Dodkong minions

[Cleon]

Ok incorporated all changes - name...ummm....

I also gave my version a few traits of the Shadow, like having a ground speed instead of a fly speed, since these things are undead of underground rocky places, so it seemed a trifle weird having them fly everywhere.

Though having them Fly is keeping to the standard Wraith's movement.

Also, I had my version be able to create Shadows rather than Spectres, just to keep it consistent with the Cairn Wight turning a victim of its Death Grip or Life Drain into a Shadow.

Keeping it Spectres for a more "Wraith like" flying version makes sense though, if only so its minions can keep up when it takes to the air. If it made shadows, they'd have to run along the ground after their master!

 

[Cleon]

necrotic orb, necrotic globe, shadow globe/org, life-hungry orb, death comet, ....you had an idea in mind?

I imagine it throwing rock-like missiles made from dark ectoplasm at its enemies, so I called my version Phantom Boulder since Rock of Darkness sounded like the wraith was in a band.

Off the ones you suggest, Death Comet has the best ring to it, but it sounds more appropriate for a spell (maybe one that does necrotic damage and inflicts curses and disease on your enemies?).

Hmm, Doom Rock or Death Rock. Although, again that sounds like a style of heavy metal or is a style of heavy metal.

Maybe keep the Ball element and simplify it to one word.

Darkball.

Or just leave it Shadow Ball. It does the job, after all.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Doom Boulder? Doomball? probs first one...

Ok - I can see rationale for ground speed. Maybe then call it a shadowraith so sort of distinct from a wraith (which would fly)?

 

[Cleon]

Doom Boulder? Doomball? probs first one...

Just use whichever one you like the ring of.

Ok - I can see rationale for ground speed. Maybe then call it a shadowraith so sort of distinct from a wraith (which would fly)?

Works for me.

I included "Shadowraith" as one of the possibilities for [Name] in my Cleon Special rough draft.

Incidentally, there already is an undead with a very similar name in D&D, the Shadowrath.

Or, rather, two of them: the Blackbones (Lesser Shadowrath) and Abysskin (Greater Shadowrath).

 

[Casimir Liber]

went with doomball and shadowraith. left speed at 60 ft (walking) - surprised that basic shadows don't ignore difficult terrain actually

 

[Cleon]

went with doomball and shadowraith. left speed at 60 ft (walking)

Works for me. I'd contemplated giving my homebrew either Speed 40 ft. like a regular Stone Giant and the Cairn Wight or 50 ft. like a Wolf, but something about the 60 ft. speed of a Horse or flying Wraith appealed.

After all, "the dead travel fast".

surprised that basic shadows don't ignore difficult terrain actually

Curiously enough, I'd contemplate giving them an ability to ignore some difficult terrains.

It'd have been like so:

Unearthly Movement. The [name] ignores difficult terrain formed from nonmagical earth, sand or rock and can move across mud or quicksand as if it were solid ground.​

In the end I decided it was an unnecessary complication, since regular 5E "bodiless" undead like shadows don't have such a trait.

 

[Casimir Liber]

I like that trait - it seems so counterintuitive to have a noncorporeal being stumble over rough ground that I can't ignore it. So using it.

 

[Casimir Liber]

The "ok wight tweaked to here" you posted has "it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw" in Death Grip and Soul Drain, meaning those DCs are still CHA-based:

DC = base 8 plus CHA +2 plus Proficiency +5 = DC 15​

If we switch to CON-based the saving throws would be DC 19:

DC = base 8 plus CON +6 plus Proficiency +5 = DC 19​

The question is, which do you prefer?

Oops - forgot about this and updated to Cairn Wight (Undead Stone Giant)

 

[Cleon]

Oops - forgot about this and updated to Cairn Wight (Undead Stone Giant)

Better update the Enworld Cairn Wight (Undead Stone Giant) while we're at it!

The two now match apart from the Stone Camouflage description. The D&D Beyond version has "cairn wight" while the Enworld version just has "cairn" on the basis that all cairns have the trait.

Hold on, I spoke too soon. The D&D Beyond version has the spells in Death Grip capitalized: they should be lesser restoration and greater restoration without any Capitals.

 

[Cleon]

So I think the Cairn Wight's good to go or pretty close to it and it sounds like you're closing in on completing the Cairn Shadowraith.

So I guess it's back to the Dodkong.

It's been a while since I read the original 3E entries, sparse as they where, but from what I remember the original Dodkong was a Third Edition D&D Stone Giant Lich 10th-level sorcerer, which technically is in breech of the Lich template as that can only be applied to humanoids. That's no big deal though. It's easy enough to just ignore that restriction and apply the template to a Stone Giant.

The salient point is that it's got all the abilities of a lich, like a paralyzing touch, various immunities, fear aura and the ability to reconstruct itself after being destroyed as long as its phylactery is intact. Did the crown acted as its phylactery?

Anyhow, versions of those abilities are possessed by the 5E incarnation of the Lich, so shouldn't the Dodkong have some of them?

Such as:

Damage Resistances cold, lightning, necrotic​

Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks​

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned​

As well as "borrowing" some of the 5E Lich's Traits and Actions or using them as inspiration for its own Actions.

For example, instead of Paralyzing Touch, you could have the Dodkong's Death Grip cause paralysis as well as exhaustion, maybe with a tweak to the name to indicate it's a different ability.

The 5E Lich has Legendary Action options that look quite appropriate for the Dodkong: Frightening Gaze and Disrupt Life.

Also, standard liches aren't bothered by daylight so maybe ditch the Sunlight Sensitivity?