Hunters in the Night, the Yeth Hound

The yeth hound is a lovely, slavering dog monster first published in Monster Manual II in 1983 for 1st edition AD&D. It has since been published a number of times, making an appearance in every edition of the game except for 5e.

The original mythological yeth hounds were headless dogs, said to be the spirits of unbaptized children. They would run around in the woods, making wailing noises. They were featured in both Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and in The Denham Tracts.

This art is from Monster Manual II.

Yeth Hound

Medium fiend, neutral evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 45 (7d8+14)

Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

16 (+3)             15 (+2)             15 (+2)             7 (-2)               14 (+2)             10 (+0)

Skills Perception +6, Stealth +6

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t silvered

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16

Languages understands Infernal but can’t speak

Challenge 3

Bay. When the yeth hound howls or barks, all creatures except other fiends within a 90 ft. radius must make a DC 12 Wisdom save or become frightened for 2d4 rounds.

Keen Hearing and Smell. The yeth hound has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Magic Weapons. The yeth hound’s weapon attacks are magical.

Pack Tactics. The yeth hound has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the hound’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.

Actions

Bite. Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+3) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

A yeth hound is a sinister flying canine that inhabits the lower planes. These large dogs are black in color, with faces that strangely bear characteristics of a humanoid’s face. Their eyes glow red, and their pointed ears curve to resemble horns. Their ghastly baying can be heard for a mile or more.

Packs of the beasts somehow find their way to the material plane, where they inhabit remote wilderness.

Fearsome Pack Hunters

Yeth hounds form packs, with the strongest hound as pack leader. They truly only need to feed once per lunar cycle, but are eager carnivores. Their favored prey are humans, demihumans and fey, but will hunt any warm-blooded creature they encounter. They willingly run with evil creatures such as night hags or vampires.

They hunt much like other pack hunters do, though their ability to fly allows them to cover a larger area than any normal beast. They will occasionally drag dead prey back to their lair to be consumed at their leisure.

No natural predator hunts a yeth hound, and many unnatural predators will avoid them as well.

Subterranean Lairs

Packs of yeth hounds lair underground, away from the hateful light of the sun. Yeth hounds fear the sun, and nothing can persuade one to venture out during the day. If a hound is exposed to sunlight, it fades away to the ethereal plane, unable to escape it on its own. As a result, packs only hunt at night, and always return to their lair before dawn.

Yeth hounds don’t value treasure, so any valuables found in their lair will be random discarded remnants of their prey.

Arrowverse for Blood of Heroes

I'm branching out from my usual 5e posts for today. Back in college, I played the Mayfair Games DC Heroes RPG a fair bit. It uses the MEGS system, which while isn't perfect, does a pretty good job capturing the Superhero genre. The rules still exist, now as Blood of Heroes. Not a lot has been done with it officially, but it's still getting published, and I recently discovered that there is still an active community of fans out there on the internet.

Anyway, I got bored and decided to start writing up characters from the Arrow & Flash TV shows, collectively known as the Arrowverse. Arrow has, imho, kind of jumped the shark, but I still really like Flash.

Here are the main archer characters from Arrow. I may or may not get around to other characters.

The Canary Sister: Laurel & Sara

Deathstroke & Wildcat

Green Arrow

Dex: 7              Str: 4                Body: 6

Int: 5                Will: 7              Mind: 7

Infl: 7               Aura: 7              Spirit: 7

Initiative: 21                            Hero Points: 80

Skills: Acrobatics 7*, Charisma (Intimidation) 8, Gadgetry 5*, Martial Artist 7*, Medicine (First Aid) 6, Military Science 5*, Occultist (Occult Knowledge) 7, Thief (Concealment, Escape Artist, Locks and Safes, Stealth) 7*, Vehicles (Land) 6, Weaponry (Firearms, Melee, Missile) 9

Advantages: Area Knowledge (Starling City, Lian Yu), Confidant, Headquarters (Confined), Intensive Training, Iron Nerves, Language (Russian), Lightning Reflexes, Omni-Connection, Sharp Eye, Connections: ARGUS (low), Team Arrow (High), Team Flash (High)

Drawbacks: Secret Identity

Equipment:

Bow (Str: 7, Body: 8, EV: 4)

Explosive Arrow (Body: 1, Bomb: 5, R#: 2) Limitation: No Reload

Snare Arrow (Body: 1, Snare: 5, R#: 2) Bonus: Creates Swing-Lines; Limitation: No Reload

Flachette (Body: 1, EV: 2) Bonus: Dart

Motorcycle (Str:3, Body: 5, Running: 7, R#: 2)

Background:

Alter Ego: Oliver Queen

Wealth: 5

Motivation: Seeking Justice

Occupation: Adventurer/ Vigilante

Marital Status: Engaged

Known Relatives: Robert Queen (father, deceased), Moira Queen (mother, deceased), Thea Queen (maternal half-sister), William (son), Nyssa al Ghul (wife), Walter Steele (ex-step-father), Ra’s al Ghul (father-in-law, deceased), Amina Raatko (mother-in-law, deceased), Felicity Smoak (fiancée)

Base of Operations: Starling City

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 182 lbs

Age: 30

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blond

Arsenal

Dex: 7              Str: 4                Body: 5

Int: 4                Will: 6              Mind: 6

Infl: 5               Aura: 5               Spirit: 6

Initiative: 18                            Hero Points: 50

Skills: Acrobatics 7*, Gadgetry 4*, Martial Artist 7*, Medicine (First Aid) 5, Thief (Concealment, Escape Artist, Locks and Safes, Stealth) 7*, Vehicles (Land) 6, Weaponry (Firearms, Melee, Missile) 8

Advantages: Area Knowledge (Starling City), Intensive Training, Iron Nerves, Lightning Reflexes, Omni-Connection, Sharp Eye, Connections: Team Arrow (High)

Drawbacks: Guilt, Forced Exile, Secret Identity

Equipment:

Bow (Str: 7, Body: 8, EV: 4)

Explosive Arrow (Body: 1, Bomb: 5, R#: 2) Limitation: No Reload

Snare Arrow (Body: 1, Snare: 5, R#: 2) Bonus: Creates Swing-Lines; Limitation: No Reload

Eskrima Sticks (Body: 5, EV: 3)

Flachette (Body: 1, EV: 2) Bonus: Dart

Knife (Body: 5, EV: 3)

Motorcycle (Str: 3, Body: 5, Running: 7, R#: 2)

Background:

Alter Ego: Roy Harper

Wealth: 3

Motivation: Seeking Justice

Occupation: Fugitive

Marital Status: Single

Known Relatives: Roy Harper Sr (father, deceased), Mrs. Harper (mother)

Base of Operations: Mobile

Height: 5’9”

Weight: 152 lbs

Age: 25

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Brown

Speedy

Dex: 6              Str: 3                Body: 5

Int: 5                Will: 6              Mind: 6

Infl: 5               Aura: 6               Spirit: 6

Initiative: 18                            Hero Points: 45

Skills: Acrobatics 6*, Martial Artist 6*, Medicine (First Aid) 5, Thief (Concealment, Escape Artist, Locks and Safes, Stealth) 6*, Vehicles (Land) 6*, Weaponry (Firearms, Melee, Missile) 7

Advantages: Area Knowledge (Starling City), Intensive Training, Iron Nerves, Lightning Reflexes, Connections: Team Arrow (High), Team Flash (Low)

Drawbacks: Minor Rage, Secret Identity

Equipment:

Bow (Str: 7, Body: 8, EV: 4)

Explosive Arrow (Body: 1, Bomb: 5, R#: 2) Limitation: No Reload

Snare Arrow (Body: 1, Snare: 5, R#: 2) Bonus: Creates Swing-Lines; Limitation: No Reload

Katana (Body: 6, EV: 4)

Motorcycle (Str: 3, Body: 5, Running: 7, R#: 2)

 Background:

Alter Ego: Thea Queen

Wealth: 8

Motivation: Seeking Justice

Occupation: Club Owner/ Vigilante

Marital Status: Single

Known Relatives: Malcolm Merlyn (father), Moira Queen (mother, deceased), Oliver Queen (maternal half-brother), Robert Queen (step-father, deceased), Tommy Merlyn (paternal half-brother, deceased), William (nephew), Walter Steele (ex-step-father), Nyssa al Ghul (sister-in-law)

Base of Operations: Starling City

Height: 5’7”

Weight: 123 lbs

Age: 20

Eyes: Green

Hair: Brown

Malcolm Merlyn

Dex: 8              Str: 4                Body: 6

Int: 6                Will: 8              Mind: 9

Infl: 7               Aura: 8              Spirit: 8

Initiative: 22                            Hero Points: 80

Skills: Acrobatics 8*, Charisma 8, Martial Artist 8*, Medicine (First Aid) 7, Military Science 6*, Occultist 8, Thief 8*, Vehicles (Land) 6, Weaponry (Firearms, Melee, Missile) 10

Advantages: Area Knowledge (Starling City), Gift of Gab, Intensive Training, Iron Nerves, Language (Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish), Lightning Reflexes, Omni-Connection, Sharp Eye, Connections: League of Assassins (High)

Drawbacks: Secret Identity

Equipment:

Bow (Str: 7, Body: 8, EV: 4)

Explosive Arrow (Body: 1, Bomb: 5, R#: 2) Limitation: No Reload

Snare Arrow (Body: 1, Snare: 5, R#: 2) Bonus: Creates Swing-Lines; Limitation: No Reload

Scimitar (Body: 6, EV: 4)

Knife (Body: 5, EV: 3)

DARK ARCHER SUIT (Body: 7) Limitation: Partial Coverage Trick Shot (+1 OV)

Smoke Bombs (Body: 1, Fog: 6) Limitation: Grenade

Background:

Alter Ego: Malcolm Merlyn

Wealth: 15

Motivation: Power Lust

Occupation: Ra’s al Ghul

Marital Status: Widowed

Known Relatives: Rebecca Merlyn (wife, deceased), Tommy Merlyn (son, deceased), Thea Queen (daughter)

Base of Operations: Nanda Parbat

Height: 6’

Weight: 178 lbs

Age: 55

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Brown

The Tiniest Beholderkin

Today we have the tiniest beholderkin, the eyeball. A tiny, nasty little predator that will sometimes serve a wizard as a familiar.

This picture is official Wizards of the Coast art.

I don't know exactly when this critter was made for D&D. The first time I saw it was in Monsters of Faerun. Anyway, feel free to menace your party with softball-sized beholders. Should be a good time.

Eyeball

Tiny aberration, neutral evil

Armor Class 13

Hit Points 2 (1d4)

Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

5 (-3)               16 (+3)             10 (+0)             3 (-4)               10 (+0)             8 (-1)

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +7

Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14

Languages –

Challenge ¼

Magical Origin. The eyeball has advantage on saving throws against being charmed.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.

Eye Rays. The eyeball shoots one of the following magical eye rays at random, choosing a target it can see within 35 ft.

1. Fear Ray. The targeted creature must make a DC 10 Will saving throw or be frightened for 5 rounds. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

2. Stun Ray. The targeted creature must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the eyeball’s next turn.

3. Frost Ray. The targeted creature must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (1d8) cold damage.

4. Slowing Ray. The targeted creature must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the target’s speed is halved for 5 rounds. In addition, the creature can’t take reactions, and it can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of it turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

The eyeball is an 8-inch diameter cousin to the much feared beholder. Like the beholder, the eyeball has a central eye as well as four eyestalks. The central eye is only capable of sight, but the smaller eyes possess magical powers much like the eyestalks of their larger kin.

Underground Predators

Eyeballs are voracious, underground predators. They are usually encountered alone, but occasionally a group will come together to form a pack. When alone, they rarely pick a fight with anything bigger than they are. When operating as a pack, however, they are much more willing to pursue larger prey. Like most wild predators, they will flee a situation if they feel that they cannot win.

Wild & Fierce

Eyeballs cannot be domesticated in anyway. They are so wild that they even prove difficult to influence through magical means. Despite this, there are tales of wizards who have managed to take one of these creatures on as a familiar.

The Beastmaster Needs Accounting

A lot of people feel the 5e ranger class is a bit lacking. I think the Hunter archetype is fine, but I agree that there are issues with the Beastmaster.

Reddit user Leuku wrote up what I thought was a nice solution to solve the Beastmaster's issues.

Check it out: What the Beastmaster Needs is Accounting

The Firenewt

Way back when in 1981, the firenewt appeared in the 1st edition Fiend Folio. I read that the firenewt was created by Albie Fiore for White Dwarf Magazine but I am uncertain if that is true or not. It has since appeared in Monstrous Compendium of the Forgotten Realms in 1986 and in Monsters of Faerun in 2001.

I've decided to update these charming monsters for 5e, because can you really have too many man-eating horrors?

I don't know who did this picture. It's one of the official D&D pictures for the firenewts & giant striders.

Firenewt

Medium humanoid, neutral evil

Armor Class 16 (chain mail)

Hit Points 22 (4d8+4)

Speed 30 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

13 (+1)             10 (+0)             13 (+1)             8 (-1)               13 (+1)             7 (-2)

Damage Vulnerabilities cold

Damage Immunities fire

Skills Perception +3, Survival +3

Senses passive Perception 13

Languages Draconic

Challenge ½

ACTIONS

Glaive. Melee weapon attack: +3 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10+1) slashing damage.

Longsword. Melee weapon attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+1) slashing damage or 7 (1d10+1) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Fire Breath (Recharge 6). The firenewt exhales fire on a single creature within 5 ft. The creature must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Elite Firenewt Warrior

Medium humanoid, neutral evil

Armor Class 16 (chain mail)

Hit Points 32 (5d8+10)

Speed 30 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

15 (+2)             10 (+0)             14 (+2)             9 (-1)               13 (+1)             7 (-2)

Damage Vulnerabilities cold

Damage Immunities fire

Skills Perception +3, Survival +3

Senses passive Perception 13

Languages Draconic

Challenge 1

ACTIONS

Battleaxe. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) slashing damage or 7 (1d10+2) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Fire Breath (Recharge 6). The firenewt exhales fire on a single creature within 5 ft. The creature must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Firenewt Overlord

Medium humanoid, neutral evil

Armor Class 16 (chain mail)

Hit Points 52 (8d8+16)

Speed 30 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

16 (+3)             11 (+0)             15 (+2)             9 (-1)               14 (+2)             9 (-1)

Damage Vulnerabilities cold

Damage Immunities fire

Skills Perception +4, Survival +4

Senses passive Perception 14

Languages Draconic

Challenge 2

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The firenewt overlord makes two battleaxe attacks.

Battleaxe. Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+3) slashing damage or 7 (1d10+3) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Fire Breath (Recharge 6). The firenewt overlord exhales fire on a single creature within 5 ft. The creature must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Firenewt Priest

Medium humanoid, neutral evil

Armor Class 16 (chain mail)

Hit Points 27 (5d8+5)

Speed 30 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

14 (+2)             10 (+0)             13 (+1)             10 (+0)             15 (+2)             8 (-1)

Damage Vulnerabilities cold

Damage Immunities fire

Skills Animal Handling +4, Perception +4, Survival +4

Senses passive Perception 14

Languages Draconic

Challenge 2

Spellcasting. The firenewt is a 5^th level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). The firenewt has the following cleric spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): control flames, guidance, light, sacred flame

1^st level (4 slots): bane, cure wounds, shield of faith

2^nd level (3 slots): hold person, spiritual weapon

3^rd level (2 slots): bestow curse, dispel magic

ACTIONS

Glaive. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10+2) slashing damage.

Longsword. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) slashing damage or 7 (1d10+2) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Fire Breath (Recharge 6). The firenewt exhales fire on a single creature within 5 ft. The creature must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Giant Strider

Large monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 12 (natural armor)

Hit Points 32 (4d10+8)

Speed 40 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

17 (+3)             12 (+1)             15 (+2)             2 (-4)               10 (+0)             5 (-3)

Damage Vulnerabilities cold

Damage Immunities fire

Senses passive Perception 10

Languages –

Challenge 2

Healing from Fire. Every 3 rounds that the giant strider is exposed to intense heat, it is healed as if with a cure wounds spell cast at 1^st level. If it is hit by magical fire, the giant strider is healed as with a cure wounds spell cast at a level equal to the number of damage dice.

Magic Resistance. The giant strider has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

ACTIONS

Beak. Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10+3) slashing damage.

Kick. Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target (behind the giant strider). Hit: 10 (1d12+3) slashing damage.

Fireball (Recharge 5-6). The giant strider emits a small fireball from ducts near its eyes with a 60 ft. range. Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point chosen by the giant strider must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. Creatures take 7 (2d6) damage of a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Cruel marauders believed by many to be distantly related to lizardmen, firenewts live in hot and volcanic regions. They lair underground and when encountered outside their lairs, it is usually an expedition setting out to exterminate someone.

Firenewts stand 5 ½ to 6 feet in height, with smooth skin and deep crimson eyes. Their hides are a mottled sepia color, darkest along the spine and fading to near-white on the belly. While their teeth are quite sharp, they are too small to making biting an effective attack.

Cruel and Martial

Firenewts live in a harsh, martial society dominated by their priesthood. They consider all others to be either enemies or prey, including other tribes of firenewts. It is considered a great honor to destroy an enemy tribe’s hatching ground.

When they capture creatures that are not immune to flame, they delight in burning them to death. The agony of a creature burning alive causes firenewts a great deal of amusement.

Bitter Rivalries

Though firenewts are very organized when facing an outside foe, their tribes are rife with vicious infighting.  Petty jealousies abound, and competitiveness can be quite extreme. These conflicts usually take the form of attempts at sabotage or otherwise causing a rival’s downfall rather than direct violence. Murdering a fellow member of a tribe is considered a crime and carries a terrible price: the perpetrator is tortured for three days before being fed to his own giant strider mount.

Larger tribes will have a firenewt overlord, who is the strongest of the tribe’s warriors. He and his cadre of elite warriors lead the tribe in war. The priesthood controls the hatching ground, trains the giant striders and leads the tribe in the worship of whatever fire god they venerate. Struggles for control and dominance of the tribe can be rather frequent between the overlord and the priesthood. Though these battles of will can be quite bitter, they don’t usually result in open bloodshed.

 Masters of the Giant Striders

The firenewts have domesticated the giant striders, and use them as mounts. A firenewt expedition usually has two thirds of its number mounted, with the remaining one third marching on foot. Most giant striders encountered will be in the service of the firenewts; very few are wild and free roaming.

Giant striders are large, flightless birds adapted to living in hot, volcanic regions. They stand about 8 ft. tall, with mottled, leathery skin of dusky red. Their eyes glow a dull red and steam constantly billows from their noses and mouths. Giant striders are highly aggressive, and fear very little, making them excellent war mounts. They can deliver a vicious bite with their saw toothed beaks, or deliver a powerful kick with a clawed foot to someone standing behind them.

Fire Lizard (Young)

Large monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 85 (10d10+30)

Speed 30 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

19 (+4)             10 (+0)             16 (+3)             2 (-4)               10 (+0)             5 (-3)

Damage Vulnerabilities cold

Damage Immunities fire

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages –

 Challenge 3

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The fire lizard makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.

Bite. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, 5 ft. reach, one target. Hit: 14 (2d8+4) piercing damage.

Claw. Melee weapon attach: +6 to hit, 5 ft. reach, one target. Hit: 9 (1d8+4) slashing damage.

Fire Breath (Recharge 5-6). The fire lizard can exhale fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Firenewt priests will typically have 1-3 young fire lizards guarding the tribe’s hatching ground.

Fire lizards, also called “false dragons”, have a strong resemblance to wingless red dragons. Their scaly hides are grey, with mottled red & brown along the back. Their eyes are yellow with black, slitted pupils.

Hatchlings leave to fend for themselves very shortly after hatching. Fire lizards are attracted to shiny objects, so the incidental treasure found in their subterranean lairs will typically be gems or objects made of metal.

Scholars do not believe that these reptiles are related to dragons, though this is far from certain. Dragons certainly don’t have any particular desire to spend time with these creatures.

The Ghasts of the Vaults of Zin

In HP Lovecraft's Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, the protagonist ends up in the Underworld of the Dreamlands. There, he encounters all sorts of monstrous things, ghasts being one of those things. Vicious, predatory, possibly the result genetic experimentation long ago, they are repulsive beings that fear the light of the sun.

I don't have a picture for this one. If you look online, you will see that a lot of different people have interpreted what the creature looks like in their own unique way.

Ghast

Large monstrosity, chaotic evil

Armor Class 12 (natural armor)

Hit Points 52 (8d8+16)

Speed 40 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

19 (+4)             12 (+1)             15 (+2)             7 (-2)               12 (+1)             6 (-2)

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +5

Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13

Languages Ghast

Challenge 2

Keen Smell. The ghast has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The ghast takes 10 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The ghast makes two attacks: once with its bite and once with its kick.

Bite. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, 5 ft. reach, one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) piercing damage.

Kick. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, 5 ft. reach, one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) blunt damage.

Ghasts are large, semi-bipedal creatures that live deep underground. They fear the light of day, and will quickly sicken and die if exposed to the ray of the sun.

Ghasts hop on long legs that end with hoofed feet. Their eyes are yellowish red, and they their hides have been described as scabrous. Their faces are curiously human-like, even though they lack a nose or forehead. They speak their own debased language.

Pack Hunters

 Ghasts hunt in packs and will readily devour any meat they can find. They fear little, and will use their numbers to bring down larger and more powerful prey. If there are no other sources of meat available, they will resort to cannibalism without hesitation.

The Nightgaunt Flies Again

Halloween has sparked some inspiration in me. I was going to write up some alternate types of vampires, but then I was suddenly hit with the desire to write up the nightgaunt, a species of flying humanoid created by HP Lovecraft. They lived in the Dreamlands where they served the god Nodens and guarded the mountain known as Ngranek.

The nightgaunts appeared in the poem Night-Gaunts as well as in the novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, both by Lovecraft. Lovecraft apparently wrote once that when he was 6 or 7, he was tormented by a nightmare in which night-gaunts would snatch him up and carry him off.

Picture by Maichol Quinto.

Nightgaunt

Medium monstrosity, neutral evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)

Hit Points 78 (12d8+24)

Speed 30 ft., fly 50 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

19 (+4)             15 (+2)             15 (+2)             6 (-2)               14 (+2)             10 (+0)

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +6

Damage Resistances cold, psychic

Condition Immunities blinded, frightened, paralyzed

Senses blindsight 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 14

Languages understands Deep Speak but can’t speak

Challenge 3

Camouflage. When in dim light or darkness, the nightgaunt has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Faceless. The nightgaunt doesn’t have a face, nor does it need to breathe. As a result, the nightgaunt is immune to gaze attacks as well as any attacks that require inhalation, such as Stench.

Magic Resistance. The nightgaunt has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Tickle. When the nightgaunt has successfully grappled a creature, as a bonus action it can tickle the creature with its barbed tail. Every round, a tickled creature must make a DC 14 Constitution save or be stunned for 1 round. The nightgaunt may continue to attempt to tickle the creature for as long as it is grappled. The nightgaunt may move its full speed when grappling a stunned creature.

Actions

Clawed Hands. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the nightgaunt can’t use its clawed hands on another target.

The nightgaunt (or night-gaunt) is a strange and mysterious species of wholly unnatural origin. Thought by scholars to have been summoned from another plane long ago, their motivations are unknown. Nightgaunts are more or less humanoid in shape, very thin and with slick, black skin. They have a pair of clawed hands and a long barbed tail that they use to “tickle” victims into submission. Perhaps their most unsettling feature is their complete lack of a face, while a pair of inward-facing horns adorn their head. They fly using a pair of membranous wings, and are incredibly silent.

Oddly, they are extremely reluctant to fly over large bodies of water.

Night Time Predators

Nightgaunts only come out at night. They avoid exposure to the sun, though as far as can be determined, they aren’t harmed by its rays. When they spot prey, they silently swoop down upon it, grappling it and then using their barbed tails to “tickle” it into submission. This is by no means a pleasant experience; rather, it is a disorienting and humiliating experience that can leave prey helpless.

Once subdued, the nightgaunt carries its victim to someplace typically dangerous. If it needs to, it can drop the prey while in flight, but it prefers to set the victim down safely and leave it to the tender mercies of whatever creatures may be near-by. Some think that nightgaunts, having no mouths, feed on the psychic energy produced by their victim’s fear and anguish rather than the victim’s physical flesh. It has been observed that once it has set down a victim, a nightgaunt will frequently stay close so as to observe what happens next.

Silent Sentinels

Nightgaunts are frequently encountered guarding something. How one entices these creatures to stand guard is a secret known to only a few. If they aren’t guarding something on someone’s behalf, then they are guarding their own territory against invaders. They can be very territorial and will defend their domain aggressively, groups of the creatures flocking together to challenge invaders.

An Elf's Best Friend

The Cooshee, or elven dog, was first introduced to 1^st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the adventure The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, published in 1982. It subsequently reappeared in 1983 as an entry in Monster Manual II. Then it returned in the Monstrous Manual (1992) and the Complete Book of Elves (1992). The Cooshee has most recently turned up in the Pathfinder game, first in Forgotten Foes by Tricky Owlbear Publishing, Inc. in 2010 and then in Tome of Horrors Complete by Necromancer Games, Inc. in 2011.

The Cooshee would appear to be heavily inspired by the Cù-Sìth, the mythological hound of Scottish legend. It was the size of a young bull and bore a strong resemblance to a wolf, with a shaggy coat that was usually green, though was occasionally white. It could hunt silently, but would sometimes let out three bays that could be heard for miles. The baying could fill a person with such terror that he or she could potentially die.

The Cù-Sìth was feared as a harbinger of death, thought to carry the soul of the recently deceased to the afterlife. The Cooshee is a little less supernatural than that, being a very long-lived dog bred by the elves to serve as a guardian & hunting companion. It is most frequently encountered with elven war bands.

The Cooshee will probably make an official appearance in D&D 5^th Edition eventually, but in the meantime, here is my take on an elf’s best friend.

Cooshee

Medium beast, unaligned

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 16 (3d8+3)

Speed 40 ft.

STR                  DEX                  CON                 INT                   WIS                  CHA

14 (+2)             15 (+2)             13 (+1)             3 (-4)               13 (+1)             6 (-2)

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4

Senses passive Perception 13

Languages –

Challenge ½ (100 xp)

Camouflage. The cooshee has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks when in forested terrain.

Keen Hearing and Smell. The cooshee has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Pounce. If the cooshee moves at least 20 ft. straight towards a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the cooshee can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.

Sprint. Once per minute, the cooshee can move 4x its current speed for 1 round.

ACTIONS

Bite. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) slashing damage.

Cooshee, also known as elven dogs, are large dogs only found in the forests and meadows frequented by elves. They are most commonly encountered in the company of elves and rarely on their own. They are quite large, typically weighing between 170 and 200 lbs, with some occasionally reaching up to 300 lbs. Their coat is green with brown spots, and their paws are large with heavy claws. Cooshee usually avoid other dog species.

Loyal Guards & Companions

Elves typically use cooshee as guard animals and hunting companions. This extraordinarily long-lived breed is completely loyal to its elven masters, immediately following any command and unafraid to put itself in danger to defend its master. Cooshee only bark to warn their masters of danger, and their bark can be heard up to a mile away.

The Ukobach

I believe that Ukobach was originally a proper name for a specific demon, detailed in Dictionnaire Infernal back in 1818, written by Jacques Collin de Plancy. I've decided to make it into an entire race (if that is the right word) of devils that exist at the bottom of the totem pole in the Nine Hells.

This is the picture of Ukobach from Dictionnaire Infernal.

I kind of prefer this look, created by monkeynohito over on Deviant Art. Actually a mix of a kobold & Ukobach, but I still like the look.

Anyway, on to the stats:

Ukobach

Small fiend (devil), lawful evil

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 32 (5d6+15)

Speed 30 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

11 (+0)             15 (+2)             16 (+3)             11 (+0)             13 (+1)             8 (-1)

Tool Proficiencies Cook’s utensils

Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t silvered

Damage Immunities fire, poison

Condition Immunities poisoned

Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11

Languages Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.

Challenge 2

Devil’s Sight Magical darkness doesn’t impede the devil’s darkvision.

Magic Resistance The devil has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Coal pan. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) fire damage.

Hurl Flame. Ranged Spell Attack: +4 to hit, range 150 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) fire damage. If the target is a flammable object that isn’t being worn or carried, it also catches fire.

These diminutive, red-skinned creatures are one of the lesser kinds of devils that reside in the Nine Hells. According to legend, the Ukobach are charged with tending the boilers of Hell, using oil made with the blood of the damned. They have spindly limbs, a slightly hunched posture, and almost comically large eyes, nose and ears. The only clothing they wear is an apron made from various sorts of leather, and they always carry a long-handled coal pan that constantly burns with hellfire. The Ukobach are able to deftly use these pans as weapons, heedless of the collateral damage the hellfire may cause. This hellfire is a product of the Ukobach’s magic, not the coal pan itself.

Pyromaniacs. The Ukobach love setting things on fire. The bigger the flame, the more they like it. They also aren’t overly picky about what they set aflame, taking a sadistic glee throwing their hellfire at random creatures. Fortunately, as they are only rarely summoned from their infernal home, they do not often have opportunities to indulge in this particular pastime.

Superlative Chefs. Ukobach love to cook and they can be quite skilled at it. Of course, what an Ukobach considers acceptable to cook can be quite different from what a mortal may find appropriate. It is possible to appease an Ukobach with an interesting recipe that it hasn’t seen before, and it is less likely to resent summoning if it has the opportunity to indulge in this pastime. The denizens of Hell typically don’t need to eat, so the Ukobach rarely have an appreciative audience to showcase their skills to. On some worlds, legend has it that it was an Ukobach who invented the art of deep frying foods.