# Forum > Gaming > Roleplaying Games > D&D 5e/Next >  Challenge: Low-CR Monster + Magic Item = Fun

## Unoriginal

Hi everyone.

I'm of the opinion that magic items are great opportunities to present some flavorful aspects of the world the PCs live in, as well as to provide something interesting to situations where the powers they provide apply. I also think that low-CR monsters deserve some love and their moments to shine.

So, thinking about it, I came up with a challenge that would give both our beloved low-tier NPCs and the weird wondrous knick-knacks and curios their turn in the spotlight:


*The Challenge:*

1) Pick up a monster/NPC statblock of CR 5 or lower, from any of the official 5e books or adventures.

2) Select a magic item from any of the official 5e books or adventures, ranging from a Common one to an Artifact.

3) Pair them up.

4) Write a short blurb (or a longer one, if you're inspired) about the story for this monster-item paring, how the lore for the being and item are merged, how the creature is using the item/how is the item is affecting the creature, what kind of encounter you're imagining for the pair, and why you find that particular combo of monster and magic item interesting, and anything else you may want to note (ex: the inspirations for your idea).


Example:


*Name:* The Remains

*Pairing:* Skeleton + Headband of Intellect 

*Backstory:* This fleshless husk once belonged to the city council's spymaster, until his unfortunate demise while investigating rumors of sudden undead appearances. Subsequent exposure to necrotic energy resulted in the corpse's animation, now possessed by an evil spirit like all its kind. Yet this lowly undead had something setting it aside from the rest: it was still wearing the spymaster's Headband of Intellect, granting it genius far beyond the typical Skeleton once the echoes of the body's former occupant resulted in it attuning to the item. 

The Remains possesses the same desire to kill every single living creature that each undead Skeleton has, yet its boosted intellect leaves it keenly aware of its own weakness and the immensity of the task. In consequence, the Remains has to content itself with sneaking, creeping in the shadows, and setting up deadly traps for the unexpecting, its burning hatred for all that is not dead reinforced by this secrecy being the only thing preventing the brutal end of its existence.

*Encounter:* The Remains would ideally be a sort of mystery-based urban encounter. The PCs could hear various rumors about people dying in strange circumstances in their home, at different times during the campaign, until the authorities realizes someone is behind all this and hire the PCs to put an end to their murders. 

What makes the Remains an interesting adversary IMO is that it has nothing going for it outside of a decent DEX score, a great but unskilled intellect, the perks of being undead and patience. It can do things like waiting hours for a house to be empty, entering said house, doing acts of murderous pettiness like putting toxic substances into the food reserves. Or it could stay in a sewer observing coach drivers through a sewer gate, wait for one to put their coach close enough, and sneak to partially saw one of the wheels in the manner most likely to cause a lethal accident if they go fast. Then, once whichever deed is done, but before the deadly consequences happens, it just leaves after concealing any tracks it can perceive having left. And with a -1 to WIS, it can't perceive less than the average people, resulting in the general public soon getting aware *something* is messing with them.

If/when the PCs track it down, the Remains will likely make them go through trap-overloaded areas it set up in advance and paths taking advantage of its undead nature (ex: through a long, water-filled tunnel, though smoke-filled factory chimney, through the enclosure of animals that will leave a skeleton alone but will attack living beings at the city's zoo, etc), and will stay on the move and attempt to escape any cornering the PCs try 'til the very end.

That encounter is probably best for Tier 1 PCs who nonetheless are already used to a singular Skeleton not being a threat to the group, so probably the lvl 4-5. 

*Concept and Inspiration:* The 5e MM's description of the Skeleton as an hatefully omnicidal spirit who sometime imitated the behavior of the person whose corpse its inhabiting always resonated with me, and I always found it interesting how the Headband of Intellect set the INT of the wearer to 19 no matter what. The Remains come from me asking myself: "what would happen if an adventuring wizard wearing an Headband of Intellect died and was turned into an undead?", but after thinking about it more I started thinking a super-intelligent murderer Skeleton coming from the corpse of a rogue-type person would be much more dangerous and sinister, and this in spite of the Skeleton's many weaknesses.

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## Damon_Tor

In a campaign of mine I had one of the factions invent "skeleton bombs", which was around 20 skeletons packed into a bag of holding, which was installed in a projectile that would automatically invert the bag opon landing, spilling out the skeletons, which would provide chaos while the main forces advanced.

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## No brains

This is an interesting challenge and I am writing this post to underline a mental note to think out a way to participate.

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## Unoriginal

> This is an interesting challenge and I am writing this post to underline a mental note to think out a way to participate.


Thanks for the compliment!

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## Sparky McDibben

Placeholder for later; sounds like fun with random tables!

Edited: 

*The Sewer Seer*

Drow (CR 1/4) and _potion of clairvoyance_

Z'zilboch the Defiler is an renegade drow hedge wizard1 with a talent for magically enhancing certain psychedelics that grow in the sewers. He uses these to brew his own special _potions of clairvoyance,_ with which he can cast (you guessed it) _clairvoyance_ (a spell normally far beyond his limited capabilities).

His knowledge of the city above his humble sewer dwelling lets him scout out most places of interest, and he specializes in selling the information he's acquired to anyone who can pay his fee (which ranges from 100 - 10,000 gp, depending on how juicy the information is). He presents as a ragged old creature of indeterminate race, sex, and physical condition, totally shrouded in thick burlap and the stench of the sewer. He puts on quite a show for anyone who comes to see him, using sleight of hand, basic cantrips, and his own mysteriousness to impress customers. 

Z'zilboch lairs in a section of the sewers that was left dry and tidy, a nice little place he's furnished with a delightful bed and quilt, which always smells like vanilla tea. He is fastidious in private, and fusses about anyone putting their feet up on his "good chair." When in doubt, he will supply non-threatening visitors with a hot beverage, excuse himself to use the bathroom, and then run for it.

Z'zilboch can make an interesting PC contact for anyone with connections to the local thieves' guild, anyone wondering how their secrets have been leaked, and anyone trying to find out information that other characters don't want them to have.

1Hedge wizards in my worlds are people who deal in folk magic (very basic charms, curses, potions, etc.) They're somewhere between an herbalist, quack, and scammer. In game terms, they might have proficiency with Arcana and one non-combat cantrip.

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## Sorinth

How about a Gelatinous Cube with a Coiling Grasp Tattoo. Getting engulfed takes an action to free, and escaping the grapple will also be an action if someones caught it's a big problem and so they will need an ally to help.

Probably works best if the party have already encountered a few regular ones before so they think they know how to handle it.

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## KorvinStarmast

NPC: Veteran, Berebage Delspada (usually goes by Babs)  
Magic Item: _Tankard of Sobriety_

*1. NPC outline.* 
Babs is as a regular at a local waterfront bar, the Singing Squid.  She's in her mid 30's, attractive, stays fit, has numerous scars on her face (veteran, eh?) that 'mar' her original good looks (beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yadda yadda).  She helps the bouncers break up fights as needed.  The bar's owner/publican is an old friend from her soldier/marine days.  

- She keeps an eye out for a local smugglers' ring (sailors she's known for years), gets them leads, and sometimes gets information from tavern customers who are well into their cups ... and she never talked them into having one more glass of mead/ale/wine/whatever, did she?  No, never! 

- She also keeps an eye out for overly confident sorts.  She will roll the occasional 'too-rich-for-their-brains' rake.  

- She has been known to accept challenges to drinking contests (she has a talent for getting people to challenge her to them) and always wins. *Spoiler: Inspiration*
Show

(This PC is inspired by Marion Ravenwood, and her amazing capacity to out drink various villains and barflies).  Her reputation for holding her liquor is spoken of in awed whispers by barflies in most taverns/inns in this city/town/port.

*Spoiler: Slightly modified Veteran NPC*
Show

Veteran
Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment
*Armor Class 16 (Chain Shirt + Dex)*
Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft.
STR   DEX   CON   INT   WIS   CHA
13 (+1) 16 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 12 (+0) 10 (+0)
Skills Persuasion +4, Perception +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages any one language (usually Common)
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Actions
Multiattack. The veteran makes two rapier attacks. If it has a shortsword drawn, it can also make a shortsword attack.
Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage. 
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d10 + 3)  piercing damage.

Veterans are professional fighters that take up arms for pay or to protect something they believe in or value. Their ranks include soldiers retired from long service and warriors who never served anyone but themselves.
 
2 .*How the party meets her* 
- Smugglers'-Lookout Scheme: 

If the party is trying to uncover or compromise the smugglers' ring, she'll likely get wind of it. This can be an RP heavy kind of encounter. She'll use her wit and persuasive skills to misdirect the party, roll a party member, learn from them their plans, and normally alerts the smugglers once the party has been encountered.  And she can handle herself in a fight.  If the party looks to be dangerous, she can call on her posse. (see below)  

- Need-to-Move-Some-Contraband Scheme: 

If they are looking to do a bit of smuggling, she can be a good contact to have, but will want a small cut for her efforts. 

- Notoriety Scheme: 

She recently rolled the son of a local noble family; she's trying to discretely fence the bracelet, ring and earring she relieved him of (each marked with a family crest, so fencing can be tricky. (Worth between 50 and 200 GP, varies with party level)).  The rake contacts the party wanting to get his valuables back before his family finds out how careless he's been.  He's not interested in there being a trail of bodies left behind.  Discretion is imperative.  

- Bab's Posse: five sailors/marines (use Bandit NPC) who she can summon using a bosun's whistle, which hang on a lanyard around her neck.  One or two are near, or are in, the bar when she is first encountered. 

_Heidegger Heidegger was a boozy beggar who could think you under the table_

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## Unoriginal

> Placeholder for later; sounds like fun with random tables!


True, I didn't think about that when I made the OP, but random selecting the item (or the monster, even) can be interesting for this mental exercise.




> How about a Gelatinous Cube with a Coiling Grasp Tattoo.


The various magic tattoos are often good for a "this one has more up their sleeves than the others" feeling, indeed, and most players won't expect much tricks from a Gelatinous Cube beyond their usual.




> NPC: Veteran, Berebage Delspada (usually goes by Babs)  
> Magic Item: Tankard of Sobriety


Awesome. That's the kind of NPCs many players will immediately love.

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## Bobthewizard

For a high level party, 2 goblins in a Mighty Servant of Leuko from Tasha's. There's no synergy with goblins. I just think they're cool.

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## Unoriginal

Another example:


*Name:* Deacon McFinn

*Pairing:* Priest + Demon Armor

*Backstory:* Deacon McFinn is a kind old human, who's been a devoted worshipper of Pelor all his life. Working as an archivist for a library of holy texts at a short distance of the city's gate, he always did his best to assist anyone he could. 

That's why he agreed to help the group of PCs seeking to find information he met earlier in the day, then told them to come back during the night for him to give them the answers they want. It's also this trait a group of demon cultists exploited to get the drop on him, a few hours after he met the PCs, bringing one of them as a wounded in need of the holy man's magic. After subduing him, the cultists forced the Demon Armor on him, leaving him vulnerable to the influence of their fiendish master, and in this controlled state he revealed everything they wanted to know about the text they were searching...

*Encounter:*This encounter works best if the PCs show up just as the cultists are about to get the text they wanted and flee, resulting in them ordering the mind-controlled old man to keep them busy.

As the Priest statblock does not wear Heavy Armor, it stand to reason McFinn is not proficient with the Demon Armor. As such, he would have disadvantage on all ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls, as well as being unable to cast spells and, thanks to only having 10 in STR, have his speed be limited to 20ft.

So, a pretty unthreatening enemy, right? Correct, but there is three things that adds some spice to this encounter:

1) The PCs are likely going to try to subdue the deacon without hurting him too much, at least for the information he still has to give them.

2) With AC 19 and 27 HPs, Deacon McFinn wouldn't be that easy to subdue via standard attacks for low-lvl PCs, especially if a couple of cultists stay behind to help the distraction.

3) While McFinn can't use spells and is unlikely to hit anyone with a +3 to-hit-with-disadvantage roll, he can deals a *lot* of damage thanks to the Divine Eminence ability if he manages to hit anyone.

For all those reasons, I recommend this encounter to be happening around lvl 2 or 3 max, after the players have gotten to know how their characters work in a straightforward fight, to show them that not every encounter in D&D is that simple. Adding to that, where the fight takes place, a religious library, can provide plenty of fun terrain interactions, and as the enemies are a brainwashed person and a few demon cultists the DM can freely ham it up when portraying them.

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## Sorinth

A Knight who asked a Hag to help them win a duel/tournament, the Hags gift a Sword of Vengeance. But that was several years ago and their star has fallen since then. They are now known for having a terrible temper who nobody trusts because they assume they are just a hot-head who doesn't follow orders and has a history of attack superior officers. They are now basically penniless and wander the kingdom fighting for little more then food and a place to sleep. If they stay in one place too long their "temper" inevitably gets them into trouble.

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## Monster Manuel

*Name:* King Louie

*Pairing:* Orangutan (using Ape stat block) with Bracers of Archery, and a standard longbow

*Backstory:* A band of adventurers met a bad end in the depths of a dark jungle.  A curious Orangutan, investigating the site of the tragedy some time later,  took a liking to the archer's shiny bracers, taking them back to his treetop nest and looking them over.  Turns out, over the course of the next hour, Louie managed to attune to the bracers, and suddenly found himself proficient in the longbow. Now he uses the bow he recovered from the body of the archer to shoot at rivals, and food, and other Orangutan-y things.

*Encounter:* The party finds themselves under a surprise attack from unseen archers high up in the tree tops.   Turns out, it's just Louie defending his territory.  Louie makes good use of his climb speed giving him increased mobility in amongst the trees.  He's still just a regular ape, so a reasonable animal handling check could diffuse the encounter.  

If the animal handling check doesn't work, hey, free Bracers of Archery once they blast him out of the treetops.

That's the biggest strength, and potentially the biggest weakness of making an item central to an encounter: at the end of the encounter, the players probably have the item.  I'd much rather have an encounter like one of these play out than just handing out a treasure bundle once an encounter is done.  I'm usually generous with treasure rewards, but I ALWAYS try to incorporate them into the encounter...if there's a magic weapon in an encounter's treasure, someone should be using it.  If the creature is described as having a handful of gold, he might use it to bribe the players into letting him live.  It's all too easy to forget the treasure is there until the encounter is over and you're checking the victim's pockets.

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## RickAsWritten

A Nilbog with Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments. No blurb or scenario necessary. Go wild.

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## Unoriginal

> *Name:* King Louie
> 
> *Pairing:* Orangutan (using Ape stat block) with Bracers of Archery, and a standard longbow
> 
> *Backstory:* A band of adventurers met a bad end in the depths of a dark jungle.  A curious Orangutan, investigating the site of the tragedy some time later,  took a liking to the archer's shiny bracers, taking them back to his treetop nest and looking them over.  Turns out, over the course of the next hour, Louie managed to attune to the bracers, and suddenly found himself proficient in the longbow. Now he uses the bow he recovered from the body of the archer to shoot at rivals, and food, and other Orangutan-y things.
> 
> *Encounter:* The party finds themselves under a surprise attack from unseen archers high up in the tree tops.   Turns out, it's just Louie defending his territory.  Louie makes good use of his climb speed giving him increased mobility in amongst the trees.  He's still just a regular ape, so a reasonable animal handling check could diffuse the encounter.  
> 
> If the animal handling check doesn't work, hey, free Bracers of Archery once they blast him out of the treetops.


Pretty awesome idea!

I can see many groups wanting to adopt Archer Louie.




> That's the biggest strength, and potentially the biggest weakness of making an item central to an encounter: at the end of the encounter, the players probably have the item.  I'd much rather have an encounter like one of these play out than just handing out a treasure bundle once an encounter is done.  I'm usually generous with treasure rewards, but I ALWAYS try to incorporate them into the encounter...if there's a magic weapon in an encounter's treasure, someone should be using it.


Indeed. Aside from cases where the magic item wouldn't work for the NPC (ex: I remember one adventure where an Ogre doesn't use a magic rapier and instead keep it in his treasure chest... because while it's a nice weapon for a Medium Humanoid the +1-to-hit bonus was not worth the massive drop in damage the Large opponent would hve gotten using it), I feel it's important to make items part of the encounters.

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## da newt

The self-proclaimed guardian of the glade.  

A Quickling w/ the Gloves of Thievery (or cloak of elvin kind if you'd rather go all stealth).

The little nuisance has decided that the party should not be in his little grove, so he's gonna boost their stuff and cause all sorts of havoc / mischief.  The little bugger is so quick he runs between raindrops and he's got a +8 Stealth and magically boosted +13 Slight of Hand.  

Things start going missing, and not the sorts of things that bandits would pilfer - the fighter's boots, the cleric's censer, the buckles from the paladin's armor, ... and things are sabotaged too - little stuff like all their food has one small bite missing, half the archer's arrows are missing their heads, the dwarf's beard has been cut short, etc. and he leaves behind ominous little notes telling the party to flee or face the dire consequences.

If it comes to combat the little bugger is all about hit and run with his 120' movement speed.  If you want to up his combat prowess give him studded leather armor and a wee shield for 20 AC, or a BA hide.

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## Sparky McDibben

> The self-proclaimed guardian of the glade.  
> 
> A Quickling w/ the Gloves of Thievery (or cloak of elvin kind if you'd rather go all stealth).
> 
> The little nuisance has decided that the party should not be in his little grove, so he's gonna boost their stuff and cause all sorts of havoc / mischief.  The little bugger is so quick he runs between raindrops and he's got a +8 Stealth and magically boosted +13 Slight of Hand.  
> 
> Things start going missing, and not the sorts of things that bandits would pilfer - the fighter's boots, the cleric's censer, the buckles from the paladin's armor, ... and things are sabotaged too - little stuff like all their food has one small bite missing, half the archer's arrows are missing their heads, the dwarf's beard has been cut short, etc. and he leaves behind ominous little notes telling the party to flee or face the dire consequences.
> 
> If it comes to combat the little bugger is all about hit and run with his 120' movement speed.  If you want to up his combat prowess give him studded leather armor and a wee shield for 20 AC, or a BA hide.


OMG stuff a PC's codpiece/brassiere with burrs and just laugh. If the PC's chase him, lead them into fire ant nests, quicksand, etc.

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## da newt

I really like the premise- it's interesting and fun, but if it's a Hi tier 1 / Lo tier 2 encounter you kinda oughta limit just how awesome the magic weapon is 'cause the odds are that the party is gonna find a way to get the McGuffin ...

But if you are going for nasty, I'd have fun with an Intellect Devourer that has taken residency in the body of a Tanarukk with a Great Sword of Sharpness ...

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## Oramac

*Name:* The Woodsmith

*Pairing:* Awakened Shrub + +1 All Purpose Tool 

*Backstory:* Many years ago, an aspiring (but foolish) gnomish artificer wanted to find a more reliable source of wood for his projects. He contracted with a local druid conclave and, after successfully lying his ass of to them, convinced them to Awaken a shrub for him to keep in his shop. The shrub, now smart enough to understand what was happening, bided its time until it learned how to use the artificer's tools and killed its "creator" and took his business for its own. It is now known as "The Woodsmith", and offers up incredibly well made wooden items fashioned from its own branches. 

*Encounter:* The party finds itself in a seedy (pun intended) part of the local merchant's quarters. Having searched all the normal shops, they come across an unkempt shop claiming to specialize in [wooden item they need]. Upon entering, they see an apparently empty shop, adorned with but a single well tended shrub in a corner behind the counter. After a few moments, a voice greets them and asks what they need, offering to make anything they desire from the beautiful woods available. 

(NOTE: this would likely not be a combat encounter, though with the spell bonuses the All Purpose Tool grants, it could be a fun one for a low level party; perhaps of 2nd level)

*Concept and Inspiration:* None, really. I like the thread idea and started looking through monsters and magic items until something hit me. Also, weirdly, the Awakened Shrub stat block states it knows one language, but doesn't say it can't speak. It also doesn't have telepathy. So how the hell does it talk?!  :Small Big Grin:

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## Unoriginal

> Name: The Woodsmith


Nice idea!

Good reminder not all encounters are fighting ones, too.




> He contracted with a local druid conclave and, after successfully lying his ass of to them, convinced them to Awaken a shrub for him to keep in his shop.


Worth noting Artificiers can create Pots of Awakening themselves, so Artificiers with Awakened Shrubs could be a not-uncommon team.




> I like the thread idea


Thanks!




> and started looking through monsters and magic items until something hit me.


Have done the same just yesterday, kek.




> Also, weirdly, the Awakened Shrub stat block states it knows one language, but doesn't say it can't speak. It also doesn't have telepathy. So how the hell does it talk?!


Same way as a Treants and politicians do: with wooden language.

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## No brains

Name: Power Coward

Pairing: Jackalwere and Brass Horn of Valhalla

Backstory: Weird weekly raids perpetrated by vanishing bandits have taken out guarded caravans. The scene of the crime is a puzzle to even the best trackers. No human tracks coming in and no human tracks ever going more than 2 miles out. Yet survivors report hearing a horn signaling about a dozen berserkers to fall upon their wagon.

The pattern of looting is strange too. Despite the large group, most of the plunder is left behind, sometimes scattered in the wild. The best manifests that have been recovered indicate that only the loot carriable by a single human ever goes missing. Who could be behind this?

Encounter: The PCs will eventually discover, by following the trail of a small dog, that the perpetrator is a Jackalwere who somehow came into possession of a Brass Horn of Valhalla. But the creature is onto them, and luring them into their trap again.

When the PCs eneter a good ambush spot, the Jackalwere will run out in front of them while blowing the horn. This will call around 9 Berserkers to engage random targets, including the Jackalwere- who happens to be immune to the blows of their great axes.

The party has to survive the Berserkers and swiftly snipe the Jackalwere with some form of magic before they can escape, or else they will have to track the shapeshifter again, possibly back to their Lamia master.

This is recommended for at least a 7th-level party. If the DM will rule that a worthy bearer taking the horn will secure the loyalty of the berserkers, it may be possible to go lower. The DM's choice of terrain will be the deciding factor in the fight, since it will control who can possibly escape and the effectiveness of AOEs.

Inspiration: I wanted to try an encounter that uses a monster whose immunities allow it to cheese the drawback of a 'cursed' magic item. A CR 1/2 Jackalwere summoning ~9 Berserkers to make a potentially deadly encounter for a 9th level party is an amazing jumpscare.

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## KorvinStarmast

> Name: Power Coward
> {snip} 
> Inspiration: I wanted to try an encounter that uses a monster whose immunities allow it to cheese the drawback of a 'cursed' magic item. A CR 1/2 Jackalwere summoning ~9 Berserkers to make a potentially deadly encounter for a 9th level party is an amazing jumpscare.


 Brilliant.  :Small Smile:

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## Oramac

> Name: Power Coward
> snip





> Brilliant.


Yea it is! And I love the concept/inspiration too. Bad guys cheesing stuff sounds fun, and informs the players that they ain't in Kansas anymore.

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## Unoriginal

> Name: Power Coward
> 
> Pairing: Jackalwere and Brass Horn of Valhalla


Pretty awesome idea. The Horn of Valhalla is one of my favorite items, and the Jackalwere using their immunity to non-magical weapons to dodge the downsides is both thematically fitting and leading to fun interactions. 




> Inspiration: I wanted to try an encounter that uses a monster whose immunities allow it to cheese the drawback of a 'cursed' magic item. A CR 1/2 Jackalwere summoning ~9 Berserkers to make a potentially deadly encounter for a 9th level party is an amazing jumpscare.


Agreed.

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## No brains

*Name:* Turn and Tidus

*Pairing:* Tidus, a Warlock of the Archfey (Featuring Turn, the Sea Hag) + Pipes of Haunting

*Backstory:* Once upon a time, a (Humanoid) named Tidus sought to achieve a storybook romance with his love. To this end, he practiced night and day to perfect his skills with the flute and make the perfect love song. Desperate, even obsessed, Tidus made himself vulnerable to treachery. A disguised Archfey persuaded Tidus to buy a magic flute that was 'sure to quicken his love's heart'. But Tidus failed to realize that he had bought Pipes of Haunting, and as such, even at hearing the most beautiful and heartfelt song, his love was forced to shun Tidus in terror. Despondent and even more vulnerable to manipulation, the Archfey appeared in their true form to Tidus and offered a deal to destroy those who 'spurned the gift of love'. Accepting the Pact, Tidus became a Warlock of the Archfey, and embraced his power to strike fear, using his magic Pipes to take revenge on his love.

As part of his pact, Tidus' patron introduces him to Turn, a Sea Hag so named for her putrid smell unto spoiled food. They make a bargain of their own; Tidus may call upon Turn and is guaranteed reasonable safety in exchange for prey. Even if Turn resents an instant summons and becomes magically enraged by it, she will marshal her will to leave Tidus alone in sympathy for another that the world deems ugly and in gratitude for the chance to destroy beautiful victims.

Together, Tidus and Turn have taken to massacring lovers who meet along shores and lakes, stopping their hearts with fear before they can be broken by rejection. What was once set to become a story book has darkened in tone to a thriller. Can the party flip the script to an action movie sequel? Or will this all have been a tragic play all along?

*Encounter:* The party will have to pick up on the trail of the slasher, whose identity may not be immediately obvious. Tidus will pose as a witness and attempt to pin all the blame on Turn, who is conveniently untraceable while off in her native demesne. If Tidus realizes the party is dangerous to his plans, he will set clues of fake captives to lure them to a grotto where he and Turn will have advantageous terrain. If he is discovered, or if the party contains anyone in love, he can be baited into attacking in disadvantageous terrain.

If the Warlock is onto the party before combat, he uses his Conjure Fey to summon the Sea Hag, who disguises as a pitiful  hostage. When the party threatens the Warlock, the Sea Hag will reveal her true form and the Warlock will use the Pipes of Haunting. This will trigger two wisdom saves vs frightened at DCs 11 and 15.

While the party is frightened, the Sea Hag will use her Death Glare on creatures frightened of either her or the Warlock. During this time, the Warlock will start Eldritch Blastin', but if an inadequate number of creatures are frightened, the Warlock will voluntarily break his concentration on Conjure Fey to cast Fear. The Sea Hag will then become uncontrolled and hostile to the Warlock, but she will still recognize her opportunity to wreak devastation against any frightened combatants before (or even if) she decides to attack the Warlock.

If the Sea Hag becomes uncontrolled, a successful DC 20 Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion) check will convince the Hag to turn on the Warlock (as outlined in DMG145). If this happens, the Warlock will be averting his gaze, but his confidence will be shattered after one attack and he will use any magic at his disposal to make efforts to flee the turning tide.

Theoretically, this is all still in line with a Warlock of the Archfey's regular challenge rating of 4 as it only trivally enhances its native Fear spell. With the duo's ability to deal around 25 damage per round or insta-kill creatures with weak Wisdom saves, this may be a deadly encounter for a up to a 4th-level party and could be a nightmare for any character without ranged options. (Ignore for now that the Warlock could arguably be more effective by summoning a Mammoth and fleeing. WHO CR'D THIS THING!?)

*Inspiration:* I wanted to take advantage of the fact that the Sea Hag's Death Glare doesn't care about what made the target frightened. Then I discovered that the Warlock of the Archfey was still an eligible creature for this challenge, with the capacity to summon and therefore give extra actions to the creature I really wanted.

For the item, I had a three-way dilemma amongst Mace of Terror, Pipes of Haunting, and Wand of Fear. I decided that the Pipes would be the simplest item to use. It also helped me with the story. DMs wishing to up the challenge my consider upgrading the Warlock with a Mace or a Wand, but they would then have to be mindful of terrain appropriate to a running fight.

Additionally, I took the opportunity to introduce a social encounter brought on by unstable summoning rules. It's my headcanon that summoning adds aggression and a charm-like effect to a creature. When the charm component is broken along with concentration, the summoned creature would probably not abandon all intelligence to unreasonable hostility. Even so, the underutilized social interaction rules let this summon battle take a unique turn and add a glimmer of hope to a party locked down and dwindling in numbers.

The more work I put into this, the more I wanted to embrace the dramatic side of this encounter rather than strictly optimize it. The identity of the creatures as emotional drama queens works great with the Archfey's potential intentions. What will Tidus do when Turn has betrayed him too? Even if Tidus is slain, Turn will still be loose, possibly seeking revenge for the closest thing she ever had to a friend. And which Archfey was behind all of this- is this drama suitable entertainment for them?





> Brilliant.





> Yea it is! And I love the concept/inspiration too. Bad guys cheesing stuff sounds fun, and informs the players that they ain't in Kansas anymore.





> Pretty awesome idea. The Horn of Valhalla is one of my favorite items, and the Jackalwere using their immunity to non-magical weapons to dodge the downsides is both thematically fitting and leading to fun interactions.


Thank you for all the positive feedback! I'm glad it worked as well as I thought it would! I hope you enjoy the sequel!

*NEW ENTRY 12/23*

*Name:* The Renewed

*Pairing:* Tortle Druid Spore Servant and Staff of the Woodlands

*Backstory:* Impulse. Grow. Stimulus. Flex. Feel. Wait. Grow. Think. Understand.

Wake up.

This did not work the way the sovereign expected. It is not aware of what is different. Was it me that set the... trap? Did... 'I' expect this? Am I the one who used to live in this body? I feel different. Do I look different? I can't see. I can feel myself. But what am I? Am I the body? Or the fungus growing out of it?

The sovereign. It calls. I obey. It thinks I'm another zombie. She is right. I can't disobey. But I can do everything but. It can't read my thoughts. Can't read my face. I can get out of here. I have to get out of here! Somehow.

Hide. Deceive. Wait...
Strike.

But SHE knows. But how do I know? I feel her name. Did 'I' know her name before? I can feel how she sees me. I know her name not by sound, but by shape and feeling. It wells up from my use-withered lips and shreds into the air.

"...Zzzzzzuggtmoy..."

I feel it now. I'm dying. Matter of weeks. Not meant to be. I'm rotting. Can't die. Won't die. Kill to not die. IT FIRST!

SHE 'speaks' again. She knows I'm special. She knows rot. Knows where there is no rot. I will be there for her. Walk. Walk. Walk. Feel a curtain run past my skin. Taste sweet air. Walk. Float. Drift. Struggle. Scream. 

Wait.

Wait...

Impact. Stillness.

Wait.

Wait...

Listen.

"Aaaaaand noooow who is talking to meeeee? I heeeear youuu, but can't feeeeeel you like HER or it... WHO'S THERE!?"

*Encounter:* A small boulder on an asteroid in the Astral Plane with mushrooms and a tree is actually The Renewed, a Spore Servant Tortle Druid drawn into their shell. The tree is actually their Staff of the Woodlands, which they SOMEHOW used to cast Awaken on themselves.

The Renewed is confused, scared, angry, and violent- even without the influence of Zuggtmoy exaggerating those traits. It doesn't know who or what it was and has no idea what the party wants with it.

The Renewed could theoretically be spoken down, but it tries to hide or fight while talking, caught between reason and instinct. If it detects a creature within 20 feet of it, it slowly charges, taking a swing with its Staff at +6 for 1d8+4 damage. If it can't detect a creature, it casts Pass Without Trace from its staff and tries to flee along the ground. If The Renewed feels like it is outnumbered and is in mortal danger, it will try to move in on a group of enemies and cast Wall of Thorns for 7d8 damage at only DC 10 to try to kill as many creatures as possible before trying to rest. It is not intelligent enough to realize that on the Astral Plane, creatures could fly over its wall.

A difficulty spike from 8 DPR to 28 DPR makes this an unsuitable encounter of any CR in a regular game of D&D. It is recommended at its normal CR 2 specifically for a horror game where this instant death bull- uh, natural state of decay- can fly.

If the party can somehow make contact with the tortured mind of The Renewed, it will tell the party its vague memories of dying, being raised, becoming sentient, making contact with Zuggtmoy, killing its Myconid Sovereign, and wandering into the maddening silence of the Astral Plane. Probably elaborating on one or more of those things might be relevant to an adventure at large, who knows? Hell, maybe the former identity of The Renewed was someone the PCs knew... but that person is lost... though maybe not forever. If the party is somehow especially insightful and caring of The Renewed, it could find its way back to the path of becoming a real Druid again- learning the deep secrets of the alien nature of the Astral Plane...

The Renewed's Staff of the Woodlands has the Harmonious and Language minor qualities and the Muttering quirk. It is mildly sentient and wishes to protect its bearer. If it is seized in battle, it pleads subtly to somehow save the life of its former charge. Spore Servant form or not.

*Inspiration:* I wanted to have fun with the OP shenanigans that is the Staff of the Woodlands and deliberately challenge myself to make a Spore Servant interesting. The fact that the Spore Servant loses ALL ACTIONS (possibly including basic actions like Hide, Dash, or Search!), was a huge obstacle, but the fact that the Staff of the Woodlands adds actions theoretically circumvents that. The fact that Spore Servants only live for a few weeks was another challenge for making this an NPC; I had to choose between putting this creature in a location where it can survive or putting it in a location where its niche abilities might actually count for something.

I also admit that I am 'cheating' a little here. While I can 100% 'Air-Bud call' that there's no rule that a Spore Servant stops being a Druid, it is... unlikely that a Spore Servant would go for attuning to a Staff of the Woodlands and know to cast Awaken on itself. Still, if it COULD do that, it would be neat, right? I think the additional traits for magic items adds a thread of plausibility to it.

Also on 'cheating', it's a DM call if living on the Astral Plane would preserve a Spore Servant or not. I choose to interpret it as 'aging', so there.

*Bonus Encounter:* 

The Renewed, Tortle Spore Servant Archdruid.

Time spent in myconid-meditation on the Astral Plane has fostered a deeper understanding of nature than The Renewed could ever have hoped to attain in their past life. Trading their Staff of the Woodlands for a Tome of Understanding, they have regained the wisdom to use their druidic powers better than ever before.

One way or another, the centuries-looming threat of Zuggtmoy will factor into The Renewed's return, either as opposition or a minion. Either way, The Renewed now has renewed purpose, and will risk death outside the Astral Plane to make a difference for those who saved it.

As Archdruid, but with AC 19 (natural armor and shield), 2 Intelligence, 1 Charisma, and 30 Wisdom. Its game plan is to Change Shape into an Earth Elemental and smash stuff until one of its spells would come in handy.

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