5E: Fifth Edition Monster Variants Inspired by Fourth Edition Sources

[Cleon]

Umm....okay...so we calling the CR 5 undead the blood mist then?

I was calling the undead one a Scarlet Mist.

 

[Casimir Liber]

ok - also Tethered Flight better than earthbound flight. Gives more combat options

 

[Cleon]

ok - also Tethered Flight better than earthbound flight. Gives more combat options

Agreed.

I'd like to polish the wording a bit though, how about:

Tethered Flight. The scarlet mist can only fly within 10 feet of a surface able to support the weight of a Medium sized creature. It can spread its weight over a 10 foot wide area, allowing it to fly across water or quicksand and fly across the top of a tree or wheat field, but this counts as difficult terrain. If it moves further than 10 feet from a supporting surface, the scarlet mist descends to the ground without taking any falling damage.
​

Also, I'll tweak the Mist Form to match the wording of the Scarlet Death.

Misty Form. The scarlet mist can occupy another creature's space and vice versa. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist can pass through it without squeezing. Each foot of movement in water costs it 2 extra feet, rather than 1 extra foot. The mist can't manipulate objects in any way that requires fingers or manual dexterity.
​

 

[Cleon]

Shall we review the immunities and resistances.

The original 4E monster only has immunity to disease and is resistant to necrotic and poison damage, plus it has an Insubstantial trait that lets it take half damage from any damage source except fire, force or radiant.

Despite being a insubstantial mist it can still be grappled, knocked prone and petrified, but that's more a peculiarity of the Fourth Edition rules which was heavily into trimming down monster defenses that rendered PC powers useless.

So what Condition Immunities do you fancy?

The current Scarlet Mist Working Draft basically just copied-and-pasted those of the 5E Wraith but I wouldn't mind removing a few, perhaps make it non-immune to charmed or frightened and maybe even petrified or paralyzed?

Hmm, perhaps we should approach this from the opposite direction and think what condition immunities it absolutely needs to have?

 

[Casimir Liber]

ok restrict it to these immunities:

- grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained

re damage resistances - the CR 1/2 shadow has the same list of resistances so am fine with that. Seems to be a standard incorporeal undead thing

 

[Cleon]

Agreed.

I'd like to polish the wording a bit though, how about:

Tethered Flight. The scarlet mist can only fly within 10 feet of a surface able to support the weight of a Medium sized creature. It can spread its weight over a 10 foot wide area, allowing it to fly across water or quicksand and fly across the top of a tree or wheat field, but this counts as difficult terrain. If it moves further than 10 feet from a supporting surface, the scarlet mist descends to the ground without taking any falling damage.
​

Also, I'll tweak the Mist Form to match the wording of the Scarlet Death.

Misty Form. The scarlet mist can occupy another creature's space and vice versa. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist can pass through it without squeezing. Each foot of movement in water costs it 2 extra feet, rather than 1 extra foot. The mist can't manipulate objects in any way that requires fingers or manual dexterity.
​

Of its Special Traits, that just leaves its Aura of Life Siphoning.

Are we OK leaving it as is? Temporary hit points basically work the same in 4E and 5E.

I did wonder about tweaking it so the mist regained hit points instead, so it heals itself by draining blood like the Bite attack of a Vampire, but that seems a better fit for its Life Drain attack.

Guess we could have it both way, so the Aura heals a wounded mist or gives temporary hit points to one at full health.

 

[Casimir Liber]

all sounds good to me

 

[Cleon]

ok restrict it to these immunities:

- grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained

I'm fine adding immunity to exhaustion to the above. That seems pretty standard for undead.

re damage resistances - the CR 1/2 shadow has the same list of resistances so am fine with that. Seems to be a standard incorporeal undead thing

So keeping it necrotic, poison?

That works for me.

 

[Casimir Liber]

yep/agreed

 

[Cleon]

yep/agreed

Updating the Scarlet Mist Working Draft.