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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Reflavoring Monsters
- Thread starter Rechan
- Start date
Theo R Cwithin
I cast "Baconstorm!"
I like to put goblins at the top of the goblinoid social hierarchy.
In an upcoming campaign, kobolds are the ur-scalykin: all that slithers and snaps is spawned from them. Kobolds are not as powerful as the dragons, lizardfolk, yuan-ti, etc, but they possess far greater knowledge of What Is, and are generally much more insane for it.
I've run ghouls as a form of hivemind-like psychic/psychotic disease, all ultimately enthralled to the "Grey Mother".
Also in an upcoming campaign, phantom fungus is now an Outsider rather than a Plant, low-intelligence explorers sent out to fetch "samples" for their twisted extraplanar masters. (Gave them a gaze attack, too, to surprise those pesky adventurers with see invisible.)
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Also once ran a campaign wherein many the "cross-breed" monsters (eg, anthropomorphs, taurics, monstrous humanoids, mythicals, etc) were mostly beefed up relative to the standard versions, described as particularly gruesome mergers of creatures, and (mostly) made into insane Uniques-- the results of a corrupting aura from a fallen star fragment.
In an upcoming campaign, kobolds are the ur-scalykin: all that slithers and snaps is spawned from them. Kobolds are not as powerful as the dragons, lizardfolk, yuan-ti, etc, but they possess far greater knowledge of What Is, and are generally much more insane for it.
I've run ghouls as a form of hivemind-like psychic/psychotic disease, all ultimately enthralled to the "Grey Mother".
Also in an upcoming campaign, phantom fungus is now an Outsider rather than a Plant, low-intelligence explorers sent out to fetch "samples" for their twisted extraplanar masters. (Gave them a gaze attack, too, to surprise those pesky adventurers with see invisible.)
[edit]
Also once ran a campaign wherein many the "cross-breed" monsters (eg, anthropomorphs, taurics, monstrous humanoids, mythicals, etc) were mostly beefed up relative to the standard versions, described as particularly gruesome mergers of creatures, and (mostly) made into insane Uniques-- the results of a corrupting aura from a fallen star fragment.
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In an upcoming campaign, kobolds are the ur-scalykin: all that slithers and snaps is spawned from them. Kobolds are not as powerful as the dragons, lizardfolk, yuan-ti, etc, but they possess far greater knowledge of What Is, and are generally much more insane for it.[/quote]
Almost like Reptilian Derro that at the center of it all. Wiiiicked. Although that would make fighting them at first level not all that sensical.
Almost like Reptilian Derro that at the center of it all. Wiiiicked. Although that would make fighting them at first level not all that sensical.
I generally take ghouls in a different direction, but I like this.
I always liked the Lankhmarian Ghouls- not so much undead as living carnivorous/cannibalistic beings with translucent flesh. IOW, they looked like skeletons.
They originally popped up in the unauthorized sections of the first Deities & Demigods...but I've used them since.
Really surprises those parties looking to Turn those advancing hordes of skeletons...
They originally popped up in the unauthorized sections of the first Deities & Demigods...but I've used them since.
Really surprises those parties looking to Turn those advancing hordes of skeletons...
Even though elves are usually considered PC races and not monster races, for the most part, Aquatic elves are almost never used for PCs...so I'm including them here.
My aquatic elves have looked to nature to develop secret fighting techniques. In particular, these elves have used magic rituals to enable them to devour octopi, jellyfish, anemones and other creatures in order to absorb their chloroplasts, nematocysts and bioluminescent cells. The absorbed chloroplasts enable the sea-elves to change colors, letting them camouflage themselves in natural surroundings at the speed of thought, as well as communicate with color patterns. The nematocysts let them deliver painful neurotoxic strikes with a touch. The bioluminescent cells let them operate in the darkest depths of the sea, and provide still other camouflage and communication options.
They are few in number, but few other undersea races provoke them. They are too stealthy, too dangerous- best to let them live in peace- a lesson learned the hard way by some...
My aquatic elves have looked to nature to develop secret fighting techniques. In particular, these elves have used magic rituals to enable them to devour octopi, jellyfish, anemones and other creatures in order to absorb their chloroplasts, nematocysts and bioluminescent cells. The absorbed chloroplasts enable the sea-elves to change colors, letting them camouflage themselves in natural surroundings at the speed of thought, as well as communicate with color patterns. The nematocysts let them deliver painful neurotoxic strikes with a touch. The bioluminescent cells let them operate in the darkest depths of the sea, and provide still other camouflage and communication options.
They are few in number, but few other undersea races provoke them. They are too stealthy, too dangerous- best to let them live in peace- a lesson learned the hard way by some...
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