D&D 5E Monsters/NPCs: Class features and feats

[Weiley31]

So anybody decide to get crazy and add Feats/Class features to monsters or NPCs? To either make em tougher in a fight or to give reoccurring NPCs some unique traits?

Like a reoccurring black cat Tabaxi/Nekomata Hexblade NPC with the Lucky feat AND the Hex class ability that JUST HAPPENS to pop up at "convient" times to make the party's life....interesting. for bonus points, style it after the 3.5 Hexblade in theme.

Or

An Orc Warchief who Second Winds once it's health is depleted/about to be depleted. And then Rages during the second phase because now ya just ticked it off

Or
The guest allied NPC Druid who has the revised Ranger's beast conclave/ UA Primal Beasts mechanics for the Guest NPC Druid's beast companion. And both have the Alert feat.

Stuff like that.

 

[Salthorae]

I am the DM and all-powerful in my world... these are my words and as such, they are beyond contestation...

My NPC's can do whatever I need them to do

If an NPC is important enough to be recurring, I usually will just build them with PC rules.

 

[dave2008]

Yes, there was even a thread on here a year ago or so about that very thing, with lots of good examples. I have done something similar in my hardcore monsters and I used to have templates for adding class features to monsters/npcs in the downloads section but I removed at some point.

 

[dave2008]

Here is a helpful item in the downloads section from @Rhenny: Modify Your Monsters 1

EDIT: And his/her related thread: Modify Your Monsters

 

[Weiley31]

Here is a helpful item in the downloads section from @Rhenny: Modify Your Monsters 1

EDIT: And his/her related thread: Modify Your Monsters

Thanks!

 

[dave2008]

Thanks!

Your welcome!

 

[Jediking]

So anybody decide to get crazy and add Feats/Class features to monsters or NPCs? To either make em tougher in a fight or to give reoccurring NPCs some unique traits?

All the time, and usually for groups of enemies where there is one leader/officer type in charge. So I may have a group of 5 goblins, with four using the standard Goblin statblock, but the fifth is Ruktuk the Dervish , a goblin with the mobile feat and maxed out health.

My players are pretty tactical and experienced, so the baseline encounter building from the DMG was not difficult enough for them. Adding in one notable feat or additional trait to a creature is a simple and effective way to distinguish creatures and give them just enough oomph of a curveball to keep them on their toes. Keeping it to one trait also makes it easier for me to run the encounter and keep the game flowing.

 

[Jediking]

Here is a helpful item in the downloads section from @Rhenny: Modify Your Monsters 1

EDIT: And his/her related thread: Modify Your Monsters

This is great, thanks for sharing!

 

[Nebulous]

All the time. It is especially useful if your PCs use feats as they are optional in the game and seem to outstrip monsters at mid to high level if they also don't get some bonus. There is a product on DMs Guild called DM Option Monster Talents that offers hundreds of options. You can also slap a PC feat on certain monsters.

Note that some of the 3rd party monster manuals like Creature Codex already have exceptionally tougher monsters so they don't necessarily need changing. The DMGuild books Expanded Monster Manual 1&2 also massively expand on the official core MM and Volo and Mordenkainen with optional monster builds, and these mostly all have the equivalent of little "feats". In other words, they're a lot tougher than the core monster they're built on.

 

[Oofta]

Yes, at least occasionally. For example my last campaign had a "boss" ancient red dragon with several levels of sorcerer and spell sniper.

I upgrade or modify monsters in other ways as well, copying powers and abilities from other monsters for example.