<<Skull & Bones>> Suitable monsters from the various Monster Manuals

[Calico_Jack73]

I'm considering running a Skull & Bones campaign for my group. There are a few new monsters in the Skull & Bones book itself but I wanted to see what monsters the ENWorld Community thought would be good for a Mythic Pirate campaign set in the late 1600's - early 1700's. The usual undead are a given, what about some non-undead creatures? Please provide an explanation on how your choices would be used.

 

[Wombat]

Depends on the take you want to have on your campaign.

Most Animals, of course, are good, but they are usable anywhere.

I would suggest looking into Atlas' Nyambe setting book, just for examples of African legendary creatures that might be brought over (I mean, since you are already dealing with the loa/orrisha, why not the creatures as well?).

Krakens and other sea-going creatures are a must. Merpeoples of various sorts figure prominently in piratical lore. This could be extended to sahaugin and the like.

A lot of creatures from the MM are more problematic. Do you really want gnolls and the like in a setting where all characters are supposed to be human? Probably not. Same would probably be true of many "Classical Mythological" monsters -- pegasus, minotaur, etc., as they would feel out of place. Yuan-Ti could be adapted in fairly easily (fear those jungle serpents!). Don't forget plant-based creatures in a tropical environment -- lots of room for "Man Eating Plants" in such a setting!

I would suggest looking through S&SS Creature Collections as well. The Alley Reaper, the various members of the Carnival of Shadows, the Dweller at the Crossroads, their extra Hags, the Inn-Wight, the Memory Eater, and quite probably even the Ratmen/Slitheren have a feel that fits with Things Piratical; there are also several more plant and ocean going creatures in here that could help flesh things out.

Just some initial thoughts

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

From the Fiend Folio, there's at least two that are pretty useful. The wendigo would be a neat type of guy to throw in North American adventures. The ahuizotl, likewise, is a natural for anything set in Aztec areas, since the FF version has no "DnDification" over the folkloric version, and in fact, is AFAIK identical.