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<blockquote data-quote="CM" data-source="post: 6980022" data-attributes="member: 18340"><p>What are some minor ways in which you've tweaked a monster to give it a whole different feel? </p><p></p><p>Not looking for major mechanical overhauls or complex stat blocks, but just simple things like a modified ecology, an added power, or similar such things that leave the monster largely the same but give it an interesting twist?</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">My example is with the bulette. I'm running a campaign set in FR's Neverwinter during the 4e era (though using 5e rules). Part of the city still lies in ruins, and a gaping chasm in one ruined city district allows all sorts of Underdark creatures to occasionally come to the surface. The party was pursuing a group of arsonists from the local thieves' guild into the (walled-off) district and came across their (rather messy<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" />) remains being picked over by a pack of rust monsters, with signs that a a huge burrowing creature of some kind had killed them.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">The rust monsters were fairly easily dispatched with only minor equipment damage (the dwarf paladin kept <em>sanctuary</em> up the entire fight), but the combat awoke the huge, <em>spellplagued</em> bulette that was nearby, sleeping after its big meal. It chased them almost all the way back to the "safe" district of the city, but luckily for them they ran into a pack of ghouls on the way, which distracted the bulette enough that it ended its pursuit.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">The ecology change I made is that bulettes and rust monsters live in a (mostly) symbiotic relationship. Bulettes will allow rust monsters to crawl over them, removing arrowheads and broken blades from their hides, and metal armor fragments from their teeth, while (usually) not eating them. The rust monsters can smell bulettes from up to a mile away and will be naturally drawn to one, following it around at a safe distance and waiting for an opportunity to scavenge a meal.</p><p></p><p>So what other <em>little-known monster facts</em> are out there?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CM, post: 6980022, member: 18340"] What are some minor ways in which you've tweaked a monster to give it a whole different feel? Not looking for major mechanical overhauls or complex stat blocks, but just simple things like a modified ecology, an added power, or similar such things that leave the monster largely the same but give it an interesting twist? [INDENT]My example is with the bulette. I'm running a campaign set in FR's Neverwinter during the 4e era (though using 5e rules). Part of the city still lies in ruins, and a gaping chasm in one ruined city district allows all sorts of Underdark creatures to occasionally come to the surface. The party was pursuing a group of arsonists from the local thieves' guild into the (walled-off) district and came across their (rather messy:p) remains being picked over by a pack of rust monsters, with signs that a a huge burrowing creature of some kind had killed them. The rust monsters were fairly easily dispatched with only minor equipment damage (the dwarf paladin kept [I]sanctuary[/I] up the entire fight), but the combat awoke the huge, [I]spellplagued[/I] bulette that was nearby, sleeping after its big meal. It chased them almost all the way back to the "safe" district of the city, but luckily for them they ran into a pack of ghouls on the way, which distracted the bulette enough that it ended its pursuit. The ecology change I made is that bulettes and rust monsters live in a (mostly) symbiotic relationship. Bulettes will allow rust monsters to crawl over them, removing arrowheads and broken blades from their hides, and metal armor fragments from their teeth, while (usually) not eating them. The rust monsters can smell bulettes from up to a mile away and will be naturally drawn to one, following it around at a safe distance and waiting for an opportunity to scavenge a meal.[/INDENT] So what other [I]little-known monster facts[/I] are out there? [/QUOTE]
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