D&D 5E Stat Blocks for Monsters I've Used in 5E (now w/ notes on my own version of the stat block)

[el-remmen]

As I have gotten more used to 5E in the last 2+ years that I've been running it, more and more I find myself creating my own versions or iterations of monsters to make use of in my game. I am the kind of DM who sees the version in the Monster Manual (or whichever book) as a template with which to construct an idiosyncratic version for use in the game. I also tend to like a variety of monsters from older editions that a) have not been officially adapted yet, b) have been adapted but in a version I don't like, or c) in a book I don't own (or didn't own at the time I needed it). As such, some of the stat blocks I am sharing might be for monsters you can find elsewhere. Some might also be just a named iteration of a monster that is otherwise as-listed in a book.

Another caveat is that I don't pay much attention to CR and only use it to determine how much XP to award (which I then tweak depending on how the monster played). I don't have much interest in so-called "balanced" encounters and tend to build them based on what makes sense for the setting, scenario, and/or a very rough idea of what the PCs are capable of without crunching numbers. For those interested in those crunched numbers, I have been doing it after the fact and posting the results in this thread.

As time went on, I adopted a few idiosyncratic ways of writing up a stat block as well, as you may notice. For example, I never waste space with the average damage number since I always roll for monster damage, I avoid repetition of words like "range" or "damage." I stopped listing the number of targets and the monster's reach unless it is something other than the standard on creature/5' reach. Oh, and I tend to give most monsters one or two good saves.

Oh and I don't have physical descriptions of the monsters here (I usually either just have them in my head and/or use art from a book to show the players) and sometimes I also don't like the descriptions as they exist (or prefer a description from a different edition). So, if you are totally stumped by a monster just comment and I will do my best to find you an image or description.

Lastly, if anyone ends up using or adapting any of these monsters, I would love to know which and how it went.

I will be listing the monsters in the posts to come in the order the PCs encountered them (or could have encountered them), not in CR order (since as I said, CR doesn't mean much to me).

 

[el-remmen]

In-game folks called these "Turkey-Lizards" or "Razor Feathers."

The otyugh below is meant to be "stunted" otyugh who had to grow up in an enclosed environment with waves of lots or garbage or almost no garbage to eat.

 

[el-remmen]

"Roarwater Caves" involved the PCs helping a community of xvarts from bugbears who were bullying and murdering them into serving them. The leader, Kraglut, had a grown "turkey-lizard" for a pet. There was also a stunjelly passing for a wall in a less trafficked area of the lair.

 

[el-remmen]

I think there is a version of the Leucrotta in Volo's Guide to Monsters, but I made this version for a potential "random" swamp encounter before I knew that. I used the version I found in the 1E Monster Manual and 2E Monstrous Manual as a foundation.

 

[el-remmen]

At one point in my Ghosts of Saltmarsh+ campaign, the PCs ended up targeted by assassins hired through a middleman by the Scarlet Brotherhood. They were attacked in the middle of the night while encamped in flooded ruins waiting for a ferry to bring them (and a ton of pilgrims and commoners) after the floodlands.

 

[Rabulias]

View attachment 153937

I always liked the stunjelly. Thanks for the 5e conversion.
But I do have to ask: No False Appearance trait? No stealth proficiency? Are you intentionally stepping away from the ambush nature of the stunjelly?

 

[el-remmen]

I always liked the stunjelly. Thanks for the 5e conversion.
But I do have to ask: No False Appearance trait? No stealth proficiency? Are you intentionally stepping away from the ambush nature of the stunjelly?

You know, it should have a false appearance trait - I just forgot to add it - and yeah it should probably have stealth, too. I was relatively new to making 5E stuff when I made this and a lot of things were modified on the fly when I realized I'd forgotten something, but never bothered to update the stat block.

 

[el-remmen]

OOPS! I forgot to include this other Tiefling NPC the party battled (I used her to replace the druid antagonist of Salvage Mission). The version of her magic scimitar in the stat block itself is incomplete, so I included that as well below.

Shadoris carried and used two magical items. The scarab helped with the side-effect of the scimitar. I usually hand out index cards printed with the info of magical items like this:

 

[el-remmen]

The next big chunk of stat blocks come from both my conversion/adaptation of N1 - Against the Cult of the Reptile God and an adventure from Dungeon mag called "Song of the Fens."

The first two sets were the corrupted town constable and his deputies.

Snigrot Dogroot worked at the Golden Grain Inn and leads the attempts to kidnap and dominate locals and also the party when they show up to investigate people missing and then showing back up a few days later, changed.

He was backed up by a handful of drug-addled young cultists and a traveling assassin - Derek Desleigh - who helped with "clean-up" (but the party never even got to know he existed because by the time he returned from one of his missions the PCs had already dealt the cult a blow and Derek cut and run -feeling not particular loyalty to his bosses).

 

[el-remmen]

The stat blocks for those in the corrupted temple in town:

 

[el-remmen]

The stat blocks for my adaptation of AtCotRG starting with. ..

General Cleombrutus and his zombie soldiers patrolled the area outside of the cultist's swamp lair, having made a deal with the naga who runs the cult -despite their animosity.

General Cleombrutus uses a magic cursed heavy mace

 

[el-remmen]

Some of the cultists found in the lair:

The cult lieutenants:

A cult priest and his two-headed mutant lizardfolk minions:

 

[el-remmen]

More creatures and foes faced (or at least present, if not found) in the Swamp Lair of the LOAF cult.

Though not listed in the stat block above, in my setting harpies are not a race of beings but women who have been magically cursed usually wrongfully or by someone who manipulate them. Each harpy has a distinct way for that curse to be broken (aside from just killing her). In this case, the PCs had the marriage certificate which had served as the focus of her curse by her evil Bluebeard-like husband, and which they had to give to her to burn.

The bonesnapper is essentially a six-foot tall t-rex.

 

[el-remmen]

Just a note that I updated the stat blocks for General Cleombrutus and the priest (now named Farrar Segundo - i was using an out of date stat block), and added the stat block for the general's undead hawk.

 

[el-remmen]

Finally, for this adventure is my version of Explicita Defilus - called Perspicua Besmirch below - who is the big bad. When I ran this adventure, she was found in a partially flooded chamber along with the troglodyte mystic and two trog scouts (see above) and three crocodiles. She also had a dominated child to use as a human shield.

I just noticed a couple of typos in the stat block. Apologies.

The other thing that needs noting is that the Superior Domination power essentially works like a permanent Charm spell even when the naga is not taking precise control of one of her thralls.

Oh and when I ran her, I ended up giving her max hps (120) at the last minute to make the combat a little tougher.

 

[el-remmen]

These are the trolls I statted up for running a variation of "Song of the Fens" from Dungeon #40.

One thing missing from Guster and Gooser's stat blocks is that I gave trolls a "rending ability." When both claws hit the same target, the target takes an addition 2d8+4 slashing damage.

Note that Wendall is neutral (with chaotic tendencies). He is a troll who does not possess the typical qualities associated with trolls and prefers to spend his days boating, fishing, and most important of all, singing!

 

[el-remmen]

One thing I've noticed as I prep stat blocks for my session tomorrow, is that I keep being puzzled by 5E monster design choices as compared to previous editions, and thus work to re-introduce some abilities they use to have and to make their attack more like past editions.

So for example, instead of having one attack called "claws," I frequently break these up into claw/claw/bite and then for creatures like trolls and owlbears, I give an additional ability when both claws hit, like rending damage or a bear hug.

 

[el-remmen]

I just realized that when I ran this encounter I forgot about the Phantasms ability! doh!

 

[Casimir Liber]

"Silent but deadly"! ..love it

 

[el-remmen]

Two more trolls from my adaptation of "The Wayward Wood" from Dungeon #32 - the chieftess and the cave troll she recruited out from the World Below to risk seeing the sun in order to rampage on unsuspecting surface dwellers.

They were accompanied by 48 goblins, four ogres, and four other trolls - though they attacked in waves, not all at once. If I had it to do over, I'd increase the damage it takes for loathesome limbs to take effect on the cave troll up to 20 from 15. Also, on the fly I also made Eydral's legendary resistance pop many of her pustules - meaning that any damage of 10 or more she took before her next turn after using that resistance did not have the effect listed below.