Reskinning monsters to freak out your players

[Cyclops08]

One of the big bads in my upcoming campaign is an evil empire run by necromancer priests very similar to ancient Egypt.
These monsters are Anubis style dog soldiers utterly under the control of the priesthood of Set. They are actually ghouls. The priests of set can put them in hibernation and release them behind the scenes by the hundreds to draw enemy soldiers away. Further the Ghast versions are used as body guards. Dog soldiers obey the command of any Set Priest. No change in stats needed. The type remains undead it just doesn't look undead.

At low levels, I will toss a Dire Wolf at them dressed as a white carnivorous stag. The one attack it gets is either the horns or the bite.

A gargoyle can be a weeping angel though I will let it move normally.

[Debihuman]

Lots of DMs reskin monsters to save time. However, that sort of defeats the purpose of a HOMEBREW DESIGN forum.

I like the picture. I might be inspired to create a new monster from that.

Debby

[MrStabby]

Lots of DMs reskin monsters to save time. However, that sort of defeats the purpose of a HOMEBREW DESIGN forum.

I like the picture. I might be inspired to create a new monster from that.

Debby

Oh yeah, that picture is awesome.

[Debihuman]

I immediately thought of this-- https://dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Cursed_War...(3.5e_Monster), but that doesn't match the picture so I fiddled with them, adding ghast's paralysis but not ghoul fever, and a curse.

Cursed Warriors of Anubis
Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 4d12 (31 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 Dex, +1 armor (padded armor), +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+7
Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d4+5 plus paralysis)
Full Attack: 2 claws +7 melee (1d4+5 plus paralysis) and bite +2 melee (1d6+5 plus paralysis)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Curse, Paralysis
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Damage reduction 5/good, Undead traits, turn resistance +4
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +5
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 14, Con —, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 15
Skills: Intimidation +10, Sense motive +5, Spot +4
Feats: Ability Focus (Curse), Great Fortitude
Environment: Desert
Organization: Troop (6-24)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Lawful Evil
Advancement: 5-6 HD (Medium), 6-10 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —

The black skinned, jackal-headed cursed warriors of Anubis guard the above-ground entrances to graves, cemeteries, and pyramids from tomb raiders. They were Humanoid tomb robbers in life and cursed in undeath with this new form and secondary bite attack.

Cursed Warriors of Anubis speak Common.

Curse (Sp): Three times a day as a standard action, a cursed warrior can curse a target as the bestow curse spell. A successful Will save (DC 17) negates. The save is Charisma-based and includes the +2 bonus from Ability Focus. Caster Level is equal to Hit Dice.

Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a cursed warrior’s bite or claw attack must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 14) or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds. Elves have immunity to this paralysis. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Debby
[edited to remove extraneous comma]

[Cyclops08]

I immediately thought of this-- https://dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Cursed_War...(3.5e_Monster), but that doesn't match the picture so I fiddled with them, adding ghast's paralysis but not ghoul fever, and a curse.

Cursed Warriors of Anubis
Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 4d12 (31 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 Dex, +1 armor (padded armor), +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+7
Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d4+5 plus paralysis)
Full Attack: 2 claws +7 melee (1d4+5 plus paralysis) and bite +2 melee (1d6+5 plus paralysis)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Curse, Paralysis
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Damage reduction 5/good, Undead traits, turn resistance +4
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +5
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 14, Con —, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 15
Skills: Intimidation +10, Sense motive +5, Spot +4
Feats: Ability Focus (Curse), Great Fortitude,
Environment: Desert
Organization: Troop (6-24)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Lawful Evil
Advancement: 5-6 HD (Medium), 6-10 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —

The black skinned, jackal-headed cursed warriors of Anubis guard the above-ground entrances to graves, cemeteries, and pyramids from tomb raiders. They were Humanoid tomb robbers in life and cursed in undeath with this new form and secondary bite attack.

Cursed Warriors of Anubis speak Common.

Curse (Sp): Three times a day as a standard action, a cursed warrior can curse a target as the bestow curse spell. A successful Will save (DC 17) negates. The save is Charisma-based and includes the +2 bonus from Ability Focus. Caster Level is equal to Hit Dice.

Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a cursed warrior’s bite or claw attack must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 14) or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds. Elves have immunity to this paralysis. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Debby

Wow. I thought I was all jiggy with it with just a reskin. You came up with a great monster on the fly.
I can only bow before the master> Thank you, that is awesome!