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<blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 8714147" data-attributes="member: 6915329"><p>Greenwood is a juggernaut of monster design, and this article contains a bunch a’ bats. Or, well, bat-like creatures. Several of them are only bat-adjacent, really. The information from these bats was dictated to Ed by Elminster himself, so… none of these bats are sexy high-level ladies so does that mean he is <em>more </em>accurate or <em>less </em>accurate in his descriptions?</p><p></p><p>Anyhoo, the first of these <em>Pseudomegochiroptera</em> (my term, not Ed’s or Elminster’s) is the sinister-sounding <strong>sinister</strong>. I’m listing it as a monstrosity, but it’s pretty magical and kind of looks like a flying manta ray which means that it could very well be related to the cloaker, an aberration. Feel free to change it to aberration for your games.</p><p></p><p>As a side note, I’ve never been quite sure if a winged creature’s size should include their wingspan. The sinister is described as Large and having a 9-foot wingspan. In real life, one of the biggest bats in the world, if not <em>the </em>biggest bat (the golden crowned flying fox) has a wingspan of five feet... but it weighs less than three pounds and its body length is under two feet. I would consider that to be a Tiny creature, not the Medium creature that its wingspan would suggest. D&D and logic are not mixy things, but I decided to bump the formerly-Large sinisters down to Medium.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]256022[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Since that's a less-than-helpful picture, here's what they looked like in <em>Monsters of Faer<em>û</em>n:</em></p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]256023[/ATTACH]</p><p><span style="font-size: 15px">Artist: Michael Kaluta</span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px"><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">Sinister</span></span></strong></p><p>Bats that do more than bite, Dragon Magazine #90</p><p>Created by Ed Greenwood</p><p></p><p>Sinisters resemble flying manta rays but with batlike ears and leathery wings. They are covered in velvety black hide and appear to be skeletally gaunt, and their eyes are a flat, non-reflective purplish-black. They make no vocalizations—unlike true bats, they don’t use echolocation to navigate—and as they fly magically, their wings make no noise when they flap. Sinisters draw their name from their ghoulish appearance, their tendency to watch people in utter silence, and certain alien behaviors they have been observed performing, not from known acts of evil. Sinisters are omnivores, surviving primarily on fruits, nuts, and carrion.</p><p></p><p>Sinisters are innately magical beings. They are protected by a force field that stops missiles—even magical ones—from reaching it. This field is invisible until a missile pings off of it, at which point it momentarily glows with dark purple light. Th</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Music Hath Charms.</em></strong> Curiously, sinisters love music and singing of all sorts. Should they hear music being played, they silently gather to observe and listen. They do nothing <em>but </em>listen, in fact, while hovering quietly in the background, unless attacked first. They are likely to follow a musician for many nights, hoping for a repeat performance. Musicians that are kind and play for them often gain long-term friends. Although the sinisters won’t follow the musician outside their territory and are only active at night, they won’t let harm befall their source of music while they’re awake.</p><p></p><p>At the Narrator’s decision, a character who critically succeeds on the Busk journey activity while in a location home to sinisters may attract several such protective “fans” for the length of their stay in the region.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Strange Rituals.</em></strong> On occasion, people have spotted groups of exactly seven sinisters engage in a slow, silent, floating dance. As they are otherwise found only alone or in pairs, this grouping is highly unusual for them, and nobody has been able to figure out the dance’s purpose. Some people have reported the discovery of portals leading to the Feywild and Shadowfell after such a dance, but it’s unclear if the sinisters created those portals or if their presence merely heralded the portals’ existence.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Legends and Lore</span></strong></p><p>With a Nature or Arcana check, the characters can learn the following:</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 10.</strong> Sinisters are bat-like creatures that fly magically and in complete silence.</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 15.</strong> Sinisters are surrounded by a magical force field that repels ranged attacks, and they can paralyze creatures with their gaze.</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 20.</strong> Sinisters love music and will loyally follow musicians around, and may even protect them.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Sinister Encounters</span></strong></p><p><strong><em>Terrain:</em></strong> caverns, Feywild, forests, mountains, ruin, Shadowfell, tomb</p><p></p><p><strong>CR 3-4</strong> 1 sinister</p><p></p><p><strong>CR 5-10</strong> 2 sinisters</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Signs</span></strong></p><p>1. Local bards speak of strange, hovering, black <em>things</em> that followed them while in the wilderness.</p><p>2. Broken arrows with dented tips. An adventurer knowledgeable about weapon lore or fletching may make a DC 13 Intelligence check to realize that the arrows look as though they’ve struck a solid wall. There are no solid walls in the vicinity.</p><p>3. A sensitive adventurer detects the presence of a portal to the Feywild or Shadowfell</p><p>4. A flowering tree. The flowers on the tree’s tops have been eaten.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Behavior</span></strong></p><p>1. Hanging upside down from a branch or stone outcropping.</p><p>2. Hovering silently in mid-air.</p><p>3. Paralyzing a small mammal, then swooping down to kill and eat it.</p><p>4. Hunting in the shadows.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"><span style="font-size: 26px">Sinister</span></span></strong></p><p><strong>Medium monstrosity</strong></p><p>Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)</p><p></p><p><strong>AC</strong> 14 (natural armor)</p><p><strong>HP</strong> 61 (10d8+16; bloodied 30)</p><p><strong>Speed</strong> 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)</p><p></p><p><strong>STR</strong> 18 (+4) <strong>DEX</strong> 13 (+2) <strong>CON</strong> 15 (+2)</p><p><strong>INT</strong> 8 (-1) <strong>WIS</strong> 14 (+2) <strong>CHA</strong> 15 (+2)</p><p></p><p><strong>Proficiency</strong> +2</p><p><strong>Maneuver DC</strong> 12</p><p><strong>Skills</strong> Perception +4, Stealth +4 (<em>+1d6</em>)</p><p><strong>Damage Resistances</strong> acid, fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from ranged attacks</p><p><strong>Condition Immunities</strong> prone</p><p><strong>Senses</strong> darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14</p><p><strong>Languages</strong> telepathy 30 ft. (can transmit but not receive emotions and images), understands Common and Undercommon but can’t speak</p><p><strong><em>Flyby.</em></strong> The sinister doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of a creature’s reach.</p><p><strong><em>Magic Field.</em></strong> The sinister is surrounded by a magical field that deflects missiles, whether mundane or magic. Ranged weapon and spell attack rolls made against the sinister are made at disadvantage. This magic field also harmlessly absorbs <em>magic missiles</em>.</p><p><strong><em>Magic Resistance.</em></strong> The sinister has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.</p><p><strong><em>Sunlight Sensitivity.</em></strong> While in sunlight, the sinister has disadvantage on attack rolls and on Perception checks that rely on sight.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Bite. </em></strong><em>Melee Weapon Attack:</em> +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. <em>Hit: </em>7 (2d4+2) piercing damage.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Bonus Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Paralyzing Gaze (Gaze).</em></strong> The sinister targets a creature within 30 feet. The target must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be paralyzed until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, the target is immune to this sinister’s Paralyzing Gaze for 24 hours.</p><p><strong><em>Shadow Stealth.</em></strong> The sinister takes the Hide action even if obscured only by dim light or darkness.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Combat</span></strong></p><p>The sinister attacks from ambush. If it meets substantial resistance, it uses its Paralyzing Gaze and attempts to flee.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Faolyn, post: 8714147, member: 6915329"] Greenwood is a juggernaut of monster design, and this article contains a bunch a’ bats. Or, well, bat-like creatures. Several of them are only bat-adjacent, really. The information from these bats was dictated to Ed by Elminster himself, so… none of these bats are sexy high-level ladies so does that mean he is [I]more [/I]accurate or [I]less [/I]accurate in his descriptions? Anyhoo, the first of these [I]Pseudomegochiroptera[/I] (my term, not Ed’s or Elminster’s) is the sinister-sounding [B]sinister[/B]. I’m listing it as a monstrosity, but it’s pretty magical and kind of looks like a flying manta ray which means that it could very well be related to the cloaker, an aberration. Feel free to change it to aberration for your games. As a side note, I’ve never been quite sure if a winged creature’s size should include their wingspan. The sinister is described as Large and having a 9-foot wingspan. In real life, one of the biggest bats in the world, if not [I]the [/I]biggest bat (the golden crowned flying fox) has a wingspan of five feet... but it weighs less than three pounds and its body length is under two feet. I would consider that to be a Tiny creature, not the Medium creature that its wingspan would suggest. D&D and logic are not mixy things, but I decided to bump the formerly-Large sinisters down to Medium. [ATTACH type="full" width="181px" alt="1659391690116.png"]256022[/ATTACH] Since that's a less-than-helpful picture, here's what they looked like in [I]Monsters of Faer[I]û[/I]n:[/I] [ATTACH type="full" width="669px" alt="1659391741494.png"]256023[/ATTACH] [SIZE=4]Artist: Michael Kaluta[/SIZE] [B][SIZE=6][COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)]Sinister[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] Bats that do more than bite, Dragon Magazine #90 Created by Ed Greenwood Sinisters resemble flying manta rays but with batlike ears and leathery wings. They are covered in velvety black hide and appear to be skeletally gaunt, and their eyes are a flat, non-reflective purplish-black. They make no vocalizations—unlike true bats, they don’t use echolocation to navigate—and as they fly magically, their wings make no noise when they flap. Sinisters draw their name from their ghoulish appearance, their tendency to watch people in utter silence, and certain alien behaviors they have been observed performing, not from known acts of evil. Sinisters are omnivores, surviving primarily on fruits, nuts, and carrion. Sinisters are innately magical beings. They are protected by a force field that stops missiles—even magical ones—from reaching it. This field is invisible until a missile pings off of it, at which point it momentarily glows with dark purple light. Th [B][I]Music Hath Charms.[/I][/B] Curiously, sinisters love music and singing of all sorts. Should they hear music being played, they silently gather to observe and listen. They do nothing [I]but [/I]listen, in fact, while hovering quietly in the background, unless attacked first. They are likely to follow a musician for many nights, hoping for a repeat performance. Musicians that are kind and play for them often gain long-term friends. Although the sinisters won’t follow the musician outside their territory and are only active at night, they won’t let harm befall their source of music while they’re awake. At the Narrator’s decision, a character who critically succeeds on the Busk journey activity while in a location home to sinisters may attract several such protective “fans” for the length of their stay in the region. [B][I]Strange Rituals.[/I][/B] On occasion, people have spotted groups of exactly seven sinisters engage in a slow, silent, floating dance. As they are otherwise found only alone or in pairs, this grouping is highly unusual for them, and nobody has been able to figure out the dance’s purpose. Some people have reported the discovery of portals leading to the Feywild and Shadowfell after such a dance, but it’s unclear if the sinisters created those portals or if their presence merely heralded the portals’ existence. [B][SIZE=5]Legends and Lore[/SIZE][/B] With a Nature or Arcana check, the characters can learn the following: [B]DC 10.[/B] Sinisters are bat-like creatures that fly magically and in complete silence. [B]DC 15.[/B] Sinisters are surrounded by a magical force field that repels ranged attacks, and they can paralyze creatures with their gaze. [B]DC 20.[/B] Sinisters love music and will loyally follow musicians around, and may even protect them. [B][SIZE=5]Sinister Encounters[/SIZE] [I]Terrain:[/I][/B] caverns, Feywild, forests, mountains, ruin, Shadowfell, tomb [B]CR 3-4[/B] 1 sinister [B]CR 5-10[/B] 2 sinisters [B][SIZE=5]Signs[/SIZE][/B] 1. Local bards speak of strange, hovering, black [I]things[/I] that followed them while in the wilderness. 2. Broken arrows with dented tips. An adventurer knowledgeable about weapon lore or fletching may make a DC 13 Intelligence check to realize that the arrows look as though they’ve struck a solid wall. There are no solid walls in the vicinity. 3. A sensitive adventurer detects the presence of a portal to the Feywild or Shadowfell 4. A flowering tree. The flowers on the tree’s tops have been eaten. [B][SIZE=5]Behavior[/SIZE][/B] 1. Hanging upside down from a branch or stone outcropping. 2. Hovering silently in mid-air. 3. Paralyzing a small mammal, then swooping down to kill and eat it. 4. Hunting in the shadows. [B][COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)][SIZE=7]Sinister[/SIZE][/COLOR] Medium monstrosity[/B] Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) [B]AC[/B] 14 (natural armor) [B]HP[/B] 61 (10d8+16; bloodied 30) [B]Speed[/B] 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover) [B]STR[/B] 18 (+4) [B]DEX[/B] 13 (+2) [B]CON[/B] 15 (+2) [B]INT[/B] 8 (-1) [B]WIS[/B] 14 (+2) [B]CHA[/B] 15 (+2) [B]Proficiency[/B] +2 [B]Maneuver DC[/B] 12 [B]Skills[/B] Perception +4, Stealth +4 ([I]+1d6[/I]) [B]Damage Resistances[/B] acid, fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from ranged attacks [B]Condition Immunities[/B] prone [B]Senses[/B] darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14 [B]Languages[/B] telepathy 30 ft. (can transmit but not receive emotions and images), understands Common and Undercommon but can’t speak [B][I]Flyby.[/I][/B] The sinister doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of a creature’s reach. [B][I]Magic Field.[/I][/B] The sinister is surrounded by a magical field that deflects missiles, whether mundane or magic. Ranged weapon and spell attack rolls made against the sinister are made at disadvantage. This magic field also harmlessly absorbs [I]magic missiles[/I]. [B][I]Magic Resistance.[/I][/B] The sinister has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. [B][I]Sunlight Sensitivity.[/I][/B] While in sunlight, the sinister has disadvantage on attack rolls and on Perception checks that rely on sight. [B][U]Actions[/U] [I]Bite. [/I][/B][I]Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. [I]Hit: [/I]7 (2d4+2) piercing damage. [B][U]Bonus Actions[/U] [I]Paralyzing Gaze (Gaze).[/I][/B] The sinister targets a creature within 30 feet. The target must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be paralyzed until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, the target is immune to this sinister’s Paralyzing Gaze for 24 hours. [B][I]Shadow Stealth.[/I][/B] The sinister takes the Hide action even if obscured only by dim light or darkness. [B][SIZE=5]Combat[/SIZE][/B] The sinister attacks from ambush. If it meets substantial resistance, it uses its Paralyzing Gaze and attempts to flee. [/QUOTE]
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