A small collection of monsters I made for a new continent, based on the various locations and regions on our new map (Thank you Perilous Wilds!). I’ve only personally used the Hag’s Hut so far, but the Shale-lix stands to make an appearance soon too! (We found out the Witch inside affectionately refers to her home as “Hutsy”)
I usually try to list a few more monster moves than what is necessary just to ease the mental burden when encountering them at the table.
Enjoy!
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Hag’s Hut
The Hut of the swamp hag is a strange creature all its own. It moves through the muck, mostly on its master’s command, stopping at intervals to let her collect ingredients for her brew. It appears like a regular hut at rest, but in motion the house moves on giant avian legs at incredible speed. Few things are more unsettling than the Hag’s Hut sprinting through the night. Though nearly unstoppable, there might be some way to convince its owner to slow down for a chat. Leaves huge footprints in the mud that quickly fade.
Solitary, Huge, Terrifying, Construct
Taloned Stomp (d10 + 3 damage); 24HP; 3 armor;
Reach, Near, Forceful
Instinct: To Keep Moving, no matter what’s in its path
Special Qualities: Unsettling, whines like various injured animals simultaneously when harmed
Moves:
– Flick something aside like it was nothing
– Stomp something deep into the muck (ignores armor)
– Take off erratically in another direction
– Make an Earth shattering Leap
– Emit a terrifying screech.
– Reveal an utterly unnatural feature (eg. The north facing window suddenly blinks and stares back at you)
The Wraiths of the Fog Hills
“The seven wraiths of the Shifting fog hills, dozing idly by in the pale moonlight // None know how they came to be, or how they grew to boast such height.”
Giant Wraiths of the Wild; it’s unclear where they came from. They retain an intense curiosity for any living creatures that wander into their hills, much to the dismay of said creatures. They are announced by massive enigmatic statues of each of them, carved into the hillsides.
Group, Large, Terrifying, Insubstantial (at times)
Ghostly weapon (d8 + 1 damage); 10HP; 1 armor;
Close, Reach,
Instinct: To Learn from the living by any means
Special Qualities: Insubstantial at times, Intensely curious of the living
Moves:
– Drain Vitality with a curious clutching grasp
– Swing a massive Ghostly armament that changes form with each swipe
– Adapt to a recent attack as proof of their learning
– Attack suddenly and in unison
– Comment on something obvious to things that are alive
– Avoid an attack by ghosting through it
Dragon-King Slime
Maybe you’ve seen the Dragon of Razakel’s Spires, monochromatic and strangely without definition, able to bend and wobble without losing shape. Some say it was a massive slime that consumed a dragon, or perhaps the other way around, and now the two forms are inexorably linked. Others say it is just an ancient Ooze that fancies itself a ruler. Just know that it combines the unstoppable vitality of a slime with the ferocity of a dragon.
Solitary, Large, Magical, Hoarder, Ancient, Amorphous
Corrosive Claw (d12 + 2 damage); 18HP; 2 armor;
Close, Reach, Near, Damages Armor
Instinct: To Devour
Special Qualities: Mostly maintains the shape of a Dragon, but can also morph at will
Moves:
– Burn away armor
– Exhale a toxic dragon flame
– Command lesser slimes to assist
– Envelop and consume something
– Soar through the air on formed wings
– Hurl undigested scrap as deadly projectiles
Shale-lix
This stone elemental is rampaging near the Circle of Azath on a path of destruction from a long forgotten war. It can twist a landslide into itself to grow in size and power. The Shale-lix’s size may change from a wheelbarrow full of rocks to a village-smashing avalanche, but a curiously coloured stone always stands out from the pile, seeming to command the rest.
Solitary, Large, Ancient, planar, Amorphous (swarms of rock and stone)
Stone Fists (d10+2 damage 2 piercing); 16 HP; 4 armor
Forceful, Close, Reach
Instinct: To ravage the land
Special Qualities: Made of stone
Moves:
– Tear structures asunder
– Charge along an unstoppable path
– Cause an avalanche, and harness that strength.
– Send someone flying with a stone punch
– Bury something utterly
– Instinctively protect its core when discovered
Firestarter Condors
These strange creatures passively burn through patches of forest and field and are happy to pick through the ashes as sustenance. With bright orange and red wings to contrast their dark head and body, they ignite with bursts of flame when startled.
Group, Small, Magical
Fiery Talon, Burning Beak (d6 damage); 6HP; 0 armor;
Hand
Instinct: To burn down
Special Qualities: Burst into magical flame when startled
Moves:
– Cause a fire when disturbed
– Streak towards a target while fully ablaze
– Detonate with a flaming tackle and come out unharmed
– Rake with searing hot talons
This are amazing!
I’m really digging the Dragon Kinh Slime 🙂
Outstanding work!
These are amazing. AMAZING. One question (and it needs a little setup). My understanding is that moves are things the GM does when the dice show 6- or sometimes when they show 7-9. They are things the GM does instead of, or in addition to attacks. So, when you list moves like “Swing a massive Ghostly armament that changes form with each swipe” or “Rake with searing hot talons” … they don’t seem like moves to me. Are you giving them as a way to add color to the “damage-back” on a 7-9? I guess that’s kind of nice, but it confuses me a little since you don’t usually see that.
Thanks guys!
Ray Otus I think at it’s most basic level any monster attack could be considered a GM move. A move is just something the GM does when the players look to you/miss/offer a golden opportunity (like you said) including monster actions. You could set any of these up to be soft or hard moves depending on the fictional situation and how badly the dice rolls went. As a GM, when you do anything, you are almost always making moves. Hack and Slash is a bit of a special case where the player sets themselves up to be hit back if their dice roll isn’t so great, but that’s not the only time a monster attacks and it’s not necessarily always an attack that deals damage – It could be something that destroys their shield (use up their resources) or separates them from the rest of the group (Like on a miss, maybe a wraith pulls someone into the spirit realm for a one versus one. Not dealing damage, but still complicates things! (GM move: Separate them!))
But ALSO yes, you are correct that it’s a bit of short hand for some colour! I tend to look to Monster moves first when I get that golden opportunity in combat so I like setting up a few extra “attacks” they each could do. It’s all optional too, so if you decide the Wraiths would do something a bit different outside of the list when the golden opportunity arises it’s totally fair game to go for it!
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I feel like the Shale-Lix should only lose health when its core is attacked. Great example of a 16HP monster that can narratively wreak house and give the players a good chance to think creatively.