14 Mighty Medium Monsters of 5E D&D
Not too long ago I followed up a beefy post about the chonkiest bois in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons with 7 Small Scaries of 5E D&D. Ever a sucker for a series since there’s more size categories in the game I’m compelled to cover them all. In fact the post where this all began isn’t technically limited to the most mammoth creatures in 5E D&D at least where physical size is concerned. Eventually this series will grow into the gargantuan creatures but for now we’re only at the midpoint with Medium creatures. Let’s get into it.
Dissecting the 5E D&D Dragon Creature Type
Salutations, nerds! Today’s post focusing on a specific creature type in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons is interesting because with almost every other creature type there’s a little bit of fuzziness around the edges but pretty much everybody already shares some familiarity with a dragon. Take a second and picture a dragon. I know something came to mind whether it’s the long snakelike Eastern kind or the big ol’ firebreathing Western kind. Listen — dragons are cool in 5E D&D.
Dissecting the 5E D&D Construct Creature Type
Salutations, nerds! Like clockwork I’ve found my way to the construct creature type in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Whether it’s in terms of golems, modrons or anything else made instead of born I’m taking you up close and personal with some 5E D&D creatures probably made by an artificer or a wizard.
Dissecting the 5E D&D Celestial Creature Type
Salutations, nerds! It’s time for a look at celestials in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, by which I mean angels. Sort of. You’ll see what I mean when we start cracking into them but suffice it to say, another day another 5E D&D creature type.
7 Small Scaries of 5E D&D
A while back I wrote a beefy post about the chonkiest bois in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. As a follow up I looked at the deadliest Tiny 5E D&D creatures. For some reason or another the latter began showing up in the top posts over the last week or so and I thought perhaps folks might be curious about creatures who fall between the two extreme ends of the size spectrum in 5E D&D. The title for this post clues you into where I’m starting for a closer look at the monsters of more moderate size. Let’s get into it.
Dissecting the 5E D&D Beast Creature Type
Salutations, nerds! Are you ready to unleash the beast? Well, neither am I, but I am at least ready to unleash an examination of the beast creature type in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Beasts in 5E D&D are basically mundane animals. These are the kinds of creatures druids look to for their Wild Shape feature.
Terrorize 5E D&D Adventurers with the Hellmouth Hydra
I am a huge fan of hydras and dragons. They are very cool creatures that can be used in so many different ways and on so many different levels. With the release of Tiamat by WizKids I was thinking of how one might use this mini either as something other than the Queen of Evil Dragons or her direct agent. If I made a new (obviously less powerful) stat block it would give people a chance to use this gorgeous mini.
Dissecting the 5E D&D Aberration Creature Type
Salutations, nerds! I’m going to get a little bit eldritch and talk about the aberration creature type in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. What they do, what unifies this creature type, what they generally feel like. You know the drill. We’re also going to highlight five iconic aberrations, so make sure to stay tuned for the end of the article for that!
This Manual of Monsters Might Save Your D&D Adventurer’s Life
Ever faced a Dungeons & Dragons tarrasque and lived? Do you even know what a tarrasque is in the D&D multiverse? I can assure you for any character regardless of level a tarrasque is quite terrifying, as not many adventures live to tell the tale of this mighty beast. Not to mention many D&D adventurers consider a tarrasque the most deadly creature within D&D. Intense, right? The best I can describe this behemoth is Godzilla mixed with a spot of an armadillo and a dragon. There are high level adventuring groups whose end goal involves facing and defeating the creature. I can only imagine a treasure hoard of this monstrosity the size of a five story building!
Monsters & Creatures Offers a Perfect Entry Point for Budding D&D Adventurers
Have a young adventurer in your life? There is a set of Dungeons & Dragons guides specifically catered to younger readers. One of these is Monsters & Creatures: A Young Adventurer’s Guide by Jim Zub, Stacy King and Andrew Wheeler. This guide is part of an officially licensed D&D set called The Young Adventurer’s Collection. Monsters & Creatures is a total of 105 pages long and is fully illustrated in full color.
Balancing Monster Descriptions with World Knowledge in 5E D&D
There is a strange tradition in Dungeons & Dragons of withholding monster identities from players and their characters. This often takes the form of a somewhat tedious cat and mouse game of selective description that seems to serve no other purpose than to gaslight the players. While I recognize this is generally intended to instill a sense of in-world wonder and mystery I also have to wonder if it is really all that necessary or even realistic.
Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Reveals Big Secrets About 5E D&D’s Iconic Monsters
During a press briefing this week Wizards of the Coast I learned a ton of details about one of the three new fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons books slated for release in fall 2021 in particular. Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons dives deep into the lore of these mythical creatures. During the meeting Ray Winninger, executive producer in charge of the Dungeons & Dragons studio, asked what could be more important to 5E D&D than the creature who lends its name to the game itself. I’ve got the details on what to expect inside so let’s get into it.
Monsters of Ravenloft Inspires Compelling Antagonists and Adversaries from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
When it comes to the monsters lurking throughout the Domains of Dread the latest fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons book Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft offers not only 32 new creature stat blocks but also takes a good deal of space to provide guidance on how to make monsters more frightening and instill horror into adventures in the Mists. Let’s get into it.
Become a 5E D&D Master of Monsters
Our great friends from Kobold Press sent me an advance copy of their Kobold Guide to Monsters and I’m here to share the experience with you. Hot on the heels of… You know what? Kobold Press releases so many titles I’m not even sure what’s the most recent. I’ll go with Vault of Magic since our own Nerdarchist Ted contributed to the project. At any rate Kobold Guide to Monsters is set for June 8, 2021 release and features essays from 15 different creators and personalities about monster concepts, details and usage. Since they’ve built their reputation and library on content for Fifth Edition at this point in time these essays presumably focus on 5E Dungeons & Dragons, which of course is right in our own wheelhouse. Let’s get into it.
Getting More from 5E D&D Monsters — Kangoram
Kangorams make spirited mounts. These bipedal creatures reach heights over 10 feet tall and their powerful legs mimic the bounding gait of part of their namesake while thick skulls and curling horns belie the other half. A ridge of bony plates runs down their back to the tip of their tail, which they balance on to deliver powerful kicks. Druids who understand these unusual beasts know the way to train them as a powerful mount lies in steering them away from their forward focus to exert control. These beast monsters appear in Chimes of Discordia: Fantastical Mounts, one of the digital fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons products we create for Patreon supporters and later for Nerdarchy the Store. Here you’ll find expanded 5E D&D content inspired by these exotic beast creatures along with the stat block as it appears in the book ready to drop into your games.
