IADnDMN Stream Monsters! (2019/01/09)
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!
Duma the Martyr
Suggested by Discord regular and twitch viewer @Ifritcast595, based on the card "Duma the Martyr" from the KeyForge card game.
Noble and pious, Duma has been both blessed and cursed with the knowledge that she will, at some unknowable point in the future, become a martyr for her beliefs.
As is her way, she accepted this prophecy not with dread, but with grace and a renewed determination to make sure that her life is spent to the fullest, defending those who need divine protection the most.
Duma serves now as a holy warrior for the forces of good, wherever they are needed. She leverages her martial skill, her indomitable fortitude, and her holy blessings to wage war against evil and the unjust wherever she finds them.
Image Credit: Eric Kenji Aoyagi
Duma
Medium humanoid (human), lawful good
Armor Class 16 (half plate)
Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 15 (+2)
Saving Throws Wis +4
Skills Athletics +7, Insight +4, Perception +4
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Dwarvish
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Brave. Duma has advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Final Breath. When Duma is killed, each allied creature within 60 feet of her regains hit points equal to half its hit point maximum, and on its next turn, can take one additional action.
Steel Thyself (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). As a bonus action, Duma gains 27 (6d8) temporary hit points.
Righteous Fury. While she has 20 hit points or fewer, Duma has advantage on attack rolls. In addition, she deals an extra 9 (2d8) radiant damage to any target she hits with a melee attack. When she does so, the weapon used counts as a magic for overcoming damage resistances.
Actions
Multiattack. Duma makes three longsword attacks or two javelin attacks.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage, or 9 (1d10 + 4) slashing damage if used with two hands.
Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Reaction
Parry. Duma adds 2 to her AC against one melee attack that would hit her. To do so, Duma must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.
Avatar of Debt
Suggested by first-time twitch chat contributor @bobicus_.
The avatar of debt is an insidious magical creation which was banned from most civilized societies. The means by which it carried out its "collection" from debtors was so ruthless—and so effective—that it was considered far too cruel to be levied against ordinary citizens who had simply been fallen too far behind on their debt repayment.
Though, despite its use now being illegal in most of the world's major cities, there are still occasional rumors of them appearing on the behalf of the less scrupulous of financiers. Disavowed mages (allegedly) working for huge, faceless financial groups, and loan sharks dabbling in hedge wizardry are the most common offenders when it comes to summoning the forbidden specter.
The avatar of debt itself appears as a huge, spectral apparition, not entirely dissimilar to a wraith, though it is conjured from pure magical energy. However, the snaking, semi-humanoid shape is quickly changed or abandoned altogether by the avatar as it requires, its amorphous shape constantly shifting to suit its needs. It manifests long, reaching claws to rake not only at its prey's possessions, but at their very mind. And it is often seen with a gaunt, or even skeletal visage to frighten and torment its quarry.
The specter is able to track its charges relentlessly and without pause, day and night, and despite nearly any attempts made by its targets to hide themselves. Surrendering one's valuables is the only sure method by which to slow the creature, and in fact, hurling objects of great value at it even seems to harm and weaken it—though these objects are then lost to the avatar's conjurer.
Avatar of Debt
Huge elemental, lawful evil
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 648 (48d12 + 336)
Speed 0 ft. fly 45 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20 (+5) 9 (-1) 24 (+7) 9 (-1) 19 (+4) 12 (+1)
Saving Throws Con +12, Wis +9, Cha +6
Skills Insight +9, Investigation +4, Perception +9
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages Understands one language of its conjurer but can't speak
Challenge 16 (15,000 XP)
Debt Tracker. The avatar knows the general direction of any creature from whom it was tasked to collect, even if the creature and the avatar are on different planes of existence. If the creature being tracked by the avatar dies, the avatar knows.
Incorporeal Movement. The avatar can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Inevitability of Debt. Psychic damage dealt by the avatar can't be resisted or negated in any way.
Treasure Sense. The avatar can innately pinpoint, the location of precious metals and stones, such as coins and gems, within 60 feet of it.
Wealth Susceptibility. If the avatar is attacked with a weapon or object made from gems or precious metals, the object disappears and the avatar loses a number of hit points equal to 1/10th the item's value (in gp). If in a single turn, the avatar loses 50 or more hit points this way, its size is reduced by 1 category, and each of its ability scores are reduced by 3. The avatar is destroyed if it is Tiny when this occurs.
Items that disappear as a result of this trait, or from the avatar's Repossess action appear in a location designated during the avatar's conjuration ritual.Actions
Multiattack. The avatar makes three dread attacks, or one dread attack and one repossess attack.
Repossess. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 25 (6d6 + 4) psychic damage, and the target loses the most valuable single object or piece of equipment it is wearing or carrying up to a value equal to 1d12 × 100 gp. Each successive time a creature is hit by this attack since its last long rest, add a cumulative +1 to the d12 roll.
Dread. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 120 ft., one creature. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) psychic damage.
Ruinous Collection. The avatar touches a creature it is tracking who is at 0 hit points, and all forms of wealth that the creature carries or owns, other than magic items, are lost. Portable property vanishes. Businesses, buildings, and land the creature owns are lost in a way that alters reality the least. Any documentation that proves the creature should own something lost to this action also disappears.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the avatar's choice that is within 120 feet of the avatar and aware of it must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the avatar's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Jiangshi
Suggested by Discord regular @SherlockHole, based on the figure from Chinese folklore.
Jiangshi are closely related to the more well-known, "traditional" vampires, and as such, they share many of the same characteristics. Both are undead humanoids who subsist on the blood of the living, and both have a series of weaknesses which can be exploited to avoid becoming their prey, or even to destroy the creatures outright. The specific details of the jianshi, however, are noticeably distinct from other vampires.
The most apparent is a jiangshi's movement, which is almost exclusively through stiff hopping, sometimes with arms outstretched. For the less ancient, more powerful vampires though, this is less of an impairment, as their leaps still allow them to cross long distances with supernatural speed. What's more, in jisangshi, their weaknesses are replaced by unique, yet oddly equivalent ones which make the creature feel different, yet somehow still very similar.
Image Credit: GengisKrahn on DeviantArt
Jiangshi
Medium undead, neutral evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 97 (13d8 + 39)
Speed 0 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 19 (+4) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 11 (+0)
Saving Throws Str +7, Wis +4
Skills Perception +4
Damage Vulnerabilities fire; piercing from weapons made from peach tree wood
Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities paralyzed, poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands the languages it knew in life but can't speak
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Cursed Touch. The jiangshi's weapon attacks are magical. A creature hit by one of the jiangshi's weapon attacks must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be cursed to move in the jiangshi's characteristic hops, reducing its speed to 15 feet, and can only move by hopping in increments of 5 feet. A cursed creature can repeat its save at the start of each of its turns, ending the curse on a success. A creature killed by a jiangshi's attacks rises as a jiangshi.
Hopping Locomotion. The jiangshi’s long jump is up to 30 feet and its high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start. The jiangshi can move only by leaping, once per turn (no action). The jiangshi can also leap up to its leap distance by using a bonus action on its turn.
Jiangshi Weaknesses. The jiang-shi has the following flaws:
Dictated Behavior. Some jiangshi have a parchment on their head inscribed with runes describing some mode of behavior. Such a jiangshi knows these instructions innately, and must obey them at all times.
Fear of Reflection. If the jiangshi can see its reflection in any surface, it must immediately use its remaining leaps to move out of sight of its reflection. It then makes a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw at the start of each of its turns, suppressing its fear for 1 minute on a success.
Prone Deficiency. If the jiangshi is knocked prone, it can't stand up. On each of its turns, the jiangshi can make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, standing up if it succeeds.
Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The jiangshi takes 20 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
Actions
Multiattack. The jiangshi makes two attacks, only one of which may be a bite.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. Instead of dealing damage, the jiangshi can grapple the target (escape DC 15).
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature that is grappled by the jiangshi. Hit: 9 (2d4 + 4) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the jiangshi regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Spit Acid. The jiangshi spits acid in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (4d4) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.