Homebrew A Leveled Up Bestiary

[Faolyn]

Here’s the start of Creature Catalog II. In another departure from the norm, the following is actually a variant of an existing monster: the faerie dragon. This one is called the phase dragon, since it’s associated with the Ethereal Plane. As a variant, they use the faerie dragon’s Legends and Lore, Encounters, Signs, Behaviors, and Names.

An article in a later issue of Dragon (#146) has a few “drakes” that will also be turned into faerie dragon variants. I like the idea that a flock of faerie dragons will have a few oddballs in it.

Artist: Bob Maurus

Faerie Dragon Variant: Phase Dragon
Creature Catalog II, Dragon Magazine #94
Created by Samuel Offutt

These tiny dragons are a rare mutation of the faerie dragon, hatched sometimes where the Feywild intermingles with the Ethereal Plane. They tend to be a bit more serious-minded and calmer than their kin, as their exposure to the Ethereal dilutes their “feyness.” When first hatched, their scales resemble mother-of-pearl, and they become paler as they age.

Phase dragon innately know different spells than faerie dragons do:

5 years old, at will: dancing lights, mage hand, minor illusion
10 years old, 1/day: faerie fire
30 years old, 1/day: gaseous form
50 years old, 1/day: faithful hound

Additionally, phase dragons lose the Prismatic Light action and instead gain the Ethereal Sight trait and Ethereal Jaunt bonus action.

Ethereal Sight. The phase dragon can see into both the Material Plane and Ethereal Plane.
Ethereal Jaunt. As a bonus action, the phase dragon magically shifts from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane or vice versa.

Finally, phase dragons that are 30 years old or older gain Truesight to 10 feet.

 

[Faolyn]

Now we have the hurgeon, a tiny anthropomorphic hedgehog. Hedgehogs are cool, although I’m not one of those people who’d want one for a pet. I’m writing them as humanoid (fey) and I imagine that they could work well both as one of the “commoners” of the Feywild and as friends and allies to people from Forgotten Folx, Wood Elf, and similar cultures: something slightly exotic but mostly mundane.

The Creature Catalog illustrates the hurgeon thusly:

Artist: Roger Raupp

But we all know that they really look like this:

Artist: Beatrix Potter, of course

Hurgeon
Creature Catalog II, Dragon Magazine #94
Created by Roger Moore

At less than a foot in height, the hurgeon are very tiny people indeed. They resemble hedgehogs, except that they walk on their hind legs and have hands instead of forepaws—and, of course, they wear clothing. They are omnivores, eating a variety of nuts, fruits, berries, leaves, roots, slugs, and myriapods. Hurgeon build elaborate, multi-story underground dwellings under the roots of large trees that are reminiscent of the finest halfling homes, but in miniature.

Shy Neighbors. Native to deep forests, hurgeons are in little danger from most animals that share their woodland homes, but they are often eaten by more monstrous beings. As such, they stay hidden much of the time. Their underground communities are so skillfully camouflaged as to be effectively invisible, and they will watch travelers for long periods of time before they decide if they should reveal themselves or not. They are typically quite friendly to gnomes and druids, as they trust them both to be respectful to their forest homes. When they do choose to introduce show themselves, hurgeons have friendly and inoffensive personalities that make them easy to get along with.

Crafters. Hurgeon wear clothing made of “plant-leather”, which is made of specially-treated leaves and bark and is as tough as regular leather while still feeling like soft new leaves and smelling like flowers. Goods made from their leather is in high demand among pixies and sprites, and even among larger folk—although they rarely are able to make enough plant-leather to suit the needs of creatures much bigger than themselves.

Legends and Lore
With a Culture or Nature check, the characters can learn the following:

DC 10. These tiny hedgehog-folk live in hidden settlements deep within forests. They rarely show themselves to other creatures.

DC 15. Hurgeons are known for making a high-quality material that is similar to leather out of bark and leaves. This plant-leather is in high demand by many woodland-dwelling cultures.

DC 20. Hurgeons often engage in special dancing rituals. Their actions tramp down the plant life in a circle and may form faerie rings (as per the exploration hazard).

Hurgeon Encounters
Terrains: Feywild, forest

CR 0-1 2-4 hurgeons; 2 hurgeon guards; 1 hurgeon druid
Treasure: Dice set made out of agates (50 gp), copper chain bracelet (25 gp), potion of healing.

Signs
1. With a DC 20 Perception or Investigation roll, a tiny door set into the roots of a large tree.
2. A sad fox with a muzzle filled with hedgehog spikes; with a DC 15 Medicine roll, there’s evidence of tiny weapon wounds as well.
3. An abandoned plant-leather bag filled with nuts.
4. The sound of flute music; somewhere nearby, a hurgeon is playing an instrument.

Behavior
1-3. Watching the party from the undergrowth; it requires a DC 16 Perception check to spot them.
4. Gathering berries.
5. Guarding the doorway to their community.
6. Hunting a giant centipede.

Names
Acantha, Harlow, Sabrah, Saxon, Thornton

Hurgeon
Tiny humanoid (fey)
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
AC 11
HP 3 (1d4+1; bloodied 2)
Speed 20 ft., burrow 5 ft.

STR 4 (-3) DEX 12 (+1) CON 13 (+1)
INT 10 (+0) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 10 (+0)

Proficiency +2
Maneuver DC 11
Skills Nature +3, Perception +3, Stealth +3 (+1d6)
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages Hurgeon and one of Common, Elvish, Gnomish, or Sylvan
Fey Heritage. The burgeon has a d4 expertise die on saving throws against being charmed.
Friend to Beasts. Beasts have disadvantage on attack rolls made against the hurgeon.
Keen Smell. The hurgeon has advantage on Perception checks that rely on smell.
Prickleback. At the start of each of its turns, the hurgeon deals 1 piercing damage to any creature grappling it.
Trackless. The hurgeon leaves no footprints or other evidence of passing as it moves.

Actions
Handaxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 slashing damage.
Sling. Ranged Weapon attack: +3 to hit, range 15/60 ft., one target. Hit: 1 bludgeoning damage.
Doubleshot (Recharge 4-6). The hurgeon uses its Sling attack to fire two slingstones instead of one. On a hit, it inflicts 3 (1d4+1) bludgeoning damage.

Bonus Actions
Underbrush Hider. While in an environment with plants, rocks, or other ground cover, the hurgeon takes the Hide action.

Combat
Against a Small or larger creature, the hurgeon always begins the combat from hiding and tries to continue doing so for as long as possible. Hurgeon guards are willing to fight toe-to-toe if the safety of the community is at stake, but will retreat upon being injured.

Variant: Hurgeon Druid
Some hurgeons have a strong connection with the wilderness and, as a result, develop some druidic abilities. Nearly every large hurgeon community will have at least one druid in it. Hurgeon druids are CR 1/4 (50 XP), have 14 (4d4+4; bloodied 7) hit points, have Wisdom 16 (+3), speak Druidic, get a +d6 expertise die in Nature, are proficient in Survival, and have the following trait:

Spellcasting. The hurgeon druid is a 4th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +3 to hit with spell attacks):

At Will: druidcraft, guidance
1st-level (4 slots): entangle, faerie fire, goodberry, healing word
2nd-level (2 slots): animal messenger, spike growth

The druid also has the following action:

Shapeshift. The hurgeon magically changes its form into an owl (speed 5 ft., fly 60 ft.) or back into its true form. Its statistics are the same in each form, but it can’t speak or cast spells in owl form. Any equipment it is wearing or wielding merges into its new form. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Variant: Hurgeon Guard
A few of the bigger and tougher hurgeons become guards for their community. Hurgeon guards are CR 1/4 (50 XP), wear plant-leather brigandine armor, giving them AC 14, have 14 (4d4+4; bloodied 7) hit points, Strength 6 (-2), and have the following trait:

Brave. The guard has advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

The guard also has the following actions:

Multiattack. The guard makes two attacks with its handaxe or its spear.
Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 10/30 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) piercing damage.

 

[Faolyn]

What’s not to love about the lillendi (singular: lillend)? They’re basically snaky bard-angels (don’t tell Snarf), but without the baggage of being servitors to the gods. And they’re not self-righteous.

Artist: Roger Raupp

Lillend
Creature Catalog II, Dragon Magazine #94
Created by Stephen Innis

LIllendi have resemble attractive, feather-winged humans from the waist up and have the lower body of a very large snake. Their wings and scales are brightly colored and strikingly patterned and each lillendi; they are very proud of their own coloration patterning but also rejoice in the appearance of their lillendi siblings as well. They wear no clothing, although they often wear jewelry, and no matter the jewelry’s appearance, it always seems to go tastefully with their markings. They also always carry weapons with them—curved blades that seem to be made of solid moonlight.

Angelic Bards. Lillendi are celestials of song, storytelling, and history, and they act as muses to artists of all type. They are also celestials of the wilderness and the moon and prefer to spend their time on the less “civilized” parts of each plane, bringing joy to those who seek peace with nature and opposing those who attempt to harm it. They aren’t beholden to any deities, but will frequently align themselves with the gods of joy, music, art, the moon, and sylvan woodlands.

Masked. Each lillend has a mask that they wear or carry. This mask depicts their social status, level of knowledge, art style, totems, and familial associations. The shape and style of the masks is very subtle, and most non-lillendi can’t tell what the designs actually mean.

The Silent Hour. It is rumored that each lillendi can choose the hour of their death. This time is called the Silent Hour, and it comes when the lillend has grown weary of life. Their life force mingles with the plain they are on, and new life is created from their death. Many lillendi choose to go down fighting against the forces of evil, while others throw lavish parties and simply will themselves to die. Those lillendi who die outside of the Silent Hour do so with expressions of despair on their face.

It is rumored that the Silent Hour is either a gift from a god of the moon, as a reward for their good service. It is also rumored that it is a curse from the powers of Law, as lillendi are said to have once served them before turning to Chaos.

Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or Religion check, the characters can learn the following:

DC 15. Lillendi are peaceful muses who delight in beautiful nature, song, and story.

DC 20. Each lillend carries a mask that is unique to them and depicts their status among other lillendi. A lillend whose mask is stolen will stop at nothing to retrieve it, and one whose mask is destroyed will seek vengeance upon the desecrator.

Lillend Encounters
Terrain: Astral plane, Feywild, forest, hills, mountain

CR 5-10 lillend; lillend and minstrel; lillend and 1d4+2 pixies, sprites, or lomundur (q.v.)
Treasure: a dozen gold bangles (25 gp each), 3 moonstones (50 gp each), masterwork lute, enchanted music sheet, instrument of irresistible symphonies

CR 11-16 2 lillendi; lillend and 1-2 fey knights.
Treasure: four silver charm bracelets loaded with silver, gold, and electrum charms (worth 250 gp each), A faerie-crafted harp with mithril strings that never needs to be tuned (worth 750 gp), ioun stones of protection and insight

CR 17-22 3-4 lillendi; 2 lillend and 2 fey knights.
Treasure: platinum lariat necklace with a large black opal drop (worth 2,500 gp), pair of jade earrings (250 gp), amulet of proof against detection and location, oathbow, ten +1 arrows

Signs
1. The sound of inhumanly beautiful song from nearby,
2. Fey creatures and animals seem to all be traveling to a specific point.
3. Flowers bloom right before people’s eyes, and fireflies dancing in the evening sky, even out of season.
4. At nighttime, the moonlight seems surprisingly bright, causing areas to be dimly lit instead of dark.

Behavior
1. Telling a story with several other creatures, round-robin style.
2. Playing music to an audience of elves.
3. On a mission for a deity of the moon to safely escort one of its star-children to an important location (the child has the attributes of a unicorn but is humanoid in form, has a speed of 30 ft., fly 40 ft., has no horn attack, changes its hoof attack to a punch, and can use a bonus action to shed bright light to 20 feet and dim light for an additional 20 feet).
4. Guarding a spot sacred to an archfey.
5. Wounded, wings broken; looking for help against enemy forces.
6. Trying to organize a sensational event to mark its Silent Hour; may attempt to recruit the party to help in some manner—perhaps by sending them to inform certain people of the event, perhaps by asking them to remove some potentially dangerous creatures to a place where they won’t harm anyone.

Names
Amaris, Celimine, Esmeray, Jerah, Luan, Melete, Neoma

Lillend
Large celestial
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
AC 17 (natural armor)
HP 119 (14d10+42; bloodied 60)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 30 ft.

STR 17 (+3) DEX 21 (+5) CON 16 (+3)
INT 16 (+3) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 22 (+5)

Proficiency +3
Maneuver DC 16
Saving Throws Str +6, Wis +6, Cha +8
Skills Arcana +6, Insight +6, Nature (+d4, +d6 astronomy) Perception +6, Perform +8 (+1d8), Persuasion +8
Damage Resistances fire, necrotic, radiant, damage from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.
Chaotic Good. A lillend radiates an aura of Chaos and Good.
Immortal Nature. A lillend doesn’t require air or sleep and gains sustenance by listening to or playing music or storytelling, basking in the moonlight, and breathing in fresh breezes while in the wilderness.
Magic Resistance. The lillend has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. It is also immune to any spell from the sound college of magic and to magical effects that contain music or song (such as a harpy’s Luring Song or a satyr’s Dance Tune)/
Spellcasting. The lillend’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 17). It can innately cast the following spells, as if with a 5th-level spell slot, requiring no material components:
1/Day Each: charm person, charm monster, darkness, hallucinatory terrain, hold person, irresistible dance, legend lore, moonbeam, prayer of healing
Speak with Nature. The lillend can communicate with beasts and plants.
Tree Stride. Once per turn, the lillend can use 10 feet of movement to enter a living tree and emerge from another living tree within 100 feet. Both trees must be at least Huge.

Actions
Multiattack. The lillend constricts and then attacks twice with its moon-bladed scimitars.
Moon-Bladed Scimitars. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d6+6) slashing damage plus 10 (3d6) radiant damage.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 16). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, the lillend can’t constrict another target, and the lillend has advantage on attack rolls made against the grappled target when using its scimitars.
Change Form. The lillend magically transforms into a Small or Medium humanoid or back into its true form. It retains its lillend statistics, except that it loses its fly speed unless it is in a form with wings. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Hold Person (2nd-Level, cast as if with a 5th-Level slot; V; Concentration). Four humanoids the lillend can see within 60 feet must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, a target is paralyzed for 1 minute. It may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Moonbeam (2nd-Level, cast as if with a 5th-Level slot; V, S; Concentration). A 5-foot-radius cylinder that is 40 feet high and which is within 120 feet of the lillend is filled with moonlight. When a creature enters the area for the first time on its turn or begins its turn in the area, it must make a DC 17 Concentration saving throw, taking 28 (5d10) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful on. Shapechanges have disadvantage on their save and on a failure, must take its true form. The lillend can use an action to move the beam up to 60 feet.

Bonus Actions
Muse (Recharge 5-6). The lillend can give a creature that is within 60 feet of it that can hear or see the lillend a burst of creativity. Once within the next 10 minutes, that creature can roll a d12 and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. It can add this die before or after the d20 is rolled but before the Narrator says if the roll succeeded or failed. A creature can only be affected in this manner by one lillend at a time.
Summon Instrument. The lillend pulls their mask or one musical instrument out of thin air. The musical instrument must be one the lillend can carry in one or two hands.

Combat
Against a single target, or multiple targets who lack ranged weapons, the lillend will try to grapple an opponent with their tail, fly straight up, possibly for several rounds if it can, and then drop the target in order. It will then close to melee range. They rarely retreat, although they will accept surrender and show mercy to badly injured foes.

Variant: Lillend Hymnals
At the Narrator’s discretion, a lillend may know one or more Bardic Hymns. While the Hymn is active, the lillend can’t use its Muse ability, and it should roll a d12 as its Bardic Inspiration die.

 

[GuyBoy]

Lillend were a truly beautiful creation with so many uses in a campaign.

 

[Faolyn]

Lillend were a truly beautiful creation with so many uses in a campaign.

I hope my version lives up to your expectations!

 

[GuyBoy]

I hope my version lives up to your expectations!

It certainly did. This series is so wonderful to read.

 

[Faolyn]

While D&D does have a fair number of just regular ol’ unintelligent monsters… well, there’s always room for more. Especially for those of us who prefer having unintelligent monsters to kill instead of people who look different. Thus, the orgautha, or land leech, which is basically mindless, hungry for blood, and in a movie, would probably be a cheap prop made of garbage bags that the actors would have to hold against their bodies while pretending to wrestle with it.

It’s got an interesting magical twist to it that makes it a unique combatant. And it’s an Ed Greenwood monster that didn’t get used in later editions. Maybe that’s why the article says that is rare to the point of being considered a legend even by rangers.

Artist: Dennis Rauth

Orgautha (Land Leech)
Creature Catalog II, Dragon Magazine #94
Created by Ed Greenwood

The orgautha, also known as the land leech, is a rare magical beast. It resembles a large, fat worm, mottled ochre and copper, twelve to fifteen feet in length and five feet in diameter, with a circular maw at both ends.

Land-Based Bloodsuckers. Unlike true leeches, orgautha are completely terrestrial and prefer forests, rocky scrublands, and caverns. They are hermaphroditic and mate whenever they come across another of their kind; both lay eggs. Although they can sometimes be found in pairs, especially after they’ve mated, they have no families or interest in one another, and won’t work together to take down prey (neither do they fight each other for prey). Orgautha eggs, which are laid in clumps and then abandoned, are circular, a foot long, and dark blue. They resemble enormous blueberries.

Magical Advantage. Orgautha are surrounded by a magical field of time-warping silence. Not only is a creature who approaches it unable to hear and speak, but they are magically slowed down as well. This gives the leech an enormous advantage over most creatures that it preys upon. It's not quite smart enough to know to avoid creatures with ranged attacks, though.

Legends and Lore
With a Nature check, the characters can learn the following:

DC 15. Orgautha are gigantic, bloodsucking worms with a jawless mouth on either end. They have no eyes and rely on scent and vibrations to locate their prey.

DC 20. An orgautha is surrounded by a magical aura that removes all sound and slows down all creatures that come near.

Orgautha Encounters
Terrain: caverns, forest, grasslands, hill
CR 1-2 orgautha
CR 2-4 2 orgautha; 1 elder orgautha

Signs
1-2. A bloodless corpse with huge, circular bite marks on it.
3. A pile of large, blueberry-like objects, leathery and slightly squishy to the touch (orgautha eggs).
4. One or more characters suddenly find themselves silenced and slowed; a DC 16 Perception check reveals the orgautha a few feet away, ready to attack next turn.

Behavior
1-2. Sucking the blood from a dead or dying animal or humanoid; its other head will attack if approached.
3. Immediately attacking the party.
4. Sleeping off its last meal; will only attack if approached

Orgautha
Large monstrosity
Challenge 2 (750 XP)
AC 12 (natural armor)
HP 38 (5d10+10; bloodied 19)
Speed 30 ft.

STR 16 (+3) DEX 12 (+1) CON 14 (+2)
INT 1 (-5) WIS 6 (-2) CHA 4 (-3)

Proficiency +2
Maneuver DC 13
Skills Perception +0, Stealth +3 (+1d6)
Damage Immunities thunder
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, slowed
Senses tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages —
Deaf. The orgautha cannot hear.
Debilitating Aura. The orgautha emits a magical aura of slowed silence that surrounds it to a distance of 10 feet. Any creature that enters this area for the first time or starts its turn in it is slowed, deafened, cannot speak, and is immune to thunder damage until the start of its next turn.
Keen Smell. The orgautha has advantage on Perception checks that rely on smell.
Reactive Maws. The orgautha can take two reactions each round, but not more than one per turn.

Actions
Multiattack. The orgautha constricts and then makes two bite attacks. It may substitute a blood drain for a bite.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) piercing damage, and the orgautha attaches to the target. A creature may use its action to make a DC 13 Strength check to detach the orgautha, and the orgautha can detach itself as a bonus action.
Blood Drain. The orgautha drains blood from a creature it is attached to. The creature loses 9 (2d8) hit points, and the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to half that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0. After the orgautha has drained 50 hit points or the target dies, it detaches itself.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8+3) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 13). Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the orgautha can’t constrict another target, and it has advantage on bite attacks made against that target.

Combat
Orgautha attack mindlessly and retreat if bloodied. They use their bite on two separate creatures, unless the creature they are attacking is Large or seems overly strong.

Variant: Elder Orgautha
Orgautha continue to grow as they age, and one that survives a dozen or so years can grow to be twenty or more feet in length.

An elder orgautha is CR 4 (1,100 XP). It is Huge, has an AC of 14 (natural armor), and has 68 (8d12+16; bloodied 34) hit points. Its bites inflict 12 (2d6+3) piercing damage and have a reach of 10 feet. Its Blood Drain causes a creature to lose 13 (3d8) hit points. It detaches after draining 75 hit points. Its constrict attack inflicts 16 (3d8+3) bludgeoning damage, and attempts made to escape the grapple are made at disadvantage. Finally, its Debilitating Aura is 15 feet wide.

 

[Faolyn]

I mentioned it before when I did the mapmaker, but I prefer the other Lower Planes and have never really cared for the Abyss or Hell, so I’m always on the lookout for more fiends from those planes. Enter the viltch, from Pandemonium. More a fiend of chaos and destruction than of evil, they’re useful as pests or foils.

While writing this, I realized that Level Up demons and devils don’t seem to have an ability to gate in more of their kind.

The viltch is under the header of “Demon,” so uses that entry’s Legends and Lore, Signs, and Behaviors.

This is also the last creature from Creature Catalog II.

Artist: Roger Raupp

Demon, Viltch
Creature Catalog II, Dragon Magazine #94
Created by Stephen Innis

Viltches are hateful creatures from the Abyss. They resemble human-sized mandrils with disheveled, blue-gray fur and burning yellow eyes. They have only three limbs: two arms and a single leg. Unlike most demons, they are not dedicated to the cause of Evil. Their goal is the vandalism and destruction of all that is beautiful so they can dance in the ruin.

Demons of Destruction. Viltches enjoy spreading destruction and disorder by destroying whatever objects they come across. The more beautiful, pristine, orderly, or beloved the objected is, the more they enjoy vandalizing it. The destruction of property is more important to them than anything else. They are never found alone, and each viltch urges its comrades into greater and greater acts of vandalism.

A vlitch’s touch causes objects to magically warp as if they were made of soft clay. The love nothing more than to cause a beautiful object to melt like gooey cheese or be twisted into an obscene shape. Even without using this magical touch, they are skilled vandals. They will spoil any food they come across, rip apart clothes, and break tools. They carry nothing with them; they can’t stand to have anything around them that’s intact for too long.

Cowardly Fighters. Although they are capable of fighting, viltches rarely do so. They disdain fighting and are afraid of injury. Should they come across a weak creature, they may choose to torment it with deliberately minor scratches and nips—but their bite inflicts an agonizing poison. Viltches also have no interest in joining the ever-present battles of other demons, or in any sort of demonic politics. They can sometimes be forced into using their object-warping abilities on the behalf of a much more powerful demon but they must be strictly controlled—an unwatched viltch will destroy its master’s belongings as readily as the objects they are supposed to destroy. As such, few demon lords or balors feel that using a viltch is worth it.

Vlitch Encounters
Terrain: Abyss

CR 3-4 1-2 viltches.

CR 5-10 3-4 viltches

CR 11-16 5-8 viltches

Viltch
Medium fiend (demon)
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
AC 15 (natural armor)
HP 37 (5d8+15; blooded 18)
Speed 60 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR 15 (+2) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3)
INT 10 (+0) WIS 9 (-1) CHA 13 (+1)

Proficiency +2
Maneuver DC +4
Skills Perception +1 (+1d4), Sleight of Hand +4 (+1d6), Stealth +4
Saving Throws Dex +4
Damage Resistances cold, fire, thunder; damage from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities lighting, poison, psychic
Senses darkvision 60 ft.,
Languages Abyssal, telepathy 100 feet.
Aligned. The viltch radiates a Chaotic aura. Many, but not all, viltch also radiate an Evil aura.
Demonic Vision. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the viltch’s darkvision.
Magic Resistance. The viltch has advantage on saving throws against spells or other magical effects.
Preternatural Speed. The viltch has advantage on Initiative rolls.

Actions
Multiattack. The viltch attacks twice with its claws and once with its bite.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage and the target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. A creature may make a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. While poisoned, a creature’s speed is reduced by 10 feet. If the poisoned creature attempts to cast a spell, it must first succeed on a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the spellcaster is overwhelmed with pain and can’t cast the spell. The spell slot is not wasted, unless the caster critically fails the save.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) slashing damage.
Warp. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Large or smaller inanimate, nonmagical object that is not held or worn. Hit: 11 (2d8+2) force damage. If the object is reduced to 0 hit points, is warped, twisted, or otherwise ruined. (see Objects in the Adventurer’s Guide to determine an object’s armor class and hit points.)
Teleport (Recharge 4-6). The viltch magically teleports to a space within 60 feet that it can see.

Bonus Actions
Snatch. If the viltch succeeds on an claw attack against a creature, it can make a Sleight of Hand check against it as well.

Reactions
Trip Up. If a creature makes a melee weapon attack against the viltch and misses, the viltch attempts to trip it. The creature must make a DC 12 Strength or Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.

Combat
Viltches attack from hiding, using their bite and claws, then teleport away. The prefer hit-and-run attacks to straight-out combat.

 

[Faolyn]

I REGRET NOTHING.

Growf (Draco pholius ridiculus)
There can never be too many dragons, right?, Dragon Magazine #96

Created by Matt Legare

Artist: Phil Foglio

These creatures closely resembles small, purple-scaled dragons with cow-like horns. Their faces bear a permanently befuddled expression which many find endearing. The growf gets its name from the only sound it makes: a questioning “growf?” noise.

Growfs can and do eat anything, even rocks and books. It’s unclear if they actually need the food to survive, however, since they seem to suffer no ill effects when they don’t eat.

Flawed Creation. It is rumored that the growf was created by an mage who—either by design or through drunken mistake—magically merged a dragon, a cow, and a small terrier together. The result was the first growf, who promptly burned down the mage’s lab and flew away. The archmage then gave up magic and drinking and became a monk. Whether this legend is true or not, growfs are most definitely not natural creatures.

Rapid Reproduction. Growfs don’t breed normally, and it’s unclear if they even have sexes in the first place. Instead, a growf that comes into contact with water nearly instantly buds copies of itself, as if by fission. While most of these copies melt into goo shortly afterwards, a few survive and become new growfs. A torrential rainstorm can cause a sudden surge in the growf population. Their only saving grace is that, much like cats, growfs hate getting wet and will never willingly do so.

Favored By Someone On High. Growfs are amazingly, supernaturally lucky. They seem to always survive even the most determined efforts to kill them. Weapons miss and spells seem to take no effect more often than not, no matter how skilled the warrior or caster. A rogue who attempts to sneak up on one will always seem to find a squeaky board to step on or twig to snap. They seem to be able to saunter away from disasters and massive attacks that would have instantly killed anyone else. While it’s clear that somebody likes them and wants them to survive, their propensity for accidentally burning down their surroundings, their ability and willingness to eat just anything, regardless of what it is, their habit of following people around, and their incessant spawning makes them into major pests that most creatures loathe.

Legends and Lore
With an Arcana check, the characters can learn the following:

DC 10. If you say “growf” back to a growf, it may befriend you and follow you everywhere.

DC 15. A growf may look like a dragon, but it is actually something completely different.

DC 20. Growfs are difficult to kill, are blessed with supernatural luck, and reproduce like mad when they get wet.

Growf Encounters
Terrain: caverns, forest, grassland, hills, laboratory, mountain, ruins, settlements.

CR 0-1 1 growf; 1 growf and 1d4 copies.

Signs
1. With a DC 15 Investigation or Perception check, tiny dragon footprints.
2. The sound of a growf saying “growf?” nearby.
3. The sound of a growf and its copies all saying “growf?” nearby.
4. Piles of purple goo.
5. A completely burned-down farmhouse and devastated and singed farmers, raving about the horrible dragon that destroyed it.
6. A poster marking a bounty for growf horns. There is a 50% chance it warns against getting the growf wet, although it doesn’t explain why.

Behavior
1. Sleeping.
2. Eating something it shouldn’t be eating.
3. Following the party around; it will get bored and stop in 2d10 days, if the party doesn’t drive it off first.
4. Ignoring its copies, which are mostly wandering around in circles.

Growf
Small dragon (aberration)
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
AC 13 (natural armor)
HP 16 (3d8+3; bloodied 8)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR 8 (-1) DEX 13 (+1) CON 12 (+1)
INT 2 (-4) WIS 11 (+0) CHA 6 (-2)

Proficiency +2
Maneuver DC 11
Damage Immunities fire
Condition Immunities charmed, strife
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages —
Aberrant Nature. The growf doesn’t require air or sustenance.
Regeneration. The growf regains 5 hit points at the start of each of its turns. If the growf takes psychic damage, this trait doesn’t function on its next turn. The growf dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.
Breed Like Bacteria. If the growf is splashed with a gallon of water or submerged in water, then at the start of its next turn, 1d4 copies emerge. The copies have the same attributes as the original but lack the Breed Like Bacteria trait and are under the effect of the confused condition.
After 24 hours, the Narrator will roll a d10 for each copy. On a roll of 1, the copy is permanent and gains all the growfs normal abilities and is no longer confused. On a roll of 2-9, the copy melts into harmless purple goo.
Evasion. When the growf makes a Dexterity saving throw against an effect that deals half damage on a success, it take no damage on a success and half damage on a failure.
Strange Luck. Any roll made to attack the growf, sneak up to it or past it, to trap it (even if the growf is nowhere in sight when the trap is made), or otherwise harm, annoy, or distract the growf is rolled with disadvantage. The growf has advantage on all ability checks and saving throws. If the growf rolls a 1 on any ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, it may reroll the die and must keep the new result.

Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) force damage. The growf’s bite does double damage to objects and ignores damage thresholds.
Fire Breath (Recharge 4-6). The growf breathes fire in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) fire damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. A creature also takes 1 ongoing fire damage, whether or not it failed its save. A creature can use an action to extinguish this flame on itself on a creature within 5 feet. The fire ignites any flammable, unattended objects in the area.

Combat
Upon meeting a creature, the growf will say “growf?” several times. If the creature doesn’t say “growf” back to it or otherwise acts in a friendly manner, it will immediately blast the creature with fire. The growf doesn’t otherwise attack.

 

[Faolyn]

Aaand back to more serious monsters from Creature Catalog III—the last of the Creature Catalogs for a couple hundred issues.

The first monster from this collection is the bogeyman. Now, I personally prefer the bogeymen depicted in the article Noises in the Night, from the Ravenloft fan netzine Book of Sacrifices, but these guys are kind of cool, too. This monster is surprisingly complicated for something that’s only CR 1/2.

Artist: Marsha Kauth

Bogeyman
Creature Catalog III, Dragon Magazine #101
Created by Gregg Chamberlain

Spawned in dark places where sentient beings have been frightened to death by the supernatural and unknown, bogeymen are evil fey who survive by feeding off the fear they create in others. Shrouded in darkness, they are tall, shadowy figures with indistinct forms, glowing eyes, and long, dark claws… at least until the darkness is dispelled and their true forms are visible. In reality, they are short, pathetic creatures with misshapen heads, bulging fish-eyes, and dead-white skin, far too weak to do any physical harm to anyone.

Fear-Makers. Bogeyman are capable of sifting through the mind of their victims, drawing upon their worst fears. They shape these fears into complex illusions in order to terrifying their victims nearly to death. These illusions exist entirely in the minds of their targets, often leading others to think that the victims are hallucinating in some way. While usually solitary, bogeyman sometimes gather in groups, working together to maximize the fear of their victims.

Bogeymen can also produce smaller illusions and mimic voices, and they often use these abilities to scare people as well. Some even prefer to frighten people through these abilities instead, believing that it makes the meal taste better.

Shadow-Shrouded. When they hunt, they swathe themselves in magical dark shadows. They can shape these shrouds to make them appear as another creature, such as a humanoid, gargoyle, or ghost, although their shadows remain indistinct and featureless. They often use their illusory magic to give their shadow form a few details. Some bogeymen have favored shapes, while others change their shadow’s appearance to fit their prey’s fears.

Urban Predators. Bogeymen derive their sustenance from the fear they engender in others, and their favorite prey is children. As such, are nearly always found in urban environments. Not only are there plenty of people to scare, but also plenty of places to hide away. They will sometimes near paths that pass through old forests and prey on travelers as well.

Bogeymen hunt alone but sometimes live in small groups, where they swap stories of their most interesting prey and share new ideas for scaring people. Although their powers give them the ability to easily kill most of the people they come across, few bogeymen actually try to kill. Many will only do so if they feel their reputation in their territory is starting to take a hit.

Legends and Lore
With an Arcana check, the characters can learn the following:

DC 10. Bogeymen lurk under beds, in closets, in dark alleys, and in sewer drains.

DC 15. Bogeymen have the ability to create terrifying phantasms. They feed on the fear they create in people’s minds.

DC 20. Bogeymen are a type of fey sometimes created when a person dies of fright. Their true form is always masked by shadows, and they shun the light.

Bogeyman Encounters
Terrain: forest, settlement

CR 0-1 Bogeyman

Signs
1-2. Children tell tales of a monster who snatches up little kids who wander into the wrong place.
3. The corpse of a traveler who, judging by the look on their face, has died of fright.
4. A person who is suffering from a long-term mental stress effect. All they can talk about is the horrible things they saw.

Behavior
1-2. Lurking in a dark corner.
3. Terrifying a creature.
4. Studying a creature, reading its thoughts and studying it in order to find the best way to frighten it.

Bogeyman Shroud Appearances
1. A very tall, faceless humanoid wearing all black, with a big black hat, carrying a sack.
2. A very large wolf. The bogeyman uses minor illusion to create the appearance of glowing yellow eyes and grinning jaws.
3. A gaunt figure with backwards-facing feet.
4. A squat, potbellied, pig-like humanoid with enormous tusks. The bogeyman uses minor illusion to add a hint of color to the “skin” and “clothes”.
5. A hulking creature somewhere between a bugbear and troll in appearance. The bogeyman uses minor illusion to create the appearance of glowing red eyes.
6. A very big spider.

Names
Agar, Bisma, Egil, Enna, Jerual, Ove,

Bogeyman
Small fey (fiend)
Challenge 1/2 (50 XP)
AC 13
HP 14 (4d6)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR 5 (-3) DEX 16 (+3) CON 10 (+0)
INT 9 (-1) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 17 (+3)

Proficiency +2
Maneuver DC 13
Skills Deception +5, Insight +3 (reading emotions +1d4), Stealth +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Sylvan
Evil. The bogeyman radiates an Evil aura.
Dark Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the bogeyman’s darkvision.
Fiendish Nature. A bogeyman can’t attack or use Darkest Fears on a creature protected by a bless, protection from evil or good, or similar effect.
Light Sensitivity. While in bright light, the bogeyman has disadvantage on attack rolls and on Perception checks that rely on sight.
Mimicry. The bogeyman can mimic any sounds it has heard, including voices. A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations with a successful DC 15 Insight check.
Shroud of Darkness. The bogeyman surrounds itself with an aura of magical darkness with a radius of up to 5 feet. While not incapacitated and this trait is active, attack rolls against the bogeyman have disadvantage. When a creature hits the bogeyman with an attack, this trait stops working until the end of the bogeyman’s next turn. A dispel magic or light created by a spell of 3rd-level or higher will also end the shroud, and the bogeyman can’t create a new shroud for 1 minute.
Slither Through The Cracks. The bogeyman can move through a space as narrow as 6 inches wide without squeezing.
Spellcasting (At Will). The bogeyman can cast minor illusion. Its spellcasting attribute for this trait is Charisma.

Actions
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 slashing damage.
Darkest Fears (1/Day). The bogeyman targets a giant, humanoid, or monstrosity it can see within 30 feet. That creature must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened. While frightened, the affected creature sees terrifying phantasmal images, drawn from its own subconscious and modified by the bogeyman, in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on the target. The phantasm includes sound, temperature, and other stimuli but exists only in the creature’s mind.
The bogeyman must concentrate on this effect, as if concentrating on a spell. The effect also ends if the creature is no longer frightened, or if the creature starts its turn in a brightly-lit area. It may make a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. This saving throw is made at disadvantage if the target is alone, and at advantage if another creature is attempting to help the target to realize that what they’re seeing isn’t real. If the creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the bogeyman’s Darkest Fears for the next 24 hours.
At the start of each of the bogeyman’s turns, it can choose to have the phantasm harm the target and inflict its choice of 1 psychic damage or 8 (2d4+3) psychic damage to the target. If this damage reduces the creature to 0 hp, the bogeyman may choose whether this kills the target or causes them to be stable but unconscious for 1 hour.
Each time the bogeyman inflicts psychic damage on a target, it regains hit points equal to that amount. Any hit points gained in excess of its normal hit point maximum become temporary hit points.
Should a frightened creature critically fail any of its saving throws against this effect, it takes one level of strife.

Read Mind. The bogeyman can force a creature it can see within 30 feet of it to make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails, then the bogeyman can read the creature’s surface thoughts.

Bonus Actions
Shadow Sneak. If its Shroud of Darkness is in effect, the bogeyman takes the Hide action even if obscured only by dim light or darkness.

Reactions
Douse. The bogeyman extinguishes a nonmagical torch, lamp, or candle, or a light created by a cantrip or 1st-level spell, that is within 60 feet of it.

Combat
Bogeymen flee at the first sign of danger.