D&D General Tell us about some of the interesting and unique creatures in your homebrew world!

[RoughCoronet0]

So I'm a bit of a fan of coming up with all kinds of creatures to populate my stories and worlds. Mythological creatures, strange beasts from various forms of media, and even taking a typical D&D creature and putting a twist on them. So I figured I'd share a couple of them here, and invite others to share some of their own creatures.

Drasill
Drasill are undead that roam the lands of the Ethereal Plane and can cross over to the Material Plane of Salvera. Their common appearance is that of an eight-legged corpse-like horse with greenish-gray skin illuminated by a ghostly green mane and tail that whips around like flames. Similar flames cover the creatures hooves and lick up the lower legs, and the Drasill's face is skeletal with glowing green flames acting as the creature's eyes. However, Drasill are known to shift their equine appearance around other creatures. Sometimes they look like eight-legged nightmares with shadowy black coats, demonic faces and bathed in hellfire. Sometimes they instead look like ghostly white stallions with warm blue flames, or powerful steeds who's coats are aglow with golden radiance and their manes like holy fire. Sometimes they look to be little more then an incorporeal horse-like wisp or an animated skeleton with flames of various colors.

Despite their undead appearance these creatures are benevolent, intelligent, and have been seen appearing before those lost in dark and dangerous places to ride them to safely. Though they will aid the living, it's the souls of the recently departed that they go above and beyond to protect and carry, and they are often attracted to places where much death has occurred. When they encounter the souls of the recently deceased, they will shift their appearance to match the disposition of the soul and use their calming aura to coax the soul to mount them, where they then ferry the soul to it's respected afterlife, making it one of the few creatures to be able to enter any and all of the realms of the deity-like entities of Salvera. This makes Drasill the favored creatures of Letheus, Guardian of the Boundless and the being in charge of the cycle of life, death, and reincarnation and ensures that the souls of all mortal go to their proper and desired afterlife.

Ash Guardians
Ash Guardians are a more intelligent breed of Gray Renders created by one of the previous Orc rulers of Agravak, empire of the Ash Orcs and various Goblinoids. Said ruler was a powerful war mage who wished to breed all manner of beasts in order to protect his people from the many monsters that roamed the wild lands of the empire, with the Gray Render being his most successful attempt. He discovered a way to increase the creature's intelligence and allowed them to utilizes limited forms of magic. However, when the Orc war mage discovered that his Gray Render brood became intelligent enough to speak Orcish and properly communicate, he decided to raise them as if they were orc children and fully integrated them into Orc society. All Ash Guardians trace their lineage back to this original brood, and all Ash Guardians are treated as honored members of the empire, acting as powerful protectors.

Ash Guardians share the same physical appearance as typical Gray Renders, however their bodies are adorn in various glyphs and markings that relate to their lineage, which town or city they protect, and their magical capabilities. All Ash Guardian have sorcerer-like spell abilities, typically associated with a specific element type which they use to ward off all manner of monsters.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Dragon Temple - There are a small number of these in the world. They’re celestial constructs, and appear to be no more than an extremely elegantly built temple with a draconic theme, while dormant. Can come alive, fly, swim, or walk, and can communicate with mortals if they attune themselves to it. Can at rare times be corrupted, needing to then be attuned by a hero willing to face the guardians, traps, and other dangers of the temple as they venture deep into the temple’s heart.

Edit: Should have said, as well; they aren’t a thing that even a high level PC can fight. We’re talking about a walking/swimming/flying dungeon.

If a story requires fighting one, it’s probably going to be a sort of mecha-kaiju vs mechs situation, or a very careful battle to get its defenses down in order to get inside and start disabling and cleansing systems. Or maybe operating one in a fight against another.


more later

 

[RoughCoronet0]

Dragon Temple - There are a small number of these in the world. They’re celestial constructs, and appear to be no more than an extremely elegantly built temple with a draconic theme, while dormant. Can come alive, fly, swim, or walk, and can communicate with mortals if they attune themselves to it. Can at rare times be corrupted, needing to then be attuned by a hero willing to face the guardians, traps, and other dangers of the temple as they venture deep into the temple’s heart.

Edit: Should have said, as well; they aren’t a thing that even a high level PC can fight. We’re talking about a walking/swimming/flying dungeon.

If a story requires fighting one, it’s probably going to be a sort of mecha-kaiju vs mechs situation, or a very careful battle to get its defenses down in order to get inside and start disabling and cleansing systems. Or maybe operating one in a fight against another.


more later

That’s really cool!

Are they meant to be connected to any Dragon deities or do they resemble dragons in some way?

 

[Richards]

Here are a few I've come up with in my recent 3.5 campaigns:

Cutlery Golem: Just the thing for a wizard to guard his kitchen or dining room; the various pots, pans, and utensils all fly together to create a vaguely humanoid construct to not only fight off intruders but make a hell of a racket while doing so, invariably serving as an impromptu alarm as well.

Grave Medusa: Take a skeleton and embed earthworms in the skull in the same manner as a medusa has snakes for hair. Then give it a "slow petrification" gaze attack that turns a victim to stone over the course of three rounds (during which time the victim's movement rate decreases as it's slowed). These are undead specifically crafted by evil necromancers; they do not occur on their own (and have no link to the standard medusa in any way but general appearance).

Impaler: This is a metal construct looking very much like a stick figure with no head, but rather a metal spike sticking straight up from its neck. When a decapitated head is impaled upon the neck spike, the whole thing animates as an undead creature with the full memories and abilities of the creature whose head is impaled on the spike. They provide a different way to bring slain enemies back into the campaign to stir up more mischief (and seek revenge for their original deaths).

Nagasaurs: I designed over a dozen of these creatures, all based on a bunch of drawings I found on the Internet in which the artist had taken a variety of snakes and turned them into legged reptiles. I made them extraplanar creatures but there's no reason they couldn't be terrestrial. Also, I kept them at animal-level intelligence, although there's nothing stopping me (or anyone else) from giving them the intellect (and spellcasting power) of a true naga.

Necrospheres: Built in sets of two, these small spheres (each about the size of a fist) fly through the air like those flying spheres from the Phantasm movies. When activated, a bolt of black lightning reaches between the two of them; they attack by flying on either side of their target, causing the black lightning (a necromantic effect) to damage everyone they pass through. On the one hand they can do a lot of damage to a lot of people each round; on the other, destroying one makes the other one useless (as there's no longer a second anchor point to generate the black lightning).

Spider-Shark: As might be expected, this is an air-breathing mutant shark with eight spidery legs, built for an excursion into the Gamma World. Spider-sharks have a stun ray beam they shoot from their eyes to immobilize prey.

Johnathan

 

[doctorbadwolf]

That’s really cool!

Are they meant to be connected to any Dragon deities or do they resemble dragons in some way?

Yeah they are basically dungeon sized dragon constructs.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

In no particular order:

- Flamingo dragons, Peacock Dragons, Chameleon Dragons, Dragon Mole, Dragon orca (yep, red-blue-green-black-white primal dragons)

- Dire dung beetles -> huge beetle that follow grazing herds. Can engulf or throw poop boulder, sometime filed with some otyugh.

- My drows are semi-translucid, with bendable bones and spider climb.

- High Lolthite drows tend to look a lot like the folk cursed by skultulas in LoZ.

- Githyanki build God-Flesh golems from the corpse of the dead gods drifting in the astral sea.

- My orcs are closer to swine-folk from Darkest Dungeon; they emerge from the lightning-struck mud formed by the blood-gorged earth after a huge battle or massacre. Much like Gnolls, they are Monstrosities, not humanoid. A humanoid left wounded in such puddle or contaminated by unspeakable orcish rituals can become orc-blooded, thus having a change to produce half-orc offspring.

- My goblinoids are fey-related.

On the less original stuff:

- My goliath are total goron rip-off.

- My gnomes are tiny.

- My dwarven culture is a copy-paste of the harsh dwarven lifestyle of Dragon Age.

- My aasimars are like the Deva from 4e, they are reincarnated spirits of Good. If they fall they reincarnate as tieflings, which are closer to rakshasas, thus with more feline traits.

- Sharmind are in, because I'm the only person who appreciate them and I'll put them in any setting and not amount of pain or threats will make me change my mind!

 

[DND_Reborn]

Gorgotaurs

A horrible undead created by the Lich Lord, Veraxim, a gorgotaur is an abomination, mixing the bull-head of a gorgon with the hulking man-body of a minotaur. However, the fearsome gorgotaur's noxious breath does not turn its victim to stone, but drains them of their life force (2 levels on a failed save in AD&D).

Eight of these creatures is known to exist, patrolling the labyrinthine infinite maze within the complex of Veraxim on the Isle of Tarados.

 

[RoughCoronet0]

Indigo Dragons
Also known as Iridescent Dragons, Indigo Dragons are members of the Chromatic family known for their iridescent scales that reflect light like the surface of their watery domain of the ocean. Though they spend a lot of time swimming and hunting deep underwater, they can sometimes be found flying over the ocean's surface or basking on small island or rocky outcroppings and it is not too uncommon for sailors and pirates to encounter these dragons when they enter their territories. Many an Indigo Dragon will in fact interact with ships that pass by, especially when song can be heard on board as Indigo Dragons love music above all else and will often even join in on the festivities. Many a Captain worth their salt will ensure that they have a bard on board or purchase all manner of instruments, books on songs, and various music boxes in order to appease an Indigo that approaches, as an Indigo will often be satisfied by the promise of song or musical trinkets over gold or other materials. Some of the most experience Captains even form friendships with Indigo Dragons that reside along popular waters for travel, and will seek out wondrous musical gifts in exchange for protection and information that the dragon will provide and enjoying large and festive parties and celebrations together.

Yellow Dragons
Often called Sun Wyrms, Yellow Dragons are Chromatic Dragons that live among the clouds, loving to fly under the sun and are not only unique for having the largest wingspan of all dragons, but also for having six legs instead of just four. Often found near mountain tops, floating sky islands and even living on clouds (much like Silver Dragons), Yellow Dragons are known to be some of the best fliers among dragonkind. Despite their proud and regal looking stature, Sun Wyrms are surprisingly humble for a dragon and will speak respectfully to those that approach them without ill intent and strike up a conversation for they enjoy company and learning about the world. This reputation, along with their radiant breath weapon and pension for learning divine spells, has led some to believe that Yellow Dragons are divine creatures and worthy of worship. It is not too uncommon for isolated settlements and those that live on the wild lands of Salvera's sky islands to view Sun Wyrms as physical personifications of the sun itself, much to the dragon's polite chagrin. They try not to encourage such worship when they can. Yellow Dragons have a strong dislike for Gold Dragons who they are often mistake for, finding their over zealot nature and their dismissal of lesser mortals in the way of their just goals as arrogant and hypocritical to the Gold Dragon's claim for being defenders of the innocent and champions of good. However, they don't attack Golds without actual cause, unlike how Golds will often attack Yellows for being a Chromatic Dragon.

Pink Dragons
Pink Dragons, sometimes called Beauty Dragons, are elegant and vibrant dragons who's defining feature (outside of their pink scales) is a lushes mohawk of soft pink hair that trails from the top of the dragon's head all the way down to the tip of the tail. Unlike most dragons, Pink Dragons are amazingly dexterous in nature, giving them unnatural grace and flexibility not common among dragon kind. There sleek and lithe form makes them less physically imposing then other dragons, forcing them to rely on stealth and quick strikes to take down prey and opponents much like a cat or a serpent. While these dragons are beautiful in appearance, their beauty is maintained by absorbing the life energy of the surrounding area. Good Beauty Dragons often learn druidic magic to help maintain the environments around their lair even as they nourish the dragon, forming a beneficial symbiotic relationship. Evil Beauty Dragons on the other land will often enhance their life absorbing ability to enhance their own power at the expense of the surrounding environments, creating areas of rot and death.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

In Space Fantasy there are Celestial Dragons and Atroposi.

Celestial Dragons - Their eggs are small moons. They can fly through the Star Lanes unassisted, mostly eat mistemournes (space whales) and other megafauna, and tend to accrue colonies of kobolds who keep the dragon’s scales clean and deal with parasites and carbon buildup and such. It’s generally considered immensely good luck to have one next around your planet, and catastrophically bad luck to mess with them.

Atroposi - Moth people! They live in space and eat Aether and look like humanoid death-mask moths!

Rootlings - Warforged, but they come from nature, as a result of a spirit of place desiring a corporeal form that is more sturdy than a dryad, but more palatable to humanoids than a Treant, and that can leave its native world without deleterious effect.

Astral Forest - Living sentient ships made up of the collective forms of many hundred dryads, which here refers to all manner of tree-folk. The eldest trees slumber, lending power and mass and vitality, while younger dryads make the decisions. They aren’t a hive mind, but can commune telepathically with any other creature that is attuned with the ship. They take in gases and debris, and turn them into fuel and projectiles and such.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Quest For Chevar

Dragonfolk

• Parthians - Have the empathic communication of dragons, draconic eyes, and often have feathers or tough fur instead of hair, and have a very easy time bonding with dragons, and a facility with magic that changes their shape. Originally a collection of many ancestries, millennia spent in close bonds with dragons has changed them dramatically, into a quite distinct ancestry.
• Dracarin/Draconids - Shapeshifting humanoids with draconic ancestry. Most are part Parthian, but they come in all shapes and sizes. Can change the shape of their arms into great draconic wings.
• Dragons - Born about the size of a horse foal from eggs that resemble roughly semi-spherical stone boulders, grow to roughly the size of a Quetzalcoatlus as adults. 4-limbed, range in nature from winged lizard-bat-y guys, to coatl-like creatures, to weird stuff like forest dragons with fern-like “fur” and bark like hide/scales.

Goblins - Lost children sometimes find themselves rescued by strange folk in rough clothes, with exaggerated features and exuberant demeanors. If they go along with these rough and tumble folk, they will eventually find themselves in the irrational architecture and impossible angles of Goblin Town. Eventually, they’ll become one of these strange folk, learn thier marks and secrets ways between worlds, and find a home among their new family.

Fir Bolg - An ancient ancestry, originators of the first written language in the Nine Worlds, and big tough bastards. Their heroes and kings once did battle with the deific Tuatha and nearly won. Long limbed, broad shouldered, tall, and built like freightliners. Good at throwing things, and at linguistics.

Trolls - Heavily tied to nature, big and scary, often more like a D&D ogre than a D&D trolls, or even like Ludo from The Labyrinth. Like Dragons, their physicality is influenced by environment, so a forest trolls might look like moss covered stone or rough bark, while a desert troll might have rough sandy skin or smooth stony skin with that looks windswept, but they might also resemble creatures from those regions, or even simply look like very large very exaggerated humans. Most can take on a glamour that seems to change their shape into something oddly striking, like a very attractive person with asymmetrical features.