D&D 5E Dragonix's Deadly Denizens Volume II is NOW AVAILABLE at DrivethruRPG!

[Nixlord]

yep, between your 5 books we got dragons, wyrms, and wyverns covered

I guess at this point I am looking for more humanoid variants (goblin, kobold, orc, troll, hobgoblin, sahuagin, kua-toa, lizardmen, …) to mix things up. Some of those might be off limits outside the DMsGuild though… will there be an MME4 at some point?

Yes, there will be an MME4 eventually, but it may not be what you're expecting.

Recently, I ran a poll on my Patreon asking if I should start shifting to a pseudo-version of the new stat block style from MM 2025, and the feedback was interesting. Turns out, 60% of you still prefer the 2014 format, with another 15% still favoring the Legendary Actions + Lair Actions style.

With that in mind, I'm considering sticking to the 2014 stat blocks for Deadly Denizens, then doing MME4 by using art from Deadly Denizens I and II and fresh art (for creatures I couldn't do using OGL) with the 2025-style stat blocks. MME4 will focus mostly on creatures I couldn't touch outside of DM's Guild, but will also include 2025 versions of DD creatures. This approach lets me target both markets without investing heavily in new art. If all goes well, MME4 might hit early 2026… or even late 2025. Maybe!

 

[RoughCoronet0]

Yes, there will be an MME4 eventually, but it may not be what you're expecting.

Recently, I ran a poll on my Patreon asking if I should start shifting to a pseudo-version of the new stat block style from MM 2025, and the feedback was interesting. Turns out, 60% of you still prefer the 2014 format, with another 15% still favoring the Legendary Actions + Lair Actions style.

With that in mind, I'm considering sticking to the 2014 stat blocks for Deadly Denizens, then doing MME4 by using art from Deadly Denizens I and II and fresh art (for creatures I couldn't do using OGL) with the 2025-style stat blocks. MME4 will focus mostly on creatures I couldn't touch outside of DM's Guild, but will also include 2025 versions of DD creatures. This approach lets me target both markets without investing heavily in new art. If all goes well, MME4 might hit early 2026… or even late 2025. Maybe!

I think that is a good compromise, and I'm really glad we will be seeing some of your monsters in the new 2025 monster style (I voted for the new style but with the legendary actions and lair action still being ok.).

 

[Nixlord]

I think that is a good compromise, and I'm really glad we will be seeing some of your monsters in the new 2025 monster style (I voted for the new style but with the legendary actions and lair action still being ok.).

Yeah, I especially would like to see all the chromatic dragon hybrids, golems, and templates converted to 2025 versions.

 

[Nixlord]

Deadly Denizens Vol. III November Art Previews #4: After wrapping up my recent Kickstarter, I ran a survey asking for open-ended feedback. A few respondents mentioned wanting more bugs, insects, and arthropods. Ok, then.
One creature I had planned for Deadly Denizens Volume I—the Giant Camel Spider—didn't make the final cut. It isn't venomous, but it's a bit unique. It grabs prey with its pedipalps and can make two Bite attacks! Originally named Giant Solifuges, I’ve decided Camel Spider sounds more evocative and terrifying.

So what other beasts or bugs would you like to see in Volume III?

 

[Demetrios1453]

Yes, there will be an MME4 eventually, but it may not be what you're expecting.

Recently, I ran a poll on my Patreon asking if I should start shifting to a pseudo-version of the new stat block style from MM 2025, and the feedback was interesting. Turns out, 60% of you still prefer the 2014 format, with another 15% still favoring the Legendary Actions + Lair Actions style.

With that in mind, I'm considering sticking to the 2014 stat blocks for Deadly Denizens, then doing MME4 by using art from Deadly Denizens I and II and fresh art (for creatures I couldn't do using OGL) with the 2025-style stat blocks. MME4 will focus mostly on creatures I couldn't touch outside of DM's Guild, but will also include 2025 versions of DD creatures. This approach lets me target both markets without investing heavily in new art. If all goes well, MME4 might hit early 2026… or even late 2025. Maybe!

Once the 2025 MM comes out, at some point do you think you will update the current MMEs to the newer stat block format? Especially for the variants of creatures whose 2025 MM stats will be tweaked from the 2014 versions?

 

[Nixlord]

Once the 2025 MM comes out, at some point do you think you will update the current MMEs to the newer stat block format? Especially for the variants of creatures whose 2025 MM stats will be tweaked from the 2014 versions?

It is something I have been considering, but it is going to be a daunting and tedious task that will take a lot of time (new stat block format has to be done for every single entry, some creatures may have to be renamed and redesigned, etc.), and that is time that I could use writing something else. Another thing is that there's been a split in the audience, with some people still preferring to use the 2014 rules (in my Patreon poll, 60% preferred 2014).

So if ever I decide to do it, it would have to be published as a new product. Something like MME 2025, MME II 2025, etc.

That way, doing the MME 2025 versions can be worth my while. I'll still price them the same, but I can bundle them with their older counterparts so that previous owners can get a discount. I'll probably do MME I first and then see how it performs.

Again, just me mulling things. I haven't decided yet. We'll see how 2025 goes.

 

[Nixlord]

Deadly Denizens Vol. III November Art Previews #5: Last year, I ran a poll on my Patreon asking if they’d like to see creatures inspired by the Cthulhu mythos, and 80% of them said yes. However, I decided to focus on templates instead, thinking the Aberrant template would suffice for now. For Volume III, however, I’m diving in—and here’s the first: the Oculus Malus, also known as the Evil Eye or Malevolent Eye. As far as I can remember, I think this is my most powerful original creation to date that has no direct ties to existing D&D creatures. Its weakest form starts at CR 15, the formidable elder version rises to CR 22, and the near-omniscient ancient variant is at CR 29. I recall someone mentioning how rare CR 29 creatures are, so here it is.

But what exactly is the Oculus Malus? Let’s delve into its primordial origins:

"Born in the primeval void beyond time and space, the oculus malus is a cosmic agent of chaos, destruction, and corruption. It exists only to unmake order, feeding on the psychic energies of fear, despair, and hopelessness that sentient beings exude in their final moments. Wherever it manifests, reality distorts in its presence, with nightmares bleeding into the waking world. No ancient record or arcane text can fully explain its origin, only that it is an avatar of a far greater force—a fragment of an unknowable, infinite malevolence.

Legends speak of older and far more terrifying forms of the oculus malus, their size spanning 20 to 40 feet in diameter, with powers verging on omnipotence. These greater manifestations exude an aura of pure corruption, withering all life in their vicinity, turning the land into barren, rotting wastelands. An elder oculus malus can raze entire civilizations to ash, while an ancient one has been known to obliterate entire worlds, leaving nothing but void and echoes of madness in its wake. Such entities are extremely rare, their existence serving as grim harbingers of the universe’s eventual, inevitable unraveling."

The November issue is set to arrive later this week, just in time for the holidays!

 

[Nixlord]

The first issue (November) of Dragonix's Deadly Denizens Volume III has arrived!

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