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<blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 8870326" data-attributes="member: 6915329"><p>Hope all of your pre-New Year's celebrations went great!</p><p></p><p>And since it's right after the bulk of the winter holidays and just before New Year's, it makes perfect sense that our next monster is a spooOooky Ravenloft monster, along with a preface from the esteemed Dr. van Richten himself. The monsters in this article also all appeared in the first Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix. I’m not sure of the exact timing, but this is clearly an advertisement for that product. Shadow asps were later printed in the 3x <em>Denizens of Dread</em>, where their bite did 1d2-3 damage, plus poison. <em>What was the point of that!?</em></p><p></p><p>This is the <strong>shadow asp</strong>, a serpent whose bite is not only deadly, but will turn you into a shadow when you die. This is one of those monsters for which I’m never quite satisfied with the CR. It’s bite <em>should </em>be hard to resist, but by RAW it can’t because its hit points are super low—unless I give it an insanely high Con score, which <em>also</em> isn’t RAW. And most PCs who are up to raiding the mummy tombs are going to be higher level and probably never get affected by the asp. Sigh. I don’t <em>miss </em>save-or-die, but sometimes you want to make creatures that are ridiculously OP for their size.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, van Richten wishes you happy hunting!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]270617[/ATTACH]</p><p><span style="font-size: 15px">Art by Tom Baxa</span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"><span style="font-size: 22px">Shadow Asp</span></span></strong></p><p>Out of the Mists, Dragon Magazine #174</p><p>Created by William W. Conners</p><p></p><p>Many cultures take great care when they inter their dead, protecting the bodies with mazes, traps, and guardian undead and never-living constructs. But some have learned of a more-deadly tomb protector—the shadow asp. These slender snakes are composed purely of darkness, with no physical form of their own. But their needle fangs are solid enough, and inject a deadly toxin.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Shadow-Makers. </em></strong>Shadow asp venom is insidious. The bite’s location turns first gray, then pitch black, then the blackness spreads. When the victim’s entire body has turned black, they die. Soon, their shadow detaches from its former and rises as an undead shadow, forever bound to the spot where it died and forced to serve as the tomb’s protector.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Dedicated Guardians. </em></strong>These creatures are artificial creatures, formed out of shadow-stuff. Priests of gods of the dead and of graveyards sometimes create them to protect crypts and catacombs. Although they are little more than animals, they seem to understand their jobs and take them seriously and will gladly fight anyone who tries to disturb their tomb.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Legends and Lore</span></strong></p><p>With an Arcana or Religion check, the characters can learn the following:</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 10.</strong> Shadow asps are snakes made out of darkness used to guard tombs. While they don’t care about treasure, the tombs they guard are often filled with valuables.</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 15.</strong> These serpents are literally made of shadow-stuff; they are not natural creatures, and as living shadows, they are practically insubstantial. Their bite injects umbral venom and those who die to it rise as undead shadows who are bound to the tomb.</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 20.</strong> The touch of bright light can instantly kill a shadow asp.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Monster Encounters</span></strong></p><p><strong><em>Terrain:</em></strong> caverns, ruins, tombs</p><p></p><p><strong>CR 0-2</strong> shadow asp</p><p></p><p><strong>CR 3-4</strong> 1d4 shadow asps; 1-2 shadow asps and 1-2 shadows; shadow asp swarm</p><p></p><p><strong>CR 5-10</strong> shadow asp swarm and 1d4+1 shadows</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Signs</span></strong></p><p>1-2. With a DC 16 Perception check, a faint slithering or hissing noise.</p><p>3. A corpse covered in black puncture marks.</p><p>4. A preponderance of shadows, both normal and undead.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Behavior</span></strong></p><p>1-2. Lurking inside of a chest, hollow statue, pit, or other trap.</p><p>3-4. On a coffin or coiled around an funerary statue, in a threat position.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"><span style="font-size: 26px">Shadow Asp</span></span></strong></p><p><strong>Tiny construct (undead)</strong></p><p>Challenge 1 (200 XP)</p><p><strong>AC</strong> 15 (natural armor)</p><p><strong>HP</strong> 4 (1d4+2; bloodied 2)</p><p><strong>Speed</strong> 40 ft., climb 20 ft.</p><p></p><p><strong>STR</strong> 3 (-4) <strong>DEX</strong> 18 (+4) <strong>CON</strong> 14 (+2)</p><p><strong>INT</strong> 2 (-4) <strong>WIS</strong> 10 (+0) <strong>CHA</strong> 6 (-2)</p><p></p><p><strong>Proficiency</strong> +2</p><p><strong>Maneuver DC</strong> 14</p><p><strong>Skills</strong> Stealth +6</p><p><strong>Damage Vulnerability</strong> radiant</p><p><strong>Damage Immunities</strong> cold, necrotic, poison; nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing weapons</p><p><strong>Condition Immunities</strong> grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious</p><p><strong>Senses</strong> blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10</p><p><strong>Languages</strong> —</p><p><strong><em>Amorphous. </em></strong>The shadow asp can pass through an opening as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing.</p><p><strong><em>Light Vulnerability.</em></strong> If the shadow asp ends its turn in bright light, it dies.</p><p><strong><em>Lurker In Shadow. </em></strong>The shadow asp is invisible to darkvision.</p><p><strong><em>Semi-Undead. </em></strong>The shadow asp can’t be turned and takes no damage from holy water.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Bite. </em></strong><em>Melee Weapon Attack:</em> +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. <em>Hit: </em>1 piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) necrotic damage The target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by the amount equal to the necrotic damage dealt, and its hit point maximum is reduced by 1 at the end of each minute until the creature is targeted by a <em>dispel magic, lesser restoration, </em>or <em>remove curse </em>spell. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. If the target is reduced to 0 hit points by this attack, it dies and a new undead shadow rises from the corpse in 1d4 hours, the corpse no longer casts a natural shadow, and target can’t be raised from the dead until the shadow is destroyed, and the shadow can’t move more than 300 feet from the place where it was killed.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Bonus Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Hide. </em></strong>If in dim light or darkness, the shadow asp takes the Hide action.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Combat</span></strong></p><p>A shadow asp darts out of the darkness, bites, then retreats again. It fights to the death.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 26px"><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">Swarm of Shadow Asps</span></span></strong></p><p><strong>Medium swarm of Tiny constructs (undead)</strong></p><p>Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)</p><p><strong>AC</strong> 15 (natural armor)</p><p><strong>HP</strong> 65 (10d8+20; bloodied 32)</p><p><strong>Speed</strong> 40 ft., climb 20 ft.</p><p></p><p><strong>STR</strong> 3 (-4) <strong>DEX</strong> 18 (+4) <strong>CON</strong> 14 (+2)</p><p><strong>INT</strong> 2 (-4) <strong>WIS</strong> 10 (+0) <strong>CHA</strong> 6 (-2)</p><p></p><p><strong>Proficiency</strong> +2</p><p><strong>Maneuver DC</strong> 14</p><p><strong>Skills</strong> Stealth +6</p><p><strong>Damage Vulnerability</strong> radiant</p><p><strong>Damage Resistances</strong> magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing weapons</p><p><strong>Damage Immunities</strong> cold, necrotic, poison; nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing weapons</p><p><strong>Condition Immunities</strong> charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, poisoned, restrained, stunned, unconscious</p><p><strong>Senses</strong> blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10</p><p><strong>Languages</strong> —</p><p><strong><em>Amorphous. </em></strong>The shadow asp can pass through an opening as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing.</p><p><strong><em>Light Vulnerability.</em></strong> If the shadow asp ends its turn in bright light, it dies.</p><p><strong><em>Lurker In Shadow. </em></strong>The shadow asp is invisible to darkvision.</p><p><strong><em>Semi-Undead. </em></strong>The shadow asp can’t be turned and takes no damage from holy water.</p><p><strong><em>Swarm. </em></strong>The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide. It can’t gain HP or temporary hit points.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Bite. </em></strong><em>Melee Weapon Attack:</em> +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. <em>Hit: </em>11 (2d6+4) piercing damage plus 21 (6d6) necrotic damage, or 7 (1d6+4) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage if the swarm is bloodied, and the target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by the amount equal to the necrotic damage dealt. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. If the target is reduced to 0 hit points by this attack, it dies and a new undead shadow rises from the corpse in 1d4 hours, the corpse no longer casts a natural shadow, and target can’t be raised from the dead until the shadow is destroyed, and the shadow can’t move more than 300 feet from the place where it was killed.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Faolyn, post: 8870326, member: 6915329"] Hope all of your pre-New Year's celebrations went great! And since it's right after the bulk of the winter holidays and just before New Year's, it makes perfect sense that our next monster is a spooOooky Ravenloft monster, along with a preface from the esteemed Dr. van Richten himself. The monsters in this article also all appeared in the first Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix. I’m not sure of the exact timing, but this is clearly an advertisement for that product. Shadow asps were later printed in the 3x [I]Denizens of Dread[/I], where their bite did 1d2-3 damage, plus poison. [I]What was the point of that!?[/I] This is the [B]shadow asp[/B], a serpent whose bite is not only deadly, but will turn you into a shadow when you die. This is one of those monsters for which I’m never quite satisfied with the CR. It’s bite [I]should [/I]be hard to resist, but by RAW it can’t because its hit points are super low—unless I give it an insanely high Con score, which [I]also[/I] isn’t RAW. And most PCs who are up to raiding the mummy tombs are going to be higher level and probably never get affected by the asp. Sigh. I don’t [I]miss [/I]save-or-die, but sometimes you want to make creatures that are ridiculously OP for their size. Anyway, van Richten wishes you happy hunting! [ATTACH type="full"]270617[/ATTACH] [SIZE=4]Art by Tom Baxa[/SIZE] [B][COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)][SIZE=6]Shadow Asp[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B] Out of the Mists, Dragon Magazine #174 Created by William W. Conners Many cultures take great care when they inter their dead, protecting the bodies with mazes, traps, and guardian undead and never-living constructs. But some have learned of a more-deadly tomb protector—the shadow asp. These slender snakes are composed purely of darkness, with no physical form of their own. But their needle fangs are solid enough, and inject a deadly toxin. [B][I]Shadow-Makers. [/I][/B]Shadow asp venom is insidious. The bite’s location turns first gray, then pitch black, then the blackness spreads. When the victim’s entire body has turned black, they die. Soon, their shadow detaches from its former and rises as an undead shadow, forever bound to the spot where it died and forced to serve as the tomb’s protector. [B][I]Dedicated Guardians. [/I][/B]These creatures are artificial creatures, formed out of shadow-stuff. Priests of gods of the dead and of graveyards sometimes create them to protect crypts and catacombs. Although they are little more than animals, they seem to understand their jobs and take them seriously and will gladly fight anyone who tries to disturb their tomb. [B][SIZE=5]Legends and Lore[/SIZE][/B] With an Arcana or Religion check, the characters can learn the following: [B]DC 10.[/B] Shadow asps are snakes made out of darkness used to guard tombs. While they don’t care about treasure, the tombs they guard are often filled with valuables. [B]DC 15.[/B] These serpents are literally made of shadow-stuff; they are not natural creatures, and as living shadows, they are practically insubstantial. Their bite injects umbral venom and those who die to it rise as undead shadows who are bound to the tomb. [B]DC 20.[/B] The touch of bright light can instantly kill a shadow asp. [B][SIZE=5]Monster Encounters[/SIZE] [I]Terrain:[/I][/B] caverns, ruins, tombs [B]CR 0-2[/B] shadow asp [B]CR 3-4[/B] 1d4 shadow asps; 1-2 shadow asps and 1-2 shadows; shadow asp swarm [B]CR 5-10[/B] shadow asp swarm and 1d4+1 shadows [B][SIZE=5]Signs[/SIZE][/B] 1-2. With a DC 16 Perception check, a faint slithering or hissing noise. 3. A corpse covered in black puncture marks. 4. A preponderance of shadows, both normal and undead. [B][SIZE=5]Behavior[/SIZE][/B] 1-2. Lurking inside of a chest, hollow statue, pit, or other trap. 3-4. On a coffin or coiled around an funerary statue, in a threat position. [B][COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)][SIZE=7]Shadow Asp[/SIZE][/COLOR] Tiny construct (undead)[/B] Challenge 1 (200 XP) [B]AC[/B] 15 (natural armor) [B]HP[/B] 4 (1d4+2; bloodied 2) [B]Speed[/B] 40 ft., climb 20 ft. [B]STR[/B] 3 (-4) [B]DEX[/B] 18 (+4) [B]CON[/B] 14 (+2) [B]INT[/B] 2 (-4) [B]WIS[/B] 10 (+0) [B]CHA[/B] 6 (-2) [B]Proficiency[/B] +2 [B]Maneuver DC[/B] 14 [B]Skills[/B] Stealth +6 [B]Damage Vulnerability[/B] radiant [B]Damage Immunities[/B] cold, necrotic, poison; nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing weapons [B]Condition Immunities[/B] grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious [B]Senses[/B] blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 [B]Languages[/B] — [B][I]Amorphous. [/I][/B]The shadow asp can pass through an opening as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing. [B][I]Light Vulnerability.[/I][/B] If the shadow asp ends its turn in bright light, it dies. [B][I]Lurker In Shadow. [/I][/B]The shadow asp is invisible to darkvision. [B][I]Semi-Undead. [/I][/B]The[B] [/B]shadow asp can’t be turned and takes no damage from holy water. [B][U]Actions[/U] [I]Bite. [/I][/B][I]Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. [I]Hit: [/I]1 piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) necrotic damage The target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by the amount equal to the necrotic damage dealt, and its hit point maximum is reduced by 1 at the end of each minute until the creature is targeted by a [I]dispel magic, lesser restoration, [/I]or [I]remove curse [/I]spell. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. If the target is reduced to 0 hit points by this attack, it dies and a new undead shadow rises from the corpse in 1d4 hours, the corpse no longer casts a natural shadow, and target can’t be raised from the dead until the shadow is destroyed, and the shadow can’t move more than 300 feet from the place where it was killed. [B][U]Bonus Actions[/U] [I]Hide. [/I][/B]If in dim light or darkness, the shadow asp takes the Hide action. [B][SIZE=5]Combat[/SIZE][/B] A shadow asp darts out of the darkness, bites, then retreats again. It fights to the death. [B][SIZE=7][COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)]Swarm of Shadow Asps[/COLOR][/SIZE] Medium swarm of Tiny constructs (undead)[/B] Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) [B]AC[/B] 15 (natural armor) [B]HP[/B] 65 (10d8+20; bloodied 32) [B]Speed[/B] 40 ft., climb 20 ft. [B]STR[/B] 3 (-4) [B]DEX[/B] 18 (+4) [B]CON[/B] 14 (+2) [B]INT[/B] 2 (-4) [B]WIS[/B] 10 (+0) [B]CHA[/B] 6 (-2) [B]Proficiency[/B] +2 [B]Maneuver DC[/B] 14 [B]Skills[/B] Stealth +6 [B]Damage Vulnerability[/B] radiant [B]Damage Resistances[/B] magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing weapons [B]Damage Immunities[/B] cold, necrotic, poison; nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing weapons [B]Condition Immunities[/B] charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, poisoned, restrained, stunned, unconscious [B]Senses[/B] blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 [B]Languages[/B] — [B][I]Amorphous. [/I][/B]The shadow asp can pass through an opening as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing. [B][I]Light Vulnerability.[/I][/B] If the shadow asp ends its turn in bright light, it dies. [B][I]Lurker In Shadow. [/I][/B]The shadow asp is invisible to darkvision. [B][I]Semi-Undead. [/I][/B]The[B] [/B]shadow asp can’t be turned and takes no damage from holy water. [B][I]Swarm. [/I][/B]The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide. It can’t gain HP or temporary hit points. [B][U]Actions[/U] [I]Bite. [/I][/B][I]Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. [I]Hit: [/I]11 (2d6+4) piercing damage plus 21 (6d6) necrotic damage, or 7 (1d6+4) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage if the swarm is bloodied, and the target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by the amount equal to the necrotic damage dealt. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. If the target is reduced to 0 hit points by this attack, it dies and a new undead shadow rises from the corpse in 1d4 hours, the corpse no longer casts a natural shadow, and target can’t be raised from the dead until the shadow is destroyed, and the shadow can’t move more than 300 feet from the place where it was killed. [/QUOTE]
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