Giant Space Hamster
A giant space hamster was once a regular hamster...
Modifying the Giant Space Hamster
Giant space hamsters seem to evolve incredibly fast, even when a gnome scientific committee isn't experimenting on them. You can either pick from the charts below or randomly decide by rolling. When a giant space hamster gains an ability, that ability's name is added to the hamster's moniker, i.e. the Flying Giant Space Hamster or the Fire-Breathing Phase Doppleganger Giant Space Hamster.
Size
First, determine the size of the giant space hamster. If a creature increases or decreases in size, its Hit Dice also change based on its new size.
| d4 | Size |
|---|---|
| 1 | Miniature. The hamster decreases by three size modifiers (i.e. Large to Tiny, minimum Tiny), loses 3 hit dice (minimum 1), and its Constitution score drops by 6 points (i.e. 16 to 10, minimum 1). Its CR is reduced by 4 (i.e. CR 1 to 0 or 6 to 2, minimum CR 0). |
| 2 | Normal, no change. |
| 3 | Dire. The hamster increases by one size modifier (i.e. Large to Huge), gains 2 hit dice, and its Constitution score increases by 2 points (i.e. 16 to 18). Its CR increases by 1 (i.e. CR 1 to 2). |
| 4 | Tyrannohamsterus Rex. The hamster increases by two size modifiers (i.e. Large to Gargantuan), gains 5 hit dice, and its Constitution score increases by 6 points (i.e. 16 to 22). Its CR increases by 3 (i.e. CR 1 to 4). |
New Abilities
Now decide what abilities it might have.
| d12 | Ability |
|---|---|
| 1 | Flying. The hamster gains a 30-foot fly speed. These are typically bat wings. |
| 2 | Abominable. The hamster has all-white fur and gains resistance to cold damage. |
| 3 | Sabre-Toothed. The hamster's attacks now deal 3d8 piercing damage. Increase its CR by 1. |
| 4 | Rather Wild. At the start of its turn, the hamster can gain advantage on all melee attacks during that turn, but attacks against it have advantage until the start of its next turn. |
| 5 | Invisible. The hamster can use a bonus action to cast invisibility on itself, requiring no components. It can use this ability three times per day. |
| 6 | Jungle. The hamster gains a climb speed equal to its burrow speed. |
| 7 | Carnivorous. The hamster only eats meat and is no longer an omnivore. |
| 8 | Phase. The hamster is under the constant effects of a blink spell. |
Giant Space Hamster
Large Beast, Unaligned
- Armor Class 11
- Hit Points 34 (4d10 + 12)
- Speed 40 ft., burrow 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 17 (+3) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) 2 (-4) 13 (+1) 7 (-2)
- Skills Athletics +5, Perception +3
- Senses passive Perception 13
- Languages --
- Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Tunneler. The hamster can burrow through solid rock at half its burrowing speed and leaves a 5-foot-diameter tunnel in its wake.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 13). Until this grapple ends, the target is blinded and restrained as it is placed inside of a cheek pouch. The target has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the hamster, and it takes 5 (2d4) bludgeoning damage at the start of each of the hamster's turns. The hamster can have only one medium-sized creature in its cheek pouches at a time. If the hamster dies, the target is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.
| 9 | Armor Plated. The hamster has thick skin, is covered in scales, or somehow has grown metal armor. Increase its Armor Class to 16 (Natural Armor) and its CR by 1. |
| 10 | Two-Headed. The hamster has a second head and gains a multiattack. Increase its CR by 1. Multiattack. The hamster makes two bite attacks, a head can't target a creature in the other's cheek pouch. |
| 11 | Fire-Breathing. The hamster can expel a cone of fire as an action. Fire Breath (Recharge 6). The hamster expels fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC (8 + Constitution modifier + Proficiency Bonus), taking fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful save. The fire breath's damage is a number of d6s equal to the hamster's CR, minimum of 1. |
| 12 | Doppelganger. As an action, the hamster can change its appearance to look like any other beast of its size that it has seen, or back into its true form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies. |
Grisgol
This construct is crafted from discarded magic items, including staves, rods, wands, half-empty potion vials, and scraps of spell scrolls and spellbooks. They are powered by a lich's phylactery, giving it arcane power that it can channel into spells to help it obliterate its enemies. Grisgols are incredibly rare and are built by powerful spellcasters, most often liches who have rival liches that they steal phylacteries from. They are often used as guardians for important sites or even to protect a lich's phylactery.
Powered by Lich. A grisgol can't function without a phylactery of a lich that has yet to be reformed, thus making its construction difficult. A lich must first be destroyed, and then before it can reform from its phylactery, the phylactery must be placed within the construct and an arcane ritual performed where the grisgol is formed. From that point, the lich can no longer form, but rather its energy is spent operating the mindless grisgol.
If a grisgol is destroyed, the lich can attempt to reform its body in 1d10 days unless its phylactery is destroyed before.
Death Curse: Incite Madness
When a grisgol is destroyed, what's left behind are the remnants of magic items including scraps of spell scrolls, spellbooks, arcane formulae, and more. A creature that spends an action examining these parchments must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature becomes cursed with madness. Their Intelligence score automatically decreases by 1d4 and they become consumed with unlocking the secrets within the parchment that made up the grisgol.
A creature suffering from this curse spends all of their downtime attempting to unlock the secrets that they know are within the papers, constantly arranging and rearranging the scraps, knowing that they are just hours away from a major discovery that will transform their knowledge of magic. An afflicted creature spends the bare amount of time eating and sleeping, just enough to remain alive and to regain any resources from a long rest. Any free time they have, they are poring over the documents, though they can still focus on other topics if pressed or if they must fight, but they quickly return their attention to the parchments.
Every week that a creature spends studying these documents, their Intelligence score is reduced by 1d4. If their Intelligence score is reduced to 0, they die immediately. A creature's Intelligence score can not be restored while the curse remains, and only a remove curse cast at 8th level, or similar magic, can allow the creature to repeat the Wisdom saving throw, ending the curse on a success.
The reduction to a creature's Intelligence score ends after a creature finishes a long rest and they are no longer cursed.
Grisgol
Large Construct, Unaligned
- Armor Class 17 (Natural Armor)
- Hit Points 170 (20d8 + 80)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 22 (+6) 10 (+0) 19 (+4) 3 (-4) 10 (+0) 1 (-5)
- Damage Immunities 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 10
- Languages Understands the languages of its creator but can't speak
- Challenge 15 (13,000 XP) Proficiency Bonus +5
Choking Dust. A creature that touches the grisgol or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 10 (3d6) poison damage.
Magic Resistance. The grisgol has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The grisgol's weapon attacks are magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The grisgol makes two slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) cold damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Spellcasting. The grisgol casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Constitution as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks):
At will: mending
1/day each: blink, burning hands, cone of cold,
chain lightning, feeblemind, ice storm,
power word kill, prismatic spray, scorching ray
Shardmind
The Living Gate once stood as a great barrier between the multiverse and an alien landscape known as the Far Realm. It was destroyed by an evil god during the Dawn War, and with its destruction, shards of latticework were blasted across the multiverse, where they would eventually awaken and become the sentient crystalline race known as the Shardminds. Shardminds all seek to restore the Living Gate to seal off the Far Realm once again, though currently, Ioun holds the gateway through sheer deific power. Once the Living Gate is reformed, aberrations will lose their hold on the multiverse.
Each shardmind has a memory of the Living Gate and their sacred duty to restore it, though none have been born with specific instructions on how to do so. There are various philosophies about how it might be accomplished, with some having shardminds work together and others where they must work separately and attempt to gain as much power as possible. For many shardminds, this knowledge of what they once were is enough to fuel their thirst for adventure. If they can grow in power and strength, they can be a boon for their people and the multiverse, great protectors from aberrant beings of the Far Realm.
Click here for rules to play as a shardmind character.
Shardmind Warseeker
There are three major philosophies that the shardminds follow, with each philosophy a way that they might reform the Living Gate. Some believe that they must merge their power to reform it, while others believe that only a deific shardmind could hope to build it. The third philosophy is known as Shard Slayer, that the gate can only be reformed once all shardminds are dead and their psionic energy travels to where the gate once stood and slowly begins to reform it.
Shard Slayers are reviled by almost everyone for their lack of empathy for life, be it shardmind, human, gnome, or anything or anyone else. They are often devoted to evil and foul gods who are fueled by pain and suffering, and have little compunction about killing to get what they want. Once every other shardmind is dead, only then will the Shard Slayers turn their attention on themselves, sending their psionic energy to the Living Gate where it will reform and protect the multiverse once again.
Living Construct. A shardmind doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Shardmind Warseeker
Medium Construct and Humanoid, Lawful Evil
- Armor Class 18 (Plate)
- Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 17 (+3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 11 (+0)
- Saving Throws Dex +2, Int +4
- Skills Insight +3, Intimidation +4, Persuasion +2
- Damage Resistances Poison, Psychic
- Senses passive Perception 11
- Languages Common, Deep Speech, telepathy 30 ft.
- Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Living Construct. The shardmind has advantage on saving throws against poison. Magic can't put the shardmind to sleep and it is immune to disease.
Actions
Multiattack. The shardmind makes two longsword attacks.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, or 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage if used with two hands.
Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d10) piercing damage.
Bonus Actions
Shardswarm (1/rest). The shardmind turns into a swarm of shards and it then teleports up to 10 feet to a spot it can see. Each creature within 5 feet of the shardmind, when it turned into a swarm, are buffeted by these shards and the first attack roll against each creature has advantage. If the creature is not targeted by an attack by the end of its next turn, the attack no longer has advantage.
Reactions
Psionic Rebuke. If an ally of the shardmind is the target of an attack, by a creature within 30 feet of the shardmind that it can see, it can force the attacker to succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage and has disadvantage on the attack roll.
Furious Mind (1/rest). If the shardmind's hit points are reduced to 32 or lower, the shardmind can allow its emotions to take over. It gains 10 temporary hit points, suffers disadvantage on its attack rolls, and its weapons deal one extra die of damage on a hit.
Tirapheg
Little is known about this oddity of creation. Known as the tripedal monster, it lurks within dungeons and in the deepest portions below the world. It is vaguely human-like, with several major differences that leave most who gaze upon it feeling uneasy, probably a reason why little is known about these creatures. Many explorers of the Dark Below kill these creatures on sight instead of trying to talk to them. It has only recently been learned that they can speak, such is the instant horror explorers have to this creature that it took almost until now to realize they are capable of speech.
A tirapheg, a name that no one is sure where it started from or if it is even the name of these creatures or one given to them, is an oddity of triplicate. It has three human-shaped heads perched in a row along its shoulders, but the two on the side are completely smooth with no facial features like eyes, nose, a mouth, or ears. Its central head has three deep-set eyes and a human nose, only two of its eyes are above the nose with the other eye on the other side of the creature's head, giving it all-around vision.
It has three arms, two on either side of its body at the shoulder, though instead of hands it has a single spike on each arm that is made of the same material as fingernails and is sharpened into a six-inch spike. Its third arm sprouts out from the center of its chest, just below its 'normal' head and above an area of its section where there are three tentacles and a single, large mouth. It stands upon three legs, with the two outside legs ending in meat-stumps and the central leg ending in a single foot with three long and strong toes to help with balance.
No one is quite sure what the tentacles do above the mouth, as they seem to just drift back and forth of their own free will. Of the tiraphegs observed eating, they like to feed on rotted and fetid flesh, using their central arm to feed their mouth.
Innocuous. Tiraphegs are surprisingly quiet, barely making more than a whisper as it journeys in silence through the dark tunnels. They rarely make any sounds and often avoid confrontations, though that doesn't mean that they don't attack. Some explorers have reported being jumped by one of these creatures in the darkness, when they had stumbled upon a pit of rotting flesh. It may have been the tirapheg attempting to protect its lair, though there were no signs that they sleep or lived in the area.
Illusionary Disguise. If a tirapheg is attacked, they rarely choose to stay in the fight for long. Unfortunately for them, they are quite slow and they seem to have adapted to this by being able to summon a powerful form of magic. This magic takes the form of phantasmal images that take on the form of a tirapheg and attack its enemies for it while it attempts to flee the fight. These illusionary duplicates throw themselves into the fight, though they are easy to ignore by those well studied in magic.
A few tiraphegs have reportedly have stronger magic, able to turn invisible, summon greater and bigger illusionary images, and even the ability to confuse its enemies, though they must be very rare as those stories are few.
Conversions by Dump Stat Adventures
Tirapheg
Medium Monstrosity, Neutral
- Armor Class 13
- Hit Points 44 (8d8 + 8)
- Speed 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 13 (+1) 8 (-1)
- Skills Perception +3, Stealth +5
- Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13
- Languages Undercommon
- Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
All Around Vision. The tirapheg can’t be surprised.
Actions
Multiattack. The tirapheg makes two Impale attacks, if both hit the same creature, it makes a claw attack against the creature.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage, and if the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 10). While a creature is grappled, it can't breathe and begins suffocating.
Impale. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Illusory Duplicate (1/rest). The tirapheg crafts two illusions that flare to life in empty spaces within 5 feet of it. Each creature within 30 feet of the tirapheg, and can see it, must succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is blinded until the end of its next turn. The illusion appears as two tiraphegs, and includes sound, temperature, and other stimuli evident to other creatures. A creature can use an action to examine one of the illusionary forms with a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check, a creature has advantage on this check if it wasn't blinded by tirapheg when it summoned the illusions. If the check succeeds, the creature realizes that they are illusions and disbelieve it.
If the illusions are the target of an attack, they have AC 13 and immunity to all damage. The illusions can not move more than 30 feet away from each other and can not be more than 100 feet from the tirapheg. The illusions last for 1 minute or until the tirapheg spends an action to dispel them.
Command Illusions. The tirapheg gives a mental command to the two illusions. The illusions can move up to 20 feet and make a single attack, using the tirapheg's Impale attack. On a hit, the attack deals psychic damage instead of piercing damage. If a creature knows that the false tiraphegs are illusions, it is immune to this attack.