D&D: These Enemies Make Your Combat Magical

One of the big changes in the new Monster Manual is an update to magical NPCs—these five are prime examples of new magical enemies.

In D&D, spells are one of the best tools in a player’s arsenal. So why shouldn’t the monsters get to play with some of the same tools? In the 2024 Monster Manual, monsters who primarily use magic have seen some pretty big changes overall.

For one, they tend to have a smaller range of spells to cast. But then they get extra magic power in the form of magical actions/attacks that they can use. This could be a magical ranged attack, such as a ray of necrotic energy—but new for 5.5E, magical melee attacks as well.

So if you want to throw down with a Wizard or the like, there are new ways to do that. Here are five magical monsters and NPCs that might spice up your sessions.

Aberrant Cultist

One of my favorite things about D&D is cultists. And in the new edition, cultists got a glow up. Now, in addition to cultist fanatics and generic cultists, there are also specially branded cultists, who draw power from specific sources. And Aberrant Cultists are one of the better examples.

These are cultists who draw on power from alien influences with “mind-bending powers” including entities like: Cthulhu, Hadar, Ityak-Ortheel the Elf Eater, Nyarlathotep, malicious solar bodies, or entities from the Far Realm.

Aberrant Cultists have a few things going for them in the magic department. For one, they have a special Tentacle Lash melee attack—implying that they can manifest up to two tentacles, and when they don’t do that, they are good at rotting your brain with their mind rot attack, which deals 6d8 psychic damage and poisons you if you fail your save. They can also cast Detect Thoughts and Minor Illusion at will, or Counterspell twice per day.

Mage

Mages, on the other hand, got their magic powers the hard way: through rigorous study and application of their arcane power. These are the closest to Wizards or Sorcerers. They use a little more magic than most.

With the standard CR6 Mage, you have a standard suite of magical abilities. They use an action called Arcane Burst, which can be a ranged or melee attack—handy because it means that they aren’t necessarily shut down if a melee character ends up next to one. And they get to make it as a multiattack, allowing them to potentially deal 9d8+9 points of Force damage with a single volley of attacks. And when not doing that, they have a broader selection of spells to pull from, including:

• Fireball (9d6 damage) 2/day
• Invisibility 2/day
• Fly 1/day
• Cone of Cold 1/day
• Misty Step 3/day
• Counterspell/Shield 3/day

What’s worth being aware of is that it’s Counterspell OR Shield a total of 3 times per day each. They use a shared pool of defensive magic. But otherwise, pretty straightforward. You can, of course, change their spells for others of a similar level, or just add some to the list as you like.

Noble Prodigy

Even if you don’t last enemies with bursts of force or rays of frost, there are still plenty of enemies in the Monster Manual that make use of magic. The Noble Prodigy is a great example of this. Here’s an NPC stat block that showcases a charismatic character with a flair for supernatural charm. It’s implied that the source of their magic can come from anywhere, so you might find all sorts of influences to play with here.

Notably, though, they use a Beguiling Strike, which is another attack that can be ranged or melee. It deals 4d6+4 psychic damage, and is part of a multiattack routine. But in addition to that, they can throw around some potent spells, including Befuddlement, Scrying, and Fly.

Arch Hag

Of course, if you really want to throw down with some magical might, you have to get a little monstrous. The Arch Hag, for example, commands curses and spellcraft with spectral attacks enough to take on whole parties of adventurers.

The Arch Hag is one example of what magical enemies can look like when unbound from spell slots. As much of an arch hag’s magic is in her actions and status effects—I almost wish WotC had taken it further. For instance the Arch Hag has a number of effects that can curse people, including a crackling wave AoE attack or a Counterspell reaction that leaves spellcasters cursed or unable to attack. Once you’re cursed, the Arch Hag can attack you with magical lightning—and the curses do different things, including keep you from Reacting or casting spells with Verbal Components.

Lich

Or, of course there’s always the big bad of magical monsters, the Lich. Starting with the fact that undeath unlocks power beyond compare. Including the annuity to throw around 10d6 Fireballs at will. Or lightning bolts, or dispel magic—they’re basically a caster from a LARP. But on the more limited resources side of things, you’ve got things like finger of death and power word kill, backed up by animate dead so the Lich can turn your newly dead party members into its own allies.

And that’s without even touching the Eldritch Burst and Paralyzing Touch actions that it has. At any rate, the Monster Manual is full of magical menaces.

What are your favorite magical foes?

Bell of Lost Souls Staff Writer and DM, J.R. covers RPGs of all stripes and on occasion eats sandwiches. You can ask him about either at [email protected]

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