# Monsters A to Z *Source: Monster Manual (2025), p. 10* - [Aarakocra Aeromancer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/aarakocra-aeromancer-xmm.md) - [Aarakocra Skirmisher](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/aarakocra-skirmisher-xmm.md) - [Aboleth](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/aboleth-xmm.md) - [Air Elemental](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/air-elemental-xmm.md) - [Animal Lord](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/animal-lord-xmm.md) - [Animated Armor](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/animated-armor-xmm.md) - [Animated Broom](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/animated-broom-xmm.md) - [Animated Flying Sword](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/animated-flying-sword-xmm.md) - [Animated Rug of Smothering](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/animated-rug-of-smothering-xmm.md) - [Ankheg](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/ankheg-xmm.md) - [Arcanaloth](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/arcanaloth-xmm.md) - [Arch-hag](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/arch-hag-xmm.md) - [Assassin](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/assassin-xmm.md) - [Awakened Shrub](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/awakened-shrub-xmm.md) - [Awakened Tree](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/awakened-tree-xmm.md) - [Axe Beak](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/axe-beak-xmm.md) - [Giant Axe Beak](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/giant-axe-beak-xmm.md) - [Azer Pyromancer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/azer-pyromancer-xmm.md) - [Azer Sentinel](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/azer-sentinel-xmm.md) - [Balor](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/balor-xmm.md) - [Bandit](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/bandit-xmm.md) - [Bandit Captain](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/bandit-captain-xmm.md) - [Bandit Crime Lord](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/bandit-crime-lord-xmm.md) - [Bandit Deceiver](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/bandit-deceiver-xmm.md) - [Banshee](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/banshee-xmm.md) - [Barbed Devil](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/barbed-devil-xmm.md) - [Barlgura](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/barlgura-xmm.md) - [Basilisk](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/basilisk-xmm.md) - [Bearded Devil](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/bearded-devil-xmm.md) - [Behir](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/behir-xmm.md) - [Beholder](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/beholder-xmm.md) - [Berserker](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/berserker-xmm.md) - [Berserker Commander](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/berserker-commander-xmm.md) - [Black Dragon Wyrmling](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/black-dragon-wyrmling-xmm.md) - [Young Black Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/young-black-dragon-xmm.md) - [Adult Black Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-black-dragon-xmm.md) - [Ancient Black Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-black-dragon-xmm.md) - [Black Pudding](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/ooze/black-pudding-xmm.md) - [Needle Blight](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/needle-blight-xmm.md) - [Twig Blight](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/twig-blight-xmm.md) - [Tree Blight](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/tree-blight-xmm.md) - [Vine Blight](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/vine-blight-xmm.md) - [Gulthias Blight](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/gulthias-blight-xmm.md) - [Blink Dog](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/blink-dog-xmm.md) - [Blob of Annihilation](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/ooze/blob-of-annihilation-xmm.md) - [Blue Dragon Wyrmling](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/blue-dragon-wyrmling-xmm.md) - [Young Blue Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/young-blue-dragon-xmm.md) - [Adult Blue Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-blue-dragon-xmm.md) - [Ancient Blue Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-blue-dragon-xmm.md) - [Bone Devil](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/bone-devil-xmm.md) - [Bone Naga](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/bone-naga-xmm.md) - [Brass Dragon Wyrmling](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/brass-dragon-wyrmling-xmm.md) - [Young Brass Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/young-brass-dragon-xmm.md) - [Adult Brass Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-brass-dragon-xmm.md) - [Ancient Brass Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-brass-dragon-xmm.md) - [Bronze Dragon Wyrmling](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/bronze-dragon-wyrmling-xmm.md) - [Young Bronze Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/young-bronze-dragon-xmm.md) - [Adult Bronze Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-bronze-dragon-xmm.md) - [Ancient Bronze Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-bronze-dragon-xmm.md) - [Bugbear Stalker](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/bugbear-stalker-xmm.md) - [Bugbear Warrior](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/bugbear-warrior-xmm.md) - [Bulette](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/bulette-xmm.md) - [Bulette Pup](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/bulette-pup-xmm.md) - [Bullywug Bog Sage](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/bullywug-bog-sage-xmm.md) - [Bullywug Warrior](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/bullywug-warrior-xmm.md) - [Cambion](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/cambion-xmm.md) - [Carrion Crawler](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/carrion-crawler-xmm.md) - [Centaur Trooper](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/centaur-trooper-xmm.md) - [Centaur Warden](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/centaur-warden-xmm.md) - [Chain Devil](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/chain-devil-xmm.md) - [Chasme](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/chasme-xmm.md) - [Chimera](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/chimera-xmm.md) - [Chuul](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/chuul-xmm.md) - [Clay Golem](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/clay-golem-xmm.md) - [Cloaker](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/cloaker-xmm.md) - [Cloud Giant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/cloud-giant-xmm.md) - [Cockatrice](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/cockatrice-xmm.md) - [Cockatrice Regent](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/cockatrice-regent-xmm.md) - [Colossus](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/colossus-xmm.md) - [Commoner](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/commoner-xmm.md) - [Copper Dragon Wyrmling](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/copper-dragon-wyrmling-xmm.md) - [Young Copper Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/young-copper-dragon-xmm.md) - [Adult Copper Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-copper-dragon-xmm.md) - [Ancient Copper Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-copper-dragon-xmm.md) - [Couatl](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/couatl-xmm.md) - [Crawling Claw](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/crawling-claw-xmm.md) - [Swarm of Crawling Claws](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/swarm-of-crawling-claws-xmm.md) - [Cultist](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/cultist-xmm.md) - [Cultist Fanatic](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/cultist-fanatic-xmm.md) - [Cultist Hierophant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/cultist-hierophant-xmm.md) - [Aberrant Cultist](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/aberrant-cultist-xmm.md) - [Death Cultist](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/death-cultist-xmm.md) - [Elemental Cultist](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/elemental-cultist-xmm.md) - [Fiend Cultist](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/fiend-cultist-xmm.md) - [Cyclops Oracle](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/cyclops-oracle-xmm.md) - [Cyclops Sentry](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/cyclops-sentry-xmm.md) - [Dao](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/dao-xmm.md) - [Darkmantle](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/darkmantle-xmm.md) - [Death Dog](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/death-dog-xmm.md) - [Death Knight](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/death-knight-xmm.md) - [Death Knight Aspirant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/death-knight-aspirant-xmm.md) - [Death Tyrant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/death-tyrant-xmm.md) - [Demilich](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/demilich-xmm.md) - [Deva](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/deva-xmm.md) - [Displacer Beast](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/displacer-beast-xmm.md) - [Djinni](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/djinni-xmm.md) - [Doppelganger](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/doppelganger-xmm.md) - [Dracolich](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/dracolich-xmm.md) - [Dragon Turtle](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/dragon-turtle-xmm.md) - [Dretch](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/dretch-xmm.md) - [Swarm of Dretches](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/swarm-of-dretches-xmm.md) - [Drider](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/drider-xmm.md) - [Druid](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/druid-xmm.md) - [Dryad](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/dryad-xmm.md) - [Earth Elemental](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/earth-elemental-xmm.md) - [Efreeti](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/efreeti-xmm.md) - [Elemental Cataclysm](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/elemental-cataclysm-xmm.md) - [Empyrean Iota](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/miscellaneous/empyrean-iota-xmm.md) - [Empyrean](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/miscellaneous/empyrean-xmm.md) - [Erinyes](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/erinyes-xmm.md) - [Ettercap](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/ettercap-xmm.md) - [Ettin](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/ettin-xmm.md) - [Faerie Dragon Adult](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/faerie-dragon-adult-xmm.md) - [Faerie Dragon Youth](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/faerie-dragon-youth-xmm.md) - [Fire Elemental](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/fire-elemental-xmm.md) - [Fire Giant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/fire-giant-xmm.md) - [Flameskull](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/flameskull-xmm.md) - [Flesh Golem](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/flesh-golem-xmm.md) - [Flumph](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/flumph-xmm.md) - [Fomorian](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/fomorian-xmm.md) - [Frost Giant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/frost-giant-xmm.md) - [Gas Spore Fungus](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/gas-spore-fungus-xmm.md) - [Shrieker Fungus](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/shrieker-fungus-xmm.md) - [Violet Fungus](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/violet-fungus-xmm.md) - [Violet Fungus Necrohulk](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/violet-fungus-necrohulk-xmm.md) - [Galeb Duhr](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/galeb-duhr-xmm.md) - [Gargoyle](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/gargoyle-xmm.md) - [Gelatinous Cube](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/ooze/gelatinous-cube-xmm.md) - [Ghast](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/ghast-xmm.md) - [Ghast Gravecaller](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/ghast-gravecaller-xmm.md) - [Ghost](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/ghost-xmm.md) - [Ghoul](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/ghoul-xmm.md) - [Lacedon Ghoul](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/lacedon-ghoul-xmm.md) - [Gibbering Mouther](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/gibbering-mouther-xmm.md) - [Githyanki Warrior](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/githyanki-warrior-xmm.md) - [Githyanki Dracomancer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/githyanki-dracomancer-xmm.md) - [Githyanki Knight](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/githyanki-knight-xmm.md) - [Githzerai Monk](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/githzerai-monk-xmm.md) - [Githzerai Psion](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/githzerai-psion-xmm.md) - [Githzerai Zerth](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/githzerai-zerth-xmm.md) - [Glabrezu](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/glabrezu-xmm.md) - [Gladiator](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/gladiator-xmm.md) - [Gnoll Pack Lord](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/gnoll-pack-lord-xmm.md) - [Gnoll Warrior](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/gnoll-warrior-xmm.md) - [Gnoll Demoniac](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/gnoll-demoniac-xmm.md) - [Gnoll Fang of Yeenoghu](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/gnoll-fang-of-yeenoghu-xmm.md) - [Goblin Minion](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/goblin-minion-xmm.md) - [Goblin Warrior](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/goblin-warrior-xmm.md) - [Goblin Boss](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/goblin-boss-xmm.md) - [Goblin Hexer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/goblin-hexer-xmm.md) - [Gold Dragon Wyrmling](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/gold-dragon-wyrmling-xmm.md) - [Young Gold Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/young-gold-dragon-xmm.md) - [Adult Gold Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-gold-dragon-xmm.md) - [Ancient Gold Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-gold-dragon-xmm.md) - [Gorgon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/gorgon-xmm.md) - [Brazen Gorgon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/brazen-gorgon-xmm.md) - [Goristro](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/goristro-xmm.md) - [Gray Ooze](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/ooze/gray-ooze-xmm.md) - [Psychic Gray Ooze](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/ooze/psychic-gray-ooze-xmm.md) - [Green Dragon Wyrmling](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/green-dragon-wyrmling-xmm.md) - [Young Green Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/young-green-dragon-xmm.md) - [Adult Green Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-green-dragon-xmm.md) - [Ancient Green Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-green-dragon-xmm.md) - [Green Hag](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/green-hag-xmm.md) - [Grell](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/grell-xmm.md) - [Grick](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/grick-xmm.md) - [Grick Ancient](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/grick-ancient-xmm.md) - [Griffon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/griffon-xmm.md) - [Grimlock](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/grimlock-xmm.md) - [Guardian Naga](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/guardian-naga-xmm.md) - [Guard](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/guard-xmm.md) - [Guard Captain](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/guard-captain-xmm.md) - [Half-Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/half-dragon-xmm.md) - [Harpy](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/harpy-xmm.md) - [Hell Hound](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/hell-hound-xmm.md) - [Helmed Horror](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/helmed-horror-xmm.md) - [Hezrou](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/hezrou-xmm.md) - [Hill Giant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/hill-giant-xmm.md) - [Hippogriff](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/hippogriff-xmm.md) - [Hobgoblin Warrior](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/hobgoblin-warrior-xmm.md) - [Hobgoblin Captain](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/hobgoblin-captain-xmm.md) - [Hobgoblin Warlord](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/hobgoblin-warlord-xmm.md) - [Homunculus](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/homunculus-xmm.md) - [Hook Horror](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/hook-horror-xmm.md) - [Horned Devil](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/horned-devil-xmm.md) - [Hydra](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/hydra-xmm.md) - [Ice Devil](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/ice-devil-xmm.md) - [Imp](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/imp-xmm.md) - [Incubus](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/incubus-xmm.md) - [Intellect Devourer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/intellect-devourer-xmm.md) - [Invisible Stalker](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/invisible-stalker-xmm.md) - [Iron Golem](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/iron-golem-xmm.md) - [Jackalwere](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/jackalwere-xmm.md) - [Kenku](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/kenku-xmm.md) - [Knight](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/knight-xmm.md) - [Questing Knight](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/questing-knight-xmm.md) - [Kobold Warrior](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/kobold-warrior-xmm.md) - [Winged Kobold](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/winged-kobold-xmm.md) - [Kraken](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/kraken-xmm.md) - [Kuo-toa](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/kuo-toa-xmm.md) - [Kuo-toa Monitor](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/kuo-toa-monitor-xmm.md) - [Kuo-toa Whip](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/kuo-toa-whip-xmm.md) - [Kuo-toa Archpriest](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/kuo-toa-archpriest-xmm.md) - [Lamia](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/lamia-xmm.md) - [Larva](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/larva-xmm.md) - [Swarm of Larvae](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/swarm-of-larvae-xmm.md) - [Lemure](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/lemure-xmm.md) - [Swarm of Lemures](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/swarm-of-lemures-xmm.md) - [Lich](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/lich-xmm.md) - [Lizardfolk Geomancer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/lizardfolk-geomancer-xmm.md) - [Lizardfolk Sovereign](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/lizardfolk-sovereign-xmm.md) - [Mage Apprentice](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/mage-apprentice-xmm.md) - [Archmage](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/archmage-xmm.md) - [Mage](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/mage-xmm.md) - [Magmin](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/magmin-xmm.md) - [Manes](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/manes-xmm.md) - [Manes Vaporspawn](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/manes-vaporspawn-xmm.md) - [Manticore](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/manticore-xmm.md) - [Marid](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/marid-xmm.md) - [Marilith](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/marilith-xmm.md) - [Medusa](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/medusa-xmm.md) - [Dust Mephit](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/dust-mephit-xmm.md) - [Ice Mephit](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/ice-mephit-xmm.md) - [Magma Mephit](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/magma-mephit-xmm.md) - [Mud Mephit](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/mud-mephit-xmm.md) - [Smoke Mephit](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/smoke-mephit-xmm.md) - [Steam Mephit](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/steam-mephit-xmm.md) - [Merfolk Skirmisher](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/merfolk-skirmisher-xmm.md) - [Merfolk Wavebender](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/merfolk-wavebender-xmm.md) - [Merrow](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/merrow-xmm.md) - [Mezzoloth](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/mezzoloth-xmm.md) - [Mimic](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/mimic-xmm.md) - [Mind Flayer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/mind-flayer-xmm.md) - [Mind Flayer Arcanist](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/mind-flayer-arcanist-xmm.md) - [Minotaur of Baphomet](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/minotaur-of-baphomet-xmm.md) - [Modron Monodrone](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/modron-monodrone-xmm.md) - [Modron Duodrone](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/modron-duodrone-xmm.md) - [Modron Tridrone](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/modron-tridrone-xmm.md) - [Modron Pentadrone](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/modron-pentadrone-xmm.md) - [Modron Quadrone](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/modron-quadrone-xmm.md) - [Mummy](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/mummy-xmm.md) - [Mummy Lord](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/mummy-lord-xmm.md) - [Myconid Sprout](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/myconid-sprout-xmm.md) - [Myconid Adult](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/myconid-adult-xmm.md) - [Myconid Sovereign](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/myconid-sovereign-xmm.md) - [Myconid Spore Servant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/myconid-spore-servant-xmm.md) - [Nalfeshnee](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/nalfeshnee-xmm.md) - [Night Hag](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/night-hag-xmm.md) - [Nightmare](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/nightmare-xmm.md) - [Noble](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/noble-xmm.md) - [Noble Prodigy](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/noble-prodigy-xmm.md) - [Nothic](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/nothic-xmm.md) - [Nycaloth](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/nycaloth-xmm.md) - [Ochre Jelly](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/ooze/ochre-jelly-xmm.md) - [Ogre](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/ogre-xmm.md) - [Ogrillon Ogre](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/ogrillon-ogre-xmm.md) - [Oni](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/oni-xmm.md) - [Otyugh](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/otyugh-xmm.md) - [Owlbear](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/owlbear-xmm.md) - [Primeval Owlbear](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/primeval-owlbear-xmm.md) - [Pegasus](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/pegasus-xmm.md) - [Performer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/performer-xmm.md) - [Performer Legend](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/performer-legend-xmm.md) - [Performer Maestro](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/performer-maestro-xmm.md) - [Peryton](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/peryton-xmm.md) - [Phase Spider](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/phase-spider-xmm.md) - [Piercer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/piercer-xmm.md) - [Pirate](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/pirate-xmm.md) - [Pirate Admiral](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/pirate-admiral-xmm.md) - [Pirate Captain](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/pirate-captain-xmm.md) - [Pit Fiend](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/pit-fiend-xmm.md) - [Pixie](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/pixie-xmm.md) - [Pixie Wonderbringer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/pixie-wonderbringer-xmm.md) - [Planetar](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/planetar-xmm.md) - [Poltergeist](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/poltergeist-xmm.md) - [Priest Acolyte](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/priest-acolyte-xmm.md) - [Archpriest](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/archpriest-xmm.md) - [Priest](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/priest-xmm.md) - [Pseudodragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/pseudodragon-xmm.md) - [Purple Worm](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/purple-worm-xmm.md) - [Quaggoth](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/quaggoth-xmm.md) - [Quaggoth Thonot](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/quaggoth-thonot-xmm.md) - [Quasit](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/quasit-xmm.md) - [Rakshasa](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/rakshasa-xmm.md) - [Red Dragon Wyrmling](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/red-dragon-wyrmling-xmm.md) - [Young Red Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/young-red-dragon-xmm.md) - [Adult Red Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-red-dragon-xmm.md) - [Ancient Red Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-red-dragon-xmm.md) - [Remorhaz](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/remorhaz-xmm.md) - [Young Remorhaz](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/young-remorhaz-xmm.md) - [Revenant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/revenant-xmm.md) - [Graveyard Revenant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/graveyard-revenant-xmm.md) - [Haunting Revenant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/haunting-revenant-xmm.md) - [Roc](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/roc-xmm.md) - [Roper](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/roper-xmm.md) - [Rust Monster](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/rust-monster-xmm.md) - [Sahuagin Warrior](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/sahuagin-warrior-xmm.md) - [Sahuagin Baron](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/sahuagin-baron-xmm.md) - [Sahuagin Priest](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/sahuagin-priest-xmm.md) - [Salamander Fire Snake](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/salamander-fire-snake-xmm.md) - [Salamander](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/salamander-xmm.md) - [Salamander Inferno Master](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/salamander-inferno-master-xmm.md) - [Satyr](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/satyr-xmm.md) - [Satyr Revelmaster](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/satyr-revelmaster-xmm.md) - [Scarecrow](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/scarecrow-xmm.md) - [Scout](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/scout-xmm.md) - [Scout Captain](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/scout-captain-xmm.md) - [Sea Hag](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/sea-hag-xmm.md) - [Shadow](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/shadow-xmm.md) - [Shadow Demon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/shadow-demon-xmm.md) - [Juvenile Shadow Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/juvenile-shadow-dragon-xmm.md) - [Shadow Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/shadow-dragon-xmm.md) - [Shambling Mound](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/shambling-mound-xmm.md) - [Shield Guardian](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/shield-guardian-xmm.md) - [Silver Dragon Wyrmling](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/silver-dragon-wyrmling-xmm.md) - [Young Silver Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/young-silver-dragon-xmm.md) - [Adult Silver Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-silver-dragon-xmm.md) - [Ancient Silver Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-silver-dragon-xmm.md) - [Skeleton](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/skeleton-xmm.md) - [Warhorse Skeleton](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/warhorse-skeleton-xmm.md) - [Flaming Skeleton](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/flaming-skeleton-xmm.md) - [Minotaur Skeleton](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/minotaur-skeleton-xmm.md) - [Slaad Tadpole](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/slaad-tadpole-xmm.md) - [Blue Slaad](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/blue-slaad-xmm.md) - [Red Slaad](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/red-slaad-xmm.md) - [Gray Slaad](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/gray-slaad-xmm.md) - [Green Slaad](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/green-slaad-xmm.md) - [Death Slaad](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/death-slaad-xmm.md) - [Solar](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/solar-xmm.md) - [Spectator](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/aberration/spectator-xmm.md) - [Specter](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/specter-xmm.md) - [Sphinx of Wonder](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/sphinx-of-wonder-xmm.md) - [Sphinx of Secrets](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/sphinx-of-secrets-xmm.md) - [Sphinx of Lore](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/sphinx-of-lore-xmm.md) - [Sphinx of Valor](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/sphinx-of-valor-xmm.md) - [Spy](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/spy-xmm.md) - [Spy Master](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/spy-master-xmm.md) - [Spined Devil](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/spined-devil-xmm.md) - [Spirit Naga](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/spirit-naga-xmm.md) - [Sprite](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/sprite-xmm.md) - [Stirge](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/stirge-xmm.md) - [Swarm of Stirges](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/swarm-of-stirges-xmm.md) - [Stone Giant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/stone-giant-xmm.md) - [Stone Golem](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/stone-golem-xmm.md) - [Storm Giant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/storm-giant-xmm.md) - [Succubus](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/succubus-xmm.md) - [Tarrasque](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/tarrasque-xmm.md) - [Thri-kreen Marauder](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/thri-kreen-marauder-xmm.md) - [Thri-kreen Psion](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/thri-kreen-psion-xmm.md) - [Tough](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/tough-xmm.md) - [Tough Boss](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/tough-boss-xmm.md) - [Treant](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/plant/treant-xmm.md) - [Troglodyte](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/troglodyte-xmm.md) - [Troll](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/troll-xmm.md) - [Troll Limb](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/giant/troll-limb-xmm.md) - [Ultroloth](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/ultroloth-xmm.md) - [Umber Hulk](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/umber-hulk-xmm.md) - [Unicorn](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/celestial/unicorn-xmm.md) - [Vampire Familiar](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/vampire-familiar-xmm.md) - [Vampire Spawn](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/vampire-spawn-xmm.md) - [Vampire Nightbringer](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/vampire-nightbringer-xmm.md) - [Vampire](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/vampire-xmm.md) - [Vampire Umbral Lord](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/vampire-umbral-lord-xmm.md) - [Vrock](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/vrock-xmm.md) - [Warrior Infantry](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/warrior-infantry-xmm.md) - [Warrior Veteran](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/warrior-veteran-xmm.md) - [Warrior Commander](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/warrior-commander-xmm.md) - [Water Elemental](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/water-elemental-xmm.md) - [Water Weird](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/water-weird-xmm.md) - [Werebear](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/werebear-xmm.md) - [Wereboar](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/wereboar-xmm.md) - [Wererat](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/wererat-xmm.md) - [Weretiger](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/weretiger-xmm.md) - [Werewolf](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/werewolf-xmm.md) - [White Dragon Wyrmling](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/white-dragon-wyrmling-xmm.md) - [Young White Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/young-white-dragon-xmm.md) - [Adult White Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-white-dragon-xmm.md) - [Ancient White Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-white-dragon-xmm.md) - [Wight](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/wight-xmm.md) - [Will-o'-Wisp](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/will-o-wisp-xmm.md) - [Winter Wolf](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/winter-wolf-xmm.md) - [Dire Worg](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/dire-worg-xmm.md) - [Worg](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fey/worg-xmm.md) - [Wraith](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/wraith-xmm.md) - [Wyvern](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/wyvern-xmm.md) - [Xorn](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/elemental/xorn-xmm.md) - [Yeti](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/yeti-xmm.md) - [Abominable Yeti](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/abominable-yeti-xmm.md) - [Yochlol](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/fiend/yochlol-xmm.md) - [Yuan-ti Infiltrator](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/yuan-ti-infiltrator-xmm.md) - [Yuan-ti Malison (Type 1)](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/yuan-ti-malison-type-1-xmm.md) - [Yuan-ti Malison (Type 2)](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/yuan-ti-malison-type-2-xmm.md) - [Yuan-ti Malison (Type 3)](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/yuan-ti-malison-type-3-xmm.md) - [Yuan-ti Abomination](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/yuan-ti-abomination-xmm.md) - [Ogre Zombie](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/ogre-zombie-xmm.md) - [Zombie](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/zombie-xmm.md) - [Beholder Zombie](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/beholder-zombie-xmm.md) ## Monsters (A) ### Aarakocra **Aarakocra.** *Winged Guardians of the Sky* - **Habitat.** Mountain, Planar (Elemental Plane of Air) - **Treasure.** Implements, Individual Aarakocra are birdlike folk who soar the skies of countless worlds and the endless expanses of the Elemental Plane of Air. They often resemble avians common to the lands where they dwell; some resemble hawks or condors, while others appear similar to hummingbirds or archaeopteryxes. In many lands, aarakocra tell of their ancient heroics resisting the wicked Queen of Chaos alongside the mysterious Wind Dukes of Aaqa. > [!embed-monster]- Aarakocra Aeromancer >  > [!embed-monster]- Aarakocra Skirmisher >   ### Aboleth **Aboleth.** *Ageless Alien Mastermind* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Underwater - **Treasure.** Relics In aquatic abysses, aboleths dream of dead empires and orchestrate plots that unfold across ages. These elusive, amphibious immortals physically and mentally overwhelm their victims and transform creatures with a slimy, aberrant infection, reshaping other beings to serve them beneath the waves. Aboleths possess terrifying intellects and have alien mindsets. These creatures possess perfect memories of proto-worlds and incomprehensible dominions from the multiverse's earliest eons. Their secrets are innumerable and unfathomable. Aboleths lurk in places awash in primordial mysteries: the ruins of aquatic empires, hidden magical nexuses, or weak places between planes of existence. In these lairs, aboleths dream of epochs past, collect throngs of psychically dominated servants, consume the minds of unwitting victims, and prepare for their return to power. Aboleths' alien goals and methods are often mysterious to other creatures. Roll on or choose a result from the Aboleth Schemes table to inspire an aboleth's schemes. > [!quote] A quote from Evard > > The lies we call reason are fragile things, vulnerable and raw on the shores of eons. But in the dream-vaults of dread ancients roil seas of terrifying truth. Our age is an island, and the ebb of primordial tides avows the Stygian wave. **Aboleth Schemes** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^aboleth-schemes)` | dice: 1d6 | The Aboleth Seeks To... | |-----------|-------------------------| | 1 | Accomplish incomprehensible plans that lead it to act in seemingly random ways. | | 2 | Learn more of the world by kidnapping people and consuming their minds. | | 3 | Manipulate innocents into worshiping it as a god by using its telepathy from hiding. | | 4 | Open a gate to the distant past or future, releasing an invasion from another time. | | 5 | Rouse a dragon turtle, a kraken, or another sea monster to flood a coastal city. | | 6 | Trick treasure hunters into recovering relics from its long-fallen empire. | ^aboleth-schemes **Aboleth Lairs.** Aboleths usually dwell in submerged ruins and caverns. They keep air-filled spaces for their terrestrial servants and to hold treasures that would be damaged by water.  > [!embed-monster]- Aboleth >  ### Air Elemental **Air Elemental.** *Primal Spirit of Wind and Storm* - **Habitat.** Desert, Mountain, Planar (Elemental Plane of Air) - **Treasure.** None Energetic spirits from the Elemental Plane of Air, air elementals gather clouds and winds into ever-changing bodies with indistinct limbs and vague features. Beyond their home plane, these elementals might serve magic-users who conjure them, or they might congregate around nexuses of unbridled planar energy, such as wind-scoured mountain peaks or endless storms. In battle, air elementals batter enemies with powerful gusts or transform into whirlwinds to fling away foes. Air elementals often have distinctive compositions. Roll on or choose a result from the Air Elemental Compositions table to inspire the elemental's appearance. > [!quote] A quote from Husam, Son of the Breezes, Ruler of Djinn > > What can withstand the storm's scream? The lightning's spear? The want of sweet breath? Air is the mightiest of elements—respect its power. **Air Elemental Compositions** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^air-elemental-compositions)` | dice: 1d6 | The Air Elemental's Body Features... | |-----------|--------------------------------------| | 1 | Cumulus or cirrus clouds. | | 2 | A mixture of vibrantly colored gases. | | 3 | A pungent, sour-looking miasma | | 4 | Shifting cloud clusters that resemble animals and simple shapes. | | 5 | Sinister features obscured in a misty mass. | | 6 | Swirling storm clouds. | ^air-elemental-compositions  > [!embed-monster]- Air Elemental >  ### Animal Lord **Animal Lord.** *Immortal Regent of the Wild* - **Habitat.** Planar (Beastlands) - **Treasure.** Relics Animal lords are the immortal spirits of legendary animals. They serve as the divine protectors of animals of their kind, and they appear as hybrids of humanoids and the animals they defend. They frequently change into giant, idealized versions of the animals they're associated with—albeit with glowing eyes. When contending with people, they sometimes appear as humanlike beings with subtle, animal-like features. No matter their appearance, animal lords exhibit the instincts and predilections of the animals they represent, tempered by their intellect and experience. Most animal lords make their homes in the Beastlands, but they occasionally journey to the Feywild or other idyllic realms. They rarely travel to the Material Plane, making exceptions only when a world faces environmental disaster or droves of animals are otherwise in jeopardy. Among the best-known animal lords are those that represent cats, hawks, lizards, and wolves, but animal lords exist for beasts of all types. Some animal lords even embody creatures that are rare or extinct on Material Plane worlds, like megafauna or dinosaurs. Using their divine might, animal lords can summon spectral animals, channel spiritual energy, and exhibit powers associated with one of three broad groups: foragers, hunters, or sages. These powers are tied to an animal lord's personality and traits associated with the creature it resembles. Roll on or choose results from the relevant Animal Lord Appearances table to inspire what creature an animal lord resembles. > [!quote] A quote from Brother of Shadows, Cat Lord > > While I don't deny the compliment, I assure you, I'm more akin to a god than a "pretty kitty." > [!quote] A quote from Wind and Moon, Wolf Lord > > You call yourself hunter, but your fear makes you smell like prey. **Forager Animal Lord Appearances** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^forager-animal-lord-appearances)` | dice: 1d10 | Bestial Shape | |------------|---------------| | 1 | Bear | | 2 | Bee | | 3 | Bison | | 4 | Capybara | | 5 | Carp | | 6 | Rabbit | | 7 | Rooster | | 8 | Sloth | | 9 | Stag | | 10 | Vulture | ^forager-animal-lord-appearances **Hunter Animal Lord Appearances** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^hunter-animal-lord-appearances)` | dice: 1d10 | Bestial Shape | |------------|---------------| | 1 | Alligator | | 2 | Badger | | 3 | Bat | | 4 | Cat | | 5 | Hawk | | 6 | Mongoose | | 7 | Praying mantis | | 8 | Shark | | 9 | Snake | | 10 | Wolf | ^hunter-animal-lord-appearances **Sage Animal Lord Appearances** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^sage-animal-lord-appearances)` | dice: 1d10 | Bestial Shape | |------------|---------------| | 1 | Coyote | | 2 | Crow | | 3 | Elephant | | 4 | Lizard | | 5 | Mouse | | 6 | Owl | | 7 | Salmon | | 8 | Spider | | 9 | Turtle | | 10 | Whale | ^sage-animal-lord-appearances  > [!embed-monster]- Animal Lord >  ### Animated Objects **Animated Objects.** *Mundane Objects Come to Life* - **Habitat.** Urban - **Treasure.** None Magic can manipulate mundane items, compelling them to perform simple tasks. Such animate objects might be unassuming tools or decorations that can defend their creator. These objects follow simple instructions from whatever force or magic-user created them. If left unattended, they might defend an area for ages or repeat a task until they wear out. Roll on or choose a result from the Animated Object Catalysts table to inspire what sort of magic motivates an ambulatory item. > [!quote] A quote from Levity Quickstitch, Rogue > > Lyin' next to the chest were the bones of Cap'n Scornblade himself, still clutchin' his rusty sword. Imagine my surprise when the blade flew from his bony grasp! Still got the scar. **Animated Object Catalysts** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^animated-object-catalysts)` | dice: 1d10 | The Object Was Animated By... | |------------|-------------------------------| | 1 | A Celestial or Fiend using the object to protect or torment a mortal. | | 2 | A combination of magic and technology, such as alchemy or alien science. | | 3 | The essence of someone transformed by a supernatural trickster. | | 4 | Fey as part of their games or wiles. | | 5 | Happenstance, with the item gaining a semblance of life after a hundred years of use. | | 6 | A magic-user in need of a guardian or servant. | | 7 | The song of a magical instrument. | | 8 | A spirit possessing the object. | | 9 | Wild magic, a spell that went awry, or a chaotic Artifact. | | 10 | The will of a powerful psychic being. | ^animated-object-catalysts  > [!embed-monster]- Animated Armor >  > [!embed-monster]- Animated Broom >  > [!embed-monster]- Animated Flying Sword >  > [!embed-monster]- Animated Rug of Smothering >  ### Ankheg **Ankheg.** *Burrowing Insectile Predator* - **Habitat.** Forest, Grassland - **Treasure.** None Oversize insects, ankhegs burrow close to the surface, creating sprawling underground labyrinths. From these tunnels, they burst forth to dissolve and devour smaller creatures using their acid-dripping mandibles and sprays of digestive enzymes. Ankhegs are the bane of farmers whose grazing livestock are easy prey for these monsters. Many ankhegs hunt alone, but those in places with ample food might collect in nests of several dozen and threaten whole towns. Ankheg nests can be challenging to wipe out unless the monsters' tunnels are cleared out and their eggs destroyed. Ankheg tunnels are roughly cylindrical and are often littered with the remains of ankhegs' meals and subterranean treasures. Roll on or choose a result from the Ankheg Tunnel Discoveries table to inspire what might be found in an ankheg's tunnel. > [!quote] A quote from Feil Jenkins, Sage of Kirwak > > Though they feed on things under the soil, ankhegs prefer live meat—your cattle, your dogs, or you. **Ankheg Tunnel Discoveries** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^ankheg-tunnel-discoveries)` | dice: 1d8 | Inside the Ankheg Tunnel Is... | |-----------|--------------------------------| | 1 | Another tunnel (either natural or of worked stone) that extends into the Underdark. | | 2 | A buried ruin or grave exposed by the tunnel. | | 3 | A cluster of `d4` fresh ankheg eggs that can be broken and used as vials of Acid. | | 4 | A dead ankheg and evidence of a deadlier subterranean predator. | | 5 | A piece of ankheg carapace usable as a Shield. | | 6 | A pouch with `2d6` GP near a puddle of acid. | | 7 | A stray farm or woodland animal. | | 8 | A viciously mauled scarecrow. | ^ankheg-tunnel-discoveries  > [!embed-monster]- Ankheg >   ### Arcanaloth **Arcanaloth.** *Yugoloth of Magical Manipulation* - **Habitat.** Planar (Lower Planes) - **Treasure.** Arcana While all yugoloths are fiendish manifestations of wickedness and greed, arcanaloths bend their considerable intellects toward hoarding and exploiting secrets. They then deploy these secrets to ensnare countless victims and lesser villains, beguiling foes with false promises and powerful magic. Arcanaloths possess considerable spellcasting prowess and frequently disguise themselves with magic. While they prefer to let magical servants or other yugoloths do their fighting for them, arcanaloths can defend themselves with arcane might, banishing opponents into the pages of their magic tomes. > [!embed-monster]- Arcanaloth >  ### Arch-hag **Arch-hag.** *Hag of Forbidden Secrets and Magical Malice* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Arcana Immortal and unpredictable, arch-hags hoard secrets and strike magical bargains, altering fate to indulge their fickle whims. These timeless schemers pursue the secrets of the multiverse and work strange magic in pursuit of their inscrutable goals. Arch-hags are unpredictable, self-interested, and greedy, with bizarre fascinations and affectations. Nevertheless, they often make deals to further their plots. These hags are fonts of secret knowledge, particularly lore regarding forbidden magic and multiversal secrets. They might share their knowledge, but their secrets always have a price. In trade for their secrets, arch-hags might request peculiar errands, valuable magic items, or preternatural currency, like one's memories, a year of one's life, or the ability to cry. Most arch-hags avoid battle, but if forced to fight, they unleash dangerous magic, such as spectral claws, arcing lightning, and mind-bending spells. An arch-hag can curse other magic-users, confounding the spellcasters' incantations and forcing the spellcasters to say the opposite of what they mean. Even if an arch-hag is brought low, its preparations allow it to magically slip away and begin plotting its revenge. Every arch-hag has a unique weakness tied to a fateful encounter the hag had in the past or something that embodies the antithesis of the hag's magic. A hag goes out of its way to keep this vulnerability secret. Although an arch-hag isn't physically harmed by its weakness, it can be destroyed only while its weakness is nearby. Roll on or choose a result from the Arch-hag Anathemas table to inspire an arch-hag's weakness. > [!quote] A quote from Baba Yaga, Mother of Witches > > Heh! People who know too much grow old before their time. Ask me your questions, but be certain that every secret has its cost. **Arch-hag Anathemas** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^arch-hag-anathemas)` | dice: 1d10 | The Arch-hag's Weakness Is... | |------------|-------------------------------| | 1 | The bones of the arch-hag's first love. | | 2 | A devil's tear. | | 3 | An egg with a miniature castle inside. | | 4 | A flower that blooms only when time stops. | | 5 | A gift from the hag's twin. | | 6 | The multiverse's worst pun. | | 7 | One of the hag's missing teeth. | | 8 | Snow from the top of Mount Celestia. | | 9 | A star pulled from the sky. | | 10 | A thread from the Lady of Pain's robes. | ^arch-hag-anathemas **Arch-hag Lairs.** Each arch-hag creates a magical home, such as a hidden demiplane, a mansion atop a storm cloud, or—in the case of the arch-hag Baba Yaga—a hut atop giant chicken legs. The interiors of these lairs frequently change or exhibit bewildering features.  > [!embed-monster]- Arch-hag >  ### Assassin **Assassin.** *Contract Killer* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Implements, Individual Assassins are professional killers skilled at stealthily approaching their victims and striking unseen. Most assassins kill for a reason, perhaps hiring themselves out to wealthy patrons or slaying for an unscrupulous cause. They use poisons and other deadly tools, and they might carry equipment to help them break into secure areas or avoid capture. Many assassins adhere to a professional code or exhibit some signature quirk. Roll on or choose a result from the Assassin Modus Operandi table to inspire an assassin's distinctive habits. **Assassin Modus Operandi** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^assassin-modus-operandi)` | dice: 1d6 | The Assassin Is Infamous For... | |-----------|---------------------------------| | 1 | Arranging their victims in artful tableaux. | | 2 | Hiding within large objects, such as suits of armor or hollow furnishings. | | 3 | Leaving behind a signature item, such as a calling card, flower, seashell, or tooth. | | 4 | Posing as celebrities, holy people, or servants. | | 5 | Taking trophies from their victims. | | 6 | Using poison with a distinctive color or smell. | ^assassin-modus-operandi  > [!embed-monster]- Assassin >  ### Awakened Plants **Awakened Plants.** *Vegetation Given Magical Life* - **Habitat.** Forest - **Treasure.** None Magic can invest plants with mobility, sapience, and even a voice. Spells such as [Awaken](Mechanics/CLI/spells/awaken-xphb.md) or the influence of other planes of existence might bring mundane vegetation to life, while other remarkable plants might naturally have these features. > [!quote] A quote from Rivergleam, Pixie > > Just because we protect the forest doesn't mean it's defenseless.  > [!embed-monster]- Awakened Shrub >  > [!embed-monster]- Awakened Tree >  ### Axe Beaks **Axe Beaks.** *Flightless Avian Predators* - **Habitat.** Arctic, Grassland, Hill - **Treasure.** None Axe beaks are flightless, birdlike creatures with distinctive axe-shaped beaks. Swift predators, they chase down prey and use their beaks to hack through foliage protecting their quarry. Axe beaks live in varied environments. Colorfully plumed axe beaks race across tropical plains, while axe beaks with snowy feathers hunt the tundra. Axe beaks are difficult to train, but those hatched and raised in captivity can become reliable mounts. > [!quote] A quote from Batley Summerfoot, Adventurer > > The thing's got an axe for a face and a giant, angry rooster for everything else—of course I want to ride it!  > [!embed-monster]- Axe Beak >  > [!embed-monster]- Giant Axe Beak >  ### Azers **Azers.** *Fiery Smiths of Living Metal* - **Habitat.** Mountain, Planar (Elemental Plane of Fire) - **Treasure.** Armaments, Individual Azers are living bronze folk who work the primal elements of creation to craft weapons and magical wonders among the multiverse's mightiest infernos. > [!embed-monster]- Azer Pyromancer >   > [!embed-monster]- Azer Sentinel >  ## Monsters (B) ### Balor **Balor.** *Demon of Overwhelming Rage* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** Armaments Balors embody demons' ruinous fury and hatred. Towering, winged terrors, these demonic warlords seethe with wrath, their rage erupting in waves of fire and as a pair of vicious weapons: a sword of crackling lightning and a whip of lashing flames. A balor's fury persists until the moment of its demise, at which point it explodes—a last act of vengeance against those who slew it. Demon lords and evil gods harness balors' rage by making balors commanders of armies or guardians of grave secrets.  > [!embed-monster]- Balor >  ### Bandits **Bandits.** *Criminals and Scoundrels* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Any Bandits use the threat of violence to take what they want. Such criminals include gang members, desperadoes, and lawless mercenaries. Yet not all bandits are motivated by greed. Some are driven to lives of crime by unjust laws, desperation, or the threats of merciless leaders. Roll on or choose a result from the Bandit Motivations table to determine the circumstances behind a bandit's crimes. > [!quote] A quote from Jarlaxle > > I am he who rules the world, don't you know? One little piece at a time. **Bandit Motivations** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^bandit-motivations)` | dice: 1d6 | The Bandit... | |-----------|---------------| | 1 | Fights only oppressors. | | 2 | Is an ex-soldier who was discarded by their nation and now takes what they were promised. | | 3 | Is in a gang that views nonmembers as foes. | | 4 | Hesitantly serves a villainous leader. | | 5 | Secretly works for a government or a regional ruler to sow chaos. | | 6 | Takes what they need to survive. | ^bandit-motivations  > [!embed-monster]- Bandit >  > [!embed-monster]- Bandit Captain >  > [!embed-monster]- Bandit Deceiver >  > [!embed-monster]- Bandit Crime Lord >  ### Banshee **Banshee.** *Wailing Harbinger of Death* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Relics Heralds of doom and plagues on the living, banshees are spirits obsessed by unresolved bitterness or sorrow. These storied phantoms slay any who glimpse them or hear their baleful wails. Although any tormented soul can arise as a banshee, some elven communities particularly fear them and believe that those who hoard or destroy beauty—natural or otherwise—risk returning as a banshee. All manner of torments might give rise to a banshee. Roll on or choose a result from the Banshee Sorrows table to inspire how a banshee's torment influences its behavior. **Banshee Sorrows** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^banshee-sorrows)` | dice: 1d6 | Torment Compels the Banshee To... | |-----------|-----------------------------------| | 1 | Appear prior to a family member's death. | | 2 | Haunt the site where it was executed. | | 3 | Lament a lost love and haunt their grave. | | 4 | Presage a disaster or tragedy. | | 5 | Seek the return of a stolen treasure. | | 6 | Slay those more beautiful than it was in life. | ^banshee-sorrows  > [!embed-monster]- Banshee >  ### Barbed Devil **Barbed Devil.** *Devil of Greed and Obsession* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells) - **Treasure.** Any Infernal collectors, barbed devils fanatically protect troves of treasure and scour the planes of existence for additions to their hoards. Also known as hamatulas among the ranks of the Nine Hells, these devils bedeck their barbed hides with their most prized possessions and trophies taken from those who failed to steal from them. When threatened, barbed devils strike with their thorny limbs and hurl infernal flame. Barbed devils often serve as guards and accountants for ice devil generals, pit fiend warlords, archdevils, and similarly powerful villains. In return, barbed devils gain protection for their own collections. Many barbed devils also maintain networks of imps that search the planes for treasures of interest or usefully greedy mortals. Barbed devils rarely collect anything as prosaic as coins and gems. Rather, they pride themselves on having the multiverse's greatest collection of one kind of thing—typically items of rare pedigree or emblems of power. Barbed devils refuse to steal what they covet; instead they strike bargains to claim both treasure and mortal souls.  > [!embed-monster]- Barbed Devil >  ### Barlgura **Barlgura.** *Demon of Instinct and Primal Violence* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** Any Barlguras are demons that embody brutality and killer instincts. They ruthlessly hunt creatures that enter their territories, whether such places are Abyssal wildernesses or locations where these demons have been conjured by wicked magic-users. Barlguras litter their territories with fiendish icons and terrifying evidence of their kills. Barlguras cooperate with other demons, particularly other barlguras, so long as they have ample prey. Should a region be depleted of creatures to slaughter, these demons turn on one another in frays that can devastate vast expanses. Barlguras vary in appearance, but all have powerful frames and hands capable of climbing swiftly and delivering crushing blows. If brute force isn't enough to overwhelm their foes, barlguras can use demonic magic to conjure terrifying illusions and grasping vines. Most barlguras resemble nightmarish apes, and some bear exaggerated versions of features of predators common to the lands the barlguras inhabit. Many embed trophies from past hunts in their demonic bodies.  > [!embed-monster]- Barlgura >  ### Basilisk **Basilisk.** *Reptilian Guardian with a Petrifying Gaze* - **Habitat.** Mountain, Underdark - **Treasure.** Any Basilisks are ponderous predators with eight clawed legs, crystalline spines, and mighty jaws. Rather than chasing prey, they use their supernatural gaze to turn creatures to stone and then consume these victims at their leisure. While basilisks are most comfortable in subterranean lairs, many are captured and kept by unscrupulous folk seeking guardians for their treasures. The remains of [Petrified](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Petrified) creatures litter the area where a basilisk hunts. These might be mundane creatures or more unusual beings that had dire encounters with a basilisk. Roll on or choose a result from the [Petrified](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Petrified) Basilisk Victims table to inspire the statues that might appear in a basilisk's hunting grounds. There is a 50 percent chance that any of these statues are missing limbs or broken into pieces. > [!quote] A quote from X the Mystic's > > Rule 4: No one carves statues of frightened warriors. If you see one, keep your eyes closed and your ears open. **Petrified Basilisk Victims** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^petrified-basilisk-victims)` | dice: 1d8 | A Basilisk Used Its Gaze to Petrify... | |-----------|----------------------------------------| | 1 | An adventurer with an ornate key hanging around their neck. | | 2 | Animals like bats, bears, deer, or goats. | | 3 | A climber clinging to a stalactite. | | 4 | Itself using a large mirror or shiny surface. | | 5 | A mimic disguised as a chest full of treasure. | | 6 | A monster such as an umber hulk or a troglodyte. | | 7 | Someone caught in a comic pose or making a regrettable face. | | 8 | A victim now being used as a nest for insects or other vermin. | ^petrified-basilisk-victims  > [!embed-monster]- Basilisk >  ### Bearded Devil **Bearded Devil.** *Devil of Force and Intimidation* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells) - **Treasure.** Armaments Bearded devils, also known as barbazus, fill the legions of the Nine Hells. These cruel soldiers follow the orders of diabolical generals as they defend infernal realms, invade Material Plane worlds, and clash against demons in planes-spanning conflicts. Left to their own devices, bearded devils encourage mortals to act callously and abuse their power, inflating their egos and inspiring petty tyrannies. Villains aligned with the Nine Hells call on bearded devils to serve as guardians, enforce their will, or fight in wicked armies. Bearded devils' eponymous beards consist of grotesque, tentacle-like growths. These squirming, barb-riddled beards carry poison capable of preventing magical healing. Bearded devils are also known for their distinctive glaives, through which they channel hellish energy. Those struck by these unnatural weapons suffer infernal wounds that grow worse until stanched or magically healed.  > [!embed-monster]- Bearded Devil >   ### Behir **Behir.** *Lightning-Spewing Glutton* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Any Twelve-legged, reptilian predators, behirs endlessly hunt for their next meal. Their short legs propel them quickly across floors and walls. Any prey that behirs can't chase down, they blast with breaths of powerful lightning. Legends claim the first behirs were magically created by storm giants during an ancient, multiversal conflict between giants and dragons. The giants used their mastery of weather to alter the essence of blue dragons. The results were the first behirs, which served as hunters with a particular taste for dragon eggs. Behirs live in sprawling cave systems and elaborate ruins where they can make the most of their exceptional mobility. They are mindful of areas where dragons dwell, as most dragons view behirs as dangerous abominations and attack them on sight. Nevertheless, behirs occasionally hunt for dragon lairs in the hope of finding and devouring unhatched dragon eggs. > [!quote] A quote from Lludd, Behir > > You wouldn't believe all the great stuff I've swallowed! Now just climb on in here, and you can keep whatever you find. > [!embed-monster]- Behir >  ### Beholder **Beholder.** *Infamous Many-Eyed Tyrant* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Arcana Beholders—also known as eye tyrants—number among the most notorious inhabitants of the Underdark. Few creatures in the multiverse are as loathed and feared as these maniacal horrors. A beholder's distinctive, globular body is dominated by an oversize maw and a gigantic central eye. Ten stalks ending in smaller eyes crown its form. From each of these eleven eyes, a beholder can unleash a different magic power. The central eye can deactivate magic, while the smaller eyes emit rays that inflict various dooms—such as petrifying creatures, disintegrating them, slaying them outright, or other effects. Beholders possess utterly alien minds. Most exhibit paranoid, narcissistic, and megalomaniacal tendencies, and they act on agendas beyond human reasoning. While some keep to themselves, others force weaker creatures into their service. Still others cultivate grand ambitions, creating networks of minions to manipulate groups, settlements, and whole nations in the Underdark and sometimes the surface world. Few creatures loathe beholders more than other beholders. Every beholder views itself as the physical and intellectual pinnacle of its species. To them, all other beholders are aberrant rivals to be dominated or destroyed. Conflicts between beholders can last for decades and lay waste to vast subterranean realms. Beholders are a particular threat to adventurers because both gravitate toward mysterious ruins and sites of great magic. Many beholders collect the magic items and [petrified](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Petrified) bodies of heroes they've defeated, displaying them as trophies. **Beholder Lairs.** Beholders lurk in cavern complexes they've carved using their eye rays deep in the Underdark or in lairs created for them by their servants.  > [!embed-monster]- Beholder >  ### Berserkers **Berserkers.** *Raging Invaders and Impassioned Warriors* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Armaments, Individual Gripped by the adrenaline of battle, berserkers are reckless invaders, pit fighters, and other ferocious warriors. > [!embed-monster]- Berserker Commander >  > [!embed-monster]- Berserker >   ### Black Dragons **Black Dragons.** *Dragons of Decay and Despair* - **Habitat.** Swamp - **Treasure.** Relics Black dragons delight in suffering and ruin. While other chromatic dragons scheme for power and wealth, these dragons seek to tear down all they see and rule over what remains. Black dragons are terrifying creatures with curved horns and withered visages suggestive of fiendish skulls. They typically inhabit stagnant swamps, crumbling ruins, or places of magical or environmental corruption. Their acid breath scars their domains, eroding the features from ancient statues and leaving nature with festering wounds. Black dragons hoard tarnished symbols of hope and relics of fallen empires. The more sought-after the treasure, the more black dragons prize it—particularly if they were responsible for it being lost. **Black Dragon Lairs.** Black dragons lurk in dismal ruins, polluted bogs, or other sites gripped by decay. > [!embed-monster]- Black Dragon Wyrmling >   > [!embed-monster]- Young Black Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Adult Black Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Ancient Black Dragon >  ### Black Pudding **Black Pudding.** *Divisible, Corrosive Blob* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Black puddings are shapeless masses of predatory cells. Once a pudding detects organic matter, it oozes toward its prey, dissolving living matter and various objects. If a black pudding is split by lightning or slashing attacks, it divides into two smaller, independent puddings. Various supernatural conditions might bring black puddings into being. Roll on or choose a result from the Black Pudding Sources table to inspire a pudding's origins. **Black Pudding Sources** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^black-pudding-sources)` | dice: 1d6 | The Black Pudding Formed From... | |-----------|----------------------------------| | 1 | An ancient black dragon's acidic saliva. | | 2 | The blood or extreme emotions of a foul deity. | | 3 | Cosmic entropy or ruinous planar forces. | | 4 | A curse that transformed a forgotten tyrant. | | 5 | Forbidden or industrialized magic. | | 6 | Necrotic material animated by aimless spirits. | ^black-pudding-sources  > [!embed-monster]- Black Pudding >  ### Blights **Blights.** *Plants Sprouted from Evil* - **Habitat.** Forest - **Treasure.** None Blights are malicious plants that sprout from deep-rooted evil. Their gnarled forms twist with fearsome features suggestive of human limbs and vicious maws. Blights lurk in ambush amid mundane vegetation and lash out at non-Plant creatures. While blights can act independently, they're usually motivated by whatever sinister forces spawned them or by wicked creatures with control over nature. The magic that creates blights often affects other vegetation as well, causing brambles, vines, and gnarled trees to overwhelm roads and fields, choke wells and streams, and force animals from their natural habitat. This might make blights the first sign of an oncoming wave of corruption. > [!quote] A quote from Belak the Outcast, Druid of the Twilight Grove > > It lives, though it looks dead. In an age long past, someone staked a vampire to the earth on this very spot. The wooden stake was yet green and took root. And so grew the Gulthias Tree, reverberating with primal power.  > [!embed-monster]- Twig Blight >  > [!embed-monster]- Needle Blight >   > [!embed-monster]- Vine Blight >  > [!embed-monster]- Tree Blight >   > [!embed-monster]- Gulthias Blight >  ### Blink Dog **Blink Dog.** *Elusive Feywild Canine* - **Habitat.** Forest, Planar (Feywild) - **Treasure.** None Blink dogs glimmer with a magic that allows them to teleport, "blinking" from one spot to another. These dogs use this power to chase prey, baffle foes, and express joy. They're frequently found among Feywild folk, such as centaurs and pixies—often as members of rollicking hunts between worlds.  > [!embed-monster]- Blink Dog >  ### Blob of Annihilation **Blob of Annihilation.** *All-Consuming Cosmic Entropy Unleashed* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Any The blob of annihilation is a coagulation of cosmic entropy conjoined to the remains of dead gods. This malicious entity drifts through Wildspace and multiversal expanses inimical to life—vast regions where the chance of encountering it is low. The blob poses the greatest threat when disasters or nihilistic magic-users summon it to inhabited realms. Once unleashed, the blob of annihilation rolls across the land in vast, cosmic gyres, with fragments of the blob splitting off to engulf targets. The blob consumes anything it encounters, sweeping forests, villages, and fortresses into its mass. Within the blob is an expanse without air or gravity where entropic forces destroy whatever they engulf. Nothing can survive within for long. Only magic items and the corpses of gods and titans can endure inside the blob. Because of that fact, treasure hunters and theologians sometimes give themselves the deadly task of trying to retrieve something from within the blob. This quest usually ends in annihilation, but occasionally it results in the find of a lifetime. When the blob appears, roll on or choose a result from the Blob of Annihilation Contents table to inspire what extraordinary thing remains within its goop. > [!quote] A quote from Vi, Artificer of Eberron > > Honey, I've seen horrors that would make you shit your drawers and reach for the nearest drink. And then there's the blob of annihilation. If you see it, run. And if you can't get away from it, just hope you dissolve fast. **Blob of Annihilation Contents** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^blob-of-annihilation-contents)` | dice: 1d10 | The Blob Contains... | |------------|----------------------| | 1 | An [Amulet of the Planes](Mechanics/CLI/items/amulet-of-the-planes-xdmg.md). | | 2 | An Artifact of the DM's choice. | | 3 | The corpses of two gods who were entangled in battle when the blob consumed them. | | 4 | A Cubic Gate. | | 5 | A [Deck of Many Things](Mechanics/CLI/items/deck-of-many-things-xdmg.md). | | 6 | A magic key that opens a door in Sigil that no other key and no spell can open. | | 7 | The preserved corpse of an empyrean. | | 8 | The remains of half a kraken. | | 9 | The skull of a death god. | | 10 | A tarrasque that just died. | ^blob-of-annihilation-contents  > [!embed-monster]- Blob of Annihilation >  ### Blue Dragons **Blue Dragons.** *Dragons of Tyranny and Tempests* - **Habitat.** Desert - **Treasure.** Relics Arrogant and imperious, blue dragons are chromatic dragons that crave control and collect followers like other dragons hoard treasure. They seek to transform their territories into empires, domains to be feared by nations. Blue dragons have sharp features with piercing horns and scales that range from sapphire to the shades of stormy skies. They dwell in deserts and badlands, particularly regions with dramatic spires from whose tops they might see for miles. They seek lairs near sites of symbolic power, such as the abandoned fortresses of giants, the colossi of fallen empires, or monuments raised by their followers. Regalia of rulership and artistic masterpieces fill blue dragons' hoards. These dragons have no interest in treasures that are common or flawed, preferring one-of-a-kind gemstones, the crowns of fallen royals, and magic items capable of spreading the dragons' influence. **Blue Dragon Lairs.** Blue dragons dwell in arid lands. Their lairs might be death traps meant to entomb invaders or ostentatious fortresses where they plot domination.  > [!embed-monster]- Blue Dragon Wyrmling >  > [!embed-monster]- Young Blue Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Adult Blue Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Ancient Blue Dragon >  ### Bone Devil **Bone Devil.** *Devil of Dread and Obedience* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells) - **Treasure.** Implements Bone devils are gaunt, nightmarish Fiends with pallid skin stretched tight over frames that combine human and insectile features. Also known as osyluths, these Fiends command weaker devils and other beings aligned with infernal legions. Bone devils ensure that the commands of hellish sovereigns are exacted efficiently and that non-devils fulfill their commitments to the Nine Hells. They slay those who renege on infernal deals, sending treacherous mortal souls to face unspeakable punishments. When not serving their diabolical masters, bone devils tempt self-obsessed mortals with promises of other creatures' adulation and obedience. These devils prop up petty tyrants, helping them grow increasingly calloused and amoral. Bone devils travel across the multiverse to fulfill diabolical orders. If left with no other choices, they might conscript mortals to aid them in their vicious goals. Roll on or choose a result from the Bone Devil Objectives table to inspire a bone devil's goals. > [!quote] A quote from Sylvira Savikas, Candlekeep Sage > > Bone devils are just one of a thousand reasons never to make a deal with a devil, but they're a significant one. Break said deal, and it'll likely be one of these nightmares that drags you down to the Nine Hells. **Bone Devil Objectives** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^bone-devil-objectives)` | dice: 1d4 | The Bone Devil Seeks To... | |-----------|----------------------------| | 1 | Capture a soul that escaped the Nine Hells. | | 2 | Convey a message or make an example of someone in the name of an archdevil. | | 3 | Find someone who broke a deal with a devil. | | 4 | Slay someone or steal something as part of its pact with a wicked magic-user. | ^bone-devil-objectives  > [!embed-monster]- Bone Devil >  ### Bone Naga **Bone Naga.** *Deathless Serpentine Mind Bender* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Relics Nagas are immortal but not invincible, and powerful magic can end their lives. Bone nagas are skeletal terrors raised from the remains of magically slain nagas or nagas that were killed but that hadn't yet rejuvenated. They are granted unlife through rituals practiced by cultists, yuan-ti, and morbid spirit nagas. These Undead nagas possess magical abilities similar to those they had in life, along with an eerie gaze that can beguile other creatures. Bone nagas typically obey those who resurrected them, serving their creators as tireless guards and sharing the lore they collected in life. Undeath disrupts the perfect memory bone nagas enjoyed while alive, leaving them with gaps in their memories or details scrambled into puzzle-like jumbles. In rare cases, bone nagas continue to pursue the goals they had while alive instead of serving other creatures. Most free-willed bone nagas are evil beings raised from spirit naga remains, but in unusual instances, bone nagas created from guardian nagas continue good, albeit confused, existences.  > [!embed-monster]- Bone Naga >  ### Brass Dragons **Brass Dragons.** *Dragons of Lore and Rapport* - **Habitat.** Desert - **Treasure.** Arcana Gregarious and outgoing, brass dragons relish sharing knowledge and stories. Although these metallic dragons favor arid lands, they cheerfully journey considerable distances to visit friendly creatures, pass on what they've learned, and collect news. Though good natured, brass dragons don't shirk from combat when necessary, thwarting foes with magical sleep and searing them with flame. Brass dragons favor warm climes, particularly steppes and rocky or sandy deserts, and they usually dwell near prominent crossroads or oases that regularly draw visitors. They enjoy adopting Humanoid forms, disguising themselves as traveling merchants, scholars, storytellers, or anyone else invested in others' stories. Brass dragons collect eclectic objects. While such items might seem like knickknacks, each is part of a story—perhaps a nostalgic memento or evidence of a tale passed into myth. An old friend's hat and the crown of the last ruler of a forgotten dynasty could occupy the same shelf in a brass dragon's hoard. **Brass Dragon Lairs.** Brass dragons usually dwell in secret caves and canyons near well-traveled routes.  > [!embed-monster]- Brass Dragon Wyrmling >  > [!embed-monster]- Young Brass Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Adult Brass Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Ancient Brass Dragon >  ### Bronze Dragons **Bronze Dragons.** *Dragons of Potential and Preservation* - **Habitat.** Coastal - **Treasure.** Implements Where bronze dragons dwell, wonders flourish. Imaginative yet mindful, these metallic dragons work toward greatness and help others achieve all they can. They strive to preserve innovations, from the works of past civilizations to new discoveries, and they share such works widely. When dealing with shorter-lived beings, bronze dragons prefer to win them over through conversation and cultivation, but they don't shy from battle when villains keep others from achieving their potential. Bronze dragons enjoy the power and endless possibilities of the sea, and they often make their lairs in places of natural beauty or communities they wish to preserve. Within their dwellings, bronze dragons hoard things they believe will be useful one day. They salvage treasure lost to the sea, reclaiming wealth or sunken ships. **Bronze Dragon Lairs.** Bronze dragons usually make their homes near or under the sea.  > [!embed-monster]- Bronze Dragon Wyrmling >  > [!embed-monster]- Young Bronze Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Adult Bronze Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Ancient Bronze Dragon >  ### Bugbears **Bugbears.** *Lurking Goblinoid Brutes* - **Habitat.** Forest, Grassland, Planar (Feywild), Underdark - **Treasure.** Armaments, Individual Bugbears embody fear of the wilds and the menace of natural places. They're notoriously stealthy, and foes that venture into their territories often vanish without a trace. > [!embed-monster]- Bugbear Stalker >  > [!embed-monster]- Bugbear Warrior >   ### Bulettes **Bulettes.** *Ravenous, Subsurface Land Sharks* - **Habitat.** Grassland, Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** None Also called "land sharks," bulettes are single-minded predators that burrow under, leap over, and burst through obstacles in pursuit of their quarry. They burrow rapidly just below ground. On sensing movement, they erupt from below, attempting to catch prey in their oversize maws. > [!embed-monster]- Bulette >   > [!embed-monster]- Bulette Pup >  ### Bullywugs **Bullywugs.** *Amphibious Appreciators of Marsh and Muck* - **Habitat.** Swamp - **Treasure.** Implements, Individual Fey embodiments of swamplands, bullywugs protect the murky wilds and consider themselves cosmically favored for that role. These human-size, toad- or frog-like creatures have close relationships with the creatures of the swamp. > [!embed-monster]- Bullywug Bog Sage >  > [!embed-monster]- Bullywug Warrior >   ## Monsters (C) ### Cambion **Cambion.** *Mortal Infused with Fiendish Might* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Relics Cambions are former mortals corrupted by fiendish power or possessed by insidious forces. While tieflings are free-willed individuals with a hint of fiendish ancestry, cambions are inherently tied to or remade by the wicked magic of the Lower Planes. Many cambions serve the malevolent forces that are the source of their powers. Others seek to claim the might of whatever created them or to seize otherworldly powers of their own. Among the most notorious of such cambions is Iuz, a villain who became an evil demigod and whose villainous nation threatens the Free City of Greyhawk on Oerth. Cambions come into being in disparate ways. Roll on or choose a result from the Cambion Origins table to determine the source of a cambion's fiendish might. > [!quote] A quote from Iuz the Evil, Cambion Demigod > > It seems that I must do everything myself, since I have only fools for servants. Clearly disappointment must ever be the price of divinity. **Cambion Origins** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^cambion-origins)` | dice: 1d6 | The Cambion Gained Its Power After... | |-----------|---------------------------------------| | 1 | Being possessed by a fiendish being. | | 2 | Being resurrected by an evil magic-user. | | 3 | Lengthy exposure to a Lower Plane. | | 4 | Making a bargain with a Fiend. | | 5 | Suffering a god's curse. | | 6 | Taking part in fiendish rituals. | ^cambion-origins  > [!embed-monster]- Cambion >  ### Carrion Crawler **Carrion Crawler.** *Catacomb-Scouring Necrophage* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** None Ravenous corpse eaters, carrion crawlers gravitate toward places of slaughter and decay. In such charnel environs, they feast on the dead with no qualms about their meals' origins or freshness. Carrion crawlers have segmented bodies like gigantic cutworms. From beneath their multipart maws protrude eight thin, lashing tentacles. Creatures struck by these tentacles risk being [paralyzed](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Paralyzed) and consumed. Carrion crawlers scour sewers, battlefields, necropolises, and fetid wildernesses for corpses, clinging to ceilings to ambush smaller prey and to avoid competing hunters. They're drawn to light and the scent of blood, recognizing them as signs of food. These scavengers avoid ingesting inorganic material. Crypts with funeral armors sucked clean of their corpses and eerily pristine catacombs are signs of infestation by carrion crawlers.  > [!embed-monster]- Carrion Crawler >  ### Centaurs **Centaurs.** *Defenders of the Feywild* - **Habitat.** Forest, Grassland, Planar (Feywild) - **Treasure.** Armaments, Individual Centaurs are defenders of forests, plains, and sites of primeval power. With upper bodies like humans' and the lower bodies of horses, centaurs charge into battle against those who would harm their allies.  > [!embed-monster]- Centaur Warden >  > [!embed-monster]- Centaur Trooper >  ### Chain Devil **Chain Devil.** *Devil of Pain and Control* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells) - **Treasure.** Implements Also known as kytons, chain devils consider themselves morbid artisans who use deception, menace, and vicious metal to coerce prisoners into betraying themselves. Many serve powerful devils, wrenching secrets from imprisoned souls using deadly, animate chains. Left to their own devices, chain devils encourage ruthless individuals to pursue forbidden magic, leading their pupils down paths to the Nine Hells. Along with psychological threats and physical harm, a chain devil uses its unnerving gaze to make its victims perceive their worst fear rather than the monster. Roll on or choose a result from the Chain Devil Masks table to inspire a chain devil's fearful appearance. **Chain Devil Masks** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^chain-devil-masks)` | dice: 1d4 | To a Viewer, the Chain Devil Looks Like... | |-----------|--------------------------------------------| | 1 | The corpse of a loved one. | | 2 | A disapproving deity. | | 3 | A harsh instructor or superior. | | 4 | The viewer at their lowest point in life. | ^chain-devil-masks  > [!embed-monster]- Chain Devil >  ### Chasme **Chasme.** *Demon of Betrayal and Sycophancy* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** Relics Flying forth from the Abyss, chasmes resemble horse-size flies. They incapacitate foes by producing a mind-numbing droning, then use their proboscises to drain victims of life. In the Abyss, most chasmes obsequiously serve more powerful demons and search for captives to press into demonic hordes.  > [!embed-monster]- Chasme >  ### Chimera **Chimera.** *Multiheaded Ravager* - **Habitat.** Grassland, Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** Any Violent and unpredictable, chimeras combine the deadliest traits of lions, rams, and red dragons. With their fearsome claws, crushing horns, and fiery breath, chimeras are tempests of ferocity, driven by their three heads' conflicting instincts. Their heads agree on little but their desires to feed and to drive competitors from the rugged territories where these monsters make their lairs. When they spot prey, chimeras typically strafe foes with their fire breath before landing to attack with their fangs, horns, and claws. Owing to their draconic instincts, chimeras are greedy creatures that hoard treasures within cavernous lairs. They're undiscerning about what they collect, gathering shiny objects alongside trophies and bones from their recent kills. Brave souls seeking to distract or temporarily appease a chimera can do so by offering it treasure and food.  > [!embed-monster]- Chimera >  ### Chuul **Chuul.** *Chitinous Servant of Primeval Powers* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Swamp, Underdark - **Treasure.** Relics Chuuls originated in forgotten ages when aboleths and stranger beings ruled alien empires beneath the waves. The aboleths transformed numerous deep-sea predators into servants that could venture beyond the seas to claim more magic and creatures to exploit. Chuuls are the most enduring of these bizarre servants. Many chuuls serve aboleth overlords, carrying out their whims amid lightless seas and primeval swamps. Other chuuls obey new aberrant masters, such as beholders, grells, or mind flayers. Some chuuls follow their own drives, endlessly collecting ancient magic treasures or interpreting age-old orders to bizarre ends. Regardless of their agendas, chuuls snare creatures in their massive pincers before rendering foes helpless with their paralytic tentacles. Chuuls don't age and can lie dormant in hidden places for millennia before threats, ancient orders, or strange compulsions awaken them.  > [!embed-monster]- Chuul >  ### Clay Golem **Clay Golem.** *Guardian of Home and Heart* - **Habitat.** Urban - **Treasure.** Relics Clay golems are magical defenders made from earth and clay to protect places or communities. The materials used in creating clay golems originate from near the location the golems protect and often have special significance to their creators, such as clay from a holy site or bricks from a magical ruin. While some clay golems are masterfully sculpted to resemble living beings, others have only vaguely humanlike forms. These golems obey their creators' orders and protect what their makers value most. Some still follow these orders long after their creators' deaths. Roll on or choose a result from the Clay Golem Orders table to inspire the commands a clay golem follows. **Clay Golem Orders** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^clay-golem-orders)` | dice: 1d4 | The Clay Golem Follows Orders To... | |-----------|-------------------------------------| | 1 | Block the path of anyone who enters a site with a weapon drawn. | | 2 | Defend any member of their creator's family or community who is threatened in its sight. | | 3 | Prevent any Fiend from crossing a bridge. | | 4 | Remove any who enter its creator's workshop. | ^clay-golem-orders  > [!embed-monster]- Clay Golem >  ### Cloaker **Cloaker.** *Haunter in the Dark* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Implements Cloakers are mysterious Underdark predators, named by adventurers for their resemblance to hanging cloaks when they cling to walls. What cloakers call themselves is unknown, if they refer to themselves at all. Though they're undeniably intelligent, their behavior is often inscrutable. Cloakers sometimes gather in Underdark enclaves, but they rarely build settlements or form social structures. Most operate as solitary predators, lurking in dismal subterranean reaches or abandoned dungeons—sometimes for months at a time—as they wait for prey to pass. They use their mottled hides to blend in with their surroundings. When unsuspecting prey nears, cloakers unfurl and attempt to latch on and then smother their victims in their powerful wings. Cloakers delight in frightening foes. In addition to their methods of ambush, cloakers can create illusory duplicates of themselves and emit surreal moans that non-cloakers find terrifying in unexplainable, primal ways. Cloakers might antagonize explorers lost in the Underdark for days, terrorizing and scattering them before attacking. They rarely converse with other beings, except to whisper eerie riddles to those they're about to consume.  > [!embed-monster]- Cloaker >  ### Cloud Giant **Cloud Giant.** *Giant of the Loftiest Heights* - **Habitat.** Mountain - **Treasure.** Arcana Cloud giants use the power of the skies to observe and subtly influence the world. These giants resemble humans with hair ranging from silver to blue and with skin in cloudlike shades from stark white to twilight hues. Curved canines grow in their upper jaws, extending past their lower lips. In battle, they attack with weapons wreathed in storm clouds and throw roaring thunderheads. Most cloud giants inhabit citadels crowning tremendous mountains or magical palaces that drift amid the clouds. Many of these giants believe they possess similarly lofty status or purpose. Some view themselves as godlike beings who can manipulate and steal from terrestrial beings with impunity. Others claim their long lives and place among the clouds grant them unique perspectives, so they chronicle what they witness in the world below without interfering. In either case, cloud giants often possess fabulous magical treasures, either claimed from across the world or created by (and gigantically sized for) themselves.  > [!embed-monster]- Cloud Giant >  ### Cockatrices **Cockatrices.** *Accursed Avians with the Power to Petrify* - **Habitat.** Grassland - **Treasure.** None Cockatrices combine the features of irate roosters and starving reptiles. They petrify those they bite, their slightest peck turning their prey to stone. > [!embed-monster]- Cockatrice >   > [!embed-monster]- Cockatrice Regent >  ### Colossus **Colossus.** *Titanic Vessel of Divine Might* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Relics Colossi are massive Constructs created by the devout to reflect the nature of a deity, which could be benevolent or wicked. Colossi thrum with incredible magic and work divine will on the land. Droves of faithful artisans craft a colossus in a shape to honor their deity, then call on that god to infuse the statue with life. This arduous process might take decades and involve hundreds of workers. If the god favors the creation, the mighty crystal at the construct's heart pulses with divine power, and the colossus rises to protect the faithful or enact the god's will. Most colossi were created in ages past and now lie dormant in secluded wilderness, awakening only when disturbed or called on to serve once more.  > [!embed-monster]- Colossus >  ### Commoner **Commoner.** *Everyday Folk* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Individual Commoners constitute the majority of people who don't pursue magical talents, extraordinary training, or a life of adventure. Some are generous, helpful sorts, while others are more cautious in sharing what they have. Use the following list of jobs and roles to introduce commoners in your adventures: Artist Baker Bartender Blacksmith Butcher Captive Carpenter Castaway Cobbler Cook Dyer Farmer Fisher Fletcher Flimflam artist Gossip Hermit Hooligan Hunter Innkeeper Laborer Lamplighter Mason Merchant Miner Mud lark Patient Pilgrim Resurrectionist Rioter Scribe Servant Shepherd Student Tailor Tanner Town crier Weaver Youngster  > [!embed-monster]- Commoner >  ### Copper Dragons **Copper Dragons.** *Dragons of Curiosity and Community* - **Habitat.** Hill - **Treasure.** Arcana Relentlessly friendly and curious, most copper dragons view the world as a place of endless wonder and possibility. These gregarious dragons are fonts of patience, hospitality, and humor, and they seek to improve the lives—or, at least, the mood—of those they interact with. If forced to fight to defend themselves or their friends, these dragons favor using their slowing breath and physical attacks to subdue antagonists. Only in cases of extreme peril or emotion do they use their deadly acid breath. Copper dragons typically live in caverns amid picturesque hills and rock formations—particularly those that are prominent landmarks. These dragons collect gifts, though they have little interest in treasure without meaning, no matter how valuable it is. To them, thoughtfully given presents and the feelings or memories they symbolize are more important than masterpieces or magical relics. **Copper Dragon Lairs.** Copper dragons typically inhabit multi-chamber caves and renovated ruins. > [!embed-monster]- Copper Dragon Wyrmling >   > [!embed-monster]- Young Copper Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Adult Copper Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Ancient Copper Dragon >  ### Couatl **Couatl.** *Guardian Manifestation of the Divine* - **Habitat.** Desert, Forest, Grassland, Urban - **Treasure.** Relics Embodiments of prophecy and protectors of divine secrets, couatls ensure fate unfolds as it should. They resemble serpents with rainbow wings, and each is a manifestation of a divine edict, a truth or fate that a righteous god decrees must hold true for all time. Most couatls appear in places of ancient power, where they guard hidden magic or ensure foretold acts do or don't come to pass. Rarely, couatls watch over communities or travel lands in disguise, interpreting omens or manipulating factors to set fate on its proper course. Motivated by eternal mandates, couatls sometimes behave in inscrutable or antagonistic ways. They are inflexible and uncompromising, as their existences are fundamentally tied to their divine directives, but they harm other creatures only when absolutely necessary to achieve divine goals. Each couatl goes through a period of renewal at the end of an age. In a couatl's lifecycle, an age might correspond to a celestial calendar or some divine chronology. Near the age's end, the couatl lays a wondrous, rainbow-hued egg. When the age ends, the couatl dies. For a period—perhaps a single day, perhaps until an annual solar event—the couatl's work is unattended. Once this time passes, the same couatl that laid the egg hatches from it, fully grown and renewed to serve for another age.  > [!embed-monster]- Couatl >  ### Crawling Claws **Crawling Claws.** *Severed Appendages with Malicious Will* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** None Crawling claws are severed hands that move and act of their own murderous accord. These deathless appendages can spring to life from the severed limbs of killers and villains, and sinister magic-users might animate crawling claws as foul servants. Crawling claws appear in a variety of forms, from decaying human hands to the fresh appendages of animals or monsters > [!quote] A quote from Ansolm Haas > > Is it possible for any creature, any living being, to be inherently evil? Such an assertion may itself facilitate the committing of evil acts. By defining a person as evil, we give them free rein to behave as they will, absolving them from the wickedness of their words and the evil of their hands.  > [!embed-monster]- Crawling Claw >  > [!embed-monster]- Swarm of Crawling Claws >  ### Cultists **Cultists.** *Doomsayers and Fanatics* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Individual, Relics Cultists use magic and extreme measures to spread radical beliefs. Some privately pursue esoteric secrets, while others form shadowy cabals seeking to bring about terrifying ends. Cultists often follow obscure mystical traditions or obsess over interpretations of ancient prophecies. They might worship supernatural patrons—deities, otherworldly creatures, manipulative alien minds, or stranger forces. Roll on or choose a result from the Cultist Agendas table to inspire what a cultist seeks to achieve. **Cultist Agendas** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^cultist-agendas)` | dice: 1d6 | The Cultist Strives To... | |-----------|---------------------------| | 1 | Bring about the end of a dominant order, an age, or the world. | | 2 | Burn away the comfortable lies of reality, revealing forgotten or terrible truths. | | 3 | Expand their faith though mind control or supernatural coercion. | | 4 | Make global changes, like sinking the land or awakening volcanoes. | | 5 | Remake life on a mass scale, altering other creatures' bodies or spiritual beings. | | 6 | Summon their deity or its herald, weapon, or realm into their world. | ^cultist-agendas **Occult Symbols.** Cults often identify with symbols that exemplify their beliefs. Such symbols might mark objects important to the cult, as well as the dress and bodies of cultists themselves. These symbols might be broadly understandable, or they might have meaning only to cultists. Roll twice on or choose results from the Cult Symbols table to inspire a cult's icons. **Cult Symbols** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^cult-symbols)` | dice: 1d10 | The Symbol Is... | Depicted As... | |------------|------------------|----------------| | 1 | An alchemical sign | A calendar or map | | 2 | An animal | A crest or as heraldry | | 3 | A celestial body | An elaborate diagram | | 4 | A deity's icon | A metaphorical image | | 5 | An element | A mystical being | | 6 | An eye | Part of an equation | | 7 | A geometric shape | A repeating pattern | | 8 | A letter or number | A series of scratches | | 9 | Part of a monster | A simple pictogram | | 10 | A skull | A weapon or tool | ^cult-symbols **Cult Members.** Cults often form hierarchies around a charismatic or domineering leader. While cult members might work independently, they take their orders from superiors with greater supernatural powers. **Types of Cultists.** Cults can organize around any mystical tradition, but many serve supernatural beings. Cult members often have abilities tied to the forces they worship. > [!quote] A quote from Rites of the Cult of Elemental Evil > > Dread Tharizdun, power of the Elder Elemental Eye and master of all destructive forces, I am the Champion of Elemental Evil and am ready to carry out your wishes.  > [!embed-monster]- Cultist >  > [!embed-monster]- Cultist Fanatic >  > [!embed-monster]- Cultist Hierophant >   > [!embed-monster]- Aberrant Cultist >  > [!embed-monster]- Death Cultist >  > [!embed-monster]- Elemental Cultist >  > [!embed-monster]- Fiend Cultist >  ### Cyclopes **Cyclopes.** *Monocular Servants of Destiny* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Desert, Grassland, Hill, Mountain, Underdark - **Treasure.** Armaments Cyclopes are gigantic, one-eyed descendants of the gods. Using their mystical vision, cyclopes can witness how future events are likely to occur. > [!embed-monster]- Cyclops Oracle >  > [!embed-monster]- Cyclops Sentry >   ## Monsters (D) ### Dao **Dao.** *Genie of the Earth* - **Habitat.** Planar (Elemental Plane of Earth), Underdark - **Treasure.** Implements Genies of minerals and gemstones, dao embody the resolve of rock. Using innate magic, they move through the earth unimpeded, exploring depths inaccessible to most. Dao delight in the treasures of the earth, whether raw gemstones, jewelry crafted from pure metals, or wondrous fossils. In exchange for such treasures, dao might reveal underground mysteries, such as paths through the Underdark, buried ruins, or whole subterranean realms. Many dao call the Elemental Plane of Earth home. There, they create cities that glitter with treasure. Among these realms is the labyrinthine expanse called the Great Dismal Delve or the Sevenfold Mazework, which protects the City of Jewels, the Iron Crucible, and the Strait of Magnets. > [!quote] A quote from Gundren Rockseeker, Dwarf Treasure Hunter > > On the Elemental Plane of Earth, galaxies of gemstones twinkle over vaults of treasure. If dao are there, so is wealth worth hunting.  > [!embed-monster]- Dao >  ### Darkmantle **Darkmantle.** *Ceiling-Clinging Ambush Predator* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Unnatural subterranean hunters, darkmantles veil themselves in magical shadows and use their bizarre anatomies to disguise themselves as stalactites. When prey passes below, lurking darkmantles drop and unfurl their webbed tentacles, attempting to blind, suffocate, or crush their victims. Darkmantles share similarities with piercers and ropers and often hunt near those monsters. Scholars have attempted to establish a shared origin or life cycle between those creatures, but their efforts are thwarted by those monsters' supernatural physiologies and deadly natures. > [!quote] A quote from S. Wakeman, Underdark Explorer > > Just assume there's no such thing as a stalactite.  > [!embed-monster]- Darkmantle >  ### Death Dog **Death Dog.** *Two-Headed Spreader of Disease* - **Habitat.** Desert - **Treasure.** None Death dogs are plagues on the arid lands they inhabit. These vicious, two-headed canines ambush creatures they perceive as weaker than themselves, favoring the wounded or infirm. They attack recklessly, infecting as many creatures as possible with their diseased jaws. If driven off, death dogs linger close to their victims, letting infection weaken their prey before they attack again. Legends tie death dogs to malicious death gods, the underworld, and cursed rulers. These stories are based on the malady death dogs spread. Roll on or choose a result from the Death Dog Malady Symptoms table to inspire symptoms spread by a death dog's bite. These symptoms are cosmetic and don't alter the effects of the death dog's Bite action. The symptoms vanish when a creature no longer has the [Poisoned](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Poisoned) condition from a death dog's Bite. > [!quote] A quote from Tablet Fragment > > And his sorrows will stalk your land like hungry dogs until the seas turn to sand and the sun burns to cinders. **Death Dog Malady Symptoms** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^death-dog-malady-symptoms)` | dice: 1d6 | The Death Dog's Malady Causes... | |-----------|----------------------------------| | 1 | Marks from canine jaws to appear on the victim's body, as if they were still being mauled. | | 2 | The victim's body to wither, as if constantly exposed to desert heat. | | 3 | The victim to be distracted by distant howling or vague whispers only they can hear. | | 4 | The victim's flesh to rot like a corpse. | | 5 | The victim to itch, as if they had fleas or sand beneath their skin. | | 6 | Wicked symbols to gradually appear on and spread across the victim's body. | ^death-dog-malady-symptoms  > [!embed-monster]- Death Dog >  ### Death Knights **Death Knights.** *Haunted Commanders of Unliving Legions* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Armaments Champions of evil, death knights are armor-clad, skeletal warlords. Combining devastating martial prowess and blasphemous magic, these undying tyrants lead unholy legions against the living or brood in cursed citadels. Every death knight is haunted by a legacy of tragedy and dishonor that drives it to commit greater evils.  > [!embed-monster]- Death Knight >  > [!embed-monster]- Death Knight Aspirant >  ### Death Tyrant **Death Tyrant.** *Beholder beyond Death* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Any A death tyrant is a beholder that pursues aberrant goals beyond its death. Ten magical singularities—all that remains of its magical eyes—orbit its floating, cyclopean skull, while the hateful gaze of its central eye socket stifles life and raises the dead. Beholders typically transform into death tyrants over years when their dreams fixate on death, morbid apotheoses, or journeys to realms inhospitable to life. Some death tyrants rise from the corpses of slain beholders or result from exposure to strange magic or Underdark radiation. Sometimes beholders purposefully pursue this undead state, just as depraved magic-users pursue lichdom, although it is rare, as most beholders already believe themselves to be perfect beings. No matter how death tyrants come into being, bizarre impulses drive their deathless existences. Their motivations tend to be extreme or beyond the reason of living creatures. **Death Tyrant Lairs.** Death tyrants often lurk deep in the Underdark, in the tunnel-mazes they occupied in life or in the lairs of enemy beholders they conquered. These lairs are devoid of life, as death tyrants change their servants into Undead horrors. > [!quote] A quote from Journal of Jastus Hollowquill, explorer of Undermountain > > A cluster of tiny lights descended from a dark crevice in the ceiling. These motes cast an eerie glow on the great, alien skull that hung beneath them.  > [!embed-monster]- Death Tyrant >  ### Demilich **Demilich.** *What Lies beyond Lichdom* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Arcana A demilich is a skull harboring the remnants of a lich's wicked essence. If the burden of immortality overwhelms a lich, its consciousness turns inward as its body rots away. But if its remains are disturbed, a demilich rises. Demiliches usually appear as skulls adorned with gems or arcane sigils. **Demilich Lairs.** Demiliches jealously guard their deathtrap-laden sanctums. The most notorious of these is the Tomb of Horrors, lair of the infamous Acererak.  > [!embed-monster]- Demilich >   ### Deva **Deva.** *World-Changing Angelic Messenger* - **Habitat.** Planar (Upper Planes) - **Treasure.** Relics Devas are emissaries of divine will. These immortal messengers adopt the shapes of mystical beasts or idealized, winged mortals. As with all angels, their true forms are known only to the gods they serve. Rather than literal correspondence from a god, a deva conveys an allegory or quest to mortals, tasking them with delivering something to its rightful place. While the angel might be called on in times of need, it encourages mortal heroism. Should a deva's chosen champions carry out their charge, they experience a revelation or the world is changed in line with divine purpose. Roll on or choose a result from the Deva Messages table to inspire a deva's charge. **Deva Messages** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^deva-messages)` | dice: 1d6 | The Deva Tasks a Mortal with Delivering... | |-----------|--------------------------------------------| | 1 | The corpse of a hero in need of redemption. | | 2 | The cure for a plague in a distant land. | | 3 | A holy coffer that must not be opened. | | 4 | A magic weapon usable only by a true hero. | | 5 | A seedling that wilts if exposed to anger. | | 6 | Someone from another world with a prophesied purpose but no memory. | ^deva-messages > [!embed-monster]- Deva >  ### Displacer Beast **Displacer Beast.** *Deceptive Feline Stalker* - **Habitat.** Forest - **Treasure.** None A displacer beast resembles a gaunt, six-legged panther with a barbed tentacle sprouting from each of its shoulders. This predator uses innate magic to displace light so it appears to be several feet away from its actual location. Displacer beasts hunt not just to feed but because they enjoy killing. Once displacer beasts begin stalking prey, they can't be deterred until either they or their quarry is slain. While displacer beasts commonly inhabit dense forests, they might pursue travelers across great distances and even into cities or dungeons. More cunning than mere animals, these predators might set ambushes or lie hidden for days to bring down their prey. Displacer beasts sometimes pursue prey through portals to other planes of existence. As a result, these predators can be found across the multiverse, particularly on the worlds of the Material Plane, in the Shadowfell, and in the Feywild. These restless hunters can destroy a land's natural balance and drive other creatures to extinction. As a result, many druid circles and Fey view displacer beasts as deadly threats. > [!quote] A quote from Jen-Ahb, Naturalist and Displacer Beast Survivor > > The murderous fury of a displacer beast is fit only for nightmares, of which I've been haunted since narrowly escaping one's ambush. I'm certain that beast stalks me still.  > [!embed-monster]- Displacer Beast >  ### Djinni **Djinni.** *Genie of the Air* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Planar (Elemental Plane of Air) - **Treasure.** Arcana As genies of wind and skies, djinn personify freedom and might. They can control wind and travel as swiftly as a breeze. They might be as serene as drifting clouds or as tempestuous as storms, but most djinn relish their freedom and desire to discover the wonders of the multiverse. Djinn often know many stories, and they might share such lore with those who offer their own exciting stories in trade. While many djinn create airy palaces on stormy coasts or high in the clouds, untold numbers dwell on the Elemental Plane of Air. In floating cities, djinn collect tales and experiences from across the planes of existence, sharing them in fabulous forums, libraries, and theaters. The greatest of these cities is the Citadel of Ice and Steel, in which wind-sculpted towers contain a city-size trove of incredible knowledge and treasures that defy belief.  > [!embed-monster]- Djinni >  ### Doppelganger **Doppelganger.** *Shape-Shifting Infiltrator* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Individual Doppelgangers are supernatural beings with the ability to shape-shift into any humanlike form. Their mind-reading abilities aid them in creating near-perfect disguises and plucking secrets from unguarded minds. Occasionally, doppelgangers use their shape-shifting ability in more overt ways, transforming into unsettling forms to frighten foes. A doppelganger's agenda might relate to its mysterious magical origins or to more mercenary goals. Roll on or choose a result from the Doppelganger Deceptions table to inspire a doppelganger's plot. **Doppelganger Deceptions** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^doppelganger-deceptions)` | dice: 1d6 | The Doppelganger Schemes To... | |-----------|--------------------------------| | 1 | Cause chaos within the temple of a deity that cursed it to live without a true form. | | 2 | Conceal evidence of a vast conspiracy. | | 3 | Control a community through fear by posing as a legendary bogeyman. | | 4 | Replace a noble to enjoy a decadent lifestyle. | | 5 | Spy on wizards to learn how to complete its own botched magical creation. | | 6 | Take an influential position, acting as a sleeper agent for a doppelganger invasion. | ^doppelganger-deceptions > [!quote] A quote from Someone claiming to be Lorhirin of Fearchor Keep > > Meeting yourself is the surest way to realize you're not as charming as you think you are.  > [!embed-monster]- Doppelganger >  ### Dracolich **Dracolich.** *Draconic Tyrant Reborn* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Any The vilest dragons seek to escape the grip of death, employing ageless secrets and blasphemous magic to become horrors called dracoliches. These deathless dragons bind their spirits to gems and magically animate their rotting corpses. Eventually becoming skeletal horrors, dracoliches continue the centuries-spanning plots they pursued in life, seek revenge on those that brought them low, and strive toward vicious goals they couldn't indulge in life. Dracoliches combine the corrupt immortality of the undead with the legendary power of dragons. A dracolich retains a breath weapon, but it is a chilling necrotic blast. These terrors gradually sicken the land near their lairs and attract sinister followers—usually other undead or cultists seeking to revel in their terrible might. Living dragons of all types loathe and seek to destroy dracoliches, viewing them as distortions of draconic magic. There are untold profane routes by which a dragon might become a dracolich. However one is created, a dracolich chooses a gem that becomes the anchor for its spirit and binds the deathless dragon to the world. So long as a dracolich is on the same plane of existence as its soul gem, the dracolich can survive the destruction of its physical body. Its spirit retreats into the gem if the dracolich's body is destroyed, and the monster might one day regain its terrifying form. Dracoliches often sequester their soul gems within meaningful treasure from their hoard or in unassuming baubles. Roll on or choose a result from the Dracolich Soul Gem Vessels table to inspire what holds a dracolich's soul gem. **Dracolich Soul Gem Vessels** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^dracolich-soul-gem-vessels)` | dice: 1d10 | A Dracolich's Soul Gem Is Hidden In... | |------------|----------------------------------------| | 1 | Another dragon's treasure hoard. | | 2 | The body of a servant or an ancestor. | | 3 | The core of a dracolich's melted hoard. | | 4 | A corrupted dragon egg. | | 5 | A dragon horn a hero took as a trophy. | | 6 | A nation's royal or religious treasure. | | 7 | A powerful magic item. | | 8 | A source of magical wonders, such as a giant tree or mystical pool. | | 9 | The vault of an archdevil, a wicked god, or another extraplanar villain. | | 10 | The weapon that slew the dracolich. | ^dracolich-soul-gem-vessels **Dracolich Lairs.** A dracolich lurks in a corrupted version of the lair it had in life. > [!quote] A quote from Sammaster the Fallen's translation of The Chronicle of Years to Come > > And naught will be left save shattered thrones with no rulers. But the dead dragons shall rule the world entire...  > [!embed-monster]- Dracolich >  ### Dragon Turtle **Dragon Turtle.** *Ancient Ruler of Undersea Realms* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Underwater - **Treasure.** Any Dragon turtles are mighty creatures with shells large enough to be mistaken for islands and jaws capable of snapping ships like twigs. While some of these aquatic dragons contentedly slumber in the depths, others jealously guard vast territories with their scalding breath and lay claim to anything that sinks into the depths or sails on the waves. Occasionally these dragons agree to aid pirates, aquatic peoples, or oceanic religions in return for contributions to their sunken treasure hoards. Many dragon turtles live in secluded lairs or ruins deep underwater, and they might not be spotted by surface dwellers for generations. Like both their namesakes, dragon turtles can have exceptionally long lives. Some recall the wonders of ages past or remarkable individuals that passed through their realms long ago. Such dragon turtles might be convinced to share their tales or provide guidance through their territories in exchange for treasures they've never glimpsed on the ocean floor.  > [!embed-monster]- Dragon Turtle >  ### Dretches **Dretches.** *Demons of Frenzy and Vulgarity* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** None The servants and victims of greater demons, dretches embody petty instincts, chaotic impulses, and violent urges. Dretches exist in unfathomable numbers in the depths of the Abyss, where their reeking throngs fill vast demonic hordes. > [!quote] A quote from Jaranda, Expert on the Abyss > > Ah, the infinite wonders of the Abyss. If there's anything you don't like, you'll find it here.  > [!embed-monster]- Dretch >  > [!embed-monster]- Swarm of Dretches >  ### Drider **Drider.** *Spiderlike Underdark Hunter* - **Habitat.** Forest, Underdark - **Treasure.** Armaments Driders combine the features of drow and giant spiders. The wicked god Lolth is fond of transforming her drow worshipers into driders, as either a blessing or a curse. These driders often become fanatical servants of their god, or they are overwhelmed by their transformation and live only to indulge their predatory arachnid instincts. Driders also appear when whole communities are transformed by a wicked god's wrath or other magical means, or driders might be part of a world's natural population. Most dwell underground or in dense forests where they can make the most of their spiderlike traits. Driders with non-drow features are uncommon but possible. Roll on or choose a result from the Drider Metamorphoses table to inspire how supernatural driders come into being. **Drider Metamorphoses** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^drider-metamorphoses)` | dice: 1d6 | The Drider Gained Its Form As... | |-----------|----------------------------------| | 1 | A blessing from a deity of assassins, dangerous wildernesses, or the Underdark. | | 2 | A curse from a powerful hag, vengeful witch, or strange Artifact. | | 3 | An experiment by an aboleth, a mind flayer, or another life-shaping magic-user. | | 4 | A magical means of escaping disaster or some worse fate. | | 5 | A mutation after exposure to chaotic planar energies or strange Underdark radiations. | | 6 | A punishment from a spiteful god, like Lolth or the Queen of Air and Darkness. | ^drider-metamorphoses  > [!embed-monster]- Drider >  ### Druid **Druid.** *Steward and Sage of Nature* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Individual, Relics Druids use primal magic, traditional teachings, and bonds with animals and eldritch beings to guard the natural world and heal its ills. These magic-users might be recluses devoted to a particular land, or they might be part of a mystic organization. Roll on or choose a result from the Druidic Traditions table to inspire a druid's magical practices. **Druid Traditions** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^druid-traditions)` | dice: 1d6 | The Druid Is... | |-----------|-----------------| | 1 | An avenger who strikes against destructive civilizations and those who abuse nature. | | 2 | A guide who aids travelers in navigating the realms of Beasts, Fey, or Plants. | | 3 | A hermit who works alone to protect the lands, seas, or skies they call home. | | 4 | A mender who travels the world healing natural, magical, or manufactured disasters. | | 5 | Part of a loose organization that adheres to timeless rituals and guards natural secrets. | | 6 | A warden who minds the underpinnings of reality and protects against extraplanar threats. | ^druid-traditions  > [!embed-monster]- Druid >  ### Dryad **Dryad.** *Tree-Bound Guardian of Nature* - **Habitat.** Forest - **Treasure.** Any Guardians of the woodlands, dryads magically flit from tree to tree and from root to bough, harrying trespassers with tangling vines and thorns. Most of these elusive beings have a special connection with one plant or a natural sanctuary that they protect. Some also share physical similarities with the plants they're most connected to. Dryads might sicken or die if their plant or sanctuary is destroyed, recovering only if it is healed or magically replaced. Roll on or choose an option from the Dryad Sanctuaries table to inspire a dryad's bond. **Dryad Sanctuaries** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^dryad-sanctuaries)` | dice: 1d6 | The Dryad Dwells in and Protects... | |-----------|-------------------------------------| | 1 | An acres-large clonal colony—a stand of identical, interconnected trees. | | 2 | A fortress-like tree, like a baobab or sequoia. | | 3 | A living lock—a plant that seals evil below or blocks the path to a dungeon. | | 4 | A lonely tree that stands atop a windswept mountain or amid a [petrified](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Petrified) forest. | | 5 | A plant with magic fruit or remarkable seeds. | | 6 | A shambling mound or treant that the dryad lives in or around as a Fey symbiote. | ^dryad-sanctuaries  > [!embed-monster]- Dryad >  ## Monsters (E) ### Earth Elemental **Earth Elemental.** *Primal Spirit of Soil and Stone* - **Habitat.** Mountain, Planar (Elemental Plane of Earth), Underdark - **Treasure.** None Primal spirits from the Elemental Plane of Earth merge with rocks and minerals to form earth elementals. These beings possess powerful limbs and coarse features, sometimes studded with ore, gems, crystals, colorful striations, or living plants. On the Material Plane, earth elementals often serve those who conjure them, or they appear in regions influenced by their home plane, such as crystalline nodes, energetic fault lines, or veins of magical ore. Earth elementals effortlessly move through stone and can bring ruin to whole structures with their mighty fists. Earth elementals are typically made of more than dirt. While an elemental's composition doesn't change its statistics or have monetary value, it makes each elemental distinct. Roll on or choose a result from the Earth Elemental Compositions table to inspire an earth elemental's features. **Earth Elemental Compositions** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^earth-elemental-compositions)` | dice: 1d8 | The Earth Elemental's Body Features... | |-----------|----------------------------------------| | 1 | Colorful mineral formations. | | 2 | Cooled magma in melted heaps. | | 3 | Grass, moss, or plant roots. | | 4 | Heaps of peat or decaying matter. | | 5 | Mounds of sand studded with shells. | | 6 | Rubble or pieces of a ruined structure. | | 7 | Striking striations or bands of color. | | 8 | Veins of iron or other ore. | ^earth-elemental-compositions > [!quote] A quote from Kabril the Perfect Compass, Ruler of Dao > > The foundations of our homes, the strength of our weapons, the vaults of our greatest secrets—earth is nothing less than the grip of reality itself. It is the mightiest element. This cannot be denied.  > [!embed-monster]- Earth Elemental >  ### Efreeti **Efreeti.** *Genie of Fire* - **Habitat.** Desert, Planar (Elemental Plane of Fire) - **Treasure.** Armaments Efreet burn with the energy and unpredictability of fire. Their innate magic allows them to conjure flames from nothing and shape treasures within magical infernos. Many efreet have wicked reputations, as their fickle natures and love for dramatic conflagrations can be destructive. Other efreet delight in fire's beauty, be it the delicacy of a candle flame or the shared wonder of fireworks. These genies might aid mortals in exchange for treasures or the liberation of captive Elementals. On many worlds, efreet dwell in sweltering deserts and volcanic regions. Those that make their homes on the Elemental Plane of Fire create incredible cities among seas of flame and molten minerals. Eclipsing all of these is the storied City of Brass, a gleaming metropolis that is one of the most wondrous cities in the multiverse. Here, magic tempers the plane's extreme heat, making the City of Brass a hub of trade between planes of existence. > [!quote] A quote from Veyisvexvayn, Magma Mephit Herald > > Imagine seas of platinum and liquid flame, the Crimson Pillar with fires hot enough to sear the gods, and the infinite delights of the City of Brass. Now imagine what my master offers...  > [!embed-monster]- Efreeti >  ### Elemental Cataclysm **Elemental Cataclysm.** *The End and Beginning of Ages* - **Habitat.** Planar (Elemental Chaos) - **Treasure.** None Beyond the fringes of the Elemental Planes, primordial forces endlessly clash amid the Elemental Chaos. Within the vastness and violence of this realm rage elemental cataclysms, entities spawned from the raw forces of the multiverse and awash in dissonant elemental powers. These beings of primal conflict annihilate nearly all they encounter and seed the ruins left in their wake with the potential for new creations. Elemental cataclysms rarely escape the Elemental Chaos. When they do, it is typically due to some planar disruption or the summons of nihilistic cultists. When they emerge on Material Plane worlds, elemental cataclysms create realm-altering trails of destruction, carelessly destroying cities and throwing whole nations into chaos. The rampages aren't random. Elemental cataclysms abhor anything that visibly mars nature, be it mines or monuments, fortresses or cities, but they vent their most intense rage on works of metal and clockwork. As they sow destruction, they howl condemnation and chant words of unmaking in the languages of the Inner Planes. Little can stop an elemental cataclysm. Those that oppose one of these calamities often attempt to reverse the ritual that summoned it, coax it through a planar rift, or conjure another titan in hopes that the two destroy one another. These terrors leave a wake of ashes, floods, storms, and broken earth. But after these disasters recede, the land is imbued with new life or environmental changes. Roll on or choose a result from the Elemental Alterations table to inspire what changes emerge after an elemental cataclysm's destruction. **Elemental Alterations** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^elemental-alterations)` | dice: 1d8 | The Elemental Cataclysm Leaves Behind A... | |-----------|--------------------------------------------| | 1 | Dramatic increase or decrease in temperature. | | 2 | Gigantic coral reef or fungal forest. | | 3 | Never-ending storm or whirlpool. | | 4 | Passage to the Underdark or portal to an Elemental Plane. | | 5 | Primeval or previously extinct animal population. | | 6 | Rapidly growing rainforest. | | 7 | River where previously there was none. | | 8 | Series of dramatic rock formations. | ^elemental-alterations   > [!embed-monster]- Elemental Cataclysm >  ### Empyreans **Empyreans.** *Scions of the Gods* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Relics Empyreans are the spawn of deities. While not gods themselves, they possess divine influence and powers related to their divine parents. Some empyreans are near-demigods with fantastic might and the power to reshape mortal lives. Others are little more than divine thoughts or moments of immortal attention made manifest. Whether empyreans are idealized beings or vestiges of divinity, their appearances are influenced by their creators. Roll on or choose a result from the Empyrean Influences table to inspire what aspects of an empyrean's heritage manifest in its physical form. **Empyrean Influences** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^empyrean-influences)` | dice: 1d6 | The Empyrean Has Features That Are... | |-----------|---------------------------------------| | 1 | Balanced, naturalistic, or suggestive of watching eyes. | | 2 | Colorful, shadowy, or fluid or that vary depending on the viewer. | | 3 | Comforting and gentle or that remind viewers of pleasant memories. | | 4 | Disconnected parts, visible thoughts, or errant shapes. | | 5 | Machinelike, stoic, symmetrical, or suggestive of judgment. | | 6 | Morbid, menacing, or monstrous or that embody the viewer's fears. | ^empyrean-influences > [!quote] A quote from Kopoha, Scion of Storms > > One day I might be the god of storms—mind countless followers, answer prayers, change whole worlds—but, until then, I do what I please.  > [!embed-monster]- Empyrean Iota >  > [!embed-monster]- Empyrean >  ### Erinyes **Erinyes.** *Devil of Vengeance and Righteous Wrath* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells) - **Treasure.** Armaments Erinyes, also known as furies, are winged devils clad in fiendish armor. These fallen angels exact a merciless form of divine justice, hunting down oath breakers and dragging the rightfully damned to the Nine Hells in the grip of their magical ropes. Few ever glimpse what lies within these devils' armored exteriors, and erinyes ensure that those who do can never speak of what they've seen. Erinyes often serve archdevils and guard the order of the Nine Hells against trespassers and escapees. Although they're prone to wrathful outbursts, erinyes cooperate well with other devils. They sometimes hunt in trios with other erinyes, forging infamous reputations for themselves. When not in the service of a diabolical master, erinyes hunt wicked souls. They pursue quarries relentlessly, across the multiverse and for ages if need be. While they might be summoned to serve evil magic-users, erinyes also listen for oaths and curses sworn in their names. In rare cases, wronged mortals who call out with just rage might be heard by an erinyes who appears to take vengeance on their behalf. Once erinyes are so summoned, they won't leave without claiming the soul of either their quarry or the mortal who summoned them.  > [!embed-monster]- Erinyes >  ### Ettercap **Ettercap.** *Venomous Arachnid Abductor* - **Habitat.** Forest - **Treasure.** Implements Spiderlike hunters, ettercaps lurk in forested depths and seek prey to drag into their web-choked lairs. These vicious predators have arachnid features and hunched, bipedal frames, and they're notorious for their venomous bites and ability to shoot out webs to entrap their victims. Ettercaps often hunt in small groups alongside giant spiders and mundane spider swarms. Ettercaps frequently overhunt their environment. Left unchecked, ettercaps might fill whole woodlands with their webs and the cocooned remains of past meals, which puts ettercaps in conflict with Fey. Spiteful ettercaps go out of their way to torment and feed on Fey; they prefer to menace those smaller than themselves, like pixies and sprites. They rarely devour other sapient creatures swiftly, preferring to cocoon their captives and terrorize them for days. Ettercaps avoid fire, which can quickly burn through their webs and the dead trees where they make their homes.  > [!embed-monster]- Ettercap >  ### Ettin **Ettin.** *Quarrelsome Two-Headed Giant* - **Habitat.** Hill, Mountain, Underdark - **Treasure.** Individual Ettins are physically powerful Giants with two heads. While many ettins have features similar to hill giants, others have more bestial or unusual traits, such as tusks, short horns, or a single eye on each head. Ettins frequently ally with other Giants or groups that value their strength, such as hill giants, bandits, or ogres. Some ettins possess mystical ties to the lands they inhabit, and they might know or guard secrets valued by druids or Fey. Each ettin head has a distinct personality. While this makes some ettins quarrelsome with themselves and others, many function as a team. An ettin head might have its own name, or both heads might refer to themselves as a single being—either with one name or a portmanteau of two. Roll on or choose a result from the Ettin Interactions table to inspire how an ettin's heads are interacting when the creature is encountered. **Ettin Interactions** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^ettin-interactions)` | dice: 1d8 | The Ettin's Heads Are... | |-----------|--------------------------| | 1 | Amping up one another in preparation for a conflict or challenge. | | 2 | Arguing over plans for battle, dinner, or how to spend the day. | | 3 | Criticizing one another as they perform separate tasks. | | 4 | Engaged in a staring contest. | | 5 | Making polite small talk as if they were meeting for the first time. | | 6 | Performatively ignoring one another. | | 7 | Talking over an increasingly convoluted plot. | | 8 | Trying to keep one another awake. | ^ettin-interactions > [!quote] A quote from Bertrand, Inquisitor of the Mind Fire > > Twice the malice, aggressiveness, and appetite—the ettin demonstrates that two heads aren't necessarily better than one.  > [!embed-monster]- Ettin >  ## Monsters (F) ### Faerie Dragons **Faerie Dragons.** *Whimsical Draconic Tricksters* - **Habitat.** Forest - **Treasure.** Implements Faerie dragons are cat-size pranksters with draconic features, butterfly-like wings, and scales of warm hues as youths and cool hues as adults.  > [!embed-monster]- Faerie Dragon Adult >  > [!embed-monster]- Faerie Dragon Youth >  ### Fire Elemental **Fire Elemental.** *Primal Spirit of Heat and Flame* - **Habitat.** Desert, Planar (Elemental Plane of Fire) - **Treasure.** None Fire elementals arise when spirits of the Elemental Plane of Fire inhabit flames, burning cinders, and heated smoke. These beings are tangible despite largely being made of flames and particles, and they can uses their vague limbs to ignite foes and flammable materials. Fire elementals typically burn in shades of orange and red, but other colors are possible. Most on the Material Plane are summoned by magical means, or they might appear near rifts amid desert depths, volcanoes, wildfires, or magma flows that connect to their home plane. Fire elementals might burn in distinctive ways. Roll on or choose a result from the Fire Elemental Compositions table to inspire a fire elemental's features. **Fire Elemental Compositions** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^fire-elemental-compositions)` | dice: 1d8 | The Fire Elemental's Body Features... | |-----------|---------------------------------------| | 1 | Colorful, superheated gases. | | 2 | A column of diabolical or divine flame. | | 3 | Crackling shapes that look like animals, fiends, skeletons, sprites, or other beings. | | 4 | Flames that are predominantly white, blue, or a more unusual color. | | 5 | The form of a calm or tormented humanoid. | | 6 | Smoke that forms eerie shapes or symbols. | | 7 | Soot that smells like cedar, cloves, incense, or burning meat. | | 8 | Swirls of cinders and burning debris. | ^fire-elemental-compositions > [!quote] A quote from Marrake the Incandescent, Ruler of Efreet > > All the elements bow to fire. The strongest earth melts. Water boils. Even air ignites. We are all souls of flame, and we know what it is to burn.  > [!embed-monster]- Fire Elemental >  ### Fire Giant **Fire Giant.** *Giant of the Smoldering Depths* - **Habitat.** Mountain, Underdark - **Treasure.** Armaments Fire giants inhabit the hollow vaults and molten rivers of mountainous depths. There, they use subterranean heat and riches to craft wonders, from titanic weapons of war to delicate works of art. Fire giants have broad frames, skin tones in a variety of rocklike shades, and hair like flame. Most fire giants dwell in volcanically active mountains or cavernous depths that house their fortress-forges. Evil fire giants tend to be martially minded, and they craft mighty arms to conquer their neighbors and seize valuable resources. More temperate fire giants trade their works for what they need, and they might share the ancient techniques of Giant artisans with other craftspeople. In either case, fire giants are prone to undertaking ambitious designs, and they rarely appreciate interruptions in their titanic workshops.  > [!embed-monster]- Fire Giant >  ### Flameskull **Flameskull.** *Skull Smoldering with Magical Obsession* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Arcana Flameskulls are flying skulls that blaze with magical fire and the half-remembered arcana of dead spellcasters. They rise from the remains of dead magic-users who were reanimated by sinister necromancers or whose magical pursuits drive them beyond death. Flameskulls might serve as guardians for their creators or pursue ambitions left unfulfilled in life. They lash out at foes with destructive spells and bursts of fire, wielding magic without the need for most components. Flameskulls take various forms, from skulls with humanlike features to ones with fearsome or bestial alterations. Their flames vary in color and grow more intense when they're angry. Roll on or choose a result from the Flameskull Details table to inspire what makes a flameskull distinctive. **Flameskull Details** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^flameskull-details)` | dice: 1d6 | The Flameskull Features... | |-----------|----------------------------| | 1 | Arcane diagrams etched into it. | | 2 | Flames like dramatic features, horns, or hair. | | 3 | Fractured pieces that fly in unison. | | 4 | An iron plate bolted over its mouth. | | 5 | Lethal head trauma. | | 6 | Mismatched animal teeth. | ^flameskull-details > [!quote] A quote from Trenzia, Undermountain Flameskull > > I never cared for warmth. I never needed a body. My will is enough, and my work will be the legacy that makes my every sacrifice worthwhile!  > [!embed-monster]- Flameskull >  ### Flesh Golem **Flesh Golem.** *Dead Flesh Given New Life* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Arcana Flesh golems are roughly human-shaped collections of body parts bound together by misused magic or strange science. They serve their reckless creators, but many possess disjointed memories and instincts from their component parts. If wounded, these golems might go berserk and vent their confusion on anything in their sight, including their creators. Flesh golems appear in varied forms. Roll on or choose a result from the Flesh Golem Characteristics table to inspire a flesh golem's features. **Flesh Golem Characteristics** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^flesh-golem-characteristics)` | dice: 1d6 | The Flesh Golem Has... | |-----------|------------------------| | 1 | Animal parts among its humanlike pieces. | | 2 | A disguise of makeup and heavy clothing. | | 3 | Missing parts and exposed insides. | | 4 | Parts serving unintended roles, like a body composed of dozens of hands. | | 5 | Perfect features accented by beautiful stitching. | | 6 | Visible mechanisms, bellows, and engines. | ^flesh-golem-characteristics > [!quote] A quote from Viktra Mordenheim, Darklord of Lamordia > > The barrier between the mortal and the divine lies shattered—open is the mold for new gods. It was I who invaded the divine. Not with a spear but with a stitch. Not with my heresies but with my heart.  > [!embed-monster]- Flesh Golem >  ### Flumph **Flumph.** *Strange Ally from a Strange Place* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Arcana Bizarre creatures with aberrant agendas inhabit the Underdark. Flumphs number among the few that are helpful to strangers. These tentacled, telepathic creatures jet through the air in short bursts, venting gases with a sound that gives them their name. Rather than speaking, flumphs communicate telepathically and by changing color to reflect their moods. Flumphs dwell in psychically charged regions or near creatures with psionic magic. They harmlessly feed off psychic energies, but in doing so, they often encounter dangerous beings such as aboleths and mind flayers. While flumphs generally avoid combat, they often help adventurers in peril. Such help might be of doubtful use, but flumphs mean well. Roll on or choose a result from the Flumph Assistance table to inspire what support flumphs provide. **Flumph Assistance** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^flumph-assistance)` | dice: 1d6 | The Flumph Helps By... | |-----------|------------------------| | 1 | Cooking a meal of Underdark delicacies. | | 2 | Performing a psychic song or "smell poem." | | 3 | Recovering and nursing fallen adventurers. | | 4 | Revealing the location of helpful magic items. | | 5 | Serving as a guide to a foe's hidden lair. | | 6 | Sharing excessive encouragement and praise. | ^flumph-assistance **Flumph Colors.** A flumph's extremities change color to reflect its mood. The Flumph Colors and Emotions table summarizes common flumph colors and the human emotions to which they most closely correspond. **Flumph Colors and Emotions** | Color | Emotion | |-------|---------| | Blue, Dark | Sadness | | Blue, Light | Happiness | | Green | Curiosity | | Magenta | Unknown* | | Orange | Confusion | | Pink | Amusement | | Purple | Fear | | Red | Anger | | Teal | Serenity | | Yellow | Excitement | ^flumph-colors-and-emotions *Rarely seen; potentially no human equivalent  > [!embed-monster]- Flumph >  ### Fomorian **Fomorian.** *Cursed Giant of the Dark* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Any Once infamous for their magical aptitude, fomorians are giants afflicted with a fey curse. In their pride, they were tricked into invading the Feywild to claim its magic for their own. When the archfey rulers of that realm united, the fomorians were turned back and cursed with supernatural strangeness to make their bodies match their vile souls. Ever since, fomorians have dwelled in the Underdark amid the ruins of their magical cities. The archfey's curse afflicts them still, tormenting them with wandering cankers, lurching organs, and stranger discomforts. Rather than atoning for their offenses, fomorians harness the magic of their curse and turn it against others. Roll on or choose a result from the Fomorian Warping table to inspire the cosmetic effects a creature undergoes while they're affected by a fomorian's Warping Hex. **Fomorian Warping** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^fomorian-warping)` | dice: 1d4 | The Fomorian's Hex Causes... | |-----------|------------------------------| | 1 | Colorful, wandering pustules. | | 2 | Excessive sweating of rainbow-hued fluids. | | 3 | Patches of wriggling hair. | | 4 | Veins that bulge and lurch under the skin. | ^fomorian-warping > [!quote] A quote from Bigby > > All-Father Annam banished his son, Karontor, for Karontor's part in the fomorian assault on the Feywild. That day, the ordning—the hierarchy of the giants and their gods—changed forever, and the fomorians were part of it no more.  > [!embed-monster]- Fomorian >  ### Frost Giant **Frost Giant.** *Giant of the Ice and Snow* - **Habitat.** Arctic, Mountain - **Treasure.** Armaments From glacial mountain heights and vast tundras rise the homes of frost giants. These giants have skin and hair of icy hues. Their natural immunity to cold allows them to flourish in places inhospitable to most other creatures. They use this resilience to aid them when hunting and in combat, bolstering their allies with chilling war cries. Frost giants often travel far to find food and goods. This leads many to become raiders and earn violent reputations. Others live more peaceably by hunting titanic game or creating sanctuaries from the cold (frequently featuring hot springs or snowy contests). Frost giants sometimes forge partnerships with icy Fey or fire giants dwelling underground, serving as guardians to their realms in exchange for treasure, weapons, and crafts. > [!quote] A quote from Jarl Grugnur, Frost Giant > > The small folk have barely anything worth looting, so they shouldn't much mind when we take it from them.  > [!embed-monster]- Frost Giant >  ### Fungi **Fungi.** *Deadly Spores and Predatory Polyps* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None The dank, sunless Underdark is a fertile breeding ground for weird and dangerous fungi. > [!embed-monster]- Gas Spore Fungus >   > [!embed-monster]- Shrieker Fungus >   > [!embed-monster]- Violet Fungus >  > [!embed-monster]- Violet Fungus Necrohulk >  ## Monsters (G) ### Galeb Duhr **Galeb Duhr.** *Eyes and Ears of the Earth* - **Habitat.** Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** Any Beings of living rock, galeb duhr seek harmony with the earth and give voice to the vibrations of stone. Their rocky bodies have limbs and facial features accented by gems, ores, and other minerals found in the surrounding earth. Galeb duhr are effectively immortal, with lifespans similar in length to mountains. They don't experience time or perceive danger as shorter-lived species do. Galeb duhr avoid danger by hiding from other creatures. When they do reveal themselves, they speak and act ponderously, but they often know much of the surrounding land and secrets within the earth. When motivated to action, galeb duhr slam into foes and animate nearby boulders to do the same. Some mountain dwellers view galeb duhr as aloof allies and might entrust these long-lived beings with secrets or treasures for future generations. Others speak of galeb duhr songs, barely audible harmonizations by groups of galeb duhr that are said to influence earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.  > [!embed-monster]- Galeb Duhr >  ### Gargoyle **Gargoyle.** *Sculpted Sentinel Hidden in Plain Sight* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Any Gargoyles are sculptures inhabited by elemental spirits. Wings and magic allow their heavy stone bodies to fly, and they often perch where they can blend in amid ornate architecture, rock formations, or mundane statues. Gargoyles usually serve the magic-users who conjured them into their bodies, but if left to their own devices, they might play cruel pranks and steal treasures to hoard in lofty lairs. Gargoyles have a variety of appearances. Roll on or choose a result from the Gargoyle Sculptures table to inspire how a gargoyle looks. **Gargoyle Sculptures** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^gargoyle-sculptures)` | dice: 1d6 | The Gargoyle Is Sculpted to Appear... | |-----------|---------------------------------------| | 1 | Cherubic with perpetually smiling features. | | 2 | Crudely hewed or naturally formed. | | 3 | Damaged or marred by mismatched pieces. | | 4 | Dragon-like with polished stone scales. | | 5 | Gothically fiendish with horns and a tail. | | 6 | Useful, like an ornate podium or a pillar. | ^gargoyle-sculptures **Gargoyle Ambushes.** Gargoyles seek to ambush foes or creatures that trespass on their territories. With no biological needs and supernatural patience, these monsters might wait unmoving for months, revealing themselves only when conditions are perfect to attack. They tend to lurk where statuary seems commonplace or where terrain obscures the shape and color of their bodies. Roll on or choose a result from the Gargoyle Camouflage table to inspire where a gargoyle sets up an ambush. **Gargoyle Camouflage** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^gargoyle-camouflage)` | dice: 1d8 | The Gargoyle Conceals Itself Amid... | |-----------|--------------------------------------| | 1 | Burls and bark on a giant tree. | | 2 | Monuments in a graveyard or memorial. | | 3 | Outcroppings on a cliff or rock formation | | 4 | The [petrified](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Petrified) victims of a basilisk or medusa. | | 5 | Reliefs on a sculpted gate or wall. | | 6 | Rubble in a ruin or junkyard. | | 7 | Stalactites or icicles on a cavern ceiling. | | 8 | Statuary on a castle, mansion, or temple. | ^gargoyle-camouflage > [!quote] A quote from Tiv, Scholar of the Elemental Planes > > Where evil passes in the Elemental Plane of Earth, it stains the rock and spoils the soil. Malice vanishes amid other elements, but in the dismal dark, the wicked shape it into nightmares.  > [!embed-monster]- Gargoyle >  ### Gelatinous Cube **Gelatinous Cube.** *Dungeon-Scouring Block of Ooze* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Any Quivering masses of acidic goo, gelatinous cubes wobble through narrow caverns and dungeons, engulfing anything in their paths. These Oozes are naturally transparent, making them difficult to see while they're stationary. Creatures and objects that become stuck within these slimes are gradually dissolved. Undigested detritus sometimes floats within a gelatinous cube, hinting at its past meals. Roll on or choose a result from the Gelatinous Cube Debris table to inspire a gelatinous cube's contents. **Gelatinous Cube Debris** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^gelatinous-cube-debris)` | dice: 1d6 | Floating in the Gelatinous Cube Is A... | |-----------|-----------------------------------------| | 1 | Chest or recently trapped mimic. | | 2 | Collection of bubbles or rocks resembling eyes. | | 3 | Key to a nearby door or coffer. | | 4 | Remarkable weapon in need of repair. | | 5 | Skeleton belonging to a famous adventurer. | | 6 | Tablet bearing a mysterious message. | ^gelatinous-cube-debris  > [!embed-monster]- Gelatinous Cube >  ### Ghasts **Ghasts.** *Tyrants among Corpses* - **Habitat.** Swamp, Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Any Ghasts are reeking, undying corpses closely related to ghouls. They hunger for the vices they enjoyed in life as much as they do for rotting flesh.  > [!embed-monster]- Ghast >  > [!embed-monster]- Ghast Gravecaller >  ### Ghost **Ghost.** *Lost Soul and Unquiet Spirit* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Any Ghosts arise when living creatures die in a state of extreme emotion or having left an important task undone. These incorporeal spirits haunt locations that are meaningful to them, lingering until their business is complete or they're put to rest. Ghosts typically appear as semitransparent versions of the creatures they were in life, though some bear evidence of the wounds that killed them or have nightmarish distortions to their forms. Many have extreme reactions to actions, objects, or individuals that remind them of emotionally charged aspects of their lives. Particularly desperate or vengeful ghosts might possess the living to fulfill their ends.  > [!embed-monster]- Ghost >  ### Ghouls **Ghouls.** *Eaters of the Dead* - **Habitat.** Swamp, Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Any Packs of ghouls haunt the rotten corners of the world, ravenously hunting for corpses and those soon to be corpses. These gaunt, animate cadavers with unnaturally long tongues dwell in catacombs and ruins where they devour the contents of graves and paralyze foes with vicious claws. > [!quote] > > On a plain of teeth, in a temple of filth, the starving king wastes no morsel. Every coffin a banquet. Every slab a platter. Now is the time of feasting!  > [!embed-monster]- Ghoul >  > [!embed-monster]- Lacedon Ghoul >  ### Gibbering Mouther **Gibbering Mouther.** *Ravenous Chorus of Unreality* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Gibbering mouthers endlessly feed on and regrow their own amoeboid bodies—amorphous heaps roiling with eyes, teeth, and strange organs. These mind-bending terrors sing and scream, laugh and cry with a cacophony of voices ranging from disturbingly unnatural to shockingly familiar. They exist only to feed and to unleash their disdain for reality, their many maws dripping with otherworldly spittle. Gibbering mouthers come into being in various unpleasant ways. Roll on or choose a result from the Gibbering Mouther Nascencies table to inspire what brought one of these horrors into being. **Gibbering Mouther Nascencies** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^gibbering-mouther-nascencies)` | dice: 1d6 | The Gibbering Mouther Is... | |-----------|-----------------------------| | 1 | Another creature warped by dangerous magic. | | 2 | The autonomous appendage of a chaotic deity, Far Realm entity, or star-spawn horror. | | 3 | The experiment of an aberrant manipulator. | | 4 | Part of the life cycle of some other Aberration. | | 5 | A shape-shifter that lost control of its powers. | | 6 | Someone cursed by a cult or vengeful deity. | ^gibbering-mouther-nascencies > [!quote] > > Alas, the Elder Elves made a fatal mistake. When the Dragon's Tear comet next returned, the Vast Gate—still keyed to the Far Realm of alien entities—linked to the comet and opened again. And what emerged, ululating profanities, sang unnameable hungers into an unguarded world.  > [!embed-monster]- Gibbering Mouther >  ### Githyanki **Githyanki.** *Invaders from the Astral Plane* - **Habitat.** Planar (Astral Plane) - **Treasure.** Armaments Githyanki were once an ordinary people, but the deeds of a vile mind flayer empire etched conflict on their being. Gaunt, humanlike creatures, githyanki have serrated ears and speckled skin ranging through shades of yellow, green, and brown. While some githyanki follow their own paths, many are influenced by a past that forever altered their fates. **History of the Gith.** Ages ago, a humanlike people were conquered by an empire of mind flayers. The illithids manipulated this forgotten people through untold horrors, forced evolution, and psychic reshaping. Eventually one named Gith rose from among the captives and led a rebellion against their oppressors. Gith's followers, who became known as the gith, defeated the mind flayers and shattered their vast empire. The victory of the gith was short-lived. As Gith was forging her own burgeoning empire, a leader named Zerthimon challenged her. Zerthimon claimed Gith's drive for vengeance and new conquests was evidence of species-wide mental programming laid by the mind flayers, biological manipulation that condemned her people to continued servitude. This claim split the gith into Gith's followers, the githyanki (meaning "followers of Gith"), and Zerthimon's followers, the githzerai (meaning "those who spurn Gith"), and sparked an ongoing conflict. When Gith perished, her adviser, Vlaakith, assumed rule of the githyanki. Vlaakith's line has continued to the githyanki's current ruler, Vlaakith the Lich-Queen. This undead tyrant compels her people to wage endless wars against mind flayers, githzerai, and any others that threaten githyanki supremacy.  > [!embed-monster]- Githyanki Warrior >  > [!embed-monster]- Githyanki Knight >  > [!embed-monster]- Githyanki Dracomancer >  ### Githzerai **Githzerai.** *Explorers at Reality's Extremes* - **Habitat.** Planar (Limbo) - **Treasure.** Arcana, Individual Githzerai are gaunt, humanlike beings, physically identical to githyanki. They share a history with githyanki as creatures physically and psychically transformed by mind flayers (see the "Githyanki" section). Githzerai know that in body and mind, their species was manipulated by their former illithid oppressors. Rather than giving in to this programming, githzerai follow the teachings of their first leader, Zerthimon, and reshape their minds and bodies to find peace. Githzerai psychically create serene, hidden sanctuaries in chaotic reaches of the multiverse. Most of these redoubts drift through the chaotic plane of Limbo, but githzerai conclaves can also be found in the Abyss, the Elemental Chaos, and the Feywild. Githzerai create these cloisters to hone their psionic abilities, to gain insights from the multiverse, and to avoid githyanki and mind flayers. **Adventures with Gith.** Characters might be drawn into conflicts involving githzerai and githyanki in various ways. Roll on or choose a result from the Gith Conflicts table to inspire adventures featuring these age-old rivals. **Gith Conflicts** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^gith-conflicts)` | dice: 1d8 | The Characters Are... | |-----------|-----------------------| | 1 | Called on to deliver a message or mysterious parcel to or from Vlaakith the Lich Queen. | | 2 | Encouraged by a disguised intellect devourer to seek out an elusive gith leader. | | 3 | Entreated to aid githzerai fleeing the githyanki who destroyed their sanctuary. | | 4 | Entrusted with renewing or disrupting the githyanki's alliance with red dragons. | | 5 | Invited to hunt illithids with githyanki. | | 6 | Pressed to uncover a gith spy in a planar community or on a spelljamming ship. | | 7 | Sent on a quest to discover the last known location of the hero Gith or Zerthimon. | | 8 | Tasked with returning the blade of a fallen githyanki knight to the knight's people. | ^gith-conflicts > [!quote] A quote from Zaerith Menyar-Ag-Gith, Githzerai Leader > > We githzerai crave a challenge, so that when Zerthimon returns, he shall find us ready. Thus we traveled to howling Limbo to make our new home.  > [!embed-monster]- Githzerai Monk >  > [!embed-monster]- Githzerai Zerth >  > [!embed-monster]- Githzerai Psion >  ### Glabrezu **Glabrezu.** *Demon of Delusion and Entrapment* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** Relics Glabrezus embody delusion and predatory guile. These cunning demons know the most effective traps are those that individuals devise for themselves. Despite having massive claws and overwhelming physicality, glabrezus excel at using flattery and misdirection to coerce victims into isolating themselves and harming others. In the Abyss, glabrezus act as lone hunters or deceitful advisers to greater demons. Glabrezus seek routes to the Material Plane and relish being summoned by magic-users. They eagerly serve mortals while tempting them to betray their allies and indulge in hubristic fantasies. A glabrezu strives to murder its summoner once the magic-user has committed irredeemable misdeeds and the mortal's soul is surely condemned to the Abyss. > [!quote] A quote from Gerrzog, Glabrezu of the Infinite Staircase > > Your companion's life, or what you've journeyed through infinity in search of! Make your choice.  > [!embed-monster]- Glabrezu >  ### Gladiator **Gladiator.** *Competitor and Prizefighter* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Armaments, Individual Gladiators are professional fighters who pit themselves against one another, monsters, and other challenges to entertain audiences. While some compete merely to survive, others love the thrill of performing—and all gladiators know the importance of theatrics in keeping audiences excited. Roll on or choose an option from the Gladiator Theatrics table to inspire the unique flourishes a gladiator uses when competing. **Gladiator Theatrics** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^gladiator-theatrics)` | dice: 1d6 | During a Competition, the Gladiator... | |-----------|----------------------------------------| | 1 | Dedicates their impending victory to a deity, ruler, beloved noble, or member of the crowd. | | 2 | Dresses in a monster-themed mask and cape. | | 3 | Judges whether their foe fights honorably. | | 4 | Leads the crowd in a rousing theme song. | | 5 | Seeks to claim a trophy from a foe. | | 6 | Takes advice from the crowd, omens, or a pet. | ^gladiator-theatrics > [!embed-monster]- Gladiator >   ### Gnolls **Gnolls.** *Fiends in Feral Flesh* - **Habitat.** Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill - **Treasure.** Armaments, Individual The first gnolls arose from hyenas that fed on flesh tainted by the Abyss. Their corruption and violence delighted the demon lord Yeenoghu, who encouraged their numbers and spread them across the multiverse. Ever since, gnolls have been the cackling servants of Yeenoghu, existing to cause ruin and to feast on what remains. > [!quote] A quote from Iggwilv > > Yeenoghu claims gnolls not as his brood but as maggots purposefully released to infest a despised carcass. They are a pernicious rot the Beast of Butchery spreads across mortal worlds. Whatever they once were, they were remade and are now his.  > [!embed-monster]- Gnoll Warrior >  > [!embed-monster]- Gnoll Pack Lord >  > [!embed-monster]- Gnoll Fang of Yeenoghu >  > [!embed-monster]- Gnoll Demoniac >  ### Goblins **Goblins.** *Wild Tricksters and Troublemakers* - **Habitat.** Forest, Grassland, Hill, Planar (Acheron), Planar (Feywild), Underdark - **Treasure.** Implements, Individual Goblins are Feywild embodiments of recklessness and ruin. They delight in wreckage—the louder, the more energetic, and the more convoluted, the better. Goblin raids are often as much opportunities to enjoy setting fires and tormenting livestock as they are parts of more disruptive plots. Goblins obey those who accomplish the wildest plans. Such leaders might be goblin raid masterminds, bombastic magic-users, or those capable of making the loudest noises. Hobgoblins and forceful humanoids might also command ornery groups of goblins, directing their destructiveness toward banditry, sabotage, or war. The deity Maglubiyet claims to be the god of goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears, and on the Infinite Battlefield of Acheron, the deity commands innumerable goblinoid legions. In ages long past, Maglubiyet witnessed the destructive propensity of goblinoids and relocated a population of them from the Feywild to his realm on the Outer Planes. Since then, hordes of these more martial-minded goblins have flourished, with some finding their ways to Material Plane worlds. These vicious invaders seek to sow ruin in preparation for their god's conquest. > [!quote] A quote from Approximate translation from Goblin to Common: "Hey, rube!" > > Bree-yark!  > [!embed-monster]- Goblin Minion >  > [!embed-monster]- Goblin Warrior >  > [!embed-monster]- Goblin Boss >  > [!embed-monster]- Goblin Hexer >  ### Gold Dragons **Gold Dragons.** *Dragons of Hope and Majesty* - **Habitat.** Forest, Grassland - **Treasure.** Arcana Gold dragons work to make the world a better place. The most powerful of the metallic dragons, these awe-inspiring dragons strive to protect that which is good and bend fate toward a brighter future. Their kind dispositions don't prevent gold dragons from engaging in combat when necessary, though, and they exhale brilliant flames and weakening magic to rout their foes. Gold dragons favor grasslands and pristine forests, frequently dwelling near awe-inspiring natural wonders or guarding monuments from ancient civilizations. In their lairs, gold dragons hoard coins and gems, but they frequently put their treasure to use in pursuit of greater goals. They often use their riches to buy rare lore books, pay informants, or patronize idealistic adventurers. **Gold Dragon Lairs.** Gold dragons make their homes in places of natural and magical wonder.  > [!embed-monster]- Gold Dragon Wyrmling >  > [!embed-monster]- Young Gold Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Adult Gold Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Ancient Gold Dragon >  ### Gorgons **Gorgons.** *Bull-like Guardians with Petrifying Breath* - **Habitat.** Forest, Grassland, Hill - **Treasure.** Any Resembling mighty bulls armored in iron plates, gorgons are lifelike automatons that seek to destroy all who enter their territories. In addition to goring foes with their deadly horns and trampling them under their iron hooves, gorgons exhale gouts of noxious gas. Gorgons are created by magic-users to serve as guardians. The process for creating a gorgon is labor intensive and dangerous, with one method requiring the skeleton of a bull, the blood of a medusa, and the brain of a basilisk fused into a frame of ensorcelled iron. If the process fails, petrifying gas emerges from the materials, creating a magical threat that can fill a structure and linger for years. When magic-users create gorgons, they often enchant them to ignore those who confront the creature with a specific command key, usually a password or a specific signal. Once a gorgon is set to guard an area, it attacks any who enter until they flee or are destroyed. Should someone provide the command key, the monster ignores that intruder so long as the intruder remains in its sight. But if the intruder ventures out of sight and then returns without again presenting the command key, the gorgon attacks. Those in a gorgon's territory must remain vigilant and aware of the monster's exact position, or they risk being attacked by a gorgon they thought was no longer a threat. Those who create gorgons strive to give them purposefully obscure command keys. Hints at command keys might be found among the records of a gorgon's creator or in the area the gorgon protects—perhaps scrawled as a [petrified](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Petrified) trespasser's final act. Roll on or choose a result from the Gorgon Command Keys table to inspire the word or signal that temporarily neutralizes a gorgon. **Gorgon Command Keys** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^gorgon-command-keys)` | dice: 1d6 | Gorgon Won't Attack Those That... | |-----------|-----------------------------------| | 1 | Cast a particular spell in the gorgon's presence. | | 2 | Keep their back to the gorgon or otherwise act like they don't see the monster. | | 3 | Offer it a drink of blood, water, or wine. | | 4 | Recite a specific rhyme or sing a certain song. | | 5 | Say its creator's name backward. | | 6 | Wear a mask, perhaps in the shape of a bull or an animal meaningful to the gorgon's creator. | ^gorgon-command-keys > [!quote] A quote from Lum the Maestro > > Notable among my eccentric ancestor's scattered designs was a schematic of a swamp-dwelling bovine monster and an ominous note: "Do better."  > [!embed-monster]- Gorgon >  > [!embed-monster]- Brazen Gorgon >  ### Goristro **Goristro.** *Demon of Disaster* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** Armaments Terrifying in scale and overwhelming power, goristros are giant demons capable of bringing cities to ruin. These demons embody senseless anarchy and nihilistic destruction, and they take special offense at creatures or structures that rival them in size. Castles, towers, giants, and beasts of war are all common victims of these monsters' wrath. Goristros resemble hunched, primeval minotaurs bearing the scars of Abyssal wars or wounds from mighty war machines. Their appearance reflects that of their creator, Baphomet, the demon lord worshiped by many evil minotaurs. Goristros stalk Baphomet's Abyssal realm, known as the Endless Maze, and pulp any non-demons they encounter in that massive, magical labyrinth. > [!quote] A quote from Mellagorus the Pit Fiend > > Plot and strategize, bait and scheme, but hubris is no armor against ruin incarnate, and greater beings than you have fallen under the onslaught of the Abyss.  > [!embed-monster]- Goristro >  ### Gray Oozes **Gray Oozes.** *Hungry Slimes and Magical Failures* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Gray oozes are predatory, corrosive slimes that blend in with stony surroundings.  > [!embed-monster]- Gray Ooze >  > [!embed-monster]- Gray Ooze >  ### Green Dragons **Green Dragons.** *Dragons of Deceit and Derision* - **Habitat.** Forest - **Treasure.** Arcana From forbidden forest depths, green dragons whisper evils into the world and manipulate the lives of those who listen. Elusive, conniving, and egotistical, these chromatic dragons patiently prey on the fears of shorter-lived beings, corrupting and isolating them. Green dragons might lurk amid labyrinthine wildernesses for centuries without revealing themselves; even their most devoted followers might know them only as the voice of the woodlands or a whisper in their dreams. Despite their might, most green dragons disdain physical violence, viewing combat as servants' work and preferring to trick foes into dangerous or exploitative scenarios. These dragons collect "baubles" that embody their webs of manipulation and serve as tools of extortion, such as compromising documents, family heirlooms, and sentimental treasures. **Green Dragon Lairs.** Green dragons lair in ancient forests, often shaping stands of massive trees into compounds of interwoven branches, hollow trunks, and caverns amid mighty roots. They might also dwell amid forested ruins, particularly the former homes of those they've conquered.  > [!embed-monster]- Green Dragon Wyrmling >  > [!embed-monster]- Young Green Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Adult Green Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Ancient Green Dragon >   ### Green Hag **Green Hag.** *Foul Witch of the Wicked Wild* - **Habitat.** Forest, Hill, Swamp - **Treasure.** Arcana Green hags work bitter magic to foul all that is beautiful and pure. Whether alone or in covens of other hags, these ancient witches call on eerie forces, spreading corruption and plotting doom for those who earn their ire. Green hags are adept deceivers, and they use illusions to cloak themselves in unassuming forms, hoping to tempt innocents into peril. These hags often spirit their victims back to surreal lairs where they hold captives prisoner or cook them into monstrous meals. Green hags frequently know strange magic or forgotten secrets, such as the weaknesses of villains, the locations of lost treasures, or the ways to break curses. They might trade such knowledge for rare magic or symbolic treasures. Roll on or choose a result from the Green Hag Bargains table to inspire what a green hag charges for its secrets. **Green Hag Bargains** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^green-hag-bargains)` | dice: 1d6 | A Green Hag Trades Its Knowledge For... | |-----------|-----------------------------------------| | 1 | A bargainer's memories of a loved one. | | 2 | The cauldron of a rival hag. | | 3 | A favor to be redeemed when the hag wishes. | | 4 | A flower from a hidden Feywild garden. | | 5 | A gift given freely by a yugoloth. | | 6 | A vial filled with a ruler's tears. | ^green-hag-bargains > [!embed-monster]- Green Hag >  ### Grell **Grell.** *Bizarre Hunter That Travels between Worlds* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None With barbed tentacles sprouting from their brain-shaped bodies, grells hunt the lightless depths. These silent predators defy gravity, allowing them to strike from unexpected places, and they perceive their surroundings via sound and electrical fields. Their tentacles secrete paralytic venom, which prevents most creatures ambushed by grells from crying out before being dragged into the dark and consumed. Grells are sapient beings, but their intellects and motivations are alien to most. They typically cooperate with one another only to defeat more powerful prey. Most demonstrate no interest in creating things or in communicating with other creatures, including their own kind. Many grells pursue methods of traveling between worlds and planes of existence. They sometimes slip onto star-faring vessels or enter portals heedless of their destination. Roll on or choose a result from the Grell Explorations table to inspire why grells seek passage between realms. **Grell Explorations** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^grell-explorations)` | dice: 1d6 | Grells Travel Because They Are... | |-----------|-----------------------------------| | 1 | Advanced viruses, each the clone of all other grell. They exist only to feed and spread. | | 2 | The larvae of another creature and require electrically charged environs to reproduce. | | 3 | Seeking to escape some catastrophe or terror lurking in the depths. | | 4 | Supernaturally connected to ravenous alien beings and serve as their feeding appendages. | | 5 | Vestiges of an ancient evil that will return if grells collectively consume enough creatures. | | 6 | Without souls, but convinced they can attain souls by eating certain beings. | ^grell-explorations > [!quote] A quote from Evard > > For meal, my hunger grinds within my teeth. For might, my hunger clenches in my grip. But for what we're told we mustn't know, my hunger snaps a raptor's beak and makes my mind a muscle that knows only how to chew.  > [!embed-monster]- Grell >  ### Gricks **Gricks.** *Worms That Hunt the Dark and Decaying* - **Habitat.** Forest, Underdark - **Treasure.** Any Gricks are wormlike predators that burst from hiding—flailing and snapping—to consume whatever prey passes near. They hide in cavernous crags or amid deadfalls, the scattered bones and possessions of past meals the only evidence of their threat. Gricks' origins are unclear, but some suggest these creatures arise from natural worms or similar invertebrates mutated by magical phenomena. Many cite the presence of gricks in a region as evidence of portals to other planes of existence, legendary magic items, or powerful supernatural beings.  > [!embed-monster]- Grick >  > [!embed-monster]- Grick Ancient >  ### Griffon **Griffon.** *Majestic Hunter of Land and Sky* - **Habitat.** Arctic, Coastal, Grassland, Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** None Griffons combine the features of raptors and big cats—most commonly eagles and lions—and possess the precision and ferocity of such predators. Rarer breeds of griffons have the features of condors and panthers, while others resemble hawks and tigers. Regardless of their appearances, griffons are often associated with royalty and are widely called the Masters of Animals. Countless tales surround griffons. Roll on or choose a result from the Griffon Tales table to inspire stories about them. **Griffon Tales** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^griffon-tales)` | dice: 1d6 | Legends Claim That Griffons... | |-----------|--------------------------------| | 1 | Attack anything in the skies near their lairs. | | 2 | Curse their killers. Those who slay a griffon face the enmity of all animals. | | 3 | Lay eggs with remarkable healing properties. | | 4 | Prefer the taste of horses over all other prey. | | 5 | Serve the first creature they see after hatching. | | 6 | Won't attack those with royal blood. | ^griffon-tales > [!quote] A quote from Sildar Hallwinter, retired member of the Waterdeep Griffon Cavalry > > People think we flew high over the city to avoid weather vanes and laundry lines and whatnot. Truth is, if the griffons smelled how much horse meat trotted just below, folks would have worse than joy-flying mages and stirges to worry about!  > [!embed-monster]- Griffon >  ### Grimlock **Grimlock.** *Puppet of the Mind Flayer Menace* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Grimlocks are victims of biological manipulation by mind flayers. To create grimlocks, illithids capture Humanoids, expose them to strange forms of Underdark radiation, and implant new directives into their brains. The process of creating a grimlock rends the creature's mind such that no semblance of the individual's former personality remains. Grimlocks have shallow depressions rather than eyes. A sixth sense allows grimlocks to perceive their surroundings. Psychic energies from their transformations linger in grimlocks' bodies, and they channel these eerie forces into their attacks. Roll on or choose a result from the Grimlock Tasks table to inspire how grimlocks serve illithids. **Grimlock Tasks** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^grimlock-tasks)` | dice: 1d4 | The Grimlock Serves Mind Flayers By... | |-----------|----------------------------------------| | 1 | Carving caves to serve as illithid outposts. | | 2 | Hiding the threat of mind flayers beneath fake, purposefully crude dwellings. | | 3 | Pretending to be helpful and luring travelers into false senses of security. | | 4 | Raiding surface communities and tempting other creatures to pursue it into illithid traps. | ^grimlock-tasks > [!quote] A quote from Aljayera, Underdark Seer > > We thought we'd discovered a new people living deeper than we believed possible. The truth was something far worse.  > [!embed-monster]- Grimlock >  ### Guardian Naga **Guardian Naga.** *Enduring Serpentine Lore Keeper* - **Habitat.** Desert, Forest, Planar (Upper Planes) - **Treasure.** Relics Guardian nagas are immortal, serpentine scholars that possess perfect memories. They collect the histories and lore of those they live among, guarding cultures' stories and passing them on to new generations with infallible accuracy. Guardian nagas that outlive their host civilizations might linger in whatever ruins remain, preserving the civilizations' stories so their lost people might live on. Roll on or choose a result from the Guardian Naga Lore table to inspire what a naga knows. **Guardian Naga Lore** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^guardian-naga-lore)` | dice: 1d8 | The Guardian Naga Recalls... | |-----------|------------------------------| | 1 | The last words of an ancient sage or leader. | | 2 | The location of a hidden city or continent. | | 3 | A magic word, password, or riddle's answer. | | 4 | The names of all who have told it stories. | | 5 | An otherwise forgotten ritual or spell. | | 6 | Recipes using regional ingredients. | | 7 | Stories of forgotten gods and local spirits. | | 8 | The vulnerabilities of a legendary monster. | ^guardian-naga-lore  > [!embed-monster]- Guardian Naga >  ### Guards **Guards.** *Sentries and Watch Members* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Armaments, Individual Guards protect people, places, and things, either for pay or from a sense of duty. They might perform their duties vigilantly or distractedly. Some raise alarms at the first sign of danger and defend their charges with their lives. Others flee outright if their compensation doesn't match the danger they face. > [!quote] A quote from Volothamp Geddarm, Legendary Explorer > > To distinguish between Waterdeep's different groups of guardians, keep this handy mnemonic in mind: the Guard guards the walls while the Watch watches all.  > [!embed-monster]- Guard >  > [!embed-monster]- Guard Captain >  ## Monsters (H) ### Half-Dragon **Half-Dragon.** *Warrior Created by Dragons* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Armaments Born through magical rites involving the essences of dragons, half-dragons serve their creators and their own draconic whims. Most half-dragons are created by chromatic dragons who desire servants with some trace of their own might and grandeur. Half-dragons frequently command other servants of a villainous dragon or act as agents in lands where their draconic master would attract unwanted attention. Half-dragons share personality traits and agendas with the dragon who spawned them. Those resembling chromatic dragons typically loathe their creator even as they seek the same ends. Half-dragons with the traits of metallic dragons are especially rare, but they might arise through magical accidents, the efforts of reckless magic-users, or the last act of a dying dragon. > [!quote] A quote from Wyrmlord Azarr Kul, Half–Dragon > > What blessing demands more yet inspires greater works than the blood of Tiamat?  > [!embed-monster]- Half-Dragon >  ### Harpy **Harpy.** *Winged Voice of Doom* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Forest, Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** Any Hate-filled creatures, harpies strive to cause pain and bring an end to love and life. These monsters combine humanlike features with the talons and wings of avian scavengers. Their notorious songs compel listeners to follow them, heedless of danger. Creatures captivated by a harpy's song frequently meet their deaths on harpies' vicious claws or amid natural perils. Harpies dwell in remote, dismal places tainted by tragedy and despair. Some tales claim harpies offended the gods and were transformed as a punishment; harpies might also be the descendants of such cursed souls. Every harpy sings a distinct song. While some songs are said to be heartbreaking in their beauty, others are wretched squawking and compel only the magically enthralled.  > [!embed-monster]- Harpy >  ### Hell Hound **Hell Hound.** *Unrelenting Warden of the Lower Planes* - **Habitat.** Mountain, Planar (Lower Planes), Underdark - **Treasure.** None Spawned from the pits of Acheron, Gehenna, and the Nine Hells, hell hounds enforce the merciless order of those realms and the whims of tyrannical masters. On their home planes of existence, these grim canines ensure that souls don't escape their bleak afterlives. On the Material Plane, hell hounds typically serve cruel masters—such as fire giants and cultists—who appreciate their viciousness, obedience, and fiery characteristics. Hell hounds serve other creatures so long as they're given opportunities to hunt and kill, but they're quick to turn on those who treat them as mere animals. Hell hounds have greater cunning than normal canines. They're skilled trackers and work together well in packs, often employing tricks and ambushes. Hell hounds enjoy hearing prey scream in their scorching jaws and fiery breath. They often go out of their way to draw out the terror of their victims' final moments.  > [!embed-monster]- Hell Hound >  ### Helmed Horror **Helmed Horror.** *Armor with a Warrior's Purpose* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Armaments Helmed horrors are suits of armor animated by magic. Rather than being unreasoning automatons, these armored shells possess the guile of soldiers and resilience against destructive magic. While their name suggests sinister intentions, these creatures serve their creators loyally. Helmed horrors are also sometimes called doom guards or spirit armors. Most show no evidence of a personality, but exceptions exist. Helmed horrors might perform any number of assignments. Roll on or choose a result from the Helmed Horror Directives table to inspire what tasks helmed horrors perform. **Helmed Horror Directives** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^helmed-horror-directives)` | dice: 1d6 | The Helmed Horror Follows Commands To... | |-----------|------------------------------------------| | 1 | Carry its master's palanquin through the air. | | 2 | Defend a remarkable treasure or piece of armor by incorporating the item into its being. | | 3 | Imitate a dead or imprisoned hero by using their armor and weapons. | | 4 | Perform as a laborer or servant. | | 5 | Serve in a legion formed from the armors of a land's ancient defenders. | | 6 | Stand sentry in a gallery of mundane armors. | ^helmed-horror-directives  > [!embed-monster]- Helmed Horror >  ### Hezrou **Hezrou.** *Demon of Obscenity and Outrage* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** Any Hezrous compose the bulk of many demonic hordes. In croaking, reeking throngs, these ogre-size brutes seek to crush and consume foes. Their oozing hides are manifestations of embodied evils. Every few moments, patches of their slimy skins erupt with grotesque transformations such as rows of mismatched fangs, fungal growths, or half-formed features. These unsettling manifestations emerge, then roil away. Hezrous serve more powerful demons, such as nalfeshnees and mariliths. They take the abuse and intimidation of these deadlier demons and pass it on to droves of weaker dretches and manes. This predictable brutality makes hezrous useful links in the chaotic structure of a demonic horde. When on the Material Plane or otherwise left to their own devices, hezrous recklessly indulge in destructive, short-sighted rampages. Only magic and threats from more powerful masters can curb these demons' outrages and compel hezrous to pursue greater plots. Powerful spellcasters often use sinister coercions, spells like [Magic Circle](Mechanics/CLI/spells/magic-circle-xphb.md) and [Planar Binding](Mechanics/CLI/spells/planar-binding-xphb.md), or other magic to force hezrous to serve them. Roll on or choose a result from the Demonic Undertakings table to inspire how a magic-user might employ a hezrou or similar demon. **Demonic Undertakings** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^demonic-undertakings)` | dice: 1d6 | The Demon Is Compelled To... | |-----------|------------------------------| | 1 | Break open a vault and steal what's within. | | 2 | Defile a place using blasphemous symbols and demonic gore. | | 3 | Fetch or otherwise provide materials for a profane ritual. | | 4 | Guard a site and slay anyone who comes near. | | 5 | Hunt down a foe, destroying everything barring the demon's path. | | 6 | Intimidate someone into following orders. | ^demonic-undertakings  > [!embed-monster]- Hezrou >  ### Hill Giant **Hill Giant.** *Giant of Crags and Valleys* - **Habitat.** Hill - **Treasure.** Armaments Hill giants live among rugged bluffs and highlands. Standing three times the size of most humans, these giants exhibit skin and hair in a range of shades, including hues suggestive of the earth and mosses near their dwellings. Among hidden valleys, pristine waterfalls, and game-filled slopes, hill giants usually find their needs met by nature's bounty. What the wilderness doesn't provide, hill giants make, crafting clothes, tools, and weapons from rocks, wood, and hides. When they encounter strangers, hill giants might be suspicious and protective of their territories, but some might be convinced to share their bounties with travelers willing to entertain them. Disaster, invasion, or want might drive hill giants from their homes into other people's lands. Some displaced hill giants might steal what they need or seek revenge for their losses by causing ruin among smaller beings. Others might take up lives of raiding or serve other giants in return for protection.  > [!embed-monster]- Hill Giant >  ### Hippogriff **Hippogriff.** *World-Traveling Hunter and Steed* - **Habitat.** Grassland, Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** None Part hunting bird, part horse, hippogriffs are majestic creatures that hunt opportunistically as they migrate, often targeting lone travelers and livestock. Hippogriffs might carry riders with them in their travels in return for food or other aid. Hippogriff migrations might take months or years, and sages frequently predict their routes. Roll on or choose a result from the Hippogriff Destination table to inspire where a hippogriff might be en route to. **Hippogriff Destination** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^hippogriff-destination)` | dice: 1d6 | The Hippogriff Is Traveling to A... | |-----------|-------------------------------------| | 1 | Lost ruin hidden by clouds or fog. | | 2 | Low-hanging moon, star, or other solar body. | | 3 | Magical garden on a floating island. | | 4 | Mountaintop with a view of a giant geoglyph. | | 5 | Nest full of hippogriff eggs atop a spire. | | 6 | Portal to the Feywild or an Upper Plane. | ^hippogriff-destination  > [!embed-monster]- Hippogriff >  ### Hobgoblins **Hobgoblins.** *Conquerors of Every Horizon* - **Habitat.** Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Mountain, Planar (Acheron), Underdark - **Treasure.** Armaments, Individual Hobgoblins embody the primal urge to grow and spread, expressing such drives by bending the world to their whims. Lone hobgoblins claim woodland territories and plunder the wilds. In groups, they form hierarchical, martial societies bent on conquering lands and stripping them of resources to serve their expansionist zeal. Hobgoblins often subjugate animals, monsters, and destructive Fey—particularly goblins and bugbears—to serve their plans. Hobgoblins might ally with dragons, warlords, the servants of warlike gods, or other powerful creatures that promise them control of new territories. Should hobgoblins bring an entire land to heel, they seek new conquests, venturing across seas, into the Underdark, or to stars and planes of existence beyond. Many hobgoblins serve the violent god Maglubiyet, whose hunger for conquest matches their own. Hobgoblin followers of Maglubiyet flourish in the Infinite Battlefield of Acheron, where they endlessly indulge their drive for domination. These war-obsessed hobgoblins employ elaborate tactics and strange weapons, which they sometimes unleash on worlds of the Material Plane. **Hobgoblin Warfare.** The drive to subjugate and pillage is part of hobgoblins' supernatural nature, though a few might repress their warlike tendencies or turn them to more useful ends. Roll on or choose a result from the Hobgoblin Strategies table to inspire how a hobgoblin carries out its conquest. **Hobgoblin Strategies** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^hobgoblin-strategies)` | dice: 1d6 | The Hobgoblin Works To... | |-----------|---------------------------| | 1 | Build a vessel to carry hobgoblin armies to new conquests. | | 2 | Capture monsters and train them to fight. | | 3 | Collapse a region into the Underdark so riches can be sifted from the ruins. | | 4 | Construct a giant machine to strip resources. | | 5 | Convince devils, dragons, or hobgoblins from Acheron to invade an enemy land. | | 6 | Help shortsighted merchants undermine a government or despoil the environment. | ^hobgoblin-strategies  > [!embed-monster]- Hobgoblin Warrior >  > [!embed-monster]- Hobgoblin Captain >  > [!embed-monster]- Hobgoblin Warlord >   ### Homunculus **Homunculus.** *Winged Servant Given Magical Life* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** None A mage can create a cat-sized, obedient assistant called a homunculus through a ritual that uses the mage's blood. Each homunculus shares a telepathic bond with the mage who created it and loyally serves its creator. A homunculus is reduced to inert material if its creator dies. A homunculus's appearance reflects its creator's tastes. Roll on or choose a result from the Homunculus Features table to inspire a homunculus's form. **Homunculus Features** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^homunculus-features)` | dice: 1d8 | The Homunculus Has Features That Are... | |-----------|-----------------------------------------| | 1 | Bat-like with tattered wings. | | 2 | Made of soft metal and delicate gears. | | 3 | Marked with its creator's symbol. | | 4 | Similar to those of a winged humanoid. | | 5 | Sprouting flowers and leaves. | | 6 | Suggestive of its creator's appearance. | | 7 | Underdeveloped and fleshy with beady eyes. | | 8 | Woven and patchwork, like a well-loved toy. | ^homunculus-features > [!embed-monster]- Homunculus >  ### Hook Horror **Hook Horror.** *Echo-Stalking Underdark Hunter* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Hook horrors are beaked predators whose forelimbs end in massive, hook-like claws. They flourish in the cavernous mazes of the Underdark, with its miles-deep trenches and stalactite forests suspended over empty darkness, where they barrel through caves and swing across cavern ceilings. Hook horrors feed opportunistically on plants, fungi, and any creatures that come close enough to hook. To perceive their surroundings, hook horrors echolocate via a range of noises, from banging on rocks and their own bodies to vocalizations that sound like strange squawks, screams, or clicks. Only hook horrors know the meaning of these noises, but many people who explore the Underdark or live near deep-reaching caves have sought the sources of such sounds only to fall victim to hungry hook horrors.  > [!embed-monster]- Hook Horror >  ### Horned Devil **Horned Devil.** *Devil of Hatred and Subjugation* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells) - **Treasure.** Relics Horned devils, also known as cornugons or malebranche, are infernal warriors that exact the will of diabolical generals and lead other devils in battle. Their bodies and weapons are forged in the Nine Hells, and they torment their foes with diabolical flames and pernicious wounds.  > [!embed-monster]- Horned Devil >  ### Hydra **Hydra.** *Multiheaded Serpent of Legend* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Swamp - **Treasure.** Any Hydras are storied hero slayers with vicious, serpentine heads and infamous regenerative powers. Endlessly hungry, they devour any creatures they catch. Hydras that deplete an area of prey often go into a lengthy torpor until new prey arrives. Most hydras have five heads, but some mature or battle-tested hydras have more. Such elder hydras might become local legends, known for their battles with heroes or for the riches lost in their domains. While many hydras claim their own territories, wicked deities might use them to guard treasures or magical sites. Roll on or choose a result from the Hydra Lairs table to inspire why a hydra lurks where it does. **Hydra Lairs** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^hydra-lairs)` | dice: 1d4 | The Hydra Lurks Where It Does To... | |-----------|-------------------------------------| | 1 | Ensure none claim the weapon of a fallen hero. | | 2 | Defend the home of a wise but sinister oracle. | | 3 | Guard a magical herb that blooms once a year. | | 4 | Protect a font of poison that pollutes a river. | ^hydra-lairs  > [!embed-monster]- Hydra >  ## Monsters (I) ### Ice Devil **Ice Devil.** *Devil of Antipathy and Intellectual Arrogance* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells) - **Treasure.** Arcana Heartless strategists of the Nine Hells, ice devils—also known as gelugons—forsake emotion to indulge in their own malicious interpretations of logic. For them, the multiverse is a puzzle that must be solved to benefit them, their masters, and the Nine Hells. Ice devils act maliciously, disguising their whims as reason and strategy. In the service of evil masters, these insectile devils patiently plot the movements of infernal armies and scheme ways to fulfill wicked goals. They might also serve as guardians, owing to their martial prowess and ability to reshape battlefields with walls of ice. When indulging their own schemes, ice devils tempt mortals to forsake empathy and social connections to embrace selfish, destructive visions of intellectualism. After isolating victims, these devils drain them of their secrets or send them forth to spread fractious dogmas cloaked as reason. Ice devils usually lurk in frozen realms, particularly the frigid layer of Cania in the Nine Hells. > [!quote] A quote from Tasha > > Part of the charm of ice devils is that they always think they're smarter than you. Mmm—there are few pleasures sweeter than proving a devil wrong.  > [!embed-monster]- Ice Devil >  ### Imp **Imp.** *Devil of Pettiness and Suspicion* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** None Known for their cowardice and toadying, imps serve devils and wicked magic-users. Their abilities to shape-shift and pass unseen make them skillful spies and adept at fleeing danger. Imps sent to surveil other creatures relate what they discover to their masters, but they frequently omit important details or cast events in the worst possible light to mislead their masters into following the imps' devilish council. Imps without masters delight in manipulating other creatures and inflating their own egos. They might take over bands of weaker monsters, or they might pose as helpful spirits and trick influential individuals into pursuing nefarious ends. > [!quote] A quote from Skeever, Imp Servant of Firan Zal'Honan > > I can tell you what I know, but wouldn't you rather I tell you what'll let you do what you know you're going to do anyway?  > [!embed-monster]- Imp >  ### Incubus **Incubus.** *Life-Leeching Dream Stalker* - **Habitat.** Planar (Lower Planes) - **Treasure.** Any Incubi exploit the vulnerability of mortal dreams. Slipping into the homes of sleepers, incubi feed off dreams and replace them with terrifying nightmares. Incubi visit victims nightly until their prey expires. The incubi then hunt for new victims, preferring the loved ones of past targets. Incubi can transform into succubi and vice versa, taking the forms they need to manipulate foes in dreams or in the flesh. Those visited by an incubus have recurring nightmares. Roll on or choose a result from the Incubus Nightmares table to inspire these night terrors. **Incubus Nightmares** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^incubus-nightmares)` | dice: 1d8 | The Incubus's Victim Has Dreams Of... | |-----------|---------------------------------------| | 1 | An angry family member or authority figure. | | 2 | Being chased through the wilderness. | | 3 | Being devoured by animals or monsters. | | 4 | [Falling](Mechanics/CLI/traps-hazards/falling-xphb.md), drowning, or suffocating. | | 5 | A ruinous public embarrassment. | | 6 | A shadowy intruder or monstrous silhouette. | | 7 | A traumatic past event. | | 8 | A visitor with an eerie or enigmatic message. | ^incubus-nightmares  > [!embed-monster]- Incubus >  ### Intellect Devourer **Intellect Devourer.** *Brain-Eating Body Thief* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Intellect devourers serve their mind flayer creators by consuming other creatures' brains and puppetizing the mindless bodies. These quadrupedal brains seek to ambush sapient beings, then drain their thoughts until they're mindless. Then, if their victims are Humanoids, they enter the creatures' skulls. With access to the victims' knowledge and control of their bodies, intellect devourers use their perfect disguises to pass as the people they've replaced and further mind flayer plots. > [!quote] A quote from Johana Grethe, Account of the Stormport Shock > > I know Durgan, and that wasn't Durgan. It was like something was wearing Durgan... like some sort of suit... a Durgan suit.  > [!embed-monster]- Intellect Devourer >  ### Invisible Stalker **Invisible Stalker.** *Unseen Magical Assassin* - **Habitat.** Urban - **Treasure.** None Magic and malice give form to invisible stalkers, bodiless spirits of the air. These elusive beings pass unseen with nothing more than a stirring of air. They control powerful winds capable of moving objects and battering foes. Magic-users conjure these creatures to serve as killers and thieves. [Invisible](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Invisible) stalkers relentlessly pursue their quarry, and they rarely leave evidence of their crimes. In rare cases, an invisible stalker lingers in the world without a spellcaster controlling it. Roll on or choose a result from the Uncontrolled [Invisible](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Invisible) Stalkers table to inspire why one of these monsters lurks in an area without a direct command. **Uncontrolled Invisible Stalkers** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^uncontrolled-invisible-stalkers)` | dice: 1d6 | The Invisible Stalker Is... | |-----------|-----------------------------| | 1 | The breath of an infamous god or monster. | | 2 | A guardian of a hidden portal or magical site. | | 3 | The lingering violent thoughts of someone killed in a great battle. | | 4 | A manifestation of uncontrolled magic. | | 5 | A servant of an evil elemental ruler such as Yan-C-Bin (the Elemental Prince of Evil Air). | | 6 | Unable to complete its duty and tries to create circumstances allowing it to fulfill its task. | ^uncontrolled-invisible-stalkers > [!quote] > > As detectives, we seek truth by eliminating the impossible, ever mindful that the impossible might also be seeking to eliminate us.  > [!embed-monster]- Invisible Stalker >  ### Iron Golem **Iron Golem.** *Guardian of That Which Must Endure* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Any Their magical cores protected by mighty armor, iron golems defend important sites and objects. These golems are forged in bipedal forms, the details of which are decided by their creators. Many resemble armored guardians or legendary heroes. Iron golems confront their foes with a combination of overwhelming physical force and eruptions from their magical core. These magical blasts take the form of fiery bolts and poisonous emissions. Iron golems preserve and protect their charges for generations. Roll on or choose a result from the Iron Golem Orders table to inspire what commands an iron golem follows. **Iron Golem Orders** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^iron-golem-orders)` | dice: 1d4 | The Iron Golem Follows Orders To... | |-----------|-------------------------------------| | 1 | Block a door that has never been opened, moving only when a prophecy is fulfilled. | | 2 | Exhale poison gas whenever it can, pausing only when someone speaks a passphrase. | | 3 | Pose as a statue until a community's hour of greatest need. | | 4 | Stand atop the resting place of a powerful magic item. | ^iron-golem-orders  > [!embed-monster]- Iron Golem >  ## Monsters (J)  ### Jackalwere **Jackalwere.** *Shape-Shifting Trickster of the Wilds* - **Habitat.** Desert, Grassland - **Treasure.** Implements Indistinguishable from jackals in their natural form, jackalweres shape-shift to deceive others. These shape-shifters can take three forms: a jackal, a human, or a monstrous hybrid of the two. Jackalweres are easily mistaken for werewolves, but jackalweres aren't supernaturally afflicted—their jackal forms are their natural state. Jackalweres also possess magical gazes capable of putting foes to sleep, allowing jackalweres to play their tricks unimpeded or get the upper hand over threats. Jackalweres dwell in inhospitable wildernesses and pride themselves on their cleverness. They take offense at those who travel through their lands without leaving a gift of treasure or fresh game. Roll on or choose a result from the Jackalwere Tricks table to inspire how a jackalwere repays such slights. **Jackalwere Tricks** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^jackalwere-tricks)` | dice: 1d4 | The Jackalwere Tricks Travelers By... | |-----------|---------------------------------------| | 1 | Guiding them into wildernesses, then abandoning them. | | 2 | Mapping a shortcut through a monster's lair. | | 3 | Putting them to sleep, then stealing mounts or supplies. | | 4 | Sharing the location of hidden treasure, which turns out to be sunlight on sand or water. | ^jackalwere-tricks > [!embed-monster]- Jackalwere >  ## Monsters (K) ### Kenku **Kenku.** *Flightless, Noise-Mimicking Avian* - **Habitat.** Forest, Planar (Shadowfell), Urban - **Treasure.** Implements, Individual Kenku are birdlike folk who once soared the skies and sang enchanted songs, but a curse stole their wings and transformed their voices. Now kenku slip through the shadows of cities and the Shadowfell, trying to recover what they've lost. To some, this means seeking an end to their curse; others search for magic or contraptions to enable them to fly and sing again. The curse affecting kenku allows them to vocally communicate only by mimicking sounds they've heard. Kenku can supernaturally re-create vast varieties of noises, from crying babies to running water and short phrases in others' voices. Cunning kenku use their mimicry to deceive foes, lure creatures into ambushes, and signal to allies. > [!embed-monster]- Kenku >   ### Knights **Knights.** *Battle Masters and Heroic Wanderers* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Armaments, Individual Knights are skilled warriors trained for war and tested in battle. Many serve the rulers of a realm, a religion, or an order devoted to a cause.  > [!embed-monster]- Knight >  > [!embed-monster]- Questing Knight >  ### Kobolds **Kobolds.** *Tricksters and Servants to Chromatic Dragons* - **Habitat.** Arctic, Coastal, Desert, Forest, Hill, Mountain, Swamp, Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Armaments Cowardly cousins to chromatic dragons, kobolds serve draconic overlords as warriors and servants. These scrappy menaces mimic the behaviors of their dragon masters. Though their small stature and recklessness make kobolds poor imitators of dragons, what they lack in ferocity they make up for in zeal and ingenuity. They are especially adept at creating traps and setting ambushes. Kobolds' scales resemble those of chromatic dragons that live near their warrens. Rarely, kobolds possess features evocative of metallic dragons or other dragon-like creatures. > [!embed-monster]- Kobold Warrior >   > [!embed-monster]- Winged Kobold >  ### Kraken **Kraken.** *Leviathan of Legend* - **Habitat.** Underwater - **Treasure.** Any Ancient weapons of the gods, krakens slumber in the deepest oceanic abysses, awaiting their time to rise and dominate the world. These massive, many-tentacled horrors combine overwhelming physical might with formidable cunning. Their powerful limbs shatter ships and topple spires, and they use their control over storms to rain down lightning on their foes. Krakens usually have little interest in mortal affairs. These terrors were created by the gods to wage war in ages long forgotten. Since that era, most krakens have vanished beneath the waves to slumber until the gods call on them again. Some krakens serve divine masters still, protecting deep sea treasures or entire oceans. Others have forsaken their divine creators and pursue their own agendas, manipulating forces beneath the sea and beyond. Krakens rarely appear on the surface, but when they do, they herald times of change and doom. When roused to action, these titans directly attack coastal cities or whole armadas. Kraken onslaughts persist until their wrath is sated, their divine patrons are appeased, or their egos are placated by valuable offerings. Roll on or choose a result from the Kraken Attacks table to inspire what ruin a kraken might unleash. **Kraken Attacks** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^kraken-attacks)` | dice: 1d8 | The Enraged Kraken... | |-----------|-----------------------| | 1 | Abducts the vessel of a leader or another important community member. | | 2 | Attacks a community from below using flooded ruins, hidden aquifers, or sewers. | | 3 | Breaks a lighthouse or seaside tower, carrying it and the occupants to a secret island. | | 4 | Calls down lightning on any ship that enters its aquatic territory. | | 5 | Carries ships to an inescapable sargassum. | | 6 | Dams a river or cuts off a city's sea access. | | 7 | Devours all sea life near a fishing community, threatening it with ruin. | | 8 | Masterminds an invasion from the sea by merfolk, sahuagin, or storm giants. | ^kraken-attacks **Kraken Lairs.** Kraken lairs tend to be sunken temples, eldritch ritual sites, or primeval places of divine power. They might lie deep beneath bodies of fresh or salt water, and they often connect to labyrinths of flooded subterranean tunnels or networks of magical portals. > [!quote] A quote from Malfeore Serrang > > A kraken dreams of casting its tentacles into the heavens and strangling that which birthed it, and when its dream exceeds its reach, it settles for the occasional passing ship.  > [!embed-monster]- Kraken >  ### Kuo-toa Kuo-toa loot ruins and raid communities near their dwellings in the Underdark. Their shields are coated in sticky slime, which they use to disarm their foes, and they employ slimy nets to entrap victims. They usually strive to take their enemies alive and drag captives to their hidden lairs. Most kuo-toa follow the orders of their more powerful leaders out of a combination of faith and fear. In rare cases, a kuo-toa might abandon its community to live as a hermit or wanderer. Such kuo-toa might know much about the Underdark, but they live in fear of the strange gods they forsook. **Kuo-toa.** *Fishlike Fanatics of the Deep* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Underdark - **Treasure.** Relics Kuo-toa have slimy, humanoid bodies and the heads of goggle-eyed deep-sea fish. They claim they once dominated whole worlds, their empires spanning land and sea under the blessings of piscine gods. The kuo-toa can't say what disaster brought their glorious civilization to an end, but elves, humans, mind flayers, and the kuo-toan gods bear the brunt of their blame. From the lands and seas of the surface, the kuo-toa retreated into cavernous trenches and Underdark seas. In these hidden realms, kuo-toa brood over all they've lost and forgotten, nursing plots to avenge themselves for slights that might never have occurred. Kuo-toa hate the civilizations of the surface and the Underdark, believing themselves to be victims of age-old slights and ongoing conspiracies. Kuo-toa undertake contrived plots to propel themselves to dominance, often kidnapping people to learn their secrets or making dubious sacrifices to bizarre gods. To facilitate such plots, kuo-toa try to capture creatures alive using nets or strange weapons. Drow, dwarves, and gnomes dwelling in the Underdark, as well as surface communities near submerged subterranean passages, are frequent targets for kuo-toa raids and other plots. Kuo-toa frequently serve depraved masterminds such as aboleths and krakens. Such kuo-toa believe these powerful creatures are avatars of kuo-toan deities or gods in their own right. Kuo-toa might temporarily ally with other evil creatures, but these alliances shift as kuo-toa leaders interpret omens from their unpredictable deities. **Kuo-toa Deities.** Kuo-toa ever seek to placate their inscrutable deities. However, few kuo-toa can agree on the identities of their gods, and little consistency exists between kuo-toa communities. Only Blibdoolpoolp the Sea Mother, a figure with a human body but the head and claws of a crayfish, sees broad worship. Lacking information about what their other gods look like, kuo-toa priests invent new forms for them, creating divine idols with whatever objects are at hand. But whether these kuo-toa priests draw power from belief or delusion, aberrant talent, or a stranger supernatural source, some power answers their petitions. Roll twice on or choose results from the Kuo-toa Deity Features table to inspire how kuo-toa represent a deity. **Kuo-toa Deity Features** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^kuo-toa-deity-features)` | dice: 1d10 | The Deity's Head Is Like A... | The Deity's Body Is Like A... | |------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------| | 1 | Barnacle | Hermit crab | | 2 | Crab claw | Jellyfish | | 3 | Hagfish | Kuo-toa | | 4 | Moray eel | Mantis shrimp | | 5 | Sea anemone | Merfolk | | 6 | Shark | Plesiosaurus | | 7 | Sunfish | Sea cucumber | | 8 | Tentacle | Ship's figurehead | | 9 | Treasure chest | Squid | | 10 | Viperfish | Whale | ^kuo-toa-deity-features **Kuo-toa Sanctuaries.** Kuo-toa typically organize their communities around sites they believe to be important to their deities. These might be structures or series of caverns, and most feature both air-filled and submerged chambers. Important places within these sites suggest the rituals of kuo-toa faiths, the demands of kuo-toa deities, or the whims of omen-seeking archpriests. As with kuo-toa deities, the features of these locations vary between communities. Roll on or choose a result from the Kuo-toa Ritual Sites table to inspire features and suggest adventures within a kuo-toa community. **Kuo-toa Ritual Sites** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^kuo-toa-ritual-sites)` | dice: 1d8 | The Kuo-toa Community Features... | |-----------|-----------------------------------| | 1 | An arena scattered with weapons made from crustacean shells. | | 2 | A gallery of hibernating chuuls. | | 3 | A garden of mussels and tide pool creatures that whisper secrets. | | 4 | A hidden shrine with a patchwork depiction of a new kuo-toa deity. | | 5 | The lavish chamber of an animal or monster said to be prophetic, lucky, or literate. | | 6 | A pool filled with jellyfish, eels, or fish roe that glow in organized patterns. | | 7 | A punishment chamber exposed to the light of the surface. | | 8 | A towering statue of a kuo-toa deity. | ^kuo-toa-ritual-sites > [!quote] A quote from Tak Merakin, Harbor Master of the Styes > > When the Corpse Moon rises and the Chum-Tide washes in, up rise the Gogglers from their pits beneath the waves. Burbling and noisome they come, fishing night's shores as we do dawn's waves.   > [!embed-monster]- Kuo-toa >  > [!embed-monster]- Kuo-toa Whip >   > [!embed-monster]- Kuo-toa Monitor >  > [!embed-monster]- Kuo-toa Archpriest >  ## Monsters (L) ### Lamia **Lamia.** *Accursed Bargainer and Ruin Raider* - **Habitat.** Desert - **Treasure.** Arcana Legends say the first lamia was an ambitious ruler who made a sinister bargain with the demon lord Graz'zt for everlasting majesty. As a consequence, the ruler was transformed into a lamia, a monster with the body of a lion and an accursed touch. Lamias either are descendants of that first lamia or have made similar deals. They often dwell near ruins, seeking mysterious magic they can use to gain riches and influence. Lamias use magical illusions and enchantments to trick others into serving them. They sometimes work with bandits to abduct travelers, releasing captives only if they accept a dangerous bargain. Roll on or choose a result from the Lamia Pacts table to inspire a lamia's desires. **Lamia Pacts** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^lamia-pacts)` | dice: 1d6 | The Lamia Compels the Bargainer To... | |-----------|---------------------------------------| | 1 | Bring it a possession from a ruler or noble. | | 2 | Create a map of a dungeon or ruin. | | 3 | Escort it through a nearby community's gate. | | 4 | Place a strange idol in a specific site or home. | | 5 | Remove a magic item's curse, then return it. | | 6 | Slay a monster and retrieve a specific organ. | ^lamia-pacts  > [!embed-monster]- Lamia >  ### Larvae **Larvae.** *Fitting Fates for Depraved Souls* - **Habitat.** Planar (Lower Planes) - **Treasure.** None Souls condemned to the Lower Planes often become larvae—repulsive, maggot-like creatures with twisted features evocative of those they possessed in life. These pathetic creatures are nearly helpless and struggle to escape the attention of the more powerful inhabitants of the Lower Planes. Many Fiends view larvae as delicacies to be consumed, while evil magic-users find larvae useful for depraved rituals. Night hags frequently collect and herd larvae, trading them to nefarious parties across the multiverse. Larvae that survive on the Lower Planes long enough can eventually transform into other sorts of lesser Fiends.  > [!embed-monster]- Larva >  > [!embed-monster]- Swarm of Larvae >  ### Lemures **Lemures.** *Devils of Agony and Despair* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells) - **Treasure.** None The least of all devils, lemures arise from wicked souls, their mortal memories scoured away. Only vague limbs and anguished features jut from these slurries of infernal proto-matter.  > [!embed-monster]- Lemure >  > [!embed-monster]- Swarm of Lemures >  ### Lich **Lich.** *Deathless Master of Magic* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Arcana Some nefarious magic-users carry out forbidden necromantic rituals that sever their souls from their bodies to turn themselves into liches, masters of magic and undeath. With their souls preserved in hidden relics, liches puppet their own corpses as they pursue ambitions free from mortal bonds. Liches possess exceptional cunning and magical prowess, and they use their unnatural immortality to pursue arcane secrets few could grasp in a single life. Uncanny agendas lead them to plumb the secrets of life, the multiverse, godhood, and less fathomable topics. Careless of mortal lives or desires, liches go to any lengths to achieve their goals. A lich's age and origin influences its form. Older liches appear as little more than brittle skeletons clad in the rotten finery of forgotten empires, while younger liches more closely resemble living creatures and are clad in contemporary garb. Many cloak themselves in illusions of their idealized mortal forms. Although liches don't fear death, they're not free from the ravages of time. Over ages, some liches lose their connection to time and the physical world, degenerating into demiliches. **Lich Spirit Jars.** The process of becoming a lich is involved, dangerous, and unique to each would-be lich. If the rite succeeds, the lich's soul is bound to a spirit jar, a specially prepared magical repository. This relic anchors the lich's spirit to the world and preserves it should the lich's body be destroyed. A lich can be slain only if its spirit jar is ruined. As such, a lich goes to great lengths to hide and protect its spirit jar. Spirit jars are typically small, well-made objects that were meaningful to a lich in life. Roll on or choose a result from the Lich Spirit Jar table to inspire where a lich hides its soul. **Lich Spirit Jars** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^lich-spirit-jars)` | dice: 1d8 | The Lich's Spirit Jar Is... | |-----------|-----------------------------| | 1 | A bottle or puzzle box inscribed with sigils. | | 2 | A contract folded into a paper figure. | | 3 | The first magic item the lich created. | | 4 | A hollow figurine of a deity or monster. | | 5 | An hourglass with its sands floating in stasis. | | 6 | A locket or signet ring with a noble crest. | | 7 | A rune-etched egg. | | 8 | The skull of the lich's mentor. | ^lich-spirit-jars **Lich Lairs.** Liches create secluded libraries of magical lore and arcane laboratories hidden within extraplanar bastions, fortresses with cursed reputations, or other such deadly sanctuaries. > [!quote] A quote from Rudolph van Richten > > Ambition can become an addiction of the mind and spirit. It builds beyond a driving flame into an insidious inferno that burns a mage hollow until only the desire for more magical power remains  > [!embed-monster]- Lich >  ### Lizardfolk **Lizardfolk.** *Reptilian Defenders of the Land* - **Habitat.** Forest, Swamp - **Treasure.** Individual Lizardfolk dwell in wildernesses suffused with primal magic. While many lizardfolk are Humanoids with varied skills, some forge powerful bonds with the Elemental Plane of Earth, granting them magical connections to the cycle of growth and rebirth. > [!embed-monster]- Lizardfolk Geomancer >  > [!embed-monster]- Lizardfolk Sovereign >   ## Monsters (M) ### Mages **Mages.** *Magical Scholars and Spellcasters* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Arcana, Individual Mages are magical wonder-workers, ranging from spellcasting overlords to reclusive witches. They study mystical secrets and possess insight into monsters, legends, omens, and other lore. Mages often gather allies or hire assistants to aid them in their research or to attain magical might. Roll on or choose a result from the Mage Roles table to inspire different sorts of mages. **Mage Roles** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^mage-roles)` | dice: 1d10 | The Mage Is... | |------------|----------------| | 1 | An astronomer who draws magic from stars. | | 2 | An author who writes about the occult. | | 3 | A magical engineer who creates wonders. | | 4 | An oracle who interprets omens. | | 5 | A prodigy with a remarkable magical heritage. | | 6 | A psion whose powers manifest as spells. | | 7 | A scholar investigating ancient lore. | | 8 | A soothsayer who advises rulers. | | 9 | A war mage who aids soldiers in battle. | | 10 | A witch who shares secret wisdom. | ^mage-roles > [!quote] A quote from Nathor, Thayan Refugee > > Have you gazed on the Runes of Chaos, held the Death Moon Orb in your trembling hands, entered the Devouring Portal and walked the Paths of the Doomed, or sat at the left hand of Szass Tam during the Ritual of Twin Burnings? No? Then speak not to me of wizards. Speak not to me of Thay.  > [!embed-monster]- Mage Apprentice >  > [!embed-monster]- Mage >  > [!embed-monster]- Archmage >  ### Magmin **Magmin.** *Reckless Elemental Arsonist* - **Habitat.** Planar (Elemental Plane of Fire) - **Treasure.** None Magmins divide all things into two categories: things that are on fire and things that should be on fire. With bodies of flame and magmatic rock, these halfling-size creatures delight in setting fires. They do so not out of malice but out of enthusiasm for primal fire. They don't consider that objects have value beyond kindling or that creatures can be harmed by flames. If such concepts are explained to them, they find the ideas difficult to grasp and don't remember them for long. Rather, they relish every opportunity to set flammable things alight, delighting in igniting paper, wooden structures, and explosives. Magmins are dangerous even in death, since they explode when they're destroyed, their flames igniting combustible materials nearby. Magmins might be conjured by magic-users to harry foes or might escape the Elemental Plane of Fire through portals or rifts that lead to other realms. They're attracted to places of intense heat, such as volcanoes and rivers of magma. If they can't find such favored conditions, magmins eagerly burn structures or start wildfires to entertain themselves.  > [!embed-monster]- Magmin >  ### Manes Manes lash out at creatures that appear weaker than themselves—or that react to them with fear—and strive to avoid more powerful demons. When manes escape from the Abyss, they go on reckless rampages and inflict as much harm as possible. **Manes.** *Demons of Panic and Frenzy* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** None The lowest form of demons, manes appear when truly loathsome souls are condemned to the Abyss. These misshapen demons have distorted features and bodies that crawl with Abyssal parasites. Overwhelmed by demonic urges and constant terror, manes know only shock and frenzied outbursts. > [!embed-monster]- Manes >   > [!embed-monster]- Manes Vaporspawn >  ### Manticore **Manticore.** *Winged, Leonine People-Eater* - **Habitat.** Arctic, Coastal, Grassland, Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** Any With lion-like claws, leathery wings, and broad jaws filled with rows of sharp teeth, manticores ambush travelers from above and devour them. Manticores crave the taste of humans, but lacking their favored prey, they eagerly consume other peoples and livestock. Manticores have tails bristling with detachable spikes. These monsters launch their tail spikes at their prey, skewering those on the ground or knocking flying creatures from the air. Despite their ravenous tendencies, manticores enjoy speaking with those they're about to devour. Sometimes they make agreements with their prey. Roll on or choose a result from the Manticore Negotiations table to inspire what a manticore might offer in exchange for a more tempting meal. **Manticore Negotiations** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^manticore-negotiations)` | dice: 1d8 | The Manticore Agrees To... | |-----------|----------------------------| | 1 | Attack a particular foe. | | 2 | Create a distraction. | | 3 | Give up a captive or corpse. | | 4 | Let a group navigate its territory unharmed. | | 5 | Let someone pretend to slay it in battle. | | 6 | Scare or threaten someone. | | 7 | Serve a creature as a steed until the sun sets. | | 8 | Try to locate something from its vantage point in the sky. | ^manticore-negotiations  > [!embed-monster]- Manticore >  ### Marid **Marid.** *Genie of the Water* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Planar (Elemental Plane of Water), Underwater - **Treasure.** Relics Marids surge with the power of the seas, using it to manipulate the waves or create water. These genies typically dwell in or near bodies of water. While gentle marids make homes amid springs, oases, and serene pools, tempestuous marids inhabit sea stacks, whirlpools, and treacherous coasts. Marids vary in appearance, their bodies reflecting the colors of the waves while distinctive fins and scales accent their features. Marids lend their powers and knowledge of the seas to those who defend the marids' watery realms or who offer them pleasing gifts. Marids appreciate rare aquatic treasures, such as colorful pearls, shell instruments, or delicacies from distant seas. Marids hail from the Elemental Plane of Water, where they live in wondrous homes drifting amid the endless ocean. Among these is the Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls—a coral sphere studded with dozens of domed theaters and libraries—and the air-filled, cosmopolitan City of Glass.  > [!embed-monster]- Marid >  ### Marilith **Marilith.** *Demon of Cruelty and Viciousness* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** Armaments Mariliths are six-armed, serpent-like demons that wield lethal, Abyss-forged blades. With these cursed weapons and experience from countless battles, they lead other demons to slaughter virtuous souls. They often command droves of weaker demons.  > [!embed-monster]- Marilith >  ### Medusa **Medusa.** *Snake-Haired Recluse with a Petrifying Gaze* - **Habitat.** Desert - **Treasure.** Any With their hair of living snakes and their infamous petrifying gazes, medusas are hubristic creatures that inhabit sites of fallen glory. They often dwell beyond the fringes of civilization or travel in disguise, leaving trails of [petrified](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Petrified) victims. Some medusas dominate groups of monsters or criminals, controlling them with threats of [petrified](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Petrified) doom, while others recruit servants that are immune to being [petrified](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Petrified), such as gargoyles and gorgons. Medusas are born or created through preternatural circumstances. Roll on or choose a result from the Medusa Fates table to inspire what led to a medusa's creation. **Medusa Fates** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^medusa-fates)` | dice: 1d6 | The Medusa Was... | |-----------|-------------------| | 1 | Born a medusa and lives unaware of whatever curse or circumstances afflicted its ancestor. | | 2 | Created by a god and tasked with guarding a treasure or secret. | | 3 | A cultist who made a fiendish bargain and enjoyed rewards that have since faded. | | 4 | An explorer transformed and compelled to defend a cursed ruin. | | 5 | A vain noble whose magical attempt to gain eternal beauty backfired. | | 6 | The victim of a bite from a magical serpent or reptilian god in disguise. | ^medusa-fates  > [!embed-monster]- Medusa >  ### Mephits **Mephits.** *Malicious Elemental Hooligans* - **Habitat.** Planar (Elemental Planes) - **Treasure.** None Mephits are mean-spirited tricksters that dwell on the Elemental Planes. The six most prominent types of mephits resemble halfling-size gargoyles with wings, exaggerated features, and bodies composed of two elements. Most live self-interested existences, indulging their warped senses of humor or overblown egos on their home planes of existence. Some serve as messengers or spies for genies or magic-users. Mephits resent leaving the elemental extremes where they make their homes. If loosed on the Material Plane or other realms, they lash out with nasty pranks or by tormenting weaker creatures. When destroyed, mephits explode in a burst of elemental magic. > [!quote] A quote from Seamusxanthuszenus, smoke mephit with a typically inflated impression of itself > > I am Seamusxanthuszenus, Slayer of Fiends, Merchant Most Excellent, Purveyor of Death!  > [!embed-monster]- Dust Mephit >  > [!embed-monster]- Ice Mephit >  > [!embed-monster]- Magma Mephit >  > [!embed-monster]- Mud Mephit >   > [!embed-monster]- Smoke Mephit >  > [!embed-monster]- Steam Mephit >  ### Merfolk **Merfolk.** *Protectors and Explorers of the Seas* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Underwater - **Treasure.** Individual Beneath the waves dwell merfolk, mysterious creatures that merge the features of humans and sea creatures. Some are curious about land dwellers, while others view them with suspicion.  > [!embed-monster]- Merfolk Skirmisher >  > [!embed-monster]- Merfolk Wavebender >  ### Merrow **Merrow.** *Ogreish Undersea Abductor* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Underwater - **Treasure.** Any Vicious aquatic hunters, merrow combine the features of ogres with those of primeval, predatory fish. They lurk in coastal waters, hoping to snare unsuspecting prey by bursting from the water and grabbing their quarry or by skewering victims with deadly harpoons. These hunters then drag land dwellers back to dismal undersea lairs. Merrow often keep prisoners in their larders as future meals. Merrow raid coastal settlements and merfolk communities to steal weapons and treasure. This leads to conflicts between merfolk and merrow, but it also provokes misunderstandings with surface dwellers who blame merfolk for merrow attacks. > [!quote] A quote from Leomund > > Sages trace merrows' origins to aquatic ogres, depraved merfolk, and worse. Such broad theories reveal little about these monsters but overmuch of the dread lurking beyond our certain shores.  > [!embed-monster]- Merrow >  ### Mezzoloth **Mezzoloth.** *Yugoloth of Tenacity and Want* - **Habitat.** Planar (Gehenna) - **Treasure.** Armaments Mezzoloths are insectile yugoloths that seek power and souls in the service of fiendish lords. These greedy, violent yugoloths are more direct than most of their scheming brethren, but what they lack in guile they make up for in persistence and numbers. Mezzoloths typically form mercenary bands with others of their kind. These forces serve more powerful yugoloths, other fiends, sinister mages, or anyone who provides them with tempting rewards. Mezzoloths obediently adhere to the bargains they strike, potentially serving their patrons for centuries, but once those terms expire, yesterday's client could become today's target. Roll on or choose a result from the Mezzoloth Payments table to inspire a mezzoloth's price for its services. **Mezzoloth Payments** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^mezzoloth-payments)` | dice: 1d6 | The Mezzoloth Agrees to Serve For... | |-----------|--------------------------------------| | 1 | Access to a planar portal. | | 2 | Information valued by its true master. | | 3 | A lair where it can bring others of its kind. | | 4 | Magic weapons or armor. | | 5 | The right to loot holy sites in places it conquers. | | 6 | Souls, whether as larvae or captured spirits. | ^mezzoloth-payments  > [!embed-monster]- Mezzoloth >  ### Mimic **Mimic.** *Shape-Shifter Disguised as an Unassuming Object* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Any In their natural forms, mimics are little more than roaming stomachs, their blobby bodies covered with alien eyes and teeth. They can alter their color, texture, and dimensions to duplicate inanimate objects of their approximate size. Mimics use their disguises as both camouflage and bait. Once victims draw close, mimics strike, lashing out with their sticky pseudopods and toothy mouths. After consuming victims, mimics usually relocate, change form, and await their next meal. Use the following list to inspire mimics' shapes: Altar Bell Boulder Cauldron Chair Chandelier Chest Cot Door Floor mat Giant gemstone Gravestone Heap of leaves Keg Ladder Lectern Mannequin Mirror Obelisk Oversize cake Panel of levers Pile of bones Potted plant Row of books Sarcophagus Sculpture Ship's wheel Sign Stalagmite Stump Table Tapestry Taxidermy Throne Topiary Weapon rack  > [!embed-monster]- Mimic >  ### Mind Flayers **Mind Flayers.** *Brain-Eating Underdark Tyrants* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Arcana Scattered survivors of a world-ruining, multiversal empire, mind flayers lurk in secret conclaves hidden deep within Material Plane worlds. Within their alien sanctuaries, these wicked masterminds—also known as illithids—reshape the Underdark and its inhabitants to serve their unfathomable whims. Mind flayers are feared for their psionic powers, which allow them to stun and control other creatures, and for their horrific method of feeding: using their four slimy tentacles to extract the brains of their victims. Mind flayers are infamous plotters and manipulators, concocting plans that reach beyond their subterranean realms. Aside from using their psionic powers to control others, mind flayers often experiment with their own bizarre life cycles, implanting other creatures with illithid young to create unnatural servants. Creatures such as grimlocks and intellect devourers result from mind flayers' biological tampering, while other Underdark-dwelling monsters—including kuo-toa, quaggoths, and troglodytes—often serve illithid masters. Githyanki and githzerai have a long adversarial history with mind flayers and bear the scars of illithid manipulation. **Mind Flayer Colonies.** Mind flayers work as lone schemers, in mysterious cabals, or as part of worlds-spanning illithid conspiracies. In groups, mind flayers work toward bizarre agendas organized by an elder brain—a massive, brain-like being with incredible psionic powers. Without such a leader, groups of mind flayers fall to self-destructive squabbling. Roll on or choose a result from the Mind Flayer Machinations table to inspire an illithid conclave's plots. **Mind Flayer Machinations** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^mind-flayer-machinations)` | dice: 1d6 | The Mind Flayer Colony Seeks To... | |-----------|------------------------------------| | 1 | Blot out the sun so their Underdark-dwelling servants can invade the surface. | | 2 | Create a new monstrous fusion between mind flayers and a legendary monster. | | 3 | Forge a psionic network uniting illithid colonies. | | 4 | Replace world leaders with intellect devourers. | | 5 | Restore a vessel to travel through Wildspace. | | 6 | Sacrifice the mental energy of a planet's populace to take control of a githyanki bastion. | ^mind-flayer-machinations  > [!embed-monster]- Mind Flayer >  > [!embed-monster]- Mind Flayer Arcanist >  ### Minotaur of Baphomet **Minotaur of Baphomet.** *Berserker of the Demon Lord of Beasts* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Armaments Baphomet, Demon Lord of Beasts, claims to have created minotaurs and demands their worship. While most minotaurs live free of the demon lord's bonds, those that serve him become minotaurs of Baphomet. These brutes resemble the hulking, horned demon lord more than others of their kind, and they wreak havoc in that foul immortal's name. Rarely, non-minotaurs cursed by magic-users or spiteful deities might transform into these monsters. Minotaurs of Baphomet often dwell in mazes, leading their allies to hidden destinations and stalking trespassers. Roll on or choose a result from the Minotaur Mazes table to inspire the shape of a minotaur's dwelling. **Minotaur Mazes** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^minotaur-mazes)` | dice: 1d4 | The Minotaur of Baphomet Lurks In... | |-----------|--------------------------------------| | 1 | A multilevel mine or sewer. | | 2 | Multiple mazes connected by magic portals. | | 3 | A poisonous swamp with labyrinthine paths. | | 4 | The ruins of a buried palace or temple. | ^minotaur-mazes  > [!embed-monster]- Minotaur of Baphomet >  ### Modrons **Modrons.** *Mechanized Caretakers of Multiversal Law* - **Habitat.** Planar (Mechanus) - **Treasure.** None Beings of magic and machinery, modrons embody absolute law. These inhabitants of the clockwork plane of Mechanus tend to the incredible mechanisms of their orderly home and oppose chaotic forces across the multiverse. Modrons are parts of a vast hierarchy, spanning from quirky monodrones to the leader of their kind, the godlike Primus. Every modron carries out tasks assigned to it by higher-ranking modrons, doing so without question. Generally, modrons communicate only with other modrons of their own rank or the ranks immediately above and below them. Those more than one rank away tend to be either too advanced or too simple for them to understand. Modrons excel at tasks that require patience and precision, but they have little understanding of non-literal concepts such as art or humor. They have no egos; they have only their work and the certainty that multiversal law depends on their efficacy. In rare cases, a modron goes rogue and develops its own will. In these cases, other modrons are sent to recover or destroy their malfunctioning kin. **Modron Marches.** Whether in service to lawful deities or as part of the Great Modron March, modrons travel from Mechanus to spread their vision of law to other planes of existence. Roll on or choose a result from the Modron Operations table to inspire what effort leads a group of modrons to other realms. **Modron Operations** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^modron-operations)` | dice: 1d8 | The Modrons Work To... | |-----------|------------------------| | 1 | Create a clockwork outpost to monitor the balance of obscure planar forces. | | 2 | Ensure neither side gains the upper hand in a conflict between good and evil. | | 3 | Excavate a portal to another plane. | | 4 | Find a lost contingent of modrons. | | 5 | Reactivate a titanic but lost modron device. | | 6 | Remove a forest, mountain, or city before the arrival of a modron procession. | | 7 | Seal off a planar rift or wild magic zone. | | 8 | Wage war with demons, slaadi, or chaotic Fey. | ^modron-operations > [!quote] A quote from A planar explorer learning modrons have no sense of humor > > The guide swore "beep boop" meant "hello, friend." I don't know why they're after us!  > [!embed-monster]- Modron Monodrone >   > [!embed-monster]- Modron Duodrone >   > [!embed-monster]- Modron Tridrone >   > [!embed-monster]- Modron Quadrone >   > [!embed-monster]- Modron Pentadrone >  ### Mummies **Mummies.** *Deathless Ancients with Ageless Ambitions* - **Habitat.** Desert, Swamp - **Treasure.** Relics Mysterious rites and mighty faith can tie spirits to their corpses, binding them to their remains for all time. Should their resting places be violated, these beings, known as mummies, reanimate their deteriorating bodies to restore the sanctity of their tombs and punish those who disturbed their rest. Mummies pursue those who offend them, typically mortals who desecrate their resting places, steal their burial treasures, or defile sites tied to their faith. With undying rage, these ancient corpses go to extreme lengths to avenge themselves and restore what they need to find peace. A mummy might look frail, but its body possesses supernatural strength, and its gaze can strike fear in the bravest hearts. Those who escape a mummy's grasp might find themselves subject to a terrible curse. Victims of a mummy's curse gradually wither, their bodies rotting away until they're reduced to dust. This curse can be healed only by the [Remove Curse](Mechanics/CLI/spells/remove-curse-xphb.md) spell or similar magic.  > [!embed-monster]- Mummy >   > [!embed-monster]- Mummy Lord >  ### Myconids **Myconids.** *Keepers of the Spore* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Any Myconids dwell in remote Underdark reaches overgrown with molds and mushrooms. These ambulatory fungal creatures tend to their sanctuaries and avoid becoming embroiled in the conflicts of other creatures. They use specialized spores to communicate, to alert one another to danger, and to defend themselves. When myconids encounter others beings, they use mind-linking spores to allow nearby creatures to telepathically share thoughts. Nevertheless, myconids' goals remain mysterious to most non-fungal creatures.  > [!embed-monster]- Myconid Sprout >  > [!embed-monster]- Myconid Adult >  > [!embed-monster]- Myconid Spore Servant >  > [!embed-monster]- Myconid Sovereign >  ## Monsters (N) ### Nalfeshnee **Nalfeshnee.** *Demon of Intimidation and Hopelessness* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** Relics Nalfeshnees seek to dominate all they encounter. Hulking and grotesque, these demons combine misshapen, bestial features with ogre-like frames. Through both brute force and cunning, nalfeshnees compel cultists and weaker demons to serve them in the endless conflicts of the Abyss or in plots on the Material Plane. Many nalfeshnees view themselves as prospective demon lords and seek to conquer realms of their own. They often use promises of fiendish magic or Abyssal alliances to tempt ambitious mortals into ruinous pacts. Should they run out of patience, nalfeshnees conjure visions of the Abyss and other nightmares to terrorize others into obeying. > [!quote] A quote from Mordenkainen > > The Blood War—that ageless clash between devils and demons—helps ensure the balance of the multiverse. At times it makes unlikely allies, but never delude yourself into believing there's a lesser of two evil. I won't be thanking a demon for every day I'm spared a devil's lash.  > [!embed-monster]- Nalfeshnee >  ### Night Hag **Night Hag.** *Hag of Nightmare and Corruption* - **Habitat.** Planar (Lower Planes) - **Treasure.** Arcana Night hags seek mortals to torment and turn to evil. By day, night hags use supernatural deceptions to plague their victims, shape-shifting to pose as other creatures and make their targets believe the world has turned against them. By night, these hags reinforce their tortures with terrifying dreams. Once they force their targets to desperate limits, night hags claim their victims' tormented spirits, capturing them in sinister traps called soul bags. The hags then slip between planes of existence to barter stolen souls to vile magic-users and fiendish entities. Night hags maintain networks of nefarious customers and collect rumors from across the Lower Planes. These hags might part with their secrets in exchange for magic items and other wicked prices.  > [!embed-monster]- Night Hag >  ### Nightmare **Nightmare.** *Dread Steed of the Lower Planes* - **Habitat.** Planar (Lower Planes) - **Treasure.** None Nightmares resemble horses with flaming manes, burning hooves, and smoldering eyes. They terrorize weaker creatures and often ally with denizens of the Lower Planes in committing evil acts. These supernatural horses can innately travel between the Ethereal Plane and the Material Plane, and many know the locations of portals to the Lower Planes, the Shadowfell, and other sinister realms. Nightmares' speed, resilience, and ability to gallop between planes of existence make them steeds coveted by evildoers. Roll on or choose a result from the Nightmare Riders table to inspire what might employ a nightmare steed. **Nightmare Riders** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^nightmare-riders)` | dice: 1d6 | The Nightmare Carries... | |-----------|--------------------------| | 1 | The champion or messenger of an evil deity. | | 2 | A group of joyriding imps or quasits. | | 3 | An innocent soul trapped on the wild Fiend. | | 4 | A lore-hunting mage, cultist, or lich. | | 5 | A night hag herding larvae between planes. | | 6 | A wicked cavalier, such as a death knight, an erinyes, an incubus, or a vampire. | ^nightmare-riders  > [!embed-monster]- Nightmare >  ### Nobles **Nobles.** *Royals and Rich Folk* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Individual Nobles encompass a variety of people with social influence. They might be rulers, wealthy merchants, callous bureaucrats, or the idle elite.  > [!embed-monster]- Noble >  > [!embed-monster]- Noble Prodigy >  ### Nothic **Nothic.** *Witness to the Weird* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Arcana Consumed by their thirst for forbidden knowledge, nothics are cursed lore seekers transformed by secrets never meant to be known. The bodies of these former scholars are warped into otherworldly shapes, each with a head dominated by a gigantic, unblinking eye. Nothics remember nothing of their past lives and care only for their endless pursuit of hidden mysteries and uncanny truths. They seek revelations amid the rubble of forgotten ruins, and they use their supernatural sight to pierce magical deceptions, rot the flesh of enemies, and steal the secrets of those who interrupt their investigations. Some nothics seek to end the curse that warped them into their bizarre forms, but many are unaware of—or uninterested in—their transformation. > [!quote] > > Deeper. Deeper and Deeper. Deeper and creeper. Creeping they come. Up from the place that isn't a place. They come to feed. Feed on what I know. So I hide. I hide away. Away in the secret dark. Secret and dark, like all that I know I shouldn't know!  > [!embed-monster]- Nothic >  ### Nycaloth **Nycaloth.** *Yugoloth of Strategy and Strife* - **Habitat.** Planar (Gehenna) - **Treasure.** Armaments Fiendish warmongers, nycaloths relish combat and conquest. These tremendous winged yugoloths teleport around battlefields and into the air to bewilder their foes and attack with constantly shifting, Gehenna-forged axes—mercurial weapons similar to those favored by many yugoloths. Nycaloths might command groups of mezzoloths and make pacts to serve arcanaloths, ultroloths, fiendish warlords, or wicked mortals. So long as they can indulge their bloodlust, most nycaloths are willing to obey more powerful or cunning creatures. Some even serve competent leaders past the terms of their agreements to achieve long-pursued victories. But masters that lead nycaloths to defeat should fear these proud yugoloths' retribution. Nycaloths and other yugoloths frequently serve as mercenary forces in extraplanar conflicts that spill onto the Material Plane. Roll on or choose a result from the Yugoloth Incursions table to inspire the plans of a yugoloth war band. **Yugoloth Incursions** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^yugoloth-incursions)` | dice: 1d4 | Yugoloth Mercenaries Seek To... | |-----------|---------------------------------| | 1 | Claim a portal with strategic importance. | | 2 | Enlist monsters as allies or beasts of war. | | 3 | Destroy a city harboring enemy cultists. | | 4 | Liberate an imprisoned fiendish ally. | ^yugoloth-incursions  > [!embed-monster]- Nycaloth >  ## Monsters (O) ### Ochre Jelly **Ochre Jelly.** *Multiplying Amoeboid Hunter* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Ochre jellies are giant, yellow-brown amoebas that digest organic creatures. They tirelessly hunt any prey smaller than themselves, oozing over, under, and around obstacles in their path. Once they overwhelm their quarry, these acidic slimes dissolve the flesh, hair, and scales of their prey, leaving behind clothing, equipment, treated leather, and bone. If damaged by lightning or a slashing weapon, an ochre jelly splits in two. These smaller jellies work together to consume foes, but afterward they move on to hunt independently. Both eventually grow into full-size jellies. What ochre jellies can't dissolve they leave behind. Roll on or choose a result from the Ochre Jelly Leftovers table to inspire such remains. **Ochre Jelly Leftovers** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^ochre-jelly-leftovers)` | dice: 1d6 | After a Meal, the Ochre Jelly Leaves Behind... | |-----------|------------------------------------------------| | 1 | A bone etched with a word or an eerie symbol. | | 2 | Broken dragonborn or tiefling horns. | | 3 | An ornate prosthetic limb. | | 4 | The skeleton of an explorer's pet (perhaps a small dog, monkey, or parrot). | | 5 | A skull with gold teeth worth `d4` GP. | | 6 | A spotless suit of metal armor. | ^ochre-jelly-leftovers  > [!embed-monster]- Ochre Jelly >  ### Ogres **Ogres.** *Raging Hulks and Hoarders* - **Habitat.** Arctic, Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Mountain, Swamp, Underdark - **Treasure.** Armaments Ogres are selfish raiders and hulking gluttons spawned of hateful supernatural forces. From dismal ruins and bleak hinterlands, they raid vulnerable communities and ambush travelers. Ogres covet food and treasure, and they spitefully destroy art, books, clockwork devices, and other delicate or lovingly made things. Occasionally they kidnap victims to eat later or, more rarely, performers who catch their interest. Ogres trace their origins to wrathful deities such as Erythnul, Takhisis, and Vaprak. They magically emerge from the earth of lands corrupted by evil gods, sinister magic, or ancient curses. Some bear evidence of the places that spawned them, sporting rocky calluses, mossy growths, or frozen scars.  > [!embed-monster]- Ogre >  > [!embed-monster]- Ogrillon Ogre >  ### Oni **Oni.** *Wickedness Drawn to the Wicked* - **Habitat.** Forest, Urban - **Treasure.** Armaments Oni are elusive entities that inhabit dark forests and other wildernesses. By shape-shifting into the form of an innocent or moving invisibly, oni encroach on communities and lonely roads. They frequently harass people of faith, testing the limits of their piousness, or torment selfish people, punishing them for their wickedness. Wise communities often have guardian statues, annual rituals, or local superstitions meant to keep oni at bay. In rare cases, an oni might gradually befriend such communities and protect them from other threats for generations. Oni torment villages that don't pay them or other supernatural forces respect. Roll on or choose a result from the Oni Troubles table to inspire how an oni menaces such communities. **Oni Troubles** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^oni-troubles)` | dice: 1d4 | The Oni Torments People By... | |-----------|-------------------------------| | 1 | Charming people to perform nasty tricks. | | 2 | Claiming a bridge, gate, shrine, or trail and trying to eat anyone who comes near. | | 3 | Luring other monsters to the settlement. | | 4 | Playing drums that keep everyone awake. | ^oni-troubles  > [!embed-monster]- Oni >  ### Otyugh **Otyugh.** *Garbage-Heap Gourmand* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Any Otyughs live to eat—the more disgusting the meal, the better. They consider all non-otyughs that come within reach dishes in life's endless buffet. In dumps, sewers, polluted ruins, and similar murky depths, otyughs devour garbage, carcasses, and anything else their tentacles can cram in their expansive maws. Some creatures ply otyughs with trash to recruit them as watchful—if disgusting—guardians. Otyughs often bury themselves amid trash heaps and observe their surroundings with their eye-studded stalk. They use glittery trash and telepathic urgings to coax creatures close, then burst from hiding, attacking with their spiny tentacles and filthy maws. Roll on or choose a result from the Otyugh Lures table to inspire how an otyugh tempts prey close. **Otyugh Lures** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^otyugh-lures)` | dice: 1d4 | To Attract Potential Meals, the Otyugh... | |-----------|-------------------------------------------| | 1 | Disguises its tentacles with garbage puppets. | | 2 | Sings an enticing song in Otyugh. | | 3 | Telepathically transmits a message like "Happy good stuff here!" or "Help now! I'm too delicious?" | | 4 | Telepathically transmits an image of a large gemstone, crooked weapon, or soggy pastry. | ^otyugh-lures  > [!embed-monster]- Otyugh >  ### Owlbears **Owlbears.** *Magically Perfected Predators* - **Habitat.** Forest - **Treasure.** None Created long ago by misguided mages, owlbears combine keen avian eyes, thick feathers, and a tearing beak with a mighty bearlike frame. Despite their magical origins, owlbears have propagated and spread to wildernesses across the multiverse. Owlbears dwell in distinctive dens. Roll on or choose a result from the Owlbear Den Features table to inspire an owlbear den's noteworthy traits. **Owlbear Den Features** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^owlbear-den-features)` | dice: 1d4 | An Owlbear Den Contains... | |-----------|----------------------------| | 1 | Evidence of previous occupants, like bandits, wolves, or dragons. | | 2 | Heaps of regurgitated pellets studded with coins or other treasure. | | 3 | A nest with `d6` owlbear eggs. | | 4 | Passages through the earth or hollow trees. | ^owlbear-den-features  > [!embed-monster]- Owlbear >  > [!embed-monster]- Primeval Owlbear >  ## Monsters (P) ### Pegasus **Pegasus.** *Elusive Winged Steed* - **Habitat.** Forest, Grassland, Hill, Planar (Upper Planes) - **Treasure.** None Winged, sapient horses of noble bearing, pegasi are as majestic as they are elusive. Most avoid the affairs of other creatures, preferring to dwell amid idyllic pastures or floating islands, or on other planes of existence. Others serve deities of the Feywild and Upper Planes, aiding heroes in need. In rare cases, pegasi might befriend virtuous people and serve as their companions and steeds. Pegasi are hunted by servants of evil, leading many of these winged steeds to flee strangers on sight. Roll on or choose a result from the Pegasus Offerings table to inspire how one might show their good intentions to a wary pegasus. **Pegasus Offerings** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^pegasus-offerings)` | dice: 1d4 | A Pegasus Won't Flee Someone... | |-----------|---------------------------------| | 1 | Bearing the gear of a hero the pegasus aided. | | 2 | Offering magical fruit or holy spring water. | | 3 | Singing a song in Celestial, Druidic, or Sylvan. | | 4 | Wearing the garb of an ancient heroic order. | ^pegasus-offerings > [!quote] A quote from Yolande, Queen of Celene > > Pegasi are the cherished steeds of our creator, Corellon. To see one is a blessing, but to ride one proves nothing less than the love of the gods.  > [!embed-monster]- Pegasus >  ### Performers **Performers.** *Artists and Entertainers* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Implements, Individual From royal courts to village squares, skilled entertainers hone their talents and delight audiences. Some travel far, sharing tales and demonstrating mysterious arts. Others serve in the courts and theaters of great nations, cultivating celebrity and navigating the whims of patrons. Many hone professional secrets and magical flourishes, striving to make their performances truly unforgettable. Use the following list of entertainers and roles to inspire the performers in your adventures: Acrobat Actor Aerialist Animal trainer Athlete Burlesque artist Busker Circus performer Comedian Contortionist Dancer Daredevil Jester Juggler Magician Mentalist Mime Minstrel Mourner Oral historian Poet Puppeteer Ritualist Stage fighter Storyteller Throat singer Town crier Trick rider Vocalist Wrestler > [!quote] A quote from Tindal, Carnival Barker > > Welcome, one! Welcome, all! Welcome to the short, and welcome to the tall! Welcome angels, welcome fiends, welcome to all from walks between! Welcome to the Carnival!  > [!embed-monster]- Performer >  > [!embed-monster]- Performer Maestro >  > [!embed-monster]- Performer Legend >  ### Peryton **Peryton.** *Winged Heart Hunter* - **Habitat.** Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** Armaments Perytons are monstrous predators that hunt people—particularly humans and elves—in favor of all other prey. With the bodies of mighty avian scavengers and fanged, stag-like heads, perytons use ambush tactics to dive-bomb travelers. Strangely, the shadows they cast resemble humanoid silhouettes. This supernatural oddity lends credence to stories that perytons are cursed humans or elves, or that they arise from carrion birds that feed on the corpses of villains. Perytons tear out the hearts of those they slay, carrying the organs back to grisly lairs. This gives rise to numerous superstitions surrounding perytons. Roll on or choose a result from the Peryton Superstitions table to inspire why a peryton steals hearts. **Peryton Superstitions** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^peryton-superstitions)` | dice: 1d4 | If a Peryton Collects Enough Hearts... | |-----------|----------------------------------------| | 1 | The hearts grant an evil wish. | | 2 | It reverts to its original form. | | 3 | A new peryton hatches from each heart. | | 4 | A portal opens to the Lower Planes. | ^peryton-superstitions  > [!embed-monster]- Peryton >  ### Phase Spider **Phase Spider.** *Plane-Shifting Arachnid Ambusher* - **Habitat.** Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Planar (Ethereal Plane), Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Any Phase spiders appear out of nowhere to attack, then vanish just as swiftly. These horse-size, magical arachnids are endemic to the Ethereal Plane. From vaporous lairs, they peer through the Border Ethereal into the Material Plane. When they detect prey, phase spiders draw close and then shift or "phase" to the Material Plane to attack. They shift between planes of existence and attack from unexpected directions until they overcome their prey or are forced to retreat. Phase spiders are more intelligent than mundane spiders, but most are cowards. They usually flee if they're outnumbered by creatures capable of seeing them on the Ethereal Plane or pursuing them there. They make exceptions for ghosts and similar spirits, which phase spiders gain sustenance from and pursue as favored prey. > [!quote] A quote from Marcus Wands, Doubtful Authority > > Some sages say you unknowingly occupy the same ethereally coterminous point as a phase spider an average of four times each year.  > [!embed-monster]- Phase Spider >  ### Piercer **Piercer.** *Aberrant Counterfeit Stalactite* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Individual Piercers resemble stalactites, but each has a toothy maw and a single eye. They hang from cavern ceilings along routes frequented by denizens of the Underdark. Piercers might lurk for months at a time, waiting for any creature of their approximate size to pass underneath. When potential meals move below, piercers release their grip and plummet, intent on impaling prey in a single strike. If they're successful, piercers consume their meals and then slowly climb to a new ambush position. If they miss or fail to slay their targets, piercers attempt to squirm away, but they're easily dispatched by creatures aware of their presence. Piercers are the larval form of ropers. Young piercers seek to move as far from ropers as they can to avoid ropers' undiscerning hunger. Many piercers migrate vast distances through the Underdark, often to caverns or buried ruins near the surface. > [!quote] > > Rule 8: Never trust a stalactite  > [!embed-monster]- Piercer >  ### Pirates **Pirates.** *Freebooters and Fortune Hunters* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Individual, Implements The term "pirate" encompasses a broad range of seafarers, including vicious sea rovers, dogged privateers, cursed treasure hunters, and others who seek riches and fame on the seas. Pirates might be allies, foes, wild cards, or some combination thereof. While they are the bane of merchants and coastal communities, they know secrets of the sea and how to avoid aquatic threats. More unusual pirates set their sights beyond the waves, using airships, spelljamming vessels, plane-shifting craft, or stranger vehicles to explore and raid incredible realms. **Pirate Flags.** To terrify opponents and spread their reputations, pirate crews fly distinctive flags. Roll twice on or choose results from the Pirate Flags table to inspire what flag a pirate crew sails under. **Pirate Flags** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^pirate-flags)` | dice: 1d8 | The Flag Shows A... | With... | |-----------|---------------------|---------| | 1 | Buccaneer | A captain's hat | | 2 | Dragon | Crossbones | | 3 | Fiend | Crossed blades | | 4 | Goat | An eye patch | | 5 | Kraken | Lightning bolts | | 6 | Merfolk | A mug of ale | | 7 | Skull | A tattoo | | 8 | Whale | A treasure chest | ^pirate-flags  > [!embed-monster]- Pirate >  > [!embed-monster]- Pirate Captain >  > [!embed-monster]- Pirate Admiral >  ### Pit Fiend **Pit Fiend.** *Devil of Domination* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells) - **Treasure.** Relics Masterminds of the Nine Hells and generals of infernal legions, pit fiends seek conquests across the planes of existence. More than warmongers, these diabolical tyrants concoct intricate plots that play out among fiendish battlefields, infernal politics, and mortal conspiracies. Pit fiends are the nobility of the Nine Hells, and many rule Lower Planar fiefdoms, doomed mortal worlds, and other infernal redoubts. Most serve archdevils of the Nine Hells as they pursue their own ambitions. Ranks of lesser devils obey pit fiends, but these cunning tyrants remain on guard against betrayal from their servants. Smoldering with the evil of the Nine Hells, pit fiends strike fear in creatures with their mere presence. Despite their size and incredible physical and magical might, pit fiends are as likely to try to corrupt foes as they are to destroy them outright. Pit fiends' arrogance can lead them to underestimate mortal foes—a failing that can lead to their downfall.  > [!embed-monster]- Pit Fiend >  ### Pixies **Pixies.** *Friends of the Forest* - **Habitat.** Forest, Planar (Feywild) - **Treasure.** Arcana Barely a foot tall, pixies resemble diminutive elves with gossamer wings. They invisibly observe those who enter their wooded homes, revealing themselves to those with friendly intentions. Those who are unfriendly become the targets of pixies' pranks.  > [!embed-monster]- Pixie >  > [!embed-monster]- Pixie Wonderbringer >  ### Planetar **Planetar.** *Righteously Wrathful Angelic Warrior* - **Habitat.** Planar (Upper Planes) - **Treasure.** Relics Planetars deliver the punishment of righteous gods. These angels innately know truth from lies, and they use magic and blessed weapons to protect the just and root out wickedness across the Multiverse. These angels act where they can against overwhelming evil, but to avoid the attention of the Lower Planes, they prefer to let mortals attend to affairs on the Material Plane. Planetars often choose mortal champions to oppose threats they're loath to face directly, involving themselves only if necessary. Roll on or choose a result from the Planetar Quests table to inspire what evil a planetar might recruit heroes to thwart. **Planetar Quests** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^planetar-quests)` | dice: 1d6 | The Planetar Entreats a Mortal Hero To... | |-----------|-------------------------------------------| | 1 | Convince a villain to meet with the angel. | | 2 | Find a loved one a villain believes is dead. | | 3 | Heal the loved one of an evil ruler. | | 4 | Inspire the defenders of a besieged holy site. | | 5 | Recover and destroy an evil Artifact. | | 6 | Reveal the true name of a devil to banish it. | ^planetar-quests  > [!embed-monster]- Planetar >  ### Poltergeist **Poltergeist.** *Malevolent or Mischievous Spirit* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Any Poltergeists are spirits that confuse and torment the living. While typically not visible, they sometimes appear as faded images of whoever they were in life. Some poltergeists don't realize they're dead and go through the motions of their past lives. Others are malicious beings or embodiments of fractured psyches that sow discord where they haunt. Poltergeists telekinetically move objects in the places they lurk. Roll on or choose a result from the Poltergeist Activities table to inspire how a poltergeist menaces the living. **Poltergeist Activities** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^poltergeist-activities)` | dice: 1d8 | To Torment the Living, the Poltergeist... | |-----------|-------------------------------------------| | 1 | Keeps returning a discarded item. | | 2 | Leaves footprints on vertical surfaces. | | 3 | Makes noises like someone trapped in a wall. | | 4 | Organizes a pack's contents across the floor. | | 5 | Playfully puppets a corpse or doll. | | 6 | Removes bedding while someone sleeps. | | 7 | Sticks knives or weapons in the ceiling. | | 8 | Uncannily stacks books, furniture, or utensils. | ^poltergeist-activities  > [!embed-monster]- Poltergeist >  ### Priests **Priests.** *Arbiters of the Mortal and the Divine* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Individual, Relics Priests harness the power of faith to work miracles. These religious adherents are as diverse as the faiths they follow. Some obey gods and their servants, while others live by age-old creeds. Belief guides priests' actions and their magic, which they use to shape the world in line with their ideologies. Roll on or choose a result from the Priest Roles table to inspire different sorts of priests. **Priest Roles** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^priest-roles)` | dice: 1d10 | The Priest Is... | |------------|------------------| | 1 | An ascetic who keeps wicked spirits at bay. | | 2 | An elder who speaks for the dead. | | 3 | An exorcist who hunts wicked spirits. | | 4 | A follower of a god no one has heard of. | | 5 | A mediator and teacher of traditional ways. | | 6 | A philosopher devoted to a concept, multiversal view, or plane of existence. | | 7 | The reincarnation of an ancient faith leader. | | 8 | A ritualist who uses tinctures and performances to access the divine. | | 9 | A shaman whose medicines ease many ills. | | 10 | A zealot who wages war for a divine cause. | ^priest-roles > [!quote] > > Shining One, light my hours. Enkindle my soul, and inspire my deeds. Chase the shadows from my path, and let me walk in your brilliance.  > [!embed-monster]- Priest Acolyte >  > [!embed-monster]- Priest >  > [!embed-monster]- Archpriest >  ### Pseudodragon **Pseudodragon.** *Fickle, Pint-Sized Dragon* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Desert, Forest, Hill, Mountain, Urban - **Treasure.** Arcana Pseudodragons dwell in scenic wildernesses, preferably where life is easy and prey is small and slow. There they behave like contented wyrms, creating tiny lairs amid ancient trees and rugged cliffs. They fill these lairs with shiny rocks, colorful shells, and unattended treasures that catch their attention, and they guard these hoards fiercely. Pseudodragons grow to the size of large house cats, and most have red-brown scales. Some have scales with other hues or patterns—markings distinct from those of their larger draconic cousins. Many magic-users attempt to befriend pseudodragons, hoping to enlist them as familiars. The creatures' intellect and resistance to magic make them excellent companions, and they're considered status symbols in some spellcasting circles. Many pseudodragons prefer the finer things in life. These diminutive dragons might be inclined to aid those who ply them with treats. Contrariwise, mages who don't properly pamper their pseudo dragon familiars might be abandoned without warning. Roll on or choose an option from the Pseudo dragon Treats table to inspire a pseudodragon's taste in gifts. **Pseudodragon Treats** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^pseudodragon-treats)` | dice: 1d10 | The Pseudodragon Wants... | |------------|---------------------------| | 1 | Flamboyant accessories it can wear. | | 2 | Mementos from a lost friend or master. | | 3 | Outlandish delicacies—like axe beak-egg omelets or mammoth-milk cheese. | | 4 | The possessions of a sibling, rival, or master. | | 5 | Shiny gifts, from gems to abalone shells. | | 6 | Soft bedding and stuffed toys. | | 7 | A specific cook's signature dessert. | | 8 | Time-consuming beauty treatments. | | 9 | To hear a bedtime story or favorite song. | | 10 | Trophies and important-sounding titles. | ^pseudodragon-treats > [!quote] A quote from Jallarzi, Pseudodragon's Companion > > If you want to keep a pseudodragon happy, get used to thinking of yourself as its familiar.  > [!embed-monster]- Pseudodragon >  ### Purple Worm **Purple Worm.** *What Gnaws the Roots of the World* - **Habitat.** Desert, Underdark - **Treasure.** None Titanic purple worms burrow through the earth and sand. Ever ravenous, they devour smaller creatures and ravage entire communities in their aimless burrowing. > [!quote] A quote from Morrikan d'Kundarak > > Purple worms alone are bad enough, but the blasted monsters have a knack for unearthing things that are even worse!  > [!embed-monster]- Purple Worm >  ## Monsters (Q) ### Quaggoths **Quaggoths.** *Unpredictable Subterranean Stalkers* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Beastly hunters endemic to subterranean depths, quaggoths scrape harsh existences from the Underdark. While they can survive on bitter lichens and toxic fungi, they viciously attack anything they can make a meal of, from giant spiders to explorers. Quaggoths sometimes serve as muscle for Underdark-dwelling villains. Quaggoths frequently collect in small bands led by the most fearsome group member. These bands are proud and quick to hold grudges. Anyone who harms a quaggoth—or who is suspected of doing so—earns the enmity of that quaggoth's band regardless of reason or fault. These grudges sometimes extend to whole communities rather than individuals. Generations of quaggoths might seek revenge against a settlement's inhabitants for decades-old slights. Only the leader of a quaggoth band can demand that a grudge ends.  > [!embed-monster]- Quaggoth >  > [!embed-monster]- Quaggoth Thonot >  ### Quasit **Quasit.** *Demon of Discord and Disorder* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** None Tirelessly destructive, quasits sow discord through nasty pranks, sabotage, and ambushes. These tiny demons use chaos and violence to terrorize others. By shape-shifting into harmless but ill-omened creatures or by turning [invisible](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Invisible), quasits sneak into places where they spy for villainous masters or set vicious traps. Quasits delight in hiding in dark places and—when least expected—bursting forth to slash foes with their [poisoned](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Poisoned) claws. Quasits are usually overlooked and underestimated by other demons. This drives them to prove themselves through cruel acts or by seeking paths to the Material Plane. Among mortals, quasits sow senseless chaos, and they might find kindred evil spirits among violent cultists and magic-users. > [!quote] A quote from Otto the Bard > > A thing doesn't need to be big to be gut-flippingly dreadful. Just think of all the folks who're squeamish around spiders. Now imagine a spider as big as a cat and that wants to steal your tongue.  > [!embed-monster]- Quasit >  ## Monsters (R) ### Rakshasa **Rakshasa.** *Deceiver Hungry for Power and Flesh* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells), Urban - **Treasure.** Relics Masters of manipulation, rakshasas infiltrate communities to claim positions of power. While disguising their true natures, they kidnap victims and indulge their insatiable hunger for flesh. Rakshasas can withstand some degree of magic, but legends tell of blessed warriors felling them with crossbow bolts, arrows, or similar weapons. Rakshasas' appearances combine humanlike bodies with the features of animals and monsters. All rakshasas have a physical oddity that remains when they adopt magical disguises, such as palms where the backs of the hands would be on humans.  > [!embed-monster]- Rakshasa >  ### Red Dragons **Red Dragons.** *Dragons of Greed and Devastation* - **Habitat.** Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** Any Red dragons take whatever they desire and burn to ash anything that stands in their way. These chromatic dragons endlessly desire more—more magic, territory, treasure, or whatever else inflames their cruel ambitions. Red dragons make their lairs amid perilous cliffs and volcanoes. Within, they amass and fiercely protect hoards of treasure, and many have perfect recall of the hoards' contents and the locations of all they've collected. Should anything go missing, red dragons fly into rages. They don't rest until their treasures are returned and the thieves have burned. Red dragons believe themselves to be the greatest of all dragons and, by extension, the greatest of all creatures. To them, pillaging and conquering are their right—treasures can find no more honored place than in their hoards, and other creatures are privileged to serve them. **Red Dragon Lairs.** Red dragons make their lairs in smoldering, unapproachable places such as volcanic mountains, burning wastelands, and ruins they've stolen from other creatures.  > [!embed-monster]- Red Dragon Wyrmling >  > [!embed-monster]- Young Red Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Adult Red Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Ancient Red Dragon >  ### Remorhazes **Remorhazes.** *Super-Heated Arctic Arthropods* - **Habitat.** Arctic - **Treasure.** None Remorhazes are centipede-like terrors that burrow through snow and ice to ambush smaller creatures that trespass in their frozen territories.  > [!embed-monster]- Young Remorhaz >  > [!embed-monster]- Remorhaz >  ### Revenants **Revenants.** *Vengeance from beyond the Grave* - **Habitat.** Forest, Swamp, Urban - **Treasure.** Any Wrathful spirits bent on revenge, revenants possess corpses and other materials, using them to seek justice or vent their rage on those who wronged them. Revenants refuse to rest until those they seek to punish are no more. If their bodies are destroyed, revenants claim new forms and continue their ruthless quests.  > [!embed-monster]- Revenant >  > [!embed-monster]- Graveyard Revenant >   > [!embed-monster]- Haunting Revenant >  ### Roc **Roc.** *Avian of Unbelievable Size* - **Habitat.** Arctic, Coastal, Desert, Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** Any Birds of prey of fantastic scale, rocs hunt over vast territories and can snatch whole elephants, whales, or wagons in their talons. They then carry their prey back to their remote nests, journeys that can take days and cover hundreds of miles. Rocs nest amid remote heights. Their nests are typically littered with treasure and uneaten prey. Roll on or choose an option from the Roc Nest Remnants table to inspire what's in a roc's nest. **Roc Nest Remnants** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^roc-nest-remnants)` | dice: 1d6 | The Roc's Nest Holds... | |-----------|-------------------------| | 1 | The burial litter of a lost hero. | | 2 | A caravan wagon full of trade goods. | | 3 | A live elephant. | | 4 | `d4` eggs larger than adult humans. | | 5 | Someone marooned in the nest. | | 6 | A statue of a knight riding a rearing steed. | ^roc-nest-remnants  > [!embed-monster]- Roc >  ### Roper **Roper.** *Tentacled Subterranean Trapper* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Any Camouflaged as rock formations, ropers are aberrant ambushers that lurk in wait for smaller creatures. These bizarre subterranean hunters extend their rubbery tentacles to explore and prod their surroundings, often reaching beyond their fields of vision. Should they encounter prey, these limbs ensnare victims and drag them close to ropers' toothy maws. If these tentacles are severed, ropers rapidly grow replacements. Ropers can move, albeit slowly. Crawling on the sticky cilia that cover their undersides, ropers can climb walls and suspend themselves from ceilings. These hunters often position themselves in unexpected or treacherous locations, using their surroundings to weaken their prey. Roll on or choose a result from the Roper Hazards table to inspire what dangers ropers employ when ambushing prey. **Roper Hazards** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^roper-hazards)` | dice: 1d8 | The Roper Drags Prey Through... | |-----------|---------------------------------| | 1 | Areas that trigger traps. | | 2 | Caverns filled with smoke or gas. | | 3 | "dead magic zone" or [Wild Magic zones](Mechanics/CLI/traps-hazards/wild-magic-zone-xdmg.md). | | 4 | The lair of a creature it is trying to bait out. | | 5 | A nest of rats, insects, or other vermin. | | 6 | Patches of brown mold* or green slime*. | | 7 | Pools of magma or boiling water. | | 8 | "razorvine" or similar dangerous plants. | ^roper-hazards > [!quote] > > Rule 9: Never trust a stalagmite.  > [!embed-monster]- Roper >  ### Rust Monster **Rust Monster.** *Corrosive, Equipment-Eating Scavenger* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Rust monsters roam the Underdark searching for ferrous metal. When they find this material—whether natural veins, subterranean structures, or creatures' equipment—these beetle-like scavengers rush to feed. Using their feathery antennae, rust monsters dissolve metals such as iron and steel into rusted scrap. They easily gnaw through this corroded metal using their mandibles. Rust monsters usually ignore creatures without metal equipment, but they defend themselves if attacked.  > [!embed-monster]- Rust Monster >  ## Monsters (S) ### Sahuagin **Sahuagin.** *Ravagers from Beneath the Waves* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Underwater - **Treasure.** Any Sahuagin are fiendish terrors that prey on creatures above and below the water. Called "sea devils" by residents of coastal communities, sahuagin are ruthless raiders. They ransack ships, fishing villages, and undersea communities to slake their bloodthirst, claim treasure, and make sacrifices to their vicious deity—the sharklike god Sekolah. Sahuagin constantly war on any peoples living near their territory. Merfolk and other aquatic folk bear the brunt of these attacks, but sahuagin also hunt air-breathers who sail over or swim through the waters the sea devils claim. Sahuagin often attack alongside sharks, which they can telepathically command. > [!quote] A quote from Tiguran Maremrynd > > When a sahuagin comes at you, it doesn't seem to be living until it bites you. Then the thing's black eyes turn red as hellfire and the waves foam crimson. Then comes the screaming.  > [!embed-monster]- Sahuagin Warrior >  > [!embed-monster]- Sahuagin Priest >  > [!embed-monster]- Sahuagin Baron >  ### Salamanders **Salamanders.** *Serpentine Artists of the Inferno* - **Habitat.** Planar (Elemental Plane of Fire), Underdark - **Treasure.** Armaments Salamanders are serpentine denizens of the Elemental Plane of Fire. They believe that flames expose the purest forms of all things and delight in burning and melting things, seeing fleeting beauty and striking nuances in blazes consuming different fuels—ancient forests, artistic masterpieces, or living creatures. To salamanders, those that can't endure their flames are nothing but ashes in disguise. They harbor malice toward few creatures, but they consider creating remarkable flames more important than the pain and loss their fires cause. Salamanders are typically content to dwell on the Elemental Plane of Fire, creating strange, temporary art amid the flames. Some travel to other planes of existence and worlds to experience the flames of other realms or create conflagrations of unprecedented scale. > [!quote] A quote from Filiag Highthumbs > > The salamanders of the Elemental Plane of Fire delight in meeting visitors from other realms. For them, every stranger is a potential addition to their fiery artistry. Don't fall for their flattery, no matter how beautifully they say you'll burn.  > [!embed-monster]- Salamander Fire Snake >  > [!embed-monster]- Salamander >  > [!embed-monster]- Salamander Inferno Master >  ### Satyrs **Satyrs.** *Horned and Hoofed Revelers* - **Habitat.** Forest, Planar (Feywild) - **Treasure.** Implements Satyrs embody the untamed joys of the wilderness. They indulge in sprees of merrymaking—eating, drinking, performing, fighting, and frolicking.  > [!embed-monster]- Satyr >  > [!embed-monster]- Satyr Revelmaster >  ### Scarecrow **Scarecrow.** *Servant of Superstition* - **Habitat.** Grassland - **Treasure.** None Spirits of vengeance bound to crude frames, scarecrows arise from folk magic, the prayers of desperate commoners, or possession by spirits that died with violent work left undone. Scarecrows might serve those who created them or might defend a place, family, or community from threats—whether physical or to their way of life. Although scarecrows take their name from rural effigies, they might take varied patchwork forms. Roll on or choose a result from the Scarecrow Frames table to inspire a scarecrow's appearance. **Scarecrow Frames** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^scarecrow-frames)` | dice: 1d8 | The Scarecrow Is Made From... | |-----------|-------------------------------| | 1 | Animal furs, bones, horns, and claws. | | 2 | Beehives or wasp nests over a wicker frame. | | 3 | A carved pumpkin atop a body of thick vines. | | 4 | Nets, flotsam, grapnels, and fishing tackle. | | 5 | Oversize stuffed animal or mannequin parts. | | 6 | Rusty armor and torture devices. | | 7 | A sackcloth head atop straw-stuffed clothes. | | 8 | Wedding clothes that were never worn. | ^scarecrow-frames  > [!embed-monster]- Scarecrow >  ### Scouts **Scouts.** *Watchers and Wanderers* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Implements, Individual Scouts are warriors of the wilderness, trained in hunting and tracking. They might be explorers or trappers, or they could perform more martial roles as archers, bounty hunters, or outriders.  > [!embed-monster]- Scout >  > [!embed-monster]- Scout Captain >  ### Sea Hag **Sea Hag.** *Hag of Despair and the Dismal Deep* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Underwater - **Treasure.** Arcana Sea hags loathe peace and beauty. Bitter, jealous creatures, they spread chaos and undermine joy however they can, undertaking elaborate deceptions to sow discord for its own sake. The hags' true forms are supernaturally vile, and their baleful gazes can strike down creatures [frightened](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Frightened) by their appearance. Sea hags cloak themselves in illusions to work their schemes. Roll on or choose a result from the Sea Hag Disguises table to inspire a sea hag's illusion and how they might use it to wreak chaos and destruction. **Sea Hag Disguises** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^sea-hag-disguises)` | dice: 1d6 | The Sea Hag Takes the Form of A... | |-----------|------------------------------------| | 1 | Captive and claims nearby villagers bound them and left them to drown. | | 2 | Castaway and shares a cursed item's location with would-be rescuers. | | 3 | Healer and passes off poisons as medicine. | | 4 | Panic-spreading prophesier of doom. | | 5 | Ship captain and delivers passengers to the hag's pet sea monster. | | 6 | Wounded sailor and claims their ship was destroyed by merfolk or other peaceful people. | ^sea-hag-disguises  > [!embed-monster]- Sea Hag >  ### Shadow **Shadow.** *Disembodied, Life-Drinking Shade* - **Habitat.** Planar (Shadowfell), Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** None Shadows are incorporeal Undead that feed on life. They resent the living for possessing the potential and vitality lost to them. Shadows lurk in dark, lonely places, typically sites that were meaningful to them in life or cursed places with ties to death, sinister magic, or the Shadowfell. Their victims rise as new shadows and prey on the living. Shadows might resemble the silhouettes of who they were in life or take on more menacing forms. Roll on or choose a result from the Shadow Shapes table to inspire a shadow's form and haunting. **Shadow Shapes** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^shadow-shapes)` | dice: 1d6 | The Shadow Appears As... | |-----------|--------------------------| | 1 | A distorted stalker that lurks in the woods. | | 2 | A fiend that dwells near a wicked ritual site. | | 3 | Grasping hands that haunt a miser's home. | | 4 | A grim storybook character that follows those who speak its name. | | 5 | Its target, acting in eerie pantomime. | | 6 | An ominous priest that haunts a defiled site. | ^shadow-shapes  > [!embed-monster]- Shadow >  ### Shadow Demon **Shadow Demon.** *Vestige of Evil* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** None Shadow demons form when exceptionally wicked demons are destroyed and prevented from reconstituting their physical forms in the Abyss. This might occur due to divine intervention, when a demon is destroyed in the Abyss, or under more unusual circumstances. Shadow demons are the incorporeal remnants of these destroyed demons' evil. They usually vaguely resemble their former shapes, but some take purposefully deceptive shapes. Many lurk in dark places or venture out only at night to hide their true forms from those they manipulate. Shadow demons seek ways to regain their former might and take revenge on those who destroyed them. They often ingratiate themselves with more powerful demons or mortal spellcasters, bargaining with and coercing others into restoring them to power. Many try to claim or corrupt souls to restore their fiendish forms, while some shadow demons seek wicked relics or nexuses of profane magic. It typically takes shadow demons centuries to recover their demonic power, if they ever do. Particularly powerful demons might return as multiple shadow demons after being defeated. These fiendish entities each think they're the true manifestation of their past self and hunt one another to recover their power. In rare cases, Fiends other than demons might adopt forms similar to shadow demons. > [!quote] A quote from Tarsheva Longreach, Planar Traveler > > There are three rules to endings. First, good always wins. Second, evil always returns. Third, the first rule isn't always true.  > [!embed-monster]- Shadow Demon >  ### Shadow Dragons **Shadow Dragons.** *Dragon Corrupted by Darkness* - **Habitat.** Planar (Shadowfell), Underdark - **Treasure.** Any Shadow dragons haunt forgotten, lightless places. While they might have once been other types of dragons, the influence of planar forces, negative energy, or sinister magic has stripped them of their former color or luster. In place of any former breath weapon, shadow dragons exhale caliginous gouts that saps life from everything it touches. Those slain by a shadow dragon's breath rise as shades obedient to the shadow dragon's will. Shadow dragons typically dwell in the Underdark, particularly in areas with connections to the Shadowfell or other tenebrous realms. In some cases, they might lurk in dark, corrupted reaches of the regions they preferred before transforming into shadow dragons. Overgrown swamps, sepulchral desert ruins, and ash-choked volcanoes make natural lairs for shadow dragons. Like many other dragons, shadow dragons collect hoards. Their tastes tend to be morbid—collecting coins from ruined empires and their victims' skulls. **Shadow Dragon Lairs.** Shadow dragons lair in places of darkness and despair, such as accursed ruins, the depths of the Underdark, or the Shadowfell. > [!quote] A quote from Challenge Tempting Victims to the Lair of the Shadow Dragon Aurgloroasa > > If ye truly be adventurers of lore, seek the great shadowy wyrm who lairs beneath the Peaks of Thunder and return in triumph bearing aloft her fabled Eye of Shadow.  > [!embed-monster]- Juvenile Shadow Dragon >  > [!embed-monster]- Shadow Dragon >  ### Shambling Mound **Shambling Mound.** *Manifestation of Primeval Power* - **Habitat.** Forest, Swamp - **Treasure.** None Shambling mounds—also known as "shamblers"—embody the tenacity of the wilderness, seeking only to consume and grow. These masses of vegetation rise up to half again as tall as a human and possess thick limbs and a vague head. As they move through bogs and undergrowth, they ensnare creatures that come within reach. Shambling mounds bury those they catch within their own forms as compost. Strange circumstances might give rise to shambling mounds, transforming vegetation into hulks with rudimentary cunning. Such conditions include strikes from magical lightning, nature defending itself, or druidic curses. Roll on or choose a result from the Shambling Mound Cultivation table to inspire a shambling mound's origins and features. **Shambling Mound Cultivation** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^shambling-mound-cultivation)` | dice: 1d6 | The Shambling Mound Is... | |-----------|---------------------------| | 1 | Covered in vibrant alien or Feywild blooms. | | 2 | Hauling a rune-etched menhir in its torso. | | 3 | Infested with vermin or fungi. | | 4 | Made up of knotty vines entangling skeletons. | | 5 | Mutated and leaking glowing pollution. | | 6 | The remains of an ancient tree or a treant. | ^shambling-mound-cultivation  > [!embed-monster]- Shambling Mound >  ### Shield Guardian **Shield Guardian.** *Device-Controlled Magical Bodyguard* - **Habitat.** Urban - **Treasure.** None An intimidating magical automaton, a shield guardian obeys its master's commands and protects its master from danger. When such a guardian is created, the magic that animates it is intertwined with a bonded command amulet. Any creature that has a shield guardian's command amulet can control that Construct and, in the case of magic-users, imbue it with a spell to unleash under predetermined circumstances. Yet a shield guardian's primary goal is to protect its master. It escorts whoever bears its command amulet and intercedes between the bearer and any threat. Although it isn't mindless, a shield guardian has no sense of self preservation and will sacrifice itself to protect its master. Shield guardians are typically constructed of steel, stone, and wood in the shape of watchful soldiers. More fanciful designs exist, reflecting the tastes of their creators. Given their resilience, it's common for shield guardians to eventually serve creatures other than their creators. A shield guardian's command amulet might be passed down through a magic-using society or family for generations.  > [!embed-monster]- Shield Guardian >  ### Silver Dragons **Silver Dragons.** *Dragons of Courage and Fairness* - **Habitat.** Mountain, Urban - **Treasure.** Arcana Silver dragons work to preserve peace and encourage greatness. They try to live as examples of decency while remaining watchful against evil. Silver dragons typically dwell amid snow-capped mountains, though aspirations and congeniality drive some to instead live among cosmopolitan societies. Disguised as humanoids, they ally with artists, historians, knights, and humble leaders who learn from the past to create better futures. Silver dragons take inspiration from legendary heroes and have grand ambitions. Many collect treasures that reflect these interests, such as histories, ancient art, and the gear of famous champions. **Silver Dragon Lairs.** Silver dragons typically lair in picturesque mountain retreats or on sculpted cloud "islands." > [!embed-monster]- Silver Dragon Wyrmling >   > [!embed-monster]- Young Silver Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Adult Silver Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Ancient Silver Dragon >  ### Skeletons **Skeletons.** *Ossified Evil* - **Habitat.** Planar (Shadowfell), Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** None Skeletons rise at the summons of necromancers and foul spirits. Whether they're the remains of the ancient dead or fresh bones bound to morbid ambitions, they commit deathless work for whatever forces reanimated them, often serving as guardians, soldiers, or laborers. In rare cases, skeletons are reanimated but given no particular direction. Roll on or choose a result from the Skeleton Pantomimes table to inspire how undirected skeletons behave. **Skeleton Pantomimes** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^skeleton-pantomimes)` | dice: 1d6 | Left to Its Own Devices, the Skeleton... | |-----------|------------------------------------------| | 1 | Delivers meal salvers or ages-old correspondence to the crypt of its dead master. | | 2 | Endlessly trains in battle with other skeletons, despite being hacked to animate splinters. | | 3 | Mimics ways it entertained itself in life, such as acting, dancing, or reading. | | 4 | Performs a familiar task, such as cleaning, cooking, mining, or praying. | | 5 | Repeats its final moments of life. | | 6 | Stands guard at the post it protected in life. | ^skeleton-pantomimes  > [!embed-monster]- Skeleton >  > [!embed-monster]- Warhorse Skeleton >  > [!embed-monster]- Minotaur Skeleton >  > [!embed-monster]- Flaming Skeleton >  ### Slaadi **Slaadi.** *Chaos-Spawned Hordes of Limbo* - **Habitat.** Planar (Limbo) - **Treasure.** Any Unpredictable slaadi devour and multiply across the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo. These toad-like, extraplanar beings embody the endless potentiality of their home plane of existence. While slaadi aren't inherently evil, their impulses are wild and often destructive. Many are driven to propagate through supernatural processes. Unfortunately, these processes typically are fatal for other creatures. Slaadi have no formal society. Rather, strong slaadi dominate weaker ones. Blue and red slaadi rampage across Limbo and spill into other worlds at the direction of green slaadi. More powerful slaadi have connections to the Spawning Stone, a source of chaotic magic from which the first slaadi originated. The Spawning Stone is hidden deep within Limbo, and legends tie its origins to the modron overlord Primus or the ruinous slaad lords, such as Ssendam, the golden amoeboid terror, and Ygorl, the winged skeleton. These slaad lords and others plot to spread slaadi across the multiverse. > [!note] Slaad Control Gems > > A slaad born from the Spawning Stone has a magical control gem embedded in its head. If a creature claims the gem, the slaad has the [Charmed](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Charmed) condition and obeys the gem's bearer. The slaad ceases to be [Charmed](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Charmed) if it is harmed by the gem's bearer or the bearer's allies or if the gem is returned to the slaad. A [Greater Restoration](Mechanics/CLI/spells/greater-restoration-xphb.md) spell cast on a slaad destroys the gem, and the slaad ceases to be [Charmed](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Charmed). > > One can obtain a slaad's control gem using a [Wish](Mechanics/CLI/spells/wish-xphb.md) or [Imprisonment](Mechanics/CLI/spells/imprisonment-xphb.md) spell. If the slaad fails its saving throw against [Imprisonment](Mechanics/CLI/spells/imprisonment-xphb.md), the caster gains the gem, and the slaad isn't imprisoned. An [Incapacitated](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Incapacitated) slaad's control gem can be removed by spending 1 minute and succeeding on a DC 20 Wisdom ([Medicine](Mechanics/CLI/rules/skills.md#Medicine)) check. Failing this check deals 22 (`4d10`) Piercing damage to the slaad. ^slaad-control-gems > [!quote] A quote from Jebeel Sloom > > Fight a slaad and lose, the story's over. Fight a slaad and win, there's a thousand more standing in line just to prove they're tougher.  > [!embed-monster]- Slaad Tadpole >  > [!embed-monster]- Red Slaad >  > [!embed-monster]- Blue Slaad >   > [!embed-monster]- Green Slaad >  > [!embed-monster]- Gray Slaad >  > [!embed-monster]- Death Slaad >  ### Solar **Solar.** *Angelic Protector of the Multiverse* - **Habitat.** Planar (Upper Planes) - **Treasure.** Any Solars stand as the final line of defense between unspeakable evils and the order of the multiverse. They are the servants of just deities and ageless forces of good. Their interests span the planes, but they rarely intervene in conflicts on the worlds of the Material Plane. When they act, they lead vast angelic hosts and wield holy weapons capable of laying low the wickedest Fiends. Solars can resurrect the dead and often use that power to enlist mortal aid. They bestow grand, new purposes on those they return to life. Solars don't enforce these destinies, but they trust in the potential of mortals to achieve great things.  > [!embed-monster]- Solar >  ### Spectator **Spectator.** *Magic-Bound Beholder-Kin* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Any Invoking mysterious rites involving four beholder eyestalks, a spellcaster can mold aberrant dreams into a beholder-like guardian. Called a spectator, the being summoned by such a ritual resembles a beholder with five magical eyes—a central eye and four on stalks arrayed around the crown of the creature's spherical body. A spectator serves its conjurer for 101 years by guarding something of the spellcaster's choice—typically a treasure or location. The spectator is a reliable guardian and allows only its summoner access to what it protects. A spectator might converse with other creatures, openly discussing its orders and the magic-user who conjured it, but it has no ambitions of its own and won't abandon its post. Should an intruder ignore its warnings, a spectator attempts to drive away the intruder with its magical eye rays. At the end of its service, a spectator might discorporate back into nothingness or wander away, seeking to learn more of the multiverse.  > [!embed-monster]- Spectator >  ### Specter **Specter.** *Spirit of Wrath and Servant of Death* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** None Specters are bodiless, life-devouring spirits drawn to darkness and negative emotions. Having lost all connection to the beings they once were, these hateful spirits drain mortal essence to steal fleeting tastes of life and warmth. Specters seek creatures and locations that exude evil and feed on the suffering they inspire. Roll on or choose a result from the Specter Haunts table to inspire where a specter lurks. **Specter Haunts** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^specter-haunts)` | dice: 1d8 | The Specter Lurks Near... | |-----------|---------------------------| | 1 | A community afflicted by curses, grudges, plagues, or tragedies. | | 2 | An evil Artifact or a deadly magical device. | | 3 | The lair of a Fiend or an Undead. | | 4 | The place where a villain died or is buried. | | 5 | A portal to the Lower Planes, Negative Plane, or Shadowfell. | | 6 | The sanctuary of a necromancer or death cult. | | 7 | A secluded monument binding wicked souls. | | 8 | The site of a disaster or mass death. | ^specter-haunts  > [!embed-monster]- Specter >  ### Sphinxes **Sphinxes.** *Collectors and Keepers of Secrets* - **Habitat.** Desert, Planar (Upper Planes) - **Treasure.** Arcana Sphinxes protect the secrets of the multiverse. Formed from the spirits of sages and explorers, sphinxes know the power of truth and the importance of preserving it. They share their wisdom only with those who prove themselves wise or overcome tests of worthiness, such as riddles or battles with dangerous beasts. Through their existences, sphinxes might change form as they gain more nuanced understanding of cosmic enigmas. **Sphinx Lairs.** Sphinxes typically dwell in places that hold great knowledge or prophetic magic. > [!quote] > > Round she is, yet flat as a board > > Altar of the Lupine Lords > > Jewel on black velvet, pearl in the sea > > Unchanged but e'erchanging eternally > [!note] > Answer to the riddle of White Plume Mountain: The Moon.  > [!embed-monster]- Sphinx of Wonder >   > [!embed-monster]- Sphinx of Secrets >   > [!embed-monster]- Sphinx of Lore >   > [!embed-monster]- Sphinx of Valor >  ### Spies **Spies.** *Infiltrators and Informants* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Implements, Individual Spies gather information and disseminate lies, manipulating people to gain the results the spies' patrons desire. They're trained to manipulate, infiltrate, and—when necessary—escape in a hurry. Many adopt disguises, aliases, or code names to maintain anonymity. Roll on or choose a result from the Spy Personas table to inspire a spy's disguise. **Spy Personas** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^spy-personas)` | dice: 1d4 | The Spy Disguises Themself As... | |-----------|----------------------------------| | 1 | A bard or traveling performer. | | 2 | A captive or servant of a monster or villain. | | 3 | A dignitary or traveler from a distant land. | | 4 | A visitor from a different time or world. | ^spy-personas  > [!embed-monster]- Spy >  > [!embed-monster]- Spy Master >  ### Spined Devil **Spined Devil.** *Devil of Intrusion and Suspicion* - **Habitat.** Planar (Nine Hells) - **Treasure.** None Spined devils, also known as spinagons, lurk in the shadows of the Lower Planes, seeking secrets for their infernal lords. They prefer to attack from the air, flinging wicked barbs while staying out of reach of foes. Spined devils collect information to gain leverage over mortals or to entice powerful devils. Roll on or choose a result from the Spined Devil Intelligence table to inspire what information a spined devil seeks or already possesses. **Spined Devil Intelligence** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^spined-devil-intelligence)` | dice: 1d6 | The Spined Devil Covets Information About... | |-----------|----------------------------------------------| | 1 | Artifacts, their locations, and their owners. | | 2 | Betrayals by infernal allies or other devils. | | 3 | Crimes or deceptions by influential leaders. | | 4 | The identities of incognito individuals. | | 5 | The movements of extraplanar armies. | | 6 | Prophecies or secrets hidden by gods. | ^spined-devil-intelligence  > [!embed-monster]- Spined Devil >  ### Spirit Naga **Spirit Naga.** *Spiteful Serpentine Grudge Keeper* - **Habitat.** Planar (Lower Planes), Underdark - **Treasure.** Arcana Spirit nagas loathe the world and all creatures. Possessing perfect memories, these venomous, cobra-like creatures recall every slight committed against them during their immortal existences. In their dank, joyless lairs, they create vicious plots to avenge themselves against even petty offenses. Spirit nagas seek to claim what they believe they deserve. Their schemes often involve poisons, vile spells, cursed objects, or magical compulsions, eventually making them wellsprings of diabolical knowledge and evil inspiration. Other villains often seek out spirit nagas as advisers and allies. Roll on or choose a result from the Spirit Naga Grievances table to inspire what motivates a spirit naga's schemes. **Spirit Naga Grievances** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^spirit-naga-grievances)` | dice: 1d6 | The Spirit Naga Believes... | |-----------|-----------------------------| | 1 | A character is to blame for its recent failures. | | 2 | It has been evicted from its rightful home. | | 3 | Locals have reneged on an age-old bargain. | | 4 | Other creatures are mocking it. | | 5 | A rival is spying on it. | | 6 | Someone's treasure rightfully belongs to it. | ^spirit-naga-grievances  > [!embed-monster]- Spirit Naga >  ### Sprite **Sprite.** *Elusive Defender of Fey Realms* - **Habitat.** Forest, Planar (Feywild) - **Treasure.** Armaments Sprites dwell in mystical forests touched by the magic of the Feywild, living peacefully with most other Fey and friends of nature. These foot-tall spirits of nature resemble elves with exaggerated, whimsical features and gossamer wings. Sprites can sense the innate goodness or wickedness of other creatures. Those that enter their realms with good intentions might be treated to tiny feasts and celebrations. The wicked face nasty tricks and bold ambushes at the hands of [invisible](Mechanics/CLI/rules/conditions.md#Invisible) sprite defenders. These woodland guardians enchant the arrows of their tiny bows with charming magic that can pierce the heart of the fiercest foe. Sprites oppose any creatures that seek to harm places of natural magic and beauty. This can put them into conflict with would-be settlers, monsters like ettercaps, and despoilers such as goblinoids and hags. They frequently aid other good creatures of the forest, including treants and unicorns, in defending their homes. > [!quote] > > The tree had a wee village nestled in its boughs, I swear. Next thing I knew, I was lyin' face-down in the dirt. My head was full of stars, an' when I stood up an' looked around, both the tree an' the wee village were gone.  > [!embed-monster]- Sprite >  ### Stirges **Stirges.** *Notorious, Clinging Bloodsuckers* - **Habitat.** Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Mountain, Swamp, Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** None Stirges are bat-size vermin with dagger-length proboscises that attach to other creatures and drain life from them. Stirges are most active at night and hide in shadowy places during the day. If disturbed, they take flight and defend themselves. Roll on or choose a result from the Stirge Roosts table to inspire where stirges might lurk. **Stirge Roosts** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^stirge-roosts)` | dice: 1d4 | Between Hunts, the Stirge Lurks In... | |-----------|---------------------------------------| | 1 | The attic or furniture of a ruined building. | | 2 | A cave or narrow crevice. | | 3 | A hollow tree or thicket. | | 4 | The remains of a gigantic, dead creature. | ^stirge-roosts  > [!embed-monster]- Stirge >  > [!embed-monster]- Swarm of Stirges >  ### Stone Giant **Stone Giant.** *Giant of the Earth* - **Habitat.** Mountain, Underdark - **Treasure.** Armaments In cavernous depths and amid mountain canyons, stone giants contemplate the strength and persistence of the earth. Stone giants have rugged features and skin with patterns and hues similar to the rock common near their homes. This makes them adept at blending in with their stony surroundings despite their size. Stone giants rarely interfere in the affairs of other creatures, whether their smaller neighbors or other Giants. Most are slow to act, preferring to weather hardships or wait out perilous times. When roused to action—particularly when sites of ancient wonder or their homes are threatened—stone giants can unleash the might of mountains and crush foes with the force of an avalanche. Stone giants often ponder the mysteries of natural wonders, such as mountain spires, crystal formations, or mystical petroglyphs. Some know much about the magic and secret messages hidden within the earth. Those who confine themselves to the Underdark often regard the surface world and its inhabitants as dreams imagined into being by slumbering primordials, strange gods, or other entities.  > [!embed-monster]- Stone Giant >  ### Stone Golem **Stone Golem.** *Guardian of the Storied and Sacred* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** None Stone golems take varied forms, such as weathered carvings of ancient deities, lifelike sculptures of heroes, or any other shape their makers imagine. No matter their design or the rock from which they're crafted, these golems are strengthened by the magic that animates them, allowing them to follow their creators' orders for centuries. Stone golems are typically created to protect places of significance to a group, such as a monument to an important event, a leader's tomb, or a faith's sanctuary. Roll on or choose a result from the Stone Golem Orders table to inspire the commands a stone golem follows. **Stone Golem Orders** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^stone-golem-orders)` | dice: 1d6 | The Stone Golem Follows Orders To... | |-----------|--------------------------------------| | 1 | Allow only those wearing ritual garb to pass. | | 2 | Cast [Slow](Mechanics/CLI/spells/slow-xphb.md) on and aid in apprehending anyone who touches a city's prized relic. | | 3 | Destroy a dam or bridge at the command of one bearing a ruler's medallion of office. | | 4 | Obey whoever places a missing crest in its chest, then deactivate for a year. | | 5 | Reveal a hidden passage to those who recite a leader's final words. | | 6 | Watch for and do battle with the type of monster that slew the hero it resembles. | ^stone-golem-orders > [!quote] > > Exercise discernment when deciding the golem's appearance, as your creation is likely to long outlive its model.  > [!embed-monster]- Stone Golem >  ### Storm Giant **Storm Giant.** *Giant of Seas and Skies* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Underwater - **Treasure.** Armaments Among the tallest giants, storm giants live amid extreme forces of nature. In palaces at the bottom of the sea and castles floating amid the clouds, they revel in the power of mighty storms. When angered, they can shape the weather and call down devastating lightning. More often, though, these giants watch the rise and fall of nations and interpret supernatural omens, interfering in the world only when they're needed most.  > [!embed-monster]- Storm Giant >  ### Succubus **Succubus.** *Life-Draining Seducer* - **Habitat.** Planar (Lower Planes), Urban - **Treasure.** Implements Succubi prey on mortals physically and exploit their waking desires. They relish corrupting virtuous souls and the pain an individual's downfall can cause. Once their targets are at their lowest, succubi slay their victims with their essence-draining kiss. Through fiendish rites, succubi can transform into incubi to manipulate their prey in dreams as well as the waking world. They can also change shape to torment their victims. These tempters can dominate Humanoids, but they usually do so to reinforce their manipulations or defend themselves rather than controlling others outright. Roll on or choose a result from the Succubus Temptations table to inspire how a succubus toys with its victims. **Succubus Temptations** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^succubus-temptations)` | dice: 1d6 | The Succubus Manipulates Its Target By... | |-----------|-------------------------------------------| | 1 | Adopting the form of a lost loved one. | | 2 | Charming someone close to its target. | | 3 | Isolating them from their loved ones. | | 4 | Manipulating events to bring surprise fortune. | | 5 | Posing as a flattering underling. | | 6 | Taking the form of one in need of protection. | ^succubus-temptations  > [!embed-monster]- Succubus >  ## Monsters (T) ### Tarrasque **Tarrasque.** *The Shape of Calamity* - **Habitat.** Urban - **Treasure.** None Among the most devastating creatures in existence, the tarrasque is an engine of catastrophe and a ruiner of nations. A terror of massive size and overwhelming might, this primeval destroyer survives from the earliest epochs of the Material Plane, when it served as a weapon of immortal forces. Since then, the tarrasque has slumbered in secret, rising every few ages to usher in eras of destruction. The tarrasque is a bipedal, prehistoric Monstrosity that stands over seventy feet tall. Bristling with horns and spikes, its spiny carapace deflects harm and can reflect magical attacks. The tarrasque is a creature of tireless rage. It lashes out at any creature that catches its attention, thrashing with claws and its mighty tail while swallowing smaller beings whole. It seems to take instinctual offense at the works of lesser beings, venting its rage at buildings, bridges, ships, and monuments. The larger a structure or foe is, the greater the tarrasque's wrath. It is a mystery what—if anything—calms the tarrasque, but eventually it returns to its slumber, leaving the world irrevocably changed. While the tarrasque might be halted by incredible opposition, its threat can never be wiped from the multiverse. Whenever the tarrasque is defeated, another tarrasque awakes somewhere else on the Material Plane. Few things survive the tarrasque's rampages, and reports of the monster's devastation are often contradictory, incomplete, or beyond belief. In cases where it leaves no survivors, its calamities might initially be blamed on evil dragons or magical disasters, but the tarrasque frequently leaves behind some unmistakable indication of its passage. Roll on or choose a result from the Tarrasque Evidence table to inspire what marks the monster's rampages. **Tarrasque Evidence** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^tarrasque-evidence)` | dice: 1d4 | Amid Destruction, the Tarrasque Leaves... | |-----------|-------------------------------------------| | 1 | Evidence of a magic spell reflected back on its caster, like Ice Knife or Melf's Acid Arrow. | | 2 | Massive footprints or claw marks. | | 3 | A russet scale the size of a knight's shield. | | 4 | A shattered mountain or diverted river. | ^tarrasque-evidence  > [!embed-monster]- Tarrasque >  ### Thri-kreen **Thri-kreen.** *Mantid Psychics and Scavengers* - **Habitat.** Desert, Grassland - **Treasure.** Armaments Thri-kreen are mantis-like wanderers who harness their innate camouflage and psychic abilities to survive. Different groups of thri-kreen have distinct carapaces, from the rocky shades of desert dwellers to the vibrant hues of those living in verdant lands. While their language has a distinctly insectile quality, thri-kreen often use telepathy to communicate, and groups can rapidly share a wealth of detailed information without making a sound. > [!quote] A quote from Ka'Cha, Thri-kreen Knowledge Hunter > > I would tell you now the tale of the first Ka'Cha, the first thri-kreen who knew and taught the truth: that the clutch is all.  > [!embed-monster]- Thri-kreen Marauder >  > [!embed-monster]- Thri-kreen Psion >  ### Toughs **Toughs.** *Brawlers and Bullies* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Armaments Bodyguards, belligerents, and laborers, toughs rely on their physical strength to intimidate foes. They might be brawny criminals, rowdy tavern goers, seasoned workers, or anyone who uses their muscle to get what they want. > [!quote] > > There are two answers to every question: ours, and the wrong one. > [!embed-monster]- Tough >   > [!embed-monster]- Tough Boss >  ### Treant **Treant.** *Wise and Mighty Animate Tree* - **Habitat.** Forest - **Treasure.** None Ancient inhabitants of the forest, treants are gigantic, animate trees with wizened faces. Most have lived for centuries and know secrets of the natural world. They avoid becoming embroiled in the conflicts of shorter-lived creatures, but they're protective of their forest homes. If roused to anger, treants can animate trees to aid them. Treants defend and are shaped by secrets of the forest. Roll on or choose a result from the Treant Secrets table to inspire what mysteries a treant protects. **Treant Secrets** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^treant-secrets)` | dice: 1d6 | The Treant Is... | |-----------|------------------| | 1 | Blessed by a god and grows magic fruit. | | 2 | Growing atop the entrance to a dungeon or portal to the Feywild. | | 3 | Home to a community of pixies or sprites. | | 4 | The last lore keeper of lost druidic knowledge. | | 5 | Rooted on a hero's burial mound and animates trees that look like questing knights. | | 6 | Scarred by a fire and holds the bones of the arsonist who started it in a hollow. | ^treant-secrets  > [!embed-monster]- Treant >  ### Troglodyte **Troglodyte.** *Reeking Subterranean Hunter* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** Armaments With features similar to those of pale cave lizards, troglodytes stalk the Underdark in an endless hunt for food. Troglodytes consume almost anything, including bones, giant insects, and other subterranean dwellers. They prey on subterranean communities and those near entrances to the Underdark, stealing livestock and kidnapping residents. Troglodytes prefer to ambush prey and can change their scale color to blend in with their surroundings. They often climb along cavern walls or emerge from deep fissures to take their prey by surprise. Despite their stealthiness, these stalkers exude a distinctly repulsive stench. Descriptions of what troglodytes smell like span a spectrum as complex as it is vile. This reek nauseates many who smell it, but it can also warn of the presence of troglodytes before they strike. > [!quote] A quote from Caarey Gelthik, Ghast > > Smells fine to me.  > [!embed-monster]- Troglodyte >  ### Troll **Troll.** *Loathsome, Regenerating Lurker* - **Habitat.** Arctic, Forest, Hill, Mountain, Swamp, Underdark - **Treasure.** None Trolls creep forth to prey on smaller creatures and drag captives back to festering lairs. These misshapen brutes can regenerate from wounds and regrow severed body parts—including their heads. A troll's severed limbs continue to move and attack. Unless they're burned by flames or acid, trolls can recover from egregious wounds and seek revenge on those who felled them. Trolls typically hunt alone, but small groups occasionally cooperate to ambush prey or raid villages. Creatures such as hags and hill giants might convince trolls to work for them in exchange for disgusting meals.  > [!embed-monster]- Troll >  > [!embed-monster]- Troll Limb >  ## Monsters (U) ### Ultroloth **Ultroloth.** *Yugoloth of Conspiracy and Control* - **Habitat.** Planar (Lower Planes) - **Treasure.** Armaments With uncanny patience and fiendish cunning, ultroloths manipulate mortals and their fellow yugoloths alike, seeking to hoard power and spread suffering. These sinister masterminds often work with other yugoloths, but they might compel nearly any creature into their service. If coercion doesn't work, ultroloths use their eerie eyes and innate magic to hypnotize or charm targets. Ultroloths strive to achieve planes-spanning plots. Roll on or choose a result from the Ultroloth Conspiracies table to inspire such villainy. **Ultroloth Conspiracies** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^ultroloth-conspiracies)` | dice: 1d6 | The Ultroloth Schemes To... | |-----------|-----------------------------| | 1 | Convince cultists their god has forsaken them. | | 2 | Destabilize a nation and rule the chaos. | | 3 | Incite a calamity and hold a world hostage. | | 4 | Provoke hostilities between immortal armies and sell magic weapons to both sides. | | 5 | Steal an invention and slay all who know of it. | | 6 | Unleash fiendish hordes on a foe's homeland. | ^ultroloth-conspiracies  > [!embed-monster]- Ultroloth >  ### Umber Hulk **Umber Hulk.** *Burrowing Brute from Below* - **Habitat.** Underdark - **Treasure.** None Lumbering, carapace-armored bipeds, umber hulks burrow through the Underdark, feeding on anything they can crush in their mighty mandibles. These tenacious hunters sense movement through the surrounding earth, then burst through cavern walls to surprise their prey. Those ambushed by umber hulks risk meeting the gaze of the monsters' eerie, multifaceted eyes, which can cause others to act irrationally and even lash out at their allies. Umber hulks typically lurk in tunnels they've burrowed alongside other passages. When they detect creatures moving, they burst through the rock walls between the passages to attack. While these monsters can communicate with one other, they usually hunt alone and avoid each other's territories. Umber hulks focus on finding food and crushing intruders. They have little interest in allying with other creatures, but manipulative inhabitants of the Underdark, such as beholders and mind flayers, sometimes compel umber hulks to serve them.  > [!embed-monster]- Umber Hulk >  ### Unicorn **Unicorn.** *Majestic and Magical Forest Master* - **Habitat.** Forest, Planar (Feywild) - **Treasure.** Any Unicorns are majestic defenders of forests. They are revered by many Fey and other forest dwellers, and they do whatever they can to ensure the peace and health of those who shelter in their wooded realms. **Unicorn Lairs.** Unicorns dwell in unspoiled forests, particularly where benevolent Fey creatures live.  > [!embed-monster]- Unicorn >  ## Monsters (V) ### Vampires **Vampires.** *Blood-Sucking Lords of the Night* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Any Vampires disguise their accursed, immortal natures, passing as mortals to feed on the blood of the living. While the youngest vampires might be little more than bloodthirsty servants of their creators, the eldest possess incredible cunning and control over supernatural forces of the night. Undead vampires lie dormant during the day, retreating to resting places hidden from foes and the sun's searing rays. Roll on or choose a result from the Vampire Resting Places table to inspire a vampire's grim sanctuary. **Vampire Resting Places** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^vampire-resting-places)` | dice: 1d6 | The Vampire's Resting Place Is... | |-----------|-----------------------------------| | 1 | Among the roots of a dead tree. | | 2 | At the bottom of a stagnant pool. | | 3 | A coffin filled with grave dirt. | | 4 | A large pot full of blood or vinegar. | | 5 | A space accessible only by shape-shifting. | | 6 | Within a statue or suit of armor. | ^vampire-resting-places **Vampire Lairs.** Vampires and vampire umbral lords create sanctuaries apart from the living, whether hidden in cosmopolitan cities or sequestered in ruins where they dwelled in life. > [!quote] A quote from Astarion, Vampire Spawn > > Darling, you are simply delicious...  > [!embed-monster]- Vampire Familiar >  > [!embed-monster]- Vampire Spawn >   > [!embed-monster]- Vampire Nightbringer >   > [!embed-monster]- Vampire >   > [!embed-monster]- Vampire Umbral Lord >  ### Vrock **Vrock.** *Demon of Carnage and Ruin* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** Armaments Screeching, vulturelike demons, vrocks soar from the Abyss to spread ruin and slaughter. Their filthy feathers carry magical toxins from the Lower Planes, creating a noxious cloud capable of killing those who escape the vrocks' vicious beaks and claws. To further terrorize their foes, vrocks unleash an otherworldly screech so terrible it can halt creatures in their tracks.  > [!embed-monster]- Vrock >  ## Monsters (W) ### Warriors **Warriors.** *Soldiers and Scrappers* - **Habitat.** Any - **Treasure.** Armaments Warriors are professionals who make a living through their prowess in battle. They might be skilled in using a variety of tactics or trained to take advantage of unusual battlefields. Warriors often work together, whether in armies or in teams with deliberate goals. Roll on or choose a result from the Warrior Roles table to inspire the creation of different sorts of warriors. **Warrior Roles** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^warrior-roles)` | dice: 1d10 | The Warrior Is... | |------------|-------------------| | 1 | A bodyguard who protects a noble. | | 2 | A cavalry officer with an unusual steed. | | 3 | A crusader who fights for a divine cause. | | 4 | A duelist who claims to be unbeatable. | | 5 | A gate guard who asks nonsensical questions. | | 6 | A grizzled veteran who trains new recruits. | | 7 | A hunter skilled at slaying specific monsters. | | 8 | A retired general who is weary of battle. | | 9 | A volunteer with a homemade weapon. | | 10 | A young mercenary trying to prove their skill. | ^warrior-roles > [!quote] A quote from Minsc, Hero of Baldur's Gate > > Make way, evil! I'm armed to the teeth and packing a hamster!  > [!embed-monster]- Warrior Infantry >  > [!embed-monster]- Warrior Veteran >  > [!embed-monster]- Warrior Commander >  ### Water Elemental **Water Elemental.** *Primal Spirit of Waves and Tides* - **Habitat.** Coastal, Planar (Elemental Plane of Water), Swamp, Underwater - **Treasure.** None Spirits of the Elemental Plane of Water form shapeless liquids into water elementals, aqueous beings with the might of surging waves. Water elementals are as mutable as liquid, allowing them to crash into foes and seep through narrow cracks. They can crush foes with limb-like geysers, or they might flood over creatures, submerging and drowning foes within their whirling forms. Water elementals often appear near nexuses of elemental power, such as aquatic abysses, magical springs, and whirlpools. Water elementals' shapes are influenced by the liquid bodies in which they form. Roll on or choose a result from the Water Elemental Compositions table to inspire a water elemental's features. **Water Elemental Compositions** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^water-elemental-compositions)` | dice: 1d4 | The Water Elemental's Body Features... | |-----------|----------------------------------------| | 1 | Chilling or near-boiling temperatures. | | 2 | Energetic effervescence. | | 3 | Muddy, polluted, or crystal-clear water. | | 4 | Seaweed, tiny fish, or other sea life. | ^water-elemental-compositions > [!quote] A quote from Kalbari, Mother of Foam, Ruler of Marids > > Water: greatest of the elements in might and form. A tsunami's torrent. A blizzard's claws. A parent's tears. What is not moved by water?  > [!embed-monster]- Water Elemental >  ### Water Weird **Water Weird.** *Servant of Primeval Magic* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Any Serpentine nature spirits, water weirds protect pools, fountains, and magical bodies of water. In the water, these creatures are indistinguishable from the liquid surrounding them. Should their aquatic territory be disturbed, they rise as animate water spouts with vague snake- or dragon-like features. Often their appearance is enough to drive off foes, but if forced to fight, water weirds crush enemies within their fluid coils. Water weirds might protect a site for generations and learn much about their surroundings. Some gain reputations as oracles and might respond to questions posed to them in Primordial. Since water weirds don't speak, they often communicate using spouts of water or objects submerged in their pools. > [!quote] > > Rule 2: Before you drink from a fountain or pool, toss a copper coin into it. It's a small price to pay for your life! > [!embed-monster]- Water Weird >   ### Werebear **Werebear.** *Changed by the Might of the Bear* - **Habitat.** Arctic, Forest, Hill - **Treasure.** Relics When threatened or compelled by magic, werebears shape-shift from their humanoid forms into mighty bears or hybrids of those two forms. They scare off or sabotage those who threaten the wilds, and they frequently aid Fey, druids, or spirits of the wilderness, as many owe their magical nature to such forces. Werebears take the shape of bears common to the regions in which they dwell, with brown and polar bear forms being common. > [!embed-monster]- Werebear >  ### Wereboar **Wereboar.** *Changed by the Hunger of the Boar* - **Habitat.** Forest, Grassland, Hill - **Treasure.** Individual Wereboars shape-shift from their humanoid forms into powerful boars or humanoid-boar hybrids. Many wereboars suffer their shape-shifting nature as a curse, with some involuntarily transforming any time they perform a greedy act or indulge their selfish nature. > [!embed-monster]- Wereboar >   ### Wererat **Wererat.** *Changed by the Deviousness of the Rat* - **Habitat.** Forest, Urban - **Treasure.** Individual Wererats can shape-shift from their humanoid forms into giant rats or humanoid-rat hybrids. These creatures can transform voluntarily, but some are magically compelled to shape-shift when exposed to complete darkness or during nights of a new moon. Often, wererats' nature results from a divine curse—punishment for their deceitful natures or the crimes of their treacherous families. Wererats frequently work in groups, forming bandit gangs or thieves' guilds. > [!embed-monster]- Wererat >  ### Weretiger **Weretiger.** *Changed by the Power of the Tiger* - **Habitat.** Desert, Forest, Grassland - **Treasure.** Armaments Weretigers shape-shift from humanoid forms into tigers or tiger-humanoid hybrids. Although they can transform at will or when their magical nature demands, many weretigers are nocturnal and transform into their bestial shapes at night. Some weretigers' transformations might also be tied to the crescent moon, seasons, or momentous events. Weretigers often view their abilities as a blessing or a family honor, and they use their shape-shifting abilities to defend something with historic importance. Roll on or choose a result from the Weretiger Wards table to inspire what a weretiger defends. **Weretiger Wards** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^weretiger-wards)` | dice: 1d4 | The Weretiger Protects A... | |-----------|-----------------------------| | 1 | Legendary weapon or symbol of rulership. | | 2 | Proving ground for prophesied heroes. | | 3 | Rare species of magical plant or animal. | | 4 | Sacred fountain with magical waters. | ^weretiger-wards > [!quote] A quote from Delmair Rallyhorn, Weretiger > > I hunt evil like the great cat hunts its prey, but evil will not long yield to blade alone. It takes strength, honor, and sometimes a little more.  > [!embed-monster]- Weretiger >  ### Werewolf **Werewolf.** *Changed by the Ferocity of the Wolf* - **Habitat.** Forest, Hill - **Treasure.** Any Werewolves change from their humanoid forms into fierce wolves or wolf-humanoid hybrids. Werewolves can shape-shift voluntarily, but many can't resist transforming during the nights of a full moon.  > [!embed-monster]- Werewolf >  ### White Dragons **White Dragons.** *Dragons of Cold and Cruelty* - **Habitat.** Arctic - **Treasure.** Arcana Among the most primal chromatic dragons, white dragons prioritize survival over all. Life is harsh and uncertain in the arctic expanses, glacial heights, and frozen seas where these dragons dwell. White dragons fiercely protect their territories, scouring the frigid regions for food and evidence of trespassers. Most white dragons ignore the plots of smaller creatures and other dragons, concerning themselves only with their own survival. White dragons create lairs to defend themselves from other deadly arctic creatures and from dangerous natural conditions. Within these shelters, white dragons hoard testaments to their superiority, such as monstrous skulls, the gear of defeated rivals, and curiosities that capture their interest. To protect such treasure, white dragons coax ice to form over their hoards or sink their wealth in frigid pools. For white dragons, each piece of treasure embodies a victory—the details of which inflate as these dragons age. **White Dragon Lairs.** White dragons brood in bitterly cold lairs clawed from stone and ice.  > [!embed-monster]- White Dragon Wyrmling >  > [!embed-monster]- Young White Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Adult White Dragon >   > [!embed-monster]- Ancient White Dragon >  ### Wight **Wight.** *Life-Leeching Corpse Warrior* - **Habitat.** Desert, Planar (Shadowfell), Swamp, Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** Armaments Wights are the withered corpses of relentless warriors whose wickedness sustains them beyond death. Unlike mere zombies, they retain the memories and evil agendas they harbored in life. After dying and returning from the grave, a wight continues its villainous ways, but it is now driven by a hunger for life. A wight drains living essence through its attacks. Humanoids slain by a wight's life-sapping grip reanimate a day later and serve the wight as obedient zombies. Wights might return from the dead for a multitude of sinister reasons. Roll on or choose a result from the Wight Motives table to inspire why a wight plagues the living. **Wight Motives** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^wight-motives)` | dice: 1d8 | The Wight Returned from the Dead To... | |-----------|----------------------------------------| | 1 | Challenge anyone who passes near its grave on a certain cursed night. | | 2 | Conquer the land it believes it should rule. | | 3 | Continue the crimes it was executed for. | | 4 | Follow the foul master it served in life. | | 5 | Honor an oath it left unfulfilled in life. | | 6 | Obey the cult or deity that gave it unlife. | | 7 | Prove it was the greatest warrior to ever live. | | 8 | Seek its stolen heart or other treasure. | ^wight-motives  > [!embed-monster]- Wight >  ### Will-o'-Wisp **Will-o'-Wisp.** *Guide on the Path to Doom* - **Habitat.** Forest, Swamp, Urban - **Treasure.** None From a distance, will-o'-wisps look like lanterns bobbing in the dark. Through the windows of abandoned structures or around the bends of treacherous paths, these spirits tempt the curious into peril. Once their prey is vulnerable, will-o'-wisps feed on the life force of those they lay low. Roll on or choose a result from the Will-o'-Wisp Ambushes table to inspire how a will-o'-wisp imperils its victims. **Will-o'-Wisp Ambushes** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^will-o-wisp-ambushes)` | dice: 1d6 | The Will-o'-Wisp Tempts Victims Into... | |-----------|-----------------------------------------| | 1 | An abandoned structure ready to collapse. | | 2 | An ambush by hungry ghouls or vampires. | | 3 | A dreaded ruin that curses those who enter. | | 4 | The lair of a predator, like a bear or wyvern. | | 5 | Patches of brown mold or green slime. | | 6 | Quicksand or pools covered in thin ice. | ^will-o-wisp-ambushes  > [!embed-monster]- Will-o'-Wisp >  ### Winter Wolf **Winter Wolf.** *Cold-hearted Pack Hunter* - **Habitat.** Arctic - **Treasure.** None Winter wolves are horse-size, supernatural predators that prowl frigid wildernesses in deadly packs. With their great size and chilling breath, winter wolves pursue megafauna, arctic travelers, and any other creatures they catch on the tundra. Winter wolves are more intelligent than natural wolves and can speak. Most are predominantly concerned with their next meal, and while they might converse with other creatures in exchange for food, few concern themselves with long-term bargains or keeping their word unless they have something to gain. Winter wolves often hunt alongside frost giants that indulge them with frequent hunts and reliable meals. > [!quote] A quote from Koran, Winter Wolf > > Snowdrifts, driving hail, and wind fierce enough to strip the hairless skin off your bones—you lot have been through it all. But good news, there's a town full of warm hearths right over this rise. > > You'll never reach it, but at least your last thoughts will be warm.  > [!embed-monster]- Winter Wolf >  ### Worgs **Worgs.** *Malicious Lupine Ravagers* - **Habitat.** Forest, Grassland, Hill, Planar (Feywild) - **Treasure.** None Sometimes mistaken at first for giant wolves, worgs are vicious hunters. These sapient predators can speak and often taunt their prey, enjoying the taste of fear in their meals.  > [!embed-monster]- Worg >  > [!embed-monster]- Dire Worg >  ### Wraith **Wraith.** *Essence of Evil* - **Habitat.** Planar (Shadowfell), Underdark - **Treasure.** None Wraiths are spectral evils, life-hungry embodiments of malice and terror. Arising from the souls of tyrants, moments of catastrophic pain, or magical blasphemies, wraiths spread suffering and the torment of undeath. Humanoids that die near a wraith might be entrapped by the foul spirit and rise as specters bound to the wraith's sinister will. Wraiths lurk in forgotten dungeons, accursed ruins, or lands influenced by sinister planes of existence. Such haunted domains might bear hints of the tragedies or foul magic that brought the wraiths into being. Wraiths might arise from a single powerfully evil soul or other baleful forces. Roll on or choose a result from the Wraith Manifestations table to inspire the wickedness a wraith embodies. **Wraith Manifestations** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^wraith-manifestations)` | dice: 1d10 | The Wraith Embodies... | |------------|------------------------| | 1 | The blasphemous magic of a cursed location. | | 2 | The exorcised evil of a redeemed villain. | | 3 | A legendary villain who returns once a century. | | 4 | Locals' fear of a superstition or legend. | | 5 | The memory of a tragedy. | | 6 | A profane idea or foul piece of lore. | | 7 | The torment of one or more suffering souls. | | 8 | The viciousness of a profane Artifact. | | 9 | The vile dreams of a slumbering god. | | 10 | The voracity of a life-hungry realm, such as the Shadowfell or Negative Plane. | ^wraith-manifestations  > [!embed-monster]- Wraith >  ### Wyvern **Wyvern.** *Draconic Hunter with a Venomous Sting* - **Habitat.** Hill, Mountain - **Treasure.** Any Opportunistic predators, wyverns are draconic ambushers that strike from above. These territorial hunters attack with their fangs and stinger-tipped tails. Wyvern stingers drip with deadly venom, a painful toxin feared by monster hunters and coveted by alchemists. Wyverns are aggressive and claim sizable territories around the mountains, crags, and ruins where they dwell. Despite their considerable strength, they're opportunistic hunters that target unwitting livestock and groups of encamped travelers. Wyverns usually land only to finish off creatures they've weakened with their poison and strafing attacks. Creatures that fight back or take flight might deter wyverns, convincing them to search for easier prey. Once wyverns overpower a quarry, they carry it to their cavernous lairs to either consume it in safety or trap it to eat later. Most wyverns don't hoard treasure, but their lairs are littered with the possessions of past victims. It isn't uncommon for wyverns to carry off chests, carts, or small boats along with their prey.  > [!embed-monster]- Wyvern >  ## Monsters (X) ### Xorn **Xorn.** *Treasure-Devouring Glutton* - **Habitat.** Underdark, Planar (Elemental Plane of Earth) - **Treasure.** Any On the Elemental Plane of Earth, xorn roam in search of meals they consider delicacies: gems, crystals, and veins of precious metals. For xorn, the Elemental Plane of Earth presents an endless buffet. Those that find their way to the Material Plane discover that most worlds are culinary wastelands. These xorn scour subterranean depths, consuming whatever sparse gems and ores they find. This might bring them into conflict with miners or others who hide their treasures underground. Xorn have three eyes, three arms, and three legs arranged around their trilaterally symmetrical frames. At the top of their bodies is a toothy maw that's equally capable of crushing minerals and dangerous creatures. Xorn move through the earth magically, leaving no tunnel or sign of their passage. Rapt gourmands, xorn focus on their next meals. They care little for living creatures and avoid harming them when possible. They know others also covet the earth's treasures, and they're not above bargaining for their meals. Xorn might share their knowledge of the Underdark in exchange for snacks of gems, coins, or magical metals. If starving or angered, xorn might try to forcibly take their meals. Roll on or choose a result from the Xorn Delicacies table to inspire a xorn's favorite fare. **Xorn Delicacies** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^xorn-delicacies)` | dice: 1d8 | The Xorn Craves... | |-----------|--------------------| | 1 | Adamantine or mithral. | | 2 | Coins minted by a long-dead empire. | | 3 | Fossils or petrified wood. | | 4 | A gem that's part of a magic item. | | 5 | The keystone of a great arch or bridge. | | 6 | Parts of a galeb duhr or stone golem. | | 7 | A piece of a meteor or moon. | | 8 | The stone crowning a mountain peak. | ^xorn-delicacies  > [!embed-monster]- Xorn >  ## Monsters (Y) ### Yetis **Yetis.** *Chilling Stalkers of the Frozen Wilds* - **Habitat.** Arctic - **Treasure.** Any Across alpine extremes and frozen frontiers, yetis hunt those that trespass in their territories. Reclusive and merciless, they resemble giant apes with pale fur and ram-like horns. Yetis easily blend in with snow and icy cliffs, revealing themselves with blood-chilling howls just before striking with their icy claws. In addition to their physical might, yetis can chill creatures with a look, freezing their foes in place, and they can conjure ice and hurl it at foes. Due to yetis' elusiveness, folktales about yetis are more common than sightings. Whether a distant scream is the howl of an enraged yeti or just the wind, few can be certain. Nevertheless, many mountainous settlements burn bonfires to ward off yetis, taking advantage of these brutes' aversion to fire. > [!quote] A quote from Kelesta Hawke of the Emerald Enclave > > In the yeti, I find no kinship, no understanding, no mercy. Theirs is not the might of the mountain or the magic of glacial wonders. Theirs is a world where harmony lies murdered and frozen.  > [!embed-monster]- Yeti >   > [!embed-monster]- Abominable Yeti >  ### Yochlol **Yochlol.** *Demon of Depraved Will* - **Habitat.** Planar (Abyss) - **Treasure.** None Yochlols embody the pernicious will and infectious philosophies of the Abyss. In their rarely seen true forms, these noxious manipulators appear as ever-shifting masses of dripping tentacles and toxic flesh crowned by a single baleful eye. More often, though, yochlols take the form of spiders or zealous cultists. They use manipulative magic and dangerous rhetoric to spread demonic cults, corrupt the righteous, and further the plots of their fiendish overlords. They relish coercing the unwitting into furthering demonic plots and turning mortals against one another. Most yochlols serve Lolth. The Demon Queen of Spiders claims all yochlols as minions and orders any yochlols that disagree destroyed. In rare cases, yochlols might serve other demon lords, particularly manipulative or changeable ones like Graz'zt, Juiblex, and Zuggtmoy. Despite their service to demon lords, yochlols harbor their own vicious whims and ambitions. They might claim to speak for their overlords to further their own ambitions or seek to reveal rivals' selfish goals to gain standing with their demonic masters.  > [!embed-monster]- Yochlol >  ### Yuan-ti **Yuan-ti.** *Power-Hungry Serpentine Conspirators* - **Habitat.** Desert, Forest, Swamp, Urban - **Treasure.** Relics Exploiting pacts with sinister supernatural forces, yuan-ti bargain away their humanity for the lethality and predatory deviousness of serpents. From hidden bastions, they manipulate rulers and the wealthy, seeking to control the world. Many yuan-ti possess venomous magic, which often manifests as fangs or striking serpents. Yuan-ti have humanlike forms with a variety of horrifying serpentine transformations. Some have a scattering of reptilian scales, while others are giants that are more snake than human. Typically, the more snakelike yuan-ti are, the greater esteem they hold among their kind. Yuan-ti might gain their reptilian features through dangerous supernatural rites. Roll on or choose a result from the Yuan-ti Transformations table to inspire how yuan-ti obtain their serpentine aspects. **Yuan-ti Transformations** `dice: [](2-monsters-a-to-z.md#^yuan-ti-transformations)` | dice: 1d6 | A Yuan-ti Gained Its Snake Features From... | |-----------|---------------------------------------------| | 1 | Bargaining parts of its soul to a pantheon of serpentine demigods. | | 2 | A curse laid on its people in the distant past. | | 3 | The dream-venom of Merrshaulk, a slumbering snake god. | | 4 | Experiments by spirit nagas or other yuan-ti. | | 5 | A ritual involving the skin of a fiendish snake. | | 6 | Trials to excise its "weak" human parts. | ^yuan-ti-transformations > [!quote] A quote from Last Message of Sorril Venil, Explorer of the Labyrinth of Madness > > Great magic, twisted and corrupted... Malice beyond reckoning... Flesh reshaped, becoming serpentine horrors...  > [!embed-monster]- Yuan-ti Infiltrator >   > [!embed-monster]- Yuan-ti Malison (Type 1) >  > [!embed-monster]- Yuan-ti Malison (Type 2) >   > [!embed-monster]- Yuan-ti Malison (Type 3) >   > [!embed-monster]- Yuan-ti Abomination >  ### Zombies **Zombies.** *Relentless Reanimated Corpses* - **Habitat.** Planar (Shadowfell), Underdark, Urban - **Treasure.** None Zombies are unthinking, reanimated corpses, often gruesomely marred by decay and lethal traumas. They serve whatever supernatural force animates them—typically evil necromancers or fiendish spirits. Zombies are relentless, merciless, and resilient, and their dead flesh can carry on even after suffering grievous wounds. While they can follow simple orders, they rely on primal drives rather than thought. They fulfill commands by working tirelessly or battering through foes, but they are easily stymied by barriers or unexpected circumstances. Zombies are usually created from Humanoid corpses, but the remains of other creatures can also become zombies. Such monstrous zombies might possess the strength they had in life or a measure of their supernatural abilities, but they employ such abilities haphazardly at best. > [!quote] A quote from Account of the Night of the Walking Dead > > Then, by a spectacular crack of lightning, the figures came into view, moving slowly toward the village. Over driving winds a voice cried out, "The dead come for Marais d'Tarascon! An army of the walking dead!"  > [!embed-monster]- Zombie >  > [!embed-monster]- Ogre Zombie >  > [!embed-monster]- Beholder Zombie >