Well the first of October has come and gone, and that means it’s time for spooky season. Here are five monsters to celebbrate with.
I mean, really every season is spooky season if you keep it alive and well in your heart. But. October, especially, is for monsters that are both creepy and crawly. In this economy, no less. But you don’t have to be a skeleton to be spooky and scary. The pages of the Monster Manual are full of creatures ready to haunt the halls of any dungeon.
So this spooky season, why not give one of these a try if you haven’t already?
Shadow Demon
Let’s start with the Shadow Demon. These get some frightening new lore in 5.5E—Shadow Demons are what remains of evil when you think it’s been slain forever, but finds a way to return. Somehow. These shadowy demons are literally the essence of evil.
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
These demons can be incorporeal, meaning no walls can bar them. They have a way of creeping in at every corner—they seek to corrupt souls, destroy lives, and regain what they believe to be their destined strength.
Oni
I love an oni. These guys are creepy and they are also masters of manipulating foes and ambushing unsuspecting parties. They make for great villains that are haunting a place—because an oni’s ability to shapeshift or become invisible means you never know when you’re in their presence.
Then they can slash you with their claw, devastate your mind with their nightmare rays, charm you, put you to sleep, or worse. Whenever an oni is around, they stalk the land, reminding targets that anyone can be prey.
Bone Naga
Bone nagas are a fantastic monster. They are an undead version of one of the two types of naga, and whenever they appear, their abilities have been enhanced by their undead nature. These skeletal snakes can hypnotize you with their psychic gaze. Or bite you with bony fangs or unleash powerful magics upon your party.
They represent the death of something immortal, repurposed into a horror. Either granted existence by dark rituals, or reanimated from some other fell source.
Banshee
Banshees are an actual spooky monster for spooky season in the real world. But they’re plenty spooky in D&D as well. In the worlds of D&D, many 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.
What makes them especially scary in-game is that they can instantly kill creatures once their targets hit 25 hp. Any creature caught within the radius of their deathly wail with 25 hp or fewer has to make a save or otherwise be snuffed out instantly. Spooky enough to make you try and keep your HP up like that.
Death Knight
Last but not least, the Death Knight. I think, this spooky season, everyone should start using death knights. They come with such cool opportunities to establish lore. They can be undead warlordswho lead crusades against the living. Death knights are often haunted by lives of treachery and tragedy, but some revel in their evil. You get to decide what that was.
And death knights make powerful opponents. In addition to their devastating melee attacks, they can hurl an orb of hellfire that does 20d6 damage (both fire and necrotic). Or they can cast spells. And if the standard death knight is too potent for your party, you can always through them against a death knight aspirant instead. Lower level, but just as spooky vibes.
Happy adventuring!
Don’t Miss:
Read more at this site