D&D 5E (2024) Seeking feedback on homebrew monsters

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm running the Banewarrens currently for my long-running play-by-post Ptolus campaign (since 2006!).

We're relatively early in the Banewarrens storyline, but the group has just encountered a group of five enemies in one of the signature dungeons of Ptolus. They're members of a secretive faction that wants to exterminate all humans and, thus, there's going to be a fight.

The problem, though, is that there are eight level 9 PCs in this encounter and the monsters, per the adventure, are three goblins, a minotaur and a lamia. Per even the 2024 Monster Manual or ToV's Monster Vault, these guys will be dead in a single round. (At the moment, the monsters only think there are four or five PCs.)

So, for this encounter, I'm not going to change the number of monsters (so it's likely they'll still get action economied to death), but I am using Forge of Foes to build higher level versions of each. Specifically, the encounter will be three CR 2 goblins, a CR 7 minotaur and a CR 7 lamia.

For future encounters, I'll probably also increase the number of monsters as well, but for this time around, I'm taking that option off the table and seeing what I can do to make these monsters scary to a group of eight level nine characters. (Two fighters, a druid/barbarian, two rangers, a bard, a wizard and a paladin.)

I'm also not looking for lore critiques today, particularly on the goblins, but am interested in help with the math and monster design. Thanks.

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Goblin Redcap
Giggling sadists.
Habitat: Forest, Grassland, Hill, Planar (Acheron, Feywild), Underdark, Treasure: Implements, Individual
The goblins that scare other goblins, redcaps wear hats soaked in the blood of their victims and delight in torture and murder, slaughtering innocents in their homes if they cannot find a battle.

GOBLIN REDCAP
Small fey (goblinoid), Chaotic Evil

AC: 13
Initiative: +3 (13)
HP: 42 (6d6 + 6)
Speed: 30 ft.

STR 14 MOD +2 SAVE +2
DEX 16 MOD +3 SAVE +3
CON 16 MOD +3 SAVE +3
INT 10 MOD +0 SAVE +0
WIS 10 MOD +0 SAVE +0
CHA 10 MOD +0 SAVE +0

Skills Acrobatics +8, Stealth +8
Gear Cap, Caltrops, Cleaver
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception X
Languages Common, Goblin
CR 2 (XP 450; PB +5)

Traits
Tumbling Acrobatics. The goblin can move through the space of any ally but cannot stop in the same space.

Blood Frenzy. The goblin recap has Advantage on attack rolls against any creature that doesn’t have all its Hit Points.

Actions
Multiattack. The goblin redcap makes two Cleaver attacks.
Cleaver. Melee Attack Roll: +7, reach 5 ft., Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) Slashing damage.

Bonus Actions
Nimble Escape. The goblin takes the Disengage or Hide action.

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Minotaur Manhunter
A minotaur dedicated to the slaughter of humans.
Habitat: Underdark, Treasure: Armaments
Minotaurs who have studied the art of waging war on humans, which they do with grim enthusiasm.

MINOTAUR MANHUNTER
Large Monstrosity, Chaotic Evil

AC: 15
Initiative: +0 (10)
HP: 127 (15d10 + 3)
Speed: 30 ft.

STR 18 MOD +4 SAVE +4
DEX 11 MOD +0 SAVE +0
CON 16 MOD +3 SAVE +3
INT 10 MOD +0 SAVE +0
WIS 16 MOD +3 SAVE +3
CHA 10 MOD +0 SAVE +0

Skills Perception +10, Survival +10
Gear Two-handed sword
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 20
Languages Common
CR 7 (XP 2,900; PB +7)

Traits
Hunter of Men. Minotaur manhunters have advantage on all damage rolls made against humans and have Advantage on any Wisdom (Perception or Survival) check they make to find one.

Actions
Two-handed sword. Melee Attack Roll: +11, reach 10 ft. Hit: 20 (3d10 + 4) Slashing damage
Gore (Recharge 5–6). Melee Attack Roll: +11, reach 5 ft. Hit: 18 (4d6 + 4) Piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature and the minotaur moved 10+ feet straight toward it immediately before the hit, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) Piercing damage and has the Prone condition.

Reactions
Vengeance. Trigger: A creature in melee range damages the minotaur manhunter in combat. Response: The minotaur manhunter makes a gore attack on the creature that damaged it.

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Lamia Deceiver
Magical manipulators, delighting in ruin.
Habitat: Desert, Underdark, Treasure: Arcana
Lamia deceivers seek to bring individuals, families and whole civilizations to ruin through manipulation and treachery.

LAMIA DECEIVER
Large Fiend, Chaotic Evil

AC: 15
Initiative: +3 (13)
HP: 137 (15d10 + 45)
Speed: 40 ft.

STR 16 MOD +3 SAVE +3
DEX 16 MOD +3 SAVE +3
CON 16 MOD +3 SAVE +3
INT 14 MOD +2 SAVE +2
WIS 14 MOD +2 SAVE +2
CHA 18 MOD +4 SAVE +4

Skills Deception X, Insight X, Stealth X
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception X
Languages Abyssal, Common
CR 7 (XP 2,900; PB +7)

Actions
Multiattack. The lamia makes two Claw attacks and one use of Corrupting Touch.
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +10, reach 5 ft. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) Slashing damage plus 8 (3d4) Psychic damage.
Corrupting Touch. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 19, one creature the lamia can see within 5 feet. Failure: 18 (4d8) Psychic damage, and the target is cursed for 1 hour. Until the curse ends, the target has the Charmed and Poisoned conditions.
Spellcasting. The lamia casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 19):
At Will: Charm Person, Crown of Madness, Disguise Self (can appear as a Large or Medium biped), Silent Image
1/Day Each: Dream, Geas, Major Image, Mirror Image, Scrying

Reactions
Leap. The lamia jumps up to 30 feet by spending 10 feet of movement.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The intended synergy here is that the minotaur manhunter charges into melee, intending to get swarmed by melee combatants, which will lead to him giving a gore attack to anyone who strikes him. The goblin redcaps tumble in, slashing with advantage at anyone wounded and then tumbling back out of danger. Meanwhile, the lamia deceiver hangs back and turns the PCs on each other with Crown of Madness. When things start to go poorly, the lamia will use Mirror Image and make a run for it, while the goblin redcaps throw down caltrops in an attempt to slow pursuers.

Of course, with this many PCs, it's entirely likely they get ganked in the first or second round.

 

[Quickleaf]

The intended synergy here is that the minotaur manhunter charges into melee, intending to get swarmed by melee combatants, which will lead to him giving a gore attack to anyone who strikes him. The goblin redcaps tumble in, slashing with advantage at anyone wounded and then tumbling back out of danger. Meanwhile, the lamia deceiver hangs back and turns the PCs on each other with Crown of Madness. When things start to go poorly, the lamia will use Mirror Image and make a run for it, while the goblin redcaps throw down caltrops in an attempt to slow pursuers.

Of course, with this many PCs, it's entirely likely they get ganked in the first or second round.

Goblins could drop caltrops in tandem with Nimble Escape.

Minotaur's Vengeance doesn't give players enough ways to creatively avoid (10' reach). "Vengeance's" narrative is weak. As a trait, can limit it 1/player's turn (e.g. 2014 Sneak Attack) instead of opp attack.

Might be cool if lamia creates hallucinatory terrain? Maybe trigger Vengeance if moving out of difficult terrain (e.g. caltrops)?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

OK, another new monster. The Banewarrens is a dungeon where the most evil artifacts and beings in the world are imprisoned and their evil stains the world, sometimes causing it to coalesce as man-shaped swarms of vermin. Which is super-creepy, until you find out they're reskinnned wights, which is incredibly disappointing.

Since I'm now up to nine level 9 PCs on this adventure, I'm intending to throw two maliceborn at the party for a fight they should be able to win, but which will likely finish off most of their resources and send them to the surface of Ptolus to recuperate and gather more intelligence in the next part of the adventure.

Let me know if the maths math here.

Maliceborn

Coalesced evil.

Habitat: Any, Treasure: Arcana

Evil so vile that it stains the world can coalesce into inky black rats, insects and other vermin, which in turn clump together into man-shaped forms that seek the destruction of everything they encounter.

MALICEBORN
Medium Aberration, Neutral Evil

AC: 15
Initiative: +1 (11)
HP: 136 (20d8 + 46)
Speed: 30 ft.

STR 14 MOD +2 SAVE +2
DEX 12 MOD +1 SAVE +1
CON 12 MOD +1 SAVE +1
INT 14 MOD +2 SAVE +2
WIS 14 MOD +2 SAVE +2
CHA 14 MOD +2 SAVE +5

Skills Insight +5, Intimidation +5
Resistances Piercing, Psychic, Slashing
Vulnerabilities Radiant
Senses Passive Perception 15, Darkvision 120 ft.
Languages Deep Speech, telepathy 120 ft.
CR 8 (XP 3,900; PB +3)

Traits

Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through an opening large enough for a Small creature. The swarm can’t regain Hit Points or gain Temporary Hit Points.

Actions

Multiattack. The mailceborn makes three attacks, including up to one Dominating Whispers.

Dominating Whispers (Recharge 4-6). The maliceborn chooses a target they can see within 60 feet of them. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC 16) or be forced to immediately use their most effective attack, magical attack, or at-will spell against another target chosen by the maliceborn.

Slam. Melee Attack Roll: +7, reach 5 ft. Hit: 18 (3d10+2), Psychic damage

Reactions

Wave of Madness. Trigger: The maliceborn drops to 68 hit points or less. Response: Intelligence Saving Throw: DC 16, each creature in a 15-foot Emanation originating from the maliceborn. Failure: The target loses the ability to distinguish friend from foe, regarding all creatures it can see as enemies until the effect ends. Each time the target takes damage, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Whenever the affected creature chooses another creature as a target, it must choose the target at random from among the creatures it can see within range of the attack, spell, or other ability it’s using. If an enemy provokes an opportunity attack from the affected creature, the creature must make that attack if it is able to.

Bonus Actions

Hateful Command. The maliceborn can direct one target under the influence of either Dominating Whispers or Wave of Madness to move up to half their speed.

 

[Stalker0]

I would say if your goal is to challenge so many PCs without adding more monsters....we need to focus more on area effects, whether its spells from the monsters or (my preference), effects from the terrain itself.

Perhaps the goblins have already trapped the area so there are various effects that go off during the fight. Or maybe the terrain already starts out hostile, with fire spouts or XYZ.

But yeah the encounter you have set up is only hard for 6 lvl 9 PCs, let alone 8 (medium technically). Obviously I don't know your party but I would expect this to be a total softball for such a party, which is why I think you have to bring something big with the terrain of the area itself if you want this combat to have any pop to it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The goblin + lamia + minotaur fight is over. It wasn't a romp -- the players sweat the most they have in this campaign outside of facing down the BBEGs for the first half.

So the new encounter is just the two maliceborn.

 

[Stormonu]

The maliceborn pose an interesting problem with the possibility of turning the party's most effective attacks against itself. I think you should make the DC for Waves of Madness be 16 to match their primary ability, as their going to only get this once and should tip it more towards a 50%/50% chance.

I also think that you should add a Bonus Action, that allows the Maliceborn to move targets affected by the madness up to half their speed, making it more likely to put PCs in a position to be striking allies instead of the Maliceborn (especially since it seems you've got quite a number of melee attackers).

Also, with the Radiant vulnerability, the Paladin is going to chew through these guys.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The maliceborn pose an interesting problem with the possibility of turning the party's most effective attacks against itself. I think you should make the DC for Waves of Madness be 16 to match their primary ability, as their going to only get this once and should tip it more towards a 50%/50% chance.

I also think that you should add a Bonus Action, that allows the Maliceborn to move targets affected by the madness up to half their speed, making it more likely to put PCs in a position to be striking allies instead of the Maliceborn (especially since it seems you've got quite a number of melee attackers).

Also, with the Radiant vulnerability, the Paladin is going to chew through these guys.

Good notes, thank you.

And I'm OK with the maliceborn going down pretty fast, especially since the wave of madness from each of them stands a good chance of distracting the party for a round or two, no matter what.

Updating the monster now.