Awesome resource for easy extra abilities for monsters, thanks for the link. I do agree that it seems it'd be easy to add a cool ability or two to the 5e monsters because they are so simple. I'll certainly borrow from the above list and 4th edition monster manual.
D&D 5E Making Monsters Interesting!!
Awesome resource for easy extra abilities for monsters, thanks for the link. I do agree that it seems it'd be easy to add a cool ability or two to the 5e monsters because they are so simple. I'll certainly borrow from the above list and 4th edition monster manual.
pming
Legend
Hiya.
Well, I for one may end up using the Hackmaster (4th) Monster Matrix book for any monster mayhem I may want to terrorize my players characters with.
It is probably the best "monster book supplement addendum" ever produced, IMHO.
But for now, I just play monsters as they are. Once I get more of a feeling for 5e I'll start doing more DM tinkering.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
Well, I for one may end up using the Hackmaster (4th) Monster Matrix book for any monster mayhem I may want to terrorize my players characters with.
It is probably the best "monster book supplement addendum" ever produced, IMHO.But for now, I just play monsters as they are. Once I get more of a feeling for 5e I'll start doing more DM tinkering.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
Jester David
Hero
You can also add abilities like the Starter Set does with the Ash Zombies, giving them a unique power.
The MM creatures are the baseline, the foundation for your monsters. But you can customize and tweak as needed.
But the monsters themselves are simple, which is useful for when fighting multiple opponents or generating a random encounter.
The MM creatures are the baseline, the foundation for your monsters. But you can customize and tweak as needed.
But the monsters themselves are simple, which is useful for when fighting multiple opponents or generating a random encounter.
Quickleaf
Legend
This is a repost from the Bone Devil thread, but I was able to make a much more interesting monster by using Lair Actions to replicate some of the powers bone devils had in older editions.
A Bone Devil's Lair
Frigid caverns and torture chambers either in the Nine Hells or near a portal to the Nine Hells, a bone devil's lair exudes a palpable malice. Various torture implements line the walls and deceased victims are bound to the cruel stone by cold iron manacles. Tomes of infernal law bound in hide of unknown creatures are pulled high on blood-stained desks. On the Nine Hells, such lairs often have Styx water running thru them and traces of Stygian black ice running thru the caverns.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing any ties), the bone devil takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the devil cannot use the same effect two rounds in a row.
Regional Effects
The region containing a bone devil's lair is warped by the devil's presence, which creates one or more of the following effects:
If the devil is killed or banished, these effects fade after 1d10 days.
Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?358433-MM-Excerpt-Bone-Devil/page7#ixzz3C1fi7DtM
A Bone Devil's Lair
Frigid caverns and torture chambers either in the Nine Hells or near a portal to the Nine Hells, a bone devil's lair exudes a palpable malice. Various torture implements line the walls and deceased victims are bound to the cruel stone by cold iron manacles. Tomes of infernal law bound in hide of unknown creatures are pulled high on blood-stained desks. On the Nine Hells, such lairs often have Styx water running thru them and traces of Stygian black ice running thru the caverns.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing any ties), the bone devil takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the devil cannot use the same effect two rounds in a row.
- The bone devil becomes invisible until making an attack.
- The bone devil gains truesight (to the extent of its lair) for a round as its eyes flash with hellish light. All creatures that do not avert their eyes must make a DC 13 Wisdom save or become frightened. Those who don't avert their eyes suffer disadvantage on all attacks against the bone devil that turn.
- The bone devil conjures an effect equivalent to the casting of a wall of ice and major image, allowing the devil to create new walls as well as illusory ones, or to conceal hazards and traps.
Regional Effects
The region containing a bone devil's lair is warped by the devil's presence, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Within 5 miles, damning secrets have a tendency to be exposed in the worst possible way, especially if it means someone currently innocent or on the path of redemption falls.
- Water sources within 1 mile turn black, and River Styx confluences may occur.
- All torture attempts are advantaged and yield especially excruciating results.
If the devil is killed or banished, these effects fade after 1d10 days.
Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?358433-MM-Excerpt-Bone-Devil/page7#ixzz3C1fi7DtM
Nebulous
Legend
Hiya.
Well, I for one may end up using the Hackmaster (4th) Monster Matrix book for any monster mayhem I may want to terrorize my players characters with.
But for now, I just play monsters as they are. Once I get more of a feeling for 5e I'll start doing more DM tinkering.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
Really? What makes it so great? I love a good monster book.
pming
Legend
Hiya.
It's a book that has several dozen different ways of changing a creature to give it something different. They are sort of like 3e "templates", but they tend to be both more specific and more vague at the same time. There are categories, such as "Size", "Demeanor", "Body" and "Color" (there's more than that). So, for example, if you wanted to make a really large, ticked-off badger, you would add a Size and Demenor. For size, how big? Lets say you want it to be huge. If a badger is small, that gives it just over 4 more HD and increases it's damage by +8 points. For being ticked off (Demenor), lets call it a Hissing giant badger. The "Hissing" part does nothing than to warn others how annoyed it is....and to increase the likelihood of nearby wandering monsters showing up (+30% to +75% more likely, basically). Not good enough? Ok, lets add in another..."Long Tailed"; that gives it a sweep attack and/or the ability to hang by it's tail. So we have a now have a "Huge Long-Tailed Hissing Badger". It gives an experience point bonus/adjustment to the creature to make up for all it's new features.
You can make silly creatures, or ones so nefarious your players will hate you for months! (say, the "Invisible Iron Blink Rot Grub"... > ).
Anyway, even if you don't use it 'as is', you will definitely get some interesting ideas for crating your own variant (or new) creatures.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
It's a book that has several dozen different ways of changing a creature to give it something different. They are sort of like 3e "templates", but they tend to be both more specific and more vague at the same time. There are categories, such as "Size", "Demeanor", "Body" and "Color" (there's more than that). So, for example, if you wanted to make a really large, ticked-off badger, you would add a Size and Demenor. For size, how big? Lets say you want it to be huge. If a badger is small, that gives it just over 4 more HD and increases it's damage by +8 points. For being ticked off (Demenor), lets call it a Hissing giant badger. The "Hissing" part does nothing than to warn others how annoyed it is....and to increase the likelihood of nearby wandering monsters showing up (+30% to +75% more likely, basically). Not good enough? Ok, lets add in another..."Long Tailed"; that gives it a sweep attack and/or the ability to hang by it's tail. So we have a now have a "Huge Long-Tailed Hissing Badger". It gives an experience point bonus/adjustment to the creature to make up for all it's new features.
You can make silly creatures, or ones so nefarious your players will hate you for months! (say, the "Invisible Iron Blink Rot Grub"... >
).Anyway, even if you don't use it 'as is', you will definitely get some interesting ideas for crating your own variant (or new) creatures.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
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