[3.5] Body-part Themed Monsters

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

Looking for some ideas for "body-part" themed monsters for a dungeon/adventure.

Things like Beholder (eyes), Tooth Beast (teeth), Crawling Claw (hand) etc.

Mix of CR is fine.

Cheers - T

[Âmesang]

Could one cast animate object on a severed hand to create Thing? :smallbiggrin:

EDIT: Or I guess he could just be a flesh-covered demilich.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Do purple worms count?

[Troacctid]

Demiliches concentrate their form into a single body part. This is usually a skull, but it could be any body part, so if you ever come up against a lich, be careful not to call him an *******. You don't want to give him ideas.

[Extra Anchovies]

The Crawling Head from the Fiend Folio is, well, a crawling head. CR 20, though.

You could also do a room with one person that's been disassembled into as many creatures as possible - a skeleton (bones), a forsaken shell (libris mortis) (skin), a bloodrot (heroes of horror) (blood), a pennaggolan (oriental adventures) (entrails), and... hm. Might have to just do a refluffed zombie for the muscles. Could also add an Unbodied (XPH) for the nervous system, but then the pennaggolan wouldn't have a brain - which wouldn't stop it from function AFAIK, but I'm not sure. Their CRs are kind of all over the place, but it could be presented as more of a novelty than a challenge.

[Venger]

in addition to what's been mentioned:

tomb motes, crawling claws, and cadaver golems all also fit with the theme. atropal scions if your party's high level.

[Pex]

Do purple worms count?

I see what you did there.

Add in Otyughs.

Ghoul for mouth or Gibbering Mouther if you would rather go for talking instead of eating.
Intellect Devourer for brain.
Succubus for lips.
Hydra for head.

[Inevitability]

Lurking Stranglers are two beholder eyestalks connected by a fleshy cord. Sounds pretty eye-like to me.

[ben-zayb]

Chichimec (SRD) for wings

Hecatoncheires (SRD) for hands (it literally means "dude with a hundred hands")

Odopi (MMIII) for... hands? eyes? hands with eyes?

Roving Mauler (ToM) for hind legs (it's also probably the most ridiculous monster in D&D 3.5e)

Dalmosh (MMV) for mouth (seriously, it's called Dalmosh of the Infinite Maws, and it's got sewn mouths all over its body)

Boneyard (LM) and Bone Spur (MMV) for bones, among a gazillion other monsters that have lots-of-bone as a theme

[Tiri]

Deathshead (ToM) for a head-themed monster of lower CR than the Crawling Head.

[Zaq]

Elder Brains are obvious, though of course they're crazy high in CR (and arguably under-CR'd if you play them right). For a lower-level brain monster, there's the Brain In A Jar from Libris Mortis.

Bloodhulks (MM4) are fairly blood-themed, though there's no shortage of other blood-themed monsters.

Defacers (MM4) are face-themed. They steal faces!

Vitreous Drinkers (MM4) are a very different sort of eye-themed monster than Beholders are.


Do purple worms count?

I believe you mean the Century Worm.

[Khedrac]

Brain in a Jar for another lower level one.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Incorporeal spirits such as ghosts for the soul, though that's not exactly the body.

[Pex]

Troglodytes for nose.

[Flickerdart]

The spell grim revenge produces a special wight shaped like a flying Tiny-sized hand.

[Zombimode]

Add in Otyughs.


Ugh, thanks for the mental image.

To share with everyone else: it starts with "v" and ends with "dentata" and the middle term I leave to your imagination :smallwink:

[Jowgen]

Temples of Vecna sometimes have golem-type things (I think) that are shaped like a Hand and an Eye repsectively.

Not sure where I read this, although the safest bet is probably that Dragon mag article on the church of Vecna.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Include the Head of Vecna. (http://www.blindpanic.com/humor/vecna.htm)

[ben-zayb]

Ugh, thanks for the mental image.

To share with everyone else: it starts with "v" and ends with "dentata" and the middle term I leave to your imagination :smallwink:Oh man, now that you mention it, the Dalmosh looks more "v" "dentata" than mouth!

[Bohandas]

Blood Golem of Hextor (Fiend Folio), and Blood Elemental (Denizens of Dread) for blood

EDIT:
Brain Golem (FF?) and Cerebrilith (EPH) for brain

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Glue golem and various oozes?

For, y'know, mucus. And stuff.

Flesh golems?

[Extra Anchovies]

You could maybe refluff a Chain Golem (MM2) as a mass of crusty, greasy hair - but that might squick your players out, because I'm trying my hardest to forget I had this idea :smallyuk::smalltongue:

The Flesh Jelly (MM2) is all the body parts tossed in a blender and spat out as a Gargantuan CR 19 beastie - it's a bit tricky to CR, given its lack of flight, ranged abilities, spell resistance, or damage reduction, but it'd be quite a challenge for a group that can't keep it at a distance.

[Bohandas]

1e halflings for feet

[MaxiDuRaritry]

1e halflings for feetThat's penguins. They have to be happy and dancing for it to work, though.

[The Viscount]

The occularon has a bunch of eyes that it stole.

The stitched devil, demonflesh golem, and dragonflesh golem are all assembled mismatched limbs, to varying degrees of cohesiveness.

I really love that there are 2 undead creatures created from the severed heads of giants.

[Bohandas]

Giant centipede for legs maybe

[Coidzor]

Vargouilles for head/ears.