D&D General [Let's Read] Playable Monster Sourcebooks

[Weiley31]

I love the concept of "genius loci" like a PC specie. This could the source of inspiration for new stories. For example a young dragon leaves the nest, becomes independient and start to save threasures for her lair. She is killed by members of an evil linnord cult. Then she reincarnates in a different way. She becomes the "genius loci" of her lair. She "adopts" a kobold tribe to keep building her lair, and gets ready for her future revenge against that evil linnord cult.

Or have it where the dragon is MIA and the Lair/Horde is trying to seek its master out.

Or go full Lords of Shadow 2 and have the Dungeon PC seek out its and find out WHY the Lord of the Dungeon doesn't want it anymore.

 

[Libertad]

Gremlins are fey beings with an intuitive understanding of objects, their foundations, and how to jinx others with bad luck. They thus find it easy to put their talents to destructive ends, and are more likely than not to be evil. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that this is the vast majority, and it’s often through interactions with others that they can find more productive outlets of “controlled demolitions. Thus, gremlin adventurers are more likely to be neutral or good-aligned than the average.

There are many types of gremlins out there, so they differ widely in physical appearance, but they’re generally smaller than human-sized and have striking features such as glowing eyes, vibrantly-hued skin ones, and animalistic features. Gremlin societies are strongly egalitarian and communal, and they treat the community they live in as their family regardless of biological ties or the lack thereof. They do have leaders, who tend to be young upstarts who bully and trick their way into power, but many such types are eventually led astray by the others into leaving. Every gremlin subspecies has their own preferred types of destruction and cultural traits. For example, grimples seek to defy the strictures of wider society by engaging in offensive and gross-out humor, while hanivers are obsessed with examining fascinating objects to add to their collection and are the source for complaints of misplaced and lost objects. While most gremlins no longer live in the fey realms, they still have strong ties to the more nightmarish regions of that plane, and frequently worship archfey as well as deities of trickery and invention.

There are five societal groups known as “crashes” which represent how gremlins choose to use their talents. The three that have 5e backgrounds are pranksters (focusing on using trickery on others for fun, ranging from good-nature jokes to enliven morale to debilitating sabotage to inconvenience another), Reckoners (focus their abilities against those who violate societal customs and laws, much in the way that folkloric monsters serve as a cautionary tale), and Tinkers (learning how things work and break down as a means of creating new inventions and innovations). The two backgroundless crashes are Destroyers (view the destruction of things as an artistic or philosophical ideal) and the Unfettered (seek to defy stereotypes of gremlins to avoid outside impositions on how they ought to act).

Thoughts: The small, mischievous faerie is a well-trod fantasy archetype, although gremlins tend to not be what comes to mind in D&D in comparison to other fey. They do have a bit of overlap with goblins and kobolds due to their emphasis on trickery and sabotage, but their diversity of subspecies and means of enacting their mischievous nature helps them stand out a bit. I do feel that the crashes tend to blend together, in that their means are often the same and what really separates them are their ends.

As an ancestry, gremlins predictably get a bonus to Dexterity, are Small or Tiny size depending on their subspecies/heritage, their secondary ability bonus is either freely assigned in Pathfinder or determined by subspecies in D&D, are the fey instead of humanoid type, have darkvision, and an average movement speed. In D&D they also learn the Prestidigitation cantrip plus one other cantrip from any spell list. Gremlins get a whopping eight subspecies to choose from. Heck, they aren’t even the ancestry with the most in this book! Nymphs also have eight, and the Oni have nine. Six of the gremlin subspecies are Tiny size, with the exception of Mitflits and Nuglubs which are Small.

Without further ado, the gremlin subspecies are Fuath (amphibious gremlins who specialize in naval sabotage, have a swim speed and crab claw natural weapons, but suffer debuffs when in sunlight for too long), Grimple (gremlins who gain Mage Hand as a bonus cantrip), Haniver (gremlins who gain Sleight of Hand/Thievery as a bonus skill and can misplace a target’s inventory to make object interaction take much longer action-wise), Jinkins (gremlins with a fondness for traps and sabotage, gaining bonuses on Crafting and tool proficiency checks depending on system), Mitflit (gremlins looked down upon by others of their kind, gain scent in Pathfinder, or can speak to arthropods as though they shared a language and advantage on scent-based Perception checks in 5e,), Nuglub (bloodthirsty gremlins who gain a bite natural weapon attack), Pugwampi (doglike gremlins obsessed with earning the favor of gnolls, have a supernatural jinx-based attack they can do once per long rest/day that can impose disadvantage/roll twice and take the worse result on the target’s next roll or rolls depending on degree of failure),* and Vexgit (gremlins who have a mandibles natural weapon in both systems, and in 5e they also deal double damage to objects and structures).

*Notably, a pugwampi’s jinx ability as well as the subspecies-neutral Unluck Aura, does not work on gremlins, gnolls, and creatures of the Animal/Beast type.

Three of the subspecies gain disadvantageous traits in 5th Edition: Mitflits suffer disadvantage on saves vs fear-based effects, Vexgits have clacking exoskeletons that impose disadvantage on Stealth checks, and Pugwampis are hard of hearing so suffer disadvantage on auditory Perception checks. In Pathfinder, a gremlin can voluntarily take upon similar disadvantages in exchange for gaining a specific bonus 1st level feat, such as a mitflit gaining Vermin Ally or a Pugwampi gaining Gremlin Magic.

Thoughts: Being tiny size is pretty debilitating when it comes to melee combat and campaigns that emphasize carrying capacity. For those reasons I don’t think that gremlins of that size will have much going for them when it comes to natural weapons. But for roles emphasizing stealth and agility, this is very good in helping gremlins get into places most PCs cannot reach. Some subspecies have more appealing traits than others: fuath’s sunlight sensitivity plus their aquatic emphasis makes them of limited appeal in non-seafaring campaigns, and the grimple’s mage hand cantrip isn’t attractive enough on its own to compete with the other subspecies’ features. The jinkin’s bonus proficiencies in 5e and bonus on Crafting rolls for trap and sabotage stuff in Pathfinder are the most iconic traits when one thinks “gremlin,” so I see them being the most popular. A pugwampi’s bad luck can be useful, but unless invested with the Double Jinx 8/9th level feat, its refresh rate is going to reserve it for times of utmost importance.

Gremlins get 38 feats in Pathfinder and 32 in D&D. The 1st level feats are overall weak and situational, such as Gremlin Magic in Pathfinder (learn Prestidigitation), Resist Drawback in 5e and Sunlight Adaptation in Pathfinder (remove gremlin’s disadvantageous subspecies trait), Speedy Sabotage (can pick locks and disable devices faster), Vengeful Anger (Mitflit, bonus on weapon damage against those who bullied or tormented them in the past), and Vermin Ally (can speak with arthropods and advantage on Charisma checks/start out as indifferent depending on system). Much of the 4th/5th level feats are subspecies-specific, such as Destructive Smash (vexgit-only, better damage against objects and constructs), Fuath Paddler (increased swim speed), and Jinkin Tinker (can curse an object with an hour’s work to not work on a flat check whose unreliability increases based on level, Pathfinder version requires other jinkin to perform it). The subspecies-neutral feats are more generic trickery stuff like Illusory Facade (can create an indefinite illusion over an object they sabotaged) and Trickster Magic/Trickster’s Alarm (cast Alarm once per day in both systems, grants Minor Illusion in 5e). At 8/9th level we start seeing some feats worth taking, such as Double Jinx (pugwampi only, lets their jinx ability be used once per short rest/hour), Demon Wings (D&D-exclusive gain fly speed for 10 minutes once per long rest),* Gremlin Lice (grimple-exclusive, infests target with lice on a melee critical hit, lice impose stupefied condition in Pathfinder and disadvantage on Dexterity-based checks and force a Wisdom save to maintain concentration on spells each round in 5e, lice duration persists for 24 hours or if submerged in water/extreme cold), and Viscous Choke (fuath only, summons a film of suffocating water around a foe’s head once per long rest/day, lasts for 1 minute in both systems but can be wiped away by target or another creature via spending actions).

*In fact, it being D&D-exclusive makes me think it’s a misprint given that demons have a feat of the same name.

There are several feats that differ in terms of level prerequisites by system. Fey Skin is an 8th level feat in D&D, and in Pathfinder it’s 13th. It causes the gremlin to become vulnerable/weak to iron (cold iron specifically in Pf2e), but in exchange they gain +1 hit point per level and regain hit points equal to their level every hour in D&D or when they rest for 10 minutes in Pathfinder. Phenomenal Fin Wings are exclusive to the Haniver and grant a permanent fly speed, accessible at 13th level in Pathfinder and 16th in D&D. Misleading Hijinks lets the gremlin cast Mislead once per day/long rest, and is 12th level in D&D and 17th level in Pathfinder.

The 12th/13th level feats are quite potent: Kneecapper is nuglub only and uses a reaction against a retreating opponent to damage and knock them prone. While it’s usable only once per day in Pathfinder, in 5e it has no limit on uses. Rewire Senses casts Synesthesia in Pathfinder, and in D&D it has a similar ability where it imposes disadvantage on Perception checks, reduced movement speed, and the target has to repeat the saving throw on concentration for spells if successful.* Unseen Saboteur is Pathfinder-exclusive and casts Invisibility as a 4th-level spell once per hour. Unluck Aura is an aura-based ability activated once per long rest/day that on a failed Will/Wisdom save causes creatures caught within to suffer disadvantage/roll twice and take the worst result on most rolls.

*Basically disadvantage, I don’t know why they didn’t just say that.

The 16th/17th level feats represent the apotheosis of a gremlin’s supernatural heritage. Gremlin’s Gate lets them Plane Shift between the Material Plane and fey plane once per long rest/twice per week. Well of Unluck changes the refresh rate of Unluck Aura to once per hour/short rest. Lodestone’s Draw is a once per long rest/day ability that curses a foe so that the gremlin’s allies gain advantage/roll twice and take the better result on their next attack roll against the target. They also ignore concealment/cover bonuses the lodestone would otherwise benefit from until the end of the gremlin’s next turn.

Thoughts: Like many other feats in this book, their general usefulness and applicability increases with level. The low-level level feats are overall too situational to make use of save for very specific builds and adventure types, and 4th/5th level feats are more or less the same. Double Jinx is a standout in making the pugwampi’s signature ability more reliable in how often it can be used, and Fey Skin can be very useful in making gremlins not have to take up much party resources when it comes to healing damage. The 5e vulnerability to iron in general can be quite punishing, but in campaigns and adventures with less humanoid/equipment-using foes it is worth the weakness. For the high-level feats, Unluck Aura and Well of Unluck stand out as a clear winner for most builds, although it may be too debilitating to use if the party has one or more close-range fighters who risk getting targeted by the AoE. Lodestone’s Draw feels a bit weak in 5e given there are many ways to impose advantage on attack rolls by that level, although it’s very good in Pathfinder given that the system doesn’t have an advantage/disadvantage-equivalent mechanic. Kneecapper is a bit weak for its level in 5e, given that it loses out to Polearm Master + Sentinel for crowd control/movement denial builds, which also have reach and don’t force a saving throw from a struck target. I don’t know enough about Pathfinder 2e equivalent builds for this to judge how suitable it is as a feat in that system, unfortunately.

Thoughts So Far: The options for gremlins are a bit middle-of-the-road when it comes to casting a wide net of possible features vs tightly-reinforced roles. The ancestry traits and feats are strongly pushing the character to be a scout/rogue/ type, but with a few subtle magical abilities here and there plus some subspecies-specific stuff that doesn’t really fit as strongly. The options are a bit all over the place in terms of balance and broad appeal. This, combined with the “small, mischievous trickster” archetype being an already-common playable fantasy RPG trope, rates them lower among the playable ancestries in this book.

Join us next time as we become the Fighter’s best friend with Intelligent Weapons!

 

[Distracted DM]

I'll be curious to see what options there are in 5e for Monsters-as-Class. I looked into it a few months ago, but I'm darned if I can recall what I found :')
Also, how folk'll make Play an Illithid if not As-Class. After BG3 I'd be amazed if there weren't a bunch of DMsGuild PDFs in that vein.

 

[Libertad]

Y'know, there was a prior 5e product and a prior Dungeon Crawl Classics product I reviewed that both had rules for sentient weapons as playable options. Which is a surprisingly large amount, but I ain't complaining.

Stories and adventures abound of Intelligent Weapons, from the prototypical legendary sword forged to vanquish a great evil, to souls of mighty warriors trapped within their favored instrument of war. There are all manner of reasons why magic weapons gain sapience, but what they share in common is developing a desire to go out into the world for a greater purpose or mere wanderlust. They must be careful, however, for many societies will still view them legally as an object rather than fully-fledged individuals. Many intelligent weapons often bear names assigned to them by their creator, but others may take on their own as a representation of their autonomy or bear the name of their former self if transformed into a weapon from another species. An intelligent weapon's creation can strongly inform their alignment and religious beliefs, such as holy weapons or ones forged by a creature inextricably bound to a moral code. But otherwise they have no overwhelming trends or commonalities, besides a slight bias towards deities of craftsmanship and war.

Barring extremely productive artisans and civilizations capable of mass-producing magic items, intelligent weapons are rare to the point that they're not numerous enough to form their own societies. Intelligent weapons who come together often do so doing their period of wanderlust, gathering rumors and tales of others like them with similar ideals. Those weapons who form more fully-fledged ethos eventually created philosophies known as "arsenals." Three of these philosophies have 5e backgrounds: battleseekers (prize testing themselves in combat over all else), item speakers (believe that other "mundane" objects have dormant spirits and seek to advocate for these "unawakened" items), and upgraders (seek self-perfection in all its forms). The three backgroundless arsenals are the embodied (view their wielder as an intrinsic part of their identity), ramblers (seek to continue their wanderlust period and "ramble" through the world), and smiths (seek to find ways to build more intelligent weapons to create a family of sorts).

Thoughts: The arsenals who have backgrounds and those who do not feel rather arbitrary to me: ramblers feel tailor-made for the adventuring lifestyle, and embodied sound the most "sociable" when it comes to aping humanoid mannerisms and social interactions. Item speakers can raise quite the number of roleplay complications given their insistence of treating all manufactured objects like living beings, while I'd expect battleseekers to be less PC-friendly given their prioritization of bloodlust.

The base ancestry for animated weapons is a bit of an odd duck, to put it lightly, in that their various core features are highly dependent upon their subspecies/heritage. At the very least, they are the Construct type but in D&D, can be affected as a living creature by cure/inflict spells and poisons, and gain a bonus to Constitution and either a freely-assigned secondary ability boost in Pathfinder or determined by their subspecies in D&D. They have low-light vision in Pathfinder and darkvision in D&D, and while they have average movement speeds their method of locomotion is dependent upon their subspecies. The weapon is always Tiny size, but three of the subspecies involve being carried by a Small or Medium wielder who is also controlled by the player of the intelligent weapon PC. In such cases, the weapon and wielder are treated as a single character and thus can't be targeted separately/twice by most effects, and the wielder is more or less used to interact with the world in a way most humanoids/PCs would. Additionally, the intelligent weapon counts as a weapon for most spells and abilities that affect weapons, which in Pathfinder includes most weapon runes that don't depend upon one being an object and not a creature. Class features that grant or are connected to a weapon can have the intelligent weapon qualify itself as the triggering feature. GM Fiat is advised for edge cases and potentially broken loopholes, although there are some common-sense guidelines like disallowing properties that would make a weapon immune to all forms of damage.

Intelligent weapons are proficient with themselves in D&D, but not in Pathfinder by default unless they take the Self Proficiency 1st-level ancestry feat. In Pathfinder they can only be a level 0 or level 1 simple, martial, or advanced weapon that must be Common or otherwise be a weapon whose rarity the party has access to in the campaign. Finally, intelligent weapons can voluntarily enter a state known as Inanimate Mode, where they are effectively motionless and cannot be wielded by other creatures, although they can still be carried and moved around. The book notes that this ability is expected to be rarely used, most likely in the event that a hostile target attempts to use them.

Unfortunately, the Pathfinder book is not as well laid-out when going over the Intelligent Weapon's ancestry features. The traits for base ancestries are put in columns on columns to the left/right side page, and due to the rather wordy and detailed explanations the entry spills out across 4 pages. This makes it inconvenient to navigate.

The intelligent weapon's ancestries/subspecies are less about their origins and more about how they interact with the wider world. Animated weapons are self-propelled and float slightly off the ground. In D&D they ignore most flesh-and-blood weaknesses like magical sleep, sustenance, poison, and disease, but in both systems they can invest/attune to items by having them mold into the body as artistic designs but are generally unable to interact with objects requiring opposable thumbs. Possessing weapons subsume a physical body, who may or may not have a soul left behind depending upon its nature and origin. In either case, the intelligent weapon loses their low-light/darkvision, but gains the species traits of the wielder's ancestry. Said wielder is still a living being and requires sustenance. A projecting weapon summons a projected physical avatar as its wielder, which can be summoned and dismissed at will. This wielder type requires sustenance, but only if the summoning is maintained for a long enough period and thus can be dismissed in order to avoid this. Finally, a symbiotic weapon bonds with a wielder to partially influence them. Unlike possessing and projecting, this wielder still maintains a significant degree of self-awareness, so they are also proficient/trained in one skill or tool reflecting their old life. Symbiotic weapons cannot benefit from the traits of their wielder's ancestry, but they can spend a bonus action or single action depending on the system to temporarily gain such traits for 1 round.

Thoughts: I have mixed thoughts in regards to the intelligent weapon ancestry. On the one hand, making it so that the wielder and weapon are treated as one character helps consolidate a lot of otherwise disparate rules cases. That being said, the novelty of their nature means that their rules are wordier than most ancestries in both systems, with quite a few situational and edge-case style stuff. The poor layout in the Pathfinder book will make their reading even more intimidating to prospective players, which is a shame.

Intelligent weapons have 26 feats in D&D and 37 feats in Pathfinder. Several of the 1st level feats feel more like taxes or are highly situational, like the Pathfinder-exclusive Darkseer Weapon granting darkvision, Enhanced Storage letting animated weapons treat themselves as Medium instead of Tiny for carrying capacity, Reject the Unworthy dealing force damage to a creature wielding them in inanimate mode, and Self Proficiency making them proficient with themselves and gain their base weapon's critical specialization effect at 5th level.

But there are some exceptions: Enchanted Weapon is a D&D-exclusive weapon that lets the intelligent weapon cast the Light cantrip, be able to detect a single creature type within 60 feet Proficiency Bonus times per long rest, and cast the Magic Weapon spell on themselves once per long rest with upcasted versions at 8th and 16th levels. Defensive Discorporation is exclusive to projecting weapons and is activated as a reaction once per 10 minutes or short rest. The avatar discorporates upon suffering a critical hit, turning the critical hit into a normal hit but the avatar must be resummoned in the normal fashion. Hidden Mind is exclusive to possessing and symbiotic weapons, and does a similar thing against a mind-affecting effect where once per short rest/once per day the weapon can reroll a failed saving throw and use the second result.

There's a notable Spellblade feat tree, which grants cantrips and spells from any class' spell list to the weapon, and in 5e also grants +1 to a mental ability score of choice for each feat taken. The 1st level feat grants 2 cantrips in D&D, or 1 cantrip in Pathfinder. Spellblade Adept is an 8/9th level feat that grants a 1st level and 2nd level spell each, and Spellblade Supremacy is a 16th/17th level feat that grants a 5th and 6th level spell each. Each spellblade feat requires the prior version as its prerequisite, and while the Pathfinder "locks" the class/tradition once selected at 1st level, the D&D version is completely freeform and lets the character pick and choose from otherwise separate classes and traditions.

The 4th/5th level spells start to broaden up a bit. Disguise Quality lets the intelligent weapon magically disguise its form to a limited extent, Precious Synthesis progressively incorporates materials known for overcoming damage reduction/resistance like silver (rarer ones are gained at higher levels), Guiding Strike lets them make an attack with their weapon body at advantage (roll twice, keep better in Pathfinder) and ignore cover/concealment once per day/long rest, and Wielder Synergy grants them easier access to their wielder's species traits or a bonus 1st-level ancestry feat of their wielder depending upon the system. The 8/9th level feats are more overtly magical, such as Flying Weapon exclusive to animated weapons that grants them a fly speed for 10 minutes once per day/long rest, Distant Projection exclusive to projecting weapons that lets their avatar appear within 30 feet and the weapon's instantly summoned into the avatar's hands,* and Warding Strikes where the weapon hits a foe and thus makes it harder for the target to hit them.

*at-will in Pathfinder, Proficiency Bonus times per long rest in D&D.

For 12th/13th level feats, Dilating Projection is unique to projecting weapons and lets them summon different-sized avatars from Tiny to Large. Storm of Duplicates can be used once per short rest/hour where they create a variable (cone, line, or emanation) damaging AoE effect.

There's significantly more mid-level (9th and 13th) feats in Pathfinder than in D&D, such as Merciful Weapon (9th level) adding a selective nonlethal trait, or Self Repair (9th level) which lets the weapon use Crafting on itself to Treat Wounds and can heal hit points automatically while resisting for 10 minutes. Adamantine Synthesis (13th level) has the weapon treat itself as adamantine for weakness/resistance and similar effects.

Some feats are achievable at different tiers by system. Insidious Weapon (possessing and symbiotic exclusive) makes the weapon divert divination spell effects targeting them to the wielder instead. Soaring Weapon grants a permanent fly speed to animated weapons. Both are attainable at 13th level in Pathfinder and 16th level in D&D. Damage Threshold/Animated Hardness is the reverse, attainable at 12th level in D&D and 17th level in Pathfinder. The feat lets the weapon subtract 5 damage from any damaging source, as long as they're above half their maximum hit points or until they suffer a critical hit. But as the book says that the benefits are restored once the weapon's back up above 50% hit points, what if they get critted and are still above half? Do they recover immediately after taking the critical damage? I presume so, but the text could afford to be more clear on this.

The 16th/17th level feats have the aforementioned Spellblade Supremacy plus Wall of Duplicates, which unlike Storm of Duplicates requires the Flying Weapon feat as a prerequisite. In D&D the feat grants a once per long rest casting of Blade Barrier but deals the damage type of the intelligent weapon's construction. In Pathfinder it doesn't directly copy any spell, instead being a once per hour 3-action ability that has a similar effect in being a wall-shaped damaging AoE. And like the 9th and 13th level feats, the Pathfinder book has some feats unique to the system, such as Orichalcum Synthesis (treated as the weapon for weakness/resistance/etc purposes) and Perfect Attunement (once per day grants itself +3 to attack rolls with yourself for one minute and can make a strike with itself)

Thoughts: Spellblade starts out as inferior to the PHB Magical Initiate feat in giving out fewer spells overall, but the 8th and 16th level feats can grant them access to some choice spells for a patient player in it for the long haul. Flying and Soaring Weapon are also highly appealing to animated weapons, and Enchanted Weapon and the Synthesis line of feats are nigh-mandatory for making a dent in more resilient monsters. There's quite a few feats that look weak or situational to certain builds. Like Disguise Quality only applying to a few situations where it would be relevant; or Damage Threshold applying directly to the weapon itself rather than the wielder, which means it's going to be of most use to animated weapons; or Distant Projection's short-range teleport is rather weak to spend a full feat slot on in D&D, given that Misty Step does the same thing but better. Storm of Duplicates and Wall of Duplicates are my favorite of the feats due to the cool factor. My only wish is that they kicked in at lower levels given that most campaigns don't last past 10th level. One thing I'll say in this section's favor is that each of the "subspecies" gets an equal amount of love in exclusive feats.

This section rounds out with the Just a Weapon, Not a Species entry, positing alternative mechanics for a PC who is just a weapon and carried around by another PC. It's basically its own set of alternate rules using the ancestry as a baseline, but to sum things up they can basically only do actions and abilities granted by feats or are purely mental, and in the case of Pathfinder they increase their item level and item DC upon leveling up. Needless to say, this is more limiting than the default ancestry in this book, and while I can see it working for some builds I don't know how appealing this will be to most players.

Thoughts So Far: While intelligent weapons have been a mainstay in D&D since the beginning, they typically aren't thought of as monsters, so they don't feel like a "classic creature" in that sense. These rules look more approachable than the Sentient Weapon standalone product I linked to above, which gives points in its favor. Letting it be a race/ancestry of its own rather than a class allows for more diversity in build options with existing classes. That being said, it too has balance concerns, particularly in regards to the feats and their relative difference in situational uses.

Join us next time as we review another not-really-an-object ancestry, the Mimic!

 

[Libertad]

Many mimics develop a fascination for humanoid society, as evidenced by their replication of manufactured objects. Some develop better means of interacting with the wider world around them, such as lessening the magnitude of their adhesives and growing limbs allowing them for finer control. As mimics are solitary creatures who reproduce via spores, they don't have societies of their own, and in fact fear and resent others of their kind. Mimics in isolation don't have names for themselves, so they adopt names given to them by non-mimics out of genuine affection or simple convenience.

A mimic's shapeshifting ability is both innate and self-taught, and their "true form" is that of soft, purplish flesh with a layer of chitin. While mimics can take the form of almost any objects, treasure chests and containers are a favorite among young and adventuring mimics given their convenience of storing equipment. Additionally, many mimics develop a refined sense of aesthetics in learning how to "blend in" with the environment. What initially begins as a case of self-preservation and ambush tactics can lay the foundation for a deeper appreciation of decorative art and craftsmanship. Most mimic adventurers got their start via a non-violent encounter with a group of dungeon delvers, who then often tagged along to join the group or set out on their own upon hearing more about the wider world. Furthermore, most mimics are agender and require formal study to understand humanoid concepts of gender. Still, mimics are capable of having other gender identities, with mimic transcendents (see below) as the most likely of groups to do so.

As they grow in age, mimics learn via self-experimentation to take on a wider variety of more intricate forms, with some even capable of growing in size to replicate larger structures. Mimic "groups" represent internalized paths, being personalized forms of philosophies and goals. Three of the mimic groups have backgrounds in 5th Edition: internal alchemists (learn the scientific properties of the material world surrounding them to better mimic objects), lair masters (find a single place to call home and fashion it into a dungeon), and polymorphic sages (study the science of shapeshifting, both of their kind and other species and into object and non-object forms). The four backgroundless groups include hive unifiers (mimics not born with the innate avoidance of their kind and seek to create a larger societal structure of mimics), itinerant gourmands (pursue eating and cooking as an art form and travel the world in search of new recipes), mimic transcendents (believe that their current state of being is but a "larval stage" to a new and greater form), and violet ushers (the rarest group, who seeks to spend as much time as possible in their "natural forms").

Said groups also heavily inform a mimic's religious beliefs, such as gods of knowledge for internal alchemists and polymorphic sages. But deities of hunting, trickery, and food are also popular among all groups of mimics. When it comes to alignment, neutral is the most common, given their prioritization of self-preservation over more developed moral systems. But lawful mimics are more common than chaotic, and evil more common than good. The book doesn't explain the reasons for these slight biases.

Thoughts: Fans of older systems and Pathfinder might recall that mimics had below average to average intelligence and were capable of speech. 5th Edition bucked the trend in knocking their Intelligence down to 5 and robbing them of language, so I'm glad to see that Battlezoo brings back their more classic interpretation. There is a bit of overlap with doppelgangers, in both being solitary shapeshifters who tend to live among and explore humanoid society. The main separating factor is that mimics have a much more internalized approach to societal groups, being less of an ideal goal or moral system so much as a hobby or discipline. While the question for self-realization can still be a useful role-playing device, this book's treatment of mimic "culture" feels less interesting than their take on doppelgangers.

As a base ancestry, mimics gain an ability score boost to either Strength or Constitution and another score of their choice. They are Medium size, have darkvision, a slow walking speed, are aberrations instead of humanoid, and like doppelgangers can take a wide variety of forms. Said forms must be inanimate objects of their size, and they have a "preferred object form" they can adapt as an action. In D&D, they can only take on this form and not others at character creation, but in Pathfinder they can disguise themselves as non-preferred objects via 1 minute. Mimics who remain motionless appear indistinguishable to observers, barring certain forms of magic in D&D or via an appropriate Seek or Recall Knowledge check against the mimic's Deception DC in Pathfinder.* In Pathfinder, mimics who begin an encounter immobile while in an object form can use Deception for initiative, and creatures who believed them to be an object are flat-footed against the mimic. In D&D, mimics who transform choose whether their equipment falls to the ground, merges into their new form, or is worn by them.** Finally, mimics can grow pseudopods in any form which function as normal limbs.

*The text in both systems notes that other creatures might be suspicious of their presence, if the mimic's object form stands out as unusual in the current location.

**Given that the text only specifies "equipment" and not whether it's worn or carried, one reading of the rules is that mimics proficient with armor can use their preferred form to rapidly equip a set that they're carrying.

Mimics have six subspecies, or heritages, reflecting particularly refined talents developed during their larval stage. Amphibious mimics have a swim speed and can breath air and water; hunter mimics gain a keen sense of smell (and proficiency in Perception in D&D); mini mimics are Small instead of Medium, are proficient in Acrobatics, and either gain the Quick Squeeze feat in Pathfinder or have advantage on Acrobatics checks to escape grapples and bonds in D&D; multiple fixation mimics start play with three preferred object forms instead of one; quicksilver mimics have an average walking speed instead of a slow one; and trickster mimics learn either the Ghost Sound or Minor Illusion cantrip depending on system, but in the latter case can only use the cantrip to mimic auditory illusions.

Thoughts: The base mimic's object mimicry heavily pushes them into stealth-style builds, and in Pathfinder starting play with darkvision makes them very potent for dungeon crawls. The aberration type makes them immune to humanoid-only magic and effects, which is a potent defensive combo. The object mimicry in 5e is rather limited in being only able to take on 1 other form, so I presume that the rapid equipment merge in that system is meant to compensate. When it comes to subspecies, the hunter mimic looks the most appealing in D&D on account that Perception is the most-used skill in the game. As for the trickster mimic, the use of the auditory cantrip can be open to some clever play with the object mimicry, but as both systems require somatic gestures they can't be used so easily by a mimic being directly observed without blowing their cover.

Mimics have 30 feats in D&D and 27 in Pathfinder, a rare reversal for the systems! Unlike this book's doppelganger, the various special effects gained from feats aren't initially restricted to a preferred form or grant more preferred forms. This allows a mimic more relative freedom in when and how they can use said abilities.

The 1st-level feats are minor physical alterations, such as Adhesive Grappler where they can more easily grapple targets (and in D&D reduce an escaped target's movement speed from sticky residue), Chitinous Reinforcement which grants +1 AC in D&D or has the traits of medium armor in Pathfinder, and Mimic Blade allows them to transform one or both pseudopods into manufactured weapons. The system-exclusive feats for D&D include Mimic Tongue where they can interact with objects (but not attack) up to 30 feet away, Periscopic Eyes which can extend their eyes around corners and are immune to flanking if that optional rule is in play, and Takes One to Know One which grants advantage on Perception checks and the first attack roll against creatures disguised as objects. The Pathfinder-exclusive feat is Internal Container, where they can store up to 1 Bulk of objects inside themselves and add +4 to the DC for others attempting to steal objects inside their body.

The 4th/5th level feats represent improved uses of existing abilities and prior feats, with some trickery-based magic thrown in. They include Disguise Item where they can once per day/long rest temporarily apply an illusion to a touched object up to 10 cubic feet in size, Erase Memories which grants them a second saving throw against a charmed or frightened or mental effect once per short rest or hour depending on system, Mimic Object which lets them transform into any object of their size as an action and not just non-preferred forms (in D&D it's once per short rest, Pathfinder grants them +4 to their Deception DC when disguising themselves), and Object Lesson which is a reaction-based attack they can make against a target unaware of their nature while in object form. In D&D, Object Lesson grants advantage on the attack roll and deals extra damage (2d6 initially, up to 8d6 at 16th level), which synergizes nicely with Sneak Attack and Smite Evil. The system-exclusive feats for D&D include Coin Shot, which lets them spit out coins from their body as a ranged attack up to 60 feet and deals 2d6 damage of an appropriate type; Jump Scare, where they spend an action while disguised as a normal object to frighten a target on a failed Wisdom save*; and Object Reader, which lets them observe emotional events involving the object within the past week. For Pathfinder, we get Mimic Blade Acumen which allows them to apply the critical specialization effect of a replicated weapon.

*The 5e book calls it Will save, which is a misprint and presumably they meant a Wisdom save.

The 8th/9th level feats represent even more potent developments of the mimic's iconic abilities. They include Corrosive Grasp, which applies ongoing acid damage on critical hits with their pseudopod attacks; Rejuvenating Gorge, where they can spend 10 minutes or a short rest depending on system eating multiple days' worth of food to regain hit points on top any applicable effects for Treating Wounds or spending Hit Dice to heal;* and Total Mimicry, which lets them fully transform into an object that lacks complex moving parts and precious materials, where they function as the object for all intents and purposes, but lose sensory organs and cannot perceive the world around them until they exit the form. The system-exclusive feats for D&D include Additional Forms, which let them use the Mimic Object feat an infinite number of times without needing a short rest; and Vigilant Guardian, which lets them stay aware of their surroundings while sleeping normally, and can enter a near-hibernate state over the course of 10 minutes where they don't need to eat or drink and age very slowly. The Pathfinder-exclusive feat is Deceptive Mimic, where they gain +4 to their Deception DC to prevent others from seeing through their disguise.

*But this can only be done a limited number of times per long rest in D&D.

The 12th/13th level feats are few in number in both systems. Hulking Mimic permanently makes the mimic Large in size and grants increased melee damage, while Internal Plating grants resistance vs piercing or precision damage based on system. The latter feat also has a flat d20-based chance to negate a critical hit and turn it into a normal hit instead. Adhesive Follow-Up is a Pathfinder exclusive feat that once per 10 minutes grants the mimic a free Grapple attempt when making a pseudopod unarmed attack or using Object Lesson.

There's only two 16th/17th level feats that feature in both systems. Corrosive Adhesive lets the mimic alter their body to exude strong acid for a minute once per long rest/day, dealing additional acid damage with melee attacks and when being grappled/touched/attacked in melee. In D&D they gain immunity to acid damage, while in Pathfinder they also deal more damage with acid spells. Insidious Mimic makes them immune to divination spells and effects that would reveal their true form. In Pathfinder a True Seeing spell cast at 9th level, or 10th level divination/detection/etc spells, can break through this.

There's a few feats which are taken at different levels by system: Adhesive Climb is 4th level in D&D and 9th level in Pathfinder, granting a climb speed. Devour Treasure is 8th level in D&D and 13th level in Pathfinder, letting them consume nonliving material to be stored in a safe space in the Ethereal Plane, but in D&D they risk losing the items after 60 days where they get lost in said plane. Trapper Mimic is 1st level in Pathfinder and 4th level in D&D. The Pathfinder version grants them the Crafting skill and Snare Crafting feat. But in D&D, it lets them coat an adjacent 10 foot square with nearly invisible sticky residue that is difficult terrain and can restrain creatures who fail a Strength save when passing through. Trapper Elite is the improved version, which is 12th level in D&D and 9th level in Pathfinder. The former system grants increased uses per long rest and the mimic can expel the residue up to 60 feet away, while the latter system grants them the Snarecrafter dedication feat even if they have the maximum allotted amount of said feat type. Interior Camouflage is 12th level in D&D and 17th level in Pathfinder, letting the mimic seamlessly blend in with the surrounding environment provided that the kind of terrain is buildings.

Thoughts: Like doppelgangers, the mimic's feats are strongly themed around changes and enhancements to their alternate forms, and not just for roles optimized for disguise and stealth. There's quite a few feats here ideal for warrior builds, particularly grappling and melee, although Coin Shot is a pretty respectable damaging ranged attack if a bit short range. Some of the feats are rather situational and limited in use for most campaigns: Devour Treasure I can only see being used for parties who somehow don't have access to a Bag of Holding or similar magic. While Object Reader is nifty for low-level mystery-based adventures, higher-level divination spells can achieve similar and more potent effects. Interior Camouflage kicks in too late when Invisibility and other illusion spells are available. For the more powerful feats, Chitinous Reinforcement is great in D&D given how bounded accuracy works, and as mentioned before Object Lesson is perhaps too powerful when combined with Sneak Attack and similar damage-stackers. Rejuvenation Gorge can be exploited rather easily in D&D with the Goodberry spell, as said magical fruits individually count as an entire day's worth of meals.

Thoughts So Far: While it's not necessarily a favorite, I do overall like the mimic. Comparisons to the doppelganger are inevitable, but the allotment of feats along with the base ancestry mechanics help give it a more distinctive niche. Whereas the doppelganger can easily replicate a more sociable trickster, the mimic veers closer to a physically-oriented ambush predator. If I had any complaints, it's that I would've liked to see more magical-feeling options, as the bulk of feats hew closely to the warrior/thief style archetypes. Like for instance, some polymorph and transmutation style feats would go well with the Internal Alchemists and Polymorphic Sages.

Join us next time as we cover a monster who got its mythological start as a dungeon delver, the Minotaur!

 

[Weiley31]

Join us next time as we cover a monster who got its mythological start as a dungeon delver, the Minotaur!

When you do that entry, they will mention something about a "Maze Axe" or something and I could never find the stats for such a thing in the Minotaur entry. If you find it, could you please let me know what the 5E stats for it are?

 

[Libertad]

It's a common mistake to think that the demon lord Baphomet is the creator of all minotaurs, and the demon lord does his part in promoting this falsehood along with the idea that the monsters are wicked and unintelligent brutes. But minotaurs have existed before him and live free of his worship, something the jealous tyrant seeks to keep secret. Such minotaurs want nothing to do with the demon lord, although they still face prejudice and distrust from people who don't know this. Minotaurs of all kinds have a fondness for puzzles, particularly mazes, and often view life as a series of trials and conundrums to be solved. Their stories and folklore reflect this, with tales focusing on mysteries and ones open to interpretation being favorites. Additionally, minotaur settlements are arranged in ways that make outsiders easy to get lost in as an additional defensive measure, for the monsters have the innate ability to more easily or innately recall already-traveled paths depending on the system. Minotaurs find maze-like patterns soothing, so they incorporate it into their artwork and entertainment. They build mazes for recreational purposes that they explore when feeling stressed, or just need some time away from a difficult task. When it comes to alignment, minotaurs who serve Baphomet are usually chaotic evil, but others have a wider variety of alignments. Those who rejected Baphomet veer towards lawful and good alignments.

Minotaur philosophies are known as hedges, and their societies and cultures can either contain a mixed number of hedges or be made up predominantly or exclusively of one. The book has seven hedges, three of which have backgrounds in D&D. Those three are horizon turners (seek to travel the world as a means of finding personal meaning in life), knot slashers (seek simple and direct approaches along with outside-the-box thinking), and mind delvers (seek to explore and unlock the secrets of the mind and consciousness). The backgroundless hedges are paranormal threaders (believe that life and all of existence has a single greater purpose), problem solvers (utilitarians who identify the greatest problem facing a society and devote themselves to fixing it), riddlers (love puzzles, mysteries, and riddles of all sorts and seek to continually test their mind in solving them), and tapestry weavers (they believe that everyone is connected in some fashion to others, and overcoming differences by encouraging mutual cooperation helps everyone). All of the hedges use maze and puzzle metaphors for their ideologies: for example, horizon turners liken the world as a giant maze full of countless paths, while paranormal threaders liken all events to being part of a tangled web of interconnecting paths.

Thoughts: I like how Baphomet is still acknowledged as a major factor in minotaur culture, but provides greater freedom for those of other alignments and cultures by having the demon lord not as a true creator but rather a popular figure. I'm not feeling the hedges, as they feel a bit too overly broad and vague vs fleshed-out moral systems and cultures.

The base minotaur ancestry gains a bonus to Strength and one other ability of choice, is either Medium or Large depending on subspecies/heritage, has an average walking speed, and can use their horns as a natural unarmed attack. In D&D they are also immune to the Maze spell and can perfectly recall any path they previously traveled; and in Pathfinder they gain a +1 bonus on Survival checks, and treat degrees of success as one step better when using Survival to Sense Direction or avoid getting lost.

Minotaurs have six subspecies, half of which are Medium size and half of which are Large. They include dusk minotaur (Medium, gain low-light vision or darkvision and Perception proficiency depending on system), great horned minotaur ( Large, stronger horn attack), hulking minotaur (Large, can more easily shove and resist attempts at forced movement), maze stalker minotaur (Medium, proficiency in Stealth, can more easily sneak and hide in rocky terrain), spirit skin minotaur (Medium, resistance against necrotic/negative energy damage, gains a bonus on death saving throws or death effects depending on system), and swift charger (Large, gains +10 movement speed when using the Dash or Strides twice, depending on system).

Both systems give us a new weapon known as the Minotaur Mazeaxe. This weapon is basically a more expensive greataxe with slightly different abilities depending on the system. In D&D, critical hits made with it can knock a target prone if they fail a Dexterity save, provide advantage on Charisma checks against minotaurs when wielding the weapon in a visible manner, and characters can only gain proficiency with it via the Minotaur Combat Training feat. In Pathfinder, it is a melee weapon in the uncommon and advanced categories and has the sweep and trip traits.

Thoughts: The minotaur ancestry is very optimized for melee combat, although its ability to either lessen or outright avoid getting lost makes them very good options for wilderness exploration and dungeon-crawling adventures. While some of the subspecies can be good for more roguish builds like the dusk and maze stalker minotaurs, I can see most players opting for one of the Large options for obvious reasons. And of those, I see hulking and swift charger being more appealing than great horned minotaur, as said horns are out-damaged by big two-handed weapons which most Large-sized PCs are going to pick. As for the mazeaxe, it is a weak choice in D&D on account that it costs a precious feat slot to gain proficiency, and its prone effect triggering only on a critical hit makes it rarely occur.

As there are existing PC ancestries for minotaurs in both D&D and Pathfinder's latest editions, comparisons between them and their Battlezoo counterparts are inevitable. When it comes to D&D, the official minotaur race is highly similar in having horns as a natural attack and better navigation abilities, although the bulk of its features heavily encourage it to make use of their horn natural weapons. In this sense, the Battlezoo Minotaur is an improvement, where it provides a wider array of build options via subspecies and feats.

As for Pathfinder's minotaur ancestry, that one has darkvision and a more damaging set of horns by default (1d8 vs Battlezoo's 1d6). The official minotaur also has a wider array of heritages and feats for supernatural and caster types. There's also some feats that replicate the same or similar effects, but at lower levels or with more generous trigger conditions. For instance, Goring Charge is a 9th level ancestry feat for the official minotaur that deals persistent bleed damage when making a horn attack after charging, vs Shredding Strikes that triggers on a critical hit instead. Or Stretching Reach, a 5th level feat that grants a reach of 10 feet to non-reach weapons, vs Hulking Reach which has a flat +5 foot reach but is attained at 13th level instead.

It's for these reasons that the official Pathfinder minotaur feels an improvement over Battlezoo's. But I should note that the official book, Howl of the Wild, was published several years later, so minotaurs didn't exist as a playable option when Battlezoo was first created.

Minotaurs have 23 feats in D&D and 25 in Pathfinder. The 1st level feats are overall weak and situational, and include Bully (grants proficiency in Intimidation and the Intimidating Glare skill feat in Pathfinder, and a converted version of the latter in D&D), Cunning Twist (reroll a failed ability check once per long rest/day), Labyrinth Sight (Pathfinder-exclusive, gain low-light vision or darkvision if already have low-light), Minotaur Combat Training/Minotaur Weapon Familiarity (grant proficiency in a variety of axe weapons and the mazeaxe in D&D), Smasher (deal extra damage/ignore hardness when damaging objects), and Tapestry Teller (proficiency in Diplomacy/Persuasion, gain Group Impression skill feat or advantage on Persuasion checks to influence multiple people at once).

The 4th/5th level feats are more overtly offensive, including Bullheaded (more easily resist mental effects), Bull Over (can make a damaging shove against a target and move into the squares they used to be in), Cunning Strike ( once per day/long rest can reroll a failed attack roll in D&D or roll twice and take the better attack roll in Pathfinder), Powerful Charge (charge in a straight line and make a horn attack against a target, is at-will and can knock them prone in D&D or deal additional damage and use once per minute in Pathfinder), and Shockwave Stomp (stamp the ground to generate an AoE cone that can knock prone targets, deals thunder damage in D&D).

The 8th/9th level feats are more supernatural. They include Hunted Fear (multi-target frightening/demoralizing effect, targets also get lost more easily), Navigate Life (cast Augury once per long rest/day but with a much faster casting time), Shredding Strikes (cause a persistent bleeding wound when getting a critical with horns or a slashing/piercing weapon), and Swarm Spit (target's saliva turns into insects as an AoE damaging cone that sickens/poisons targets who fail a save depending on system).

The 12th/13th level feats play into the minotaur's supernatural connection to mazes. They include All the World's a Maze (when traveling out of combat to a destination, minotaur and companions ignore difficult terrain and movement penalties in D&D or increased speed and ignore the first instance of exhaustion in Pathfinder), Hulking Reach (must be Large size, gain +5 foot reach on melee attacks), Labyrinthine Geometry (cast Strange Geometry once per day in Pathfinder, has a similar unique effect in D&D once per long rest where spatial illusions hinder movement), and Maze Call (cast Wall of Stone once per day/long rest).

The 16th/17th level feats represent the minotaur reaching the apex ideal of their species. They include Megataur Transformation (for a limited time become Huge size along with increased melee damage and reach), Minotaur's Maze (casts the Maze spell in D&D and replicates a similar ability in Pathfinder once per day/long rest), Minotaur's Visage (transforms into a horrifying visage for 1 minute that can impose the frightened condition on targets who take a hostile action against the minotaur), and Omega Charge (a multi-target charge attack that knocks prone and deals damage to targets whose spaces the minotaur moves through). The Pathfinder-exclusive feat in this category is Traverse the Labyrinth, a once per day ability where for 1 hour the minotaur and their companions ignore circumstance penalties to speed and difficult terrain from the environment, including magical environments.

Thoughts: The 1st-level feats are overall not worth it in D&D, save for Bully given that its frighten effect can be triggered as a bonus action. While Cunning Twist can spend a reroll after a failure is declared, the core Lucky feat still has 3 uses per long rest which makes it more appealing for most situations. As for the 4th level feats, Bull-Headed looks the most overall useful in both systems in that they're always constant and apply to a wide variety of effects. There's also the fact that the D&D equivalents have more generous refresh rates than Pathfinder's, which helps make them more appealing given the scarcity of feat slots in the former system.

For the 8th level feats, Navigate Life is rather situational in granting a low-level divination spell, Shredding Strikes is more useful in Pathfinder than D&D, and Hunted Fear is mostly useful for gaming groups fighting on "home terrain" or against foes outside of an environment they know well. Which in Hunted Fear's case isn't going to apply for most traditional dungeon crawls. Swarm Spit is overall the most useful in this tier, given it imposes a good debuff and damage on multiple targets.

When it comes to the 12th level and higher feats, gaining increased reach and size is practically a no-brainer for most melee builds, which I can see most minotaur PCs gravitating towards. This makes the more supernatural feats, like Labyrinthine Geometry and Minotaur's Maze, the kinds of feats one might choose for those specializing in other builds or if the party is overall lacking potent battlefield control options. They're still good options, but won't be as appealing IMO.

Thoughts So Far: The minotaur is highly optimized for brutish melee builds with a side helping of maze-themed exploration and hunting abilities. It's much easier to start out at Large size with this ancestry in comparison to others in this book, and I do like how there's some feats and options that encourage a minotaur's mentally resilient/canny nature as a wanderer of mazes. As discussed before, I consider this minotaur an improvement over the official one in D&D, but not so much the one for Pathfinder.

Join us next time as we gaze upon another monster from Greek mythology, the nymph!

 

[Libertad]

When you do that entry, they will mention something about a "Maze Axe" or something and I could never find the stats for such a thing in the Minotaur entry. If you find it, could you please let me know what the 5E stats for it are?

It's in a sidebar on the upper left of page 134 (137 on a PDF) of the 5th Edition version of the book, and is at the very end of the minotaur chapter in the Pathfinder version. I also went into detail on its mechanics in both versions in the prior post.

 

[Weiley31]

It's in a sidebar on the upper left of page 134 (137 on a PDF) of the 5th Edition version of the book, and is at the very end of the minotaur chapter in the Pathfinder version. I also went into detail on its mechanics in both versions in the prior post.

Thank you!

 

[Libertad]

Nymphs are fey who are manifestations of the natural world. Bonded to a specific geographical area known as their "ward," it is possible for a nymph to change their bond or even lose it due to disaster. While the latter case isn't necessarily lethal, it does make them more mortal in needing to eat and drink given that they normally derive sustenance from the location's essence. Nymphs aren't limited to just the female gender, and the book expands what a nymph is to dryads, naiads, and other fey classically associated with certain terrain types.

Most nymphs tend to be self-sufficient, able to live a comfortable existence in their favored wilderness locale. Nymphs who are not bonded to a particular place are known as wanderers, while nymphs who amass greater power and authority are known as nymph queens. Nymph wanderers are the presumed default playable option, and nymph queens are available as a feat tree optimized for domain management style of play. Nymph wanderers follow one of five major schools of thought known as glades, which seek to define their sense of self and how they relate to the world. Three of the glades have background options in D&D: they are cosmopolitans (seek out and eager to learn about non-fey cultures), naturalists (seek to understand and experience nature in all its forms), and wardens (seek something or someone else to protect after losing their ward). The backgroundless glades are explorers (motivated primarily by wanderlust) and philokalists (seekers of various kinds of beauty).

Nymph wanderers can be of any alignment, although ones of evil alignment are quite rare. With the exception of the hesperides subspecies, lawful ones are rare to a lesser extent. Nymphs tend to have moral codes that incorporate the natural world which most humanoids take for granted. For instance, a good-aligned nymph might define defenseless plants and animals as innocents and thus take pains to prevent their deaths that come from agriculture and industrialization.

Thoughts: I like how the ancestry incorporates fey of similar dispositions beyond just the classic forest-dwelling nymph. While such beings are often treated as distinctly different in both D&D and Pathfinder, there's enough overlap that I feel that this can work without violating a setting's "monster canon" too badly. Of the glades, the warden is my favorite in feeling the most original in concept.

As an ancestry, the nymph gets a boost to Charisma and one other ability score of choice, are medium size, have average walking speed, are fey instead of humanoid, have low-light vision in Pathfinder, and have Fey Ancestry like elves in D&D. The nymph's iconic Unearthly Beauty manifests in one of three ways at character creation, granting proficiency/training in a particular Charisma skill. In Pathfinder, they also get a related feat as a bonus feat, while in D&D they start play with expertise in that skill.

Nymphs have a wide amount of subspecies/heritages to choose from, being 8 in total. They are asteria (tied to stars and constellations, learn the Guidance cantrip), aura (tied to wind, immune to falling damage), dryad (tied to trees, can cast the Tanglefoot cantrip in Pathfinder and has a similar unique effect in D&D of summon a grasping vine to slow down/immobilize a single target), epimelid (tied to meadows, pastures, or orchids, can grow a magic fruit once per day/long rest that heals one who eats it), hesperid (tied to the light of sunset, can shrink a large object to be safely held inside a semi-translucent golden apple), lampad (tied to caverns, learns the Dancing Lights cantrip), maenad (tied to alcohol and poisonous creatures, take less damage from poison), and naiad (tied to freshwater bodies, are amphibious and gain a swim speed).

Thoughts: As can be expected, nymphs are very good for social builds. When it comes to subspecies, I do feel that asteria is going to be the most appealing from an optimization perspective, as Guidance is an amazing cantrip, and aura's falling damage immunity is pretty good as well. Epimelid's healing increases with level, although the once per day use makes it not good enough to substitute for Medicine in Pathfinder or actual healing magic in D&D. The hesperid, lampad, and naiad are the least appealing or most situational options: the hesperid's golden apple can be useful for smuggling gear, but it's very easily superseded by Bags of Holding and similar extradimensional magic. The lampad's Dancing Lights isn't as appealing as asteria's Guidance, and the naiad's amphibious nature is going to be dependent on how common aquatic environments are in the campaign.

Barring the Nymph Queen feat tree and Nymphtouched versatile species that are part of their own categories, nymphs have 42 feats in both D&D and Pathfinder. This marks them as the most well-supported ancestry in this book.

The initial 1st level feats focus on minor supernatural abilities befitting the nymph's role, such as Animal Speaker (choose a broad category of animals to be able to communicate with), Cavern Sight (lampad only, gain darkvision), Change Shape (can polymorph into a single specific humanoid form), Inspiration (grant another creature a token of favor, which grants them advantage/aid benefit on Performance and artisan's tools checks for 10 minutes), Guiding Star/Twinkling Star (asteria only, name differs by system, can summon a star while under the night sky which can guide the nymph to the target), Nuanced Beauty (gain the benefits of all three Unearthly Beauty abilities in 5e, or another type in Pathfinder), and Nymph Strikes (unarmed attacks deal increased and alternate damage depending on subspecies).

The 4th/5th level feats continue to follow this trend, including Aerial Assist (aura only, gains increased speed and Acrobatics bonus while flying), Ally Bond (can choose a single willing creature via a 24 hour ritual, can cast touch range spells on them up to 30 feet), Naiad's Celerity (naiad only, increased swim speed), Nymph Shot (gain a ranged unarmed attack whose damage type depends on subspecies), Plant Speaker (can speak to a specific type of plant), Tree Shaper (dryad only, can magically transform into a tree of Large size in D&D or Medium size in Pathfinder, can be done at will in Pathfinder but once per long rest in D&D), and Wanderer's Way (can cast Longstrider once per long rest/day, can cast it at higher level slots as you increase in level in D&D).

Most of the 8th/9th level feats include a specific subspecies or prior feats as prerequisites, representing their more potent abilities. They are Hesperid Magic (hesperid only, cast Faerie Fire and Disguise Self/Illusory Disguise once per hour/short rest), In Vino Veritas (maenad only, set up a party that makes it harder to lie for those who enter the area), Meld Into Nature (dryad/lampad only, can cast Meld Into Stone once per day, dyrads can meld into trees, D&D feats are separately named and specific to the subspecies) Nature's Fury (deals persistent damage when making a critical hit with the attacks granted by Nymph Shot/Strikes feats), Nature's Flight (asteria, aura, or hesperid, gain fly speed for 10 minutes), Plant Negotiator (+1 bonus on Make an Impression plants in Pathfinder, advantage on Charisma ability checks with plants and can cast Charm Person on plants as though they were humanoid and can cast such a spell once per long rest), Plentiful Orchard (epemelid, can create their healing fruit once per hour/short rest), Ward Token (can create a physical token that lets the nymph avoid starvation and thirst and only needs to sleep 2 hours a day, suffer exhaustion/fatigue if they lose the token), and Water Font (naiad only, can create 6 gallons fresh water once per hour in Pathfinder, or cast Create Food and Water but only water once per long rest).

The 12th/13th level feats start to see more powerful abilities and are quite wordy in their effects in both systems. They include Bacchanalia (maenad only, can cause allies to voluntarily enter a rage-like fury), Call Constellation (asteria only, can create stars to form a constellation in the area with damaging lines connecting them together as an AoE attack), Charming Beauty (can generate an aura once per day/long rest that imposes the charmed condition/improves creature attitudes who fail a Wisdom/Will save), Lampad's Weep (lampad only, an AoE attack that radiates sorrow, imposing the incapacitated condition in D&D or the slowed/can't use reactions in Pathfinder), Soothing Spring (creates a natural healing spring that restores hit points and heals the exhausted/fatigued condition), Tree Strider (dryad only, casts Tree Stride once per day), and Zephyr's Wrath (aura only, once per hour/short rest, creates a damaging AoE gust of wind that deals damage and forced movement).

The 16th/17th level capstone abilities are fewer in number, but include some potent high-level magical abilities. They include Amaranthine Beauty (use Charming Beauty once per hour/short rest), Fey's Shift (cast Plane Shift once per long rest/twice per week, but only between the Material Plane and faerie realm), Nature's Protection (reduces damage by 5 from a large variety of damage types), Nature's Wrath (large-radius AoE that transforms area into dangerous terrain befitting the nymph's subspecies, is selective-target damage and difficult terrain), Perpetual Wings (permanent fly speed), and Unfettered Flock (a multi-target Freedom of Movement in D&D, Unfettered Pack in Pathfinder).

There is one varying level feat: Fey Skin can be taken at 8th level in D&D and 13th level in pathfinder. It works the same as the Gremlin feat of the same name. There's also a feat tree that grants Druid/Primal spells to the nymph: they are Nymph Magic (1st level, learn 1 or 2 cantrips from the druid/primal list depending on system), Queen's Inklings (8th/9th level, learn a 1st level and 2nd level druid/primal spell), and Queen's Dweomers (12th/13th level, learn one 3rd and 4th level primal/druid spell).

Thoughts: As can be expected, a lot of these feats weigh heavily in favor of nature-based stuff, with some social stuff here and there. Nymph Strike and Nymph Shot are the only real feats that explicitly play upon physical attack types, and ironically don't have the finesse traits in either system save for a minority of subspecies: dryad but only in Pathfinder, hesperid, and maenad. Due to this, nymphs who aren't monks or the aforementioned subspecies that want to make use of Nymph Strike will need to specialize in Strength. As is to be expected for D&D, the lower-level feats are harder to justify taking in comparison to ASI and core options, save for Nuanced Beauty. Inspiration's bonuses/advantage on Performance checks might be good in conjunction with certain builds that utilize the skill, but otherwise is highly situational. When it comes to higher-level feats, Ally Bond can be good for nymphs who rely heavily on buff spells but want to stay out of the fray, Plentiful Orchard and Soothing Spring are helpful in granting more reliable healing to the party, the Nymph Magic feat tree can be a worthwhile dip depending on the spells chosen, Nature's Flight/Perpetual Wings are good for gaining flying speed, and Nature's Wrath is a great selective battlefield control ability. The 12th/13th level subspecies-specific feats can be good in granting powerful effects that can be used semi-frequently. Although in that case, the maenad's Bacchanalia won't be as useful in parties that rely heavily on magic over melee combat, given the rage-like nature prevents concentrating on spells. While there's still several weak and situational feats like Ward's Token and Fey's Shift, overall the amount of options on display look quite decent.

Our section on nymphs rounds out with two final entries. The first is the nymphtouched, a versatile species much like the doppelborn. They represent non-nymphs who have a nymph parent or ancestor in their family tree. They often bear a more specific name in line with their subspecies, such as Winetouched for those with maenad heritage or Startouched for those with Asterai heritage. In some cases, people can have heritage of multiple nymph subspecies, although in game terms they only draw from one. As a playable option, Nymphtouched are represented as a feat of the same name in D&D or as a Rare heritage in Pathfinder. In D&D they gain +1 Charisma, the Fey Ancestry trait, and a nymph's darkvision…which I believe is a mistake, as nymphs don't have that by default. If a character already has one or both, they can increase one ability score of their choice by 1. In Pathfinder, they gain the nymphtouched and nymph traits on top of those from their ancestry, and gain the Unearthly Beauty ability. In both systems they are treated as nymphs for determining what feats they have access to, and choose one subspecies in which they are connected. They can further choose from one of 8 feats in line with one of the subspecies, which grant them said subspecies' iconic trait and also gain Unearthly Beauty in D&D. Pathfinder has a feat exclusive to that system, Nymph's Eyes, where they gain low-light vision.

A Nymph Queen represents nymphs whose connection to the land grows so powerful that they can encompass entire regions as their bonded ward. While they often have similar power and privileges to mortal monarchs, a nymph queen's status isn't heritable, instead being the result of deliberate, consistent labor over a longer period of time. A nymph queen's ward can incorporate and annex the wards of regular nymphs. If they are willing, said nymphs become akin to subjects. Those who don't wish for this often have the queen either grow their ward around the existing nymphs' territory, or in rarer tragic cases result in violence and displacement of the weaker nymphs.

In both systems, becoming a Nymph Queen is represented as a feat tree, and in Pathfinder it's an archetype. The base Nymph Queen Dedication grants them 1 or 2 druid/primal cantrips depending on the system, proficiency/training in Nature, and choose a specific type of terrain representing that which they rule over. This last part more or less acts as the [Ancestry] Lore series of feats in granting them increased knowledge about said terrain.

Afterwards, all other Nymph Queen feats stem from this baseline. Claim Territory lets them stake their claim over an area of wilderness, and if there are those in the area who would be against the nymph's dominion they must be driven off, placated, or otherwise convinced. Securing a claim lets the nymph be able to communicate with and more easily influence natural and extraplanar creatures living within the terrain, can speak with animals and plants inside that terrain and who are more receptive to the nymph's requests, and the nymph's health is metaphysically linked to the terrain and vice versa. Queen's Court is a 7th/8th* level feat granting them a group of immaterial fey spirit advisors, which in D&D lets them swap out two skills per long rest to have expertise in, and in Pathfinder the spirits can help fulfill basic Requests and help the nymph do social activities more easily such as Gather Information. Queen's Senses is an 8th level feat in both systems, granting the nymph a vague sense of supernaturally befouled areas in their territory along with the general presence of natural and extraplanar creature types. Queen's Senses also lets them cast Clairaudience/Clairvoyance once per short rest/hour, but only within the boundaries of their territory.

*Class/Dedication feats are taken every even-numbered level in Pathfinder, so the 7th level prerequisite might be a typo.

There's also one feat specific to each subspecies, called "[Subspecies] Queen's Beauty." They are taken at either 12th/13th or 16th/17th level depending upon the subspecies. Basically, they emanate a selective-target 10 foot radius aura that is activated by an action in Pathfinder or a bonus action in D&D. The aura can impose a list of debuffs on those who fail a save within it, imposing debuffs of greater magnitude if they fail the save by a certain amount. For instance, a Lampad Queen's Beauty can rob a target of reactions or cause them to be confused/attack a random creature, while the Dryad Queen's Beauty reduces a target's movement speed or outright immobilizes them. A creature who succeeds on the save is immune to the aura for 1 minute. Focus Beauty is a 16th level feat that lets them focus this power on a single target within 30 feet.

Finally, there is a Nymph Queen Spellcasting feat tree. In D&D, they grant bonus druid spells much like the Nymph Magic feat tree, while in Pathfinder they grant basic/expert/master spellcasting benefits.

Thoughts: Much like the doppelborn, the nymphtouched is a good way for non-nymphs to gain some of the mechanical benefits of this chapter, and I can see them being easily reflavored to represent other characters with fey heritage. The Nymph Queen feat tree looks quite appealing for domain management style campaigns, and their ability to make use of animal, plant, and fey spirits as advisors and scouts works nicely with their more supernatural senses when it comes to being an attentive ruler. The main thing holding nymph queens back is that the D&D feats don't grant ability score bonuses. And given the fact that their abilities are limited to a single static area, this means that nymph queen won't be ideal for more mobile campaigns.

Thoughts So Far: While all of the ancestries in this book have a good number of detail, the nymph feels like it has a bit of favoritism in having more content overall. Said content has tight themes in regards to nature magic and social influence, but in expanding said nature beyond the cliche forest really opens them up to a wider variety of thematic archetypes. I can definitely see the nymph queen being tailor made for Kingmaker, and even without the ability score increases that feat tree has broad enough abilities that I can see a clever player making good use of them.

Join us next time as we review the oni, spirit rebels reincarnated into humanoid and giant forms!