Monstery Monday Week 49 - Folk Horror
Monstery Monday is a nimble design challenge with shifting themes. Check out the nimble discord to participate!
If a hero looks at you for too long (performs 2 actions against you that require sight in the same turn) they become Enraptured (They cannot attack another creature, have a speed of 0, and take 1d6 radiant damage after each action) by you until they are magically healed or reduced to 0 HP.
Whenever a creature performs an action that requires seeing you, they make a DC 11 WIL save or are Dazed for one turn.
- •Judgement.12d4
- •Loss of Will.
Range: 12. A Hampered creature in range falls prone.
These angels are sent to punish man for disobeying the Gods - either for venturing into places they do not belong or for conquering nature with agriculture. They inhabit rice fields or swamps, where they can drown someone by enrapturing them and forcing them to fall prone. Do not let them catch you.
Inspired by the Light Novel: Otherside Picnic
If a hero looks at you for too long (performs 2 actions against you that require sight in the same turn) they become Enraptured (They cannot attack another creature, have a speed of 0, and take 1d6 radiant damage after each action) by you until they are magically healed or reduced to 0 HP.
When you are Consuming the Sun, you can see in the dark, your attacks have range: ∞ and ranged attacks against you have range: ∞.
- •Blot Out The Sun.
Fly into the sky and grow to an incomprehensible size, completely covering the sun.
- •Scorching Darkness.3d8+6.
Range: 4.
This angel is sent to punish humanity for expanding their domain into the night and refusing to rest when the Gods intended.
It's sun blotting effect is local - it doesn't literally cover the sun for the entire world. But don't tell your players that!
Don't forget that fighting in the dark lightly causes the Blinded condition. Pair this angel with monsters that can see in the dark!
Inspired by the light novel: Otherside Picnic.
Any creature that starts its turn in water takes 2d6 acid damage.
- Catch a Big One.
Summon 3d4 Zombie Minions (1d4 on hit: grappled (escape DC 10), immune to acid) within Reach: 2.
The fishing man is a spectre that occupies ponds, lakes, or other bodies of water. Whenever something stays near the water too long - perhaps by fishing, enjoying a nice day at the lake, or exploring an underwater dungeon - he may appear.
His victim will eventually find that it has gotten very foggy while they weren't paying attention. Then, when they attempt to leave, they will find themselves unable (even via magic and teleportation). When they return to the water, it will have gone foul and they'll find a man fishing in a small boat near a dock (that may not have been there previously).
The man will not attack them first, but he is why his victims are stuck there. He will not respond to anything his victims say or acknowledge their existence, only responding if they try to touch or attack him. And his only response is to reel in his neverending army of zombies and run away. His digestive water trait only deals damage if the party is fighting him. Otherwise, they can explore the (very gross) water without harm (the zombies underwater may attack, of course).
Each fishing man has a reason he is stuck haunting his waters. Perhaps he was murdered and his body is left unburied at the bottom of the water, or evidence of some great crime can be found buried below. No matter the cause, players should have to dive into the foul water to discover it, and if they right the wrong that forced the fishing man into this position, he will free them.
They may also free themselves by killing him.
Double your speed moving towards enemies, but whenever you are crit, fall Prone.
- Shears.2d6 + 12.
On Hit: if the target is Stringbound, automatic crit instead.
Remember, other puppets can inflict Stringbound, and when you crit Stringbound creatures, they fall Prone.
Double your speed moving towards enemies, but whenever you are crit, fall Prone.
- Ventriloquism.
1d6 psychic damage to all enemies who can hear you, then swap your position with ANY Stringbound creature.
Other Puppets can give Heroes stringbound.
Double your speed moving towards enemies, but whenever you are crit, fall Prone.
- Stab.1d6 + 2
Double your speed moving towards enemies, but whenever you are crit, fall Prone.
- •Entwine.
(Reach 8) 1d6 + 6 psychic damage. On hit: Slowed and Stringbound until the start of your next turn.
- •Manipulate.
(Reach 2) Force a Stringbound enemy to attack for free using a weapon or cantrip.
Entwine treats Stringbound as a condition with all the effects of the family ability.
Double your speed moving towards enemies, but whenever you are crit, fall Prone.
- Stab.
1d6 (follows minion rules).
Double your speed moving towards enemies, but whenever you are crit, fall Prone.
(1/turn) Can force Stringbound creatures to interpose for you for free.
- •Conscription.
(Reach 2) Summon 2 Puppet Minions, they act immediately.
- •Compulsion.
(Reach 4) An enemy becomes Stringbound until healed. DC 12 WIL save, you spend their action to attack with a weapon or cantrip. On save, they are knocked Prone.
Conscription for reliable damage, Compulsion for action drain and potential damage. Remember, Heroes might be able to interpose for you too.
Double your speed moving towards enemies, but whenever you are crit, fall Prone.
When knocked Prone, ALL adjacent creatures smaller than you take 12 Damage and are knocked Prone.
On death: Summon 4 Puppet Minions in Reach 2.
- Thrash (2x).2d6 + 6
You may only have 3 speed, but one Thrash can substitute for another move if needed.
Double your speed moving towards enemies, but whenever you are crit, fall Prone.
- •Bash.2d6 + 6
- •Flail.
If prone, 1d6 + 6 damage to ALL adjacent creatures, then stand up.
Step 1, move into melee. Step 2, take a crit. Step 3, Flail when the Heroes surround you for curb stomping.
Indistinguishable from a normal object until it moves.
Creatures you frighten are additionally restrained.
Fire (V).
- Raking Claw (2x).1d4+5.
On Crit: Frightened (escape DC WIL 11).
Made by SanityWithIn for Monstery Monday Week 49: Folk Horror.
- •Entropic field.
(Range 8) 1 damage to all non-Gremlins.
- •Mischief?
Make a mess, knock things over, steal tools, or break an Invention (until the end of combat).
- •More!
(Range 8) Summon a gremlin. They do not act this turn.
When within Range 12 of a totem, gain Stacking Advantage 1 of all rolls.
- •Rend (2x).2d10+3.
(or Range 8)
- •Summon Totem.
Summon a Totem within Range 8. (Heavy Armored Object: 30 HP)
- •Command Totem.1d10.
Command All Summoned Totems to cause a AoE shock wave within Range 2 of each Totem.
- •Totem Stride.4d10+3.
Staghead teleports to Range 8 totem and strikes to a target within Range 2 of a Totem
At 67 HP, Staghead calls forth 1 Totem/hero.
Staghead is dying! 60 More damage and they die! Every Totem now grants Staghead +2 Stacking Advantage.
If encountered in the dark, you always go first and you start the encounter with 2 × LVL temporary hit points.
When a hero harms you, at the end of their turn all heroes make a DC 12 WIL save. On a fail, they are Buried Alive in one of your graves. You can only bury half of the heroes with this ability.
- •Shovel (once).1d8+2.
On crit: Buried Alive
- •Your friends are gone... (once).
From each grave someone is buried alive in, summon 2 skeleton minions (1d6, immune to piercing)
- •Mourn .1d4.
Attack all creatures in Reach: 3. Regain all uses of (once) abilities.
Buried Alive: Someone who is buried alive is magically teleported into a shallow grave. They have disadvantage on all rolls, will gain 1 would ever STR rounds they remain buried, and in order to escape 4 actions must be spent digging them out. An action can be spent to dig them out, and as part of that action if a DC 15 skill check is made, it counts as two actions.
The Gravekeeper is the soul of someone buried alive, animated to protect the dead and add to their ranks. They appear on clear nights as someone visiting a distant grave in a cemetery. If the heroes approach this person, the Gravekeeper will suddenly vanish and the heroes will notice they are in a completely different and foreign cemetery - they have entered the Gravekeeper's domain.
The Gravekeeper is now waiting at the gate to this haunted place, and will attack if the party attempts to leave. Once defeated, they will return to the real world, and the body of the person who turned into the Gravekeeper will be at the grave the spirit was visiting. If it is not properly dealt with, the Gravekeeper will rise again the next night.
Your attacks deal half damage to prone targets, and you have disadvantage to attack them.
Whenever a hero or their player says your name (in OR out of character), you learn their location and your next attack's primary die increases by 1.
- •Claws.
Move 6, then attack for 1d12+12 (Reach: 2).
- •Horns.
Attack for 2d12+24 (Reach: 2).
- •Call Tree Spirits (once).
Summon 5 Tanglers within Reach: 3. You cannot act until the hero you just acted after acts again.
- •Animate Tree (once).
Summon 1 Treant within Reach 2. You cannot act until the hero you just acted after acts again.
When bloodied, The Thing in the Maples regains it's used of (once) abilities and uses Call Tree Spirits and Animate Tree on its next turn.
The Thing in the Maples is dying! 100 more damage and it's dead! It can now reuse Animate Tree after it's last summoned Treant dies.
The Thing in the Maple's name is whatever the story or players decide. My players defaulted to calling it a Wendigo, so it got stronger whenever they said Wendigo.
If encountered in the dark, you always go first and you start the encounter with 2 × LVL temporary hit points.
By default, you have 5 corpses hanging from you. For each extra corpse you acquire, you gain 10 HP and make an additional Floating Head attack.
- •Harvest.
Add a humanoid corpse to your collection.
- •Floating Head (×5).1d4.
Range: 6. On miss: Target is Frightened.
The Walking Gallows is a large beast that resembles a Giraffe without a head. In addition to being headless, it has many rope-like tentacles on its long neck that display the hanging corpses of its victims. It is able to send the heads of its hanging corpses to attack its foes, but is more concerned with acquiring bodies than attacking.
The Walking Gallows is best used as an interruption than as an encounter on its own - maybe it appears as the heroes fight a group of bandits, stealing the corpses of fallen bandits and not attacking the heroes unless one is Dying or attacks it.
If it is used as an encounter, make sure it has corpses to consume, and consider letting it make a single Floating Head attack and Harvest on the same turn.
Inspired by the Light Novel: Otherside Picnic