In my last game, I featured Slaad as one of the major villains. However, there is a problem with Slaad, while they say they are the embodiment of chaos, they are anything but mechanically. I mean, they are color coded for gods sake! So I redesigned the monster for the last campaign, to a lot of success. The monster is now much more fitting of the embodiment of Chaos.
Slaad: Created from the plane of chaos itself, Slaad are in a constant state of flux. Ever shifting, the only thing that unites them is one common purpose....to spread. Slaad often look like some type of large frog like creature, but no two Slaad look alike. They take on a wide array of colorations and hues, with an ever changing number of limbs.
Culture: Slaad are some of the most fickle creatures in the multiverse, even Demons find them too volatile to work with. As such, Slaadi are normally solitary or in small numbers of Slaad hunting parties. Slaad have no true concept of "self", they recognize that they are a seperate entity from other creatures, but their thoughts shift so frequently that one realized self is quickly changed to another.
Slaad
Large Aberration (Shapechanger)
AC: 15
Hitpoints: 125
Speed: 30 ft
Str: 12, Dex: 12, Con: 12, Int: 8, Wis: 6, Cha: 12
Saving Throws: Str: 1d6 + 1, Dex: 1d6 +1, Con: 1d6 +1, Int: 1d6 -1, Wis: 1d6 - 2, Cha: 1d6 +1
Skills: Perception: 1d6 + 3
Senses: Blindsight 60, Darkvision 60, Telepathy 60 ft
Languages: Slaad, telepathy 60 ft.
Instinct: Each Slaad possesses an innate desire that guides their current behavior. At the beginning of an encounter, roll a d6.
1: Alternate. The Slaad temporary has other ideas in its head. Maybe it believes in peace, religion, unifying its people. The DM is free to make whatever drive is suitable, though it never lasts.
2 - 5: Spread. The Slaad will attack a viable target to spread its eggs, and will switch targets after accomplishing the goal. Slaad will ignore creatures that cannot carry their eggs.
6: Destroy. The Slaad attempts to kill any non-Slaad creature it can see.
Form: Slaads can have fins, gills, wings, multiple legs, and vary greatly in size. At the beginning of an encounter, roll a d6 and check this chart
1 - Reduced. The Slaads size is reduced by 1 category, and damage is reduced by 1d6.
2 - Enhanced. The Slaads size is increased by 1 category, and damage is increased by 1d6.
3 - Swim. Slaad can breathe water and gains a swim speed equal to its speed.
4 - Fly. Slaad has wings and gains a fly speed equal to its speed.
5 - Altered Speed. Add (1d6 - 2) x 5 to the creature's speed.
6 - Roll 2d6 and consult the chart twice.
Magic Weapons: The Slaad's weapon attacks are magical.
Children of Chaos: Slaad add 1d6 to all attacks, saves, checks, saving throw DCs, and damage rolls (already adjusted).
Entropic Resistance: The first time the Slaad is hit with a weapon type (bludgeoning, slashing, piercing) or an energy type, roll a d6 and consult the chart. Repeat this check for each new type the Slaad is effected by. The effect lasts for the encounter.
1 - Slaad is vulnerable to that type
2 - 3: Normal
4-5: Slaad is resistant to that type
6: Slaad is immune to that type
Regeneration: The slaad regains 3d6 hit points at the start of its turn if it has 1 hitpoint. When a Slaad reaches 0 hitpoint, roll a d6. On a 6, the Slaad immediately performs regeneration. If the Slaad gets the maximum result on this special regeneration roll, it instead becomes a Greater Slaad at the start of its next turn.
ACTIONS
Multiattack: Make 3 attacks, which can be any combination of Limb and Surge of Chaos
Limb: Melee Weapon Attack: +1d6 + 5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 3d6 piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning damage. If the target is humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 12 + 1d6 Constitution saving throw or be infected with a disease called Chaos phase. While infected, the target cannot regain hitpoints. In 1d20 x 24 hours, roll a d6. On a 6, the host turns into a Slaad. Otherwise, the host is killed as a Slaad tadpole chews its way out of the host.
Surge of Chaos: Roll a d6.
1 - 2: Nothing Happens.
3 - 4: Fires a Chaos Bolt
5 - 6: Uses Chaos Casting
Chaos Bolt: (requires Surge of Chaos to use). Ranged Spell Attack: +1d6 +2 to hit. Range 60 ft, one target. Hit: 3d6 Force Damage.
Chaos Casting: (requires Surge of Chaos to use). Cast one of the following spells, the same spell cannot be chosen twice in an encounter. The DC is 12 + 1d6.
Invisibility
Fear
Fly
Fireball
PlaneShift
Designer's Notes:
Slaad: Created from the plane of chaos itself, Slaad are in a constant state of flux. Ever shifting, the only thing that unites them is one common purpose....to spread. Slaad often look like some type of large frog like creature, but no two Slaad look alike. They take on a wide array of colorations and hues, with an ever changing number of limbs.
Culture: Slaad are some of the most fickle creatures in the multiverse, even Demons find them too volatile to work with. As such, Slaadi are normally solitary or in small numbers of Slaad hunting parties. Slaad have no true concept of "self", they recognize that they are a seperate entity from other creatures, but their thoughts shift so frequently that one realized self is quickly changed to another.
Slaad
Large Aberration (Shapechanger)
AC: 15
Hitpoints: 125
Speed: 30 ft
Str: 12, Dex: 12, Con: 12, Int: 8, Wis: 6, Cha: 12
Saving Throws: Str: 1d6 + 1, Dex: 1d6 +1, Con: 1d6 +1, Int: 1d6 -1, Wis: 1d6 - 2, Cha: 1d6 +1
Skills: Perception: 1d6 + 3
Senses: Blindsight 60, Darkvision 60, Telepathy 60 ft
Languages: Slaad, telepathy 60 ft.
Instinct: Each Slaad possesses an innate desire that guides their current behavior. At the beginning of an encounter, roll a d6.
1: Alternate. The Slaad temporary has other ideas in its head. Maybe it believes in peace, religion, unifying its people. The DM is free to make whatever drive is suitable, though it never lasts.
2 - 5: Spread. The Slaad will attack a viable target to spread its eggs, and will switch targets after accomplishing the goal. Slaad will ignore creatures that cannot carry their eggs.
6: Destroy. The Slaad attempts to kill any non-Slaad creature it can see.
Form: Slaads can have fins, gills, wings, multiple legs, and vary greatly in size. At the beginning of an encounter, roll a d6 and check this chart
1 - Reduced. The Slaads size is reduced by 1 category, and damage is reduced by 1d6.
2 - Enhanced. The Slaads size is increased by 1 category, and damage is increased by 1d6.
3 - Swim. Slaad can breathe water and gains a swim speed equal to its speed.
4 - Fly. Slaad has wings and gains a fly speed equal to its speed.
5 - Altered Speed. Add (1d6 - 2) x 5 to the creature's speed.
6 - Roll 2d6 and consult the chart twice.
Magic Weapons: The Slaad's weapon attacks are magical.
Children of Chaos: Slaad add 1d6 to all attacks, saves, checks, saving throw DCs, and damage rolls (already adjusted).
Entropic Resistance: The first time the Slaad is hit with a weapon type (bludgeoning, slashing, piercing) or an energy type, roll a d6 and consult the chart. Repeat this check for each new type the Slaad is effected by. The effect lasts for the encounter.
1 - Slaad is vulnerable to that type
2 - 3: Normal
4-5: Slaad is resistant to that type
6: Slaad is immune to that type
Regeneration: The slaad regains 3d6 hit points at the start of its turn if it has 1 hitpoint. When a Slaad reaches 0 hitpoint, roll a d6. On a 6, the Slaad immediately performs regeneration. If the Slaad gets the maximum result on this special regeneration roll, it instead becomes a Greater Slaad at the start of its next turn.
ACTIONS
Multiattack: Make 3 attacks, which can be any combination of Limb and Surge of Chaos
Limb: Melee Weapon Attack: +1d6 + 5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 3d6 piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning damage. If the target is humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 12 + 1d6 Constitution saving throw or be infected with a disease called Chaos phase. While infected, the target cannot regain hitpoints. In 1d20 x 24 hours, roll a d6. On a 6, the host turns into a Slaad. Otherwise, the host is killed as a Slaad tadpole chews its way out of the host.
Surge of Chaos: Roll a d6.
1 - 2: Nothing Happens.
3 - 4: Fires a Chaos Bolt
5 - 6: Uses Chaos Casting
Chaos Bolt: (requires Surge of Chaos to use). Ranged Spell Attack: +1d6 +2 to hit. Range 60 ft, one target. Hit: 3d6 Force Damage.
Chaos Casting: (requires Surge of Chaos to use). Cast one of the following spells, the same spell cannot be chosen twice in an encounter. The DC is 12 + 1d6.
Invisibility
Fear
Fly
Fireball
PlaneShift
Designer's Notes:
So one thing I push with this version of the Slaad, they are monsters. There are no high intelligent scheming Slaad with long master plans, Slaad are being of pure instinct, and that instinct is fickle. They don't build organizations, they don't make alliances, they don't sneak around pretending to be humanoids, they are a viral plague upon the multiverse, left unchecked they become an unstoppable legion. And every time it seems like you have stomped it out....a Slaad with just the right rolls emerges that becomes a dominant force and pushes back any who would opposed them.
In terms of representing "Chaos", the temptation is to add lots and lots of random checks or constantly changing stats, making the creature completely different every round. This is difficult for the DM to run, so we compromise. We use a mix of traits:
Ultimately most of the current Slaads abilities are intertwined into this new model. It still mimics the hulking blue Slaad, the more diminutive Red Slaad, or the spellcaster powers of Green/Gray Slaad. But never in a way that players can predict, each Slaad encounter is a new puzzle to figure out.
The one thing I did not do much with is adjust the Slaad spell list, and if I ever take another crack at it I probably will. So ultimately for now I kept the same general spell list available to Slaad currently.
My last note, it was very very tempting to randomize the number of attacks for the Slaad, but ultimately the action economy is the most important contributor to a monster's CR, and I did not want to provide huge swings in that area as there is already plenty of other things. So while the damage is somewhat swingy, the number of actions is not.
In terms of representing "Chaos", the temptation is to add lots and lots of random checks or constantly changing stats, making the creature completely different every round. This is difficult for the DM to run, so we compromise. We use a mix of traits:
- Rolls at the beginning of the encounter (Instinct, Form). This highlights that you can never predict what a Slaad you meet will look or act like. Even the Slaad you saw 10 minutes ago may now be completely different. However, we assume this to be constant for a single encounter, to take some burden off the DM.
- Entropic Resistance can be rolled multiple times, but the results for a given type are kept for the whole encounter. This was my favorite new ability, and it really threw my party for a loop when they encountered it the first time. It really shakes up a fight, sometimes your favorite weapons are useless. Other times you get to enjoy vulnerability (which is critically underused in 5e), to give players some joy when a Slaad that has ridiculous power in other areas....is crazy vulnerable to the fire mages blast.
- Children of Chaos allows us to mimic constantly changing stats without so much book work. Nothing is certain, not even saving throw DCs!
- With Regeneration, we left the HP static, using this mechanic to showcase variable resiliency for the Slaad. I also wanted to keep in some notion of Slaad evolution or improvement, so I used the idea that once a Slaad is killed there is a small chance (1 in 1,296 to be precise) that it becomes a Greater Slaad (aka Death Slaad). That helps both the random fun of Slaad, but also help explain how Death Slaad emerge in the culture.
- Note that all Slaad damage and random check rolls are a d6. This was intentional, to ensure the DM doesn't have to keep swapping dice to run different aspect of the monster, which becomes a pain very quickly.
Ultimately most of the current Slaads abilities are intertwined into this new model. It still mimics the hulking blue Slaad, the more diminutive Red Slaad, or the spellcaster powers of Green/Gray Slaad. But never in a way that players can predict, each Slaad encounter is a new puzzle to figure out.
The one thing I did not do much with is adjust the Slaad spell list, and if I ever take another crack at it I probably will. So ultimately for now I kept the same general spell list available to Slaad currently.
My last note, it was very very tempting to randomize the number of attacks for the Slaad, but ultimately the action economy is the most important contributor to a monster's CR, and I did not want to provide huge swings in that area as there is already plenty of other things. So while the damage is somewhat swingy, the number of actions is not.
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