Showing posts with label Worldbuilding Ideas. Show all posts

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!

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.

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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How to Make Holier D&D Monsters with the Cleric Class

Monsters invigorated with religious fervor are formidable foes to behold and battle in Dungeons & Dragons. A kobold imbued with the avaricious nature of Tiamat, Queen of Dragons? How about a minotaur infused with a belief not in gods, planar beings, or primordials, but his own inner strength and resolve? Dueling a fire giant in D&D who fuels her inner fire with the War Domain of the Cleric class might burn the characters, but a red dragon blessed with the divine strength of a Nature goddess? That's an entirely different story and encounter.

Each of these unique D&D monsters inspired by elements of the Cleric class from D&D 5e's Player's Handbook flourish further within this article. Let's make some holier monsters, one piece of scripture at a time.

This cleric by John Stanko cleanses an ally's wounds and prepares them for terrible purpose.

This RJD20 article is a continuation of a series called Crossing Classes and Monsters. Thus far, we've explored the Barbarian and the Bard. This article, all about the Cleric, is the third in the series. If you've missed the others, be sure to check them out and leave a comment with your thoughts!

Monsters Crossed with D&D Classes

While this isn't a new phenomenon entirely, mixing monsters and classes isn't present in any official D&D 5e rulebook. In past editions, it was commonplace to give monsters character classes. In this series of articles, we're doing something similar: we're using the character classes and subclasses of the 5e PHB to inspire various abilities, actions, and story beats for the monsters we pit against the players.

In particular, we're defining three aspects:

Base: What is our base monster? Our base class?
Class Abilities: Which abilities of our base class inspire us? What are the new actions and abilities of the custom monster?
Ripples: What are the ramifications of the class-inspired monster? How does its story change? How about the lore of the world?

With these three blocks as our foundation, we're prepared to explore four monsters crossed with the Cleric class: the kobold, the minotaur, the fire giant, and the adult red dragon. Remember, we're finicking with the fabric of D&D 5e in this article. The monsters are inspired from their Monster Manual counterparts, character classes from the Player's Handbook, and a healthy dose of homebrew imagination from our own minds. Each base monster stat block is provided via a link to D&D Beyond.

The custom monsters may require balancing in the moment, but the musings below should inspire us to use them in our games and insert them into our worlds. Let's begin!

Kobold Scion of Tiamat

All things great come in fives! Mushrooms! Tunnels! Victories! She grants them to us as fuel, as weapons, and as inspiration to continue our quest, for we will not rest until her chains are broken. We are her most determined children, her greatest numbers, and her deadliest arms against the people who would see her imprisoned or slaughtered. We are the kobolds of Tiamat! I am her scion! Hear me ROAR!

Usually, the kobold works well as a monster thrown at the characters in a large group of other kobolds. They get D&D 5e's Pack Tactics after all! However, let's try something different with this Cleric-based creation: let's create a kobold that can stand alone as a boss monster to fight and/or interact with the party. Allow me to introduce the kobold scion of Tiamat.

This threatening kobold scion by Bryan Syme yips its way to power and wealth.

As a boss monster in fifth edition D&D, our kobold needs formidability, mobility, and volatility. Warning, this is a substantial foe for a low-level party, meant to be a threatening boss fight to a well-oiled party.

Five-Headed Fervor (Ability): The kobold scion of Tiamat may switch its outgoing damage type between fire, cold, acid, poison, and lightning at-will.
Tiamat's Flight (Action): The kobold scion of Tiamat levitates 10 feet up, avoiding attacks of opportunity, and unleashes 1d4+1 elemental rays at targets it chooses within 60 feet. Each ray deals 1d6 points of elemental damage, chosen by the kobold scion of Tiamat.
Dragon Quake (Action): The kobold scion of Tiamat stomps the ground with godly power, cracking tiny fissures in the ground in a 20-foot radius around it. The affected ground is difficult terrain.
Tiamat's Judgement (Bonus Action): The kobold scion of Tiamat focuses on an allied creature within 30 feet. Roll a d20. If the result is a 10 or higher, that creature gains advantage on its next roll, but must shout out a prayer to the Dragon Queen. The kobold scion of Tiamat may focus on itself.
Tiamat's Snap (Bonus Action): The kobold scion of Tiamat attacks a creature within 10 feet, conjuring an image of the Dragon Queen. If the attack hits, target creature must make a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone by the colorful image.
Storm of the Scion (Villain Action): On the first turn of combat, the kobold scion of Tiamat wails a prayer to the Dragon Queen and creatures an elemental tempest around the battlefield. The tempest skirts the battle's edge. At the end of every round, a flash of elemental magic strikes a random creature in the combat, dealing 1d4 points of elemental damage chosen by the kobold scion of Tiamat. The tempest ends when its creator is knocked unconscious or dies.
Five-Headed Finality (Villain Action): When the kobold scion of Tiamat drops to zero hit points, it loses all other abilities but sprouts four more heads, each scaled like one of the chromatic true dragons. It gains a bite "Multiattack" action (+4 to hit, 1d4+2 piercing damage, 2 attacks) and 1/4 of its hit points.

The abilities of our kobold scion of Tiamat complete, let's explore a few ways it might impact the rest of the game and/or world.

Kobold scions of Tiamat who survive their "Five-Headed Finality" action slowly transform into hydras.
A kobold scion of Tiamat unites five different kobold clans beneath a single banner, though their endgame puzzles many. They seek the domination of a close-by gold dragon, who the kobold scion of Tiamat claims may be controlled with the Dragon Queen's will.
Exiled from her clan, a kobold scion of Tiamat joins a thieves' guild in the slums of a big city. Slowly, she's converting its members to worship of the Dragon Queen when the guild master grabs one of Tiamat's legendary wyrmspeaker masks. The scion turns half the guild against the guild master in a power grab for control of the guild and possession of the mask, thrusting the slums into bloody conflict.
If Tiamat doesn't exist in the world, the scion may draw power from a flight of chromatic dragons, a different deity of destruction and greed, or perhaps an archdevil or archfiend.

Minotaur Mindpriest

Do not fret if the gods ignore you, little one. All that empowers you is inside you. Sit in silence and retreat within. Allow darkness to overcome you, your deepest fears to mount, every doubt and horrible dream consume your being. Then fight all of them back. Show yourself your strength. True divinity lurks not outside us, but within. Sit, think, and see.

Opposite our goal with the kobold scion of Tiamat, let's craft a minotaur, a foe typically fought alone, as a monster that functions well in a mob of creatures. Specifically, our inspiration derives from the Life Domain of the Cleric class. Say hello to the minotaur mindpriest, a bastion of inner power.

Proudly, this minotaur by mas-r1980 leads a group of vagabonds, hoping to evoke true emotional growth in them all.

Strength of the Herd (Ability): The minotaur mindpriest emits an aura in a 30 feet radius that causes its allies to regain 10 HP at the start of its turn as long as they are above 0 hit points.
Mind Growth (Action): The minotaur mindpriest picks an ally within 30 feet, protecting its mind. It gains advantage on all Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom saving throws for the rest of the combat or until the minotaur mindpriest drops to 0 hit points.
Might Growth (Action): The minotaur mindpriest picks an ally within 30 feet, bolstering its strength. It gains an extra 1d6 radiant damage on all its attacks for the rest of the combat or until the minotaur mindpriest drops to 0 hit points.
Mobility Growth (Action): The minotaur mindpriest picks an ally within 30 feet, quickening its movement. Its movement speed is doubled for the rest of the combat or until the minotaur mindpriest drops to 0 hit points.
Spur On (Reaction): If an ally within 30 feet drops to 0 hit points, the minotaur mindpriest may cause it to make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. If it succeeds, it stays up at 1 hit point. If it fails, it drops to 0 hit points. Either way, the targeted ally may not be affected by this action until the next dawn.

The minotaur mindpriest is a mighty support monster for the characters to battle, but we must use its actions intelligently for it to work wonders and challenge them in combat. Consider positioning it in a strategical vantage point, ensuring other monsters guard it, and calling out its support abilities to the characters if they don't catch on to the massive effect it has on the encounter. Sometimes, the players need to be spurred a tad, especially if encounters don't usually contain supportive foes.

If the minotaur mindpriest is too complex for our liking, we can instead use the Cleric class as inspiration for it in the fiction of our game and the lore of our world.

In the dark corner of the town's tavern, a minotaur mindpriest inspires cowardly adventurers to greatness.
Acting as a motivational speaker, a minotaur mindpriest blesses certain gladiators before their battles in a coliseum. Is the minotaur playing favorites? Someone believes so...
A minotaur mindpriest leads a band of highly successful bandits, thought the minotaur believes it might drive them from the path of villainy in good time.

Fire Giant Axediviner

By flame and steel, we conquered these lands! Their people we enslaved, their treasures we took to greaten. By flame and steel, we shall keep them!

This fire giant by Orangus readies to annihilate her meager foes.

Our other Cleric-inspired monsters specialize in spells and support, but this creature, using the fire giant as a base, focuses on an entirely different tactic in combat: raw melee damage and control. Of course, we use the War and Tempest Domains as our primary Cleric inspiration to build the powerful fire giant axediviner.

Blood for the Fire God (Ability): Every time a creature dies during a combat, the fire giant axediviner gains +1 fire damage to all melee hits, to a maximum of +10. This resets at the end of the combat.
Divine Bellow (Action): The fire giant axediviner lets out a thundering bellow. All enemies within 300 feet who can hear it must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or fall prone.
March of the Divine Legion (Action): The fire giant axediviner commands its allies to march, attack, and die for their deity. All allies within 300' who can hear it may move up to 30 feet and make a single melee attack.
Earthshatter (Bonus Action): The fire giant axediviner strikes the ground, creating a 5-foot-wide, 10-foot-deep fissure in the ground that spreads up to 30 feet away from the fire giant axediviner. Any creature in its path must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or fall into the fissure. The fissure counts as difficult terrain.
Invoke Fervor (Bonus Action): The fire giant axediviner picks an ally within 60 feet, invoking them with divine fervor. The ally gains advantage on its next attack roll.

There we are: a battle-ready fire giant Cleric, but we're not finished. How can we connect this creature to our world?

The usually quiet fire giant stronghold nearby experienced a sudden uprising led by a fire giant axediviner. She demands not only tribute from the surrounding dwarven holds, but the immediate conversion to her deity's worship. To forsake her is to invoke her deity's wrath and the dwarven holds' doom.
A fire giant axediviner promises divine power to whoever can bring her a fiery relic stolen from her people by a feisty frost giant jarl decades ago. The primary issue? The jarl lives atop a glacier on the Elemental Plane of Ice, a realm no fire giant can go.
Two fire giant axediviners of rival deities contest for supremacy over a mixed-race giant citadel. One enlists the party to eliminate the other, but the incoming victory might spur the victor into a campaign of fire and destruction.
A lone fire giant axediviner roams the nearby desert, claiming the heads of travelers it encounters to gift its god of war. If beaten in combat, it becomes a machine of war for whoever dominated it, willing to carry out any violent act against any supposed foe.

Adult Red Dragon Summerbringer

Beauty is best captured not in gold, but in the natural world around us. And it's most spectacular state? The fullness of summer. Wondrous animals frolicking about. Flowers in full bloom. The sky a brilliant blue during day and a speckled starscape at night. Why allow the bitterness of autumn, the grimness of winter, and the dreariness of spring assault the perfect heat of summer? Like others of my kind lash out at those who touch their beloved treasures, I destroy any who would change my pristine land; I wage war on the primal beings of creation, and it is a war I will win.

A red dragon hisses at a cold foe, drawn by an unknown artist, found in the 5e DMG.

As a near-pinnacle foe, this next creature with roots in the adult red dragon monster is meant to be fought as a boss, capable of conducting itself on all the fronts our former creations do. High-level player characters shall tremble when battling it in combat, facing off against it in a social encounter, or exploring its flower-rich lair.

Meet the adult red dragon summerbringer.

Eversummer Heat (Ability): Any enemy within 60 feet of the adult red dragon summerbringer takes 5 fire damage at the start of their turn. If they begin their turn within 5 feet of the adult red dragon summerbringer, they must make a DC 6 Constitution saving throw or gain a level of exhaustion.
Incineration (Action): The adult red dragon summerbringer targets a single creature within 120 feet, threatening them with the power of blistering heat. The targeted creature must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 8d10 fire damage. If the creature fails the save by 5 or more, it also gains a level of exhaustion.
Rejuvenating Strength (Bonus Action): The adult red dragon summerbringer draws in the essence of summer and picks an unconscious ally or an ally who dropped to 0 hit points during the current combat. That ally rises at 1 hit point but may not use any spells or special abilities until it takes a long rest.
Wings of Hope (Bonus Action): If the adult red dragon summerbringer is flying, it may use a bonus action to imbue the wind of its wings with healing magic, granting all allies within 120 feet 2d10 hit points.
Fiery Fury (Reaction): When the adult red dragon summerbringer is hit by an attack, it may use a reaction to let out a snort of fatiguing heat, targeting the creature who hit it. The targeted creature must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they become Paralyzed until the beginning of their next turn.

Even without a villain action or two, our version of a red dragon Cleric is a formidable threat to any experienced adventuring party. However, how might this party interact with the dragon, and how might the dragon impact our world?

Immersed in the beauty of the Feywild for many years, a red dragon emerges from the plane and attempts to wrap the mortal world in the same sort of flora and fauna of the mystical realm.
Destined to bring eternal summer to its northern home, a red dragon touched by the god of the sun and raised by a fiery druid rallies an army of fanatical kobolds, Circle of Wildfire druids, and passionate fey beasts to turn the northern snow to steam and bask the frontier in unending sunlight.
A vengeful nature deity whose demigod child was killed by a patron of ice and snow imbues a red dragon with the power of divine flame and summer, commanding it to enact revenge upon the followers of the child-god slaying cold creature.
In a land "cursed" by eternal summer, the red dragon causing this phenomenon is slain and winter threatens the realm. Somehow, eversummer or the dragon who brought it must be returned before the ghouls and aberrations of everwinter strike the unprepared land.

The Scripture to Holier D&D Monsters

The Player's Handbook provides Dungeon Masters with a shimmering fountain of inspiration. Our holy creations above are but a sample of the true treasures hiding on its pages and the pages of all the other books usually meant for the players to enjoy. Dive in. Let these D&D books inspire your creations and help your game flourish.

This is but the beginning. With the Cleric class crossed with D&D monsters explored, we will investigate the Druid class next and the Fighter class afterward. Of course, this current set of articles merely connects these monsters to the base subclasses of each core D&D 5e character class; Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything hold many more possibilities to inspire our D&D beasties. And books of the past? They are fair game as well. Lords of Madness, we'll look at you soon enough.

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How to Make Snappier D&D Monsters with the Bard Class

Ever wish you could pit a battalion of drum-beating goblin warchanters against the characters? How about a four-headed troll that gurgles a disgusting melody to thrust confusion into his enemies and maddening vigor into his allies? Maybe a crime-fighting copper dragon who understands her bars and the greatest hits of the realm? Or a vampire dictator who weaves words into the minds of thousands, taking their minds as his own?

All and more are deeper in this article! Grab your creative helmet, a Player's Handbook, and a Monster Manual. It's time to make some snappy monsters.

Clint Cearley's bard from the fifth edition Player's Handbook.

Also, if you missed the last article on mixing the Barbarian class with four monsters (the berserk bandit, the bear totem bugbear, the executioner hill giant, and the ballistic beholder) to make meatier encounters, check it out here.

Crossing Classes and Monsters

Dungeon Masters are always on the prowl for new ways to create interesting monsters for the characters to fight or interact with. While it may seem obvious to some, a mountain of content sits on the pages of books primarily aimed at players. Yes, we're using the Player's Handbook in conjunction with the Monster Manual to build a few compelling creatures for use in our Dungeons & Dragons games. In particular, we're looking at the fifth edition variants of these books; other editions may follow.

For this article in particular, let's use the Bard class as our primary point of inspiration. Each creature we create is defined by the following three points:

Base: What is our base creature? What is our base class?
Class Abilities: What class abilities are used by this creature? Are they revamped?
Ripples: What does this creature's class mean for the rest of the game? How about the creature's story?

Using these three blocks as our bases, let's explore four different monsters with the Bard class from the fifth edition D&D PHB as our main resource.

However, before we dive into the midst of this article's content, may I inquire you to join RJD20's newsletter? Do so and never miss an article here again! They release on Monday mornings and an email follows the day after. If you'd rather they appear in your inbox weekly than discovering them organically on Google or social media, go ahead and sign up now.

Goblin Warchanter

At the head of the goblin horde marches a line of proud goblinoids dressed in bone armor, pounding tiny drums and screaming rhythmically. They inspire their usually fearful kin to continue battling and rise again against all odds. They are each a goblin warchanter.

Our base is the goblin, and our class is Bard. Since this is a low-level monster, let's keep it simple and only give it a single ability from the Bard class and allow the bulk of the inspiration to ooze into its special lore and ripples.

Which ability is best? Well, it's likely that the goblin warchanter will work as a part of a larger group and there will be multiple. With that in mind, perhaps the more there are, the greater their effect. This extra effect must be evident to the characters and players, so they know to focus down the goblin warchanters first. Let's use the Bard's Bardic Inspiration ability as a starting point.

Warchanter's Fury (Action): The goblin warchanter's wildly hits its drum, granting Warchanter's Fury to one allied creature within 60 feet. The allied creature gains a Warchanter's Fury die that may be added to any die roll once before it's expended. The die begins as a d4, but can increase to a d6, d8, d10, and finally a d12 each time Warchanter's Fury is used on it. Warchanter's Fury can be stacked from different sources (two different goblin warchanters, for example).

This is a powerful support ability that enhances a combat in a few ways, especially if the players are inexperienced and learning how to best play their characters individually and as a group. Used in conjunction with a powerful boss, it can grant massive increased damage or chance to hit, incentivizing the characters to focus down at least a few of the goblin warchanters before going nova on the boss. Even used with a group of four goblin warchanters and four regular goblins, the warchanters could radically empower their normal goblin companions, perhaps pounding drums from a strategical vantage point like a wooden watch tower or an ogre-sized boulder. Even a single goblin warchanter could threaten an entire party, as with the powerful drums it could alert its entire horde to the party's presence with a single bang.

Outside of the goblin warchanters potential use in combat, we can think about what special lore and ripple effects it might have. This can be as simple or as complex as we would like. Let's look at a few examples of special lore and ripples these drum-beating goblins might have:

Taught the instrument of the drum by the nearby hobgoblins in preparation for an upcoming assault on human lands, the goblin warchanters might mean war is near.
The lone survivor of an adventuring party was captured and brought to the goblin chief, only kept alive because of the strange instrument he carried: the drum. The goblin chief forced the bard to teach the goblin tribe how to use the drum and ever since it has been a symbol of these little creatures.
Every drum of these goblins is unique, crafted from the skin and bones of the goblin warchanter's ancestor.
Surprisingly, the goblins sing not in Goblin, Common, or even Giant, but in Draconic! The words they sing are frighteningly inspired and there's no way they created the chant themselves.
Drumbeating and screech-singing are the traditions of all the local goblin tribes. Every two summers, they hold a grand competition at the pinnacle of a great hill in which only the wildest, most threatening of warchanters survive.
Somehow, a few goblin warchanters managed to install a mobile set of drums on the back of the giant spiders they ride. Say hello to the eight-legged moving drum set!
The goblin chief is also a goblin warchanter and owns a magical set of drums, created by a legendary bard and lost to a snappy copper dragon long ago. How did the goblin get her hands on the set and what does the set do?
A goblin warchanter entered town a few weeks ago and is trying to establish himself as a reputable musician but got caught up in the wrong crowd. It's only a matter of time before he begins inspiring ruffians with his rhythmic beats, can he be saved?

There we are: the goblin warchanter fleshed out both as a potential foe in a bloody D&D battle and as a new addition to our world's vast lore.

Troll Bloodgurgler

A gurgling howl echoes from the decrepit pit, growing in both volume and disgust with each passing second. Accompanying the disturbing groans appear four sets of red eyes and not long after, they depart the darkness of the pit and reveal they rest on four different warty heads. Enter the troll bloodgurgler.

Daniel Ljunggren's troll from the fifth edition Monster Manual.

For this terrifying monster, we use the troll as the base and of course the Bard class from the Player's Handbook. Let's spice this up: the troll bloodgurgler is a solo monster the characters will fight, and it needs multiple abilities of the Bard to showcase it. As we need to try and keep the action economy balanced, the monster must boast a variety of actions; we can even give it a villain action or two as discussed in my take on Matt Colville's action-oriented monsters for fifth edition.

In addition to the troll's standard ability-set, the troll bloodgurgler wields the following weapons:

Trollish Choir (Ability): Most troll bloodgurglers begin with four heads. For each head, the troll bloodgurgler gains +1 to its DC for effects inflicted upon enemies (the Wisdom saving throw for Song of Terror, for example).
Song of Terror (Action): The troll bloodgurgler howls a spine-chilling lyric. All creatures within 120 feet must make a DC 12 base Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature's movement speed is set to 0 until the end of the troll bloodgurgler's next turn as they are frozen in terror. On a successful save, nothing happens.
Vicious Gurgling (Bonus Action): The troll bloodgurgler spits up a chunk of its thick blood in a 5-foot space within 15 feet. That space becomes difficult terrain.
Insulting Gibberish (Reaction): If a creature misses an attack against the troll bloodgurgler, it spits out a nonsense insult at the attacker. The attack must make a DC 12 base Wisdom saving throw or take 1d4 psychic damage.
Bloodstruck (Villain Action): When the troll bloodgurgler enters combat, all its heads focus on inflicting terrible mental harm upon a single enemy creature, howling at it wildly. The creature must make a DC 12 base Wisdom saving throw or take 4d12 psychic damage, or half on a successful save.
Encore! (Villain Action): When the troll bloodgurgler drops to 0 hit points, it sprouts two new, larger heads, gains 50 hit points, and immediately takes the Song of Terror action and makes three claw attacks against the nearest enemy creature.

A solid set of abilities attached to the troll bloodgurgler, let's ponder what ripples this creature may have on our worlds.

Miraculously, someone managed to teach a troll bloodgurgler how to play multiple instruments after it grew eight different arms. This has led to quite the sight in a few taverns across the realm, as the troll and teacher have established a peculiar (and sometimes violent) partnership.
A troll bloodgurgler and a group of goblin warchanters formed somewhat of a band. They bolster their monstrous friends in every battle and head the post-combat victory parties. They are rumored to be legendary.
Sages say the blood running through the veins of troll bloodgurgler is dissimilar to other troll blood. In fact, it may help enhance the voices of singers and orators across the realm if drank. True or not true?
A while ago, a tribe of trolls captured a traveling bard who taught them how to sing and dance. Now, the troll bloodgurglers of the tribe know the hippest melodies of the time and recite them in battle.

That's it for the troll bloodgurgler. Let's move on to the next creature.

Young Copper Dragon Soothsinger

Without a care in the world, a lovely halfling lass dressed in bright orange struts down the usually dangerous street in song. She bounces with every step, seemingly unaware of the rising alert level of the common ruffians and thieves who frequent the area. As they stalk nearer, her pitch heightens, and song concludes as she transforms into a horse-sized dragon with shimmering copper scales. Her old song ended, she begins anew as she chases each of the criminals and brings them to justice. She is a young copper dragon soothsinger.

As opposed to our other monsters, let's build a real character with this one, someone that the characters may actually ally with or have more than one or two interactions with before they die or fade from the adventure: the typical amount of prep I do for NPCs in my campaigns. Alongside this prep, let's give her a few Bard-inspired abilities.

I Am a Hero (Action): The young copper dragon soothsinger emboldens themself with a heroic lyric. Until the end of the combat, they gain resistance to slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage, an extra 1d6 psychic damage to all weapon attacks, and advantage on all Dexterity saving throws.
Soothing Song (Action): The young copper dragon soothsinger rehearses a beautifully soothing song. They may choose up to five creatures within 60 feet to gain 10 hit points and advantage on their next ability check, saving throw, or attack roll.
Lean On Me (Reaction): The young copper dragon soothsinger assists an ally it can see within 60 feet. If the ally fails an ability check or saving throw or misses an attack, the young copper dragon soothsinger can add 1d6 to the roll.

Extra actions finished, let's glimpse into her story.

Our young copper dragon soothsinger is named Pennalianna, but in her human form she goes by Penny. She was born to a renowned copper dragon, one who shared her knowledge, strength, and even her hoard with the nearby humanoids. This compassion, however, was her downfall. Just after Penny hatched and her mother was weak and tired from her hunting and care, a group of vile humanoid criminals assaulted her lair, eager to grab up all her hoard for themselves. Penny's mother fought as best she could but couldn't overcome their sheer numbers or willful greed. With her final measure of strength, she thrust Penny out into the wild, saving her but dying herself.

Penny roamed the wilds for many months, observing humanoid civilization from the outside, plotting, planning. She learned how to polymorph into humanoids and began walking among them, learning their ways and scoping out the bad apples among them. Her favorite hours were spent in the taverns and inns across the land, wherein illustrious bards would sing brilliant songs and play rousing music. Penny befriended some of them and began to learn their ways, even attending a bardic college for a few months. She was a quick learner.

Eventually, she ran into one of the criminals who slew her mother, one of her most beloved jewels hanging around his neck. Not quick to judge, Penny stalked him for weeks, ensuring he was still the man who killed the dragon who raised her. He was. On a stormy summer night, Penny followed the drunk man to his home, snuck inside, and waited for him to sober up. Upon awaking, the man found not Penny, but Pennalianna waiting for him. She explained who she was, why she was there, and what his fate would be, all in song; the man spit in her face and tried to fight but was no match for the young copper dragon. A smile on her face and a song emerging from her lips, she killed her mother's murderer and experienced euphoria like no other.

Presently, she continues her quest to avenge her mother's death and works to prevent crime wherever she can, with a smile and a song.

There she is: our young copper dragon soothsinger, ready for our games and players. Onward, to the final Bard-crossed monster of the day.

Vampire Orator

Dusk nearly at an end, the long, black-haired man gazed out over the gathered crowd. Hundreds, nay, thousands of his subjects standing in the obscuring darkness, rain pelting their bodies, all transfixed on him. Hanging on his every word. Ready to commit whatever deed pleased him. Loyal without fault, ready to live and die for their dark lord, he ever gave the word. He is a vampire orator.

The vampire from the fifth edition Monster Manual, artist unknown.

Our vampire orator also deserves more background than the goblin or troll from earlier. This isn't Skyrim or Neverwinter Nights in which the characters battle a cabal of vampires encounter after encounter, this is Dungeons & Dragons and an encounter with a vampire, most of the time, is a climactic or pivotal event. Let's take a slightly different approach as well and depart from the need for a musical inclination: this Bard-inspired vampire doesn't sing songs or play an instrument; he is an excellent speaker able to craft compelling tales and easily hold swaths of common folk under his sway with the magic trapped in those stories.

He is also a vampire, so a battle with him should be extremely challenging. Like the troll bloodgurgler from earlier, he needs a few villain actions to truly empower him in combat. Unlike the troll bloodgurgler, though, he needs allies in combat to thrive; many of his abilities are control-based and require more creatures on his side to actually take effect.

What might these oration actions look like? Let's think of them as enhanced versions of the command spell. In combat, try to say the actual name of the action before using it, to help provide flavor to the vampire orator's Bard abilities!

Note: For any of these abilities to affect their specified targets, the targets must not be deafened. They must be able to hear the vampire orator.

Fall To Your Knees and Pray (Action): The vampire orator bellows, targeting a single creature. The creature must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it drops prone and drops any objects it is carrying (including weapons) to its feet. This effect lasts until the beginning of its next turn.
Dream the Darkest Thought Imaginable (Action): The vampire orator speaks with a sinister voice, targeting a single creature. The creature must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the most horrific thought imaginable appears in its imagination, wracking it with pain and dealing 6d10 psychic damage. If the creature drops to 0 hit points due to this effect, it begins with 1 failed death saving throw as it continues to convulse and dream.
Grant Your Essence to Me (Bonus Action): The vampire orator whispers, targeting a single allied creature within 5 feet. The vampire orator deals 4d6 necrotic damage to the creature and heals the amount of damage dealt.
Quit Your Cries and Strike (Bonus Action): The vampire orator shouts, targeting up to 4 allied creatures it can see. Each of the targeted creatures immediately make a single melee weapon attack with disadvantage if they can.
Do Your Worst, Now! (Reaction): The vampire orator cries. When a creature hits the vampire orator, roll 1d8 and subtract the result from the attack roll; this is the new result of the creature's attack roll.
Break the Bodies of Your Beloved (Villain Action): The vampire orator spits as combat begins. All enemy creatures within 120 feet must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, each creature must make a weapon attack (an unarmed strike works if unarmed) against the nearest allied creature.
Forget Me Not! (Villain Action): The vampire orator screams as it drops to 0 hit points. All enemy creatures within 30 feet must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, nothing happens immediately. However, the next time the creature takes a long rest, it experiences terrifying nightmares or thoughts of the vampire orator. As a result, the creature cannot recover hit dice or more than half its hit point maximum while under this effect. In addition to a remove curse or greater restoration spell, there might be a few "story" methods to remove this effect, such as: burning the vampire orator's coffin, seeking help at a temple, or wearing a special holy symbol.

After writing those actions, now I'm super excited to run a vampire orator in my game. In preparation for that, let's craft a compelling story for him.

The name of our vampire orator is Duke Urlo Van Cozen and he rules over an isolated group of mining towns in the far north. Separate before he came along, the settlements now work together as a cohesive unit, providing more goods than ever before to the southern realms, though most of them do not see the profits: Duke Urlo Van Cozen does. He keeps the townsfolk as happy as he needs to, and constantly reminds them of their former lives, living in fear of attacks by yetis, bearfolk, and even worse, creatures of lycanthropy. Since Duke Urlo Van Cozen arrived, none have dared strike the towns.

The towns and the southern realms haven't only seen gains under the vampire orator's leadership, though. They've also lost a key resource: silver. Why? The duke had the towns stop sending it south and instead deliver it directly to his massive manse wherein he stockpiles the valuable resource. Why? Well, no one knows currently. Truly, no one even knows the duke is a vampire! Duke Urlo Van Cozen plans on keeping it that way and with his consistent speeches and appearances across the towns, that mission is unlikely to fail.

Based on our vampire orator's background, here are a few plot hooks for potential adventures:

Driven from the north, werebeasts are appearing further and further south.
With a shortage of silver from the once silver-rich north, the production of silver coins, ornaments, and cutlery is halted. The word from the miners? Oh, it's just gone. A further investigation is warranted.
None who travel north for a visit return the same. They seem docile, almost in a trance, and they speak highly of the leader of the mining towns there: Duke Urlo Van Cozen.
Unsatisfied with his hold on the mining towns alone, Duke Urlo Van Cozen sets his eyes on the south and begins rallying the folk of his domain.

He is finished. That's our Bard-based vampire, use him well.

The Course to Snappier D&D Monsters

Awesome customizations to existing D&D creatures sit on every page of the Player's Handbook. Whether it's a new ability we can give them, a spicy piece of lore we can build on their story with, or just a little extra flavor for the bad guys the characters fight, it's worth the extra effort. After a few times of going through this, we'll be readily able to pull from the PHB and beyond with ease, creating compelling monsters with aspects familiar to the players, but in alien in the sense that they'd usually not be found as NPCs or monsters.

It's a great way to make snappier D&D monsters and a great way to surprise the players. Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Do you already do this? If so, share a few of your ideas. I'd love to see them! If not, do you think this is a worthy pursuit? In addition to the arsenal in the DMG and Monster Manual, I think it's a truly worthy weapon we can use.

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