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

Cleon

Hero
incorporated all preceding. I like

Spirits of Possession #4. The fomorian ghost shaman conjures a cloud of accursed ghosts. The shaman directs these spirits to either target one creature within 120 feet or target every creature within 20 feet of the shaman. If the target is injured by necrotic damage it must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw.

Updated the Fomorian Ghost Shaman.

Doesn't need much of anything as a Description, but I guess we ought to stick something in there.

I'll post a placeholder for the Fomorian Butcher but would rather avoid working on it until we've finished the Gnoll Beast Shaman.
 
Last edited:

log in or register to remove this ad

Cleon

Hero
Fomorian Butcher
Size type, alignment
Armor Class ## (type)
Hit Points ## (#d# + ##)
Speed ## ft., climb/fly/swim ## ft.


STR​
DEX​
CON​
INT​
WIS​
CHA​
## (+–#)​
## (+–#)​
## (+–#)​
## (+–#)​
## (+–#)​
## (+–#)​

Saving Throws Stat +#
Skills Skill +#, Skill +#
Damage Vulnerabilities type, type
Damage Resistances type, type
Damage Immunities type, type
Condition Immunities type, type
Senses ???vision/sense/sight ## ft., passive Perception ##
Languages ### —
Challenge # (### XP) Proficiency Bonus +#

Special Trait. ???.

Special Trait. ???.


Actions

Multiattack. The ??? makes ??? attacks: ??? with its ??? and ??? with its ???.

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

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

Action (#/day). ???.
 ???.

Action (Recharge 5-6 | Recharges After a Short/Long Rest). ???.
 ???.


Bonus Actions

Bonus. ???.
 ???.


Reactions

Reaction. ???.
 ???.



Description

???.
 ???.
Subsection. ???.
 ???.

Subsection. ???.
 ???.


(Inspired by the Fomorian Ghost Shaman in 4th Edition's Monster Manual 2 (2009).)
 

Cleon

Hero
Great minds think alike (or fools seldom differ?), since I was musing about an altered version of War Cry that would work on Spectral Hyenas or other allies with DEX-based melee attacks.

This is what I came up with as a first draft:

Hunting Cry. As a bonus action, the gnoll beast shaman can utter a horrible howl, choosing up to two allied creatures within 60 feet [or 30 like the spell?] who can hear or see the shaman to form a hunting pack with. Allied creatures must be conscious to join a hunting pack, and leave the pack if knocked unconscious. This pack targets one creature chosen as prey by the shaman; this may be a creature within 150 feet who the shaman can see or smell, or a creature whose tracks the shaman can see or smell within 10 feet. These tracks may be up to 24 hours old, but at the DM's discretion favorable or unfavorable circumstances can increase or reduce this time limit (e.g. rain or hard and impermeable ground are unfavorable, snowy ground or blundering prey that leave an obvious trail are favorable). The shaman can also choose prey using the scent of objects a creature wore, such as clothes or footwear.​
Hunting cry is an Innate Spellcasting ability that requires concentration. The beast shaman can use hunting cry when it already has an hunting cry active, using the bonus action to either change the hunting pack's prey creature (restrictions as above) or choose three creatures for the pack, up to a maximum of nine (the shaman plus eight allies).​
 The hunting cry lasts for 1 hour or until the shaman loses concentration. If the prey drops to 0 hit points, the shaman has until the end of its turn to make another hunting cry to choose a replacement prey creature for the pack; failing to do so ends the hunting cry. If a dispel magic spell targets a pack member or the prey creature, the target immediately stops being part of the hunt, this ends the hunting cry if the shaman is the creature dispelled. If the prey is dispelled, the shaman has until the end of its turn to use hunting cry to choose new prey (which may be the same as the old prey).​
 When a creature joins a hunting cry pack (which includes the shaman), they gain one hunting die, which the pack member must spend on the first melee attack it makes against the prey, adding 2 (1d4) to either its attack roll or its damage roll. The hunter rolls to hit first: if the roll to hit fails, it adds the hunting die to try turning the miss into a hit; if the roll to hit succeeds, it adds the hunting die to damage. The hunting die replenishes if the shaman chooses the creature with another hunting cry (it can choose itself). The shaman cannot give a pack member two or more hunting dice, if can only replace a die the hunter has spent.​
 In addition, as long as the hunting cry is active, all pack members gain the following trait:​
Predatory Senses. The creature has advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check it makes to find the chosen prey.​

Okay, for the Gnoll Beast Shaman we just need to decide on its Skill proficiencies (if any) and work out the Hunting Cry special ability.

Looking at the rough draft it's way too wordy. I'm sure I can boil it down to something more succinct.
 


Cleon

Hero
ok maybe give the Gnoll Beast Shaman survival (+6) ....tracking 'n' stuff. Possibly also intimidate and/or animal handling...?

How many skills are we giving it? The original 4E Chosen of Yeenoghu we're basing it on only has two and those are Arcana and Religion, suggesting it's more a spellcaster than a hunter.

An NPC Druid has three (Medicine, Nature, Perception) and the NPC Priest the same (Medicine, Persuasion, Religion), which seems about the right number.

There are a few third-party gnolls on 5Esrd.com that could serve as inspiration. The Gnoll Tribal Shaman doesn't have ANY skills, the Gnoll Gutter Pack Shaman (Arcana, Perception, Stealth, Survival) and Gnoll Plains Shaman (Arcana, Nature, Perception, Survival) both have four, but that might be a little excessive.

I'm more inclined to go for two or three skills, although I would consider four.

As for the actual Skills

Don't care for Intimidate as it's not on the 5E Druid skill list of Arcana, Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion and Survival and the original monster was more a leads-from-behind type.

It doesn't really need Animal Handling, as it uses its supernatural gifts to direct its spectral hyenas. Besides, would that even work on an undead?

I'm fine with Survival, as a "wise old gnoll" that advises/instructs/leads younger greener gnolls it's the kind of knowledge it'd need.

Would like either Arcana or Religion or both in there as it needs some knowledge of magic and the supernatural, but aren't much bothered which option that is.

Tempted by Medicine as that's a VERY traditional Shaman skill, but I'm not sure it fits very well with the Gnoll's brutally chaotic evil ethos, which seems extremely "everyone for yourself, eat your rivals in the pack if you can" in later editions of D&D.

There's always Perception. That's always a useful skill to have.

Would consider Stealth, but I imagine the Shaman and its spectral pack howling their heads off as they pursue/attack the PCs, which rather defeats the point of them being stealthy!
 




Cleon

Hero
oh yeah, add perception...

Updated the Gnoll Beast Shaman.

Updated the Fomorian Ghost Shaman.

Doesn't need much of anything as a Description, but I guess we ought to stick something in there.

I'll post a placeholder for the Fomorian Butcher but would rather avoid working on it until we've finished the Gnoll Beast Shaman.

Both the links go to the Ghost Shaman. Sure I fixed the second one a few days ago, but it didn't seem to take.

Hopefully the repeat attempt I just did will stick!
 

Cleon

Hero
Here's a revised version of Hunting Cry.

Hunting Pack #2 [or Hunting Pack?] (18 Dice, Recharges After a Long Rest). The gnoll beast shaman has a pool of 18 hunting dice it uses to form a hunting pack. This pool replenishes after a Long Rest.​
 As a bonus action, the shaman can utter a horrible hunting cry and chooses three creatures within 60 feet who can hear or see the shaman, each of which is assigned one hunting die and joins the hunting pack. The pack targets one creature chosen as prey by the shaman as it howls its hunting cry; this may be a creature within 150 feet who the shaman can see or smell, or a creature whose trail the shaman can see or smell within 10 feet. The tracks may be up to 24 hours old (at the DM's discretion a strong or weak trail may change this time limit). The scent of worn items such as clothes or footwear can be used to set prey.​
 The hunting pack can have a maximum of nine members (the shaman plus eight allies), which requires at least three hunting cries to gather. The gnoll beast shaman cannot assign more than one hunting die to each pack member.​
 If a pack member loses consciousness, abandons the hunt (a free action) or stops for a Long Rest, they leave the pack and lose the hunting die they were assigned. If the gnoll beast shaman leaves the hunting pack the pack disbands and all other pack members lose their hunting dice (the shaman retains any unassigned dice left in its hunting pool).​
 If the prey drops to 0 hit points, the shaman must use a hunting cry to assign at least one hunting die and choose new prey for the pack or else the pack disbands as above. The shaman has 10 minutes to find new prey, during which it has to maintain Concentration as if hunting pack were a spell.​
 A pack member must spend its assigned hunting die to add 2 (1d4) to either the attack or damage roll of the first melee attack it makes against the prey creature. The hunter rolls to hit first: if the attack hits, they add their hunting die to damage; if the attack missed, they add their hunting die to the attack roll, even if this has no chance of hitting. The shaman can use hunting cry to assign a new hunting dice to pack members who have spent theirs.​
 As long as the hunting pack is active, all pack members temporarily gain the following trait:​
Predatory Senses. The creature has advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check it makes to find the chosen prey.​
 
Last edited:

Cleon

Hero
Hunting Pack #2 [or Hunting Pack?] (18 Dice, Recharges After a Long Rest). The gnoll beast shaman has a pool of 18 hunting dice it uses to form a hunting pack. This pool replenishes after a Long Rest.
 As a bonus action, the shaman can utter a horrible hunting cry and chooses three creatures within 60 feet who can hear or see the shaman, each of which is assigned one hunting die and joins the hunting pack. The pack targets one creature chosen as prey by the shaman as it howls its hunting cry; this may be a creature within 150 feet who the shaman can see or smell, or a creature whose trail the shaman can see or smell within 10 feet. The tracks may be up to 24 hours old (at the DM's discretion a strong or weak trail may change this time limit). The scent of worn items such as clothes or footwear can be used to set prey. The hunting pack can have a maximum of nine members (the shaman plus eight allies), which requires at least three hunting cries to gather. The gnoll beast shaman cannot assign more than one hunting die to each pack member.​

Don't care for the first few paragraphs. Will try again…

Hunting Cry #3 (18 Dice, Recharges After a Long Rest). As a bonus action, the gnoll beast shaman utters a horrible hunting cry and forms a hunting pack that targets one creature the shaman chooses as its prey; this may be a creature within 150 feet who the shaman can see or smell, or a creature whose trail the shaman can see or smell within 10 feet. The tracks may be up to 24 hours old (at the DM's discretion a strong or weak trail may change this time limit). The scent of worn items such as clothes or footwear can be used to set prey.
 The gnoll beast shaman has a pool of 18 hunting dice that replenishes after a Long Rest. With each hunting cry, the shaman can choose three creatures for its hunting pack up to a maximum of nine (the shaman plus eight allies), each of which is assigned one hunting die. The shaman cannot assign a pack member more than one hunting die.​
 




Cleon

Hero
Let's keep it simple.

A gnoll beast shaman always wears a cloak made from the decomposing skins of their humanoid prey. This gnoll appears twisted and decrepit with age but is faster and stronger than a normal gnoll and possesses dark demonic magic. They regularly leads hunting packs of hyenas and gnolls, both living and undead.
Chosen by the Lord of Gnolls. Gnoll tribes use trained hyenas for war and hunting. A gnoll beast shaman can bind the spirits of the best of these beasts to serve the tribe after death. The Prince of Beasts occasionally grants this power to a gnoll who sacrificed most of their life to that demon lord.
 



Cleon

Hero
Heh just all tooling around here a bit....

Was that in response to Gradine? The Creature Catalog never had a Newsletter.

Updated the Gnoll Beast Shaman. with the proposed Description.

NB: Bolt of chaos still sitting there in actions section

Dang it, I forgot about Bolt of Chaos in all this excitement.

What I was thinking of was something like:

Bolt of Chaos. Ranged Spell Attack: +6 to hit, range 50 ft. [? maybe 30, 50, 100 or 120 ft.?], one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) [?] damage of a random type (roll d4: 1=necrotic, 2=poison, 3=cold, 4=lightning) and the target must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. If they fail, the target suffers a special effect that depends on the bolt's damage type:​
  • Necrotic Damage: Target can't regain hit points until the start of the gnoll beast shaman's next turn.
  • Poison Damage: Target is poisoned until the start of the shaman's next turn.
  • Cold Damage: Target's speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of the shaman's next turn.
  • Lightning Damage: Target can't take reactions until the start of the target's next turn.
It's basically a randomized combination of four cantrips: chill touch, ray of frost, shocking grasp and poison spray.

Not completely decided on the range and amount of damage. The original bolt only had a 25 ft. range but could teleport a hyena 50 feet. A fire bolt cantrip has a 120 ft. range, so I reckon that ought to be the upper limit for its range.

Or we can drop the Bolt of Chaos entirely. The original chosen's Bolt of Ruination is well represented by Spirit Strike and Jaws of Ruination.
 


Cleon

Hero
yeah....looking at it, does overlap alot so happy to leave off (and use for another critter)

So just for confirmation, you prefer removing Bolt of Ruination Chaos from the Shaman?

That's OK by me, although I do quite like the mechanics of it.

Still, as you say we can always recycle it for another monster.
 

An Advertisement

Advertisement4

Top