Soulshrieker

Undead are popular monsters for a reason: they're scary and there is no reason to feel bad for putting them down, since they are animated corpses.  Gamemasters don't even need to create some bizarre biome or food web for them in an attempt at Gygaxian Naturalism.

Just place them in a tomb, catacomb, or other abandoned place, and have at it.

Soulshriek by John Bolton

The Soulshrieker is a rare form of undead that is primarily the result of mortals that died in mourning and abject sorrow.  That tangible sorrow wells up and is projected from the Soulshrieker's oversized mouth, as a wail of piteous defeat that leaves targets stunned with their own sorrow and depression.  

Mechanically, the soulshriek is a beam-shaped breath weapon, appearing as coruscating purple and green light (how I picture a particle beam to look, which likely doesn't help).  It inflicts sonic, necrotic, and cold damage while also having a chance to stun its target.  Once stunned, the targets are then ripped apart with the Soulshrieker's claws.  

Mostly encountered alone, a group Soulshriekers (probably a family before death and undeath took them) is best fled from.  That said, jamming wax in your ears provides a substantial bonus to the save vs stun.  

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Enterprising necromancers have not only discovered how to create Soulshriekers, but have also found a way to mimic the Soulshrieker's ability, through a spell fittingly called Soulshriek.

This Necromantic spell lets the caster unhinge their jaw and turn their very soul into a weapon that deals sonic, necrotic AND cold damage to the unfortunates caught up in its cone; the spell emanates as a cone from the unhinged mouth, the interior of the mouth glowing white hot as the necromancer's very essence powers it.  This shriek is devastating to opponents within earshot, leaving them damaged, stunned, and if too close to the point of origin, deafened.

While one casting of Spellshriek can be devastating to its targets, it proves problematic for the caster, as part of their soul is now forever gone.  

Mechanically, this means that math is required.  Because base ten is simple, the caster gets ten castings of Soulshriek before they are forever gone. As the soul dwindles with repeated castings, the caster's body begins showing signs of spiritual decay.  

Ten Visual Signs of Spiritual Decay (effects are cumulative)

1. Skin pales, hair turns grey, loses interest in all sexual activity.
2. -1 strength.  
3. -1 constitution
4. -1 strength. Hair begins falling out.  
5. -1 constitution. Physically appears the same, but long rests are interrupted with nightmares. Wake in a cold sweat geased to scribe Soulshriek onto a half-dozen scrolls and leave them where they're likely to be found and copied.  Once the scrolls are written, the nightmares end (or the caster is used to them - either way, long rests are no longer affected by them).  Note that the scrolls never reveal the downsides of the spell.
6. -1 strength
7. -1 constitution. Lose interest in cleanliness.
8. -1 strength. Weight loss continues.
9. -1 constitution. A walking husk with eyes that glow with an inner, disturbing light. Easily mistaken for undead.
10. The lights in the eyes go out as the body collapses in a heap, open for possession or to become a true undead.  Cannot be raised or resurrected or even the target of speak with dead.

With the tenth casting, the soul is forever gone.  Without a soul, the caster's body withers entirely, and if not possessed by some random fiend or spirit, they rise up as a Soulshrieker in 24 hours.  

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While the more competent necromancers can avoid the worst effects of Soulshriek, lesser casters learn to their chagrin that Soulshriek is a living spell, a spell that demands to be cast, and will be cast.  

Once Soulshriek has been first cast, there is forever an emptiness in the soul, a cancerous emptiness that desires to grow.  As such, whenever the necromancer casts a spell, there is a chance that Soulshriek replaces the desired spell, even if Soulshriek isn't memorized - because it now resides within the caster.  

First, the spell cast has to be level 3 or higher.  Second, a save is required - just a flat DC 12 save.  With time, as Spellshriek is cast again and again, that DC increases by 1 with each casting.  So that after nine castings, it is a DC 20 save to not Soulshriek one final, glorious time.

It is whispered that Grandfather Favarro has discovered a means to purge Soulshriek from a caster, but given that its Grandfather Favarro, the cure is likely to be as bad as the disease.  It assuredly involves more than just high level remove curse, dispel magic, and greater restoration spells.

Dragon Eggs

Dragon Eggs are wonderful treasures, bringing all sorts of trouble for PCs once they hatch.

Dragon Egg by Jack Wang and WotC

 

Most games presume that Dragons are related to reptiles and/or birds, so that what hatches from the egg depends entirely on what ovipositor the egg slurped out of.

But what if Dragon Eggs are neutral in disposition, and their specific contents - chiefly the type of dragon - are dictated by the amount and type of loot is layered around them in the nest? Environment has little impact on what hatches, it is all about the hoard.

The hoard matters, not just in contents, but in quality AND quantity.  The larger the hoard, the more potent the hatchling.  This is why some Draconic dynasties and 'bloodlines' are so well-known; one massive hoard leads to 

It is even whispered that the types of magic items in the hoard may influence the newly-hatched Dragon's other abilities.  

Yes, other abilities.  Because book dragons are just the basic form, even if ancient.  These other abilities most often manifest themselves as the spells that spellcasting Dragons hurl, but not always.  Sometimes these other abilities are entwined with the Dragon's breath, or impregnated in the Dragon's scales and bone.  

Granted, Dragons do tend to be like their parent dragon (are dragons gendered or do all dragons lay eggs?  Dragons as hermaphrodites? I think it is now canon in my world that all true Dragons can lay eggs), given that those hoards are what begot the parent.

Still, clever or lucky adventurers can acquire eggs and hatch whatever type of dragon they desire - be it through trial and error or dedicated research.  Such research is likely to be expensive and hard-to-find, because Dragons prefer non-Dragons to stay out of their business and tend to eat nosey sorts.  

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Ancient Gold Dragon by Simon Dominic

The more commonly encountered dragons - and what hatches them - are as follows:

Brass - rare woods, textiles (fine clothing and tapestries), fine leatherwork; honey, preferably a (giant) bee hive; bottles and barrels of mead; sentient beings talking (dragon eggs carried by wandering tribes of honorable desert sentients often hatch Brass dragons).

Bronze - children (dragon eggs incubated in an orphanage or school) laughter and song and innocence, driftwood, pearls, seashells, carvings made from coral, scrimshaw on whalebone and walrus ivory; the dragon(s) hatched tend to become protectors of one or more of the children.

Copper - scorpions crawling about, puzzle boxes, riddle books, raw gemstones, raw precious ores, ceramics (be it fine dishes, vases, or statues), the sound of laughter, illusions. 

Gold - sculptures, jewelry, paintings and tapestries of beautiful landscapes, artists performing music and reciting poetry, the sound of running water (from a fountain), the sound of birds, spellbooks; bottles of fine wine.

Silver - suits of full plate and field plate armor, lances, swords (weapons and armor preferably magical), tales of chivalry and quests and knights, fine horses (egg incubated in a stable); pennants of notable knights, shields bearing coats of arms, other collections of heraldry; jewelry; murals, bas-reliefs, tapestries of knights on quests.

Dragon's Hoard by Adam Paquette

Black - shallow water, tarnished silver, sounds of catoblepas bellowing, smell of foul mud, broken statuary, lesser undead, anything that makes mortals fear.

Blue - sapphires, other cut gems, iron lightning rods, turquoise and silver jewelry, sandstone, caravan trappings (carts, wagons, tackle for horses and camels, tents).

Green - throne(s), crowns, items that allow scrying (crystal balls, certain spell scrolls), emeralds, jade statues and masks, items that allow long-distance sight (telescopes), growing plants that are poisonous to most other sentients. 

Red - anything stolen, but preferably gold and cut gems; sounds of anguish and screams of pain; sulfur, pumice, and volcanic ash; treasure maps, merchant scales, written inventories of treasuries and caravans; bones belonging to whatever owned the stolen treasure.

White - mammoth tusks, tanned furs, diamonds, ice sculptures (though frozen things work), scrimshawed bones, silence of snow falling.

Red Dragon by Andrey Kuzinskiy

As might be imagined, the more refined and beautiful and rare and magical the items in a hoard, the more potent the dragons hatched will be.  

In all cases, eggs incubated with spell scrolls, spellbooks, and wands often find some or all these spells imprinted upon them, and these fortunate dragons gain the ability to cast these spells as they grow older.

When in doubt, the larger the hoard, the better for the hatched dragon.

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Legends tell of other sorts of dragons and foolhardy nonDragons may (accidentally) hatch entirely new dragons based on whatever the egg is incubated with or in.  These Dragons are often identified by their breath weapons.

Note that Dragonborn come about when Dragon Eggs are incubated in mortal (ideally Human or Elf) blood, in addition to the requisite treasure (blood for metallic dragonborn being freely given in sacrifice to a greater cause).  Dragonborn themselves are forever sterile, lacking the necessary bits to have any sort of youngling, although adoption is possible.

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What hoards lead to which new dragons in your games?  What lists of nontraditional Dragon abilities do you work from?  Would you share those lists?

Goblin Punch features some unique hoard ideas from The Dragonhole.

Let me know!

Three Reasons to Reconsider Darkvision

With Darkvision being prevalent in many DnDish worlds, monsters of the darkness have evolved - or been bred - accordingly.

These aren't for any particular ruleset, though they lean towards 5e.

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Perilous Shade, by Clint Cearley, WotC

Created by the Derro, It-Stalks-In-Darkness is an insectoid horror that quickly broke free and bred true throughout the tunnels and caves of the Underdark.

It-Stalks-In-Darkness is feared because of its immunity to damage unless in the light - the brighter the light, the more vulnerable it becomes.  As might be expected, it never leaves the darkness of the Underdark.

An ambush predator if light is around, it prefers to drop down from above and drag its victims up and away from the group - anything to get away from the light.  In utter darkness, though, it will stand and fight with its scythe-like claws.

Given the chance, it prefers Dwarves and Drow over other species.  

In darkness, it is immune to normal weapons, but spells and magic weapons are normal.

In firelight, its AC is the equivalent of plate and shield.

In the spell light, its AC is like chain and shield.

In the spell daylight, its AC is like leather.

Damage comes from two attacks per round for nasty slicing and piercing damage.  Will try to pin a victim to the ground to gain advantage on attacks.

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Another such beast is the Luckeater.  Utterly invisible in darkness, it finds and follows any group of surface-dwellers, as their luck tastes better.  If seen at the edges of the light, it appears to be a 6-legged kitten, and mews piteously like one.  

Small and agile, the Luckeater is also lucky if fed.  All of its rolls are at advantage.

This is because it feeds on the luck of the followed group, leading to ALL rolls the individuals make being at disadvantage.

The best way to get rid of a Luckeater is to head outdoors - it won't venture outdoors under the sun or moon (but maybe on a horribly overcast night...).

If a group manages to slay and eat one, it is enough food for one person, and that person becomes lucky for the next 24 hours, rolling at advantage on everything.

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Nether Shadow, by Christopher Rush, WotC

Crafted from Shadows by Drow wizards as a counter to the Derro's It-Stalks-In-Darkness, the Darkdread has proven an effective instrument of terror, leading the way on Drow raids on Underdark communities.

The Darkdread creates an aura of paralyzing fear when seen through darkvision.  In torchlight, it lessens; in spell light, it lessens more; and in daylight the aura is dispelled entirely.

Being a product of corrupt Elven magic, true Elves of all sorts are immune to this fear, although half-elves and other Fae are not.

Mechanically speaking, Darkdread's paralysis is DC 24 in Darkness, DC 18 in torchlight, DC 12 in Light, and nonexistent in daylight. 

In all other cases, it functions as a Shadow, to include the Strength-draining touch.