Questions tagged [monsters]
For questions relating to either monstrous antagonists specifically, or all enemies of the player characters generally, depending on the traditions of specific games. Use as appropriate for the game in question.
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What in the lore makes Krakens immune to lightning?
I don't understand, thematically, why a sea creature would be immune to lightning. Where exactly does a Kraken gain its immunity to lightning from? My players are going to fight a Kraken soon and I'd ...
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Does a character killed by the necrotic damage from an undead's Energy Drain become a zombie?
Specifically, does a character killed by the necrotic damage from the energy drain of certain undead creatures (i.e. a wight) but not the reduction in maximum hit points rise as a zombie?
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If a Deva changes shape into a bear, do its attacks retain Angelic Weapons radiant damage?
We are playing Curse of Strahd and we encounter this creature: a Deva.
It has the Angelic Weapons feature:
The deva's weapon attacks are magical. When the deva hits with any weapon, the weapon deals ...
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Can Alarm be used to detect hidden creatures?
Alarm can be cast over a 20×20×20 ft (or smaller) area within a range of 30ft, and has a casting time of 1 minute.
Until the spell ends, an alarm alerts you whether a Tiny or larger creature touches ...
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What published resource first introduced the duergar?
What published resource first introduced the duergar?
Specifically, I'm interested in when they first given a stat block (if there were allusions to them earlier). I think it was an AD&D module, ...
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How does the Wind Demon's Arrow Bane ability (from the Creature Codex) interact with the rogue's Sneak Attack feature?
Creature Codex for 5th Edition is a non WoTC bestiary written by Kobold Press with over 400 new foes.
The Wind Demon (Creature Codex, p. 93) has an ability called "Arrow Bane", which states:
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Do monsters need to switch weapons?
Do monsters, like bandits, have to switch their weapon before they can attack with it, like PCs do or is it included in the action?
I am asking as a new DM and I am not entirely sure how to run ...
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Ways to balance a Tarrasque Fight [closed]
Running a campaign right now where the planned BBEG is going to unleash a Tarrasque at some point. I think its a really cool monster, but balancing the encounter seems impossible. It's a CR 30 monster,...
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Can an Air Elemental move through a hostile enemies space with Air Form Similarly to Incorporeal Movement?
The Air Elemental statblock in 5e has a feature called Air Form that states:
Air Form. The elemental can enter a hostile creature's space and stop there. It can move through a space as narrow as 1 ...
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Can I introduce a monster or race as a pet?
I was reading a homebrew Sandy Petersen's Cthulhu Mythos for 5e and in this issue he adds a breed called Dreamlands Cat, but this breed looks more like a pet than a player.
Deeper in this same ...
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A question about disembodied monsters and blinding spells on them
I am running a campaign with clerics, wizards and shadowcasters.
One of the characters, a cleric, wants to choose an invisibility spell. This is not the problem.
The problem is how this spell works ...
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What's the procedure for monsters/NPCs using stealth?
I've been GMing PF2e for a few months, but I still struggle with understanding stealth, especially when it comes to enemies.
An example from an upcoming dungeon I'm planning:
There's a room with an ...
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What to do when the monster is too strong for the players? [closed]
Good afternoon, I'm about to start an RPG campaign where the system has very strong monsters, and it's not to reveal that to the players either.
I would like to know the following situation: What to ...
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Is there a list anywhere of humanoid undead? [closed]
I'm trying to build an undead sea witch. She is the main bad guy for my current campaign. She was a pirate captain who's entire set of islands were destroyed by an leviathan (it's complicated) ...
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Is an angel's spellcasting alignment-dependent?
This question was prompted from a line towards the end of this answer:
Arcane spells, and the ability to use them, are not alignment dependent. The Planetar's spells, as they are innate to that ...
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What is the distinction between Monstrosities and Beasts?
I always assumed the difference between Beasts and Monstrosities was very simple: beasts are natural creatures that exist in our world, monstrosities are unnatural creatures that do not fit into any ...
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CR for half-green dragon assassin
The party is in Rise of Tiamat and their next encounter will be
I am trying to budget for a Deadly encounter, as suggested in the adventure. One of the possible foes to include is a half-green ...
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My players have become determined to kill the dragon who has been helping them throughout the campaign - how should I handle this? [closed]
The dragon in question used to be a God and has been helping the party work up to defeating the BBEG (note that they still need him to complete the storyline at this point, but I can find a way around ...
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Does a Rakshasa take damage from the damage bonus granted by an Evocation wizard's Empowered Evocation feature?
The Rakshasa has the Limited Magic Immunity trait:
Limited Magic Immunity. The rakshasa can't be affected or detected by spells of 6th level or lower unless it wishes to be. [...]
As noted in this Q&...
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Can a Fire Elemental only set objects on fire by attacking them?
I've found an odd discrepancy in the Fire Elemental's ability to set "stuff" on fire.
In the Fire Elemental's statblock in the Monster Manual, the description of the Fire Form trait states (...
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Is there an issue with making a Medium-sized monster use d10 Hit Dice?
I've been a long time DM for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, but I'm only now getting a solid grasp of designing monsters and monster encounters. There's a lot of hullabaloo about CR and how ...
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Does lore count as Rules-As-Written?
The monsters in the Monster Manual have two sections: a statblock, consisting of actual game mechanics and statistics, and a write-up about the creatures background, adressing such things as their ...
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Which monsters can scare players by harming their PCs long-term? [closed]
In 5e, most damage heals naturally over a long rest. Some monsters however have abilities or attacks that cause long-term harm, harm that is not cured by a long rest or by saving throws over time. ...
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What is the native plane of a larva or lemure?
When a creature dies, and it has a soul, their soul departs to the plane of their deity or their alignment. In case of evil creatures, they may end up in the lower planes.
For Hades, the DMG (p. 63) ...
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How can you revive a character who was killed by a Night Hag's Nightmare Haunting?
The Night Hag has an ability that can reduce a character's hit point maximum via nightmares provided they are evil. It then proceeds to state:
If this effect reduces the target's hit point maximum to ...
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How can you undo a Slaad infection?
Both the Red Slaad and the Blue Slaad's Claw attacks have an ability that, if they hit and the target is a humanoid that fails a Constitution saving throw, infects the target with a disease.
For ...
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What creature can be weaponised to counter a modern Air Force? [closed]
I need a monster, preferably a flying one, that can be used by an army to fight a modern Air Force. The modern air force here is equivalent to the USAF, with jet fighters and B-52 bombers and all. Its ...
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How can I avoid accidentally deadly encounters from monsters that are more deadly than their challenge rating suggests?
Monster Deadliness: In the DMG (p.82) there is guidance about the calculating encounter deadliness. This is entirely based on the XP of the monsters encountered, and each challenge rating (CR) has a ...
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Are outsiders stronger in their native planes?
In the campaign I'm playing in, there is internal conflict in the upper planes, and one of the lead instigators is a solar. We've killed it multiple times, but it keeps coming back with reinforcements....
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If a hobgoblin is charmed using a Rod of Rulership and given commands that go against the orders of its normal leader, what happens?
The description of the Rod of Rulership says:
You can use an action to present the rod and command obedience from each creature of your choice that you can see within 120 feet of you. Each target ...
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Old thing-like race from D&D 3.5e?
I once watched a very interesting video about a race of beings which come from another dimension and seek to gain control over other dimensions through possessing hosts and bring more of their kind to ...
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The Merfolk Salvager's melee attacks don't specify that they're "Weapon Attacks". Is there a reason for this?
I noticed that both of the two attack actions a Merfolk Salvager (GoS, p.244) has do not specify that they are Weapon attacks:
Coral Rapier. Melee Attack: +4 to hit, etc.
Inject Toxin (2/Day). Melee ...
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How does variant encumbrance affect monsters like Grells?
I'm running a game with variant encumbrance, and I'm wondering how the monsters would be affected. Obviously, heavily armed and armoured enemies would be hampered, but what about "drug and drag&...
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What is the duration of the doppelganger's Shapechanger ability, which lets them "polymorph" into a humanoid they have seen?
What is the duration of the doppelganger's Shapechanger ability, which lets them "polymorph" into a humanoid they have seen?
It isn't clear to me from its description in the Monster Manual.
...
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Does a demilich's energy drain ability affect current hit points? [duplicate]
A demilich's Energy Drain ability says:
Each creature within 30 feet of the demilich must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s hit point maximum is magically ...
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How does the spell Reverse Gravity affect creatures with spider climbing?
I understand that such a question is rather left up to the DM. However that can come as a situation "DM against player" (which is not good but sometimes inevitable). So I'd like to know your ...
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What do Salamanders eat?
In the D&D 5e Monster Manual, most elementals state explicitly that they do not require food or drink. This is not the case for salamanders. By omission, they need to eat and drink. The Forgotten ...
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Who (or what) created the atropal?
Atropal are described in the 5th Edition adventure Tomb of Annihilation:
An atropal is a ghastly, unfinished creation of an evil god, cast adrift and abandoned long ago. Since an atropal was never ...
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Does referencing specific monster actions break the 5e SRD/OGL?
I'm writing my own supplement for 5e, using the OGL/SRD, and have a chapter on monsters. I'm wondering if I can safely use standard monster actions such as Brave, Aggressive, Charge, Camouflage, ...
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Can Vortex Warp be used to put a creature inside a Water Elemental?
Vortex Warp (Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos, p.38):
You magically twist space around another creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (the target ...
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What purpose does the quickling's Fade from View ability serve?
In Pathfinder 2e the Quickling has an ability called Fade from View which, as a free action, lets the quickling become invisible until it uses an attack, manipulate, or move action. The quickling can'...
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Potential effects of non-standard creature size in combat (purple worm)
My players are about to finish G3 (Hall of the Fire Giant King) and start D1 (Descent into the Depths of the Earth) - note that I am converting these 1e modules to 5e.
I am rolling the wandering ...
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Are fungi considered plants? [duplicate]
A number of spells and abilities interact with plants specifically. For example, the Plant Growth spell does the following:
If you cast this spell using 1 action, choose a point within range. All ...
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How does an Otyugh move?
The Otyugh is typically depicted with three legs, three tentacles, and an asymmetric body layout.
While many have asked questions about the Otyugh like the number of melee attacks or the grapple, ...
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Can an earth elemental see/hear while using Earth Glide?
As the title says, can an earth elemental see while using Earth Glide?
I don't see anything in particular in its stat block that would make me think it could see or hear. They have no tremorsense, and ...
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How would permanent invisibility affect a monster's challenge rating?
I’m attempting to convert a phantom fungus to fifth edition. The creature is always invisible while alive, similar to an invisible stalker. When calculating challenge rating, how would this ...
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What was the first original liminal being in D&D?
The first edition monster manual, and the OD&D sources that predate it, have the traditional mythological liminal beings - centaurs, chimeras, satyrs, sphinxes...
But was David Sutherland's ...
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What is the etymology of the term "drider"?
Gary Gygax took the word 'drow' from a Scots cognate of troll, with one of the meanings being 'dark elf'.
David Sutherland III introduced the 'drider' in module Q1, as a drow that has been transformed ...
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Can a succeeded saving throw against the Horryfing Visage from one banshee make the player immune against the Horryfing Visage from another? [duplicate]
If the players are facing two banshees and a player succeeds in the saving throw against one's Horrifying Visage, is he immune to the Horrifying Visage from another one?
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Why is an archmage only CR12?
The monster's manual archmage is overpowered, but has a CR12!?
It is a monster with Time Stop from 9th circle, mind blank and teleport.
If you put him with some other melee monsters (meat for the ...
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