D&D 5E Wandering Monsters: Creepy and Crawly—Simultaneously!

[MortalPlague]

Sure, have adjustment guidelines. But I think at least three species would be appropriate for each. One for low level, one for low-mid, and one for mid-level.

I don't think a high-level one ought to be a natural monster. That's what the demon spiders and purple worms are for.

 

[Orius]

I think the 3rd edition approach to spiders, scorpions, and centipedes was pretty good. Let the DM scale things up or down as needed. Maybe expand it out to a sort of toolkit, where the DM can easily customize sizes and abilities as needed, like say poison strength, web use for spiders, etc. Unless it's something that's at least partially intelligent or magical, the game might be served best by allowing some basic customization options.

For giant insects, giant wasps are good, or at least a sort of baseline that could be used for wasps, bees, and hornets as needed (since they're all related anyway). Giant ants have long been in the game too, so keep 'em. Other giant insects I'd go with are ant lions, dragonflies, and praying mantises.

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

There are so many horrible insects in reality, I'm not sure we need kruthiks. This guy will spit acid at you. So will some ants, which it apparently *eats* to get the acid it spits. That's scary.

 

[MarkB]

I think the 3rd edition approach to spiders, scorpions, and centipedes was pretty good. Let the DM scale things up or down as needed. Maybe expand it out to a sort of toolkit, where the DM can easily customize sizes and abilities as needed, like say poison strength, web use for spiders, etc. Unless it's something that's at least partially intelligent or magical, the game might be served best by allowing some basic customization options.

Seconded - I think this is a good approach for any of these critters that come in a variety of sizes. Provide a set of stat-blocks at each size for the base monster, that can be just thrown down on the battlefield as-is, and then a selection of special abilities which can be slotted onto them in order to create more specialised varieties.

 

[steeldragons]

Of those, I'm most interested in wasps (which can absorb bees and hornets, as far as I'm concerned)

Uhhh, no Mr. Wyatt. Hornets, sure. Don't understand how we ever ended up with wasps and hornets in the first place but whatev's.

Giant BEES, my good sir, create honey. That honey, at least in early editions of the game...which you may or may not realize (or have been informed), is magical! Acts as potions of healing.

No. No...and thrice no, giant wasps can not "absorb bees...as far as I'm concerned."

And are flesh eating scarab beetles (giants or swarms) these "boring beetles" he's referring to? Where are they?

With the lamia, I face a bit of a conundrum. I don't think we did the game any favors by taking the name of a classic (and Classical) D&D monster and applying it to an entirely new creature in 4th Edition.

Huh. Gee. Ya think? When did that lil' bit of divine inspiration clock you over the head like a ten ton anvil...and, more importantly, why did it take so long?

The clue to a solution might lie in the pages of the 4th Edition Monster Manual, where the lamia appeared on a page directly opposite a creature called the larva mage.

I...You?...He?...Are you serious?!...Is he serious?!?! THIS is how they're coming up with ideas now?! What if the lamia happened to be across from a lammasu...or leprechaun...or how about "...directly opposite a creature called a lavender fungi"?! "I know! Let's make the lamia a fungoid creature! Yeah!...and, get this, it can change its shape into a female! Yes! We'll make them the Handmaidens of Zuggtmoy! We could list them along with Kelpies! Yeah! Yeah, that's it! GADS! I've DONE IT AGAIN! Wyatt E. Coyote...SUPEr-GEEEENius"

Great Cesar's Christ!

Both creatures are the bodies of powerfully magical creatures (a fey creature in the case of the lamia, an evil spellcaster in the case of a larva mage),

Now that I know that's what a 4e lamia is...I don't understand how the creator of that gem still has a job.

To everything else about this larva/vermin/imbued with some undead/mage/spirit...uh...thing...call it whatever awful name you want off that list (cuz they all sucked pretty hard). As long as it's NOT a LAMIA! Not anything even remotely close to a classical lamia. Keep it far, far away from the Lamia...

...If we're lucky, they won't happen to fall in the same page spread.

 

[the Jester]

Uhhh, no Mr. Wyatt. Hornets, sure. Don't understand how we ever ended up with wasps and hornets in the first place but whatev's.

Giant BEES, my good sir, create honey. That honey, at least in early editions of the game...which you may or may not realize (or have been informed), is magical! Acts as potions of healing.

No. No...and thrice no, giant wasps can not "absorb bees...as far as I'm concerned."

I absolutely agree. Giant wasps = paralyze you for life and lay eggs in you. Giant bees = (Mostly) sting and die, but have royal jelly and special honey. Giant hornets = bite you and tear you up.

I'm fine with the giant wasp or hornet absorbing the spider eater as a specific type of giant wasp/hornet, though.

And are flesh eating scarab beetles (giants or swarms) these "boring beetles" he's referring to? Where are they?

For that matter, what about oil beetles (from the BECMI sets)? What about jishin mushi (OA)?

...I guess it is impossible to find all the monsters of a given category or to include them all in one article, but I am afraid that Wyatt didn't do much research on this one.

Huh. Gee. Ya think? When did that lil' bit of divine inspiration clock you over the head like a ten ton anvil...and, more importantly, why did it take so long?

Even more importantly, can we assume that the designers learned their lesson from this kind of stuff, or should we expect to see a "gorgon" that is medusa-like and an Arcanaloth that is suddenly a rilmani?

To everything else about this larva/vermin/imbued with some undead/mage/spirit...uh...thing...call it whatever awful name you want off that list (cuz they all sucked pretty hard). As long as it's NOT a LAMIA! Not anything even remotely close to a classical lamia. Keep it far, far away from the Lamia...

Other than worm that walks, every single name on that list that he provided was atrocious.

 

[Nymrohd]

Good god people, if that snark was directed against a fellow forum member, would you feel comfortable with it?

D&D has a massive list of monsters. Massive. I'd rather we at this point focus on what we want in the first Monster Manual, maybe the second. I really don't think you need Giant Bees for the game to be playable.

Please let the first MM have half the monsters for twice the size and detail of the entries.

 

[Weather Report]

I seem to not be able to submit, keeps saying "unanswered questions (s): 8"

Does anyone know a way around this?

 

[steeldragons]

No. You MUST rate the awful names 1-14. I can only surmise that if you want "Other", you make that #1 and then leave a comment.

You will be assimilated [to our lousy ideas]. Resistance is futile.

 

[Weather Report]

No. You MUST rate the awful names 1-14. I can only surmise that if you want "Other", you make that #1 and then leave a comment.

I have tried rating each one, but it deletes previous ones.