Daily Monster Art- Axe Beak

 

This art series is more like the monsters I've never actually used in a game series. I think the axe beak is pretty cool, I mean, it is weird dumb creature- the ostrich just fantasized up a bit. I could see goblin tribes riding them across dusty badlands. A nice exotic animal to hunt. I bet they taste delicious. Tomorrow- Aarakocra.

Daily Monster Art- Ant

I've never really used giant ants. I always think of them as car sized, but I think they are only supposed to be about 2 feet long. An ant cave dungeon sounds really cool on paper but it just hasn't really ever felt like a thematic choice in my campaigns. I could see it in an open savanna or a cool dungeon under a rainforest. Maybe have a war being fought between red ants and black ants. Maybe the ant queen is telepathic and sentient and has a quest for the heroes. Tomorrow- Axe Beak!!!

 

Daily Monster Art- Ape

I've written about apes before here, but the upshot is I think they are great additions to any game. I think they really add a  lot. Killing a gang of apes is just different somehow to killing a tribe of orcs for example. We can empathize with them more, even if they are animals, players can see themselves in the apes. Ape reaction and goals are "humanish", and so if they are just being simple hunter gatherers- harming no one, OR working as minion / slaves for an evil wizard, they are a recognizable reflection of the "civilized" humans the players are used to, and the DM should play that up. Also go watch the new junglebook movie if you haven't seen it.- Christopher Walken plays an amazing King of the Apes. Tomorrow- Ant. 

Daily Monster Art- Anhkheg

Again, I don`t think I`ve ever used these in a game.They are pretty gross gribbly beasts. Spitting acid and chomping and such. They kind of make me think of that great bug scene from the King Kong movie. I could see them as maybe something in the Underdark or in the rainforest underbrush. They make a pretty good random nonspecific bug type monster that isn`t a spider or beetle or ant. Ape tomorrow.

Daily Monster Art- Aerial Servant

 

Never had much use for these in my games. There are criminally few elementals to summon in 5th edition though. So I'd let "Summon Aerial Servant" be a new spell, scale down the stats of a air elemental, and say it can only really go on fetch missions. Give it a chance to succeed on a mission on a case by case basis. If it fails it comes back to try to kill the summoner as a full strength air elemental due to rage. Boom! Ahnkeg tommorow.

I: Inventory

I think tracking inventory is critically important, at least for the type of game I run. But I also don't want to be looking over every character sheet between sessions. I try to make it super clear how inventory and encumbrance works in my game and give the players the tools they need to keep track of everything.

In my game every item is assigned an ENR (encumbrance rating). Each character can carry up to double their brawn score (not modifier). If a character is carrying more than their brawn score they are considered over-encumbered and take penalties on dexterity and brawn checks as well as initiative checks. 

Most items carried are considered to be "in pack" or otherwise stowed away securely. Up to four items may be designated as "on belt". Stowing or retrieving any in-pack item takes 1 turn. Items on-belt are considered to be "quickdraw" so a character can stow or retrieve belt items without spending a turn to do so. 

In addition to belt and pack storage each character is also considered to have a purse on their belt. A purse can hold up to 49 coins or gems and does not have an ENR. Any sum of coins greater than 50 counts as 1ENR. Additional coins must be stored separately in pack.

Here is a sample from my equipment section:

 Item                           Cost          ENR                   Description

Spyglass	200gp	2	This fragile item may be used to view distant locations in startling detail.
Traveller's Tent	5gp	5	This bundle of wooden poles and canvas may partially shelter up to 2 adult humans. Better than nothing when it rains.
Army Tent	15gp	8	This bundle of wooden poles and canvas offers reliable shelter for up to 4 tightly packed adult humans.
Pavilion Tent	50gp	12	This heavy bundle of wooden poles and canvas offers excellent shelter for up to 10 tightly packed adult humans. Often used by nobles, wealthy merchants or military officers.
Tinder Box	5gp	1	A small box containing flint and steel as well as dry wood shavings. Used to easily light fires.
Tobacco Pouch	1gp	1	This small waterproof pouch holds 10 doses of tobacco.
Torch	1gp	1	This small piece of wood has been treated with a fire resistant resin but is otherwise identical to a club until a torch rag is tied one end and lit.
Torch Rags (5 rags in sack)	5sp	1	These pitch soaked rags will burn brightly, steadily and slowly. Each rag will burn for 1 hour if attached to a torch.
Glass Bottle (with cork)	5sp	1	Fragile. Holds about 2 pints of liquid. If used as a weapon the bottle is treated as club for first hit and thereafter as a dagger that can't be thrown.
Waterskin / Wineskin	1sp	2 when full, 1 empty	A stitched leather bladder. Holds about 3 pints of liquid when full.
Tin Whistle	1gp	0	Makes a loud high pitched noise when blown into.
Hard Liquor (bottle)	1gp	1	See the glass bottle entry above. A bottle of hard liquor can be turned into a molotov in 1 action with a torch rag and flame. - May consume 2 uses “medicinally”.
Hard Liquor (Handcask)	25sp	4 when full, 2 empty	Holds about 6 pints of liquid. May be used medicinally for up to 6 uses.
Hard Liquor (Pony-keg)	5gp	6 when full, 3 empty	Holds about 10 pints of liquid. May be used medicinally for up to 10 uses.
Fortified Wine (Canteen)	1gp	2 when full, 1 empty	Fortified wine is laced with tonics and restorative medicines plus the biting flavor will shock the drinker into wakefulness while the liquor dulls pain. Holds 3 medicinal uses.
Sturdy Iron-shod Boots	5gp	1 worn or carried	These tough iron and leather boots are the best protection available for an adventurers' feet. See the armour section for more information.
Sturdy Gauntlet	5gp	0 (1 if carried)	Most of the heavier types of armour come with a set of gauntlets but sometimes even lightly armoured warriors choose to wear them.
Healer's Pouch	5gp	1	Contains clean bandages, herbs and ointments. 10 uses.

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Comments and questions are welcome.

H: Hellhound

Hellhounds are the reanimated corpses of enormous wolves. These beasts retain their instincts and pack mentality. Hellhounds hunt and relentlessly track living prey. Vampires especially seem to gain a special connection with these monsters. The most bestial of vampires join packs of hellhounds. Aristocratic vampires keep hunting packs in place of hounds, occasionally hunting terrified village folk across the moors. Like banshees, hellhounds are able to unleash a terrifying howl. This bone chilling howl can literally scare a person to death, freezing the blood in their veins.

Hellhound

AC: 14, MV:60, HD: 2, HP: 26,

Ability   Score     Modifier

Met	16	+3
Dex	14	+2
Bra	18	+4
Wts	12	+1
Cha	10	--
Per	14	+2

Large:

Scent:

Pack Hunter:

Stealthy:

Undead:

Attacks:

Bite: +4 to hit, 1d8+4 dmg,

Baleful Howl: All creatures within 30ft of the Hell Hound must pass a DC 10 mettle save to resist fear, or suffer 1d3 damage from extreme fear.

Possessions:

Wormy pelt, rotten flesh.

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Comments and questions are welcome.

G: Gargoyle

Gargoyles are fiendish amalgamations of beast, man, and demon. In a ritual similar to the creation of orcs, the butchered flesh of many men and beasts are stirred together in a great cauldron. At the climax of the ritual a lesser demon is partially summoned into the mixture. If successful the demon's essence is trapped in the flesh and a hideous half creature is formed. Unlike the ritual for creating orcs, typically only one gargoyle is born from such a caldron, whereas a dozen orcs could be made.  Most would-be masters are unable to successfully bind the beast through force of will, thus they either consume the summoner or escape into the wild.

Although gargoyles often appear quite demonic in shape, their minds are clouded with human and animal instincts. These creatures are far easier to summon than real demons and easier to cow into obedience, although also far less intelligent. gargoyles are weak willed but also notoriously disloyal and easily distracted if sent off on missions by their creator. Gargoyles are thus often used as sentries to guard their master's lair.

Gargoyles can appear in a myriad of shapes and sizes, but they are always a mixture of human, bestial and demonic features. In most cases these beasts are winged, but that is not always the case. Because of their demonic heritage they are unnaturally resilient.

The oldest and most truly demonic gargoyles are deadly opponents. Sometimes their master will furnish them with arms and armour. These greater gargoyles are brutally skilled defenders of their master's realm, using terrain and commanding lesser monsters to maximum effect.

Lesser Gargoyle

AC: 20 MV: 30ft, HD: 3, HP: 33,

Winged flight: 50ft,

Ability   Score     Modifier

Met	13	+1
Dex	17	+3
Bwn	17	+3
Wts	5	-3
Cha	5	-3
Per	16	+3

Darkvision:

Flyby attack:

Damage resistance: 5 against mundane damage,

Attacks:

Claws (2): 1d6+3 slashing dmg,

Maul: 1d6+3 blunt/ piercing/ slashing dmg.

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Comments and questions are welcome.

F: Fairies

Fairies are kind of a strange monster in D&D. Not a threat in the physical way most monsters are, and yet the fae are usually quite powerful. A party that messes with fairies are in for a very rough time crossing the forest. 


I tend to use magic in my games as sparingly as possible, to keep the low fantasy tone and keep magic fantastical. Fairies and the Fae kind of fit into a special niche though, if done properly they can stay low fantasy but still inject some weird folksy type magic into a setting. Kinda like Baba Yaga type witches, moss dwarves and the like. Hedge magic.

Anyways- here is the stats for pixies in my game, I guess they are pretty much fairies.

Pixie

AC: 17 MV: 30ft, HD: 1, HP: 4,

Ability Score Modifier

Met	7	-2
Dex	17	+3
Bra	10	--
Wts	14	+2
Cha	14	+2
Per	14	+2

Winged flight: 30ft,

Tiny:

Fey:

Damage resistance: 10 against nonmagical dmg,

Damage resistance: 5 against magical dmg,

Vulnerabilities: Iron, silver weapons,

Hit and run:

Invisibility at Will:

Improved Invisibility:

Attacks:

Pixie Knife: 1d3 slashing dmg, magical,

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Sorry for another wimpy post. Still feeling under the weather. Maybe I pissed off a fairy?

Comments and questions are welcome.

E: Ettercap

The Ettercap is one of my favourite monsters. I love the idea of a spider -man that can control lesser spiders. The Ettercap makes a great mini-mastermind type villain in my opinion. A great controller behind attacks or a lair full of spiders. I let my Ettercaps use scavenged weapons and equipment, like rusty swords and broken armour. I also think they should be devious trap makers.

An Ettercap lair would have:
- pit traps that drop into spider nests,
- falling nets/ webs,
- deadfall traps,
- snares,
- spider ambush holes,
- sticky tripwires,
- ankle traps (full of spiders),
- falling egg bombs full of spider swarms,


"At the end of the horrible gauntlet a grotesque half-man-half-spider thing is brandishing a rusty longsword and wearing a tattered cape. At it's feet the bound village girl struggles weakly on a primitive altar. The walls are painted with horrifying images of eight legged deamons. As you charge towards the altar three giant spiders drop down from the ceiling... "

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I'd really like to add some more substantial posts but I've been feeling under the weather.

Comments and Questions are welcome.