rootring
rooted in blogs, linked in a ring52 Monsters
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On the ring since 2026-04-24
Latest activity 3y ago
326 posts
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So, funny thing: as I decided this would be an interesting weekly project, I was beginning the process of switching from D&D 5e for my current big campaign to Whitehack 3e for...
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The previous fourteen weeks were an exercise in hopping from monster type to type, drifting with the whims of the moment. A few of them have left open possibilities for further...
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2 – 8 April 2023 Children of the Great Lindwyrm In the far ancient ages, before the rise of humans, before the elven empires, before the dragons and giants fought for control...
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Rumors trickled in, little more than whispers from the shepherds driving their flocks and the rangers who patrol the borderlands: something had settled into the old, abandoned...
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The super-big bads, dragons, at last! They’re in the name of the game, so we had to get to them eventually. In the very old-school days, they were engines of destruction with...
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26 March – 1 April 2023 Scourges of the Multiverse “I know when I first seen ’em, yes sir. We was out at the old abandoned mines, diggin’ through the piles for any bits the...
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Aberrations: by definition weird and just not right. Here on ordinary Earth, we have no shortage of actual, evolved creatures whose very being defies our typical, human-centric...
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Ah, aberrations: the weird monsters. Some of the classics fit in here – aboleths, beholders, mind flayers – and while the options aren’t the most varied, boy do they make an...
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19 – 25 March 2023 Earthen Nomads In those regions of the Elemental Plane of Earth where it draw close to the Material Plane, the land is an exaggerated version of ordinary...
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As the D&D lore goes, the Inner Planes are comprised of the four elements, resembling the material world where they border it, though heavily influenced by the element of the...
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Elementals: on the monster scale of ordinary to magical, they’re dialed up to 11. Constructs, those magic-powered robots, are at least built on a chassis of ordinary matter....
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12 – 18 March 2023 An Indiscriminate Predator Deep in the marshy realm of the Sinking Glitterbog, beyond the razor-sharp peaks of the Worg’s Spine Mountains, themselves a long...
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With a few animals added to the menagerie, it’s worth visiting another kingdom for balance: plants. Or, if we’re doing the 5e thing, possibly fungus. Which means… whatever....
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5 – 11 March 2023 A Pair of Wild Animals The rivers and wetlands are vibrant, lively, and dangerous places, zones of contact where all manner of creatures interact in their...
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With fourteen categories of creature in 5e, it seems reasonable to hit each one at least once in this project. Some will offer a multitude of opportunities, while others might...
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26 February – 4 March 2023 Hunter of the Supernatural There are many means to access the miraculous powers of magic, and those who pursue the path are forever tempted by that...
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This is an odd tangent from the task at hand, but there’s a bit of old film lore where Harold Lloyd, the legendary silent film star, lent his Great Danes to the 1932 production...
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Tracker, of Marlon James’ Black Leopard, Red Wolf, is many things, among them an enemy of witches. He is a supernaturally gifted tracker, guided by his unerring sense of smell....
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19 – 25 February 2023 A Pig, in Flight Behold, aloft in the sky, its majestic silhouette against the backdrop of blue: a pig on the wing! Such splendor and grace, for surely it...
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Maybe your game is different, but mine almost never has celestials. Sure, we have a paladin whose mount is a winged elk (using the pegasus stats, and technically a fey spirit),...
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12 – 18 February 2023 The Lightning-Bird On a dark, moonless night, beneath clear skies, a sudden sharp crack is followed by the rolling rumble of thunder. The elders declare...
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The further removed from an evolved, natural existence, the harder it is to justify the existence of a monster. Why is there a tiger stalking through the tall grass? Because...
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Fiends. Fiends. So loaded from the get-go, and there are arguments to be made about whether fiends or celestials are more problematic as a DM. For those not in the know: fiends...
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5 – 12 February 2023 Dungeon Cleaner: the Quicksilver Jelly Like their oozy brethren, the origins of the quicksilver jelly are lost in the murk of history. Whether the result...
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So there’s this fungus – this genus of fungi – popularly known as the zombie-ant fungus. Some of them parasitize ants, often one very specific species, while others use spiders...
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Oozes, those old-school monsters that are more ambulatory hazard than anything else. Barely sentient, ever hungry, and a great way to turn your adventurers’ swords, armor, and...
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29 January – 4 February 2023 Urnach, Giants of the Wildlands Living in the wild lands, far from the bastions of human civilization, the Urnachs watch over the forgotten ruins...
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And, lo, did the ancient gods of the Urnachs* bless them with the greatest gift of all: a rich understanding of fermentation. Excellent foragers, hunters, and stewards of the...
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Giants! As classic and integral to the D&D experience as dragons, and just as likely to result in a TPK when underestimated. A roving band of hill giants, out hunting with a...
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22 – 28 January 2023 Veneficus Few go so far as to embrace undeath willingly, and those who do rely upon powerful magic. For a select few, it follows long years seeking the...