Monsters in Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

[Grog Logs]

*** Cephalon Campaign Stay Out ***

Context: Last night I introduced a plot thread into my campaign where I needed a mischievious demon that could be mistaken for a group of goblins by a villager in the middle of the night from a distance . One that would be capable of throwing rotten eggs at houses and destroying property. None of the demons in the MM, VGM, or MTF felt like they fit. I did some quick searching on D&D Beyond and discovered the Cackler. I immediately decided to buy this specific monster based upon its image alone. I have my monster for next week!

Question: Does Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica have other really cool monsters? I never got into Magic: The Gathering, so there is no nostalgia there. But, I have respect for cool creatures regardless of source.

The following GGR monsters caught my eye based upon their name and/or image: Arclight Phoenix, Battleforce Angel, Blistercoil Weird, Deathpact Angel, Druid of the Old Ways, Flying Horror, Frontline Medic, Galvanice Weird, Gloamwing, Mind Mage, Obzedat Ghost, Precognitive Mage, Rakdos Lampooner, Scorchbringer Guard, Shadow Horror, Skittering Horror

Would they provide unique things compared to the MM, VGM, and MTF?

For comparison, I really loved the following monsters from VGM: Babau, Drakes, Boggle, Cave Fisher, Deep Scion, Flail Snail, Froghemoth, Grung, Ki-Rin, Kobolds, Meenlock, Neogi, Neolithid, Nilbog, Orcs, Quickling, Shoosuva, Spawn of Kyuss, Vegepygmy, and the NPCs at the back.

And, I really loved the following monsters from MTF: Allip, Astral Dreadnought, Bulezau, Constructs (e.g., Iron Cobra), Demon Lords, Derro, Elder Elementals, Elemental Mymidons, Frost Salamander, Gray Render, Kruthiks, Nightwalker, Oblexes, Ogres, Retriever, Steel Predator, Sorrowsworn, Trolls, and Zariel (one Archdevil).

[Finback]

There's not a HEAP of new creatures, it's more a case of the DM being encouraged to reskin and reflavour other existing creatures. You want to think about what the guilds represent, more than anything. Izzet are weird science, so run with crazy elementals*. Simic are geneticists, so you can pretty much take any monstrosity and justify it with some tweaking (OWLBEARS are like peak Simic). Rakdos, whilst being heavy on demons, are way more about theatrics as part of their violence, so don't just throw a vrock at the PCs, make it a vrock who juggles knives, or a barbed demon with Tasha's Hideous Laughter as a spell, who delivers terrible one-liners.

Honestly, your best bet is to seek out alternate sources for monsters like reddit's Monster A Day, or the Creature Codex/Tome of Beasts because there's some really divergent stuff you can easily slide in. Case in point, for the Izzet above (*) - the FISHTANK OOZE. It's basically a massive geletinous cube, but full of water - and containing a shark.

[Zanthy1]

There are a good amount of cool monsters and NPC stat blocks, many pf which can be reflavored anyway you like. The Guild Leaders stat blocks are awesome for high level NPC bosses and allies, and if you don't want to play in Ravnica, just change their name. The Guildmaster's Guide has a lot of content that is really cool, even if you don't have the nostalgia factor (though that is a high bonus as well).

[Madfellow]

Question: Does Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica have other really cool monsters? I never got into Magic: The Gathering, so there is no nostalgia there. But, I have respect for cool creatures regardless of source.

The following GGR monsters caught my eye based upon their name and/or image: Arclight Phoenix, Battleforce Angel, Blistercoil Weird, Deathpact Angel, Druid of the Old Ways, Flying Horror, Frontline Medic, Galvanice Weird, Gloamwing, Mind Mage, Obzedat Ghost, Precognitive Mage, Rakdos Lampooner, Scorchbringer Guard, Shadow Horror, Skittering Horror

Would they provide unique things compared to the MM, VGM, and MTF?

Arclight Phoenix: CR 12 thunderbird that can be continuously brought back to life if anyone casts lightning-based magic on its egg.

Battleforce Angel: CR 5 angel who could be a valuable ally, or a dangerous foe if you're on the wrong side of the law.

Deathpact Angel: CR 14 fallen angel. I AM YOUR GOD! KNEEL BEFORE ME AND OFFER YOUR TRIBUTE!

Obzedat Ghost: CR 8 legendary undead. There are five of them, each with a unique power and the ability to summon the other four. Don't let the CR fool you; these guys are high-level villain material. The Deathpact Angels work for these guys.

Blistercoil Weird: CR 4 elemental made of water and lava. Dangerous to get close to, hard to get away from.

Galvanic Weird: CR 1 elemental made of ice and lightning. Damage resistances and condition immunities make it a nuisance for low-level parties to deal with.

Druid of the Old Ways: CR 7 NPC druid capable of casting transport via plants, meaning that a barbarian raiding party could pop up anywhere there's sufficient greenery. :smalleek:

Flying Horror: CR 3 aberration that hits hard and inflicts fear. It's also ugly as sin.

Shadow Horror: CR 9 aberration that behaves pretty much like a beefed-up shadow demon from the Monster Manual.

Skittering Horror: CR 15 aberration that can inflict paralysis. Nothing all too special here.

Frontline Medic: CR 1/4 NPC cleric with a high AC and access to 2nd-level support spells. Could be a helpful ally.

Gloamwing: CR 8 flying undead. Nothing special, except that it's the favored mount of the Nightveil Specter, a CR 10 undead that can mess with your head.

Mind Mage: CR 5 NPC psion with mind-altering spells and a handful of skills. Could make a great low-level villain.

Precognitive Mage: CR 3 NPC wizard with low-level divination magic but a potent psychic attack. Could make an interesting low-level villain or henchman, or a very useful ally.

Rakdos Lampooner: CR 2 NPC bard with some pretty nasty enchantment magic. Do not underestimate.

Scorchbringer Guard: CR 1/2 NPC with a flamethrower that could explode at any minute.

[Grog Logs]

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WOW! Thanks

[Madfellow]

WOW! Thanks

Hey, no problem! :smallwink: