The original Inhabitants of Cania...

[Casimir Liber]

I like this/adding

 

[Cleon]

I like this/adding

Think it's time to start a Working Draft on this thread.

Will include the Mindmelding and Psychic Buff above.

Hmm, do you think it'd be better to change the end of from "can see the target creature" to "can see the targeted creature"?

I'm also thinking Psychic Buff would be better with a change to the last sentence as follows:

Psychic Buff #2. If an allied black locust is mindmerging with the black locust and hits a creature, the black locust can use its reaction to give the target disadvantage on its saving throw against the attack the ally hit it with. If the attack has no saving throw, or the creature has already rolled its saving throw (possibly including a Psychic Buff from another allied black locust), the targeted creature must succeed at a DC ## [Charisma? Wisdom? Wisdom or Charisma (target's choice)?] saving throw with disadvantage or take ## (#d#) psychic damage.​

We also need to decide how much Psychic Damage the attack does.

 

[Cleon]

Black Locust
Large undead, lawful evil
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 136 (16d10 + 48)
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR​	DEX​	CON​	INT​	WIS​	CHA​
20 (+5)​	20 (+5)​	16 (+3)​	20 (+5)​	18 (+4)​	18 (+4)​

Saving Throws INT +9, WIS +8
Skills Arcana +13, History +13, Perception +8, Religion +9
Damage Resistances fire; piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't adamantine
Damage Immunities cold, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages Canian?, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge # (### XP) Proficiency Bonus +4

Inscrutable. The black locust is immune to any effect that would sense its emotions or read its thoughts, as well as any divination spell that it refuses. Wisdom (Insight) checks made to ascertain the locust's intentions or sincerity have disadvantage.

Mindmerging. The black locust has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one allied black locust is within 30 feet of the black locust, isn't incapacitated, and can see the target creature.

Spellcasting. The black locust is a 9th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). It requires no material components to cast its spells. The locust has the following wizard spells prepared.

• Cantrips (at will): spell, spell
• 1st level (4 slots): spell, spell
• 2nd level (3 slots): spell, spell
• 3rd level (3 slots): spell, spell
• 4th level (3 slots): spell, spell
• 5th level (1 slots): spell, spell

Special Trait?. ???.

Actions

Multiattack. The black locust makes two claw attacks.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: # (#d# + #) ??? damage.

Attack. Ranged Weapon Attack: +# to hit, range ##/## ft., one target. Hit: # (#d# + #) ??? damage.

Action (#/day). ???.
 ???.

Action (#/day). ???.
 ???.

Action (Recharge #-6 | Recharges After a Short/Long Rest). ???.
 ???.

Bonus Actions

Bonus. ???
 ???.

Reactions

Psychic Pack Attack. If the black locust is mindmerging with an allied black locust that attacks a creature, the locust can use its reaction to either give the attacked creature disadvantage on saving throws against the allied locust's attack or add 15 (2d10 + 4) psychic damage to the attack.

Reaction. ???.
 ???.


Description

???.
 ???.
 Subsection. ???.
 ???.

 Subsection. ???.
 ???.

(Original monster designed by Casimir Liber and Cleon on the Creature Catalog Monster Homebrews forum.)

 

[Cleon]

Okay, I've posted a first draft for the Enworld version with some of your rough draft.

The bits in blue are in need of alteration.

Firstly, why is it an undead rather than a fiend?

Secondly, the design appears to be based on a Sphinx. That's fine: it's a good idea to use another creature for the basic framework, but there are still some sentences with "sphinx" in them that should be "locust" (or maybe "black locust"?).

This also covers its Languages.

Unless there's some explanation in the Description as to why a prediabolical insectile fiend speaks Common and the same language as Sphinxes it seems a bit odd, considering "Infernal, telepathy 120 ft." is the standard for comparable hellfiends like the Horned Devil.

 

[Casimir Liber]

It's undead as they are the ghosts of the ancient inhabitants of Cania from before the arrival of the devils, whose psychic essence uses ice to crystallise a physical form.

Yeah, just chose sphinx to get started - will replace.

Languages - their own + telepathy (another thing I forgot to replace!)

Saves - INT + WIS

 

[Cleon]

It's undead as they are the ghosts of the ancient inhabitants of Cania from before the arrival of the devils, whose psychic essence uses ice to crystallise a physical form.

Yeah, just chose sphinx to get started - will replace.

Languages - their own + telepathy (another thing I forgot to replace!)

Saves - INT + WIS

That's all fine by me.

Since this black locust is your original monster, it's up to you what details it has.

Updating the Black Locust Working Draft.

What are you calling its native language. Canian? Locust?

I've changed the parsed sections to green and highlighted the more unfinished/questionable parts in red.

This starts with Skills, because it has an INT modifier +1 higher than a Gynosphinx, a black locust should have Arcana, History and Religion skills a point higher.

 

[Cleon]

It's undead as they are the ghosts of the ancient inhabitants of Cania from before the arrival of the devils, whose psychic essence uses ice to crystallise a physical form.

If it's an undead with a body formed from ice, shouldn't it have some typical undead Resistances and/or Immunities like poison or necrotic? If its body is frozen ice, I don't see either of those damage types as being very effective against it, or the Condition of poisoned for that matter.

There's a thematic argument for giving it Vulnerability to fire damage, but that's such an obvious weakness the PCs would surely exploit it.

Besides, Ice Devils are icy creatures to and they aren't vulnerable to fire. Indeed they're immune to it.

 

[Casimir Liber]

There's a thematic argument for giving it Vulnerability to fire damage, but that's such an obvious weakness the PCs would surely exploit it.

Besides, Ice Devils are icy creatures to and they aren't vulnerable to fire. Indeed they're immune to it.

Tempted to make them resistant to fire as they are made from supremely cold ice on thinking about it.

Have tweaked skills

Still pondering name.

I really want this (or something like it) for thematic weirdness

Create Homunculoid (recharge 6). The black locust absorbs 1d4+1 spell slots from a spellcaster within 60 feet, producing a bluish icy homonculoid that resembles the caster and has the ability to cast the spells stolen. The homunculoid has 25 hit points and AC 17.

 

[Cleon]

Tempted to make them resistant to fire as they are made from supremely cold ice on thinking about it.

They're your baby so do what you like. Resistance or Immunity to fire damage is fine by me.

What about the poison or necrotic question?

Have tweaked skills

Will update the Black Locust Working Draft…

…dang, there was a link error in my previous post where the "Updating Black Locust Working Draft" pointed to the D&D Beyond version rather than the Enworld one.

Just fixed it.

Psychic Buff still needs some amount of damage and I'm wondering if the damage should require a saving throw.

Psychic Buff #2. If an allied black locust is mindmerging with the black locust and hits a creature, the black locust can use its reaction to give the target disadvantage on its saving throw against the attack the ally hit it with. If the attack has no saving throw, or the creature has already rolled the saving throw against the attack (possibly including a Psychic Buff from another allied black locust), the creature must succeed at a DC 16 Charisma saving throw (with disadvantage) or take ## (#d#) psychic damage.

Psychic Buff #2a. If an allied black locust is mindmerging with the black locust and hits a creature, the black locust can use its reaction to give the target disadvantage on its saving throw against the attack the ally hit it with. If the attack has no saving throw, or the creature has already rolled the saving throw against the attack (possibly including a Psychic Buff from another allied black locust), the creature must succeed at a DC 16 Charisma saving throw (with disadvantage if two or more locusts apply Psychic Buff to an allied locust's attack) or take ## (#d#) psychic damage.

Psychic Buff #3. If an allied black locust is mindmerging with the black locust and hits a creature, the black locust can use its reaction to give the target disadvantage on its saving throw against the attack the ally hit it with. If the attack has no saving throw, or the creature has already rolled the saving throw against the attack (possibly including a Psychic Buff from another allied black locust), the creature must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw (with disadvantage), taking ## (#d#) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.​

Thought about adding a Psychic Buff #3a which had save-for-half AND disadvantage-if-two-or-more-Buffs but decided that was too complicated.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Leaning towards #3 - wondering whether too complex overall - maybe just making it do extra psychic damage (half if saved)

suggest damage should be 4d10 (like the psychic rebuke...?)