Monster Request

[Dawn Raven]

My players are heading to a location that I've described to them in a myriad of awful and amazing ways. However, I'm having trouble finding monsters in the MM that I can re-skin effectively to have powers that fit the monsters in the Asylum. The place is filled with humanoids that have been infected with a disease that is essentially sentient Lunacy.

Some have phantasmal limbs, tentacles coming out of their mouths, or are simply insane mentally. Could anyone suggest some monsters with powers that you think can be re-skinned easily into odd psychic blasts, spectral body parts or chaotic powers? I'm also always on the look out for new places to find art or homebrew monsters. New ideas and homebrewed monster powers are always great ways to spur my own innovations. Help my writing/imagination block!

 

[fissionessence]

Well, the Depths of Madness adventures from DDI had a lot of aberrant creatures with stuff like tentacles and strange psychic emanations. It's all paragon tier, but you could grab some interesting effects and making it whatever level you need.

For 'chaotic' powers, I'm not sure what you mean, but the Wild Magic sorcerer has unpredictable powers in the PH2 and AP that you can grab.

Also check the link in my signature for 'Aberrant Blood'. It's a $1.50 supplement (currently on sale for $1) for sorcerer characters, but you could also use it to find some powers or concepts to give to monsters.

~

 

[Sigurd13]

I'm having trouble finding monsters in the MM that I can re-skin effectively to have powers that fit the monsters in the Asylum. The place is filled with humanoids that have been infected with a disease that is essentially sentient Lunacy.

"Sentient Lunacy" screams insubstantial monster to me. Check the ghost/specter/wraith entries for some common insubstantial monsters that could represent this entity in it's 'natural' state. Alternatively, if the monsters are semi-insubstantial, consider allowing some type of damage or attack to disable this resistance (like how Troll regeneration is disable temporarily after taking fire damage).

As for how this sentient lunacy is transmitted... consider using one of the disease rules from the DMG or maybe, going with the sentient creature angle, you could look at the possession rules for ghosts. Specifically, check the "Trap Haunt" on p.116. There's also a pretty cool spectral vampire in the DnD online compendium.

Some have phantasmal limbs, tentacles coming out of their mouths, or are simply insane mentally.

1. See above for insubstantial qualities.

2. For some examples of tentacled monsters and their attacks;
Carrion Crawler p.40
Choker p.42
Grell p.144
Mind Flayers p.188
Roper p.222

While re-skinning any one of these as is may not be *exactly* the monster you envision, they should give you some idea of how to word, balance and structure a tentacle power of your own creation.

3. As for mental insanity, I think berserker rage seems to fit the bill. I believe Orcs and Gnolls have properties and powers that reflect their bloodthirstiness.
Also, while I'm not sure which monsters have them, typically "rage" powers are activated either when the monster is bloodied, or when it targets a bloodied character. Alternatively, the monster's normal attacks could do more damage or have special properties under those same conditions.

Could anyone suggest some monsters with powers that you think can be re-skinned easily into odd psychic blasts, spectral body parts or chaotic powers?

Just about any power can be reskinned to be a psychic blast. Just change the damage type.

*A blast or burst of fire doing ongoing fire damage becomes a psyhic blast or burst doing ongoing psychic damage.

*An attack that deals knockdown becomes a psychic assault that does knockdown.

*A web attack that immobilizes characters becomes a psychic compulsion/fear effect that immobilizes.

And so on...

As for those so called chaos powers... check the MM entry on Slaads on p.237. They have a lot of really interesting powers with unique effects. They might inspire some 'chaotic' powers of your own.

While I can't just point to a monster that can be re-skinned wholesale for your game, hopefully this gives you some good ideas on making your own monsters.

For easy stat block calculations, try Asmor's Math Cruncher. Good luck!

 

[Mesh Hong]

My players are heading to a location that I've described to them in a myriad of awful and amazing ways. However, I'm having trouble finding monsters in the MM that I can re-skin effectively to have powers that fit the monsters in the Asylum. The place is filled with humanoids that have been infected with a disease that is essentially sentient Lunacy.

Some have phantasmal limbs, tentacles coming out of their mouths, or are simply insane mentally. Could anyone suggest some monsters with powers that you think can be re-skinned easily into odd psychic blasts, spectral body parts or chaotic powers? I'm also always on the look out for new places to find art or homebrew monsters. New ideas and homebrewed monster powers are always great ways to spur my own innovations. Help my writing/imagination block!

It might help if you told us what level monsters you were looking for. Also knowing where the Setntient Lunacy disease comes from and it's in game effcets, I am asuming you have a disease chart worked out for it? (if you don't then that would be a good place to start).

 

[Dire Human]

My players are heading to a location that I've described to them in a myriad of awful and amazing ways. However, I'm having trouble finding monsters in the MM that I can re-skin effectively to have powers that fit the monsters in the Asylum.

For a recent campaign, I reskinned the following monsters to serve as the thralls of hideous, mind-controlling creatures:

• Satyr Pipers, Monster Manual page 228 (A warbling siren ooze, capable of commanding lesser creatures to defend it)
• Corruption Corpses, Monster Manual page 275 (Insane eladrin capable of teleporting detached body parts to attack, then teleporting them back)
• Lasher Zombies, Dragon 371 page 46 (Half-melted creatures that reach out and grab unsuspecting heroes, draining their blood.)
• Goblin Hexers, Monster Manual page 137 (Psychic-sensitive creatures that were driven mad, clawing out their own eyes and capable of sharing their insane veiwpoint)
• Kobold Wild Mages, Dragon 364 page 57 (A spellcaster just barely holding on to its own body, too distracted by the pain of the energy tearing it apart to cast correctly)
• Vicejaw Crocodiles, Monster Manual page 45 (A variation on the half-melted creature that tries to engulf their prey, but poorly)

The place is filled with humanoids that have been infected with a disease that is essentially sentient Lunacy.

From the Monster Manual entry on Lycanthropes:

Moon Frenzy: Level 8 Disease (Endurance stable DC 20, improve DC 24)

• Cured: The target is cured.
• Initial Effect: The target takes a -2 penalty to Will defense.
• Worsen: While bloodied, the target must make a saving throw at the end of each turn. If he fails, on his next turn he makes a melee attack against a random target within 5 squares of him. If no targets are within 5 squares, the target does nothing but move in a randomly chosen direction.
• Final Effect: The target attacks the nearest creature in its line of sight. If it can’t see any other creatures, it does nothing but move in a randomly chosen direction.

New ideas and homebrewed monster powers are always great ways to spur my own innovations. Help my writing/imagination block!

I could easily whip up some homebrew creatures if I knew what level your players are. What else to you need help with?