They might not be played by Matthew Morrison, but any of these monsters will steal your D&D adventure’s holiday feast in a pinch.
The holidays are upon us. And so are holiday-adventure one-shot villains. When you need someone mean (not necessarily green) and vile enough to both steal all of the village’s non-denominational traditional holiday winter-fest gifts and grin about it, you can find your monster lurking in the pages of the manual. Try one of these – they’ll do for a grinch in a pinch.
Abominable Yeti
Perhaps the most wintry monster on the list here. Yetis are your classic big, snowy monster that has imposing claws and teeth. And while you might be correctly thinking “doesn’t that sound a little more Rankin & Bass” than Dr. Seuss – don’t ignore the crossover possibilities here. A proper abominable monster makes for a perfect holiday theft. It’s a big monster-mashing showdown that can end with a different type of roast beast.
Yuan Ti Abomination
If you want someone a little more traditional, consider the Yuan-Ti. These snake people come in many shapes and sizes – all of them ophidian. But the Abominations are the ones that make for a real “oh yeah, we’re playing D&D and this is a Grinch-alike” villains. They are hideous snake monsters with humanoid features that aren’t that far off from a seasick crocodile when you think about it. Only they’re driven by a malevolent cunning that might want them to harvest the villagers’ sorrow for a dark ritual to their evil snake deities. A perfect reason to save Wintereen.
Oni
Onis, on the other hand, are maybe more for the purists who want a holiday villain that can sneak in to a place undetected. That has a magic bag they can steal a bunch of stuff in. And of course, that has combat prowess and magical might enough to take on a whole party of low-level adventurers for at least three rounds of satisfying combat when you finally get to the end of the adventure.
Red Cap
I am not a betting man. But if I were, I would bet you a good chunk of change that if WotC did their own take on the classic Seussian tale, they would probably make the big furry green villain a fey of some kind. And that brings one fey creature in particular to mind – a redcap. Sure, they might be murderous little cretins who want to kill you and soak their hat in your blood. But you can see how that foul temperament translates to “villain that would steal a tree with lights on it” with little more than a moment’s provocation.
Lich
Finally, when in doubt, a Wizard did it. And when you need a wizard bad guy in D&D, you may as well make it a Lich. Plus then you can make the theft associated with some kind of dark rite of ascension. And then in a masterstroke of a twist, you could do something like title your adventure, “How the Party stole Lich-mas.” If there’s one thing every human loves, it’s a good pun in a D&D adventure.
What are your favorite holiday villains?
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