I just ran a session last night for a group of 3rd level PCs. They were making a rather long journey, so I had done some scouring around for a few nasty creatures to throw at them...
... and boy did I find one!
On the Wizards website I found the Gutpuppet, a CR 3 creature that is essentially a living heart that uses the corpses of things as armor.
The PCs came across a sweaty, heavy breathing elf "examining" the remains of a boar. When they approached the elf, it shot a spike out of its mouth and attempted to poison the group's cleric. Well the fighter and barbarian started wailing on the thing, thinking it a regular undead, but each time they hit it, it splashed necrotic poison on it. The wizard cast undead and nothing happened to it. They didn't know whether to run or fight. They finally dispatched the elf corpse and killed its manipulator, but that is when the boar corpse stood up and attacked!
It was a lot of fun, even for a group of experienced gamers who sometimes think they've seen everything.
So, I was wondering, has anyone else come across some free "gems" of a monster or NPC that you'd recommend other DMs check out?
... and boy did I find one!
On the Wizards website I found the Gutpuppet, a CR 3 creature that is essentially a living heart that uses the corpses of things as armor.
The PCs came across a sweaty, heavy breathing elf "examining" the remains of a boar. When they approached the elf, it shot a spike out of its mouth and attempted to poison the group's cleric. Well the fighter and barbarian started wailing on the thing, thinking it a regular undead, but each time they hit it, it splashed necrotic poison on it. The wizard cast undead and nothing happened to it. They didn't know whether to run or fight. They finally dispatched the elf corpse and killed its manipulator, but that is when the boar corpse stood up and attacked!
It was a lot of fun, even for a group of experienced gamers who sometimes think they've seen everything.
So, I was wondering, has anyone else come across some free "gems" of a monster or NPC that you'd recommend other DMs check out?
