#monstrous creatures

[env0]

D&D Players of Tumblr!

D&DBeyond are offering an Advent Calendar of FREE content starting today.

Sink your teeth into today’s gift of the Monstrous Compendion Volume Two: Dragonlance Creatures, and enjoy 11 monsters from the recently released Dragonlance campaign setting.

Enjoy the stat blocks and artwork of 11 beautiful monsters to start incorporating int your campaigns!

Featuring a diverse set of creature types, gorgeous art, and even sneaking some magical items in there as well. (I’m looking at you Verminard, wielder of Nightbringer)

So if you were looking for a Autumn themed Unicorn. Then do I have a treat for you! The Forest Master, a CR 8 Celestial creature.

I am excited for this D&DBeyond Advent Calendar and so should you

Not sponsored but that'd be dope

[critical-quoter]

It's funny how the people who live around us have a way of making an impression on us. We feel them when they're here, like the gravitational pull of another planet, but sometimes we even feel them when they're gone. After their death, they leave behind memories, treasured gifts or belongings, or perhaps a worn spot on a favorite piece of furniture.

The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures - Aaron Mahnke

[journey-to-the-attic]

one thing about ik is that she will always reach out

[gravemud]

Perception

[dykesynthezoid]

Think it would be fun if we found out Armand DID absolutely throw 18th century Lestat around at least a little bc you knoooow it would invoke the Magnus trauma. Also it just kind of makes sense bc Armand is so much older and more powerful (at least pre-Lestat Akasha juicebox); but honestly mostly the Magnus thing. Something about Lestat throwing himself into vampirism with the assurance that at least now he is powerful, at least now no one will ever have power over him like that again. And then out of nowhere finding he is actually sorely mistaken on that front.

[soothedcerberus]

A really sweet commission I got from Casey White! 🥹🥺

[quiverymango]

I just wanted to show off his Something shaped beans :3c

[thecreaturecodex]

Shobolon

Panels from Bone, © Jeff Smith

[Sponsored by @glarnboudin. Bone is a comic series that I remember reading and loving in undergraduate. And the "Stupid Stupid Rat Creatures" were my favorite characters. They pivot from menacing to comical and back on a dime, and have a very distinctive look. Their culture (or lack of it) has some very interesting world building implications, and they're one of the better riffs on the "evil minion species" in fantasy literature that doesn't go for wholesale deconstruction. However, they don't have much in the way of distinctive abilities in the comic. So I had to do some work to ensure that they were mechanically interesting.

A word about the name. In Bone, they are only known as "rat creatures", which says some alarming things if rats are sapient and seven feet tall. The name I went with was suggested by @abominationimperatrix. It's an Eastern European rat-ogre, but information on it in English is super sparse, to the point where different sources disagree whether it's Romanian or Romani.]

Shobolon CR 2 NE Monstrous Humanoid This shaggy, bulky humanoid has wide red eyes and a wide mouth full of sharp teeth. Its ears rise to a sharp point, and it walks on its knuckles.

Shobolons are voracious monsters that tend to live in large numbers. They are larger, stronger and slightly dimmer relatives of ratfolk, although the two species rarely interact on friendly terms. Their endonym is rarely spoken—most people just refer to shobolons as “rat-creatures”. Shobolons are omnivorous, but greatly prefer meat, and they don’t particularly care if their meat comes from sapient sources. They tend to fight from ambush, using their skill at climbing, swimming and squeezing into tight spaces to attack from unusual angles. They are fond of using the Intimidate skill to demoralize their foes, screeching hideously before moving to set up flanking positions or retreat from a losing battle.

Most shobolons engage in dramatic body modification. Their long scaly tails are docked shortly after birth (shobolon legends tell of these tails being used as handles by a wrestling demigod who humiliated them in the past), and their ears are cropped upon reaching adulthood in order to grant them a more threatening appearance. Shobolons do not have names of their own unless granted by a member of another species, or by their rulers as a reward for meritorious service. Despite their foolishness and lack of material culture, shobolons tend to be erudite, and like using long words in order to sound smarter (“hello, small mammal” is a common greeting/threat). Shobolons tend towards religion, and different hordes often venerate different gods or powerful fiends. Shobolons universally fear and hate dragons.

Shobolon Rulers Shobolons are very long lived, and display indeterminate growth. One that lives for hundreds of years and feeds well may grow to immense size and power. This growth is somewhat disproportionate, as their arms do not grow to scale with the rest of their bodies. A shobolon ruler often uses titles like King or Queen, regardless of how many shobolons they rule over. Such creatures are Large in size with 12 racial HD. A shobolon ruler has improved grab and swallow whole with its bite attack, gains frightful presence as a special attack and has undersized weapons as an SQ. A shobolon ruler is at least a CR 8 creature—many of them have levels in fighter or cleric beyond their racial HD.

Shobolon CR 2 XP 600 NE Medium monstrous humanoid (ratfolk) Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +4 Defense AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+1 Dex, +3 natural) hp 19 (3d10+3) Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2 Defensive Abilities tight fit Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee 2 claws +4 (1d4+1), bite +4 (1d6+1) Special Attacks startle Statistics Str 13, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 10 Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 15 Feats Improved Initiative,Skill Focus (Intimidate) Skills Climb +10, Escape Artist +7, Intimidate +8, Perception +4, Stealth +6, Swim +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Climb, +4 Escape Artist, +4 Swim Languages Common Ecology Environment temperate forests and hills Organization solitary, pair, troop (3-8), army (9-24 plus 1 2nd-4th level fighter per 20 individuals) or horde (25-200 plus 1 2nd-4th level fighter per 20 individuals and 1 ruler) Treasure standard Special Abilities Startle (Ex) A shobolon can make an Intimidate check to demoralize an opponent as a move action. An opponent intimidated by a shobolon cannot make attacks of opportunity as long as it suffers from a fear effect. Tight Fit (Ex) A shobolon suffers only half the usual penalty to Armor Class and attack rolls when squeezing. Two shobolons can fit in the same space and fight without penalty.

[jet-teeth]

Lil birbday sketch for @upsettispaghettivulture ! Slightly more monstrous interpretation of their dragon OC "Vex"

[catsxratsxbats]

Ultimate favorite horror trope is when the monster is also the victim

[everytimewetouch-dot-mp3]

god ok because i am unable to be chill now that im thinking about it: monstrous hua cheng thoughts

emerging from the kiln changes a ghost. yes, it crystallizes their resolve into devastating power; but more than that, it distills who they are into their truest form.

hua cheng’s true form is that of a roguish, wild young man who gave up an eye to honor his god, and who dresses in the red and silver of a mother he hardly remembers.

but he has another form, just as true, that he refuses to allow His Highness to see.

it is as monstrous as he knows himself to be. his ears taper to a point; his body is tall—so tall—and emaciated. his hair flows down his back, dissipating into a thick, red-black smoke that leaves a trail of blood as it shrouds his heavy boots. all of him is sharp: his jaw, his fangs, his claws. even disgusting as this form is, it still serves His Highness. a weapon to wield against his enemies, a shield to defend his honor. this form could be forgiven for its nauseating appearance, hua cheng imagines, if not for the centerpiece of its damned face.

that eye. its sclera is red, growing darker as it approaches the slitted pupil. it glows blood-red in the darkness that shrouds this form. even in pitch darkness, the damned thing can be seen. it burns through patches, refusing to be hidden. he has clawed it out in fits of rage again and again; and each time, it returns minutes later.

this form is just as true as the one His Highness says he loves. hua cheng can’t help but imagine that should He ever see it, it might be the thing that finally disgusts Him enough to send him away. so hua cheng keeps it hidden, bound tight beneath the skins far more pleasing to His eyes.

[critical-quoter]

And as if that weren't enough, this horrible, ageless monster is - and always has been - right inside each of us. Like a vampire curse, we carry it in our blood. But it's probably not what you'd expect. It's fear.

The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures - Aaron Mahnke

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

He's a Beautiful Butterfly!

[skakerman]

Deuteronomy 2:10 by The Mountain Goats x Trigun Stampede Episode 6

Credit to @aubielikey for making me realize this is actually a song about Wolfwood

[madcat-world]

Monstrous Tales II (5 of 8) - Sija Hong

[crocodilenjoyer]

what if you 🫵 wanted to take a nap 💤 but god said ☝️ asl dunmeshi au 💥