| 1 | %%%%%%%% |
| 2 | %% |
| 3 | %% Not every folder needs an image for every edition in the game. |
| 4 | %% Unless a creature was given a significant redesign between editions, one image is plenty. |
| 5 | %% |
| 6 | %% We're not a D&D wiki, and it's not the end of the world if we don't have a folder for every creature to appear in a D&D supplement. |
| 7 | %% Before creating new folders, ask yourself if there's enough material to make the folder interesting to read. |
| 8 | %% |
| 9 | %%%%%%%% |
| 10 | [[WMG:[[center: [- ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' '''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragons Main Characters Index]]'''\ |
| 11 | ''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsClasses Character Classes by Edition]]''\ |
| 12 | ''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD D]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesH H]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToJ I to J]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesK K]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesL L]] | '''M''' | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNToO N to O]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesPToQ P to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartOne Sa-Sn]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartTwo So-Sy]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToV U to V]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesWToZ W to Z]]) | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsBeholderkin Beholderkin]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCrossoverCreatures Crossover Creatures]] \ |
| 13 | ''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDeities Deities]]''\ |
| 14 | ''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsRaces Playable Races]]''\ |
| 15 | ''Campaign Settings:'' Characters/{{Dragonlance}} | Characters/{{Eberron}} | Characters/ForgottenRealms | Characters/{{Greyhawk}} | Characters/{{Planescape}} | Characters/{{Ravenloft}} | Characters/{{Spelljammer}} ]] -]]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Monsters from the myriad worlds of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | [[folder:Notes on the Entries]] |
| 20 | * A creature's '''Origin''' denotes the specific campaign setting it debuted in, if any. This is not to say that setting is the only place that creature can be found -- ''D&D'' has a long history of repackaging creatures from sub-settings for general use, and ultimately the DM decides what appears in a game. |
| 21 | * A creature's listed '''Challenge Rating''' may be for "baseline" examples of the monster, rather than listing every advanced variant presented in ''Monster Manual''s. Also remember that 3rd and 5th Edition use a 1-20 scale for "standard" Challenge Ratings, while 4th Edition uses 1-30. |
| 22 | * Not all '''Playable''' creatures are created equal, especially in 3rd Edition, in which MonsterAdventurers can have significant Level Adjustments for the sake of party balance. |
| 23 | * A creature's listed '''Alignment''' is typical for the race as a whole, not an absolute for every individual in it -- even supposed embodiments of Good and Evil can change their alignment. Also, if there are two alignments listed, and one is for 4th Edition (in which Good encompasses Neutral Good and Chaotic Good, Unaligned encompasses the morally neutral alignments, and Evil encompasses Neutral Evil and Lawful Evil from other game editions), assume that the other alignment holds true for all other editions. Finally, the "Always Neutral" alignment listed in the first three editions for nonsapient creatures has been equated with the "Unaligned" alignment of 5th Edition. |
| 24 | [[/folder]] |
| 25 | |
| 26 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 27 | |
| 28 | !!M |
| 29 | |
| 30 | [[folder:Maelephant]] |
| 31 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_maelephant_3e.jpg]] |
| 32 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 33 | ->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E), Fiend (5E)\ |
| 34 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 10 (3E, 5E)\ |
| 35 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil |
| 36 | |
| 37 | Bipedal, fiendish pachyderms with an instinctive need to guard something. |
| 38 | ---- |
| 39 | * CruelElephant: It doesn't get more cruel than a literal elephant from Hell. In combat, maelephants prefer to fight defensively using spells like ''blade barrier'' and ''entangle'', but on offense they can jab grappled foes with their spiked trunks, and can make a "frenzied charge" attack for bonuses to their movement and attack rolls. |
| 40 | * HappinessInSlavery: Zig-zagged. The first maelephants were created by the Dark Eight of Baator as servants, but they've since escaped their servitude and proliferated across the Lower Planes. Maelephants still have an overwhelming urge to guard and protect something, and so long as a mighty patron is able to supply them with a great quantity of living flesh for consumption, the maelephants will readily serve as guardians, typically for a hundred-year term. |
| 41 | * LaserGuidedAmnesia: A maelephant's fearsome BreathWeapon is a cloud of noxious vapor that causes complete memory loss to those who fail their saves. Those afflicted can't access their prepared spells, skills, feats and class abilities, no longer know who their friends and foes are, and can't remember their pasts or their own names, and in 5E can't understand languages. The victims can create new memories, but forget them as soon as they sleep or rest. In older editions, the condition is permanent until cured with spells like ''heal'' or ''neutralize poison''. |
| 42 | * StanceSystem: Once per encounter, a maelephant can adopt a defensive stance for bonuses to its Strength, Constitution, Armor Class and saving throws, so long as it doesn't move. |
| 43 | * UndyingLoyalty: Maelephants fight to the death to protect their charges, and will never let them leave the maelephants' sight. |
| 44 | [[/folder]] |
| 45 | |
| 46 | [[folder:Maenad]] |
| 47 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_maenad_3e.jpg]] |
| 48 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 49 | ->'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E)\ |
| 50 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\ |
| 51 | '''Playable:''' 3E\ |
| 52 | '''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral |
| 53 | |
| 54 | A psionic race that hides their extreme emotions beneath apparent reserve. |
| 55 | ---- |
| 56 | * TheBerserker: Once per day, a maenad can subjugate their mentality to boost their physical strength, gaining bonuses to Strength but penalties to Intelligence and Wisdom for a few rounds. |
| 57 | * CallAPegasusAHippogriff: The maenads of Myth/ClassicalMythology were frenzied, all-female followers of Bacchus/Dionysus, or in other words what ''D&D'' labeled "bacchae" for a separate creature entry. These maenads have little in common with their source myth other than extreme emotions. |
| 58 | * EverythingsBetterWithSparkles: Maenads' pale skin is flecked with living crystal, which sparkles like gem dust; coincidentally, they're known for having almost elven grace and beauty. |
| 59 | * NotSoStoic: Maenads have developed strict self-control to contain their race's innate emotional turmoil, a "spiritual anger" the legend says is the result of a terrible wrong by a higher power in the maenad's past, or even the remnant of the maenads' bestial ancestry. So maenads seem calm and taciturn, but on the rare occasions they lost control, those repressed emotions burst free in acts of stunning bravery or violence. |
| 60 | * PsychicPowers: All maenads are natural psionicists, perhaps owing to the mental self-discipline required to keep their emotions under control. |
| 61 | * SuperScream: They can vent their emotional turmoil with a sonic ''energy ray'' once per day. |
| 62 | [[/folder]] |
| 63 | |
| 64 | [[folder:Magen]] |
| 65 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_magen_demos_5e.png]] |
| 66 | [[caption-width-right:350:Demos magen (5e)]] |
| 67 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Mystara}}''\ |
| 68 | '''Classification:''' Natural Animate (4E), Construct (5E)\ |
| 69 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 2 (4E); 1 (hypnos), 2 (demos), 3 (galvan) (5E)\ |
| 70 | '''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral |
| 71 | |
| 72 | Human-shaped constructs crafted by mages to be intelligent and perfectly obedient servants. Their name derives from ''gens magica'', or "magical people." |
| 73 | ---- |
| 74 | * AlienBlood: Past magens were alien for ''not'' bleeding or bruising in response to damage, though their current lore has the constructs "bleed" quicksilver. |
| 75 | * AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: In 2nd and 4th Edition magens have had gray-white flesh, but their 5th Edition incarnation has green skin. They can also be painted or decorated different colors. |
| 76 | * ArtificialHuman: They're a magical take on the trope, and apart from their skin color and hairless bodies, they look and feel like living things, to the extent that some can pass for human. Traditionally they're created in a weeks-long process involving an electrum mold, a gelatin-like mixture of ingredients, and a specific sequence of spells, while in 5th Edition this is streamlined, requiring only the ''create magen'' spell, a life-sized human doll, a vial of quicksilver, and a crystal rod. |
| 77 | * CharmPerson: Hypnos magens have the ability to ''charm'' other creatures, then make a telepathic ''suggestion''. |
| 78 | * CriticalFailure: The magen creation process in ''AD&D'' involves rolling a d20, naturally. Beyond the mixture simply failing to animate, other possible outcomes are the mold exploding to damage everything in a 10-foot radius, the final animating ''lightning bolt'' instead rebounding to hit the caster, or everything ''appearing'' to go right, only for a fiend to possess the newly-made magen and begin plotting to kill the mage. |
| 79 | * EnergyAbsorption: 4th Edition magens can absorb the energy from incoming spells, once per encounter. Demos magens gain a healing surge, caldron magens grow a temporary extra arm to attack with, galvan magens recharge their electricity attacks, and hypnos magens can counter-attack with a [[MindRape blast of psionic energy.]] |
| 80 | * TheGenericGuy: Demos magens are the most basic of their kind, possessing no innate powers compared to other varieties. This makes them the cheapest to produce, and suitable to be equipped as bodyguards. |
| 81 | * {{Golem}}: Magens are basically a cheaper substitute to conventional stone, iron, clay, etc. golems. On the one hand, they're a lot smaller and weaker than proper golems, and lack the latter's magic immunity/resistance, but magens are a lot less disruptive in the house or out in public, don't have a risk of going berserk in combat, and are intelligent enough to converse with their creators and not need carefully-worded instructions, even being capable of making simple decisions, given the right criteria with which to judge a situation. |
| 82 | * LightningCanDoAnything: Traditionally, the final step of the magen creation process involves zapping the mold with a ''lightning bolt''. |
| 83 | * TheNeedless: As constructs, they don't need to eat, drink or sleep. |
| 84 | * NoBodyLeftBehind: When destroyed, a magen's body is consumed in an acrid, multicolored burst of flame. |
| 85 | * RubberMan: The caldron magen variant can stretch its limbs up to 20 feet, and is particularly adept at grappling and restraining foes, at which point its skin [[AcidAttack secretes a dangerous acid.]] |
| 86 | * ShockAndAwe: Galvan magens can store static electricity, which they discharge as lightning bolts. Incidentally, they have a habit of attracting small metallic objects and making nearby beings' hair stand up. |
| 87 | * SignatureScent: Caldron magens have a sour, acidic scent, demos magens have a subtle metallic tang, and galvan magens smell of ozone. |
| 88 | * TheStoic: Magens are incapable of feeling emotion (but see below), though some may be taught to emulate it to aid in social interactions. |
| 89 | * UndyingLoyalty: Magens lack free will, and are totally obedient to their creators. Should their master die, magens tend to go into a berserk rampage until destroyed. |
| 90 | * WeaponizedTeleportation: What little is known about the rare scalos magens is that they can teleport other creatures with a touch, and are said to guard the ''Text of the Magenmaker'' that holds the secrets of creating every type of magen. |
| 91 | [[/folder]] |
| 92 | |
| 93 | [[folder:Mageripper]] |
| 94 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mageripper_swarm_3e.png]] |
| 95 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 96 | ->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\ |
| 97 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 6 (3E)\ |
| 98 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral |
| 99 | |
| 100 | Tiny, swarming pests that feed off of the magical power of living beings. |
| 101 | ---- |
| 102 | * BioweaponBeast: While their origins aren't especially clear, they're believed to have been created artificially to serve as living weapons against arcane spellcasters [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin (hence their name)]]. |
| 103 | * BizarreAlienReproduction: Magerippers reproduce by budding off young from their backs after gorging themselves on magic. |
| 104 | * MagicEater: While magerippers can survive on a carnivorous diet, they much prefer to consume living creatures' magic, which is also essential to their reproduction. Mechanically-speaking, anyone they swarm over is subject to a ''{{dispel magic}}'' effect against a random ongoing spell effect every round, while spellcasters also [[ManaDrain lose one of the highest-level spell slots or prepared spells]]; in either case, the magerippers gain some temporary hit points from feeding. Fortunately, magerippers can't feed in this manner upon magic items, but will still crowd around them in frustrated confusion until a better food source presents itself. |
| 105 | * SupernaturalSensitivity: On top of having blindsense out to 30 feet, magerippers can also detect magical auras without that radius, and sense whether creatures have spellcasting ability. |
| 106 | * TheSwarm: Individual magerippers aren't especially formidable on their own, being bizarre foot-long creatures that weigh at most five pounds. Unfortunately, they're only ever encountered in swarms of up to three hundred creatures that are able to overwhelm their prey through sheer numbers and attrition. In fact, should a mageripper become separated from a swarm, it will quickly become sluggish and unresponsive before expiring. |
| 107 | [[/folder]] |
| 108 | |
| 109 | [[folder:Magmin]] |
| 110 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_magmin_5e.png]] |
| 111 | [[caption-width-right:350:5e]] |
| 112 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\ |
| 113 | '''Classification:''' Elemental (3E, 5E)\ |
| 114 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E), 1/2 (5E)\ |
| 115 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral |
| 116 | |
| 117 | Elemental beings from the Plane of Fire that resemble little gremlins made of magma. |
| 118 | ---- |
| 119 | * ActionBomb: Magmins explode when they die. |
| 120 | * LivingLava: They look like stumpy humanoids shaped from a black shell of lava. |
| 121 | * ObliviouslyEvil: Magmins aren't dedicated to evil like some elementals, but they love to watch things burn, and don't understand that other creatures find fire painful and deadly. |
| 122 | * PlayingWithFire: Their mere touch is hot enough to set people and flammable objects on fire. |
| 123 | * {{Pyromaniac}}: Magmins have a propensity for fire and havoc, viewing flammable objects as kindling. Only their summoners' control keeps them from setting everything ablaze. |
| 124 | [[/folder]] |
| 125 | |
| 126 | [[folder:Magori]] |
| 127 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_magori_3e.png]] |
| 128 | [[caption-width-right:250:3e]] |
| 129 | ->'''Origin:''' ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}''\ |
| 130 | '''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\ |
| 131 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (3E)\ |
| 132 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 133 | |
| 134 | Ten-foot-tall crustacean humanoids who wage war on the surface world on behalf of the god of destruction. |
| 135 | ---- |
| 136 | * AbsurdlySharpBlade: They have the "Keen Blade" supernatural ability, which doubles the threat range of any manufactured slashing weapon they wield as if it had been enchanted. |
| 137 | * BizarreAlienReproduction: Magori are asexual, but are speculated to reproduce by returning to the Blood Sea every five years and releasing an egg sac that spawns five clones of its parent. |
| 138 | * BloodyMurder: Their acidic blood can deal damage to adjacent foes who injure them with slashing or piercing weapons. |
| 139 | * FogOfDoom: Magori can cast ''obscuring mist'' once per hour, and commonly work together to blanket the battlefield in the effect, which doesn't hamper them thanks to magori having both [[SuperSenses darkvision and blindsense.]] During the Chaos War, this ability was supercharged so that thousands of magori were able to completely blanket Mithas and Kothas in mist during their invasion of the Blood Isles -- something made worse by that mist carrying a debilitating disease known as Coil Cough. |
| 140 | * GiantEnemyCrab: They're ogre-sized, amphibious, bipedal crayfish "that know only hate and live to destroy sentient life." |
| 141 | * PoisonousPerson: The bite of magori's flexible, fanged snouts carries a potent poison that can deal up to 4d6 points of Constitution damage. |
| 142 | * UnholyNuke: As creations of the primordial overgod Chaos, magori are under a permanent "Smite Law" effect, dealing additional damage whenever they attack Lawful creatures. |
| 143 | * WeakToFire: They don't take additional damage from it, but magori have such a strong aversion to fire that they suffer attack and saving throw penalties while in the presence of large open flames. |
| 144 | [[/folder]] |
| 145 | |
| 146 | [[folder:Magran]] |
| 147 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_magran_2e.jpg]] |
| 148 | [[caption-width-right:300:2e]] |
| 149 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\ |
| 150 | '''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral |
| 151 | |
| 152 | Twenty-foot-long predators that lurk in the depths of the Ethereal Plane, using a glowing lure on their heads to attract prey. |
| 153 | ---- |
| 154 | * {{Intangibility}}: Actually averted; though native to the Ethereal Plane, magran stay exclusively in the Deep Ethereal, where they prey upon the likes of thought eaters, xill, or planeswalkers. Thus, they never attack Material Plane creatures from the Border Ethereal and appear intangible relative to them. |
| 155 | * InvisibleMonsters: Magran can become ''invisible'' at will, and normally hunt by leaving nothing but their glowing lure visible, though they can hide it if they need to flee. The beasts are normally only seen briefly in the instants they attack, though due to a quirk of their invisibility, any prey they've swallowed will be fully visible even if the rest of the monster is not, at least until the swallowed victim expires. |
| 156 | * LuringInPrey: A magran's lure emits light out to 200 feet or more, and replicates a ''hypnotic pattern'' effect that can transfix those who come too close, leaving them helpless until the monster attacks them. If this eight-inch-wide lure is cut off from a magran's corpse, the hypnotic glow doesn't immediately dim, but remains usable for a couple of weeks -- the catch is, the thing's bearer, although immune to the ''hypnotic pattern'' effect themself, can [[ArtifactOfAttraction grow obsessed with the orb]], refusing to part with it even after its magic runs out. |
| 157 | * MonstrousCannibalism: Newborn magran are abandoned by their parents, so the larger hatchlings typically feed upon their smaller kin until they grow large enough to hunt conventional prey. |
| 158 | * SwallowedWhole: Their maws are wide enough to swallow prey whole, but their gullets are so small that Medium-sized victims can't move or attempt to cut their way free, leaving them to suffer acid and crushing damage until they suffocate in a few rounds. |
| 159 | [[/folder]] |
| 160 | |
| 161 | [[folder:Malastor]] |
| 162 | [[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_malastor_fix_3e.png]] |
| 163 | [[caption-width-right:349:3e]] |
| 164 | ->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\ |
| 165 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 16 (3E)\ |
| 166 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 167 | |
| 168 | Gargantuan monsters that sleep for the majority of the year, but cut a swath of destruction when they emerge from underground to feed. |
| 169 | ---- |
| 170 | * BigEater: Much like the tarrasque, malastors spend most of their lives asleep, but when they're awake, they're ravenous. This behavior only changes when a mated pair devastates a region to create a huge, rotting pile of corpses, which the female lays her eggs into, but after spending a year guarding the nest, malastor parents have to flee as soon as they hear their offspring hatch, because the newborns will still be hungry even after eating their way out of the corpse-heap. |
| 171 | * BoulderBludgeon: Against ranged targets, malastors can fling a chunk of earth up to 400 feet. |
| 172 | * ItCanThink: Downplayed; their Intelligence is only 2, and malastors primarily act on instinct, but they have enough awareness to enjoy spreading destruction and thus have a Chaotic Evil alignment. |
| 173 | * RockMonster: Downplayed; malastors' hides are protected by plates of stone, but they're flesh and blood beneath this armor (the coloration of which matches the stony environment where the creature last slept). |
| 174 | * ShockwaveStomp: Malastors can rip into the ground with their claws, triggering a 400-foot-long shock wave that deals heavy damage and potentially buries creatures beneath the resulting rubble. |
| 175 | * SuperScream: When injured, a malastor reflexively roars powerfully enough to stun other creatures in a 30-foot radius. |
| 176 | [[/folder]] |
| 177 | |
| 178 | [[folder:Malasynep]] |
| 179 | [[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/malasnyep.jpg]] |
| 180 | [[caption-width-right:320:3e]] |
| 181 | ->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\ |
| 182 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 7 (3E)\ |
| 183 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 184 | |
| 185 | 25-foot-long arctic cetaceans, brilliant but murderous, who use their cryokinesis to attack anything that enters their territories. |
| 186 | ---- |
| 187 | * AttackAnimal: Sometimes stronger arctic creatures are able to enslave or bargain with malasyneps and use them as guardians, but the monsters' extreme territoriality means they can be just as dangerous to the beings they're supposedly protecting as they are to intruders. |
| 188 | * DeviousDolphins: Malasyneps are orca-sized, dolphin-like monsters that have a primal need to attack and kill other creatures. |
| 189 | * AnIcePerson: Their PsychicPowers allow them to use the cold-damage variants of ''energy emanation'' at will, and ''energy flash'' once per day. |
| 190 | * SapientCetaceans: Malasyneps have genius-level intellects, and speak Aquan. |
| 191 | * SupernaturalSensitivity: They can sense heat out to 60 feet, and can concentrate to pinpoint the exact location and strength of the heat auras over a few rounds. |
| 192 | * SwallowedWhole: Their jaws are wide enough to swallow even Large prey whole. |
| 193 | [[/folder]] |
| 194 | |
| 195 | [[folder:Malaugrym]] |
| 196 | [[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_malaugrym_3e.jpg]] |
| 197 | [[caption-width-right:315:3e]] |
| 198 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\ |
| 199 | '''Classification:''' Shapechanger (3E), Aberrant Magical Beast (4E)\ |
| 200 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\ |
| 201 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil (3E), Evil (4E) |
| 202 | |
| 203 | Sometimes known as "shadowmasters," these beings have crossed the Plane of Shadow to infiltrate and prey upon the races of the Material Plane. |
| 204 | ---- |
| 205 | * AchillesHeel: Silvered weapons deal the maximum possible damage to malaugryms, which cannot be healed through non-magical means. |
| 206 | * DimensionalTraveler: Malaugrym are "creatures of pure evil native to some alien plane," not the Plane of Shadow itself, though they use the Shadowfell to reach the Material Plane. |
| 207 | * EatenAlive: Their entry explains that malaugrym's "greatest delight is extending a jawed tentacle down a living captive's throat and eatting them from the inside out." |
| 208 | * FlyingFace: Their rarely-seen natural form is that of a beaked, three-eyed, alien head with three hooked tentacles extending from it. |
| 209 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: They can ''shapechange'' as a 20th-level sorcerer, [[EyesAreMental but the glimmering golden light in their eyes]] can [[GlamourFailure give them away with a sufficiently-high Spot check.]] |
| 210 | [[/folder]] |
| 211 | |
| 212 | [[folder:Malrauthin]] |
| 213 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_malrauthin_3e.png]] |
| 214 | [[caption-width-right:250:3e]] |
| 215 | ->'''Origin:''' ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}''\ |
| 216 | '''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\ |
| 217 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 16 (3E)\ |
| 218 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 219 | |
| 220 | Huge fiendish hounds who spread undeath, leading to speculation that they're creations of Chemosh, the Lord of Bones. |
| 221 | ---- |
| 222 | * BloodyMurder: Whenever these fiends take melee damage from slashing or piercing weapons, their attackers are splattered with putrefying blood and must save or take Constitution damage. Anyone killed by this effect rises as an undead bodak the next round. |
| 223 | * BreathWeapon: They can spray "caustic fluid" once per hour in a 30-foot cone, dealing hefty Constitution damage and converting the slain into bodaks. |
| 224 | * HellHound: They look something like 20-foot-long demonic attack dogs with VolcanicVeins on their forelegs. |
| 225 | * MyBloodRunsHot: They don't have the fire subtype or any flame abilities at their disposal, but malrauthins generate so much body heat that anyone who makes contact with them takes fire damage and has to save or ignite. |
| 226 | * OurDemonsAreDifferent: Malrauthins are evil outsiders from Krynn's Abyss, not to be confused with tanar'ri or other demons from the Infinite Layers of the Abyss. |
| 227 | [[/folder]] |
| 228 | |
| 229 | [[folder:Mandibear]] |
| 230 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mandibear.png]] |
| 231 | [[caption-width-right:350:As depicted in ''The Bestiary'' for ''[[TabletopGame/DragonlanceFifthAgeDramaticAdventureGame Dragonlance: Fifth Age]]'']] |
| 232 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}''\ |
| 233 | '''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\ |
| 234 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E)\ |
| 235 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral |
| 236 | |
| 237 | Disarmingly cute beasts that violently defend their territory with their teeth and claws. |
| 238 | ---- |
| 239 | * BearsAreBadNews: Subverted; they're called bears, and they're certainly dangerous, but their masked eyes, red coloration, dark hindquarters and tails, and habit of washing herbs before eating them, are all hints that mandibears are actually giant red pandas. They're fully herbivorous, and never consume what they kill. |
| 240 | * ChaseStopsAtWater: Mandibears can't swim, so deep water is one way to escape them. |
| 241 | * ItCanThink: They're nearly as smart as humans, and can understand Common, but not speak it. They still have no qualms about killing anyone who invades their privacy. |
| 242 | * KillerRabbit: Though they can grow to be eight feet tall, mandibear's appearance is compared to "giant living dolls," and their eyes "contain no malevolence." Nonetheless, they're viciously territorial creatures, more than capable of tearing intruders to pieces. |
| 243 | * MamaBear: When a pack catches the scent of an intruder, the males round up and protect the cubs while the more numerous females hunt down and kill the interloper. |
| 244 | [[/folder]] |
| 245 | |
| 246 | [[folder:Mantari]] |
| 247 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mantari_2e.jpg]] |
| 248 | [[caption-width-right:300:2e]] |
| 249 | ->'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral |
| 250 | |
| 251 | Flying rays that inhabit caves and dungeons, usually feeding on vermin, but they're likely to attack larger creatures. |
| 252 | ---- |
| 253 | * AttackAnimal: Young mantari can be trained by those looking for a guard animal or pest controller. |
| 254 | * BewareMyStingerTail: Their mouths are used only for eating, so mantari attack by hovering over foes, jabbing with their tails while keeping the rest of their bodies out of reach. |
| 255 | * FlyingSeafoodSpecial: Mantari have an innate, magical flight ability, so their "wings" are mainly used to maneuver. |
| 256 | * HeWasRightThereAllAlong: When lying on the dungeon or cave floor, a mantari might be mistaken for a puddle of brackish water. |
| 257 | * PoisonousPerson: Their tails carry a poison that [[NonHealthDamage damages the victim's Strength and Dexterity]], while mantari themselves are mildly poisonous -- anyone who consumes their flesh has to save or be incapacitated with nausea. |
| 258 | * SinisterStingrays: Mantari are flying monsters that bear a strong resemblance to manta rays (leading to speculation about their relation to cloakers and trappers), and are aggressive enough to go after adventurers. Most mantari are only about four feet across, but there are rumors of "greater" mantari in the depths of the Underdark with 10-foot wingspans. |
| 259 | [[/folder]] |
| 260 | |
| 261 | [[folder:Manticore]] |
| 262 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_manticore.png]] |
| 263 | [[caption-width-right:350:5e]] |
| 264 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:[=3e=]]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_manticore_3e.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 265 | ->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E), Natural Magical Beast (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\ |
| 266 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E), 10 (4E), 3 (5E)\ |
| 267 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil |
| 268 | |
| 269 | Man-eating monsters that bring human cunning to their predations. |
| 270 | ---- |
| 271 | * AttackAnimal: They're willing to ally themselves with other creatures, serving as aerial support, hunting companions, or guards for locations or individuals. |
| 272 | * FoodChainOfEvil: By working as a pack, manticores can bring down rival aerial creatures like griffons, chimeras or wyverns, but they fear and avoid dragons. |
| 273 | * IShallTauntYou: They shout insults when attacking, or offer to kill their victims quickly should they beg for mercy. |
| 274 | * OurManticoresAreSpinier: Most editions have given manticores a fairly straightforward appearance with a lion body, batlike wings, a human head with three rows of shark-like teeth, and a tail tipped with a cluster of spines that they can launch like arrows, but the 3E ''Monster Manual'' depicts them with low-slung, leopard spotted bodies and heads resembling twisted, monstrous monkeys more than anything else. Regardless of appearance, they're evil, aggressive beings with a taste for human flesh. |
| 275 | * SpikeShooter: Manticores can snap their tails like whips to send the spikes there flying like arrows, and tend to open fights with such a volley before diving into melee. |
| 276 | * ToServeMan: Manticores enjoy humanoid flesh, but particularly relish humans above all other prey. |
| 277 | -->'''[[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Marthok Uldarr]]:''' Manticores love the taste of human flesh. That's why, on trips through the mountains, I always travel with human bodyguards. |
| 278 | [[/folder]] |
| 279 | |
| 280 | [[folder:Marrashi]] |
| 281 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_marrashi_3e.jpg]] |
| 282 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 283 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/AlQadim''\ |
| 284 | '''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\ |
| 285 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E)\ |
| 286 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil |
| 287 | |
| 288 | Plague-spreading fiends that blend the features of humanoids, avians and jackals. |
| 289 | ---- |
| 290 | * ArtEvolution: In earlier editions, marrash are described as jackel-headed creatures, while 3rd Edition likens them to winged gnolls. |
| 291 | * {{Multishot}}: Marrash are capable of firing two arrows at once, thanks to grasping their bows with their taloned feet and nocking an arrow with both hands. |
| 292 | * {{Plaguemaster}}: They can fire arrows that spread a variant of filth fever, except the [[NonHealthDamage Constitution and Dexterity damage]] dealt can become fatal ability drain. |
| 293 | * SpawnBroodling: Marrash can also shoot special taklif arrows that seem to spread disease like their other arrows, but those who fail their saves soon perish -- then a few days later, their corpse transforms into a newborn marrashi. Since the new fiend consumes the spirit of the slain victim, normal resurrection magic such as ''raise dead'' or ''resurrection'' can't bring them back. |
| 294 | * TheStarscream: Like most fiends, marrash are not willing servants, and will typically use their taklif arrows to spawn more of their kind behind their summoner's back, in hope of creating a force strong enough to avenge the original marrashi's servitude. Other times they'll be more direct and shoot their "master" with a taklif arrow so that the newborn marrashi will free their parent. |
| 295 | [[/folder]] |
| 296 | |
| 297 | [[folder:Marruspawn]] |
| 298 | [[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_marruspawn_3e.jpg]] |
| 299 | [[caption-width-right:325:3e]] |
| 300 | ->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\ |
| 301 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (marrulurk), 5 (marrusault, marrutact) (3E)\ |
| 302 | '''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral |
| 303 | |
| 304 | The jackal-headed creations of an extinct desert civilization, who dwell within ancient pyramids and perform rituals to honor their progenitors. They refer to themselves as "the Crafted." |
| 305 | ---- |
| 306 | * BackStab: Marrulurks share an assassin's ability to make a [[OneHitKill death attack]] attempt against a target they study for three rounds. |
| 307 | * BeastMan: While their sizes and coloration may vary, all known marruspawn appear as humanoids with the heads of jackals. |
| 308 | * FinalSolution: After countless centuries of isolation, the marruspawn have recently become more proactive, after a marrutact named Wisdom proclaimed that he had received a message from the marru, telling him to purge the world of everything not spawned by the marru, to clear the way for their return. While not all marruspawn have heard Wisdom's message or believe it to be true, those who have embraced it have launched campaigns of genocide. |
| 309 | * HiveCasteSystem: The marruspawn subtypes all have different body sizes, so the skulking marrulurks are Small and slight, while the marrusaults are Large and brawny. While the various castes can interbreed, their progeny is always one of those subtypes, never a hybrid creature. |
| 310 | * LaserGuidedAmnesia: Once a year, a marruspawn of breeding age is chosen by each community to travel to the Cradle, a hidden structure rumored to be vital to the race's continued survival and containing the secrets of spawncraft. When those chosen return home a year later, they have no memory of what they experienced there. |
| 311 | * LivingWeapon: Marruspawn are, as their name suggests, the creations of an ancient people known as the marru, who used their science of "spawncraft" to create soldiers to fight what came to be known as the Flesh Wars. While the marru ultimately destroyed themselves, their spawn remained, lingering in the marru's ruins in the dry wastes. |
| 312 | * StaffOfAuthority: The [[InTheHood robed]] marrutacts are also distinguished by their their masterwork staves, "a symbol of the forgotten spawncraft lore" that rather resembles the double helix of a DNA strand. |
| 313 | * SuperScream: Marrusaults can let out a "howl of defiance" once per day, forcing those nearby to save or become fatigued or exhausted. |
| 314 | * SuperSenses: Marruspawn have low-light vision, as well as exceptional hearing -- they can detect the presence of corporeal creatures by the sound of their heartbeat, breathing, or movement, out to 30 feet, and pinpoint their location if the marruspawn is within 5 feet. |
| 315 | * UnusableEnemyEquipment: The marruspawn have a variety of "zymes" that, when imbibed by a marruspawn, grant them a temporary bonus like boosted movement speed, boosted bite attacks, or the ability to make whirlwind attacks. Non-marruspawn can only use them if they first drink a "marrucraft zyme," but the resulting painful biological changes cause them to take damage at the start and end of the concoction's duration. |
| 316 | * WeaponizedStench: Marrulurks can exhale a 10-foot cone of nauseating gas once per day. |
| 317 | * WhiteMagic: While marrutacts are primarily wizards, they can also let loose a "howl of healing" once per day that heals all marruspawn within 30 feet. |
| 318 | |
| 319 | !!Marruspawn Abomination |
| 320 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_marruspawn_abomination_3e.jpg]] |
| 321 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 322 | ->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\ |
| 323 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 19 (3E)\ |
| 324 | '''Alignment:''' Any Evil |
| 325 | |
| 326 | A savage and mighty marruspawn with a spark of godhood, who was the downfall of its creators. |
| 327 | ---- |
| 328 | * DeityOfHumanOrigin: While most abominations are born from "misguided deific concourse," the marru created their own by stealing the blood and essence of a deity to give one of their champions unparalleled power. The resulting marruspawn abomination is thought to have triggered the collapse of the marru civilization, either due to the machinations of the deity whose power was stolen, or the actions of the abomination itself. |
| 329 | * EnemySummoner: Three times per day, they can summon Gargantuan, fiendish, monstrous scorpions. |
| 330 | * NoSell: As an abomination, it's immune to polymorphing, petrification, ability damage or drain, mind-influencing affects, and fire damage to boot. |
| 331 | * SealedEvilInACan: The one known marruspawn abomination is currently imprisoned deep underground, bound by both spells and preservative fluid. Even so, its dreams sometimes interact with other creatures that come too near. |
| 332 | * TakenForGranite: Every few rounds, a marruspawn abomination can loose a "howl of fossilization," forcing all within 30 feet to save or turn to stone. They can also cast ''flesh to salt'' three times per day. |
| 333 | [[/folder]] |
| 334 | |
| 335 | [[folder:Mastyrial]] |
| 336 | [[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mastyrial_2e.jpg]] |
| 337 | [[caption-width-right:220:2e]] |
| 338 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/DarkSun''\ |
| 339 | '''Classification:''' Animal (3E)\ |
| 340 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 8 (3E)\ |
| 341 | '''Alignment:''' Unaligned, TrueNeutral (black) |
| 342 | |
| 343 | Oversized scorpions that spend most of their time hibernating beneath the sand or rock, waiting for prey to close to striking distance. A black variant of mastyrial is far smarter and possesses psionic powers. |
| 344 | ---- |
| 345 | * BlessedWithSuck: Black mastyrials have a sort of GhostMemory, in that every encounter with a type of creature becomes information stored in the pack's collective consciousness. While this will grant the pack combat bonuses against those types of enemies in future encounters, unfortunately "This contact conflicts with their genetic desire to be independent, which has basically caused them to become insane." |
| 346 | * CraftedFromAnimals: Their claws and stingers can be honed into weapons, while their chitin is valued for both its protective qualities and ventiliation. |
| 347 | * DefendCommand: Black mastyrials in a losing fight will retreat into holes dug into solid rock, leaving only the toughest part of their carapace exposed. This renders them immune to mundane physical attacks, so they can only be harmed by somehow extracting them from their holes. |
| 348 | * DigAttack: They commonly begin combat by bursting out from the sand or rock to ambush prey. |
| 349 | * HiveMind: Black mastyrials are not just [[ItCanThink more intelligent than normal animals]], they're also in constant psychic contact with each other, giving them a collective consciousness -- while an individual black mastyrial has an Intelligence score between 5 and 7, the pack's sense of history and learning far exceeds their individual low intelligence. |
| 350 | * MonstrousCannibalism: Black mastyrials consider everything outside their pack a source of food, including other black mastyrial packs. Meanwhile, desert mastyrial females are known for [[MantisMatingMeal stinging and eating males after mating]], something the males don't try to resist. |
| 351 | * PsychicPowers: Black mastyrials use ''mind link'' to communicate with their packs, ''clairvoyance'' and ''know direction'' to aid in their hunts, and ''send thoughts'' to [[LuringInPrey lure prey closer.]] |
| 352 | * ScaryScorpions: They're giant scorpions, with rending pincers and poisonous stingers. They help keep Athas' population of oversized insectoids under control, but are willing to go after humanoid prey as well. |
| 353 | * ShorterMeansSmarter: Black mastyrials are half the size of their desert-dwelling cousins, but make up for their physical shortcomings with their intelligence and psionics. |
| 354 | * SuperSenses: Desert mastyrials use echolocation (in 2nd Edition) or tremorsense (in 3rd) to help detect prey. Black mastyrials are totally blind and rely upon these senses and their psionics to hunt. |
| 355 | [[/folder]] |
| 356 | |
| 357 | [[folder:Maug]] |
| 358 | [[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_maug_3e.png]] |
| 359 | [[caption-width-right:349:3e]] |
| 360 | ->'''Classification:''' Construct (3E)\ |
| 361 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E)\ |
| 362 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral |
| 363 | |
| 364 | Hulking creatures of living stone from the Infinite Battlefield of Acheron, who hire themselves out as mercenaries to give meaning to their existence. |
| 365 | ---- |
| 366 | * ArmorPiercingAttack: They can make a "Pulverize" action three times per day, touching an object and negating its Hardness value so the maug can more easily destroy it. |
| 367 | * {{Cyborg}}: There's a whole range of maug grafts they use to improve and augment themselves, such as fists that lock closed around weapons to prevent disarming, vibrating plates of shale that confer tremorsense, or stone rollers to replace their lower torsos and allow the maug to [[SquashedFlat crush enemies like a steamroller.]] |
| 368 | * DoubleWeapon: Maugs commonly wield Huge double-bladed swords. |
| 369 | * HealingFactor: Unusually for constructs, maugs slowly recover hit points while resting, and heal faster if someone helps repair them. |
| 370 | * NeglectfulPrecursors: As best sages can tell, the maugs were created by some ancient civilization as shock troops for a terrible war, then afterward were dumped on Thuldanin, the second layer of Acheron and the junkyard for the multiverse's wars. Since maugs are creatures of stone themselves, they were immune to Thuldanin's petrification effect, and they eventually figured out how to make more of themselves, taking on jobs as hired soldiers to get the money needed for the process. |
| 371 | * PrivateMilitaryContractors: Maugs serve any master willing to pay the price, and never care about right or wrong. They're even willing to fight other maugs employed by the opposing side, resulting in horrendous casualties as the maugs lead their troops to clash repeatedly until one or both sides is ground down to nearly nothing. Then the surviving maugs are liable to group up and go off to find a new war to fight in as if nothing happened. |
| 372 | * RockMonster: Maugs' bodies are cut from the stone of Acheron. |
| 373 | * UndyingLoyalty: In battle, maugs are unflinchingly loyal to their employer, making them perfect mercenaries. |
| 374 | [[/folder]] |
| 375 | |
| 376 | [[folder:Maulgoth]] |
| 377 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_maulgoth_3e.png]] |
| 378 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 379 | ->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\ |
| 380 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 17 (3E)\ |
| 381 | '''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil |
| 382 | |
| 383 | Huge amalgamations of flesh and stone, these beings are among the most dangerous inhabitants of the Underdark. |
| 384 | ---- |
| 385 | * {{Druid}}: It's noted that maulgoths have a druid's power over the natural world, thanks to spell-like abilities such as ''[[GreenThumb control plants]]'', ''[[TheBeastmaster dominate animal]]'' and ''[[DishingOutDirt stone shape]]'', but the creatures have none of a true druid's love and respect for their environment, and callously manipulate their surroundings to aid in hunts or to protect themselves. |
| 386 | * DungeonBypass: Maulgoths can glide through solid stone like a xorn, which they use to launch ambushes or escape losing battles. |
| 387 | * SiliconBasedLife: They're roughly rhino-shaped monsters with bodies covered in rocky spikes and protrusions all but indistinguishable from stone. |
| 388 | * TentacleRope: They can grapple and constrict opponents with their tentacles. |
| 389 | * WallCrawl: Maulgoths can move at full speed up walls and across ceilings. |
| 390 | * WeaponizedTeleportation: They can make an "ethereal jolt" attack by striking a foe with a tentacle, potentially shunting them onto the Ethereal Plane. |
| 391 | [[/folder]] |
| 392 | |
| 393 | [[folder:Meazel]] |
| 394 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_meazel_5e.png]] |
| 395 | [[caption-width-right:350:5e]] |
| 396 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\ |
| 397 | '''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E), Natural Humanoid (4E), Humanoid (5E)\ |
| 398 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E), 11 (4E), 1 (5E)\ |
| 399 | '''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil, ChaoticEvil (4E) |
| 400 | |
| 401 | Degenerate humanoids that lurk in dismal places while stalking prey. |
| 402 | ---- |
| 403 | * BackStab: 3rd Edition meazels can deal extra Sneak Attack damage to flanked or surprised foes. |
| 404 | * {{Curse}}: The 5th Edition meazels curse any creature they take through a shadow teleport, which allows undead and other Shadowfell creatures to sense the cursed victim from a distance of 300 feet. |
| 405 | * PoisonousPerson: Swamp-dwelling meazels carry an unslightly skin disease that doesn't affect them, but can infect those they hit with claw attacks, dealing [[NonHealthDamage Dexterity and Constitution damage.]] |
| 406 | * {{Retcon}}: In 3rd Edition, meazels are diseased, swamp-dwelling creatures that stalk and murder other humanoids with their stealth skills. In 5th Edition, meazels are debased creatures of the Shadowfell that murder other humanoids with their shadow magic. |
| 407 | * ShadowWalker: Stepping into a shadow allows a 5th Edition meazel to magically move to another one. |
| 408 | * SuperReflexes: 3rd Edition meazels share a rogue's Evasion ability, allowing them to fully avoid attacks with a Reflex saving throw. |
| 409 | * WasOnceAMan: As per their current lore, meazels are all that remain of people who fled into the Shadowfell to escape their mortal existence and ended up transformed by the darkness. |
| 410 | [[/folder]] |
| 411 | |
| 412 | [[folder:Medusa]] |
| 413 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_medusa_5e.png]] |
| 414 | [[caption-width-right:350:5e]] |
| 415 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:[=3e=]]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/medusa_d&d.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 416 | ->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E), Natural Humanoid (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\ |
| 417 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 7 (3E), 10 (4E), 6 (5E)\ |
| 418 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil |
| 419 | |
| 420 | Snake-haired women who can turn living beings to stone with their gaze. |
| 421 | ---- |
| 422 | * BizarreSexualDimorphism: Male medusas, when they appear, tend to be very physically and magically distinct from their sisters. |
| 423 | ** In 2nd Edition, they're known as maedars, and resemble entirely hairless human men. They're immune to petrification, paralysis and medusa venom, can walk through stone, and can undo petrification with a touch. |
| 424 | ** In 4th Edition, they look the same as in 2nd but poison with their gaze instead of their previous powers. This is also the first time that male medusas make it into a core book. |
| 425 | * GorgeousGorgon: Besides the snakes and odd skin colors, many medusae are quite beautiful by humanoid standards. This is very much averted in second and third edition, where medusae look at best like hideous old crones and at worst like inhuman monsters with skin covered in thick scales, glowing red eyes, and gaunt faces with flatted, almost non-existent noses. |
| 426 | * InterspeciesRomance: Depending on the edition, medusas are either strictly female or female ones outnumber the males by a wide margin. In either case, they tend to rely on mating with human and elven men to reproduce. |
| 427 | * AKindOfOne: Medusas are an entire species of beings based off of what was a singular being in Greek myth. |
| 428 | * {{Medusa}}: Medusas have always been a species, but they have undergone some changes between editions. |
| 429 | ** In 2nd edition, medusas resemble elven maidens with serpents for hair and the ability to petrify with their gaze, even affecting creatures on the Ethereal or Astral Planes (into which they can see). Approximately 10% are "greater medusae", who have super-toxic blood and [[SnakePeople a giant snake's body in lieu of humanoid legs]]. There are also male medusas, called maedar, who appear as [[BizarreSexualDimorphism bald muscular elven men]]. Maedar are ridiculously rare; whereas female medusae produce two to six medusa daughters by [[InterspeciesRomance mating with human men]], the result of a medusa/maedar coupling is two to six offspring, with 25% being male and the remaining 75% being female. Only ''1%'' of the males are maedar; the rest of them, and ''all'' of the females, are pure human. |
| 430 | ** In editions 3 and 3.5, medusas are AlwaysFemale, with a humanoid body but scaly skin, glowing red eyes, and gaunt faces with flatted, almost non-existent noses. A petrifying gaze attack as well as poison bites from the hair snakes come with the package. Medusas can procreate with any humanoid species, with the offspring normally being medusae themselves. Petrification is permanent by default, but advanced magic can reverse it. In ''Savage Species'', several intelligent monsters including medusae are made into playable races. If you wanted to play a medusa under the standard rules you have to start at level 10 or higher, but with ''Savage Species'' you can start as a level 1 immature medusa who has not yet developed her full potential. The same expansions also introduces a feat that allows medusas to enable and disable their gaze attack at will or to focus it at specific opponents, allowing others to see their faces without being turned to stone unless the medusa wants to do so. Sadly, like most monsters in the book, medusas are CoolButInefficient due to losing so many class levels to normal player character races and because their two main powers (petrification and poison) are things that are extremely dangerous to normal PC races but something that [[UselessUsefulSpell many monsters are immune or highly resistant to]]. |
| 431 | ** In fourth edition, medusae are a species in the usual sense, with both males and females. The females are classic medusas, pretty much the same as in the previous edition except that they can now un-petrify their victims by applying a drop of their own blood. The males are bald and poison with their gaze rather than petrify. Both sexes resemble the scaly humanoid from 3rd edition, though with less haggish features. |
| 432 | ** In the fifth addition, medusae look like humans with snakes for hair, have males with identical powers and are cursed to turn into medusae on an individual basis. |
| 433 | ** In ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'', medusae have a unique culture largely based around avoiding looking someone in the eyes -- they're not immune to the petrifying gaze of other medusae, so it's kind of the only choice. They were created by the [[EldritchAbomination daelkyr]], but broke free when the [[SealedEvilInACan creatures were sealed away]]. Oh, and there are explicitly males as well--where do you think all the baby medusae come from? |
| 434 | ** In ''TabletopGame/ScarredLands'', medusae were created by the titan Mormo. In this setting, pretty much everything was created by the Titans, including the gods. Two centuries ago, the gods rose up against them in what came to be known as the Titanswar or the Divine War. The medusae were initially an important force at the titans' side, but they switched side to serve the Gods, particularly the neutral evil goddess Belsameth. |
| 435 | * MundaneUtility: Male medusas, known as maedars, can reverse petrification with a touch. Medusa/maedar pairs use this to keep food fresh -- the medusa petrifies victims, they smash the statue, and the maedar turns chunks back to flesh when the pair wants to eat. |
| 436 | * SnakePeople: In some edition, some variants of medusas possess snakelike trunks instead of legs. |
| 437 | * TakenForGranite: A medusa's gaze will petrify anyone who looks into her eyes. Whether this is something they can control, and whether other medusas are or aren't immune to it, varies between settings and editions. |
| 438 | * VainSorceress: 5th edition medusas are formerly mortal individuals, male or female, who bargained with dark powers to gain eternal youth, beauty, and immortality. They got what they wanted, but the transformation into a medusa was the price each of them had to pay. |
| 439 | * WasOnceAMan: In 5th edition, every medusa was once a normal person. Their monstrous appearance and petrifying gaze are the result of a curse brought on by their vanity. |
| 440 | [[/folder]] |
| 441 | |
| 442 | [[folder:Megapede]] |
| 443 | [[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_megapede_4e.jpg]] |
| 444 | [[caption-width-right:320:4e]] |
| 445 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/DarkSun''\ |
| 446 | '''Classification:''' Vermin (3E), Natural Beast (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\ |
| 447 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 20 (3E), 15 (4E), 11 (5E)\ |
| 448 | '''Alignment:''' Unaligned |
| 449 | |
| 450 | Colossal predatory centipedes that can reach lengths of 150 feet, making them the terrors of the deserts they dwell in. |
| 451 | ---- |
| 452 | * BigCreepyCrawlies: Again, they're centipedes over a hundred feet long, capable of slicing a cow in two with a single bite from their mandibles. |
| 453 | * CreepyCentipedes: They combine this trope with SandWorm, burying themselves beneath the sand and then attacking passing prey with their jaws and psionics. In their home setting, the only things more feared than megapedes are nightmare beasts and the Dragon of Tyr. |
| 454 | * LightningBruiser: In 3rd Edition they're blisteringly fast, with a base movement speed of 80 feet, allowing megapedes to run down the fleetest of horses. |
| 455 | * MakeThemRot: Their 5th Edition stat block gives them a life-draining aura that deals necrotic damage to other creatures. |
| 456 | * PoisonousPerson: Their fearsome bites also deliver a dangerous poison, which can be harvested from a megapede corpse and remains potent for a month. |
| 457 | * PsychicPowers: As a monster that debuted in ''Dark Sun'', megapedes (with the notable exception of their 3rd Edition incarnation) are natural psions that can blast prey with psychic energy. |
| 458 | [[/folder]] |
| 459 | |
| 460 | [[folder:Meenlock]] |
| 461 | [[quoteright:285:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/meenlock_2e.png]] |
| 462 | [[caption-width-right:285:2e]] |
| 463 | ->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E), Aberrant Humanoid (4E), Fey (5E)\ |
| 464 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E), 9 (4E), 2 (5E)\ |
| 465 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil (1E-3E), ChaoticEvil (4E), NeutralEvil (5E) |
| 466 | |
| 467 | Small, vaguely bug-like horrors that stalk and torment a chosen victim before abducting them back to their lair for converstion into a new meenlock. |
| 468 | ---- |
| 469 | * {{Expy}}: Meenlocks are a very direct riff on the creatures from the 1973 ''Film/DontBeAfraidOfTheDark'', with almost all their abilities and operating methods hailing straight from that film. The only major difference is their more insectile designs. |
| 470 | * MindRape: Meenlocks hunt by selecting a target, then spending days stalking them while telepathically tormenting them, instilling paranoia through the feeling of being watched and followed, and filling them with the horrible certainty that monsters are going to come for them in the night. This mental assault deals Wisdom damage (in 3rd Edition) or psychic damage (in 5th Edition), potentially rendering the meenlocks' victim helpless. |
| 471 | * TheMorlocks: Another degenerate race of formerly-civilized humanoids that lurks underground. |
| 472 | * TheParalyzer: Their claw attacks can paralyze opponents, allowing the meenlocks to haul them back to their lairs. |
| 473 | * SupernaturalFearInducer: Meenlocks give other creatures the creeps and project a supernatural aura that instills terror. |
| 474 | * {{Telepathy}}: They can use this to communicate, but mostly to be unpleasant to their prey. |
| 475 | * {{Teleportation}}: 3rd Edition meenlocks can use a ''dimension door'' effect every two rounds, while in 5th Edition it's a [[ShadowWalker shadow teleport]] instead. |
| 476 | * {{Tulpa}}: In 5th Edition, meenlocks are created as manifestations of the fear of other beings. When a sapient creature experiences deep fear or dread in the Feywild or an area highly influenced by it, one or more meenlocks spontaneously come into being. |
| 477 | * WasOnceAMan: In most editions, meenlocks procreate by haunting humanoids, driving them mad, and eventually kidnapping them to transform them into new meenlocks. Once a creature has been converted in this way, only a ''wish'' or ''miracle'' can bring them back. |
| 478 | [[/folder]] |
| 479 | |
| 480 | [[folder:Mekillot]] |
| 481 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mekillot_4e.jpg]] |
| 482 | [[caption-width-right:350:4e]] |
| 483 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Alternate design, with a kank and imix for scale (3e)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mekillot_3e.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 484 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/DarkSun''\ |
| 485 | '''Classification:''' Animal (3E), Natural Beast (4E)\ |
| 486 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 7 (3E), 10 (4E)\ |
| 487 | '''Alignment:''' Unaligned |
| 488 | |
| 489 | Gargantuan, six-ton, shelled lizards that make for plodding beasts of burden, assuming they don't eat their handlers. |
| 490 | ---- |
| 491 | * BeastOfBattle: 4th Edition explains that some mekillot eggs are subjected to rituals by defilers, turning them into larger, meaner warbeasts that can carry a sorcerer-king's soldiers in a howdah, and are so bloodthirsty that they'll chase after retreating foes. |
| 492 | * BellyFlopCrushing: Mekillots' undersides are less armored than their shelled backs, which smaller creatures sometimes try to take advantage of, at which point the reptile instinctively drops onto its belly to crush the threat. Though depending on what they drop upon, sometimes the mekillot [[InertialImpalement takes damage in the process.]] |
| 493 | * DependingOnTheArtist: Depictions of mekillots can be inconsistent even within the same edition. Sometimes they look something like armored salamanders, smooth and low to the ground, while other illustrators favor a design with the body of an enormous ''Ankylosaurus'', the beaked, crested head of a ''Protoceratops'', ram-like horns, and chameleon eyes. |
| 494 | * FantasticLivestock: Mekillots make for excellent caravan beasts, as a pair of the lizards can pull a 20-ton load at a slow and steady pace. However, the savage creatures can never be truly tamed, and are known to wander off the road for no apparent reason, or attempt to eat smaller members of the caravan. Psionic handlers have the best results in getting the creatures to cooperate. |
| 495 | * SwallowedWhole: They have an OverlyLongTongue they can use to reel in and swallow prey. |
| 496 | [[/folder]] |
| 497 | |
| 498 | [[folder:Mephit]] |
| 499 | [[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mephits_5e.png]] |
| 500 | [[caption-width-right:349:Magma and ice mephits (5e)]] |
| 501 | ->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E), Elemental Humanoid (4E), Elemental (5E)\ |
| 502 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E), 3 or 4 (4E), 1/2 (5E)\ |
| 503 | '''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral (3E), Unaligned (4E), NeutralEvil (5E) |
| 504 | |
| 505 | Imp-like creatures native to the Inner Planes. They come in an array of subspecies based on their elemental affinity, which affects their appearances, abilities and personalities, but one trait they all have in common is that they're incredibly annoying. |
| 506 | ---- |
| 507 | * BreathWeapon: All mephits can breathe a short cone of their corresponding element type, either dealing minor damage or hampering foes by restraining them with a coating of mud, blinding them with dust in their eyes, etc. |
| 508 | * DefeatEqualsExplosion: 5th Edition mephits explode when killed, creating a similar effect as their breath weapon. |
| 509 | * ElementalPowers: Beyond their breath attack, mephits typically have some spell-like abilities related to their core element, such as air mephits being able to cast ''gust of wind'' once per day. |
| 510 | * EnemySummoner: Some imps have a chance of summoning a few more of their kind, in case one of the things wasn't annoying enough. |
| 511 | * TheMagnificent: Mephits like to give themselves [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard long, pompous names and titles]] like "Garbenaferthal, Sprite-Slayer, Greatest of All Steam Mephits, Favorite of the Lower Planes," or "Abernathanorial, Ditch Queen, Doom of Dryads, Dearth of Light, Mephit of Darkest Smoke." |
| 512 | * MyNewGiftIsLame: Invoked; ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' explains that "Mephits are never given to friend, as anyone who has met one understands," instead the little creatures are "gifted" to rivals to send a message. There's an entire "Mephit Vendetta Code" based on what type and how many mephits are being sent to someone. |
| 513 | * OurImpsAreDifferent: Mephits are small, devilish elementals with long noses, batlike wings, grating personalities and very low placement on the planar pecking order and food chain. They come in a variety of elemental, paraelemental, and quasielemental subtypes, each with their own quirks. |
| 514 | ** Air mephits are flightly, fickle and generally air-headed. They can be used to passively cool and circulate air in rooms, or sent as a messenger, in which case the mephit will serve as an excellent courier exactly once before wandering off in search of adventure. |
| 515 | ** Ash mephits as morose beings who can be employed as messengers, though they also love to tell other creatures about their problems in a nasal whine -- "You're so lucky not to have wings, they get fouled in everything and it's not like I ever asked to fly." |
| 516 | ** Dust mephits have a morbid fascination with death, are the only mephit subspecies known to wear (somber) clothing, and like to present themselves as "tragic yet fashionable victims of a gloomy fate, heroically holding out against utter insanity." A gifted dust mephit indicates that the sender is aware the receiver is plotting against them, a subtle threat. |
| 517 | ** Earth mephits are stolid and humorless, and enjoy eating gems and jewelry, to the extent that they'll hatch schemes to earn money to purchase them with both "single-mindedness but also singular ineptitude." |
| 518 | ** Fire mephits are mischievous pranksters sometimes used to heat forges, warm clothing, or just light cigars. A gift of a fire mephit "indicates displeasure at the enemy's action." |
| 519 | ** Ice mephits are aloof and particularly cruel, sometimes used to turn storerooms into freezers. A gifted ice mephit indicates that the receiver is forbidden to enter the sender's home. |
| 520 | ** Lightning mephits are curious and hyperactive, prone to mistakes and misspeaking, and combine a high flying speed with poor maneuverability. |
| 521 | ** Magma mephits are both the most passive and the dumbest of their kind, and frequently the target of fire mephit pranks, like shoving magma mephits into water so they harden. |
| 522 | ** Mineral mephits are both greedy and self-righteous, regarding themselves as "guards of all treasure, whether or not they own it." |
| 523 | ** Mirror mephits are one of the few inhabitants of the Plane of Mirrors, prone to answering questions with more questions or repeating other mirror mephit's conversations. They make for good spies, though any promises of loyalty they offer summoners are cast aside as soon as they're off their home plane. |
| 524 | ** Mist mephits constantly spy on other mephits, who they then try to report for treasonous behavior such as showing mercy to foes. |
| 525 | ** Ooze mephits are obnoxious flatterers, summoned to do odious jobs like cleaning sewers and garbage dumps, but they're prone to deserting. At that point they take up begging for money (like a small "loan" of 100 gold pieces) they plan to pay wizards to transmute them into a humanoid form. |
| 526 | ** Radiant mephits are perpetually dazed from their experience on the Quasiplane of Radiance, and lack the attention span to fulfil any mission, or even remember their own grandiose titles. The only reason anyone bothers summoning them is because some beings find their ''color sprays'' soothing, though a gifted radiant mephit is seen as a peace offering between feuding parties. |
| 527 | ** Salt mephits are among the least pleasant of their kind, to the extent that "The sarcastic and acidulous wit of salt mephits lowers their life expectancy dramatically." Unsurprisingly, a gift of a salt mephit is a declaration of open war. |
| 528 | ** Smoke mephits are shiftless and crude, prefering to lounge about invisibly while smoking pipeweed and telling jokes about their master. When "gifted" to someone, a smoke mephit is "a gesture of insolence and contempt that amounts to a declaration of vendetta." |
| 529 | ** Steam mephits consider themselves the lords of all mephits and masters of the Quasiplane of Steam, resulting in a fierce rivalry with their mist mephit neighbors. On the bright side, they can be used to heat small rooms or even power engines. |
| 530 | ** Water mephits are jovial, but obnoxious and tactless about it, prone to attaching themselves to adventuring parties and offering assurances like "Buck up, you can handle these fiends. Or if not, you'll make good dretches." They can at least be employed as firefighters in kitchens and the like. |
| 531 | [[/folder]] |
| 532 | |
| 533 | [[folder:Mephling]] |
| 534 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mephling_3e.jpg]] |
| 535 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 536 | ->'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E)\ |
| 537 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (3E)\ |
| 538 | '''Playable:''' 3E\ |
| 539 | '''Alignment:''' Any |
| 540 | |
| 541 | Small humanoids occasionally born to mephit parents, granting them some of the power of the Inner Planes. |
| 542 | ---- |
| 543 | * BreathWeapon: A few times per day, a mephling can unleash a breath weapon appropriate to their elemental type -- a cone of dust and grit, rock shards, fire or caustic liquid. |
| 544 | * ElementalPowers: Mephlings cast spells with the same elemental descriptor as them at a higher level, and their air, earth and water subraces get flight, burrowing and swim speeds, respectively. |
| 545 | * HalfHumanHybrid: Mephlings' origins are uncertain -- in one story, they're the result of ancient unions between mephits and some forgotten humanoid race, while another is "a darker tale of a megalomaniacal mage seeking to imprint his essence on another race." |
| 546 | * ParentalAbandonment: Evil mephits will dump a mephling child on a hostile plane, while kinder mephits will leave their child in a place where other creatures might find it. At any rate, mephlings are either adopted by other creatures or grow up on their own. |
| 547 | * WingedHumanoid: Air mephits have wispy wings, though their (perfect) flight speed is only 10 feet per round. |
| 548 | [[/folder]] |
| 549 | |
| 550 | [[folder:Mercane]] |
| 551 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mercane_3e.jpg]] |
| 552 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 553 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}''\ |
| 554 | '''Classification:''' Outsider (3E), Giant (5E)\ |
| 555 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E, 5E)\ |
| 556 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral |
| 557 | |
| 558 | Sometimes known as arcanes, these tall, blue humanoids are merchants who travel the Great Wheel, selling exotic goods and magical items such as ''spelljammer helms'' to anyone who can meet their prices. |
| 559 | ---- |
| 560 | * AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Big, bald and blue humanoids. |
| 561 | * ArmsDealer: Mercanes have been known to sell potent magic weapons to both sides of a war, uncaring that the result kills off all their potential customers and desolates a region. |
| 562 | * CreepyLongFingers: Beyond their height and skin tone, another key mercane feature is that their fingers are long enough to have an extra joint on them. |
| 563 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Varies from the source material, with their early entries explaining that mercanes will never deal with fiends, genies and the neogi, while later information states that they'll hire appropriate bodyguards for a trade mission into the Abyss. |
| 564 | * IntrepidMerchant: It doesn't get more intrepid than forming a caravan to travel the Lower Planes. |
| 565 | * KnowWhenToFoldThem: Mercanes can cast ''Leomund's secret chest'' once per day, which they'll use to pull out a magic wand in an emergency... or just bribe a threat to go away. |
| 566 | * MerchantCity: The mercanes run the demiplane-city of Union, a great crossplanar trading stop, founded largely due to the mercanes' aversion to operating in [[TabletopGame/{{Planescape}} Sigil]]. |
| 567 | * OneGenderRace: Mercanes seem sexless, and there's been no sightings of young members of their race, leading to much speculation over if and how they reproduce (and some bawdy jokes about what they do with all that treasure they accumulate). The mercanes remain silent on the matter. |
| 568 | * ProudMerchantRace: Every mercane encountered has been a merchant. |
| 569 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: If a battle turns against them, mercanes are known to use ''dimension door'' or ''invisibility'' to ditch their bodyguards and make a run for it. |
| 570 | * {{Telepathy}}: Mercanes possess a form of racial telepathy, allowing them to communicate with one another no matter the distance or dimension. Those who offend or wrong one mercane are going to find it next to impossible to do business with any others until restitution is offered. |
| 571 | * TookALevelInBadass: In past editions, mercanes have been more or less noncombatants who'd rather bribe opponents with a magic weapon than wield it against them, but 5th Edition gives them multiple attacks with a "psi-infused blade" that can [[SupernaturalFearInducer cause victims to be frightened of the mercane.]] |
| 572 | [[/folder]] |
| 573 | |
| 574 | [[folder:Merchurion]] |
| 575 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_merchurion_3e.png]] |
| 576 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 577 | ->'''Classification:''' Construct (3E)\ |
| 578 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 17 (3E)\ |
| 579 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 580 | |
| 581 | Giant creatures of living quicksilver who can mold their bodies into any weapon, and absorb the magical properties of weapons that strike them. |
| 582 | ---- |
| 583 | * DyingRace: Merchurions cannot reproduce, and are obsessed with averting this trope and finding some way to produce more of their kind. |
| 584 | * EnergyAbsorption: When struck by an enchanted weapon, a merchurion absorbs its magic, allowing the creature to manifest said weapon's enchantment on its own morph weapons, while the original weapon's magical properties are suppressed, both for the next hour. |
| 585 | * FantasticRacism: Merchurions consider all other creatures as inferior, with the exception of fire giants, who they view with a mixture of envy and resentment that leads to bloodshed whenever the two meet. |
| 586 | * MetalMuncher: These living constructs' only bodily need is to consume metal, particularly silver. |
| 587 | * ShapeshifterWeapon: They can morph their bodies to produce any weapon, and are proficient with even the most exotic of weapons they form this way. Said weapons are considered enchanted, silvered weapons, and should they somehow be separated from the merchurion, the weapons will instantly melt into a silvery pool. |
| 588 | * YouHaveFailedMe: The merchurions used to be a race of giants that excelled in metalcrafting, and were tasked by Surtur, Lord of the Fire Giants, to make weapons superior to the dwarves' adamantine waraxes. When decades of work produced only a slag of mercurial metal inside a magma rift, an enraged Surtur threw the merchurions into their own creation, inadvertently transforming them into their current state. As much as the merchurions have a jealous hatred towards fire giants, they still feel deep shame over failing Surtur. |
| 589 | [[/folder]] |
| 590 | |
| 591 | [[folder:Merfolk]] |
| 592 | [[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_merfolk_5e_7.png]] |
| 593 | [[caption-width-right:306:5e]] |
| 594 | ->'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E, 5E)\ |
| 595 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E), 1/8 (5E)\ |
| 596 | '''Alignment:''' Any |
| 597 | |
| 598 | Aquatic humanoids with fish-like lower bodies, and who generally avoid interactions with surface-dwellers. |
| 599 | ---- |
| 600 | * ArtEvolution: The earliest "mermen" fit the standard "normal human top, fish bottom" model, but 3rd Edition gave them an exotic tint to their hair and flesh, before 5th Edition made them an AmazingTechnicolorPopulation with finned limbs and hair. |
| 601 | * HiddenElfVillage: The merfolk generally reject any offers of friendship or trade from outsiders, and it takes an extraordinary threat to make their bands of hunter-gatherers unite with each other under a single leader. |
| 602 | * OurMermaidsAreDifferent: They're part-human, part-fish, though the degree of integration between the two halves varies by edition. Stories abound of merfolk rescuing shipwrecked sailors, but they're also known to prank surface-dwellers, and their idea of mischief can be cruel. Though amphibious, merfolk's land speed is appalling, and they cannot innately transform into a bipedal form. |
| 603 | * WasOnceAMan: Their early lore posits that merfolk were once human, but were transformed by an unknown power into their current state. |
| 604 | [[/folder]] |
| 605 | |
| 606 | [[folder:Merrow]] |
| 607 | [[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_merrow_5e_transparent.png]] |
| 608 | [[caption-width-right:349:5e]] |
| 609 | ->'''Classification:''' Giant (3E), Monstrosity (5E)\ |
| 610 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E), 2 (5E)\ |
| 611 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 612 | |
| 613 | Brutish aquatic monsters that exist only to plunder and murder. |
| 614 | ---- |
| 615 | * AlwaysChaoticEvil: 5th Edition merrow are inherently evil due to generations of demon worship and living in the Abyss, which has corrupted them in body and soul. Earlier merrow were little better, but without the excuse of being tainted by demons. |
| 616 | * {{Retcon}}: Merrow were an aquatic subspecies of ogre for the first three editions of the game, described as green-skinned humanoids with webbed hands and feet, who lived in lakes and rivers. 5E reimagines them as the corrupted, monstrous descendants of demon-worshipping merfolk, making them saltwater creatures with fish-like lower bodies (and thus carrying a strong resemblance to the male naga of ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'') |
| 617 | * WasOnceAMan: In their current lore, merrow are descended from merfolk who found an idol of Demogorgon at the bottom of the sea, became afflicted with madness, migrated to Demogorgon's layer of the Abyss, and were slowly transformed by Abyssal energies after generations. |
| 618 | * YouWillNotEvadeMe: If a merrow nails someone with its harpoon, the unfortunate victim will be pulled up to 20 feet closer to the merrow unless they succeed on a Strength save. |
| 619 | [[/folder]] |
| 620 | |
| 621 | [[folder:Metallic Sentinel]] |
| 622 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_metallic_sentinels_5e.jpeg]] |
| 623 | [[caption-width-right:350:A metallic peacekeeper (left) and warbler (right) (5e)]] |
| 624 | ->'''Classification:''' Construct (5E)\ |
| 625 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1/4 (warbler), 4 (peacekeeper) (5E)\ |
| 626 | '''Alignment:''' NeutralGood |
| 627 | |
| 628 | Elegant constructs built by metallic dragons to act as peacekeepers in communities their creator has grown attached to. |
| 629 | ---- |
| 630 | * EmotionBomb: A metallic sentinel can release a gas that calms those who breathe it in, incapacitating them. |
| 631 | * GuardianEntity: They're created to be stand-ins for the dragon who built them, to watch over favored mortal settlements. |
| 632 | * NoSell: Besides sharing most constructs' condition immunities, metallic sentinels are immune to fire and any attempt to alter their form. |
| 633 | * SpyBot[=/=]SurveillanceDrone: A less-advertised feature of metallic sentinels is that they're in constant telepathic communication with their creator dragon, who can even see through the sentinels' senses. |
| 634 | [[/folder]] |
| 635 | |
| 636 | [[folder:Metalmaster]] |
| 637 | [[quoteright:337:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_metalmaster_3e.png]] |
| 638 | [[caption-width-right:337:3e]] |
| 639 | ->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\ |
| 640 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E)\ |
| 641 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral (2E), ChaoticEvil (3E) |
| 642 | |
| 643 | Also known as "sword slugs," these horse-sized gastropods use their powers of magnetism to hunt red-blooded prey. |
| 644 | ---- |
| 645 | * EyeOfNewt: Averted; mages and alchemists' experiments with metalmaster flesh and ichor have yet to yield anything useful. Their flesh is similarly so bitter that only carrion-eaters will feed upon it. |
| 646 | * ItCanThink: They're none too bright, but metalmasters are smart enough to know to lurk near hoards of treasure, which they can weaponize and use as bait for humanoid prey. In 3E they can even speak Undercommon, "though they are not brilliant conversationalists." |
| 647 | * MagnetismManipulation: Their signature ability is to generate and manipulate powerful magnetic fields, allowing metalmasters to attract or repel metal items (and metal creatures) up to 60 feet away, or [[MasterOfTheLevitatingBlades create a "metal storm" around their body]] similar to a ''blade barrier'' spell. |
| 648 | * MindOverMatter: 3rd Edition adds telekinetic abilities to their repertoire. |
| 649 | * VoiceChangeling: In 2nd Edition, metalmasters can mimic words they've heard their past victims speak to try and lure in prey, but they aren't smart enough to capitalize on this and often use the wrong sounds for the job. |
| 650 | [[/folder]] |
| 651 | |
| 652 | [[folder:Mimic]] |
| 653 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mimic_5e.png]] |
| 654 | [[caption-width-right:350:5e]] |
| 655 | ->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E), Aberrant Magical Beast (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\ |
| 656 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E), 8 (4E), 2 (5E)\ |
| 657 | '''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral |
| 658 | |
| 659 | Shapeshifting monsters that ambush prey by taking the form of innocuous or enticing objects, such as doors or treasure chests, until their victims come within range of their pseudopods. |
| 660 | ---- |
| 661 | * ChestMonster: The archetypal example of the stealthy monster that pretends to be loot and attacks players that come to investigate. |
| 662 | * DragonHoard: Hoard mimics are a Huge variant capable of taking the shape of a pile of glittering treasure. They have a symbiotic relationship with dragons, as the dragon gets a new trap for their lair, while the mimic gets a steady supply of food in the form of would-be treasure thieves. |
| 663 | * ItCanThink: While most mimics are simple predators, some develop enough intelligence to learn Common or Undercommon, and can be willing to barter useful information or safe passage in exchange for food. |
| 664 | * LivingStructureMonster: |
| 665 | ** The rare greater mimics are large enough to cover the inside of entire rooms, or take the form of small structures, and have enough control over their shapeshifting to fill their interior spaces with furnishings and props to entice victims to walk right into their gullets, at which point the "room" seems to implode around the hapless dupes. A few of these greater mimics even pick up illusion magic to create facsimiles of living creatures to add to the deception, though perceptive adventurers may notice that [[GlamourFailure these creatures' words are coming out of the walls around them.]] |
| 666 | ** "House hunter" mimics are surface-dwelling variants with shells that resemble humanoid structures -- outhouses, cottages, inns or temples, depending on the mimic's age and size. They use bioluminescence to imitate flickering lights and make muffled sounds of conversation and other domestic noise to lure prey in, then grab them with their tongues and pseudopods. They're pack hunters smart enough to wait until an entire group of travelers is within their reach before attacking, but if defeated, these mimics' "shells" can easily be converted into actual dwellings. |
| 667 | ** In other rare cases, enough intelligent mimics gather together to form a mimic colony, working together to form complex objects and structures, to the point that it might appear than an entire village has sprung up overnight. |
| 668 | * OrganDrops: Mimic ichor can be used to help craft potions of ''polymorph self'', their glue sacs can be harvested by alchemists, their other internal organs can be used to make perfume, and some cultures consider a mimic's innards a tasty delicacy. |
| 669 | * StickySituation: Mimics can coat themselves with an adhesive to help them grapple and entrap prey, and in some editions the glue can trap the weapons of attackers. Said adhesive is absorbed by mimics' bodies when they assume their natural form, and can be dissolved by alcohol. |
| 670 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: Their natural forms are amorphous and speckled gray like granite, but they can alter their body's texture and coloration to perfectly mimic wood, stone or metal, and shift their dimensions to fill a doorway or take the form of furniture. |
| 671 | [[/folder]] |
| 672 | |
| 673 | [[folder:Mind Flayer]] |
| 674 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mind_flayer.png]] |
| 675 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 676 | ->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E, 5E), Aberrant Humanoid (4E)\ |
| 677 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 8 (3E), 14 (4E), 7 (5E)\ |
| 678 | '''Playable:''' 3E\ |
| 679 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil |
| 680 | |
| 681 | Humanoid creatures with tentacled faces, psionic powers, and a rather unique dietary requirement. See [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers their subpage]] for more information about them, and their many subspecies and related creatures. |
| 682 | [[/folder]] |
| 683 | |
| 684 | [[folder:Mindshredder]] |
| 685 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mindshredder_3e.png]] |
| 686 | [[caption-width-right:350:Mindshredder warrior, larva and zenthal (3e)]] |
| 687 | ->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\ |
| 688 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (larva), 4 (warrior), 8 (zenthal) (3E)\ |
| 689 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil |
| 690 | |
| 691 | Monsters that must drain mental energy from their prey to fuel their metamorphosis into stronger forms. Despite their names, they are not related to illithids. |
| 692 | ---- |
| 693 | * DeflectorShields: Mindshredder zenthals are surrounded by a faintly-glowing blue aura that provides similar benefits as the ''shield'' spell, improving their Armor Class and allowing them to NoSell ''{{magic missile|storm}}'' attacks. |
| 694 | * ItCanThink: By the time they reach zenthal stage, a mindshredder has above-average intelligence, is capable of speech, and knows how to direct their lesser kin, as well as use their ''[[StupidityInducingAttack confusion]]'' and ''[[MassHypnosis hypnotic pattern]]'' spell-like abilities to fullest effect. |
| 695 | * {{Metamorphosis}}: After draining a sufficient amount of Wisdom from their prey, mindshredders can build a chrysalis and emerge a month later in a more powerful form. |
| 696 | * OurCentaursAreDifferent: Zenthals are easily distinguished from the purely quadrupedal mindshredder warriors by their upright torsos, making them look something like aberrant centaurs. |
| 697 | * SupernaturalSensitivity: These creatures have a "thought sense," allowing them to detect the thoughts of other beings (with Intelligence 3 or greater), and even pinpoint their location if such a creature is invisible. The older the mindshredder, the longer the range of this ability, from 20 feet for larvae to 60 feet for zenthals. |
| 698 | * VampiricDraining: Mindshredders' natural weapon attacks, or simple melee touch attacks, deal [[NonHealthDamage Wisdom damage]] to victims based on the mindshredder's age category, healing the monster in the process. |
| 699 | * YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Mindshredder zenthals are clever enough to set this up, by establishing a secondary outpost or two some distance from the main mindshredder colony, and ensuring that all mindshredder attacks are routed through that outpost. Should their enemies track the attacks to the "source," the outpost's defenders will fight to the death to sell the idea that it's the only mindshredder nest in the area, and it takes a very learned scholar of aberrant creatures to realize that a mindshredder outpost is only a satellite of a larger colony. |
| 700 | [[/folder]] |
| 701 | |
| 702 | [[folder:Minotaur]] |
| 703 | [[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_minotaur_3e.png]] |
| 704 | [[caption-width-right:349:3e]] |
| 705 | ->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E), Natural Humanoid (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\ |
| 706 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E), 10 (4E), 3 (5E)\ |
| 707 | '''Playable:''' 2E-5E\ |
| 708 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 709 | |
| 710 | Hulking, bull-headed humanoids with a tendency towards savagery but a good head for mazes. See [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsRaces the Playable Races subpage]] for more information about them. |
| 711 | |
| 712 | !!Baphitaur |
| 713 | [[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_baphitaur_3e.jpg]] |
| 714 | [[caption-width-right:315:3e]] |
| 715 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\ |
| 716 | '''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\ |
| 717 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 2 (3E)\ |
| 718 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 719 | |
| 720 | The result of Netherese experiments, these creatures descend from both minotaurs and tieflings, resulting in furious, hateful beings. |
| 721 | ---- |
| 722 | * TheBerserker: Baphitaurs can fly into a rage identical to a barbarian's. |
| 723 | * CastingAShadow: They can cast ''darkness'' once per day. |
| 724 | * HalfHumanHybrid: Baphitaurs are the product of sorcerous breeding programs crossing minotaurs with tieflings, fiend-blooded humans. This results in a bullish horned head, a devilish tail, and human rather than hooved feet, not to mention a temperament filled with a "demonic hatred of puny mortals but also with a passionate fury at the circumstances of its creation." |
| 725 | [[/folder]] |
| 726 | |
| 727 | [[folder:Mirage Mullah]] |
| 728 | ->'''Classification:''' Fey (3E)\ |
| 729 | '''Challenge Rating:''' As base creature +2 (3E)\ |
| 730 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil |
| 731 | |
| 732 | The rulers - and prisoners - of fey oases, who feign hospitality while looking for an excuse to punish their guests. |
| 733 | ---- |
| 734 | * CelestialDeadline: They fell victim to one -- anyone who fails to leave a fey oasis before dawn will disappear with it, becoming a mirage mullah bound to the place. |
| 735 | * DepartureMeansDeath: Zig-zagged; should a mirage mullah walk beyond the light of the torches of their oasis camp, they'll have to make a Will save each hour or lose a point each of Strength, Constitution and Charisma, and the DC for these checks increases each time it's failed. This can potentially kill the fey, but if the mirage mullah survives 24 hours away from their oasis, they become mortal again, lose this template, and begin recovering their lost ability points. |
| 736 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Mirage mullahs act jovial and welcoming when travelers come to their oasis, but "they delight in exacting punishment for [[EvilIsPetty the slightest perceived offense,"]] using their ''blindness/deafness'' or ''bestow curse'' spell-like abilities to torment victims who speak harshly or raise their hand against them. |
| 737 | * VanishingVillage: A fey oasis looks like an inviting watering hole in which a wealthy merchant caravan has made camp, but they only appear at dusk and disappear before dawn, only they reappear somewhere else in the world at nightfall. |
| 738 | * WeakenedByTheLight: In natural daylight, mirage mullahs take a hit to Charisma and suffer a penalty on rolls -- including the saving throws to survive leaving their oasis. |
| 739 | [[/folder]] |
| 740 | |
| 741 | [[folder:Mite]] |
| 742 | [[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mite_2e.png]] |
| 743 | [[caption-width-right:315:2e]] |
| 744 | ->'''Classification:''' Fey (5E)\ |
| 745 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1/4 (5E)\ |
| 746 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil |
| 747 | |
| 748 | Malicious little humanoids who delight in making other people miserable with their tricks and traps. |
| 749 | ---- |
| 750 | * GripingAboutGremlins: In older editions, mites are classified as a type of gremlin. |
| 751 | * GulliverTieDown: In 2nd Edition, mites are known to capture victims with pit traps and tripwires, after which the mites swarm and bind them, then beat them unconscious. After being dragged to the mites' lair, the bound victim gets to endure several days of being chittered at and taunted by the creatures, until the mites get bored, knock the victim out again, steal all their belongings, and dump them somewhere embarrassing. |
| 752 | * HatePlague: 5E mites amplify the irritation of other creatures, so that every minor setback sparks anger and everyone operates on a HairTriggerTemper, which can quickly cause an adventuring party to fall into infighting, or a dungeon to devolve into a chaotic battlezone. In gameplay terms, mites can put a "blood-boiling hex" on other creatures that inflicts a penalty on their rolls, unless they give into their anger by lashing out at an ally. |
| 753 | * TheHeartless: Their 5th Edition backstory has mites spawned in the Feywild whenever someone grows so frustrated that they violently lash out -- the surly individual sleepwalks to a tree or large plant, digs a hole, screams into it, and covers the hole, so that the next new moon a swarm of mites boil out of the hole. They exist to perpetuate such anger by setting tripwires across the top of staircases, filling locks with debris, replacing valuable gems with fakes, and so forth. |
| 754 | * TrapMaster: Whether with tripwires, trapdoors, nets or pits, mites are adept at setting traps to bedevil or capture victims. |
| 755 | [[/folder]] |
| 756 | |
| 757 | [[folder:Mivilorn]] |
| 758 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mivilorn_3e.jpg]] |
| 759 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 760 | ->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\ |
| 761 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 11 (3E)\ |
| 762 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral |
| 763 | |
| 764 | Huge predators with oversized, acidic jaws that hunt in the Windswept Depths of Pandemonium. |
| 765 | ---- |
| 766 | * AcidAttack: Mivilorns' pronounced jowls contain acid-producing glands, and acidic drool often drips even when their mouths are closed -- thus, their bite attacks deal additional acid damage, and a large part of a mivilorn's digestion occurs before its prey is swallowed. They can also, three times per day, spew out a 15-foot cone of acid as a BreathWeapon attack. |
| 767 | * CanisMajor: They're more or less extraplanar mastiffs with the size and build of elephants. |
| 768 | * HorseOfADifferentColor: Mivilorns are prized as war mounts by some demons, though without magical assistance, there's a chance they'll try to murder inept riders or trainers. |
| 769 | * MonsterMouth: Their oversized mouths are eight feet wide, and their jaws can open up to seven feet apart. When mivilorns charge, they try and scoop up prey with their gaping maws -- either one Large creature, or two adjacent Medium-sized creatures at a time. |
| 770 | * SwallowedWhole: A variant, in that the victim doesn't immediately make it to the monster's belly. Anything that a mivilorn hits with its bite attack has to save or get caught in its jaws and jowls the next round, where it takes automatic bite and acid damage. After three rounds of chewing, the mivilorn will spit out its prey to see if it's dead; if not, it'll bite and chew it some more. But if a trapped creature manages to deal enough damage to the inside of a mivilorn's mouth, it'll spit the morsel out. |
| 771 | [[/folder]] |
| 772 | |
| 773 | [[folder:Mlarraun]] |
| 774 | [[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mlarraun_3e.png]] |
| 775 | [[caption-width-right:271:3e]] |
| 776 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\ |
| 777 | '''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\ |
| 778 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (3E)\ |
| 779 | '''Alignment:''' Unaligned |
| 780 | |
| 781 | Predatory serpents also known as "spitting snakes" for their hunting habits, and "stone snakes" for their response to magic. |
| 782 | ---- |
| 783 | * AmbushingEnemy: Some yuan-ti or other Scaled Ones use mlarrauns' unusual torpor to turn the creatures into traps, disguising them as handles for chests or ornamental scrollwork, since the first thing the creature does after coming out of its torpor is attack the nearest creature. The problem with this is that a mlarraun's torpor period can vary tremendously, and may last 100 days or just a single day. |
| 784 | * PoisonousPerson: Mlarraun venom, which can be delivered through a bite or spray of spittle, can cause blindness for up to 36 hours, even if it doesn't contact the victim's eyes. |
| 785 | * TakenForGranite: An odd, self-inflicted example. Any magical effect that specifically targets a mlarraun will cause the snake to go into a "stone torpor," during which its scales turn hard and gray, though the snake's body remains flexible and can be handled without waking the creature. Sufficient damage, or another targeted spell effect, brings it out of this torpor early. In the past, merchants have traded mlarrauns as ornaments or toys, unaware that this torpor will eventually end. |
| 786 | [[/folder]] |
| 787 | |
| 788 | [[folder:Moat Cat]] |
| 789 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_moat_cat_2e.png]] |
| 790 | [[caption-width-right:350:2e]] |
| 791 | ->'''Alignment:''' Unaligned |
| 792 | |
| 793 | Amphibious felines that are usually bred by wizards to defend their castle's moat. |
| 794 | ---- |
| 795 | * DeliciousDistraction: They have an amphibian's metabolism, eating a sheep-sized meal every other week and then spending the next day lethargic as they digest. Some intruders thus try to placate moat cats by dumping an animal carcass nearby, but the problem with that is the moat cat's predatory instincts, as they'd rather hunt their own food than be fed. |
| 796 | * {{Metamorphosis}}: Moat cats lay eggs, which hatch into cubs that, like tadpoles, have no legs, but swim with a powerful tail. After they reach their first year, young moat cats grow legs and their parents teach them to hunt on land, and a year after that they're fully grown. |
| 797 | * MixAndMatchCritters: These are magical crossbreeds between newts and predatory cats like cougars and cheetahs. The result is a cat with gills, a thick tail used as a swimming aid, and a need to keep their skin wet that prevents them straying more than a mile from their home waters. They're just as dangerous on land, able to sprint like cheetahs for short bursts before needing to rest. |
| 798 | * RoarBeforeBeating: Averted; moat cats don't yowl or roar when attacking, they don't vocalize at all. "More often than not, intruders first become aware of the aquatic predator when it pounces up at them -- and by then, its usually far too late." |
| 799 | [[/folder]] |
| 800 | |
| 801 | [[folder:Mockery Bug]] |
| 802 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mockery_drone_3e.jpg]] |
| 803 | [[caption-width-right:350:Mockery drone (3e)]] |
| 804 | ->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\ |
| 805 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (mockery drone), 14 (mockery monarch) (3E)\ |
| 806 | '''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil |
| 807 | |
| 808 | Rarely, an ankheg egg produces an insectoid monster with a silvery carapace and dangerous intelligence, which quickly leaves the nest to strike out on its own. These mockery monarchs are able to spawn copies of humanoids they consume, and send such mockery drones to lure more victims to their lairs. |
| 809 | ---- |
| 810 | * AcidAttack: Like true ankhegs, mockery monarchs deal acid damage with their bite attacks, while mockery drones can spit a long line of acid every six hours. |
| 811 | * ArtificialAtmosphericActions: Mockery drones are born with incoherent fragments of memories from their previous lives, and have just enough intelligence to try to mimic normal behavior, but not enough to do so well. As a result, they're prone to behavior like tilling the same patch of earth over and over, carrying empty buckets to and from the town well, or chopping a piece of firewood to splinters. |
| 812 | * AttackReflector: Mockery monarchs' silvery carapaces can reflect hostile magic as per ''spell turning''. |
| 813 | * BeastWithAHumanFace: In their true forms, mockery drones look like 5-foot-long, spined centipedes that retain the faces of the people they were imitating. |
| 814 | * ChestBurster: Mockery drones are spawned looking identical to the people they replaced, but when pressed into combat, [[YourHeadAsplode their heads explode]] as their centipede-like true forms burst out of their humanoid shells to the attack. Once a drone sheds its false identity, there's no going back, and it spends the rest of its confused existence as a human-faced monster. |
| 815 | * EatBrainForMemories: Mockery monarchs learn the languages of the creatures they eat, but are incapable of normal or telepathic speech. |
| 816 | * ReplicantSnatching: Mockery monarchs are incapable of reproducing normally, and are instead instinctively driven to spawn as many mockery drones as possible. They can be dangerously clever when employing their minions to lure in fresh victims, like having their drones attack livestock in a way that suggests normal ankhegs are behind it, or leaving signs that a missing child entered their lair. But in most cases, their drones can bring in victims simply by wandering around and acting oddly until someone takes an interest - especially family of those replaced by the drones - then leading them to their monarch. |
| 817 | * TheSpiny: The spines covering a mockery drone deal piercing damage to opponents that grapple or attack them with non-reach melee weapons. |
| 818 | * SwallowedWhole: Anything bitten and grappled by a mockery monarch is in danger of being swallowed whole, taking regular acid and bludgeoning damage until their hit points reach zero, at which point the monarch can spawn a fresh mockery drone that looks like the victim. |
| 819 | * WelcomeToCorneria: Mockery drones only remember a few words from their previous lives, and will repeat phrases like "Midnight and all's well!" or "Here's your change!" as they struggle to act normally. [[MadnessMantra They keep this up even when they burst out of their human shells and attack.]] |
| 820 | [[/folder]] |
| 821 | |
| 822 | [[folder:Modron]] |
| 823 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_modrons_5e.png]] |
| 824 | [[caption-width-right:350:Pentadrone and monodrone (3e)]] |
| 825 | ->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E), Immortal Animate (4E), Construct (5E)\ |
| 826 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (monodrone) to 19 (secundus) (3E); 8 (4E); 1/8 (monodrone), 1/4 (doudrone), 1/2 (tridrone), 1 (quadrone), 2 (pentadrone) (5E)\ |
| 827 | '''Playable:''' 2E-3E (rogue modron)\ |
| 828 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral |
| 829 | |
| 830 | Clockwork creatures from the plane of Mechanus, modrons are living personifications of law and order. They follow a rigid hierarchical society where every modron interacts only with others of its own rank and with its immediate inferiors or superiors: anything further away is beyond their comprehension. |
| 831 | ---- |
| 832 | * AirborneMook: Quadrones are the only winged variant of base modrons, and often combine this with their proficiency with bows to serve as aerial ranged support for modron forces. |
| 833 | * BizarreAlienReproduction: Modrons have figured out how to "pool" their race's life force in their capital of Regulus, and whenever one modron dies, its life force returns to this pool. Then the nearest modron of the next lowest rank transforms to replace its lost superior, which creates a gap in the caste below that is instantly filled, and so on all the way down to the monodrone level, at which point a monodrone draws life energy from that central pool to reproduce via fission. |
| 834 | * BlueAndOrangeMorality: Even modrons' understanding of order can be incomprehensible to other races. For instance, a modron librarian may decide to arrange one book collection alphabetically by title, another by subject, and a third based on which page of a book its last diagram appears. "All three of these approaches might somehow be vital to maintaining the overall order, as defined by the modrons. Order, after all, does not necessarily need to be understandable." |
| 835 | * EternalRecurrence: Every 289 years, when the gears of Mechanus complete seventeen cycles, Primus sends thousands of modrons to survey the Outer Planes of the Great Wheel. Given the extreme dangers involved, only a few survive this Great Modron March to return to Mechanus, and the event ironically causes a great deal of chaos across the planes. |
| 836 | * FantasticCasteSystem: Modrons live in a complex and perfectly ordered hierarchy, where each caste performs a specific task, possess precisely the level of complexity needed for its purpose, and is only able to communicate with the castes immediately above and below it. A pentadrone told to guard a hexton will obey its orders without any understanding of the hexton's role in the modron hierarchy, while a duodrone assigned to maintain a secundus' residence will do so without knowing who built the structure or why. |
| 837 | * InternalAffairs: Septons, appearing as humanoids with large, bald heads, are tasked with inspecting other modrons and ensuring that the regulations are being followed. |
| 838 | * LawfulStupid: As personifications of Law without Good or Evil, modrons are essentially magic computers with zero individuality, imagination, or ability to comprehend anything except basic logic or disobey any order given them. It's mentioned that a modron who is marked with paint by someone hoping to [[DittoAliens distinguish it from other modrons]] will probably carry such a marking for the rest of its life, as even if the modron notices the paint, it won't remove the marking unless given an express order to do so by its superiors. |
| 839 | * LegacyCharacter: Primus, despite possessing the power of a lesser deity, ''can'' be killed, but in such instances, the nearest secundus is promoted to fill the position. That said, this process can create enough turmoil that outisde observers mistake it for a modron civil war, until the new Primus restores order. |
| 840 | * LivingPolyhedron: The more powerful and important the modron, the more sides they have. So monodrones are spheres, duodrones cubes, tridones tetrahedrons, and so on until the upper ranks, from septon on, look increasingly humanoid. |
| 841 | * TheManBehindTheMan: Each modron can only comprehend the castes above and below it, which means that a newly-promoted modron is immediately surprised to learn that its supposed superiors in turn have superiors, and the only modrons aware of the all-powerful Primus are its four secundi servants. |
| 842 | * MookLieutenant: Duodrones are assigned with supervising and directing groups of monodrones, and in war will lead squads of precisely twelve monodrones into battle. The human-looking, six-armed hextons have a similar role, only they lead the 36 modron armies. |
| 843 | * MookMedic: Decatons, looking something like tentacled spheres on stumpy legs, are charged with physically maintaining other modrons, and can use magic like ''heal'' and ''healing circle'' at will. |
| 844 | * NoBodyLeftBehind: Modrons and their equipment disintegrate when they're slain. |
| 845 | * NotSoStoic: In ''Planescape'', the lore states that Orcus slew Primus, the one and prime, and caused the greatest upheaval the modrons had ever faced. In 3e, Primus can be summoned by the Binder class as a vestige. ''He weeps''. |
| 846 | * PainfulTransformation: While the physical changes accompanying a promotion to a higher rank of modron are jarring enough, more distressing is the expanded awareness that accompanies it. "Imagine the shock of a duodrone, which previously knew only of monodrones, duodrones, and tridrones, when it undergoes a promotion to tridrone. Suddenly, it discovers that some of those inexplicable creatures around it are quadrones -- members of its own race and its new superiors!" Downplayed in that despite this shock, modrons seem to adapt almost instantly to their new form and role in the hierarchy. |
| 847 | * ThePoliticalOfficer: The cylindrical nonatons are explicitly compared to commissars, and are tasked with monitoring the loyalty of the decatons beneath them, and investigating rogue modrons. |
| 848 | * RogueDrone: It is ''extremely'' rare, but it is possible for modrons to suddenly stop acccepting their superiors' orders, especially if they spend a lot of time alone. In some cases the new rogue modron is content to leave Mechanus and explore their new individuality, but other times, a rogue modron tries to build their own power base. Since normal modrons will follow the orders of even a rogue superior, rogue modrons are treated as serious threats by the hierarchs, who expend considerable resources hunting them down, bringing them to trial, and destroying them. |
| 849 | * StarfishRobots: Modrons are fantastical robotic constructs who are so utterly devoted to the concept of cosmic Order that they're often fairly difficult for mortals to communicate with -- modrons are utterly devoted to their assigned tasks, almost entirely unimaginative, and literally incapable of thinking in terms of good and evil. None of them are humanoid except for Primus himself and his immediate underlings; common modrons resemble living geometric solids, while their immediate superiors have shapes reminiscent of unusual sea animals. |
| 850 | * WhenThingsSpinScienceHappens: The Modron Cathedral in the heart of Regulus contains a great whirring, clicking Orrery of infinite detail and great complexity. Those who manage to study it for an hour and succeed at a high Knowledge check can realize that it's actually a model of the planes that can be used as a scrying tool, but the obstacles to that are the modron guards that kill non-modrons on sight, as well as the fact that those who fail their checks by five points or more are hit with a ''confusion'' effect. Primus and the secundi also know the secret of how to use the Orrery as a teleportation device. |
| 851 | |
| 852 | !!Gear Spirit |
| 853 | [[quoteright:301:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_gear_spirit_2e.jpg]] |
| 854 | [[caption-width-right:301:2e]] |
| 855 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\ |
| 856 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral |
| 857 | |
| 858 | Intelligent creatures of living metal who serve the modrons by keeping Mechanus' gears turning. |
| 859 | ---- |
| 860 | * AchillesHeel: Though resistant to several kinds of energy and immune to many status or mind-affecting effects, gear spirits rust at twice the rate of normal metal. "There is no more horrifying fate for gear spirits than being shackled in a dank, wet cell and doomed to death by oxidization -- except, perhaps, confronting a rust dragon." |
| 861 | * HauntedTechnology: Gear spirits can ''meld with metal'', taking control of and animating a device (within the limits of its functionality, so it could make a ballista fire itself but not cause a lamppost to attack). |
| 862 | * IJustWantToBeFree: Despite their Lawful natures, and as much as they love their home gears of Mechanus, gear spirits quietly resent serving the less individualistic modrons, and some slip away from their duties or feel the irresistable urge to go on a walkabout. In such cases, the modrons will do their best to keep an abandoned gear turning, while tracking down and retrieving the wayward gear spirit (because a replacement can't be made until the old one is brought back). |
| 863 | * MooksAteMyEquipment: Their attacks reduce the protective value of their opponent's armor with every hit, until the armor is completely ruined. |
| 864 | * NatureSpirit: Of a sort; gear spirits are bound to the gears of Mechanus in the same way that dryads are bound to trees. They'll even sicken and die if kept away from metal for too long. |
| 865 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: They can take the appearance of any small mechanical tool or device. |
| 866 | |
| 867 | !!Moigno |
| 868 | [[quoteright:262:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_moigno_2e.jpg]] |
| 869 | [[caption-width-right:262:2e]] |
| 870 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\ |
| 871 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral |
| 872 | |
| 873 | Living mathematical equations that roam Mechanus, begrudgingly doing calculations on behalf of the modrons. |
| 874 | ---- |
| 875 | * BodyHorror: Moignos attack by "invading" other creatures and producing a paradox within their internal systems, "shorting out" their body to damage it. |
| 876 | * CreatingLifeIsUnforeseen: The moignos were born relatively recently by planar standards, less than a mere millennium ago, when a brilliant mathematician named Moigno collapsed in a babbling heap after conceptualizing multidimensional, functional mathematics -- this idea found refuge in Mechanus and assembled the parameters to enter the three-dimensional world in a two-dimensional body. |
| 877 | * GeniusDitz: When it comes to mathematics, moignos' have veritably god-like Intelligence scores, but in all other regards they're little smarter than ogres, simply because they don't fully understand the three-dimensional universe they inhabit. |
| 878 | * GoodWithNumbers: Moignos are living calculators/calculations, and will crunch the numbers concerning "gear rotation rates, interaction intervals, acceleration and deceleration frequencies, and the like," or in other words the nitty-gritty details vital to making Mechanus run smoothly. |
| 879 | * MouthfulOfPi: They are ''obsessed'' with working out the exact value of pi, and spend every moment of their existence devoting their primary processing power to this tak -- all the math work they do for the modrons are performed by moignos' subroutines. In fact, the original moignos nearly took over Mechanus before the modrons introduced the concept of pi to them, giving the moignos something new to focus on. |
| 880 | * NoSell: As living equations, moignos can't be damaged by physical means, and will nigh-instantly repair themselves from other damage. The exceptions are mental attacks that disrupt thought processes, which slow moignos' movement and prevent repair, and more significantly the psychokinetic devotion ''molecular manipulation'', which causes nearby moignos to vanish for a few turns. |
| 881 | * PaperPeople: Moignos look like two-dimensional strings of equations that teleport around Mechanus. |
| 882 | * RebusBubble: They communicate via strings of mathematical symbols, which modrons and the like can understand intuitively. [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead Mental contact with moignos is not advised,]] the last to try couldn't handle the images he received and spent two weeks in shock. |
| 883 | [[/folder]] |
| 884 | |
| 885 | [[folder:Mohrg]] |
| 886 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mohrg_3e.png]] |
| 887 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 888 | ->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E)\ |
| 889 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 8 (3E)\ |
| 890 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 891 | |
| 892 | These otherwise-skeletal undead are easily identified by their long, cartilaginous, clawed tongues. |
| 893 | ---- |
| 894 | * MultipurposeTongue: Well, its sole purpose now is to attack. |
| 895 | * OverlyLongTongue: So long that it not only extends from a mohrg's mouth, but can also been seen coiled in its ribcage and pelvis, and even extends tendrils down the monster's arms. |
| 896 | * TheParalyzer: Mohrgs' most dangerous trait is that their tongues can paralyze victims for several minutes at a time. |
| 897 | * SerialKiller: Mohrgs were mass murderers in life, cursed with undeath for not seeking atonement for their crimes. [[AesopCollateralDamage Which allows them to keep killing victims.]] |
| 898 | [[/folder]] |
| 899 | |
| 900 | [[folder:Mongrelfolk]] |
| 901 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mongrelfolk_5e.png]] |
| 902 | [[caption-width-right:350:5e]] |
| 903 | ->'''Classificaction:''' Humanoid (3E, 5E)\ |
| 904 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1/3 (3E), 1/4 (5E)\ |
| 905 | '''Playable:''' 2E-3E\ |
| 906 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral (2E, 3E), Any (5E) |
| 907 | |
| 908 | Humanoids that bear the physical marks of generations of crossbreeding, such as mismatched limbs and uneven features. |
| 909 | ---- |
| 910 | * ArtEvolution: How deformed they are varies by edition, with earlier art depicting "Mongrelmen" with occasional animal limbs and features that were part-reptile, part-mammal, before 3rd Edition toned them down into merely ugly goblin-like creatures, only for 5th Edition to swing the other way. |
| 911 | * DarkIsNotEvil: No matter how ugly they look, mongrelfolk aren't evil, and at worst will resort to petty thievery to survive. Generally they try to get along with their neighbors, no matter how abusive, either by passing for a friendly race or just staying out of sight. |
| 912 | * {{Determinator}}: Mongrelfolk will do ''anything'' to survive. Survival is the overriding goal of their kind; they give members of their kind the title "The Survivor" the way other races would term someone "The Great". |
| 913 | * FantasticRacism: They're often driven out of even good and lawful communities, while evil societies will enslave mongrelfolk, or even hunt them for sport. Mongrelfolk themselves avoid this, and consider themselves kin to every race, even if they don't quite belong to any of them. |
| 914 | * TheGrotesque: Mongrelfolk tend to display the worst features of their various ancestors, such as oversized ears, sloped foreheads, flat noses, crooked and rotten teeth, etc. Despite this, they're generally inoffensive creatures. |
| 915 | * HeinzHybrid: They're the inevitable conclusion of a setting with dozens of humanoid races capable of interbreeding. On the upside, this means a mongrelfolk can use a magic item intended for a particular race without difficulty, and in some editions they inherit perks like an elf's immunity to magical ''sleep'' effects, or a diminished version of a dwarf's resistance to poison. |
| 916 | * PassFail: 3rd Edition's ''Races of Destiny'' sourcebook introduced an interesting spin on mongrelfolk, namely that the hideous mismatched examples of their kind are rare individuals that are used as a ''distraction'' by the rest of the mongrelfolk, and honored for their sacrifice. Ordinary mongrelfolk instead blend the features of their various parent races more subtly, to the extent that observers tend to interpret them as people close to, but not quite, their own race. So a dwarf might see a mongrelfolk as an unusually broad-shouldered elf, an elf might see a tall and slender dwarf, a human would see a strangely attractive orc, and so forth. |
| 917 | * VoiceChangeling: Mongrelfolk can mimic any voice or sound they've heard. |
| 918 | [[/folder]] |
| 919 | |
| 920 | [[folder:Moon Dog]] |
| 921 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_moon_dog_3e.png]] |
| 922 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 923 | ->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\ |
| 924 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 12 (3E)\ |
| 925 | '''Alignment:''' NeutralGood |
| 926 | |
| 927 | Canine celestials from the Blessed Fields of Elysium, who travel the Upper Planes and Material Plane to confront evil. |
| 928 | ---- |
| 929 | * ArtEvolution: Their ''AD&D'' art is closer to a hybrid wolf-human, with hairless human hands on their forelegs and uncanny faces that are both canine and humanoid. 3rd Edition makes them much more wolf-looking, other than their hand-like front paws. |
| 930 | * AsianLionDogs: They lean much more heavily on the "dog" part of the trope, but otherwise follow it, being noble, heavenly creatures that can ruin evil's day. |
| 931 | * AstralProjection: They can use the spell at will, but only affecting themselves. |
| 932 | * CastingAShadow: Moon dogs can move shadows around themselves, creating a pattern that acts as a ''[[MassHypnosis hypnotic pattern]]'' to all neraby evil creatures, while granting good creatures a ''protection from evil'' and ''remove fear'' effect. |
| 933 | * DispelMagic: Moon dogs' barks act as a ''dispel evil'' effect, while their whines automatically dispel illusions within 50 feet. |
| 934 | * FeatherFingers: Their front paws are very hand-like, and have a limited capacity for fine manipulation. |
| 935 | * FourLegsGoodTwoLegsBetter: Moon dogs can stand up on their hind legs to use their front paws to grasp things, but move at half speed while doing so. |
| 936 | * GoodCounterpart: They're considered such to yeth hounds, being canids with human features and supernatural powers, only dedicated to good. |
| 937 | * {{Intangibility}}: They can use ''etheral jaunt'' at will. |
| 938 | * IntimateHealing: By licking a wound, moon dogs can ''cure light wounds'', ''remove disease'' and/or ''slow poison'', each once per day per person. |
| 939 | * SpeaksFluentAnimal: Moon dogs can use a variant of ''speak with animals'' to converse with dogs, wolves and other mundane canines. |
| 940 | * SuperSenses: Moon dogs have low-light vision, darkvision, can [[TheNoseKnows track creatures by scent,]] are constantly under both ''arcane'' and ''blessed sight'', and can ''[[SeeTheInvisible see invisibility]]'' at will. |
| 941 | * SupernaturalFearInducer: A moon dog's baying acts as a ''fear'' spell that only affects evil creatures. |
| 942 | * SuperScream: Their howling simultaneously causes the ''fear'' effect of their baying, deals a bit of damage to evil creatures each round the moon hound continues, and targets any nearby fiends with a ''dismissal'' spell. |
| 943 | * {{Telepathy}}: Like many outsiders, they're telepathic out to 50 feet. |
| 944 | [[/folder]] |
| 945 | |
| 946 | [[folder:Moon Horse]] |
| 947 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_moon_horse_2e.jpg]] |
| 948 | [[caption-width-right:300:2e]] |
| 949 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\ |
| 950 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticGood |
| 951 | |
| 952 | Properly ''teu'kelytha'', these intelligent and magical equines are unique to elven lands, roaming freely or voluntarily serving as steeds. |
| 953 | ---- |
| 954 | * ImmortalProcreationClause: Moon horses are quite long-lived, often reaching their second century, but have correspondingly lower fertility rates than normal horses. Thus, a new birth is a momentous event celebrated by moon horses and elves alike. |
| 955 | * MageSpecies: Each moon horse can innately cast a single spell each day, ranging from ''magic missile'' to ''sleep'' to ''knock'' or even ''summon swarm.'' |
| 956 | * NoSell: They're completely immune to the special attacks of undead creatures such as level drain, paralysis or poison effects, though physical attacks and spells affect them normally. |
| 957 | * SapientSteed: They have above average intelligence, and are fully capable of understanding Elvish, though they cannot speak and thus must respond non-verbally. |
| 958 | [[/folder]] |
| 959 | |
| 960 | [[folder:Moonbeast]] |
| 961 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_moonbeast_fix_3e.jpg]] |
| 962 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 963 | ->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\ |
| 964 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 16 (3E)\ |
| 965 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 966 | |
| 967 | Nocturnal horrors that are normally content to dream in their lairs, but will at some point emerge to slay whoever has possession of a certain gemstone. |
| 968 | ---- |
| 969 | * ArtifactOfAttraction: Each moonbeast is bound to a specific pearl-like gem called a moonstone, which are sometimes worked into expensive jewelry or magic items. Anyone who takes ownership of a moonstone for several weeks has to succeed at a Will save or become obessed with it, unwilling to relinquish it for any reason. |
| 970 | * ArtifactOfDeath: Unfortunately for the moonstone's owner, at some point the moonbeast bound to it will awaken and begin steadily tracking the item down to try and kill the owner. Weirdly enough, moonbeasts quickly lose interest in their moonstones after recovering them, and more often than not abandon the things as they return to their lairs, thus allowing others to take possession of the gems and begin the cycle anew. |
| 971 | * CombatTentacles: They are in fact mostly tentacles, drag themselves forward by them, and can make ten tentacle rake attacks each round, potentially [[TentacleRope grappling and constricting]] foes they hit. |
| 972 | * EldritchAbomination: Moonbeasts are squishy, slimy cylinders of flesh 20 to 30 feet high, with rings of barbed tentacles encircling either end of their trunks, and a set of [[EyeOnAStalk eyestalks]] on each end of their bodies as well. Despite their size, they're capable of squeezing through a five-foot square, and they leave a trail of glistening slime behind them. Nobody knows where moonbeasts come from, only that they obviously have no part in the natural world. |
| 973 | * InvisibleMonsters: They can cast ''improved invisibility'' at will, and thus it's easier to detect a moonbeast by its horrid smell and the noises it makes while attacking. |
| 974 | * ShockAndAwe: Among their other offensive magic, moonbeasts can cast ''lightning bolt'' at will and ''{{chain lightning}}'' once per day. |
| 975 | [[/folder]] |
| 976 | |
| 977 | [[folder:Mooncalf]] |
| 978 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mooncalf_4e.jpg]] |
| 979 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 980 | ->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E), Aberrant Magical Beast (4E)\ |
| 981 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 10 (3E, 4E)\ |
| 982 | '''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil |
| 983 | |
| 984 | Winged, tentacled monsters sometimes encountered on mountains and hilltops, and rumored to fly down to earth from the dark side of the moon. |
| 985 | ---- |
| 986 | * CombatTentacles: A mooncalf has six short tentacles that it uses for close combat and two long tentacles that it uses to attack at a distance. |
| 987 | * ExtremeOmnivore: Examination of dead mooncalves reveals that their bodies are essentially alchemical laboratories, capable of distilling and dissolving nearly any substance. In effect, mooncalves can digest nearly anything that they eat, and somehow [[EatBrainForMemories absorb information from what they consume]], whether biological or inorganic. Unfortunately, mooncalves crave variety, dislike eating the same material twice, and consider two different intelligent beings to be two different meals. |
| 988 | * IntriguedByHumanity: The extraterrestrial "moongods" who created the mooncalves are intrigued by the worlds below them, but cannot survive in atmospheres. So they spawned the mooncalves as biological probes, sending them down to glean information from the worlds of humanoids by eating matter there (including those humanoids) and observing major events, especially conflicts... and some mooncalves go so far as to foster cults or spy networks to cause disasters they can study. |
| 989 | * NonIndicativeName: "Mooncalf" certainly doesn't bring to mind the image of a winged, tentacled monstrosity that can eat literally anything. |
| 990 | * {{Seers}}: Advanced mooncalves learn divination magic to help them predict calamities they can then observe, leading their species to be viewed as harbingers of doom. |
| 991 | * StarfishAliens: Mooncalves are giant flying cephalopod-like creatures, spawned by alien gods that exist in the void between worlds. |
| 992 | * WindsOfDestinyChange: Advanced moonlords can tap into their moongod heritage, using Harbinger feats to create a 50-mile aura centered around them that brings misfortune to other creatures -- pestilence, dampened healing magic, a feeling of dread, etc. |
| 993 | [[/folder]] |
| 994 | |
| 995 | [[folder:Moonrat]] |
| 996 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_moonrat_3e.jpg]] |
| 997 | [[caption-width-right:330:3e]] |
| 998 | ->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\ |
| 999 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1/4 (3E)\ |
| 1000 | '''Alignment:''' Always Evil |
| 1001 | |
| 1002 | Normal-looking rodents whose intelligence and strength are enhanced by moonlight, allowing them to set into motion sinister plots. |
| 1003 | ---- |
| 1004 | * TheChessmaster: When their intelligence is maximized by a full moon, moonrats are capable of schemes so subtle and intricate that by the time other creatures realize what's happening, it's too late to stop it. |
| 1005 | * {{Lunacy}}: Moonrats' base Strength and Intelligence are a paltry 2, but in moonlight they are enhanced, by +1 point in the light of a crescent moon, to +8 during a full moon, with additional negative modifiers for fog or cloud cover. Moonlight gives these creatures the ability to converse with each other, remember events of months past, operate complex devices, and formulate plans that will require multiple full moons to complete. |
| 1006 | * SwarmOfRats: Moonrats don't just attack ''en masse'', hitting harder than ordinary rats, [[ItCanThink they can also be as intelligent as an average human.]] |
| 1007 | [[/folder]] |
| 1008 | |
| 1009 | [[folder:Moorbounder]] |
| 1010 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moorbounder.png]] |
| 1011 | [[caption-width-right:350:5e]] |
| 1012 | ->'''Origin:''' ''WebVideo/CriticalRole''\ |
| 1013 | '''Classification:''' Beast (5E)\ |
| 1014 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (moorbounder), 3 (bristled moorbounder) (5E)\ |
| 1015 | '''Alignment:''' Unaligned |
| 1016 | |
| 1017 | Predatory marshland beasts, moorbounders are occasionally captured and tamed for use as mounts. |
| 1018 | ---- |
| 1019 | * HorseOfADifferentColor: Moorbounders are prized mounts for those willing to capture and train them. |
| 1020 | * OurMonstersAreWeird: Take a panther. Give it the tusks of a warthog and the eyes of a frog. Optionally cover it with razor-sharp bristles five feet in length. You now have a moorbounder. |
| 1021 | * TheSpiny: The bristled moorbounder is named for the blade-like bristles covering its body, which it can not only use to attack, but also deal damage to any creature foolish enough to try and grapple it. |
| 1022 | [[/folder]] |
| 1023 | |
| 1024 | [[folder:Morkoth]] |
| 1025 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_morkoth_5e.jpg]] |
| 1026 | [[caption-width-right:350:5e]] |
| 1027 | ->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E, 5E)\ |
| 1028 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E), 11 (5E)\ |
| 1029 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 1030 | |
| 1031 | Cruel and devious sea monsters who use hypnosis to lure victims into their maze-like lairs to be devoured. |
| 1032 | ---- |
| 1033 | * ArtEvolution: Morkoths began in 1st Edition roughly humanoid generic sea creatures, with four tentacles arranged like legs and arms, a central torso, and a squid-like head with a prominent beak. 2nd Edition redesigned them fairly drastically to resemble gracile, weedy fishlike creatures with toothy jaws, four slender arthropod legs, and bodies ending in octopus-like tentacles on which the creature moved. 3rd modified the second design to be much bulkier and more intimidating, generally making all parts of it larger and more imposing and presenting the morkoth as a more active and dangerous hunter. 5th Edition revisits the original look, but again makes it much more frightening and imposing than the original, with multiple tentacles, a serrated beak and a "shell" made of trophies from past kills. All this to say, even in-universe sources can't agree on what the monsters look like, just that they're some combination of fish, crab and squid. |
| 1034 | * AttackReflector: If a morkoth successfully saves against a spell, or if a spell attack misses it, the monster can cause the magic to rebound against its attacker. |
| 1035 | * CollectorOfTheStrange: With their current lore, morkoths obessively hoard everything from treasure to obscure lore to prisoners, and since their lairs can travel from plane to plane, their collections can be eclectic indeed. |
| 1036 | -->'''Volo:''' Collectors of everything odd, unusual and valuable - hopefully not including you. |
| 1037 | * {{Greed}}: 5th Edition morkoths are motivated by both a yearning for conflict and a greedy desire for anything they don't possess. As such, they won't willingly part with anything from their hoards, and those in their lairs have a chance of discovering that one of their possessions has spontaneously vanished to appear in the morkoth's hoard. |
| 1038 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Morkoths resembls fish with cephalopod tentacles and arthropod-like legs. |
| 1039 | * PocketDimension: While each morkoth's domain appears as a tropical island - if an unnerving dreamlike place shrouded in perpetual twilight - the entire area is essentially its own demiplane, able to travel to other planes and locations at random or in a sequence. Rarely, a morkoth gains the ability to control the movements of its island. |
| 1040 | * PsychicPowers: Morkoths are natural hypnotists, and shape the tunnels of their lairs to amplify their powers in order to lure and befuddle prey. |
| 1041 | * {{Retcon}}: 5th Edition greatly expanded their backstory, turning morkoths from mere sea monsters to the byproduct of a dead god inhabiting roving extraplanar islands. Originally ambivalent about treasure and prone to eating any captives, morkoths became greedy hoarders who considered prisoners part of their possessions. |
| 1042 | * TookALevelInBadass: Past morkoths had purely physical attacks, with their only supernatural abilities being their spell reflection and hypnotic tunnels. But in 5th Edition, morkoths are full-fledged spellcasters equivalent to an 11th-level mage. |
| 1043 | [[/folder]] |
| 1044 | |
| 1045 | [[folder:Mortai]] |
| 1046 | [[quoteright:287:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mortai_2e.png]] |
| 1047 | [[caption-width-right:287:2e]] |
| 1048 | ->'''Alignment:''' ChaoticGood or NeutralGood |
| 1049 | |
| 1050 | Immense, cloud-like beings who drift through the skies above the Wilderness of the Beastlands. |
| 1051 | ---- |
| 1052 | * AttackItsWeakPoint: While their cloudy forms are quite difficult to harm, mortai do have glowing radiant cores that are vulnerable to physical damage (from sufficiently enchanted weapons). "'Course, finding a sphere 10 feet across in a cloud encompassing a couple of cubic miles wouldn't be an easy feat, especially if the mortai were throwing lightning at the bashers trying to find the needle in the haystack." |
| 1053 | * {{Cumulonemesis}}: A rare Good example. In their "natural" forms, mortai resemble nothing other than miles-wide clouds. |
| 1054 | * GeniusLoci: One theory about the mortai is that they're manifestations of the Beastland's planar life force. |
| 1055 | * KarmicTrickster: Mortai are usually content to drift and observe, but if they spy a creature below that seems to be taking itself too seriously, mortai might prank them by repeatedly knocking their hat off with strategic gusts of wind, or send a PersonalRaincloud to follow them around. |
| 1056 | * MindHive: Another theory about mortai's origins is that they're congregations of lesser wind spirits, one seemingly supported by accounts that those conversing with mortai have heard laughter and voices within the creature's cloudy form. |
| 1057 | * NoSell: Physical attacks just don't do anything to a mortai's cloudy body. |
| 1058 | * {{Seers}}: They can cast ''legend lore'', and if approached respectfully might share their wisdom or information with mortals. Though mortai are also known to conceal their advice in riddles or half-answers, if they think [[FigureItOutYourself the supplicant would be better served discovering the answer themself.]] |
| 1059 | * ShockAndAwe: When roused to anger, mortai can throw lightning bolts at will, while crackling and glowing like a thunderhead in a storm. |
| 1060 | * SkyFace: Mortai can assume this form when interacting with lesser creatures, so that "great faces of wisdom and beauty" appear in their clouds. |
| 1061 | * WeatherManipulation: They know magic like ''control weather'', ''gust of wind'', ''ice storm'', ''wind wall'', and so on. |
| 1062 | [[/folder]] |
| 1063 | |
| 1064 | [[folder:Mu Spore]] |
| 1065 | [[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mu_spore_3e.png]] |
| 1066 | [[caption-width-right:305:3e]] |
| 1067 | ->'''Classification:''' Plant (3E)\ |
| 1068 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 21 (3E)\ |
| 1069 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral |
| 1070 | |
| 1071 | 60-foot-tall ambulatory fungi that wander in dark places, attacking and consuming everything they encounter. |
| 1072 | ---- |
| 1073 | * BreathWeapon: They can "cough" out a cloud of spores in a huge cone, which burrow into other creatures, dealing heavy nonspecified damage. |
| 1074 | * CombatTentacles: Mu spores have tendrils they can use to attack and grab opponents. |
| 1075 | * FungusHumongous: They look something like walking toadstools the size of redwood trees. |
| 1076 | * StickySituation: Beyond its combat tentacles, a mu spore is also covered with sticky tendrils dangling over its body, which can yank weapons out of attackers' hands, or restrain those that attack the monster with their natural weapons. |
| 1077 | * SwallowedWhole: Their "heads" are mostly a wide, toothy maw they can use to swallow opponents they grab with their tentacles or hit with their bite attack. |
| 1078 | [[/folder]] |
| 1079 | |
| 1080 | [[folder:Muckdweller]] |
| 1081 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_muckdweller_3e.png]] |
| 1082 | [[caption-width-right:350:3e]] |
| 1083 | ->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\ |
| 1084 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1/4 (3E)\ |
| 1085 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil |
| 1086 | |
| 1087 | Foot-tall, intelligent, bipedal amphibians that live a simple tribal existence in marshes and swamps. |
| 1088 | ---- |
| 1089 | * AHandfulForAnEye: Their favored hunting tactic is to ambush prey by squirting water in its eye, blinding the victim for a round. |
| 1090 | * IntelligentGerbil: Even though they're fully sapient, muckdwellers are more like bipedal gila monsters or tiny dinosaurs than they are LizardFolk. They build crude shelters of twigs, straw and mud primarily to hide themselves from predators, since exposure to the elements doesn't bother them much, and they lack the manual dexterity to make tools beyond simple reed rafts. Muckdwellers have little in the way of culture beyond vague nature worship, and are primarily concerned with the survival of the fittest. |
| 1091 | * MadeASlave: They often end up enslaved by larger, more sophisticated (relatively speaking) creatures like lizardfolk and kuo-toa. Though their 2nd Edition entry notes that muckdwellers will voluntarily serve the former, recognizing lizardfolk a "superior species." |
| 1092 | [[/folder]] |
| 1093 | |
| 1094 | [[folder:Mudman]] |
| 1095 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mudman_2e.png]] |
| 1096 | [[caption-width-right:300:2e]] |
| 1097 | ->'''Classification:''' Elemental Magical Beast (4E)\ |
| 1098 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 2 (4E)\ |
| 1099 | '''Alignment:''' Unaligned |
| 1100 | |
| 1101 | Mindless, man-shaped masses of muck that arise where enchanted waters have evaporated. |
| 1102 | ---- |
| 1103 | * DishingOutDirt: Mudmen attack by hurling muck at their opponents, slowing their movement with each hit as the mud hardens on impact. If the victim's movement reaches 0, [[SinisterSuffocation they begin to suffocate from the mud covering their mouth and nose.]] |
| 1104 | * MagicEater: They feed upon the residual dweomer left on the bottom of the pools they inhabit. |
| 1105 | * SuicideAttack: If an opponent comes within 10 feet of a mudman, it will literally hurl itself at its opponent, destroying the mudman but greatly slowing its victim's movement. |
| 1106 | * SwampMonster: They're {{Muck Monster}}s composed of swamp mud. |
| 1107 | [[/folder]] |
| 1108 | |
| 1109 | [[folder:Mujina]] |
| 1110 | [[quoteright:295:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mujina_2e.png]] |
| 1111 | [[caption-width-right:295:2e]] |
| 1112 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Mystara}}''\ |
| 1113 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 1114 | |
| 1115 | Faceless beings who disguise themselves as normal humans to engage in theft and murder. |
| 1116 | ---- |
| 1117 | * AlwaysChaoticEvil: The "best" mujina merely rob and terrify humans, the rest infiltrate human society by posing as servants or hirelings, waiting for the right moment to go on a killing spree. They have no society of their own, leading some to speculate that mujina were put on Mystara to "trim" the human population. |
| 1118 | * BlackSpeech: They have their own racial language, "which consists of a series of oddly pitched hollow moans and howls -- quite unpleasant to the ears of normal humans, demihumans, and humanoids." |
| 1119 | * TheBlank: Mujina's key feature is their lack of facial features. |
| 1120 | * DittoAliens: They're noted to be "physically and emotionally identical to all others of their kind of the same gender." This leads mujina to have FantasticRacism towards more individualistic species, ''especially'' humans, as the most diverse race. |
| 1121 | * LieToTheBeholder: They can magically disguise themselves with whatever face they wish, until the effect is [[DispelMagic dispelled]] or the mujina decides to [[GameFace drop it when they attack.]] They thus have a habit of hiding or destroying magic items like ''gems of true seeing'' or ''medallions of ESP'' that might blow their cover. |
| 1122 | * OneHandedZweihander: Mujina are freakishly strong, allowing them to not just wield anything short of a lance or polearm one-handed, but DualWield them as well. |
| 1123 | * SadlyMythtaken: The ''mujina'' of Myth/JapaneseMythology is actually a ShapeshiftingTrickster badger often confused with the {{tanuki}}, while the ''noppera-bō'' or "faceless ghost" is an entirely different {{youkai}}. But Lafcadio Hearn's story about faceless ghosts in ''Kwaidan'' was titled "Mujina" because it invovled shapeshifting badgers disguising themselves as faceless ghosts, so here we are. |
| 1124 | * SupernaturalFearInducer: Any creature with 5 or fewer Hit Dice who sees a mujina's blank face has to run away in fear for a few rounds, with NoSavingThrow. |
| 1125 | * WasOnceAMan: Mujina don't reproduce normally, leading some Mystaran sages to speculate that an Immortal is making them from followers who never stood out from the crowd, cursing them to be literally faceless. Others wonder about a connection to {{doppelganger}}s. |
| 1126 | [[/folder]] |
| 1127 | |
| 1128 | [[folder:Mul]] |
| 1129 | [[quoteright:249:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mul_4e.png]] |
| 1130 | [[caption-width-right:249:4e]] |
| 1131 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/DarkSun''\ |
| 1132 | '''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E), Natural Humanoid (4E)\ |
| 1133 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (3E), 4 (4E)\ |
| 1134 | '''Playable:''' 2E-4E\ |
| 1135 | '''Alignment:''' Any Neutral |
| 1136 | |
| 1137 | Forcibly-bred dwarf-human hybrids, inheriting the best characteristics of both races, but only so they can be subject to backbreaking labor or gladiatoral combat. |
| 1138 | ---- |
| 1139 | * BaldHeadOfToughness: Muls are incredibly tough, and nearly all of them, male or female, are bald. |
| 1140 | * CanonImmigrant: 4th Edition brought back muls for its ''Dark Sun'' update, but also featured suggestions for using them in settings beyond Athas, for example as the result of a drow breeding program. |
| 1141 | * ChildByRape: The default assumption is that mul conceptions were ordered by slaveowners, which means the parents often resent the resulting child. |
| 1142 | * DeathByChildbirth: Their 2E lore explains that mul pregnancies are difficult due to "unnatural child" involved -- conception can take months, the pregnancy lasts for a full year, and the mother often dies during pregnancy or childbirth, with dwarven mothers faring slightly better. 4E doesn't mention any of this. |
| 1143 | * GildedCage: Successful mul gladiators are treated as lucrative investments by their owners, and often end up with teams of other slaves assigned to bring them food and drink on command, or bathe them in oil. But however luxurious their lifestyle, the mul is never allowed to forget that they're someone's property. "'Pampered like a mul' is an expression often bandied about by common folk, but it burns in the ears of the muls who have lived it." |
| 1144 | * HalfHumanHybrid: As mentioned, they're dwarf-human hybrids, combining the hardiness of the former with the dexterity of the latter. Surprisingly, muls turn out ''taller'' than the average human, averaging between six and seven feet tall. |
| 1145 | * MageSpecies: 2nd Edition states that roughly half of all muls develop a psionic wild talent, and 3rd Edition gives them three extra power points at first level to manifest their inborn abilities. |
| 1146 | * MeaningfulName: Like mules, they're a hybrid race that's traditionally sterile. Note that in-universe, the name "mul" derives from the dwarvish ''mul-zhennedar'', which simply means "strength." While pronunciation can vary from "mull" to "mool" to "mule," the first is generally considered the correct pronunciation, while the last is treated as an insult. |
| 1147 | * ServantRace: Muls exist to toil for others, whether on construction crews or in the arena. They have no real culture of their own, since most of them are enslaved, and their sterility keeps them from forming families and communities. Only about 20% of muls are free, and they must still live with the threat of being captured and resold by slavers, as a single mul can be more profitable than a dozen human slaves. |
| 1148 | * SlaveBrand: Enslaved muls' heads are tattooed to indicate who their owners are -- "the centered three-eyed skulls are the marks of the guard slaves of the templars of Urik, while swirling ram's horns indicate the Merchant House of Tsalaxa," and so on. They receive additional tattoos denoting their preferred weapons, allowing arena handlers to know what to equip them with at a glance, as well as to celebrate victories. While enslaved muls accept their tattoos as a fact of life, the rare free muls hate them, so that even mentioning them can be a BerserkButton. |
| 1149 | * SuperToughness: Muls have incredible toughness and stamina, allowing them to do continuous heavy labor for 24 hours straight, or do light exercise like walking or training for two days straight, before needing just eight hours of rest to recover (though they still prefer a human sleep cycle of 16 hours awake, 8 hours asleep). 4th Edition also gives muls the "Incredible Toughness" racial power that lets them shrug off ongoing damage or a dazed, slowed, stunned or weakened effect, once per combat encounter. |
| 1150 | * TrueBreedingHybrid: Explicitly averted in their 2nd and 3rd Edition presentations, in which muls are sterile, though 4th Edition is mum on the matter. |
| 1151 | [[/folder]] |
| 1152 | |
| 1153 | [[folder:Mummy]] |
| 1154 | [[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_mummy_3e.png]] |
| 1155 | [[caption-width-right:349:3e]] |
| 1156 | ->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E-5E)\ |
| 1157 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (mummy), 15 (mummy lord) (3E); 8 (guardian), 13 (lord) (4E); 3 (mummy), 15 (mummy lord) (5E)\ |
| 1158 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil, Unaligned (4E) |
| 1159 | |
| 1160 | Embalmed corpses wrapped in highly flammable gauze. Their presence inspires fear and their touch inflicts a powerful curse. |
| 1161 | ---- |
| 1162 | * AntiRegeneration: A mummy lord can use a legendary action to saturate its surroundings with negative energy, preventing creatures from regaining hit points until the end of its next turn. |
| 1163 | * {{Curse}}: A mummy's touch inflicts a curse called mummy rot. It prevents a cursed creature from healing, and makes them crumble into dust when they die. |
| 1164 | * CurseOfThePharaoh: Did you swipe some treasure from a mummy lord’s tomb? If so, congratulations! You are now cursed until the mummy lord is destroyed. This is in addition to the curse that all mummies inflict with their rotting touch. |
| 1165 | * DishingOutDirt: 5th edition mummy lords can summon clouds of dust to blind nearby foes and transform themselves into invulnerable dust devils for a short time. |
| 1166 | * NephariousPharaoh: Some mummy lords were cruel tyrants in life who ruled over their domains with dark magic and an iron fist. Undeath has done nothing to staunch their ambitions or temper their brutality. While they aren't explicitly called pharaohs in the 5th edition Monster Manual, the implication of this trope is clear. |
| 1167 | * NighInvulnerable: 5th edition mummy lords are immune to non-magical physical damage and to a plethora of status ailments, and they also resist magic and have multiple saving throw proficiencies. On top of that, their shriveled hearts are immune to all damage except fire damage. |
| 1168 | * NonHumanUndead: While the typical mummy is a humanoid, there have been rules for generic mummified creatures, giving the likes of ogres and centaurs the powers of mummy rot and despair. |
| 1169 | * OurLichesAreDifferent: A mummy lord is in many ways the clerical equivalent of a lich. It's an undead spellcaster which cannot be permanently killed so long as its SoulJar remains intact. The key difference is that mummy lords were usually the high priests of evil deities in life rather than wizards, and thus wield divine magic rather than arcane magic. |
| 1170 | * ReducedToDust: A mummy lord turns to dust when its body is destroyed, but this is only temporary unless you destroyed the mummy lord’s heart as well. |
| 1171 | * SoulJar: In 5th edition, a mummy lord's existence is tied to the canopic jar which contains its shriveled heart. You can destroy a mummy lord's body, but it will reform in a day as long as the heart exists. |
| 1172 | * SupernaturalFearInducer: Mummies can literally paralyze their enemies with fear. The specifics vary by edition: in 3.5, just looking at a mummy forces you to make a Wisdom saving throw, while in 5E the mummy must actively glare at someone who can see it for this ability to take effect. |
| 1173 | * WeakToFire: Mummies are ''quite'' flammable, as you might imagine. Setting one on fire is the most effective way to put one down. |
| 1174 | |
| 1175 | !!Bog Mummy |
| 1176 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_bog_mummy_3e.png]] |
| 1177 | [[caption-width-right:280:3e]] |
| 1178 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}''\ |
| 1179 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 8 (3E)\ |
| 1180 | '''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil |
| 1181 | |
| 1182 | A variant of mummy created when a victim is bound, strangled and tossed into a bog, resulting in an undead monster that exists solely to kill the living. |
| 1183 | ---- |
| 1184 | * HumanSacrifice: Each bog mummy was the sacrificial victim of evil druids or followers of a dark deity of nature. Their entry mentions that some sects create bog mummies from outsiders who intrude upon their stretches of swampland. |
| 1185 | * KillItWithIce: Bog mummies' sodden bodies make them fire-resistant, but cold damage can freeze the water inside of them, potentially paralyzing them for a round, unless the bog mummy succeeds a saving throw with a DC equal to the cold damage received. |
| 1186 | * {{Mummy}}: They're a variant of the bog-standard (ahem) mummy, one not tied to an Egyptian-themed culture. They share a standard mummy's "despair" ability, though bog mummies don't inflict mummy rot upon enemies, and have no canopic jars to destroy. |
| 1187 | * SinisterSuffocation: Bog mummies were strangled during the ritual that created them, and use those same leather cords around their necks to garrote enemies they grapple, choking the life from them and leaving them unable to speak or cast spells with verbal components. |
| 1188 | * SupernaturalSensitivity: They can sense any living creature with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher within a mile radius, even if they're trying to hide themselves with magic like ''invisibility'' or ''blur''. |
| 1189 | * SwampMonster: They're exclusively found in (peat) bogs, making them undead versions of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog_body bog bodies]]. They like to conceal themselves beneath the murky water, then lunge out when their victims come within reach. |
| 1190 | [[/folder]] |
| 1191 | |
| 1192 | [[folder:Murder Comet]] |
| 1193 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_murder_comet_5e.jpeg]] |
| 1194 | [[caption-width-right:350:5e]] |
| 1195 | ->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}''\ |
| 1196 | '''Classification:''' Elemental (5E)\ |
| 1197 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (5E)\ |
| 1198 | '''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil |
| 1199 | |
| 1200 | Stone heads wreathed in flame that scream through Wildspace, smashing any ships they come across. |
| 1201 | ---- |
| 1202 | * AntiStructure: They have the "Siege Monster" trait, letting them deal double damage to structures and objects like starships. |
| 1203 | * DefeatEqualsExplosion: When slain, murder comets explode in a 20-foot-radius ball of fire. |
| 1204 | * ElementalEmbodiment: Murder comets are created when an evil spellcaster combines the essences of earth and fire elementals into a single destructive creature. |
| 1205 | * FlyingFace: They're shaped like such, flying through space. A spellcaster who chooses to bind their spirit to a murder comet will cause it to take on their own likeness. |
| 1206 | * PlayingWithFire: Murder comets are wreathed in flame, dealing extra fire damage to whatever they slam into, and they can also spit fire as a ranged attack. |
| 1207 | * SuperSpeed: They have an incredible 120-foot fly speed, moving so fast they don't provoke attacks of opportunity as they blaze past opponents, which makes them perfectly suited for HitAndRunTactics. |
| 1208 | [[/folder]] |
| 1209 | |
| 1210 | [[folder:Mutate]] |
| 1211 | ->'''Classification:''' Aberration (5E)\ |
| 1212 | '''Challenge Rating:''' Varies\ |
| 1213 | '''Alignment:''' Same as base creature |
| 1214 | ---- |
| 1215 | * {{Mutants}}: A creature exposed to the Far Realm's energies risks developing mutations. As the powers of the Far Realm rewrite the fundamentals of the creature's existence, it transforms and exhibits physical characteristics associated with the Far Realm. Once the Far Realm influence abates, the mutate changes back. |
| 1216 | [[/folder]] |
| 1217 | |
| 1218 | [[folder:Myconid]] |
| 1219 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_myconids_5e.jpeg]] |
| 1220 | [[caption-width-right:350:5e]] |
| 1221 | ->'''Classification:''' Plant (3E, 5E), Fey Humanoid (4E)\ |
| 1222 | '''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (junior worker) to 7 (sovereign) (3E); 3 (guard) to 4 (sovereign); 0 (scout), 1/2 (adult), 2 (sovereign) (5E)\ |
| 1223 | '''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral |
| 1224 | |
| 1225 | Also known as "fungus ones," these intelligent, mobile mushroom folk are distrustful of outsiders, but generally shy and nonviolent, making them a rarity among the Underdark's inhabitants. |
| 1226 | ---- |
| 1227 | * AnimateDead: One type of myconid spore infests corpses, causing them to rise as mindless servants. They do whatever work there aren't enough myconids to carry out. |
| 1228 | * CreepyGood: Well, good might be pushing it. But by Underdark standards they're practically cuddly (in that they are highly unlikely to harm anyone who doesn't seek to harm them and might even help if given decent reason) despite being disturbing looking mushroom people. |
| 1229 | * LargeAndInCharge: Myconids grow over the course of their lives, but the sovereign is always the tallest myconid (eleven feet). If it dies, another myconid will grow to eleven feet tall and take over. |
| 1230 | * MushroomMan: Myconids are intelligent, ambulatory fungi that live in the Underdark. |
| 1231 | * MushroomSamba: Pun aside, myconids structure their days into three parts: eight hours of work, eight hours of rest, and eight hours of a mind-melding hallucinatory state caused by their spores. They consider this hallucinatory state to be the purpose of their existence, and can only be snapped out of it by myconid distress spores. |
| 1232 | * PlantPerson: In terms of real world science fungi aren't plants but the game counts them as such. |
| 1233 | * {{Telepathy}}: One type of spore myconids can emit allows for telepathic communication, both between themselves and with outsiders. |
| 1234 | [[/folder]] |
| 1235 |
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