Limitless Monsters Kickstarter from Limitless Adventures Unleashes 100 D&D Monsters!
Do you like monsters? Of course you do. Whether you’re a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master on the lookout for exciting new creatures to challenge adventurers or a player whose character seeks fame, glory, gold and heroic deeds, monsters are one of the most amazing parts of the game.
Fortunately for you, there’s still time to head over to Kickstarter and back Limitless Monsters – the latest campaign from Limitless Adventures. (Campaign ends on Oct. 28). With two other successful Kickstarters to their credit already, this campaign is already funded with content written in advance to ensure delivery of high-quality material on time.
Top Ten D&D Monstrous Humanoids
The gift that keeps on giving! Nord Games’ Ultimate Bestiary: Revenge of the Horde inspired not one but TWO videos on the Nerdarchy YouTube channel, plus a review here on the website. And now its generating another post.
In the video above, Nerdarchists Dave and Ted and Nate the Nerdarch talk about their favorite monstrous humanoids in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. They each choose two, discuss the appeal and explore a bit why and how they’ve used them in games, either as player characters or as a Dungeon Master.
It’s worth noting that there is no official “monstrous humanoid” designation in D&D. There’s just straight-up humanoids. Many of them are most certainly monstrous though! Also, despite appearing in the Revenge of the Horde book, ogres and trolls are not humanoids – they’re giants. But in defense of the book, there is no claim made limiting the creature types to humanoids, simply “classic monstrous races.”
And minotaurs are monstrosities.
According to the current D&D Beyond monster database containing material up to and including Tales from the Yawning Portal, there are 231 humanoids in official D&D content. Many are individuals from various adventures and campaigns like Pharblex Spattergoo, an NPC from Hoard of the Dragon Queen. Aside from official sources, there’s plenty of third-party material like the Ultimate Bestiary.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #9 – Bandersnatched
[caption id="attachment_14716" align="alignright" width="219"] Night hag as seen in the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. [Art courtesy of Wizards of the Coast][/caption] Introduction In a previous encounter within Series 1 (Auntie Knows Best) there was mention of a Hag Eye. This device was being employed...
D&D 5E Spelljammer Makes the Most of Monsters
It’s been a few weeks since the last trip into the wildspace of Spelljammer for D&D 5E. My home game dabbled in a few one-shots and welcomed a new, first time Dungeon Master. Origins came and went, and several Nerdarchy projects kept me from sharing more insights into the exploits of a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Spelljammer campaign.
Then I saw this tweet from Mike Mearls the other day.
I know patience is difficult, but we really are looking at ways to bring all the settings back. Even Spelljammer! #WOTCstaff https://t.co/eKu48e5RjF
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) July 3, 2017
And the enthusiastic replies.
And a long list of other Spelljammer fans sharing affection for the setting.
And fan groups on Facebook, Google+ and more.
We’re out there, Wizards of the Coast! While I can’t speak for all of us, it’s encouraging to know the folks behind the game we love include all of our favorite aspects from its rich history in their grand vision. In time, I’m confident we’ll get our Dark Sun, Al-Qadim, Dragonlance and Eberron fixes in official capacities.
Nord Games unleashes Revenge of the Horde on your D&D game
Ultimate Bestiary: Revenge of the Horde from Nord Games offers an awesome resource for incorporating a variety of monstrous races into your fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons game. At nearly 200 pages, the book presents creature options for bugbears, gnolls, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, ogres, orcs and more. The book is available through Nord Games in PDF and hardcover options, for $15-45. In addition to the D&D version, there is a Pathfinder edition, too.
Nerdarchists Dave and Ted and Nate the Nerdarch backed the Kickstarter campaign, and you can watch their Nord Games-sponsored flip-through video above. In addition to the hardcover book, they received the reference deck, all five encounter builder decks and 258 pawns featuring the new creatures from the D&D book.
Pixelscapes gets psychedelic with D&D monster art
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpwEd5KoR-0&t=2736s Jen Gagne of Pixelscapes stopped by the Nerdarchy live chat with Nerdarchist Dave to talk psychedelic D&D monster art, drawing, sculpture and of course gaming. She’s an amazing artist, unafraid to be bold with her color selection, and she’s been gaming for a really long...
D&D grung and other monsters are people, too
Monsters as notable NPCs and player characters in D&D is something I’ve touched on in past columns, including last week’s exploration of the similarities between a TTRPG GM and a Swiss Army knife. Since then, I ran the “Grungle in the Jungle” adventure idea for my gaming group. Inspired by Stream of Annihilation’s One Grung Above from WotC Product Manager Christopher Lindsay this adventure puts the players in control of a band of grung from Volo’s Guide to Monsters.
Critter Compendium brings D&D monsters of the past into the present, with creative new creatures
Critter Compendium by Tobias Beis is a collection of monsters for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons, available now as a PDF through the Dungeon Masters Guild for $15. The hefty book presents a wide variety and number of creatures from earlier D&D editions converted to the current ruleset, along with original creations that includes artwork by the author. With 135 entries and appendices describing additional creatures and templates, Critter Compendium has enough creatures to populate several campaigns across the whole gamut of challenge ratings.
5th Edition Tome of Beasts – Aberrations
Hello again I am guess you can tell from the title that Nerdarchist Ted is here to talk more about the 
awesome monsters found in the Tome of Beasts. Last week I touched on the Devils in the book. You can check out that article here. Today we are going to look at some of the Aberrations that can be found within its pages.
Aberrations are creatures from beyond. They are nor of this world and are the things of nightmares. This time Kobold Press brings you 20, if my count is right, new aberrations for use in your 5th edition game. I can assure you that with this spread you get challenge ratings as low as 1/4 with the map mimic and as high as 19 with the Shoggoth
The Map Mimic is cool because it allows dms to use those nasty surprise creatures at the earliest levels. And who does not want to have them find a map that leads to another mimic? Think of all the fun you 
can do with such a thing.
Shoggoth, I believe is right out of Cthulian Horrors. With a challenge rating of 19 I would imagine it would be so. This is the type of monster that could have a campaign leading up to it as the major adversary. And since the tome of beasts gives you so many more options you have enough aberrations to make that type of game happen
The Arboreal Grappler is an awesome Ape with limbs that are at least 10 foot long. Encounter this guy on the plains and you are all set, but meet this guy in the jungle with heavy tree cover and they might just pull you up into their world and let you fall to your death.
5th Edition Tome of Beasts – Arch Devils and Devils
Last week I delved into the Tome of Beats and the Rulers of the Fey Court. You can check out that 
Article here. This week I have torn through the devils and lets see what we get.
Not only does Tome of Beast give us some new lower tier Devils to play with but some Upper tier Arch Devils that can be a source for an entire campaign arc. If you have not pre-ordered you own copy you can do so here.
We get 4 new Arch Devils to inspire us in new ways. Kobold press did an excellent job of creating foes with goals and agendas. They also added a new format of damage requiring weapons to be silvered to damage certain foes.
Arbeyach is the first Arch Devil we get to explore and he is literally made of a swarm of insects. His greatest weapons is to cause people to be poisoned and he removes resistance and immunities from those close to him. Be warned. Though his power wains through inaction he has many that serve him.
Ia’Affrat is actually the offspring of Arbeyach. While his father is a swarm of insects, he is a swarm of fire. He is composed of tiny elementals. So removed from flesh and blood he is immune to weapon damage of any kind. Do not get into a fight with him unless you are prepared.
5th Edition Tome of Beasts – Fey Lords and Ladies
last week we delved into the Tome of Beasts and touched on the Dragons. Today we are going to talk 
about the Fey Lords and Ladies. This is from the Tome of Beasts that is coming out for 5th Edition. You can pre-order your own copy here. It is expected to be released on September 13th.
They divide the fey lords and ladies up into regions and tell you the power and political side of things. if you wanted to run a game dealing with them there is the structure set up already. Each of these mighty beings has the ability to alter the land around around them coming in with legendary actions, lair actions and regional effects. These beings are not toppled easily and unless you have a DM set things up poorly or you set up machinations correctly you are never going to encounter them alone.
The mythological Cold Iron comes back into play with these might Fey Lords and Ladies. There has been no previous mention, I am familiar with. There is a side bar for how to obtain them in the game but crafter beware. These beings are powerful and live a long time. They might kill you just for making them. The reason cold iron is a thing as these mighty beings can’t be harmed with weapons that are not made of the stuff. Only 2 of the Fey lords and Ladies are able to be hurt with just regular magic weapons. The rest require you to have Cold Iron Weapons.
5th Edition Tome of Beasts – Dragons
Every Dungeon Master loves access to new monsters. And what Dungeon Master does not like using Dragons. With the Open Gaming License we are starting to see 3rd party publishers getting hardbound products out as options to, well give us more options.
Kobold Press has released a new product out for Pre-order. You can preorder your copy here. We did a review on Daves copy that he got early because he backed the kickstarter.
I was sad when I found out that missed getting my own early copy. When we looked at the pdf we were not disappointed. There are so many awesome monsters in this book as well as some new beasts and NPCs to easily add into your game.
Today I am just going to talk about the Dragons that are in this book. Next week I will touch on some 
other monster groups. I will keep this series going until the book is released.
In this book you get 6 new Dragon types for your 5th edition game. Kobold Press does not give you any carbon copy of dragons that exist in your 5th edition monster manual but 6 new whole cloth creations that stand out as unique.
Almost all of the dragons have 4 separate stat blocks for the 4 age categories of Dragons: ancient, adult, young and wyrmling. I make my notes below
The cave dragon is a fierce beast that constantly needs to eat. It lives underground where its sensitivity to sunlight keeps it safe. But sadly living underground is not a place abundant with food. It is not mindless and is a true dragon. I compare this one with a white dragon with lower stats and its desire for food out weighs its desire for any coin. Sorry adventurers if you are looking to slay a dragon
In gaming as in literature, the villains make the heroes
Can you name this villain? Here’s a hint: He’s a certain Canadian mounty’s worst nightmare.
What is a hero without a villain? Not much, I’d say. Oh, a character can still be the main actor of a tale, the protagonist of a story, but without that villain, the hero can’t really be heroic.
Some might argue there are tales of heroes without a villain, such as survival stories in which the hero bests the elements to save the day, or maybe a romantic tale in which there is only a misunderstanding between love interests though eventually one or both of them proves their heroism by overcoming that misunderstanding. To that I say the villain is still there, but is not so readily seen. In the survival story, the elements themselves can be the villain. In the love story, if there is not an out-and-out villain, the misunderstanding that brings about conflict can be the villain. Sometimes the villain is the hero’s own inner struggle.
Ecology of the Abizder – Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Monster Mash Up
Hello out there in Nerdarchy Land. Last week Dave talked you about Rest and random encounters. You can check that out here. Today I am going to get down and dirty, with our fast and dirty monsters.
Let me present the ecology of the Abizder.
Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Monster Mash Up
Ecology of the Blitzorn – Fast and Dirty Monsters – 5th Edition
The Blitzorn, sorry Dave you spelled it wrong in the video below, is the primal hunter on the para-elemental planes. Agrar the hunter claims the Blitzorn is what would happen if a tiger mated with a thunderstorm. A beast as large as a mighty tiger but made entirely out of a thunder cloud. So let me present you this monster for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.
Fast and Dirty Monsters – D&D 5th Edition
The markings that you would see on a tiger are made of actual lightning arcing through the cloud that is their being. These creatures though native to the elemental plane of lightning at time a storm draws energy from the elemental plane an it can draw these creatures from their home to hunt and stalk here on the prime.
