IADnDMN Stream Monsters! (2018/10/10)
As always, tune into ItsADnDMonsterNow's weekly monster-making stream on Twitch every Wednesday at 11am Pacific! We hang out, talk DnD, and make monsters together as I explain my process and share my tips for making fun and effective monsters that you can use in your own games!
Jack O' Slaughter
Suggested by redditors /u/Uzrukai and /u/yamiyaiba in this reddit thread.
In the rare occasion that a humanoid who has been murdered has their remains left in a farmer's field, a Jack O'Slaughter might be the unforseen result.
Undead creatures of undirected malice and wanton retribution, they typically only rise in mid-autumn, when the veil between the Shadowfell and the Prime Material is thinnest.
Made up of a possessed collection of pumpkin vines or other similar autumn gourds, a Jack O'Slaughter hunts helpless folk who tread too close to the place of its death, trapping them with snagging vines, and killing them with natural weapons made from its corrupted plant matter body.
A Jack O'Slaughter can even magically influence surrounding plants causing them to help it ensnare prey for its pitiless ritualistic killing.
Jack O'Slaughter
Large undead, chaotic evil
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 142 (15d10 + 60)
Speed 35 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 11 (+0) 19 (+4) 6 (-2) 12 (+1) 14 (+2)
Saving Throws Str +7, Con +7
Skills Perception +4
Damage Resistances cold, fire
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned, unconscious
Senses blindsight 15 ft., darkvision 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 14
Languages —
Challenge 8 (~ XP)
False Appearance. While the jack o'slaughter is prone and motionless, it is indistinguishable from a collection of pumpkins and vines.
Multiple Heads. The jack o'slaughter has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious.
Innate Spellcasting. The jack o'slaughter can innately cast the plant growth spell (100-foot radius option only) twice per day, requiring only somatic components. Its innate spellcasting ability for this spell is Charisma.
Actions
Multiattack. The jack o'slaughter makes three melee attacks, two of which can be slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Vine Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Pumpkin. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. Hit or miss, the target and each other creature within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) fire damage.
Miasmatic Flame (Recharge 6). The jack o'slaughter exudes a cloud of noxious fumes, which then ignite, filling a 20-foot cube within 5 feet of it. Each other creature in the area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage and 14 (4d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
Horrifying Visage. Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of the jack o'slaughter that can see it must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the jack o'slaughter is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the jack o'slaughter’s Horrifying Visage for the next 24 hours.
Anguis Machinam
Suggested by Patron and Discord regular @whistlehunter in the suggestion channel of the IADnDMN Discord server, based on this spectacular piece by artist Clinton Felker.
The anguis machinam is a unique kind of demon, in that it doesn't come into existence by the same means as other demons—it can only be created.
Through means of a very advanced, very involved conjuring ritual, a greater demon or demon lord can summon into being this massive sin against flesh and life. Covered with iron-tough scales, equipped with eight glowing red eyes, and weilding a massive, spiked tendril like a snake's tail in place of one of its arms, this creature is purpose built for mayhem and chaos.
Very few of these fiends has ever been levied against beings outside the abyss in the span of recorded history. This is known for quite sure, as such an occurrence could not likely have gone unnoticed.
Image credit: Artstation user cgfelker
Anguis Machinam
Gargantuan fiend (demon), chaotic evil
Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
Hit Points 350 (20d20 + 140)
Speed 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 28 (+9) 13 (+1) 25 (+7) 7 (-2) 16 (+3) 13 (+1)
Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +15, Wis +10, Cha +8
Skills Perception +10
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 20
Languages understands Abyssal but can't speak
Challenge 24 (62,000 XP)
Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If the demon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The demon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Many Eyes. The demon has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, and on saving throws against being blinded.
Siege Monster. The demon deals double damage to objects and structures.
Spines. A creature that touches the demon or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 5 (1d10) piercing damage, and must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 9 (2d8) poison damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The demon makes two attacks: one with its claws, and one with its serpent lash.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (4d6 + 9) slashing damage.
Serpent Lash. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 25 ft., one target. Hit: 35 (4d12 + 9) bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) piercing damage, and if the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Stomp. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one Large or smaller target. Hit: 31 (4d10 + 9) bludgeoning damage.
Legendary Actions
The demon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The demon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The demon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Stomp. The demon makes a stomp attack.
Sweep (Costs 2 Actions). The demon sweeps its serpent lash across the ground in a 30-foot radius. Each creature on the ground in the area must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (4d4) piercing damage, and be pushed 20 feet in a direction of the demon's choice.
Image source: Wookiepedia
Golemeka
Based on the droideka droid from the Star Wars universe, suggested by Discord regular and Twitch viewer @SherlockHole.
The golemeka is a product of the vast knowledge and advanced technologies of the greatest gnomish inventors. It is primarily an assault construct, as its considerable speed while rolling allows it to quickly traverse a battlefield, even to behind enemy positions where it exits its rolling form, activating a powerful arcane shield. This shield makes it very difficult to damage, and makes the golemeka an extremely effective flanking weapon, as it is very difficult to dispatch once it reaches its firing position.
Lightning is notably quite effective at piercing a golemeka's shield, and can even cause it to feedback and damage the golemeka further. A golemeka's shield becomes disabled once it sustains a significant amount of damage, rendering it a significantly easier target to damage. However, it still remains quite dangerous until destroyed, so it should not be discounted once its shield is removed.
Each golemeka is outfitted with a pair of arms which each have integrated into them an arcane focus which produces a powerful dart of force, not dissimilar from those produced by the magic missile spell. As this is not a proper casting however, the darts do not have the homing capabilities of the spell, and must be manually aimed at the target—a skill at which the golemeka is not especially effective.
To compensate for this, a golemeka instead fires a constant barrage of force bolts at its targets—twice as rapidly when it advances more slowly—relying on quantity of attacks over quality. This hail of projectiles begins immediately upon its engagement with the enemy, and doesn't cease until it or its targets are eliminated.
Golemeka
Large construct, unaligned
Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
Hit Points 57 (6d10 + 24)
Speed 10 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 6 (-2) 18 (+4) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 1 (-5)
Damage Vulnerabilities lightning
Damage Immunities force, poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't adamantine
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages understands one language of its creator but can't speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Arcane Deflector. The golemeka employs an arcane force field to protect it from harm. The golemeka's force field is disabled while the golemeka is rolling, or when it has half of its hit points or fewer. While the force field is disabled, the golemeka loses its vulnerability to lightning damage and its immunity to force damage, and its AC becomes 15.
If the golemeka is targeted by dispel magic, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or its force field is disabled for 1 minute.Bolt Salvo. When the golemeka uses its multiattack on its turn, it can make two additional arcane bolt attacks as a bonus action, provided that it hasn't moved more than half its speed this turn. If it does so, its speed is halved until the start of its next turn.
Close Quarters Shooting. The golemeka doesn't suffer disadvantage for making ranged attacks while within 5 feet of a hostile creature.
Magic Resistance. The golemeka has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Slow-Movement. the golemeka can't take the Dodge or Disengage actions.
Actions
Multiattack. The creature makes two arcane bolt attacks.
Arcane Bolt. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 40/160 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (4d4) force damage.
Roll. The golemeka curls into a roughly spherical shape and begins to roll. While rolling, the golemeka's speed becomes 40 feet, and it can't take reactions or bonus actions, except for a bonus action to stop rolling.