Showing posts with label Villains. Show all posts

Break Your Own Rules If You Must

By RJ on 23 April 2023.

Plenty of the tips and tricks I write about Dungeons & Dragons on RJD20 can be interpreted as loose rules to follow. Most of the time, you stick by them and they'll likely improve your game. However, there are times when you must break your own guidelines. The alternative is the complete standstill of your game or the possibility of a game-ending argument. In order to avoid either or I have a new tip: break the rules you've established beforehand if it's imperative.

This exact situation occurred in my last D&D session.

I hate needing to interfere in the decisions of my players. Thankfully, I don't need to the vast majority of the time. Besides last week, I cannot think of the last time I forcefully entered the discussion and voiced my opinion. But, in the rare situations where this does occur, it's warranted.

Let me set the scene.

In my Bannerless campaign, the party halted a cult's ritual and descended into the depths of their hideout. The session prior ended with them face-to-face with the cult's mastermind, a powerful elf named Hectal Massif. The elf offered the party a deal: join with him and his ally, the duke of a nearby region, in raising an army of men and demons to halt an upcoming peninsula-wide war. If they succeeded, they'd stop the war and slay those who sought a prolonged conflict.

There was a bit of back and forth between Hectal and the party. Then, one of the party members, a gunslinger named Revan Talo, stepped forth and lunged at the elf. The session ended with the promise of initiative being rolled at the beginning of the next one.

So there we were: the next session. Revan gets a surprise attack on Hectal, then everyone rolls initiative. Here is where the debate begins.

Some of the party contemplated siding with the mysterious elf with a demon minion and attacking the party. I quickly entered the discussion and let them know intentional player versus player combat was off the table. A bit of retaliation, but this was resolved quickly.

Elf Wizard from Neverwinter Nights.

Next, a few group members posited just running away and not engaging in combat at all. This debate continued for a few minutes until there was clearly no ground being made. I then jumped in and let the people who were thinking of running know the following: if they were to run, they're gone from the session for the duration of the combat. Think of the game like a movie: the main camera is going to focus on the action of the core characters, not the folk running from said action. They were welcome to run, it was their decision, but typically once a party member makes a decision, they're backed up and the game continues. D&D is collaborative, after all. If they left the battle area and retreated, we would continue the combat. They were welcome to observe.

I could tell there was a bit of resistance to this advice. Like I said, I disliked needing to solicit it, but it needed to be done.

I've long established I do not interfere in the decisions of my players and their characters. I trust them. However, from past experience, if I sense the game is threatened in any way, I will break my own rules to save the game and save the overall fun of the players.

I advise you to do the same.

If you enjoyed this week's article, check out last week's detailing how the big bad is the main character of your D&D campaign.

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As always, thanks for reading. Please send all inquiries to rjd20writes@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

In D&D, the Big Bad is the Main Character

By RJ on 16 April 2023.

This far into the life of Dungeons & Dragons, many people understand the player characters are important to the game. Without them and their antics, the game dies. However, they're not the most important characters. They are not even the main characters. The player characters may be the protagonists, but they are reacting to someone else's plots; they are the antagonists in someone else's story: the big bad.

Shocking, right? I may have just scorched the outlooks of a few people. Give it a ponder, though. It's true.

The big bad is the center of the plot.
The big bad regularly interacts with other characters, both PCs and NPCs.
The big bad is the most important and influential individual in the campaign or adventure.
The big bad's actions provide the impetus for the player characters' reactions.

In most D&D games, the big bad is the main character. They can make or break an entire game. Thus, like every great character, they need serious thought put into them. To explore this, let's analyze one of my most treasured villains...with a twist. This big bad, despite me checking every box, failed.

Meet Lazarus the Glutton.

A D&D Villain: Lazarus the Glutton

My third D&D campaign, called The Enoach Desert, revolved around the recovery of an ancient necromancer's scattered organs. Vaugashir was the deceased spellcaster's name and of course, he was an ultra-powerful red dragon. Each of the big bads in the campaign possessed or was in pursuit of one of these valuable organs which a forward-thinking faction scattered across the desert to ensure his soul could never reform a new body or reunite with his old one.

A yuan-ti anathema called Sevra Tan sought Vaugashir's heart. The ancient blue dragon Nauthog searched for his claw. Meanwhile, Platyz Aphidious needed the dead necromancer's brain. However, my favorite and by far the best was Lazarus the Glutton.

As his name suggests, Lazarus was a ravenous entity. Trapped in his lair, he was an obese red dragon. After decades of unhindered consumption, he was barely able to move but had dominated a host of minions into scouring the surrounding lands for more and more food. In his lair, he feasted. Days turned into months which turned into years.

Essentially, he was big, he was bad, and he was connected to the characters.

Much of the conflict surrounding the characters stemmed from Lazarus. Their early adventures, their personal plight, and the greater plot centralized around the dragon. While some of this, my input (the early adventures and greater plot) was planned, all the personal problems with the dragon emerged organically.

That's the key: every character needs to have personal connections to the big bad. The main character of the story should have a reason to interact with every character within the said story, especially the other important individuals.

Alongside these connections, Lazarus also had a variety of motivations. This spawned plots of his across the region. He wasn't only looking to eliminate a rival blue dragon. He also sought to scour the entire land of all the food and treasure he could find! He wasn't only keen on preventing the resurrection of his red dragon necromancer of a father, he was in a loose relationship with the Aphid Alliance and needed to siphon some of his own hoard to these thri-kreen criminals.

This long list of motivations ensured if one plot succeeded or was stifled by the party, Lazarus remained a threat and in the story. The only way Lazarus would disappear was if he was dealt with directly...or if the party up and left the region, which is always an option!

Why Did My Villain Fail?

Now that you know Lazarus the Glutton's background, motivations, and relation to the group, you're prepared to witness how he failed as a villain. Here's the funny part: he didn't. Instead, the group did.

This particular big bad never actually met the characters. Although his name was mentioned plenty, the party's plans revolved around his machinations, and they nearly encountered him in the flesh, he failed as a villain because the group fell apart.

Despite the group's desire to eliminate Lazarus and his rampant gluttony, interpersonal conflict and scheduling difficulty broke it. I learned from that experience and gained confidence from that failure. In good time, I'll write a full-on article about it, but for now, it serves as a focal point for the failure of one of my favorite D&D villains: Lazarus the Glutton.

Keep in mind: you might craft a great big bad, but they may never get the chance to shine. That's okay, it allows their plans to play out now and affect your world, or it gives you fodder for a future campaign.

How Will I Rebound With My Next D&D Villain?

Sometimes, our worst nightmares tear apart our greatest dreams. Lazarus the Glutton was my perfect D&D villain but he failed, in the end, due to no fault of his own.

In one of my ongoing campaigns, the Bannerless, the big bad is a human noble named Corin Calgrast. More particularly, his name is Lord Corin Calgrast, Duke of Desmaine. Here is a one-pager about him and his motives.

Even though I missed out on playing Lazarus with the party, I've brought that energy into my next big bad. Lord Corin is ready to confront my latest group. Any prior unfortunate events are learned from and in the past. Now, I look toward the future.

Don't let past mistakes or nasty events affect your current game in any negative manner. Learn from them and push forward.

Lessons Learned

That was a fun one to write. Here's what we learned this week:

Villains are the main characters in most D&D campaigns. Their actions affect the world just as much as the player characters. Most of the time, the PCs are reacting to the big bad's vile machinations.
Proper villains need a background, multiple motivations, and connections to player characters. This makes them easier to organically play and gives every player a reason to hate or become invested in the story of the villain.
If a villain doesn't work out, learn what went wrong and rebound with your next villain. Sometimes, a big bad not working isn't even your fault, it may be out of your hands. Do not like that discourage you.
Never linger in the past, learn from it.

Did you enjoy this article? If the answer's yes, check out last week's post all about crafting D&D monsters with the ranger player class.

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As always, thanks for reading. Please send all inquiries to rjd20writes@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Unveil the Power of Thief-Like Creatures in D&D Campaigns

By RJ on 12 February 2023.

No one expects a rogue as a monster, do they? Well, if you play your cards right, they shouldn't! Do note: I'm not speaking for all the conniving bandit lords Dungeons & Dragons groups battle, the goblins who are quite thieving, or the hill giants who pillage every pantry in sight. I mean legitimate monsters who use actions inspired by the archetypal rogue class present in nearly every fantasy roleplaying game imaginable.

In this article, we are crafting a formidable foe inspired by rogues and providing plenty of inspiration for more monsters in the same vein.

Let me loop you in on other potential rogue-based foes before we hop into my fully fleshed-out creature:

The Crawling Claw Arcane Trickster. This tiny undead hand can control another spectral hand that specializes in picking locks, confusing targets, and even performing silent assassinations.
The Balor Demon Swashbuckler. This lord of abyssal pits has mastered one-on-one combat, sparring with archfiends and other balor demons. Moreso than others of its kind, it can maneuver across the battlefield with relative ease and confuse foes with its rapid movements.
The Kobold Genius. This small, reptilian humanoid calculates its opponent's moves seconds, if not minutes before they play out. It forms plans within plans and ensures they're all outlined both in mind and on parchment.
The Bugbear Assassin. This vile goblinoid understands the best way to execute a variety of targets wielding a variety of weapons, venoms, and poisons.
The Bandit Lord Trickster. This human rose through the ranks of a greedy bandit clan through sheer intelligence and manipulation. He doesn't only work charismatic magic among his own criminal folk, though. He often attends royal gatherings and balls to trick haughty nobles into accidentally contributing to his powerful bandit clan.
The Rhinoceros Soul Knife. This huge beast was enchanted by an ancient, deceased wizard whose menagerie was loosed upon the world upon his death. The rhino can slice through reality with its charge and force tiny, psychic horns upon its foes.
The Skeleton Thief. This sentient undead was raised by a necromancer and trained to break into wizard towers protected from the living with wards. The skeleton, that of a halfling, sneaks and steals as well as any other living thief.
The Ogre Mastermind. This hulking ogre is not like its kin, rather, the ogre understands how to coerce those around into completing desirable tasks and working with those outside its usual circle. Most of its webbed plans are scrawled across the walls of its cavern home.

I promise you each feels distinct, and each is system agnostic.

Now, let's leap into this article's foe, a particularly dexterous giant.

The Hill Giant Acrobat

Usually, hill giants are viewed as slow-moving, even stumbling hulks. Not the hill giant acrobat, a variant of hill giant who seeks to subvert expectations.

What is a Hill Giant Acrobat?

Acrobats are not born with the innate ability to leap from precarious perch to perch, flip seven times in the air with a single jump, and twist themselves through the most contorted obstacles. They must train relentlessly to hone their physical craft, consume only the best food to sculpt their bodies, and ensure their body and mind work as one, well-oiled machine.

Hill giant acrobats follow all these procedures and protocols, but only with someone of extreme intellect at their helm. Naturally unintelligent beings, they must be constantly taught and reminded of the huge reserve of strength inside them. This strength meshed with speed and a moderate intellect leads to a near-unstoppable force. Many acrobats use quarterstaves as their weapon of choice. Hill giant acrobats, though, pick out a suitable tree and carve it into a staff for combat. Some of the most legendary imbue their staves with Giantish runes, empowering them with the might of their kind's arcane history.

In Eldar, hill giant acrobats descend from the Order of the Big Stick, an organization of expertly-trained hill giants from the long-dead giant empire of Nargond. Most members of this order are not only acrobats, but they've mastered the Way of the Four Elements. They combine their mastery of acrobatics and elemental strength to channel swift, magical strikes into their tree-sized staves.

In Golgifell, hill giants are all that remain of giantkind in any formidable number and even they are rare. No hill giant acrobat has emerged from the hills & mountains west of the Farloth Peninsula...yet. If one of these odd hill giants were to exist, it would likely be in the Towerpeaks or the lowlands leading into the Gulonde Desert.

A hill giant and his tree by garmonbozia94.

Sample Hill Giant Acrobat

Here's an example hill giant acrobat!

Base Monster: Hill Giant, Monster Manual page 155.
Added Ability: Master of Movement. The foe treats vertical surfaces as if they are regular terrain. On horizontal surfaces while standing upright, the foe gains 20 feet of additional movement. In addition, if they fail a Dexterity saving throw, they may reroll it twice per long rest.
Added Action: Shocking Blow. The foe makes a special attack roll against a target within melee range. If the attack hits, the target must make a Constitution saving throw (8 + Proficiency + the foe's Strength modifier). On a failure, the target becomes Paralyzed until the end of the foe's next turn. In addition, the target takes an additional 6d6 damage based on the foe's weapon. If the foe uses a bludgeoning weapon to make this attack, the attack roll has advantage.
Plot Hook: The hill giant acrobat was sent to eliminate the owner of an ancient relic, then return the relic to its red dragon patron. However, the ancient relic's properties were unknown and during the hill giant acrobat's struggle with the relic's owner, they used the item against the giant. Now, this hill giant acrobat is under the psychic-control of a wealthy dwarven mogul who has realized what an asset it is. The red dragon knows this too and seeks the return of his treasured servant. The player characters might run into the hill giant acrobat on the street as it escorts the dwarven mogul, be hired by the red dragon to free the giant from its trance, or requested to take out the giant by a rival mogul.

Regardless of where and when you decide to drop the hill giant acrobat into your D&D campaign, it's sure to leave a giant-sized crater.

In Summary

As with all other classic character archetypes, typical rogues make excellent bases for ravenous foes and NPCs in your D&D 5E or other RPG campaign. Remember:

Character classes can inspire foes on the Dungeon Master's side of the screen or table. Use them as a starting point for your next villain.
Rogues make excellent, intelligent antagonists with a knack for powerful, pointed assaults.
Even the oddest of creatures can inherit the coolest of abilities from the rogue archetype. Sometimes, these strange ideas become the most compelling and memorable!

The last RJD20 article explored what microtransactions might look like in One D&D. If you'd like a grim but very likely glimpse into the future of this particular brand of RPG, give it a read!

Want More RPG Tips & Tales from RJD20?

As always, thanks for reading. Please send all inquiries to rjd20writes@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Wrathful Wizard Monsters

By RJ on 19 December 2022.

The wrath of a vengeful wizard is rarely matched. However, when mated with the ferocity of a monster and the skill of a thoughtful Dungeon Master, a monster imbued with the abilities of the wizard class may not only challenge a player character wizard, but an entire party.

Already on RJD20, we've explored mixing monsters with classes like the bard and barbarian, druid and paladin, and now: we move onward to D&D's most esteemed class: the wizard.

Today, we're looking at three wildly wacky wizard monsters for your next D&D session:

A pixie arcanist with a wit as quick as her spellcasting!
An ettin incredible armed with a barrage of magical abilities and an eerily threatening intellect!
An efreeti pyromancer who wields the devastating elemental forces of his blistering home realm!

Each promises a unique experience for your game and your world. How can you pit a pixie arcanist against your party of three murderhobos? Where does an ettin incredible fit in your grand world of sword and sorcery? Does an efreeti pyromancer wield much power in your setting's version of the City of Brass, or is she a jester compared to the warrior-class of the legendary planar settlement?

Before we leap into these monstrous wizards, let this list of eight wizard-based foes inspire you:

An awakened wild boar with a wizard's spellbook stitched to him. Somehow, he's learned how to cast a few cantrips and basic spells.
A deep gnome School of Illusion wizard destined to branch out into the World Above.
A bugbear School of Evocation wizard, also known as an evocationist, who ripped a spellbook from a fallen foe's warm, dead hands and became a master of explosions. She specializes in fireballs.
A wise hill giant School of War wizard specially trained by a resident fire giant sage in the ways of arcane and greater warfare. He has led his tribe to many battles over far superior foes.
An orthon commander specialized in the School of Conjuration, capable of summoning great armies from planes other than his scarred home realm.
An iron giant trained in the School of Enhancement by his archmage creator.
A balor keen in the dark magic of the School of Necromancy, heading a horde of demons and abhorrent undead.
An ancient green dragon wise in the School of Lore, knowledgeable in every single aspect of the world known to mortals...and even some information kept only by those of immortal bend.

Wizard Foe Generator

For this particular strand of foes crossed with one of D&D's most iconic classes, I've crafted the Wizard Foe Generator. Try it out! It provides you with a base monster, where they can be found, and an ability/action inspired by the wizard class from D&D 5E and other editions in the game's history.

Now, let's create three wizardly foes.

Pixie Arcanist

Inherently tricky, tiny creatures, twisting a pixie with the abilities of a wizard makes quite the intimidating enemy...or powerful ally. A pixie arcanist wraps her opponents in sparkling strands of magic, rendering them helpless so her swarms of mystical friends can eliminate them in a swift and safe manner.

They're tricky foes to face

What is a Pixie Arcanist?

The wondrous woodlands of the Feywild glitter with the magic of a thousand peculiar peoples. Hags cackle away in their cursed huts and bone-filled caves. Satyr dance along forest trails singing songs of enchantment. Centaurs roam groves illuminated by the bright Feywild twilight, their hooves stomping along to primal beats that ooze magic. Even the forests themselves bubble with arcane potential: trees talk, leaves whisper, and the animals linger with even the sentience of a normal mortal man.

The stars of the Feywild, though, hold a special kind of magic. And when they fall: only a select few are capable of drawing forth that latent energy.

Feywild stars and their crash sites are dotted with powerful glyphs and words of arcane power, mysteriously written in the most elegant form of the Sylvan language. Pixies, fast-moving and inquisitive, are often the first to arrive to these craters. They scribble down the words and phrases on leaf booklets and scratch them out of the rock and ground. Afterward, they spend months and sometimes years practicing these sky-given groupings of words. Only those who remain dedicated to this practice become pixie arcanists.

The otherworldly spells available to pixie arcanists are from distant stars and often involve glittering, awe-inspiring sights of stardust and bewilderment.

Some spells channel the energy of a burning star.

Others freeze foes with the infinite chill of space.

All are coveted by wizards of the Material Plane...

In Eldar, pixie arcanists quickly find their way from the Feywild into other planes of existence. Some believe the stars of other realms like the Hells or even some layers of the Abyss hide even darker "star carvings." In the Material Plane's largest settlement, Galen the City of Magic, a pixie arcanist teaches a special course on this small but unique sphere of arcana.

In Golgifell, fey crossings to Brisantha are some of the most common "magical" occurrences found and witnessed by normal mortals. Fey usually don't wander into the mortal world if they can help it, but some pixies have been known to guard these fey crossings, ordered to by their commanding Fey Court. Pixie arcanists in particular deeply enjoy gazing at the idyllic starscape of Golgifell, and wonder if "star carvings" exist in this world as they do in their own.

Sample Pixie Arcanist

Here's an example pixie arcanist using the Wizard Foe Generator to attach a new ability and action to the base pixie monster.

Base Monster: Pixie, Monster Manual page 253

Added Ability: False Self. The pixie arcanist can cast disguise self at will, but it can also shift between Tiny, Small, Medium, and Large creatures. Huge creatures can only shift to Large size.

Added Action: Student of Cantrip Excellence. The pixie arcanist can cast up to three cantrips with a single action. Each cantrip can be different or the same.

Plot Hook: Pickpocketing becomes the norm of a bustling port city when a pixie arcanist uses her starry arcana to enhance the skills of a local guild of thieves. Their weird magic perplexes the law enforcement, so they bring in those more versed in the arcane arts.

Flavor both outlined abilities as starry-themed: the creatures the pixie arcanist pretends to become have star tattoos on their body. The cantrips manifest in a burst of stardust.

Ettin Incredible

Ready to surprise your players and subvert their characters' expectations? This is the foe for you. An ettin incredible might turn a predictable, blow-for-blow blow-up with a typical ettin into a fight for survival against a creature that should never be able to handle magical abilities in a regular D&D setting.

No one expects an ettin wizard.

What is an Ettin Incredible?

Only rarely do giantish gods allow one of their misshapen children the mental prowess to pursue a life of magic. Normal ettins are already weird folk among giant kind, pushed to the edges of society. Most times, they aren't even accepted among giants. They are forced to commandeer goblin tribes, serve the whims of orcs and hobgoblins, or become vicious rivals in troll territory. However, in the rarest of circumstances, an ettin is born with an incredible intellect. These ettins are rapidly sought after by giants at the top of the chain (called the Ordning in many worlds) and trained in the ways of arcane magic.

These very rare ettins are known as ettin incredibles.

Unlike almost any other creature, they are able to cast not one, but two spells concurrently. From one mouth and mind, an ettin incredible might spew forth words of power to conjur a fireball while the other crackles out a lightning bolt. Even more impressive, they can concentrate on two different spells at once: one mind might keep a blur around itself, while the other ensures an attacking barbarian stays affected by hold person as the ettin's fire giant allies eviscerate her.

Some ettin incredibles manage to escape servitude once they learn how to wield magic. These ettin incredibles, even solo, are formidable foes.

In Eldar, ettin incredibles originated in Nargond during Giantfall. Not products of giantish gods, these ettin incredibles manifested the wild magic latent in the air of the world during this tumultuous time. As the empire of giants fell and sent tsunamis roaring across the planet, ettin incredibles further ensured giant kind's doom. They leapt into the world and tore scattered factions apart, obliterating them with intense arcane surges and forgotten spells. As quickly as they appeared, they fragmented and wandered across the broken landmasses. Some bloodlines still exist, ettins capable of immense thought and insight, but the most common way of finding them is pure chance. If they are born into the world, they often become leaders of hill giant tribes or respected sages of frost giant jarls and fire giant citadels.

In Golgifell, ettin incredibles are the norm: regular ettins do not exist. Even though ettin incredibles take on the regular "ettin" role, they are still extremely rare alongside all other giants except hill giants. Encountering an ettin in Golgifell is an event best left unattended. The lack of magic in the rest of the world almost seems to redouble itself in ettins, overwhelming any who interact with them. In the most remote wilderlands like Res Mana, ettins boast huge armies and followers who worship them as gods-on-earth.

Sample Ettin Incredible

Below is one example of an ettin incredible created with the Wizard Foe Generator. Beware: it's powerful.

Base Monster: Ettin, Monster Manual page 132

Added Ability: Perfect Mind. The ettin incredible is able to concentrate on two spells simultaneously.

Added Action: Impossible Arcana. The ettin incredible is able to cast two spells in a single turn with a single action.

Plot Hook: Doom befalls a frontier town when a duo of ettin incredibles dominate both a tribe of orcs and a pack of gnolls. At the helm with extreme intelligence and a horde of formidable minions, the ettin incredibles intend on conquering the town and moving closer to "true" civilization.

Efreeti Pyromancer

No enemy fought by your party before has wielded fire magic quite like an efreeti pyromancer. Area domination, explosive damage, and a temper enraged by the might a thousand fires are all staples of this wizard-like wonder from the Elemental Plane of Fire.

Did I mention she rides in a sleigh pulled by hippos made of magma?

What is an Efreeti Pyromancer?

The typical tyrannical lives of an efreeti noble bore the wisest among their kind. Those who seek unrivaled power delve into the depths of the Plane of Fire, learning the secrets of primeval pyromancy. They become masters of the most scorching element, wielders of the sacred fire, one of the vital elements of creation.

Once they master the secrets of the sacred fire, they become creators as well. A power thought only known to the gods in the hands of a mere creature. Efreeti pyromancers can breathe fiery essence into normal beasts. They can turn snakes into blazing serpents; giant eagles into phoenix-like birds; massive hippos into beasts of molten magma.

From remote studies, they perfect this craft and plot domination of the Plane of Fire and realms beyond. However, an efreeti pyromancer in a world not its own, such as the Material Plane, can easily wreak havoc.

Entities of pure flame are not meant to exist in worlds of balance.

In Eldar, efreeti pyromancers began as solitary scholars but eventually formed the Cabal of Eternal Flame. As a unit, they've built a dominion across most the Plane of Fire that rivals the strength of the City of Brass. Some suspect they were behind the Devastation in the Material Plane, wherein a huge swath of Aelonis was elementally destroyed. All know they pay homage to Imix, the Prince of Elemental Fire, though some believe he is not their master: some think they control the archomental.

In Golgifell, there's but one tale of an efreeti who took over the Gulonde. In his reign, he turned the sands black and the rivers to lava. The rivers faded, but the black sand remained and cursed the endless desert forevermore. At times, his bellowing laughter can be heard on the wind during great storms of sand. These storms spawn beasts of pure flame, echoes of the pyromancer's initial scarring of the desert.

Example Efreeti Pyromancer

Here is an example of an efreeti pyromancer built with the Wizard Foe Generator.

Base Monster: Efreeti, Monster Manual page 145

Added Ability: Sculpt Magic. Spells that would otherwise damage the efreeti pyromancer's allies no longer do so.

Added Action: Plane Bringer. Once per day, the efreeti pyromancer can summon a creature from another plane of existence that is CR 2 or less. The summoned creature returns to its home plane when a new creature is summoned.

Plot Hook: An efreeti pyromancer enters a jungle realm, transforming it into a woodland of fiery beasts and molten magma rivers. Her spree of terror must end, else it'll spread into the nearby countryside.

In Summary

If you're stuck preparing your latest D&D NPC or encounter and really need some magical inspiration, the wizard class serves as an excellent source. Always remember:

The Wizard Foe Generator is a rapid-fire way to form a compelling foe for your characters to face.
Schools of wizardry work wonderfully as background information, foe motivations, and even plot devices in your world.
Enemies based on wizards don't need to use spells, just re-flavor them as innate abilities and actions.

In last week's article, I explored why the spotlight should be shared amongst all at the table, and how it's not only the job of the Dungeon Master to ensure this. If you enjoyed this post, check out last week's post as well!

Here's to greatening your game and world: cheers!

Want More RPG Tips & Tales from RJD20?

As always, thanks for reading. Please send all inquiries to rjd20writes@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Pernicious Paladin Monsters for Your Next Session

by RJ on 5 December 2022.

Historically in our beloved tabletop roleplaying game hobby, paladins are the good folk. They protect the innocent. They divide loot fairly. They save the day for the righteous faction. Sometimes they even go too far, especially if their player is inexperienced, and play their "usual" alignment of lawful good as lawful stupid.

We can love it, hate it, be cynical about it, or we as Dungeon Masters can retool paladins for our own sinister plots and schemes.

The class that many believe to be the do-no-wrong and just? It's time to use it to churn out some monsters for your next D&D session. Fellow DMs all around, I introduce to you: pernicious paladin monsters for your next session:

A gnoll avenger
An obsidian earth elemental
A fire giant templar

We've done this before with other D&D 5E Player's Handbook classes like the bard, druid, and even fighter. Now, you'll be able to pepper paladin-based foes throughout your D&D adventures and campaigns. Before we dive into some fleshed out monsters, new abilities, lore and all else, let this list of six monstrous paladins ready your mind:

A goblin who took the Oath of Redemption after stealing, eating one too many sheep.
A kobold under the sway of the Oath of Vengeance thanks to the annihilation of her clan at the hands of a witty white dragon.
An ogre magi/oni sworn to the Oath of the Ancients on the path to becoming a conduit for a primordial force.
A fire giant in service to the Oath of Conquest on a crusade through the Upper Underdark, forcing drow, duergar, and darker beings under his banner.
A rakshasa who follows an Oath of Devotion after being smitten by an angel of the Lower Heavens.
An ancient gold dragon Oathbreaker who broke his powerful Oath of the Ancients to the Platinum Dragon to save a very dear loved one and continued a descent into absolute darkness.

Paladin Foe Generator

For this sampling of foes crossed with one of the classic D&D classes, I've crafted the Paladin Foe Generator. Try it out! It provides you with a base monster, where they can be found, and an ability/action inspired by the paladin class from D&D 5E and other editions gone by.

Now, let's look at some paladin-inspired foes.

Gnoll Avenger

Let's begin with a low-level monster boosted up with my second favorite paladin subclass: the Oath of Vengeance. I present to you, a gnoll avenger.

The story comes first, the "stats" arrive after.

What is a Gnoll Avenger?

Most gnolls serve in the name of Yeenoghu. They pillage, slaughter, and destroy without discrimination. In their eyes, everything is food for gnollkind and their demonic daddy, Yeenoghu. However, what if some gnolls rose above that basic level of intelligence? What if their bestial desires took the form of something concrete, something that could bind a gnoll to a set of principles they could use to enact power over other members of their society?

These calculating leaders of gnoll society are known as gnoll avengers. First established by elders in a time long passed, gnoll avengers lead roaming gnoll packs while abiding by an Oath of Vengeance brutally cut for their demonic species. Its tenets are as follows:

Fight the Greater Foe. More formidable folk once destroyed my species' chance on this world. They'll pay for what they've done, as will all who attempt to snuff our raging torch.
No Mercy for the Weak. No enemy, strong or weak, faltering or rampaging, is spared by my weapon.
Single-Minded Pack. I will not fail in my ultimate duty, no matter the cost to me or my pack.

In Eldar, these gnolls appeared in direct opposition to the Hungerless, a sect of pacifistic gnolls unburdened with Yeenoghu's constant growls. Gnoll avengers blame the Hungerless for their species' complete drop from the world stage, believing they'd rule multiple realms, if not the entire continent of Aelonis if the Hungerless had stayed by Yeenogu's side. Of course this is preposterous, but many packs led by gnoll avengers think it's true.

In Golgifell, gnoll avengers are extremely rare. They are rarely found outside the Gulonde, though one has made a spree all the way into the Odgrir Northlands, at war with the minotaur warlock clans there. In the Gulonde, they uphold a slightly revised version of the tenets above inspired by the unmatched hunger of their patron deity, The Devourer.

Sample Gnoll Avenger

Using the generator provided at the beginning of this article, I rolled up this gnoll avenger's abilities/actions:

Base Monster: Gnoll
Added Ability: Aura of Arcane Defense. The foe naturally emanates an aura in a 10’ radius that grants resistance to all allies against spell damage.
Added Action: Touch of Divinity. The foe may use an action to touch one creature (including itself) and end all negative and/or positive effects on it.
Plot Hook: Roads into the vast desert are no longer safe. Bandits harry any patrols or guards who try to extinguish them. Every trade caravan trying to pass through is raided and almost nothing is left behind, save a few lives. Recent bandit viciousness comes from a gnoll avenger who has become a bandit lord of sorts. She wields the gnoll-specific Oath of Vengeance against the traders, justifying bandit cruelty against the rich, food and supply rich caravans. Will trade ever return to the region?

Go ahead and drop her into your next session. Let me know if she survives or if she falls in battle as she likely should!

Obsidian Earth Elemental

Next up is a rock-based enemy full of flair: an obsidian earth elemental. This creature is inspired more by the paladin's defensive abilities. Utilizing them, the usually stale earth elemental becomes something dark, exciting, and powerful when paired with a bruiser.

Let's roll right into the lore.

What is an Obsidian Earth Elemental?

The Elemental Planes bury many secrets. Oftentimes, only those who reach these fantastical realms of impossibility discover them, usually by chance. Invasions from these realms, however, sometimes force the hidden pieces into the eyes of the mortal world. One such invasion occurred in the distant past of many different worlds at the hands of the hardy folk known as goliaths.

They were not of the mortal world, instead they hailed from the Elemental Plane of Earth. They were masters of that place, but darker powers forced them to find a new home. The mortal world, or the Material Plane, would suffice, they thought.

At the head of their invasion were their greatest creations: elemental begins molded not from normal earth or stone, but of crystals and wondrous ores. One of the rarest, earth elementals built entirely from obsidian, were piloted by goliath warlords. These large elementals were not only hardier than normal earth elementals, but also imbued with a touch of shadow. In the blink of an eye, they could vanish from sight, only to appear many feet away, prepared to crush their target. They could also rapidly come to the aid of goliaths, using tough shields and quick movement to absorb hits that would be taken by their creators.

Unfortunately, few survived this successful goliath invasion. The select survivors buried themselves beneath the earth, found a home in shadowy realms, or became treasures of the greediest wyrms of the world.

In Eldar, obsidian earth elementals roam the charred country of Imixia. These elementals are prized possessions of spellcasters there if they can be captured, as they are able to delve into the deep lava pools scattered across the terrain. In almost silent sects in Ogremocha, Imixia's neighboring realm, some goliaths rediscovered the art of forming these obsidian elementals. Their creations do not rival those of ancient earth molders, though.

In Golgifell, a single obsidian earth elemental from the World Below demolished the most bustling town in the Odgrir Northlands about 30 years ago. It still roams the ruins and spews forth steaming lava from its roaring mouth, keeping back any would-be heroes from recovering what remains in the ruins of Tarinbur.

Sample Obsidian Earth Elemental

Using the generator I linked at the start of this article, I rolled up this obsidian earth elemental's abilities/actions:

Base Monster: Earth Elemental
Added Ability: Aura of Protection. The foe emboldens the defenses of all allies within 15’ of it, increasing their armor class by 1.
Added Action: No Escape. When the foe makes an opportunity attack against a creature, it has advantage. If it hits, the foe can make a second attack.
Plot Hook: Arising from the bowels of the Material Plane is an ancient obsidian earth elemental, bent on destruction as it was in the earliest days of the world. Like a tarrasque, it moves from target to target without discrimination. Villages fall. Towns collapse. Cities quake. What awakened it? Who does it serve? Perhaps it's related to the Oath of the Ancients. What is its endgame? The mystery walks and brings doom. Will anyone divert or end its path?

In addition to the extra parts outlined above, it also has the following action:

Phase Shift. The obsidian earth elemental may use its action to turn invisible and teleport to an unoccupied space within 60'. On its next turn, it can attack a target within range. It has advantage on the attack.

Fire Giant Templar

Here's my personal favorite of the fleshed out monstrous paladin batch: the support-focused fire giant templar.

It can be a mix of defense, healing, and dominating the battlefield with offensive auras. Fire giants are also excellent foes to incorporate into any story, so here's a bit of lore based on this specific variation!

What is a Fire Giant Templar?

Fire giant society is clearly split. While forgemasters and kings may rank highest in this division, a clear third place is held by templars. These fierce warriors uphold the profound tenets of all fire giants, following the fiery Oath of the Forge, every single letter of it.

Few outside giant culture know about the existence of this sacred oath. It helped cement fire giants as masters of conquering and crafting, as well as their position in the Ordning. These are its tenets:

For the Forge. The World Above and the Realm Below hold many people, resources, and secrets. All are food for our roaring forges.
Sacrifice for the Forge. Not all crusades into enemy territory end in complete domination. If faced with death and loss of claimed resources for the fire giant kingdom, I will sacrifice myself so that others may take back the won treasures.
Master the Forge. Strength in battle is second only to understanding the forge. I must comprehend what I might make the ultimate sacrifice for so that the forgemasters may continue to keep our society strong.

Are you interested in the Oath of the Forge for player characters? I'm working on it right now and will likely release it in good time. Once I do, I'll send out a quick message to everyone on my mailing list. Join it now if you'd like to receive this new paladin subclass in the near future.

In Eldar, fire giant templars are found at the head of Imixia's Burning Legion. They head all forays outside the blasted country, mostly into the Subterrane where they raid dark dwarf and drow settlements for resources, both living and inanimate.

In Golgifell, fire giants are scarcely seen. Fire giant templars, as a result are even more rare. However, in formerly giantish lands such as Odgrir or the Towerpeaks, distant descendants of fire giants who mated with other peoples are seldom found. A few of them live by a heavily revised Oath of the Forge, and a tiny subset seek out the original in dilapidated halls of stone and soot.

Sample Fire Giant Templar

Using the generator I linked at the start of this article, I rolled up this fire giant templar's actions:

Base Monster: Fire Giant
Added Action: Aura of Health. The foe may use a bonus action to heal all allied creatures in a 10’ radius by 2d6 hit points.
Added Action: Voice of Redemption. The foe may use an action to raise a creature it can touch from the dead, as long as its body is intact, and it died less than 1 minute ago.
Plot Hook: Clouds of smoke obscure the skies above a usually bustling frontier town and terrifying, fire-breathing hounds scour the countryside around it. Dwarfish veterans whisper in the streets of a potential invasion from the World Below, led by fire giants and their enslaved warriors, but the truth is far more sinister. The town's newly elected mayor is a faithful of the Oath of the Forge, a human descended from a line of half-giants. He primes the town for complete invasion and take-over, working with his great, great grandfather: a fire giant templar. Soon, the streets of his town shall be covered in soot and forges of grand flame shall work through the night...Will this plot be discovered? Will the templar be stopped?

Summarizing Monstrous Paladins

Sometimes, making monsters can be difficult. Plenty of inspiration can be mined from the various books of the current D&D edition and of those past, including from player-centric books. Particularly, the flavor and mechanics of many character classes. To summarize:

Paladins make great foes and can be easily generated using the Paladin Foe Generator.
Oaths provide paladin foes with excellent goals and simple ways to portray a compelling enemy. Oaths last generations and usually speak to primal pieces of the world: vengeance, conquest, redemption. You can easily base an entire villain around this.
Almost anything can use abilities inspired by paladins. Earth elementals can gain their defensive auras or attacks. Dragons can imbue their claws with the powers of smiting. Influential dwarves can wield their force of will upon the meek.

In last week's post, I explored what you might do instead of outright canceling a D&D game when another member or two cancels. If you enjoyed this article, check it out.

Here's to greatening your game and world: cheers!

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As always, thanks for reading. Please send all inquiries to rjd20writes@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

How to Return to Your D&D Game After a Break

Extended breaks are commonplace in many Dungeons & Dragons groups. Mine are no exception. But what should you prepare for as a Dungeon Master or a Player after a long absence from the game and world of your D&D campaign? Well, as I'm about to return to my homebrew world of Eldar after a lengthy hiatus due to the birth of my daughter, this topic constantly bounces around my mind.

It's a tricky topic, really, and is unique for every group out there. However, after a few musings during my morning runs, I think I've nailed down exactly what every Dungeon Master and Player needs to think about.

If you're about to return to a D&D game after a long hiatus or are about to take one, this is the article for you.

Read on for some vital advice about how to keep your D&D game alive after or before a long break.

Gather Your Party

Wrangling everyone together is usually the most difficult part of planning a D&D session or campaign, and that's true when returning to the latter as well! Fortunately, you should have a firm relationship established with each of the players and, with a bit of communication on your part about why a break occurred in the first place, gathering everyone shouldn't be too difficult.

Start with a message. Let everyone know that you're ready to return to the D&D table. If you'd like to be transparent, give a bit more information on why the break happened and why you're good to go and play again. Most people, especially your fellow friends and players, shall appreciate it.

Connect with people, Talk back and forth. Get back into the swing of D&D-esque communication: little quips back and forth, reminiscing about past adventures, and battling the all too powerful calendar beast.

Once you're all in communication again, schedule your first game back. Let everyone know how excited you are to begin again and move to the new section...unless you'd like to commit to a bit of extra work/fun.

A Short Piece of Fantastical Fiction

Writers among you Dungeon Masters out there, take this reintroduction to your campaign and world as an opportunity to grab the attention of your players. Take a few hours to write a succinct piece of fiction about the campaign. Grant the players a snapshot of the villain. Briefly recap the story as it currently stands. Don't impose on their characters or play the characters, elevate them and show your players why they're important to the current story and the state of the world.

If you're interested, here are two examples I've written: The Great Unraveling Begins and New Blood.

Don't go overboard. Keep it concise. Keep it interesting. Keep it optional. Write it for fun and as an optional reintroduction to the campaign.

Start Broad, Then Zoom In

With a date set to begin your campaign again, it's time to begin prepping. This first session should focus on a few core goals: snapshotting the current arc of the campaign, highlighting each of the characters, and hyper focusing on a singular force of malice.

Let's explore the first two ideas and save the villain for last.

Prepare a complete recap, but don't spend the first ten minutes of the session recapping the game as it stands. Instead, integrate it into the actual story.

Begin with a brief reintroduction the world and story. Outline its tenets in 30 seconds or less and then leap right into the narrative, asking yourself a set of three specific questions to prepare:

Where are the characters?
What are they doing?
Why are they doing it?

Armed with those three questions, you should be able to set the scene and immediately leap into the action. Carve out this opening sequence for your players. In general, do they all enjoy wild combat encounters or flamboyant social interactions? Discovering new locations or sparring with a massive monster? Whatever they enjoy most, open the return session with it.

Ideally, with this clean, clear opening, you'll also unite them against someone old or someone new, an aspect to channel their rage against and help bolster their victories...

Give the Players Someone to Hate

Now everyone's altogether again, unite them against a common enemy quickly, whether they're a new villain, current foe, or recurring baddie. Ideally, you should include this individual in your clear and concise opening sequence.

In your prep, define this character.

Who are they? Why do they care about the characters? Why should the characters care about them?

Additionally, tie some intrigue or mystery to the character, something the characters and players can latch onto for the session or the next few sessions to come. This baddie will be your conduit to drive the story forward and unite the party again.

It's a great way to ensure everyone is ready to return to the table consistently, all in the name of adventure and eliminating their new favorite villain.

Breaks Aren't an Issue

Breaks are common in D&D campaigns. When you return, you should have a clear plan to go about this return.

Give your return to the table some time to think about. Ensure you and your players have an excellent return session. Succinctly, break down your plan into three parts:

Gather your party once again. Ensure everyone is able to attend and that you and them are prepared.
Start with a broad shot, then zoom in. Keep your recap of the world and story brief. Instead, focus on the characters, what they're doing, and what drives them forward. Begin with what your players love most about D&D.
Give the players and characters someone to hate. Tie this villain to the characters, flesh them out fully, and plop a mystery atop them. Use this baddie as a conduit to unite the party entirely.

Hopefully, each of these ideas will help your group and campaign flourish in the many moments to come.

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How to Build Fighter-Inspired D&D Monsters

Even with the most basic of Dungeons & Dragons character classes, we can invigorate our monsters with new life. Surprisingly, the method we use to accomplish this task can be even simpler. Dissimilar to the tactics we tried in previous articles in this series that explored the Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, and Druid D&D character classes, this article all about the Fighter grapples a streamlined approach.

All we need to create a Fighter-inspired monster for our D&D game and world are a d20, d10, and a d8. Pick them up, shake them a tad, and toss them across the table. Let the results inspire our specialized D&D monsters.

The Monster (d20)

What is our monster?

A/an...

Goblin
Orc
Skeleton
Gnoll
Troll
Manticore
Red dragon wyrmling
Hill giant
Orthon
Frost giant
Mind flayer
Fire giant
Efreeti
Yuan-ti anathema
Ice devil
Death knight
Adult green dragon
Lich
Empyrean
Ancient silver dragon

The Fighter Subclass (d10)

What defines our monster as a Fighter? Do they utilize a variety of tactics on the battlefield, calling shots and aiming for enemy weak points? Perhaps they are quite generic, only capable of mastering a single weapon but doing so incredibly well. Maybe they control both a blade and a set of spells. They might even boast a quiver of magical arrows capable of devastating the warzone, with a buff or two.

It's necessary to say that the abilities of these subclasses should merely inspire us, not serve as the actual mechanics attached to our monster. Our Champion Orthon might not only get a critical hit on a 19 and 20, but an 18 as well! Now that's a threatening range.

We need not be frightened of over tuning our monster. There's always time to adjust on the fly or iterate for the next encounter. What Fighter subclass is our monster inspired by?

A/an...

Battle Master
Champion
Eldritch Knight
Samurai
Cavalier
Echo Knight
Arcane Archer
Banneret
Psi Warrior
Rune Knight

The Plot Hook (d8)

Where does our Fighter-inspired monster fit in the game's story and broader world?

Regardless, they must connect to the player characters in some way. The core group drives the narrative forward and should serve as the focus of the world and game. Our monstrous Fighter should serve us to interact with them in an interesting manner.

So, what is our monster all about?

The monster...

Wins out a major gladiator tournament and earns its freedom. For one reason or another, it targets the player characters.
Survives a long and brutal war. The conflict's result causes it to lose control and go on a rampage in peaceful lands.
Heads a military force. Although it is more concerned about strategy than singular combats, it can hold its own on the battlefield.
Trains at an esteemed academy, but is kicked out for some specific reason, valid or not. It blames the player characters and seeks them out for revenge.
Finds a powerful, sentient weapon. The weapon corrupts the monster and causes it to covet something the player characters possess.
Is touched by an evil deity. Imbued with malicious divinity, the monster commits to a religious rampage and must be stopped.
Rallies a host of usually lambasted or hated creatures. Altogether, they pose a threat to a nearby piece of civilization if not dealt with, softly or harshly.
Constructs a war citadel on the edge of society. Move by move, the monster dominates more land, amassing power through followers, territory, and new magic items.

A Simple Way

That's it, a simple way to craft a monster inspired by the Fighter player character class and its various subclass. By rolling three dice, we have a creature capable of harassing our party and driving our dramatic story forward for one session or twenty!

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How to Make Earthier D&D Monsters with the Druid Class

Molding the monsters we pit against the players is one of our most important jobs as Dungeon Masters and/or Game Masters in Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop roleplaying games. Sometimes, it's a difficult task. We don't necessarily want to throw goblins at the group for the fifth time, but cannot decipher a way to incorporate funkier monsters like flail snails or slaadi into our games.

Luckily, there's an easy way to bash monsters with an easy-to-understand, well-known segment of D&D: the character classes.

In the past, we've already mashed together various monsters with the Barbarian, Bard, and Cleric class. In this article, we're combining them with the Druid class.

Monsters Inspired by Druids

Between the many special spells and class abilities specific to the Druid, there's a wealth of inspiration for us to draw from for our monsters. Most Druid abilities are related to nature, be it animals, the ground they walk on, or the elements that help them survive and, sometimes, slowly erode their lives.

Listed below are twelve abilities we can attach to monsters. These things grant our monsters a flair of the druidic, a piece of the natural. If we already have a monster in mind, we can simply roll a d12 and attach this Druid-based ability to them, imbuing them with a unique piece of earthly magic, knowledge, or skill.

Unnatural Natural Weapons: The monster has some sort of unnatural natural weapon, such as claws, fangs, or talons. They may use them as weapons in combat. Imagine a fire giant with fangs, a human barbarian with claws, or a bullywug with talons.
Beast Shape: The monster can transform into an animal/beast appropriate to its challenge rating and environment such as a mammoth, a frog, or an elk. Its normal form takes on an appearance similar to its most-shaped beast. Think about a halfling with slimy frog skin, a hill giant with mammoth tusks, or a green dragon with massive elk antlers.
Elemental Shape: The monster can transform into an elemental appropriate to its challenge rating and environment such as a fire elemental, an earth elemental, or a steam mephit. Its normal form takes on an appearance similar to its most-shaped elemental. Auras of each element may conjure around them, such as bouts of intense heat, bursts of strong wind, rumbling in the ground below them, or a consistent steam or dripping humidity in their vicinity.
Monster Shape: The monster can transform into a monster appropriate to its challenge rating and environment such as a displacer beast, an ankheg, or an umber hulk. Its normal form takes on an appearance similar to its most-shaped monster. Imagine a dwarf with umber hulk eyes, a goblin with displacer beast tentacles, or a vampire with ankheg pincers.
Avatar of Air: The monster transforms into an avatar of air. It can manifest small storms of lightning and thunder, control gusts of wind, and even fly. Perhaps it can loose bolts of lightning, too! It tends to work with creatures of air, such as air elementals, aarakocra, and flying beasts like wyverns, giant eagles, and rocs.
Avatar of Fire: The monster transforms into an avatar of fire. It can thrust fireballs, manipulate present fires, and is nearly immune to all forms of flame. It might be able to transform weapons into fiery versions of their normal selves. It usually works alongside fiery beasts like fire elementals, azer, and salamanders.
Avatar of Earth: The monster transforms into an avatar of earth. It can spawn fissures in the ground, is unusually strong, and its skin has patches of stone, granting it extra natural armor. Perhaps it has the ability to burrow in the ground as well! It sometimes works with creatures of rock like bulletes, earth elementals, and xorns.
Avatar of Water: The monster transforms into an avatar of water. It can swim extremely fast, control water at will, and freeze patches of moving and still water. It may also posess the ability to communicate with aquatic life like sharks, minnows, and walruses. Most of the time, it works with watery monsters like sahuagin, water elementals, and triton.
Animal Companion: The monster has an animal companion imbued with a druidic spirit such as a bear, a wolf, a rabbit, or an eagle. If the animal companion dies, the monster may resummon the spirit as a ritual the next dawn. The monster and animal companion can communicate telepathically, and the monster can look through the animal companion's eyes.
Twist Growth: The monster causes a piece of natural vegetation to grow thorns. This could cause the vegetation to become difficult terrain, damage creatures, or even poison those who prick themselves with its thorns.
Beast Speech: The monster is able to easily communicate with animals and can even mimic the sounds of certain beasts such as a bear's roar, a wolf's howl, and a cat's meow. Animals naturally trust it and will easily work with it unless the monster shows them harm.
Grove Keeper: The monster is deeply connected to a specific piece of land, typically a small forest, rock shrine, or shallow cave. While it is in this area, it gains a set of lair abilities that empower it and/or weaken enemies. Perhaps a Druid monster in an underwater cave can cause the current to quicken and disrupt enemies, summon a swarm of voracious fish, and briefly heat the water to a boiling point!

If we would like to bash together one of these Druid-based abilities with an interesting monster, roll a d20 alongside the d12. Take the result if it's compelling, otherwise reroll!

Kobold
Myconid
Gnoll
Dryad
Hill giant
Manticore
Young green dragon
Fire giant
Treant
Vampire
Adult blue dragon
Androsphinx
Death knight
Mind flayer
Beholder
Aboleth
Balor
Ancient black dragon
Ancient gold dragon
Ancient emerald dragon

Eager for a bit more customizability? Roll a d8 to give the monster a root in a Druid subclass, too! This can serve as extra inspiration for more abilities or story ideas.

Circle of the Moon
Circle of the Shepherd
Circle of Stars
Circle of Spores
Circle of Dreams
Circle of the Land
Circle of Wildfire
Circle of Blood

Monsters with Druidic Roots

We need not only mechanically enhance our monsters with Druid-based material: why not incorporate druidic backgrounds into the stories of them, too? In fact, this might be the more compelling piece of using the Druid class in our games. Druids can make for excellent villains, especially those with a good reason for pursuing their needs and desires. After all, some of the best villains have motivations the player characters can relate to, or even agree with.

Outlined below are four Druid-based backgrounds for various monsters. They can be attached to a wide variety of foes, and even act as the starting point for a grand adventure or struggle against a Druid.

Local poachers begin dying at the hands of a vengeful Druid. The Druid uses a variety of tactics to lure in the poachers and eliminate them with the cunning of thorny vines and the might of their dire bear animal companion. However, after the slaughter of the dire bear's cub, the Druid aims at the local village, eager to claim the lives of the poachers' families.
Guided by omens from the skies, a Circle of Stars druid sets out on a crusade against civilization with a herd of beasts. They work with no other sentient creatures, just animals, some imbued with magical abilities.
Against all semblance of natural order and tradition, a mysterious, powerful, and bloodthirsty Druid weaves together an alliance of lycanthropes. An opposing Circle of the Moon Druid reaches out to the player characters in an attempt to rally against this blasphemous foe, eager to slay them before their gains are too great.
When a Circle of Wildfires Druid wrests control of a cult dedicated to the apocalypse of the Material Plane, flames erupt round the world. Cities begin burning, forests turn to ash, and volcanos bellow great spouts of lava and destruction.

In Summary

Just like all of D&D's other character classes, the Druid boasts all manner of inspiration for our monsters. It gives us monsters who can wield the elements of fire, air, water, and earth with ease and might; it gives us monsters who can shift between forms, creating opportunities for deception and wild battles with wacky foes; it gives us monsters who can take on even more bestial characteristics, and even ally with all sort of animal to challenge the group at every opportunity; and it gives us a compelling character type to pit against the party, one that might be a villain with an understandable point of view.

Join me in the next article when it hits, using the Fighter as a jumping off point for a variety of new monsters for our games.

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