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ETTIN: Two Heads Aren’t Better Than One
The ettin is a low-intelligence, two-headed giant whose heads are prone to arguing with each other. Clearly, a comedy monster. (Know that this does not mean that it’s only fit to be used in a comedy-style game. If you think over your favorite books and movies, you will almost certainly realize that they have light, Continue reading
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ETTERCAP (2): How to Run a Lost in the Woods Scenario
Lost in the Woods In the previous article, I described a basic ettercap encounter. One in which the players fought the ettercaps. Ettercaps are also well-suited for an encounter/game in which the players get turned around in a forest and find themselves unable to find their way out. In this article, we’ll discuss how to Continue reading
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Ettercap (1) & How to Run a Horde in D&D
Ettercaps are monsters that look like a cross between a human and a giant purple bug, and act like giant spiders. They live in large colonies of their own type, which immediately makes them a tricky monster to run in D&D encounters. How do you send the players against dozens or more of the same Continue reading
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EMPYREAN: Arrogance of a Demigod
The empyrean is the child of a deity, with all the power and arrogance that implies. Hercules is nothing compared to these guys. How to Use an Empyrean – Friendly When asking an empyrean for help, the key is to flatter him so outrageously that the flattery feels thick enough to take physical form and Continue reading
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Empyrean Iota & Time-Pressure Dungeon Design
The empyrean iota is described by the Monster Manual as a deity’s thoughts given form. They are two-dimensional beings in the form of symbols that can walk through walls, with the power to heal and bless as well as blast. How to Use a Living Tenet If you think about it, you’ll realize that an Continue reading
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DROW PRIESTESS OF LOLTH: Gauntlet Chase
How to Use: An Evil Cleric In the previous article, we covered the core tactics for running a drow priestess of Lolth. To summarise briefly, the priestess is a spellcaster who cannot stand toe-to-toe with the party; if she does, the fight will end in a single round. She has three primary methods of attacking: Continue reading
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DROW PRIESTESS OF LOLTH: Deadly Support, Deadlier Summons
Clerics equal healing and support, so how would you use the drow priestess of Lolth as the drow head boss? If you’d find out, enter our web, and wish your loved ones farewell. The drow priestess of Lolth has quite a number of spells and abilities, many of which she can actually use to good Continue reading
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How to Handle Zone of Truth Fairly
The last article was about strategies for lies, tricks, and betrayals. As I said then, it wouldn’t be complete without tackling the elephant in the room—the killer of all “spot the lie” scenarios—the spell called Zone of Truth. Zone of Truth tells the caster when a creature within the spell’s area is lying. It creates Continue reading
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Alliances and Betrayals with High-Level Villains
How to Use Villain Alliances and Betrayals Evil smiles. Heroes compromise. The game turns. Originally intended to introduce the drow priestess of Lloth, this article will show you how to convince your players to bargain with the darkness—and how to make them regret it. You’ll learn how to build trust with villains, twist alliances into Continue reading
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DROW MAGE Part 2: Dark Magic and Dark Tactics
How to Use a Drow Mage, Part 2 Welcome to the second part of my creative ways to use the drow mage. In part one, we discussed how to keep the mage alive in combat for the entire first round — and quite a few more rounds beyond that — as well as a number Continue reading
About Me
I’ve been a DM since I was about 10 years old. (Not of D&D, admittedly, but still.) After growing bored of fights that were all the same, dungeons heavily populated by one monster type, and a general shortage of ideas, I figured I’d embark on my own trip through the Monster Manual, one monster at a time. Feel free to join the quest.