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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9522386" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/8WmFnK5.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Monsters is our final chapter of Devabhumi, with 29 unique stat blocks, two of which are repeated entries for mounts from the prior chapter: the Gajasimha and Makara, to be specific. When it comes to type, the most common is fiend standing at 9, followed by Monstrosity and Undead at 5 each. We have 3 types of Beasts and Celestials each in this chapter, and 1 of each for Construct, Dragon, Elemental, and Fey. So paladins and other banishers of the unholy will be quite effective in this setting.In regards to Challenge Rating, a little over half hover around being suitable for Tier 1 campaigns at CR 4 or less, being 16 of the 29 entries. Tier 2 is the next most common at 8 entries, with Tiers 3 and 4 being rare yet formidable figures at 2 and 3 entries respectively.The Airavata is a unique being, a three-headed elephant who is the king of its kind and guards the ways into Svarga. Its great wisdom and power makes even asuras think twice before crossing it. Airavata is a CR 18 Celestial that has excellent mental ability scores, is formidable in melee, and specializes in lightning and weather-based magic.Asuras are one of the three major groupings of monsters in this chapter, beings that were first created by a vengeful woman named Diti to war against the gods after Indra killed her son. They more or less serve similar roles to demons and devils in other settings: they have no moral compass, seek to corrupt mortals, and destroy the gods. But unlike typical demons and devils, asura do have genuine bonds of loyalty to each other in spite of their overall lack of conscience. There are many kinds of asura out there, but we have a basic stat block for a CR 1 monster who specializes in illusion and enchantment magic, fights with a khanda (big sword) in melee, and has a frightening appearance.Daityas are large, bulky asura who can back up their words with their strength. They are also keen on trickery-based tactics like the base Asura, but are Large in size instead of Medium and thus have more hit points and a more damaging melee attack.Danavas live in isolated mountains and are much more magically proficient than the average asura, possessing up to 6th level Sorcerer spells with a penchant for damaging elemental magic. Other asura take pains to recruit them for their battles, for their spells make them a potent force multiplier.Kalakeyas are among the weakest of the asura, being similar in role to fantasy goblins in relying on sheer numbers to overwhelm opponents. They live in caves, forests, and ruins where they conduct raids on nearby settlements. They have Pack Tactics and can spend their remaining movement moving away from a target they just struck in melee as a bonus action. This last ability avoids opportunity attacks, which makes kalakeyas suited for mobile skirmishing.Nivatakavachas are amphibian asura with the features of predatory fish, such as dagger-like teeth and razor-sharp scales. They live in luxurious undersea palaces decorated with plunder from land-dwellers, and sometimes their oceanic kingdoms manage to invade and conquer human settlements. They fight with tridents that deal bonus cold damage, force creatures holding their breath to begin drowning if they score a critical hit against them, have an Evasion-like feature that works on all saves rather than just Dexterity, and their spell options are a blend of illusion and direct offense.Rakshasa are the most powerful of asura, embodiments of a particular vice that they go on to further as wicked champions. Every asura hopes to become a rakshasa, as they are regarded as the pinnacle of their kind. Every rakshasa has a unique type of Boon, which makes them only able to be killed under one particular set of circumstances. For example, one rakshasa may not be killed on land, another may only be killed by someone who is more evil than it, and so on. Rakshasa are designed for being major villains, the kind who would be the evil overlord in an adventure path or video game RPG.An asura is a CR 19 fiend who cannot be reduced to 0 hit points by any means that falls outside its Boon. They have a variety of Intelligence and Charisma skills, and their truesight and passive Perception of 21 make them hard to fool. They can cast 9th level wizard spells, including fan favorites such as Counterspell, Contingency, Simulacrum, and Time Stop. They can attack in melee up to six times, and they can Twist Fate as a reaction which functions in a similar manner to the Silvery Barbs spell. They don’t have any Legendary or Lair Actions, which kind of blunts their usability as BBEGs.An Azhdaar is a winged, dragon-like serpent who traditionally lives in mountains, hunting large animals such as bears and even humans. They are the subject of many tales, taking the role of dangerous monsters who threaten nearby settlements. In terms of stats they are pretty much aerial creatures whose primary attacks focus on melee. In spite of being CR 16, they look rather weak for this range, as they have 147 hit points and 16 Armor Class which even lower-level groups will easily cut through. And while they have blindsight and flight, they don’t have a lot of means for dealing with long-range attacks and casters who know to stay away.Bhootas are our next major grouping of related monsters. They are spirits unable to reincarnate, usually due to a strong desire to fulfill some task in life, a particularly traumatic death, or appropriate funeral rites not being performed for the corpse. They usually hang around your typical haunted places, and while a bhoota can be temporarily destroyed, they will reform unless someone performs an elaborate funeral rite. They also cannot touch someone covered in dirt, which is regarded as holy, and they are attracted to milk and can inhabit it if left out. They can then possess whoever next drinks the spoiled beverage.While there are all kinds of bhootas, and the book suggests making each one unique in how they came to be as well as their stats, Devabhumi details a few sample stat blocks.Content Warning: Child Death[spoiler]Acheris are the spirits of children who died from disease or starvation, and tend to target living children with their maladies or barring that, the youngest and frailest creature in an area. They are incorporeal undead with a life-draining attack, can mimic animal and humanoid voices, and can shapeshift into Medium and smaller humanoids they’ve previously seen.[/spoiler]Churels are spirits who died at the hands of another in an unnaturally cruel way, and are filled with a strong desire for vengeance. A vengeance that they instead take out on anyone unlucky enough to cross their paths. They tend to take the forms of beautiful people as a means of catching victims unaware, but their feet are always backwards in whatever form they take, so this is a giveaway that the person you’re dealing with is undead. They are similar to Acheri save with more hit points, better stats, and their primary attack drains Strength as well as dealing necrotic damage.Pretas are the spirits of addicts, those who were dependent upon one or more kinds of earthly pleasures and couldn’t abide the thought of existence without it. They are similar to the other two bhootas in being incorporeal undead that can shapeshift, but their touch attack instead robs a target of their lowest-level spell slot if they fail a Constitution save.Vetala are our final kind of bhoota, particularly canny and powerful undead who manage to possess a physical body long-term. This possession lasts indefinitely, and they spend their pseudo-life accumulating supernatural power and knowledge before discarding the now-dead body to go on to another, repeating the cycle. The only way to make its spirit pass on is to find the original body and cremate it. Vetalas have physical bodies unlike other bhoota, and they have a variety of spells up to 4th level such as Arcane Eye, Animate Dead, Shield, and Hallucinatory Terrain. They have four arms which they can use to do a variety of melee attacks, such as strangling targets with a necklace of beads or hitting someone’s chakra to deal slashing and necrotic damage.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/XOPlyrR.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Bhramrachok might be a low CR 2 monster, but it is a unique creature that has already built up a frightening reputation. It is a cyclopean being with a burning plume of flame on top of its bald head, and the light from this fire can supernaturally charm and captivate creatures to get closer to the monster. Those so entranced are ordered to take Bhramrachok home with them, where it kills and devours them along with any other inhabitants before burning down the house. Bhramrachok can also use a gaze attack that causes a target to believe that their allies suddenly vanished, being unable to perceive and interact with them for 1 minute.Chatiboy is a wolf-like elemental that is the precursor to landslides and flash floods, marked by howls and midnight. It creates such natural disasters as a means of fulfilling the natural cycle, and it doesn’t take pleasure in the death and destruction it creates. Slaying a chatiboy will end said disaster prematurely, although this often has long-term negative environmental consequences, and the next such disaster may be even greater. In terms of stats, chatiboy is a CR 4 creature that has a melee rend attack along with rechargeable Landslide and Flash Flood AoEs that impose forced movement or the prone condition on top of damage.Chumur Deki is a bipedal monster whose legs are made of iron, and it stalks the vicinity of snowbound towns on the hunt for victims. Anyone who has the misfortune to see it are chosen to be hunted, so it is customary in such towns to immediately go inside and close all doors and windows upon hearing the sound of trudging iron legs. In terms of stats, Chumur Deki can cause any creature within 30 feet who can see it (and if the monster can see the target) to become paralyzed on a failed Constitution save, and its primary attacks are a fist that can knock targets prone and can stomp on prone creatures as a bonus action.Dvarapala are stone statues built to be guardians to historic landmarks, tombs, palaces, and other places of importance. They are intelligent and can speak, unlike most constructs, and have a unique form of telepathy that allows them to sense a creature’s intentions. In addition to fighting with a gada (mace), they can also throw electrically-charged beads whose lightning can arc between targets.Gangine are fey who sustain themselves on pleasant scents, and thus live in fields of flowers and near the homes of nobles who enjoy perfume. Alchemists and sorcerers have been known to search for them as servants, using their olfactory creations as payment. Gangine are more or less noncombatants, as their only means of offense is a 1d4 fist. But their forms are unsettling to most, causing those who would make an attack roll within their presence to suffer disadvantage unless the target succeeds on a Wisdom save.A Hemaraj is a crocodile-like monster that lives in swamplands. They are named after an ancient king by the name of Hemaraj, whose impossible standards made him unable to see any of his children as a worthy heir to the throne. After praying to Brahma for a perfect child, he still found something to criticize, so out of anger the deity transformed his children into what would become known as the monsters bearing his name. They are pretty much crocodiles on steroids, being CR 5 with better stats and ambush-based tactics such as advantage on stealth in their native terrain, advantage on attack rolls vs surprised creatures, and can death roll a restrained creature as a bonus action to deal additional slashing damage.Kamadhenu is another unique entity, a celestial cow born during the Great Churning and represents the bovine creatures of Devabhumi. She has the power to grant wishes, and history is filled with greedy and ambitious rulers who sought to take her for themselves before inevitably falling under some kind of just punishment. Those who are lucky enough to come upon her, will be granted a wish as per the spell of the same name should they display genuine respect. In terms of stats Kamadhenu is mostly defensive in nature, such as reflecting an equivalent amount of radiant damage back onto an attacker, radiating an aura of blinding light, and debuff curses.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/UowyriS.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Kirtimukha is another unique monster, created from Shiva’s third eye after an arrogant asura king had the gall to challenge the god to a duel for his wife’s hand, Parvati. Kirtimukha ate the asura, and his current duties involve guarding remote temples from the unworthy. The creature does this by disguising itself as a beggar asking for alms, and those who refuse are later hunted and attacked by Kirtimukha in its natural form. In terms of stats it is akin to a predatory feline, with claw and bite attacks (the latter is poisonous), can move up to half its speed at a target when hit with a ranged attack, and can shoot rays from its mouth as a rechargeable ability dealing radiant damage.Pishacha is a type of undead that is the personification of hate, and is known to be even more evil than most asura. They take sadistic pleasure in hunting, capturing, and torturing prey, and prefer victims unable to fight back. They radiate a constant deathly aura that deals necrotic damage to non-undead and non-fiends, has a claw attack that can curse a target to not be affected by magical healing and a tongue attack that heals the monster, and as a reaction can redirect a healing spell within 30 feet to affect the pishacha instead of the intended target.Timingila is a unique monster, and also one with the highest Challenge Rating in the book at 23. It has only been spotted by sailors in the most remote corners of the ocean, appearing from below as a mouth of gigantic proportions large enough to swallow multiple whales. In reality it is a serpent of unmatched size, and while its current territory is unknown the book gives some suggested sightings and areas. As can be expected, it is a melee-focused sea creature with a bite and swallow whole attack, and generates such tremendous force that creatures within 15 feet take damage and lose unspent Hit Die (drop to 0 HP if they have none remaining) as fluids are ripped out of their lungs. The Timingila also has potent defenses in the form of truesight, a permanent Freedom of Movement effect, Legendary Resistance, and can choose either to ram a vessel or perform an AoE tail smash as one of its Legendary Actions.Uchaishrava is a unique celestial being, a seven-headed horse that can not only swim and fly, it can travel between planes once per day. It is believed to be the ancestor of all horses, and many throughout history sought to tame it, often meeting a violent end in trying. But only a rare few managed to succeed, most notably the god Indra. In terms of stats, Uchaishrava isn’t that powerful, being a CR 5 creature whose only offensive feature is its hooves and the ability to get in a free attack and flee without provoking opportunity attacks as a reaction to someone moving adjacent to it. But its real prize is in its value as a steed, as even its walking speed is an impressive 80 feet. It also has multiple defensive features, such as proficiency in 3 saving throws, an immunity to Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, and Paralyzed conditions, and its multiple heads grant it advantage against becoming blinded, deafened, or stunned.Ulama are medium-sized birds of prey that live in jungles. They are predators that developed an appetite for human flesh, and are known to feed off of travelers and unlucky villagers. It is like a hummingbird in agility, highly energetic and in constant motion, appearing as a red blur which grants it advantage on checks to hide and imposes disadvantage on checks to target it. The monster fights with talons and a peck that can blind a target on a failed Constitution save.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/FvxPNQA.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Yakkas are our third and final grouping of related monsters, shapeshifting fiends who are forbidden from directly killing mortals lest they incur the wrath of the gods. So instead they specialize in just about every other way in causing people to die. They dislike asura, for they both disagree on the means in how to bring about mortal woe, and both groups of fiends are given to warring against each other. Their Challenge Ratings are all within Tier 1 of play, so unlike the asuras they won’t be much of a direct threat at middle to higher levels.We have a stat block for a basic yakka as well as two subtypes. The basic one is a CR 2 fiend that can shapeshift into a harmless animal such as a mouse, insect, or small bird. They have a claw attack that deals 2d6+2 slashing damage, but the book has a misprint at 22 damage average, which initially took me by surprise. They are capable of possessing humanoids, but the recharge rate is only 1 on a 1d6, making it a very unreliable ability.Content Warning: Suicide, Implied Sexual Assault[spoiler]Kalu Kumaraya is a fiend that takes a similar role to an incubus, visiting people at night to grant them sexual pleasure. It is so great that the victim becomes addicted and suicidal if denied, which inevitability happens as the yakka moves on to its next victim. In terms of stats they have a claw attack, can cast Charm Person three times per day, and a Maddening Kiss that deals psychic damage and incapacitates a target on a failed Wisdom save.[/spoiler]Reeri Yakka are monkey-faced fiends who spread diseases, and like the base yakka they can take the forms of mundane animals. They are repelled by the scent of incense, so it is common for those in the know to burn it in their homes to ward off illnesses. In terms of stats they are the strongest type of yakka at Challenge Rating 3. Their claw attacks cause a target to continuously bleed for 1 minute on a failed Constitution save, and they can also impose a short-range Blood Curse on a target that takes one of three effects, also lasting for one minute: unable to cast spells with verbal components, are deafened, or blinded.After the bestiary, our book ends with an Epilogue from the author, talking about their surprise in seeing the interest in their setting from a surge of KickStarter supporters, and gratefulness at the opportunity in sharing some of the culture and stories they had growing up via this RPG setting. Furthermore, Patel doesn’t intend for Devabhumi to be a one and done project, and expresses interest in creating more content for their world.We also get a bibliography of texts used in the creation of this setting, which I’ll repeat in quotation below:Thoughts So Far: The bestiary provides a good amount of new creatures for the setting, and while there’s a preference for unholy beings like fiends and undead, there’s still enough variety to provide a host of foes for adventurers to fight. I also like how several entries are less traditionally combative and can in fact be helpful to PCs who prove their worth, such as the celestials Kamadhenu and Uchaishrava. The entries also do a good job of world-building, particularly in descriptions of how society has adapted to the threat of monsters with a mixture of “practical folklore.” Such as avoiding bhoota possession being another reason people don’t leave milk out to spoil.Unfortunately, I spotted errors in several stat blocks throughout that chapter. Sometimes they are small, such as the Danava stat block having a melee attack is +5 despite being CR 5 and a 17 Strength, in which case it should be +6. Other times it’s more substantial, such as a Daitya: that one’s a Challenge Rating 4 and thus has a Proficiency Bonus of +2. But their Strength is 18, and their attack roll and Strength save are +7, making it 1 higher than normal. While their Wisdom save is +5, their Wisdom’s only 12. Their spellcasting save DC, spell attack modifier, and Insight and Intimidation proficiency bonuses are also 1 too high as well. Due to these, this chapter is in need of another editing pass even if the monster stats are usable in play.Final Thoughts: In spite of its relatively small page count, Devabhumi is a complete, self-contained setting with enough content for both players and Dungeon Masters to create many adventures inspired by the myths and legends of India. Even in that brevity it manages to do enough world-building to make the setting feel lived-in, with adequate explanations for less-familiar concepts so that gamers largely unaware of Indian culture won’t feel the need to regularly consult Wikipedia and similar sources for understanding. The races, magic items, and monsters are easily minable for other settings in adding some South Asian flavor, and as witnessed with the aforementioned recent content in WotC products,* I can see Devabhumi’s material working for those worlds as well.*to say nothing of existing Fantasy Indias such as the Shining Lands in the Forgotten Realms.But what prevents me from giving Devabhumi top marks is that it is in need of polishing around the rougher edges due to aforementioned mistakes made when covering this review. That being said, I do have hope in improvement, for this is their first gaming supplement made. Overall, I rate this product positively and am eager to see more content for it in the future.</blockquote>

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