Minor Units
Minor units are good for small scale encounters or filling out larger encounters. Most have one unique ability to adds a new dimension to a fight, but will not be a significant or interesting fight as a solo monster beyond levels 1-4.
Silver Stalker
Medium construct, unaligned
- Armor Class 18
- Hit Points 32 (5d8 + 10)
- Speed 40 ft, climb 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 1 (-5)
- Saving Throws Dexterity +9
- Skills Perception +9, Stealth +9, Survival +9
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't adamantine
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, charmed, frightened, petrified, poisoned.
- Senses darkvision 120 ft, passive Perception 19
- Languages Understands one language of its creator but can't speak
- Challenge 5
Advanced Technology: The silver stalker applies double its proficiency bonus to proficient attack rolls, ability rolls, and saveing throws (included in stat block).
Short Circuit The silver stalker takes an additional 1d12 damage when it takes lightning damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The Silver Stalker makes two attacks, or uses heat ray and makes one attack.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5ft, one target. Hit: 1d6 + 3 slashing damage.
Ark. Ranged Spell Attack: +6 to hit, range 30 ft, one target. Hit: 2d4 lightning damage.
Heat Ray. The silver stalker casts heat metal without expending a spell slot or requiring verbal or somatic components. When cast this way, the spell ends early if the target ends their turn out of range or sight of the silver stalker.
Silver Stalker
Sleek seek and destroy units, these are a piece of lost technology adventures are more likely to encounter. Single minded and dogmatic in an eternal purpose, they have relatively simple and specialized intelligence that entirely revolves around their purpose. They can be intelligence in their ability to track and navigate, but will rarely apply advanced reasoning.
Tactics
In combat, a silver seeker will generally apply their apply their heat ray if they are not currently frying a target with it, and then move to attack a target that looks like it will be a threat to them. If they are defending a location, they will focus the first person to enter, while if they are hunting a target they will lock onto it with unreasonable dedication. If they detect a magical or adamantine weapon, they will frequently target that with their heat ray first, trying to eliminate it as a threat. They will never consider self preservation unless it helps they accoplish their objective.
Usage
These can be deployed in a wide range of cases, and are often the first hint of something strange afoot, as these can range further abroad. Created by mages, advanced societies, or parts of ancient tech, these are an uncommon foe, but one that pose a significant threat early on, and remain a relevant threat througout the game as a minion due to their hit hit chance and guarenteed damage of heat ray. It's excessive stealth, survival, and perception make it a useful tool throughout the game, as it is difficult to evade, even with magic.
- At levels 1-4 this is a solid solo threat that will pause a difficult and dangerous challenge to a party.
- At levels 5-10 it is no longer a solo threat, but can be a relevant and dangerous factor to an encounter. It is capable of significant damage but will likely die rapidly and should be deployed with numbers.
- At levels 11+ is a relevant minor. Due to its heat ray and hit hit chance, it will remain a threat that has to be dealt with, even if its damage and hit points render it more of a nuisance than a threat, and it's high dexerity means it has a better chance of surviving area of effect than many lower level threats.
Silver Sentry
Small floating contraptions, an unwary observe might deem these small insect like things a minor threat, but they can provide a vexing foe. Most notable for their excellent perceptive abilities and ability to highlight targets for their allies, they rarely pose a significant threat by themselves, but a wise adventure is cautious of these in the presence of harder hitting foes.
Most often deployed as sentries or force multipliers of more powerful foes, these constructs are capable of limited adaption in their plans, but are dogmatic in their devotion to a purpose, not generally being truly sentient despite their high reasoning capacity.
Silver Sentry
Tiny construct, unaligned
- Armor Class 16
- Hit Points 32 (4d6 + 10)
- Speed 0 ft. fly 30 ft (hover).
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 6 (-2) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 1 (-5)
- Saving Throws Intelligence +6, Wisdom +7
- Skills Perception +7
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't adamantine
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, charmed, frightened, petrified, poisoned.
- Senses darkvision 120 ft, blindsight 60 ft, passive Perception 17
- Languages Understands one language of its creator but can't speak
- Challenge 1
Advanced Technology: The silver stalker applies double its proficiency bonus to proficient attack rolls, ability rolls, and saveing throws (included in stat block).
Short Circuit The silver stalker takes an additional 1d12 damage when it takes lightning damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The Silver Sentry uses Laser Beam twice.
Laser Beam. Ranged Spell Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft, one target. Hit: 2d4 fire damage.
Targeting Lock. The Silver Sentry locks onto a target it can see, holographically illuminating it. Until the start of the Silver Sentries next turn, any Attack roll against an affected creature or object has advantage if the attacker can see it, and the affected creature or object can't benefit from being Invisible.
Tactics
Silver sentries often have a purpose, and when engaging in violent response will do as as efficiently as possible to achieve their purpose. They are capable of adaptive planning, but will not deviate from their task even in the face of certain destruction.
Usage
Silver sentries can be deployed as a threat against a low level group guarding a location of importance, but are most often deployed as potent support minions for a higher level advanced construct threat.
- At levels 1-4 these are minor solo threat. They can pause a small challenge to a party due to their all around hit statistics (high AC, +hit, and resistance to damage), but their inability to do large amounts of damage will general make them not a deadly threat.
- At levels 5-17+ these remain a significant minion due to the targeting lock ability, a will always be a minion that players will be encouraged to focus down and eliminate first, and a thorn in the side of stealthy operations.
Rampaging Imprint
These are spawned into existence when a powerful psion starts to lose control of their power. They are particularly easily created should a psion find themselves in the astral plane. It said that when a particularly powerful psion dies sometimes hundreds of these can be spawned and flung out across the multiverse as the powers explode out of control in the dying moment.
Appearing as vaguely person shaped distortion of swirling purple energy, they are beings of manifested rage, rampaging eternally destroyed.
Rampaging Imprint
Medium undead, unaligned
- Armor Class 14
- Hit Points 16 (3d8 +3)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 6 (-2) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2)
- Saving Throws Intelligence +5
- Damage Resistances Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
- Damage Immunities Poison
- Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
- Languages --
- Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Tantrum When the psionic imprint is below full hit points, it deals an additional 1d8 damage when dealing damage.
Death Burst. When the psionic imprint dies, it explodes in a burst of power. Each creature within 10 ft. of it must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Actions
Telekinetic Slam. The rampaging imprint uses its telekinetic powers to slam at target within 60 feet. The target must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw, or take 1d8 damage be knocked prone.
Reactions
Vengeful Slam: The rampaging imprint uses telekinetic slam against the first thing that attacks it and would be a valid target.
Tactics
A Rampaging Imprint is most often devoid of tactics, and will attack whatever it sees. When multiple targets are presented, it will most often attack randomly, or attack or whatever attacked it last.
Some retain a vestage of purpose or intent that will drive to the attack a specific thing.
Usage
These can appear anywhere, cast out into the world through psionic events and echoes, but rarely coexist with living creatures as they tend to attack things on sight, thus are best of deployed in isolated or otherwise undisturbed areas.
If deployed as part of a bigger encounter, they can often serve as summons or minions to similar creatures that direct their otherwise directionless rage through psionic power.
- At levels 1-4 these pose a moderate threat.
- At levels 5-10 these pose are a minor nuisance that can pose a threat to low strength party members, knocking them down to give bigger threats advantage.
- At levels 11+ these are unlikely to be a significant threat.
Abhorrent Abstraction
Few know the true appearance of an abhorrent abstraction as their very existence is anthetical to reality and the sane minds that inhabit it. To most they appear as flashing, flickering, shadowy things of writhing and ever changing features - the most often reported of which include tentacles, eyes, and mouths.
Their appearance seems to be an illusory construct of mortal minds trying to cope with the intersection of reality and abstract unreality and piercing that veil with truesight drives a creature instantly mad.
Abhorrent Abstraction
Small aberration, unaligned
- Armor Class 5
- Hit Points 71 (13d8 + 13)
- Speed 5 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 1 (-5) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 18 (+3) 16 (+3) 18 (+4)
- Saving Throws Intelligence +6, Charisma +7
- Damage Resistances Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder
- Damage Immunities Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
- Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained
- Senses Blindsight 60 ft.
- Languages --
- Challenge 5
Flicker. Whenever the abhorrent abstraction would take damage, roll a d4. On a 4, it takes no damage.
Unstable Location. At the start of its turn, it teleports to within 5 ft. of a random creature that is not an aberration within 120 feet.
Cause Madness. Whenever a creature starts their turn within 10 feet of the aborrent abstraction, they must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take 2d10 psychic damage and be under the effect of the confusion spell until the start of their next turn.
True Form. Seeing this creature with truesight requires non-aberration observers to make a DC 18 wisdom saving throw or become stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of their turns, doing so with disadvantage if it can still see the abhorrent abstraction.
Actions
Shred Reality. The abhorrent abstraction deals 5d4 force damage to all non-aberration creatures within 5 feet.
Tactics
An abhorrent abstraction is most of completely chaotic and unpredictable. It does not care about "winning" in a classical sense, and does not comprehend losing. It merely acts in a way that will inflict disorder and chaos, usually entirely randomly.
It will ignore other aberration, but treat all creatures with equal hostility unless under some sort of psionic compulsion. Their true nature is incomprehensible, and they can more accurately be considered environmental obstacles than creatures.
Usage
These can be deployed in almost any circumstance in which you want to highlight the aberrant weirdness of an environment - near a breaking down portal, in a psionic scar ripped across the land, or in an ancient temple to an outsider god.
They can be added to other encounters with abherrations at higher levels as nuisences that disrupt and wear down players, a solo enounters against low level parties, or as agents of chaos in fights against other non-abherrations to add an element of randomness and disorder to the fight.
- At levels 1-4 these would be a deadly and difficult encounter.
- At levels 5-10 these are a unique threat, though not a challenging solo encounter, and can play a significant role in encounter design.
- At level 11-16 these remain some threat and complexity as minor threats in an encounter.
- At level 17+ these provide a small unique challenge and annoyance as minor minions to aberration threats.
Adaptive Slime
A particularly vexing foe, these are strange slime creatures, likely artificial in nature that are capable of psionically adapting to not only their environment, but to completely mimic the actions and abilities of those around them.
It generally takes on the form of another creature it sees leaving their true form something of a mystery, though they always retain the same slate grey color and have a somewhat melted appearence.
Adaptive Slime
Medium aberration, unaligned
- Armor Class 10
- Hit Points 115
- Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 18 (+4) 6 (-2) 12 (+1) 1 (-5)
- Skills Deception +6, Stealth +6, Insight +4
- Damage Immunities Psychic
- Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained.
- Senses Blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 11
- Languages --
- Challenge 5
Adaptive AC. The mimic assumes an AC equal to the highest AC creature within 60 feet of it, it's form taking on a rough somewhat amorphous fascimile of that creature's defenses.
Adaptive Resistance. After taking damage from a damage type, the mimic gains resistance to that damage type for 1 minute.
Amorphous. The adaptive slime can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Actions
Multiattack. The monster makes two Amorpheous Weapon attacks or uses Adaptive Improvisation to mimic another creature's turn.
Amorpheous Weapon. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, 10 ft reach, one target. Hit: 1d10 + 5 bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage (monster's choice).
Adaptive Improvisation. Monster mimics all of the spells, features, weapons, and other abilities used during the turn of one creatures of its choice within 300 feet of it since the start of the Adaptive Slime's last turn. It uses its own spell attack (+7), DC (15), and weapon attack (+7) modifiers for these abilities, and chooses targets of its choice the abilities used. The Adaptive Slime cannot mimic spells above 5th level.
Tactics
You have several options for the intelligence of these creatures, you can play them as truly cunning selecting the most devestating ability to copy, you can play them in the middle of just copying whatever did the most damage to them (if it did more damage than their attack would do), or you can play them lacking intelligence, randomly rolling for what they mimic.
The most interesting encounters with these creatures are when they are fully optimized for winning, and will steal the turn that would be most devestating to a party - you will often only get to fully utilize that ability once before the party wises up, but you can take advantage of these by mixing these into combat with difficult enemies, making it challenging for a party to use their most powerful abilities without them backfiring until they are dealt with, quickly making these hated foes.
Usage
It is often best that first time a group of players encounters these it is as a solo set piece. While it will not be an exceedingly difficult encounter in that environment for an appropriately leveled party, it will likely be memorable and they will be forewarned of its abilties it they encounter it in a more difficult mixed encounter later, upping the tactical nature of the encounter.
Once players are aware of its abilities, they can easily be deployed as exceptionally annoying and tactically interesting minions to harder encounters, as they are both difficult to kill, but pose a danger to using powerful abilities near them.
- At levels 1-4 these are a challenging but not insourmountable threat.
- At levels 5-10 these remain a challenging encounter, even as a solo threat. While they are unlikely to be deadly, their ability to mimic abilities can provide something of a scaling threat, particularly in an early encounter. They can be quite deadly at these levels as part of a group encounter.
- At levels 11-16, these remain a dangerous threat as part of a group due to the difficulty of killing them an their ability to mimic abilities. These should still be considered a significant threat as part of an encounter design at these levels.
- At levels 17+ these will remain an unusual dangerous minion level threat that will require stragic handling, but will only provide a challenge when paired with more dangerous enemies.
NPCs
Psion (Telepath)
Medium humanoid, lawful neutral
- Armor Class 16 (psionic defenses)
- Hit Points 60 (9d6 + 31)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 8 (-1) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 19 (+4) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)
- Saving Throws Int +7, Wis +5
- Skills Perception +5, Insight +5
- Senses Blindsight 60 ft.
- Languages Common
- Challenge 5
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The telepath's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
At will: detect thoughts
1/day each: dominate monster, fear, suggestion
Actions
Telepathic Intrusion. The telepath forces one creature within 60 feet to make a Intelligence saving throw. On failure, the creature takes 3d8 psychic damage, and has disadvantage on all attacks against the telepath until the start of the telepath's next turn.
Empowered (Recharge 5–6). The telepath uses an empowered Telepathic intrusion. On a failure, the target creature instead takes 5d8 psychic damage and is stunned start of the telepath's next turn.
Reactions
Exposed Mind. If the telepath is not incapacitated, it use its reaction to give an attack against it disadvantage.
Major Units
These are intended to be a meaningful challenge to a party either one their own or as the primary set piece of an encounter.
Iron Hulk
This exists as a simple large scale threat that cannot be easily dealt with. It is intended as much as a set piece as a creature, and is best only deployed against parties of level 17+. It has properties that frustrate most simply solutions, and will prove a challenging encounter to all but the most prepared parties.
Even as impressive as it is, it should be considered more of an objective or terrain hazard in many cases than a true capstone threat. It can certainly kill a careless high level player (and is an insurmountable challenge to low level players) but it's primarily purpose to be a simple problem without a easy solution, as other large scenery chewing options often fall prey to when high level magic is involved.
Iron Hulk
Gargantuan construct, unligned
- Armor Class 20 (Natural Armor)
- Hit Points 570 (33d20 + 230)
- Speed 50 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 30 (+10) 8 (-1) 30 (+10) 6 (-2) 14 (+2) 1 (-5)
- Saving Throws Str +17, Con +17
- Skills Athletics +17
- Damage Resistances Fire, Cold
- Damage Immunities Poison, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Adamantine
- Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Stunned
- Senses truesight 120 ft. passive Perception 12
- Languages Understands the languages of its creator but can't speak
- Challenge 25
Scale Immunity. Spells and abilities that target a creature have no effect on an Iron Hulk. An Iron Hulk only takes damage from an area of effect spell or effect if the spell encompasses half or more of the space occupied the Iron Hulk.
Size Difference. Weapon attacks of Large or smaller creatures only damage an Iron Hulk on a critical strike.
Immutable Form. The Iron Hulk is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Crushing Steps. When the Iron Hulk moves through the space of Large or smaller creatures, they must make a DC 14 Dexterity save, or take 6d12 bludgeoning damage and by knocked prone on a failed save.
Siege Monster. The Iron Hulk deals double damage to objects and structures.
Attack Platforms. The Iron Hulk carries fortified platforms that house up to 4 medium sized creatures 20 feet up its frame. These creatures have three-quarters cover from creatures outside the fortified platforms.
Weak Points. A creature can determine a weak point on the Iron Hulk with a DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) check. They can communicate this weak point to other creatures. An attack against this weak point ignores the Size Difference property of the Iron Hulk. Once a weak point is takes 50 damage, it is destroyed and ceases to be a weak point.
The Iron Hulk's movement speed is reduced by 5 ft each time a weak point is destroyed. A weak point can only be targeted by the melee attack of a Large or smaller by a character this is has climbed 10 feet or more onto the Iron Hulk.
Exposed Workings. If the Iron Hulk's current hit points is less than half of its maximum hit points, it loses it's Size Difference trait.
Actions
Multiattack. The Iron Hulk makes two smash attacks and one stomp attack, each of which it can replace with one use of Fling Terrain or Grab.
Smash. Melee Weapon Attack: +17, 20 ft., up to two targets within 5 feet of each other. Hit (3d12 + 10) bludgeoning damage.
Grab. The Iron Hulk makes an Strength (Athletics) check to grapple a creature within 20 feet. On a successful check, the target takes 2d12 bludgeoning damage and is grappled. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained. The target takes an additional 1d12 bludgeoning whenever the Iron Hulk makes a smash attack using the hand that is grappling the creature. The creature can be freed by an attack that deals 30 or more damage in a single hit targeting the Iron Hulks hand, but the Iron Hulk takes no damage from this attack.
Stomp. Melee Weapon Attack: +17, 5 ft., up to two targets within 5 feet of each other.. Hit (6d12 + 10) bludgeoning damage. A large or smaller target is knocked prone.
Fling Terrain. The Iron Hulk seizes a building, rock, tree, or other piece of terrain and flings it. Ranged Weapon Attack: +17, 200/600 ft., up to two targets within 10 feet of each other.. Hit (3d10 + 10) bludgeoning damage.
Legendary Actions
The Iron Hulk 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 Iron Hulk regains spent legendary actions at the start of their turn.
Attack. The Iron Hulk makes one smash or fling terrain attack
Nullify. The Iron Hulk casts dispel magic without expending a spell slot. This requires no verbal or somatic components when cast in this way.
Advance. The Iron Hulk moves up to half of its movement speed.