Pokemon #143 Snorlax

For our next entry in the Pokedex and the first Normal-type Pokemon I wanted to go with one of the most recognizable, and arguably most difficult Pokemon to train. Snorlax is a major powerhouse that can go toe to toe with most any opponent, but they have some disadvantages. Trainers my find themselves going bankrupt just trying to keep their Pokemon fed, and it has a habit of dozing off at inopportune times. Snorlax is also the first Pokemon that I’ve armed with hyper-beam which to my mind should be a devastating move.

For a the right trainer Snorlax could be a great companion, for the wrong one it is sure to be a nightmare. With a massive pool of hp Snorlax is more likely to fall asleep than it is to be knocked out by an opponent.

Snorlax

Large beast, neutral

Armor Class 12

Hit Points 402

Speed 20 ft.

Str 20 (+5) Dex 8 (-1) Con 20 (+5)  Int 10 (+0) Wis 8 (-1)  Cha 10 (+0)

Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning damage dealt by Fighting-type Pokemon.

Skills Athletics +10

Senses passive Perception 10

Languages Pokemon, understands Common but can’t speak

Challenge  10 (5,900 XP)

Chow-Hound: Snorlax has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on smell to detect food nearby.

Drowsy. During the first round of battle Snorlax suffers disadvantage on attack rolls. It must also make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw to avoid falling asleep on its first turn.

Normal-type. When leveling up Snorlas’s HP the trainer can roll twice taking the better of two rolls.

Pokemon. Snorlax can be captured in a Pokeball, from that point on it will act as a companion to its new trainer.

Ravenous. Snorlax requires a massive amount of food every day. Snorlax must consume up to 900 lbs (200 gp vlaue). of food a day to maintain a healthy weight.

Sleeping Pokemon. Snorlax has disadvantage on saving throws made to resist Sleep effects. If Snorlax is the sole target of the Sleep spell it automatically falls asleep disregarding hp totals.

Thick Body. Snorlax has resistance to all types of damage, except bludgeoing damage dealt by Fighting-type Pokemon.

Throws its Weight Around. Snorlax cannot be pushed, pulled, or moved against its will unless it is unconscious or disabled. Magical effects that would move Snorlax effect it normally. Flight spells allow Snorlax half their normal movement speed.

Actions

Body Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 56 (6d12+10) bludgeoning damage. All creatures within 30 ft. of the target except for Snorlax must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save they are knocked prone and take 5 bludgeoning damage.

Hyper-beam: Range Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 100 ft., one target. Hit: 106 (10d10+10) radiant damage. If the target is reduced below 100 hit points by this attack they are killed. Each time Snorlax uses Hyper-beam it suffers one level of exhaustion.

Rest: Snorlax immediately falls asleep regaining 1d20 + its Constitution modifier HP per round. Snoralx can attempt a DC 12 Constitution saving throw to awaken on its turn.

Snore: While asleep Snorlax is capable of using a powerful snore. All creatures within 30 ft. of Snorlax on its turn take 15 (2d8+3) thunder damage.

Pokemon #123

Our first Bug-type Pokemon is the bladed Scyther! This is one of those super aggressive Pokemon whose style of combat I really wanted to favor. Scyther is not a cautious Pokemon, it favors aggressive combat and puts down opponents with rapid powerful attacks. I really like Sychter for a player’s powerhouse since it can do a little bit of everything. Flight, serious combat prowess, and a fast style of fighting make it a nice fit for Pokemon trainers with a wide variety of styles.

Scyther

Medium beast, neutral

Armor Class  16 (Natural Armor)

Hit Points 72

Speed 50 ft., fly 35 ft.

Str 14 (+2)  Dex  16 (+3) Con 12 (+1)  Int 8 (-1) Wis 12 (+1)  Cha 14 (+2)

Damage Vulnerabilities fire, ice

Skills Acrobatics +6, Athletics +5, Intimidation +5

Senses passive Perception 13

Languages Pokemon, understands Common but can’t speak.

Challenge 7

Aggressive. Scyther can add +10 to its Initiative roll, but attacks made against it during the first round have advantage.

Bug-type. All Bug-type Pokemon are especially adept at sensing their surroundings, Scyther has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.

Enraged. At the sight of the color red Scyther flies into a violent rage. Scyther will attack the source of the color disregarding its trainer’s commands.

Pokemon. Scyther can be captured in a Pokeball, from that point on it will act as a companion to its new trainer.

Willful. Scyther has advantage on Charisma saving throws. Scyther will not obey commands from a trainer whose level is lower than its own. If used during a Pokemon battle the GM determines Scyther’s actions if it will not obey its trainer.

Actions

Agility. After using Agility Scyther can select one of the following effects:

*Attack rolls made against Sycther have disadvantage for the rest of this round.

*Scyther gains advantage on Dexterity saving throws for the rest of this round.

*Double Scyther’smovement speed for the rest of this round.

Slash. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. , one target. Hit:  24 (3d10+6) slashing damage.

Swords Dance. Performing this action allows grants Scyther advantage to its next attack roll, and increases the damage dealt by 1d6.

Pokemon #119 Seaking

When the base evolution of a Pokemon is already as great as Goldeen there’s not much room for improvement, so I found myself in a difficult position with Seaking. Mostly I focused on beefing up the stats a bit, but I also incorporated increasing perception to reflect their behavior of guarding their eggs far more protectively than Goldeen. In general if you liked Goldeen you’ll probably love Seaking.

Seaking

Medium beast, neutral

Armor Class  15 (Natural Armor)

Hit Points 84

Speed Swim 100 ft.

Str  18 (+4) Dex 12 (+1)  Con 16 (+3) Int 10 (+0) Wis 12 (+1)  Cha 10 (+0)

Damage Resistances fire, ice

Damage Vulnerabilities lightning, thunder

Skills Athletics (+10), Perception (+4)

Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11

Languages Pokemon, understands Common but can’t speak.

Challenge 6

Water-type. Seaking has a swim speed and advantage on Athletics checks related to swimming. Seaking also has advantage on attack rolls made in or around an abundant source of water such as a river, lake, or the ocean. Seaking is able to breathe underwater and will not suffer the effects of drowning.

Pokemon. Seaking can be captured in a Pokeball, from that point on it will act as a companion to its new trainer.

Actions

Horn Attack. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft. , one target. Hit: 20 (2d10+8) piercing damage.

Waterfall. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 60 ft., one target. When using Waterfall Seaking can soar up to 60 ft. into the air to strike a target. After using this attack all attack rolls against Seaking have advantage for the rest of the round. Hit: 30 (3d12+8) bludgeoning damage.

Pokemon #118 Goldeen

Getting back to working on our Pokedex for the 5e Pokemon Trainer character class as there has been more than a little renewed interest in the project as of late. I thought today we’d do something a little bit different with Goldeen, one of Misty’ water-type staples from the earliest generation of Pokemon.

We first got a glimpse of Goldeen way back in the episode Pokemon Emergency when Misty faced off against Team Rocket. Since the battle took place in a Pokemon center Goldeen was immediately recalled and Misty mentioned something about Water-type Pokemon not being able to battle on land. Now of course, we know that isn’t the case for all Water-types, but Goldeen is one of the exceptions.

Goldeen can’t move on land, but it does have quite a few other things strongly in their favor. Pokemon capable of swimming up to 5 knots at a steady clip against the current are certain to be strong, have a great deal of endurance, and are going to fast in the water.

I gave Goldeen an extreme speed, and a fair amount of staying power. Their attacks are brutally physical relying on their horn. Personally I think Goldeen would make a fantastic addition to a water based roster or a nautical campaign. They’e pretty territorial too so a school of these represent a serious threat to unwary trainers.

Goldeen

Small beast, neutral

Armor Class  13 (Natural Armor)

Hit Points 62

Speed Swim 100 ft.

Str  16 (+3) Dex 12 (+1)  Con 14 (+2) Int 10 (+0) Wis 10(+0)  Cha 10 (+0)

Damage Resistances fire, ice

Damage Vulnerabilities lightning, thunder

Skills Athletics (+8)

Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages Pokemon, understands Common but can’t speak.

Challenge 5

Evolution. After earning 6,000 XP Goldeen evolves into Seaking.

Water-type. Goldeen has a swim speed and advantage on Athletics checks related to swimming. Goldeen also has advantage on attack rolls made in or around an abundant source of water such as a river, lake, or the ocean. Goldeen is able to breathe underwater and will not suffer the effects of drowning.

Pokemon. Goldeen can be captured in a Pokeball, from that point on it will act as a companion to its new trainer.

Actions

Horn Attack. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. , one target. Hit: 16 (2d8+6) piercing damage.

Waterfall. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 60 ft., one target. When using Waterfall Goldeen can soar up to 60 ft. into the air to strike a target. After using this attack all attack rolls against Goldeen have advantage for the rest of the round. Hit: 24 (2d12+6) bludgeoning damage.

Pokemon #21 Spearow

Jumping back into filling out the Pokedex for the Pokemon Trainer D&D class which continues to draw interest. I want to chip away at the lower numbers less experienced trainers are likely to encounter. Spearow is always something of a wild Pokemon, definitely the sort of thing an aggressive trainer might favor over the more docile flying-types.

I made Spearow to be a minor nuisance alone, but in a flock they can be dangerous and should be approached with caution. Hopefully trainers enjoy Spearow and I’ll be adding more to the Pokedex soon.

Spearow

Small beast, neutral

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 16 (3d8+1)

Speed 20 ft., fly 50 ft.

Str 12 (+1) Dex 14 (+2) Con 10 (+0) Int  6 (-2) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 10 (+0)

Damage Resistance bludgeoning from non-stone weapons.

Damage Vulnerabilities ice, electric

Skills Intimidation +3, Perception  +4

Senses passive Perception 11

Languages Pokemon, understands Common but can’t speak.

Challenge 1

Bully. Spearow has advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks.

 Evolution. After earning 6,000 XP Spearow evolves into Fearow.

 Flock Tactics. Spearow has advantage on attack rolls when another Spearow is within 15 ft. of it. Spearow’s Armor Class is increased by +1 when there is another Spearow with 25 ft. of it to a maximum of +3.

Pokemon. Pidgeotto can be captured in a Pokeball, from that point on it will act as a companion to its new trainer.

Actions

 Peck. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage.

Castlevania Part 1

After watching the new Castlevania series on Netflix  couldn’t help thinking it would make a great setting for a very dark Dungeons and Dragons campaign with some cool steampunk elements. I’m actually working on a short module that takes players through a brief adventure in that world. However creatures from that setting can be folded into almost any D&D game with a little imagination.

For folks who have yet to see the show please stop reading now if you care about spoilers.

I’d also like to let everyone know in advance I am not a longtime fan of Castlevania, I’ve been aware of the franchise for many years but I never played any of the games. If I get any of the terminology wrong please forgive me.

Also Castlevania is the property of Konami and the Netflix series is the property of Netflix, I claim no ownership of either. All of the art pictured here is from the Netflix series and belongs to their artists, it is also pretty great and definitely helps make the show worth your time. So without further ado…

I’ve seen these things called imps and goblins, to me they look like Red Court vampires from The Dresden Files. At any rate they seem to make up the bulk of Dracula’s demonic army.

Goblins

Medium fiend, chaotic evil

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 18

Speed 60 ft., climb 20 ft, flight 40 ft.

Str 10 (+0) Dex 16 (+3) Con 12 (+1) Int 8 (-1) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 8 (-1)

Skills Perception +2, Stealth +5

Damage Vulnerabilities Cold, radiant

Damage Immunities Fire

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages  Abyssal, Common

Challenge 1

Actions

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) slashing damage.

Infernal Blast. Range Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, 60/100 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (1d8+6) fire damage. Creatures within 30 ft. of the target must make a DC 14 Dexterity Saving throw, on a failed saving throw they take half as much damage as the hit target, on a successful saving throw they take no damage. All objects in the radius of the attack that are not being held burst into flames.

Shock troops for Dracula these summoned monsters serve as the foot soldiers in his army. They are capable warriors able to spread violence throughout cities and the surrounding countryside with ease.

Please note, Infernal Blast is meant to be a powerful attack capable of dealing huge damage. It can kill or seriously injure an entire low-level party if they aren’t careful as well as setting fire to everything in the immediate area. I designed it that way because we see these things peppering cities with these blasts and setting them ablaze in minutes. You may want to warn the party by having one of these things fire off a round at NPCs or buildings before opening fire on your players.

I love seeing a cyclops used as a monster, and this one is a bit like a beholder crossed with a cyclops. Easily the best monster in the Netflix series so far in my opinion.

Stone-Eye Cyclops

Huge fiend, lawful evil

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)

Hit Points 82

Speed 20 ft.

Str 18 (+4) Dex 12 (+1) Con 16 (+3) Int 10 (+0) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 8 (-1)

Skills Perception +5

Condition Immunities Petrified

Damage Vulnerabilities Radiant

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12

Languages  Abyssal, Common

Challenge 5

Feast on Terror. The Stone-Eye Cyclops feeds on the terror of those it has turned to stone, it regains 1d4 hit points each turn for each living victim it has turned to stone. It also adds +1 to any roll it makes for each living victim it has petrified.

Thundering Footsteps. Creatures and objects within 5 ft. of the Stone-Eye Cyclops when it moves take 1d4 bludgeoning damage.

Actions

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d8+6) bludgeoning damage.

Eye Ray. Range Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, 30/60 ft., one target. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed saving throw, the creatures turns to stone and is petrified.  Petrified creatures can only be returned to normal by killing the Stone-Eye cyclops that turned them to stone.

Powerful guardians that can be utilized to protect valuables or locations from unwanted visitors these towering behemoths are terrors to all. Although they’re more than capable or tearing treasure hunters limb from limb whenever the mood strikes them, they usually prefer turning intruders to stone so that they can feed off of their fear. The lair of a Stone-Eye Cyclops is almost always marked by the petrified bodies of their victims.

As I said this thing is like a cyclops and a beholder crossbreed, which amazing and horrifying all at once. The eye ray requires the cyclops to hit the opponents AC and then the players gets to make a dex save to avoid being petrified. This is, again, a savage attack that can take a player out of the action in one stroke. The cyclops shouldn’t be able to sneak up on a party so they’ll have some warning of what is coming. I went this direction because unlike the beholder who slowly turns victims to stone I wanted to give a more cinematic feel to the cyclops.  A huge beam engulfs your wizard and they’re just gone in an instant.

Anyway I hope someone out there finds these amusing if nothing else, thanks for reading.

The Murtlap

The murtlap is a bit of an oddball in the Harry Potter world, an aquatic rodent that produces a substance that is a common ingredient in some healing potions. We do see one of these creatures briefly in Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them but that is about it. With that in mind I gave it a few adaptations and made it a truly aquatic rodent with the ability to breathe underwater, swim at decent speeds, and to see in the dark (it probably isn’t a deep sea dweller, but even at higher depths light can be scarce underwater). Essence of murtlap is a restorative but undiluted it can be harmful, I represented that with the murtlap’s sting, which won’t be difficult for most characters to ignore and isn’t deadly by any stretch of the imagination.

Murtlap

Small beast, neutral

Armor Class 12 (natural armor)

Hit Points 20

Speed 25 ft., swim 25 ft.

Str 10 Dex 12 Con 10 Int 8 Wis 10 Cha 8

Skills Stealth +5

Senses darkvision 60 ft.

Languages –

Challenge 2

Amphibious. The murtlap can breathe air and water.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack. +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: target takes 3 (1d6+2) piercing damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack. +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: Target takes 2 (1d4+1) piercing damage.

Sting. Melee Weapon Attack. +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: Target takes 1 piercing damage and must make a DC 8 Constitution saving throw, on a failed save the target is poisoned for 12 hours.

Troglodyte Fouler

These little guys could make for a very unwelcome surprise in a Spelljammer encounter since one of the big threats your players can face happens to be running of of clean air to breathe. In other, more traditional games their chaotic monsters that can make the battlefield an utter nightmare for defenders. Imagine a few of these things popping out of a hole in the ground in the middle of a city. They are much smaller and less physically powerful than ordinary troglodytes, allowing them to be launched from catapults and other such devices.

You can find stats for siege equipment in the 5e Dungeon Master’s Guide on pages 255-256. Support the official release or whip up some of your own stats. Keep in mind troglodytes are brilliant, so they would probably have stolen or found such devices from others. If they did manage to build one it was probably cobbled together from giant bones and bits of string.

Troglodyte Fouler

Small humanoid (troglodyte), chaotic evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)

Hit Points 11

Speed 30 ft.

Str 10 (+0) Dex 16 (+3) Con 12 (+1) Int 8 (-1) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 6 (-2)

Skills Stealth +4

Senses darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 10

Languages Common, Troglodyte, Undercommon

Challenge 1/4 (50 xp)

Chameleon Skin. The troglodyte fouler has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide.

Stench. Any creature other than a troglodyte that starts its turn within 5 feet of the troglodyte must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of the creature’s next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the stench of all troglodytes for 1 hour.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the troglodyte fouler has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Actions

Befoul: The troglodyte fouler releases a 15-foot-radious sphere of noxious, green gas centered on it, all creatures except troglodytes within the area of the cloud must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of the creature’s next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the stench of all troglodytes for 1 hour. In an environment with a limited air supply (An underwater cavern system, a dwarf-made bathysphere, or a ship traveling through wildspace) this ability befouls 3d6 days of the remaining air supply. Wind disperses the cloud after 5 minutes, otherwise is remains for 1 hour. The area is lightly obscured.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4) piercing damage.

Bred to exude a stench greater than other troglodytes these diminutive reptilians are sometimes launched between vessels to foul the air. They will seek to hide aboard vessels until the air supply is completely contaminated making it even easier for troglodytes to overtake crews. Troglodyte foulers have cleared out cavern networks making them homes unfit for anyone except their larger kin. Although they work with troglodytes these creatures often find themselves falling prey to troglodytes looking for an easy meal.

The Daily D4

Anyone who isn’t overly fond of bugs might want to skip today’s Daily D4.

Spiders

Did you squirm in you seat when the acromantulas chased Harry and Ron through the forbidden forest in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? Did you suddenly feel the need to head for the lobby to refill your popcorn when Frodo entered Shelob’s lair in The Return of the King? When Bilbo Baggins faced the spiders of Mirkwood Forest did you grimace at the thought of having to fight giant spiders? Arachnids appear in nearly every bestiary for fantasy RPGS to date, and they’ve definitely earned their place. They’re highly adaptable predators with a wide variety of tactics, they can be found in almost every environment on the planet, and plenty of players are certain to find them creepy. In any discussion about spiders in RPGs the goddess Lolth and her drow minions are certainly worth mentioning. Employing enormous spiders like hunting dogs they patrol the caverns of the Underdark filling them with their webs as they carry out Lolth’s wishes. So if encountering a pack of giant spiders under the command of drow doesn’t make you reconsider a visit to the Underdark I don’t know what will.

Taozin

So your Star Wars campaign has been going on for a few months and you’ve already used some of the most recognizable creatures from the Star Wars universe. If you’re looking for something challenging that might also prove to be a nasty surprise for any force uses in your party I’d suggest an encounter with a taozin. The first time I heard about the taozin I was reading Darth Maul Shadow Hunter, and the thought of an enormous insect lurking in the depths beneath Coruscant is just terrifying. These giant insects are natives of the moon of Va’art were thought to be extinct for many years until one was discovered by a young padawan being pursued by a Sith Lord. So what makes these things so frightening? Well for a starter they’re enormous and they can expel silken webbing to capture their prey. Their shells are also highly resistant to lightsabers and due to they able to mask their presence making themselves appear invisible in the force.

Thri-Kreen

This race of tribal insect-like people make their home on Athas and they’re one of the most unique races from any campaign setting. These nomadic hunters are more at home in the deserts that make up most of their world than the other races they encounter. They make their own weapons out of their solidified venom and live among their own kind preferring a life in the wilds to one surrounded by the walls that shelter others not of their tribes. Some consider them little more than brutal savages acting on pure instinct, but that is a mistake. Like all insects their society is highly ordered and they will defend what is theirs fiercely if they must. Strangely many of the Thri-Kreen exhibit psionic abilities which they use effectively in their hunts. With an average lifespan of less than thirty years the Thri-Kreen are a short lived race, but the make the most of the time they have.