D&D 5E Building a shadowfell monster

[Mind of tempest]

building a shadowfell monster

kataach

I am terrible at monster design but I had an idea to make a bunch of mastermind aberrations but for the most gothic plane imaginable as all present ones are a bit unfitting.

Influences are both some of the stranger setting’s vampires like those ones with flesh shaping and incorporeal undead

They get nastier as they get older and go up in rank they only truly need blood at the two lowest levels past that blood just makes them stronger and nastier

Four ranks

• Fledgling
• Haunter
• Flesh master
• Fossil lord

Fledglings are dumb but fast and hit hard cr6 monsters with a healing factor who crave blood and can phase through walls

Haunters are smarter commanders with necrotic claws, darkness powers, and the ability to hurl a necrotic version of the fireball at people once a day.

Flesh masters have the intelligence and wisdom of 15 who use dark blood magic and flesh powers to attack foes.

Fossil lords are the full masterminds that are the eldest ones who float around.

I am kind of stuck on how to make it and how to flesh them out more thoughts?

I got the idea for them whilst watching a witcher lore video on its vampire and thought these seem more like alien horrors than vampires so what if I made an alien horror out of some classic horror monsters?


stuff for visuals

 

[Casimir Liber]

So your idea is that this is a race of beings of some sort? are they undead or living? The race is intriguing. I can't immediately think of an existing analogue in the game. What level do you want to introduce the fledglings as this will be a good place to start developing the statblock

 

[Mind of tempest]

I am thinking of making them soul thieves and other types of incorporeal stuff takers?

So your idea is that this is a race of beings of some sort? are they undead or living? The race is intriguing. I can't immediately think of an existing analogue in the game. What level do you want to introduce the fledglings as this will be a good place to start developing the statblock

a race but one that can easily be a one of race like only seen once in an adventure or can be much more common like as something to break up the sorrow sworn and undead.

what are trolls ranked at again as with a healing factor I might as well start there and work up?

 

[Casimir Liber]

A troll is CR5...I was thinking more of a shadow (CR 1/2) but stronger, I mean, you want four ranks so you want to have somewhere to build to. And it could have CON drain (instead of STR drain) or exhaustion drain (see other thread) or something

 

[Mind of tempest]

A troll is CR5...I was thinking more of a shadow (CR 1/2) but stronger, I mean, you want four ranks so you want to have somewhere to build to. And it could have CON drain (instead of STR drain) or exhaustion drain (see other thread) or something

that is a good point maybe cr 1 then for the fledgeling lots of slashing damage and an ability to wall through walls so you can just lock it away?
also on the lack of an analogue, I pride myself on my ideas being different.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Okay - am intrigued - do you want to have a go at a statblock then? Maybe @Cleon or @Echohawk has come across an analogue in their travels through the editions. Nothing is really jumping out at me.

I like this idea as it gells with my campaign's take on the Feywild and Shadowfell as Energy-giving and Energy-sucking planes respectively (inheriting these niches from the 1-2e Positive and Negative Material Planes)

 

[Mind of tempest]

Okay - am intrigued - do you want to have a go at a statblock then? Maybe @Cleon or @Echohawk has come across an analogue in their travels through the editions. Nothing is really jumping out at me.

I like this idea as it gells with my campaign's take on the Feywild and Shadowfell as Energy-giving and Energy-sucking planes respectively (inheriting these niches from the 1-2e Positive and Negative Material Planes)

I liiterally have no idea how to make a stat block.

any ideas for the Fossil lord?

 

[Cleon]

Okay - am intrigued - do you want to have a go at a statblock then? Maybe @Cleon or @Echohawk has come across an analogue in their travels through the editions. Nothing is really jumping out at me.

Foolish mortal. Thou has uttered my name!

Glancing through the Original Premise, walking through walls and stealing souls could easily be translated to one of the incorporeal undead such as a wraith or spectre.

If you fancy something more substantial the soul-stealing Nabassu Demon springs to mind, although that outsider does not appear to have official 5E stats yet.

It's easy enough to reskin a monster or add/change a special trait or attack to make it appear wildly different while still using the same or similar numbers.

 

[Cleon]

I liiterally have no idea how to make a stat block.

I'll post a blank here. Just copy-and-paste or quote it and start inserting numbers.

Fifth Edition monsters are pretty simple to write up by following the Guidelines.

It may prove easier taking an existing monster and changing bits of it to match your vision. For example, a Fledgling could be based on a Vampire Spawn, since that's a relatively low-powered energy/soul draining monster with regeneration powers. Maybe switch it from Undead to Outsider, change some of its powers - incorporealy phase shifting through walls instead of spider climbing for example - and switching its weaknesses to something else and you'd be most of the way there.

 

[Cleon]

Blank Monster

Name
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 NAME 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). ???.
 ???.

Description
???.
 ???.
 Subsection. ???.
 ???.
 Subsection. ???.
 ???.

(Originally appeared in Source (Month YEAR) as part of "Module" by Author.)