A monstrous miscellany

Random tabletop gaming posts

[another-rpg-sideblog]

[5ecardaday]

Hybrid Archetype – Rogue: Urban Naturalist

The last of the hybrid archetypes I'll be posting here, the Urban Naturalist. This rogue subclass is inspired by the druid, and is meant to blend some of the druid's base features with the rogue's unique class focus. If you want to see more of these, you can find thirteen of these "blended subclasses" over on my Patreon. Quick heads up, the collection is behind a paywall, but I've got some other publicly available subclasses on there too, so feel free to check those out.

If you like this and other content I've posted here, I've also recently made a bluesky (@5ecard) where you can also follow me to see more of my D&D work and miscellaneous game design thoughts.

[the-griffons-saddlebag]

💎 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺! Clockwork Healerbee Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) ___

This pill-shaped magical mechanism is 2 inches long and made of brass. It has a pair of tiny wings that silently keep it aloft. It hovers up to 5 feet above the ground and does its best to stay at your side within your space. The bee can enter and pass through another creature’s space and does not provoke opportunity attacks.

The bee has 8 charges and regains 1d6 + 2 expended charges daily at dawn. While the bee is within your space, you can speak its command word and expend up to 3 of its charges as a bonus action to command the bee to heal a creature that you can see within 20 feet of you. The bee flies to the creature’s space and touches its stinger to the creature, emitting a bright light that fills the bee’s space and healing the creature for 1d6 hit points for each expended charge. After healing the creature, the bee returns to your space.

The bee is considered a magical object and is not a creature. It has AC 15, 10 hit points, and has resistance to all damage types. If the "mending" spell is cast on the bee while it has at least 1 hit point, it regains 2d6 hit points. If the bee drops to 0 hit points, it can’t be used again for 24 hours, at which point it regains all its hit points. ___

✨ Patrons get huge perks! Access this and hundreds of other item cards, art files, and compendium entries when you support The Griffon’s Saddlebag on Patreon for only $1 to $7 a month!

[nailsofvecna]

The Skilful Warrior of old relied on a patient and impregnable defence when the enemy was in the ascendency, only to unleash an irresistable assault once the enemy was exhausted, leading to his inevitable victory. He would surely be proud to know that this spell continues to put his example into practice today.

[dartagnantt]

Lost Draconians | 4e ferric draconians plus the failed sivak, to complete this unholy set

PDFs of this and more can be found over on at my Patreon here! I release everything for free, so your support makes this possible. I've also started making a new system based off of 5e, 6th Dawn! Become a patron and join the playtest.

I made a lot of draconians. And in the ever going adventures of wotsy trying to make draconians and then trying to forget about them. Then again, they didn't make the sesk, but boy does everyone forget about them. The traag though? Stylish AF

And now to plug my stuff. I release homebrews weekly over on my Patreon. Anyone who pledges $2 or more per post don't have to wait a month to see them, and also help fund my being alive habit.

At the moment, they have exclusive access to the following:

Spiteful Spells

Spirits of Vengeance Patron

Oath of Vengeance

Roguish Archetype: Shadow Blade

I also have four classes, and two splatbooks over on DriveThruRPG to check out:

The Rift Binder. A class specialising in summoning monsters and controlling the battlefield.

The Witch Knight. A class that combines swords and sorcery in the most literal way.

The Werebeast. A class that turns you into a half beast to destroy your foes.

The Beguiler. A spellcaster dedicated to illusions, enchantments, and general fuckery.

d'Artagnan's Adventurer Almanac. A compendium of races, subclasses, feats, spells, monsters and more!

d'Artagnan's Lycanthrope Survival Guide. A book of lore, stats, and werebeast subclasses for lycanthropes.

[gmatlarge]

Mapvember 2017 #17 Checkpoint

The cold prison once held prisoners… now, something dark holds the guards checkpoint…

[dailyadventureprompts]

Settlement: Irodorre

Background & Environment: At the base of a thundering waterfall and hidden amidst towering, icecapped mountains is the drow settlement of Irodorre. Set at the mouth of a winding subterranean river system on the edge of the underdark, the settlement was constructed for the purpose of trading with the surface dwelling clans of dwarves and goliath herds that make their home among the mountains. Trade has prospered and seen the settlement grow into a thriving mix of cultures as two worlds mingle.

Mood & Themes: Gateway between realms of wonder, rough and tumble frontier town but with elves, easy money and culture clash. 

Who’s Hiring: 

Irodorre only works thanks to an elaborate series of river locks that let vessels traverse the sudden elevation changes between the neighbouring underdark’s different water systems.  In addition to being marvels of engineering, these locks also serve as a network of fortresses that protect the settlement from the monstrous denizens of the below. Its a lonely job manning the forts, but it pays well, and an ambitious party could make use of their garrisoned fort as a home base form which to go on excursions into the deeper caverns. 

The mountain port extracts heavy fees from those that which to do business there, which means there is profit in circumventing such regulations. A Band of smugglers known collectively as “The Riverbed” is looking to expand, and if the players are clever enough to avoid the garrison during their initiation, they’ll find fast friends among these fellow scoundrels. 

Summer in the mountains means a proliferation of hungry drakes swarming the nearby passes looking for food before mating season. This obviously poses a danger to both travelers and trade, but provides a good opportunity for hunters looking to cull the herd. Grim Gaddok is just such a hunter, a graying old dwarf who was hunting drakes in the mountains before the port of Irodorre was even constructed. Should the players be willing to learn and not fear the threat of drakefire they will find a true mentor in Gaddok and a small fortune to be made in selling hides and salvaged bone to the merchants of Irodorre

Rumors & Goings on:

There’s been a marked increase in encounters with Derro all along the river network, and those with an eye to such things are worried this is a prelude to some kind of swarm or invasion. The Derro are mad dwarf-kin who have lived for generations beneath the earth and have had their minds shattered by the dark forces that dwell in the darkest depths.  

A famed goliath arbiter by the name of Telhu the Warqueller is holding council in the main market square, providing guidance in exchange for donations on her pilgrimage to the drow capital where she is set to mediate a royal inheritance dispute.  It’s said she’s persisted through her journey despite two assassination attempts, and everyone is on edge for a potential third.  

The Mothlight, a famed river trading vessel has been lost somewhere in the underdark along with all hands. Rumors fly about its ultimate fate but the trading house that supplies it is hurrying to put together an expedition to see it found.

[thehomebakery]

Masters of disease and decay this domain gives you plenty of options to debuff your enemy and protect your allies 🧪

You can get the full PDFs Link Here, including a version designed for accessibility, all for free!

And if you enjoy what I create and want to support my work, become a member today! 💕

[abyssalbrews]

Skinscrawler

High res versions of the art, a Foundry VTT module, and other formats, as well as a full compendium of our 100+ items can be found on our Patreon

I’ve always been fascinated by those who love art so much as to have it embedded on their own skin. I don’t know that I would be brave enough to attempt it myself, but the passion and the stories they can tell are something that truly speaks to me in a way that brings me great curiosity when I see something with a tattoo. I always want to spend time hearing the story behind it and learning what might have brought them to decide to take such an extreme step of embedding a design into their body for life. One of the most powerful things to me is the memories it can seem to bring, but there are those who do it for another reason. This pen might just be the secret to beauty and power in one.

If you want to see more of our items you can check us out on our Website, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Bluesky, Threads or Instagram where we post them regularly. You can also find us at our Discord server where you can hang out and chat with the community

[dndsmutnslut]

Form Coven (AKA Easy Bake Coven)

art credit: either Scott Hepburn, Dax Gordine, or Christine Choi, for Dungeon Magazine 137, august 2006

Form Coven

3rd level conjuration

Casting Time: 8 hours Range: self Components: V, S, M (vials of blood from three or more willing creatures, who must remain within 5 feet of each other for the duration, and a symbol of the coven worth at least 500gp per coven member which the spell consumes) Duration: Until dispelled with a 9th-level Dispel Magic or a Wish, or until the caster of the spell dissolves the coven as an action, or until the total number of living coven members is less than three for longer than a minute.

Chose three or more willing creatures within 5 feet, one of whom must be you. They gain the Coven Spellcasting feature. The spells coven members are able to cast and the spellcasting ability used to cast them both depend on what kind of coven the members chose to make; Death, Hag, Nature, Prophecy, or Wild Magic.

If you are part of a functioning coven already when casting this spell, all other members of your coven must be present when casting, and any creature being inducted into the coven must contribute an item worth at least 500gp, which is then consumed.

Coven Spellcasting: While three or more members of a coven are within 30 feet of one another, they can each cast their coven's spells but must share the spell slots among themselves. Each coven member can only cast using a coven spell slot if the slot's level is lower than or equal to half their total character level, rounded up. Expended spell slots are regained when all members of a coven finish a long rest.

Death Coven

Hag Coven

Nature Coven

Prophecy Coven

Wild Magic Coven

[dartagnantt]

Hedge Draconians | What if consolidating their non canon draconians, wotsy doubled down and made specific gem draconians

PDFs of this and more can be found over on at my Patreon here! I release everything for free, so your support makes this possible. I've also started making a new system based off of 5e, 6th Dawn! Become a patron and join the playtest.

From dubiously canon (by which I mean Wotsy made them and then swept them under the rug and the official novels never touched them) to definitely not canon. Gem draconians!

So called because because of hedge-knights AKA knights errant AKA knights for hire. Sort of playing on the noble draconians invoking Nobility as in the social class even though they are named for the demeanor.

The names for the individual draconians were also fun. The base draconians are named after their latin names (mostly sivak is an exception. I think Argek draconian isn't confusing at all. It's not like baaz and bozak don't get confusing) and the noble draconians being named after their element (ignoring that acid isn't venom) so this time I named them after the base mineral their gemstone is named after. The exception here being zircon as "crystal" isn't a gem. It was originally going to be "quartz" since I decided that the basicist bitch of the gem dragons would be the basicist bitch of gemstone, but then I was reminded that amethyst is technically a quartz, so I went with "discount diamond" instead.

These were really fun to design and I really like the death throes. No playable race this time because balancing telepathy on top of everything was difficult

And now to plug my stuff. I release homebrews weekly over on my Patreon. Anyone who pledges $2 or more per post don't have to wait a month to see them, and also help fund my being alive habit.

At the moment, they have exclusive access to the following:

Sineaters

Brenneri (Otterfolk)(Path/Starfinder 2e)

Sin Magic

Demonic Corruption Origin

I also have four classes, and two splatbooks over on DriveThruRPG to check out:

The Rift Binder. A class specialising in summoning monsters and controlling the battlefield.

The Witch Knight. A class that combines swords and sorcery in the most literal way.

The Werebeast. A class that turns you into a half beast to destroy your foes.

The Beguiler. A spellcaster dedicated to illusions, enchantments, and general fuckery.

d'Artagnan's Adventurer Almanac. A compendium of races, subclasses, feats, spells, monsters and more!

d'Artagnan's Lycanthrope Survival Guide. A book of lore, stats, and werebeast subclasses for lycanthropes.

[gmatlarge]

Mapvember 2017 #16 Trapped

The pit appears to have no exits… And if you’re lucky enough to get out, the empty-looking corridors might be… uh…

[dailyadventureprompts]

Shiverscree was a slave quarry of the old empire, set high up in the mountains on the edge of a barbarian frontier.   Hundreds of war captives , condemned, and dissolute worked in the hand hewn valley carving the thick granite blocks that made up the imperial fortification, overseen and guarded by the towering keep that protected their captors from riot and barbarian raid alike. 

Since the dissolution of the empire, a succession of rulers and kingdoms have had little need for Shiverscree as a quarry or as a fortress, preferring to let the place fall into obscurity and disrepair.  IN recent decades however the old structure has been given new life as a prison, the thin air and year round frosts serving to weaken the prisoners as well as any shackle. 

Some potential adventures:  

Plans for a prison at Shiverscree are stalled when word gets back to the central committee that a herd of goliath have taken up residence within its walls, having developed a village within its walls over the past decades of neglect.. The government claims ownership of the fortress, but the goliath claim that the place is their home by kin-rite. The party is in the region and could possibly intervene in the talks, though at the risk of ruffling some political feathers. 

After coming to the wrong side of the law, the players are trapped in Shiverscree for an extended period. Escape appears impossible until the spring thaw sees the awakening of a hibernating frost giant who blunders into the quarry desperate for food. With the walls coming down around them, there seems like no better time to make a break for it!

As winter closes in the players discover that one of their allies has been sent to Shiverscree as a political prisoner. Acting rashly may see them capture and or stranteded on a snowy mountainside with no way down, but not acting quickly enough could see the passes to the prison freeze shut for the season, dooming their friend to months of icy imprisonment and potential torture. 

A group of soldiers have turned briggand and are using Shiverscree as a hideout, ambushing caravans passing through the mountains in order to build a winter larder. They’re mostly uninterested in direct conflict, instead claiming that they haven’t been paid for their service. Given that the party’s patron is the one responsible for the brigands’ wages, it’s a safe bet that the situation will become more complicated from this point out.

[thehomebakery]

Sigils burn themselves into your spellbook, still warm to the touch, and glowing a deep red.

When you dream your minds fills with fire, and whispers of infernal. Try something diabolical with this subclass 😈

What wizard spell would you make a deal for?

You can get the full PDFs Link Here, including a version designed for accessibility, all for free!

And if you enjoy what I create and want to support my work, become a member today! 💕

Every membership helps immensely with future projects, for instance the upcoming solo journalling game I'm working on atm called LifeBlood (think vampires meet In the Flesh).

[the-griffons-saddlebag]

💎 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺! Sewer Token
Wondrous item, rare ___ This copper coin is embossed with rats walking around its edge. On either side is a matching radial pattern. You can use an action to speak the coin’s command word and toss it onto the ground in a 5-foot-square space. When it lands, a 3-foot diameter tunnel appears in the middle of the space and extends downward up to 20 feet, complete with an affixed ladder. The tunnel ends early if it reaches an open area, and the ladder descends down up to 10 feet into the new area. The tunnel does not compromise any structural integrity when it appears. The coin also expands, growing to fit the size of the tunnel’s entrance; the coin then becomes the cover for the tunnel and weighs 20 pounds. The tunnel remains for 1 hour or until you use an action to speak the coin’s command word again within 30 feet of it. The cover opens only at your command, which you can speak as a bonus action, although anyone can close it again. It is immune to the “knock”spell and similar magic, such as that of a “chime of opening”, but a creature can forcibly open it by succeeding on a DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check using an action. The cover closes itself after 1 minute if left open. A creature that’s in the tunnel when it disappears is safely ejected from the top of it. If the space where the tunnel appears is occupied by a Medium or smaller creature, that creature must also make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature falls down into the tunnel. On a successful save, the creature remains in the space but doesn’t fall in. When the tunnel disappears, the cover returns to its coin form. If the tunnel reached an open area below it, the coin falls into that area before the tunnel disappears at the end of duration; otherwise, the coin remains on the surface on which it landed. Speaking the command word to end the effect early allows you to choose whether the coin drops into the tunnel or remains on the surface. Once the coin creates a tunnel in this way, it can’t do so again until the next dawn. ___ ✨ Patrons get huge perks! Access this and hundreds of other item cards, art files, and compendium entries when you support The Griffon’s Saddlebag on Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

[memimic]

Spectral Fling

Level 2 Necromancy (Cleric, Warlock, Wizard)

With a violent surge of unseen force, restless spirits seize nearby objects and hurl them through the air in a chaotic barrage. Each impact lands with uncanny precision, as if guided by lingering will and unseen hands.

💬 Are you flinging debris at your foes or potions at your friends?

Image via Midjourney

[dartagnantt]

Noble Draconians | Play as or fight against wotsy's second and questionably canon attempt at more highly marketable dragon people

PDFs of this and more can be found over on at my Patreon here! I release everything for free, so your support makes this possible. I've also started making a new system based off of 5e, 6th Dawn! Become a patron and join the playtest.

As the war of the lance concluded, the dragonarmies struggled to find replacements for their disposable infantry. Surely nothing will go wrong.

So yes, I have written up the dubiously non canon maybe noble draconians from third edition. Their existence is weird, as when wotsy released the dragonlance setting book two years earlier, they note that now that draconians are free and have their own nation, newborn draconians are not doomed to be evil.

They then release the bestiary of krynn, which states that because metallic dragons are good, the metallic draconians are evil and thus visa versa and made "Good" draconians. I have recontextualised this as the non evil gods having bade their time and now pushing their hands on the scales saying "balance haha".

Incidentally, this is the first post in a while where I had to cut words for space. It's why the draconian subraces have such stilted descriptors. I did not want to have to deal with a new page of mostly empty space.

I may later take a step away from dubiously canon to definitely not canon later, but for now I have other plans.

And now to plug my stuff. I release homebrews weekly over on my Patreon. Anyone who pledges $2 or more per post don't have to wait a month to see them, and also help fund my being alive habit.

At the moment, they have exclusive access to the following:

Oath of Perseverance

Hedge Draconians

Sineaters

Brenneri (Otterfolk)(Path/Starfinder 2e)

I also have four classes, and two splatbooks over on DriveThruRPG to check out:

The Rift Binder. A class specialising in summoning monsters and controlling the battlefield.

The Witch Knight. A class that combines swords and sorcery in the most literal way.

The Werebeast. A class that turns you into a half beast to destroy your foes.

The Beguiler. A spellcaster dedicated to illusions, enchantments, and general fuckery.

d'Artagnan's Adventurer Almanac. A compendium of races, subclasses, feats, spells, monsters and more!

d'Artagnan's Lycanthrope Survival Guide. A book of lore, stats, and werebeast subclasses for lycanthropes.