D&D 5E Let’s Read Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.

[Leatherhead]

Tanarukk (VGtM)​

Tanarukks are people that were turned into minotaur-like demons with the blessing of Baphomet, or sometimes Gruumsh. Despite being renowned warriors due to their potential for violence (or more accurately, because of their penchant for it), they are kept imprisoned when not actively deployed in a fight.

Tanarukks are the one orc monster that was reprinted for this book, though it no longer counts as an orc, and all of the previous lore about orc tribes associated with it has been scrubbed and replaced. The most interesting part of this change is that somehow Gruumsh now condones this ritual, meaning that he has had a personality overhaul that we are not yet privy too. Perhaps they are trying to make him irredeemably evil by associating him with demons, in a parallel to Lloth.

Tanarukks are competent melee units with some gimmicks. Though they lack the full suite of demonic resistances, they do have enough of them to annoy casters trying to control them. However, their main strength is formation breaking. Using their Aggressive Bonus Action to dash around the battlefield, they can get themselves into melee range more easily. And once in melee range they can punish anyone trying to engage them with their Unbridled Fury Reaction. Though I have to say, it is a bit weird that this “Minotaur” uses a bite attack instead of a horns attack

In the changeover, Tanarukks lost their Orc tag, and had their Orc language replaced with any language.

 

[Leatherhead]

Titivilus (MToF)​

Titivilus is the secretary of Dispater, and somehow managed to convince the Archdevil that everyone is plotting against him. Granted, being an Archdevil does mean that everyone is actually plotting against you. But Dispater has slipped into a reclusive paranoia, hiding deep within his fortress to the point where Titivilus even answers summons in his stead. This situation places Titivilus as technical ruler of Dis in all but name, making nearly every decision necessary with full authority.

Unfortunately, for Titivilus, this position is tenuous at best. All it would take is someone to spill the beans to Dispater for the situation to topple like a house of cards. Titivilus knows this all too well, and hires outside (meaning non-devil) forces to deal with potential rivals, and create new situations for him to clean up in order to solidify his position. Furthermore, Titivilus is really weak for an Archdevil, so he cannot afford to be rid of Dispater just yet.

This leads to all kinds of plot hooks for PCs. In a twist on the classic deal with the devil, Titivilus could contact and hire them himself for any number of jobs for any number of destructive reasons. And then he could possibly use Modify Memory to cover his tracks. An easy way to get your party involved in the workings of the 9 hells without having to sell their souls, at the very least.

In combat Titivilus is a Legendary CR 16 monster, without his own lair. Yep, that’s weak for an Archdevil all right. Furthermore, he doesn’t have a lot of damage options, only his Silver Sword attack (which is not of the Githyanki kind, I checked) and his Corrupting Guidance legendary action have any chance of actually harming anyone. The rest of his toolkit is focused on fear, charms, and basic magical tricks. At the very least, he has excellent mobility with 60’ of flying speed and teleport options.

That all said, he is nastier than that overview would lead you to believe. The Silver sword has a permanent wounding effect, reducing the maximum HP of any target (at least until they get a Greater Restoration). And the Corrupting Guidance action could be used to make a PC blast another PC with one of their high level spells, which is quite the double-whammy in terms of resources. His teleportation could also be used in conjunction with his speed, dragging out the encounter if possible.

In the changeover, Titivilus lost some spells (most noticeably Feeblemind), had his Silver Sword converted into force damage, and lost his Truesight in favor of Darkvision.

 

[Sulicius]

Titivilus (MToF)​

-snip-

In the changeover, Titivilus lost some spells (most noticeably Feeblemind), had his Silver Sword converted into force damage, and lost his Truesight in favor of Darkvision.

I used the MTF Titivilus once. Looking at his stats, I thought he was weak, so I upped his HP and damage.

Big mistake. MTF Titivilus can cast Greater Invisibility, and there is never not a reason to use it. My players were mostly melee based, and I fought them at the top of a crumbling castle. The spellcasters couldn’t target him, and the melee couldn’t pin him down because of his teleporting and flight. And with solid Con and Legendary Resistance, he didn’t lose his concentration.

Moreover: DC21 saving throws are tough. If the party can’t deal with the charm effect, they hardly stand a chance. One of my players almost felt like he didn’t participate in the game.

Remember my mistake? Now on top of the defenses and controlling abilities, the fight lasted longer and he could hit hard.

I am happy to see Greater Invisibility gone from his spell list. I think this used to be one of the most powerful monsters for its CR.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Not all monsters are in the new books.

Doesn't matter. The old stat blocks still work, they are just not the preferred format going forwards. Nothing breaks if you use an older style stat block.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Doesn't matter. The old stat blocks still work, they are just not the preferred format going forwards. Nothing breaks if you use an older style stat block.

Yeah, you can even use them together. Like, if you have two of the same monster, one could be the old version and the other the new, to make them feel more like individuals. They both work. They just have slightly different designs ideas behind them.

 

[Weiley31]

Yeah, you can even use them together. Like, if you have two of the same monster, one could be the old version and the other the new, to make them feel more like individuals. They both work. They just have slightly different designs ideas behind them.

Refluffing the same old version of Archdevil stat block as a different thing/Underling from the newer version?

 

[Leatherhead]

Tlincalli (VGtM)​

Tlincalli are scorpion-people. And played up as crepuscular nomadic desert hunters, who spend the non-twilight hours buried in the sand or in shallow caves to ward off the extreme temperatures of the area. Their culture values the ability to hunt above everything else, and they can find themselves subservient to a superior hunter (such as a blue dragon) because of it. That said, they do have a rudimentary crafting tradition, which they use to reforge scrap and scavenged metals into their signature spiked chains and other items.

The PCs are most likely to come into conflict with the Tlincalli during or after a hunt. The scorpion folk eat what they kill (including, humanoids and other PCs, naturally), unless they are dragging some prey back to their hatchery, in which case the prey is kept around until the newly hatched Tlincalli emerge from their eggs and eat them alive. A horrific fate to be sure, and perhaps an adventure hook should the PCs lose a fight in the desert dunes.

In combat, Tlincalli boast an above average speed, and a melee multiattack that features an array of options. They have a standard Longsword, the Infamous Spiked Chain (which can be used to restrain a target), and a paralytic Tail Stinger attack. Naturally, they are going to open up with the Chain and follow up with their Sting, and then switch over to making Longsword attacks when they manage to keep someone restrained.

In the changeover, the Tlincalli had their passive perception corrected to +14.

 

[Leatherhead]

Tortle (Tortle Package, MToF)​

Tortles are an interesting choice for this book. They were not actually in a book before this printing, (they managed to get reprinted in MToF) they were introduced in a charity supplement for the Tomb of Annihilation adventure. Despite this niche introduction, Tortles have proven popular enough to “mainstreamed” (unlike other such products).

Tortles are turtle people who wear their homes on our backs. What this translates to is that they like to wander around. While they do have the ability to hold their breath for an hour, they have no swim speed, making them vulnerable to aquatic combat. As humanoids, Tortles are able to be pegged into a wide array of situations.

Tortle (warrior)

Should you find a group of them, they have a novel defensive option: Their Shell Defense. While it doesn’t make much sense for a single Tortle to just wait around until they are defeated, this can be used to make cover for other Tortles who are using their Crossbows (or even their more accurate Spears in closer ranges). Landing a ranged attack on a prone target with 21 AC is difficult, even for archers, so there is a distinct merit to using such a formation.

The Warrior was given a Spear instead of a Quarterstaff for this printing, a superior weapon for sure.


Tortle Druid

The Druids of the Tortles have much of the same powers as their Warrior brethren, but lack all of their non-natural weapons, favoring spells and their Nature’s Wrath attack instead. Druids also boast a multiattack, but not one that allows for spell casting. The Druid does have one interestingly unique tactic: They can cast Hold Person on a target, then use Shell Defense to make it harder for them to drop their concentration. Granted, that is a one for one trade, but sometimes it’s a good idea.

In this printing, the Druid was given a Multiattack, and the Nature’s Wrath Attack. At the cost of Produce Flame and Darkvison. So a good trade all things considered.

 

[JEB]

Tortles are an interesting choice for this book. They were not actually in a book before this printing, instead they were in a charity supplement for the Tomb of Annihilation adventure.

Tortles appeared in MTOF, page 242.

 

[Leatherhead]

Trapper (VGtM)​

Trappers are a mimic-type monster. Insofar as their modus operandi is to stay in one place while pretending to be an inanimate object in order to ambush their prey, at least, it's actual relationship to mimics aren't explored. Despite not mapping out the monstrosities family tree, the book actually gives quite a lot of details for the Trapper's Ecology, going as far as to describe how much food they eat (though a halfling-sized meal could have quite a few definitions), and what they do in hibernation.

Trappers attach themselves to floors, walls, or ceilings, using their natural camouflage to blend into most surfaces. While they can only digest soft tissues, the leftover bones and treasure from their prey can be used as bait for further prey.

In combat, the Trapper will lie in wait, preferably in some well-traveled area, and Smother any sufficiently sizable creature that decides to wander in range. In a group of targets, they are likely to pick off one in the rear, hoping that the rest of the pack either doesn’t notice, or runs away in a panic.

The Trapper has a relatively slow movement speed, and a single attack, so it desperately needs their ambush to work. Said attack, Smother, is actually a saving throw that leads into a grapple. Which also deals ongoing damage, restrains, blinds, and deprives the victim of air. While a target is likely to die long before they start suffocating, being deprived of air would presumably prevent talking, and thus spellcasting. Meaning any PC caught in this trap can’t just Misty Step away. And as always with monsters that can grapple and have Spider Climb, they should endeavor to climb up the walls, both for their own protection, and to cause some fall damage should their prey manage to wiggle free.

The Trapper was overhauled for this book. They lost 20% of their HP, but doubled their movement speed. Their False Appearance power was reworked to be DC 18, but also grants advantage on initiative checks. And finally their Smother power had the bit about the target being deprived of air clarified.

Stuff like this makes me wish there was a “Gagged” condition for D&D. It would be more useful than the Deafened condition for sure.