Call All Mad Wizards! Looking for Strange Creatures!

[FadeAssassin]

Hey all!

So I am running a game right now set in a region of the world know for the creation of strange combinations of creatures or creatures with supernatural abilities.

Displacer beasts, for example, were modified to be able to exist in multiple locations at once, in a sort of Schrodinger's Cat sort of thing.
Owlbears were modified to have actual functional wings.
There is a massive Stag big enough to impale a family-sized car and had lightning charging through it.

There were made to be used in war, and have since become endemic to the region, and I need a lot of them. So I come to you all, humbly, beseeching ideas for the crazy animals that this kingdom made up in times of war.

Bonus points if you have a stat block.

[sandmote]

If you'll indulge me I'll link some of my homebrew:
Some dragonets and drakes would probably fit well. I've converted some from older editions here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?610857-Dragonettes-Drakes-and-Linnorms).
Additionally animated and partially animated plants I've written up here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?627648-Additional-Plant-Creatures-and-Bunch-of-Plant-Based-Traps).

Otherwise, I'd maybe include some creatures that naturally grow metal barbs, or which have magical abilities. Ideas off the top of my head:

A "thunder ox," perhaps originally bred to pull heavy loads for artillery and sieges, and can now hit creatures hard enough to push them far back (35+ feet on failed save) with each attack.
Size changing elephants, which can increase in power back to an elephant's normal size, but which as normally small enough to fit through regulars doorways (and eat significantly less than typical elephants).
Ankhegs capable of laying mines around their nests, left over from their use in sapping divisions..
In line with the multiple mythological horses that drag people underwater after being sat on, mounts that can travel onto the ethereal plane the way phase spiders do.
Winged Piercers

[Dualight]

Horse-sized planarians with combat-speed regeneration. Hit them with slashing damage and they split into new planarians that each have half the heatlh of the original, but are fully functional and both behave as the normal, just with reduced current hp and 1 size smaller. They then grow by one size category at the start of each turn until they thit full size, with a damaging grapple, as they ooze acid in addition to every thing else they do.

[noob]

Descendants of familiars of dead casters, they lack the ability to attack but thinks.

[animorte]

Avatar: The Last Airbender has some very interesting animal combos.That’s what I would recommend to take some inspiration from.

[Dualight]

Make copious use of the Half-dragon template in the MM. Give everything a breath weapon.

[loki_ragnarock]

This incredibly badass concept complete with some art. (https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Embodied_Mouther_(5e_Race)#:~:text=Gibbering%20Mou thers%20taken%20humanoid%20form%2C%20a%20race%20th at,ability%20score%20of%20your%20choice%20increase s%20by%201.)

Slap that on any of the NPC stat blocks - preferably one they'll interact with on pretty frequently before the reveal - and freak out your players.

[animorte]

This incredibly badass concept complete with some art. (https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Embodied_Mouther_(5e_Race)#:~:text=Gibbering%20Mou thers%20taken%20humanoid%20form%2C%20a%20race%20th at,ability%20score%20of%20your%20choice%20increase s%20by%201.)

Slap that on any of the NPC stat blocks - preferably one they'll interact with on pretty frequently before the reveal - and freak out your players.

Looks like somebody pulled that directly out of an anime titled "I Think My Crush Is A Monster!"

[FadeAssassin]

Make copious use of the Half-dragon template in the MM. Give everything a breath weapon.

Sounds like something my dragon-obsessed friend would do. But that is a good take! Wish there were more templates like this.

[FadeAssassin]

If you'll indulge me I'll link some of my homebrew:
Some dragonets and drakes would probably fit well. I've converted some from older editions here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?610857-Dragonettes-Drakes-and-Linnorms).
Additionally animated and partially animated plants I've written up here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?627648-Additional-Plant-Creatures-and-Bunch-of-Plant-Based-Traps).

Otherwise, I'd maybe include some creatures that naturally grow metal barbs, or which have magical abilities. Ideas off the top of my head:

A "thunder ox," perhaps originally bred to pull heavy loads for artillery and sieges, and can now hit creatures hard enough to push them far back (35+ feet on failed save) with each attack.
Size changing elephants, which can increase in power back to an elephant's normal size, but which as normally small enough to fit through regulars doorways (and eat significantly less than typical elephants).
Ankhegs capable of laying mines around their nests, left over from their use in sapping divisions..
In line with the multiple mythological horses that drag people underwater after being sat on, mounts that can travel onto the ethereal plane the way phase spiders do.
Winged Piercers


Theses are all great and I will take all of them, thank you. I'll need at least a thousand of each before the end of the season, do you thing you can manage all that?

[FadeAssassin]

This incredibly badass concept complete with some art. (https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Embodied_Mouther_(5e_Race)#:~:text=Gibbering%20Mou thers%20taken%20humanoid%20form%2C%20a%20race%20th at,ability%20score%20of%20your%20choice%20increase s%20by%201.)

Slap that on any of the NPC stat blocks - preferably one they'll interact with on pretty frequently before the reveal - and freak out your players.

This is super cool and I will definitely use it for something at some point.

[Jervis]

I don’t have a statblock for this in this edition but a favorite of mine is the filth troll. It’s a troll for the most part but it’s made of mud, alchemical waste, and various other fluids. They’re different from trolls in one respect. They’re regeneration isn’t stopping by fire damage, or any damage for that matter. To stop their regeneration you need to bring them into contact with soap, which deals 1d8 acid damage per round as well as turning their regen off. They were enemies that lived around a town populated by small frog people who bath 5 times a day and always wear elaborate decorative bath robes on the style of Victorian clothing. The reasoning for this is that they were attracted to filth of all kinds and scared by cleanliness. They literally cannot attack someone who isn’t dirty. The twist was that they were created by the mayor who was secretly a wizard. He made them as a way to scare the people into compliance.

I have axolotlfolk who live in settlements around underground lakes. They’re nice and try to help people they find in trouble. Unfortunately in the dark they have a uncanny resemblance to goblins so adventurers have a tendency to think they’re trying to attack them, that paired with the fact they don’t speak common means they often end up being attacked. Their society considers not helping someone in need when you could the same as killing them so they will do incredibly dangerous thing to help people. That said they’re also small salamander people so they’re in a constant state of fear because everything near where they live wants to eat them. Besides that, on the mechanics side they can regrow limbs in 1d4 weeks and take the maximum result of a hit die on a short rest. Swim and walk speed of 30 feet, 60 foot darkvission, and the ability to spit water as a 1d6 unarmed strike with a range of 30 feet. (Yes I know that’s jank and lets a monk flurry of spits but that’s funny to me).

I also have pale men on the horror side. They’re basically just humans that heal 2 damage around, have claw attacks, and see in the dark. They also have the ability to move through spaces as if they were two size categories smaller. They live in caves and attack people when they walk through tunnels to cramped for them to run. I bring up the fact they’re humans for a simple reason, they use to be. They’re human cavemen who went into the underdark and evolved in a different direction, that is to say they’re less related to us than Neanderthals but close enough to have the same body type. They just aren’t sentient. They can and will try to eat you alive. And yes they are inspired by that horror movie about a human related species of cave dwellers attacking some hikers, that and my own crippling fear of caves.

[da newt]

Kamadan (jaguar snake - like displacer beast)

Really you can mash any two or three things together. I mean that's how you get griffon, Pegasus, peryton, sphinx, centaur, owl bear, yuan ti, medusa, satyr, chimera, etc etc etc ad nauseam ...

[noob]

A magical infection made by one of the warring sides, each day someone is sick with it they must succeed at a dc10 save(probably charisma) or become a follower of that side, it is cured either by succeeding at two saves in a row or through remove curse.
Someone failing 3 saves in a row against that disease turns in 2d6 liquid snakes made of blood that can inflict the disease on whoever they bite.(if you want it to be extra dangerous use flying snakes)

[Damon_Tor]

Hey all!

So I am running a game right now set in a region of the world know for the creation of strange combinations of creatures or creatures with supernatural abilities.

Displacer beasts, for example, were modified to be able to exist in multiple locations at once, in a sort of Schrodinger's Cat sort of thing.
Owlbears were modified to have actual functional wings.
There is a massive Stag big enough to impale a family-sized car and had lightning charging through it.

There were made to be used in war, and have since become endemic to the region, and I need a lot of them. So I come to you all, humbly, beseeching ideas for the crazy animals that this kingdom made up in times of war.

Bonus points if you have a stat block.

Not a creature, exactly, but here's a plant that exists in one of my settings:


Bloodberries
The bloodberry bramble is a dangerous plant with a deadly, parasitic lifecycle. It grows in a shady spot close to running water, typically close to fairy settlements. Mature brambles produce 12d6 small, dark red berries. The brambles produce an intoxicating aroma which reminds any nearby creature of their favorite food: any living non-fey creature that begins a turn within 60 feet of a mature bloodberry bramble must make a wisdom save with a DC of 12 if they have a sense of smell. Creatures with the trait Keen Sense of Smell or similar traits have disadvantage on the save. On a failed save, the creature is compelled to approach the bramble: on each of their turns they must use their entire movement speed to walk as close as they can toward the bramble and cannot willingly move further from the bramble. They repeat the wisdom save at the end of each of their turns, ending the compulsion on a save. Once they are within reach of the bramble, if they are still under the effect of the compulsion, they must use an action to eat a berry. Once a creature has eaten a bloodberry, this compulsion ends (though a second compulsion begins, see below). The compulsion also ends one minute after an affected creature can no longer smell the bloodberries. A creature that passes a save against the bloodberry aroma is immune to its effects for the next 24 hours.

Once a creature has eaten a bloodberry, they fall under a second compulsion: they feel compelled to find the perfect spot to take a nap, and use all their movement and actions to do so. The spot they are looking for should be shady but with indirect sunlight, soft soil, running water within 60 feet, and no bloodberry brambles within 120 feet. Once an acceptable location is found the creature immediately lays down to go to sleep, becoming unconscious at the start of their next round, and will not awaken as long as this compulsion is in effect. Creatures who do not sleep do not fall unconscious, but are still compelled to lay prone and rest in this location, refusing to move for any reason. While under this compulsion, a creature receives 1 level of exhaustion every hour until their death. This compulsion only ends if the bloodberry is regurgitated: a creature can be induced to vomit by another creature in about 1 minute with a DC 15 medicine check.

When a creature dies with a bloodberry in them, a new bloodberry bramble eventually sprouts from the corpse, using their ribcage as a trellis and drawing nutrients from their decaying flesh. If undisturbed the bramble grows into a mature bramble in about 8 weeks.

Bloodberries are safe to consume when cooked, and bloodberry jam, bloodberry pie, and other confections are highly prized treats with addictive qualities. Because of this, and the danger of acquiring bloodberries, they are extremely valuable. A single ripe Bloodberry has a value of 5gp to any pastry chef with high-class customers. An 8-ounce jar of bloodberry jam can sell for upwards of 1000gp. Bloodberries themselves do not produce an intoxicating aroma, and so are safe to handle (but not eat!) once removed from the bramble itself.

[JNAProductions]

You could always use a Swarm Of Dog (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?568731-Swarm-of-Dog).

[TyGuy]

Storm sharks.
They're especially dangerous to those traveling by flight. One minute you're sailing along in your airship. The next minute you see a nasty storm front barreling down on you at an unnatural speed, denying you enough time to land or get to safety. Before you know it, you're swept up in a churning tempest of hail, rain, and lightning. The storm sharks attack with hit and run tactics in a frenzy. If you're lucky enough to survive (you won't be), the storm usually deposits those abducted dozens if not hundreds of miles away from where they were swept up. (Good for bringing party to a key location, foreign land, etc.)
Adjust encounter difficulty using the three types of storm sharks. Don't be afraid to have the sharks dart in, attack, and dart back out. Give the players plenty of AoO and a feeling like they're in the middle of a feeding frenzy. Inside the storm should be dark with regular lightning revealing ominous shadows, outlines of creatures circling the party. Feel free to hit the party with the storm and tempest sharks as an appetizer and then bring in the alpha (great tempest) as the finale.

Stat blocks.
Storm shark = reef shark
Tempest shark = hunter shark
Great tempest shark = giant shark

Add flying speed equal to swim speed.
Add immunity to lightning and thunder damage.
Leave storm (reef) shark's bite damage.
Convert tempest (hunter) shark's bite to 1d8+4 piercing and 1d8 lightning.
Convert greater tempest (giant) shark's bite damage to 1d10+6 piercing and 2d10 lightning.