenwood is a dark, whimsical fantasy TTRPG drawing from fairy tales and lets you "journey through tangled woods and mossy bowers, forage for magical mushrooms and herbs, discover rune-carved standing stones and hidden fairy roads, venture into fungal grottoes and forsaken ruins, battle oozing monstrosities, haggle with goblin merchants, and drink tea with fairies."

4. Pendragon 6E (Chaosium)

4th appearance Last year's winner was on this list waaaaay back in 425 AD, and it's still here! Well, maybe not that far back, but it's shown up in 2021 at #4, 2022 at #3, 2023 at #1, and now 2024 at #4! What can we say? People are clearly anticipating it... still.

3. 13th Age 2nd Edition (Pelgrane Press)

2nd appearance 13th Age is over a decade old now, and was our most anticipated game way back in 2013. Now the new edition is coming! It's compatible with the original, but revised and with a ton more... stuff! 13th Age 2E was #3 in last year's list!

2. The Electric State Roleplaying Game (Free League)

1st appearance Free League is always on these lists, and for good reason. This gorgeous looking game is described as "A road trip on the verge of reality in visual artist and author Simon Stålenhag's vision of an apocalyptic alternate 1990s".

1. Shadow of the Weird Wizard (Schwalb Entertainment)

3rd appearance First announced by Rob Schwalb a couple of years ago, this is a more family-friendly version of his acclaimed RPG, Shadow of the Demon Lord. SHADOW OF THE WEIRD WIZARD is a fantasy roleplaying game in which you and your friends assume the roles of characters who explore the borderlands and make them safe for the refugees escaping the doom that has befallen the old country. Unsafe are these lands: the Weird Wizard released monsters to roam the countryside, cruel faeries haunt the shadows, undead drag themselves free from their tombs, and old, ancient evils stir once more. If the displaced people would rebuild their lives, they need heroes to protect them. Finally at the top of the list after being #7 in 2022, and #6 in 2023!

[5ecardaday]

Monster Popularity Contest– Ixalan

If you want to help make decisions on what content I make, get early access to all of my releases, and join my new patron-exclusive discord, you can do so by signing up to support me on Patreon!

Last week my supporters were treated to 5 new monsters, each one from the verdant islands of Magic: the Gathering’s Ixalan setting! Normally my first release of each month is just 3 creatures, but I went a little further this time since I was adhering to some rules about MtG’s color identities.

I’m particularly proud of Beckett Brass, who I think has the most interesting design; but Gishath also turned out really well, given how easy it can be to make a big stompy dinosaur into something boring in D&D. No problems with that here though.

[thirdtofifth]

Fhorge Large monstrosity (monstrosity), unaligned Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 147 (14d10 + 70) Speed 40 ft. Str 24, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 10 Senses passive Perception 12 Languages - Challenge 9 (5000 XP) Charge. If the fhorge moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a tusk attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 24 (7d6) piercing damage. Keen Smell. The fhorge has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. Relentless (Recharges After A Short Or Long Rest). If the fhorge takes 25 damage or less that would reduce it to 0 hit points, it is reduced to 1 hit point instead. Actions Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d8+7) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 19). Until this grapple ends, the fhorge can't use its bite. Worry. One target grappled by the fhorge must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or take 29 (5d8+7) bludgeoning damage and 29 (5d8+7) piercing damage.

These dread beasts roam the plains of the Outlands, finding food where they can. Some can be found on the more remote and exotic savannahs of the Material Plane, in herds of five to eight individuals. They can be quite aggressive if provoked. Fhorges stand around 5 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh almost 800 pounds.

Originally from the Fiend Folio.

[painofhumanity]

@fearinfected liked the Pride Starter Call

"I don't mind helping you put this together, Eddie, but I gotta tell you-- It really would've been easier to just let me build you a table instead of buying some IKEA monstrosity," Ben said as he searched for the 5e screw, or whatever the hell the instructions called it. "I've told Beverly the same thing, yet she still insists on buying whatever's fashionable." It was said with an amused smile, because Ben couldn't help loving her for being so insistent on buying herself the finer things, especially now that no one could stop her.

[capriprov]

Watch the FULL version of our trailer here!

CAPRICIOUS PROVENANCE is an award winning D&D 5e AP Audio Drama fusion set in an arcanepunk, partially homebrewed world of Eberron! After The Last War devastated Khorvaire - and their lives - fate follows four unlikely friends attempting to grapple with their own destinies as the fate of the world falls into a chaotic uncertainty.Join our…heroes(?) as they navigate their ever-changing lives in the wake of destruction, wading in the depths of their trauma as they connect with the troubled people living in a fragmented world. We’re an all queer & trans, majority BIPOC cast of tabletop creatives that bend the rules, change the lore, and break the game to tell a story of fighting tooth and nail against the way things are, and daring to hope for change.

Capricious Provenance is free to listen to, and advertisement-free. Our team is small, and we have started this project with no funding. This podcast is a labor of love and collaboration between a group of friends that are very passionate about the art they create. We are hoping to acquire funding and grow the team in the future! For now, you can support the show via Ko-fi.

Will I like Capricious Provenance?

While Capricious Provenance’s main game system is D&D 5e, we use a mixture of different games in the podcast - such as Pathfinder and 1400 Sneak - to help tell our story. Additionally, while the world is set in 5e’s Eberron, it has been altered significantly and partially homebrewed to suit our main characters, featuring elements from various supplements such as Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting. Capricious Provenance is full of magic, whimsy, gods, monstrosities, political intrigue, and queer romance. There is a heavy focus on storytelling through character roleplay that makes room for heart wrenching character arcs and gives space for relationships between the characters to organically develop. The show explores themes of found family, generational trauma, religious trauma, healing, self discovery, the cost of war, freedom and revolution against an oppressive regime. It is ultimately a story of hope in dire times, embracing the monsters within ourselves formed by the world we live in, and finding the beauty in brutality. If you are a fan of media such as Dragon Age, Castlevania, Monster Hunter, The Owl House or Baldur’s Gate 3, you may enjoy Capricious Provenance!

Capricious Provenance Features:

A mixture of actual play and audio drama that places you in the shoes of our characters as we roll the dice.

Award-winning immersive narrative combat scenes that put you right in the center of the action. (Rainbow Roll Fest 2023)

Tarot readings and content warnings at the beginning of every episode so the listener knows precisely what they’re getting into.

Supplementary content, such as a short “radio broadcast” series providing updates directly from the world of our campaign and animatics illustrated by our artists.

Episode re-caps and lorekeeping, and more!

Where to Listen & Where to find us:

Listen on the Official Podcast Profile Listen elsewhere: Spotify || Pocket Casts || Google Play || Apple Podcasts || iHeartRadio Listen & watch more content on: Youtube You can find us on: Twitter || Instagram || Tiktok || Bluesky

Check out our website for cast information, character profiles and more details about the world: capriciousprovenance.carrd.co