Combat rating 7

December 25, 2023

BEARDED DEVIL: Basic Tactics, and Strategic Positions

The bearded devil is the first monster I have encountered since starting this blog that does not require any special setting to make using it interesting. Continue reading

guardian (CR 0-4), minion

Combat rating 4, Combat rating 6, Combat rating 7, devils, difficulty 5, difficulty 6, difficulty 7
December 21, 2023

BARBED DEVIL: Why Devils Need to Pay for Souls

Before going into the meat of the article, I wanted to write a little about devil contracts. There seems to be a gaping plot hole in the entire idea. Continue reading

guardian (CR 5-7), minion

battlemap, Combat rating 11, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, Combat rating 9, devils, difficulty 6
December 11, 2023

SHADOW DEMON & How to Use Hiding

The shadow demon has the ability to hide when it’s in partial or complete darkness. As hiding in D&D doesn’t seem to have exact rules, except for the fact that anybody spending an action has a chance to detect someone hidden*, I would Continue reading

guardian (CR 0-4), minion

Combat rating 5, Combat rating 6, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, demons, difficulty 6, difficulty 8, homebrew
November 9, 2023

BARLGURA: King of the Mountaintop

With the barlgura we have one of the weirdest combos in D&D. A creature of no intelligence to speak of, with a whole bunch of spells whose usage revolves around being used subtly. Continue reading

guardian (CR 5-7), minion

battlemap, Combat rating 11, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, Combat rating 9, demons, difficulty 7, homebrew, spell tactics
September 21, 2023

COUATL: The Hidden Advisor

The coutal is good aligned monster that is clearly designed to be a quest giver. It only exists because in order to fulfill a mission given by a long-forgotten deity, it stays in hiding when it doesn’t have a pressing need to act… How else can it possibly be used? Continue reading

ally (CR 0-4), independent

Combat rating 5, Combat rating 6, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, difficulty 4, difficulty 5, puzzle
August 31, 2023

CHUUL: Crazy Collecters, and a Ruined House

A brief look at the chuul’s picture tells us that this monster isn’t going to have trouble navigating difficult terrain. Between the extra legs for balance, and the pincer like grips that it clearly has at the end of each leg, it’s not going to slip, let alone fall, very often. Continue reading

animal, attacker (CR 0-4), guardian (CR 0-4)

Combat rating 5, Combat rating 6, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, difficulty 6, difficulty 7
August 3, 2023

CAMBION & How to Run Mysteries in DnD

The cambion comes in two different forms. One is a cambion that is living in the human world, (very possibly in disguise through use of alter self,) the other is the cambion who is openly working with the minions of the hells. I am going to spend most of this article on the cambion living… Continue reading

guardian (CR 5-7), leader

Combat rating 11, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, Combat rating 9, difficulty 6, social encounter
July 27, 2023

BULETTE: How to Use in Plot and in Combat

I don’t normally give plot advice as I feel that there is already enough of that online and that most monsters don’t need it, but since the bulette seems designed to only be usable for random encounters and quests where farmers Continue reading

animal, attacker (CR 5-7)

Combat rating 11, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, Combat rating 9, difficulty 7
July 20, 2023

BUGBEAR CHIEFTAIN: One-Round Challenges

The bugbear chieftain has a special feature that gives him immunity to most spell-inflicted conditions. This makes him a very good fit for a situation where he has an upper hand, and the players have only one round in order to avert disaster Continue reading

guardian (CR 0-4), minion

bugbears, Combat rating 4, Combat rating 6, Combat rating 7, difficulty 3
June 29, 2023

SPECTATOR: Optimizing it With Simple Fences

Unlike the other beholders, the spectator is meant for a low-level party, and doesn’t need the complexity and difficulty surrounding the others (nor should they be used. Low level players can’t survive them.) Continue reading

guardian (CR 0-4), servant

beholders, Combat rating 4, Combat rating 6, Combat rating 7, difficulty 4

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.

Dragon Encounters

Combat rating 7

BEARDED DEVIL: Basic Tactics, and Strategic Positions

BARBED DEVIL: Why Devils Need to Pay for Souls

SHADOW DEMON & How to Use Hiding

BARLGURA: King of the Mountaintop

COUATL: The Hidden Advisor

CHUUL: Crazy Collecters, and a Ruined House

BULETTE: How to Use in Plot and in Combat

BUGBEAR CHIEFTAIN: One-Round Challenges

SPECTATOR: Optimizing it With Simple Fences

About Me

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