Need an adventure? Here’s a FREE 11th level encounter based on The Krause, by Aaron Miller. Written by Inti Navia and Ivo Hoying. FREE PDF ATTACHED BELOW!
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at: https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aaronbmiller/primal-encounters-5e
Primal Encounters is a book by Aaron Miller that will provide you with a wealth of beast storyline starters, designed to lead your players on a series of challenges, quests, and plot hooks tied to the common wild animals of your settings.
It’s a given that players enjoy slaying terror-inspiring monsters and battling antiheroes of ill repute. Still, these dangerous settings of epic plotlines are also filled with smaller adventures and side quests that can be just as impactful to the player’s gaming experience.
Primal Encounters is also a companion book to our Skwirl’s Primal Menagerie: 100 Beasts Card Set. Our core set of cards provides Game Masters with stats for one hundred different creatures, from CR 0 to CR 2. This companion book to our card set is designed to help the Game Master integrate these creatures into their campaigns in exciting and often unexpected ways.
Consider clicking the link above to donate to our kickstarter! We can’t wait to unleash a menagerie of beastly challenges upon your table…
“The ice comes every winter. Every year. And with it, some beings better off melted in summer breezes.” Hermit by the side of the road.
With the weather getting colder, we knew that a winter-themed zine was right around the corner. After a little brainstorming, and repurposing from past games, we ended up with Domhnell Frostbeak, a conniving screechling who’s sure to put players on ice!
Domhnell’s defensive profile is nothing to scoff at, starting with his Fly speed, courtesy of his screeching capabilities. This allows Domhnell to keep his distance from particularly dangerous foes, so his 17 AC doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to damage avoidance. Domhnell’s Legendary Resistance trait allows him to turn a saving throw failure into a success twice per day, giving him an answer to the many combat-altering abilities players have access to.
131 Hit Points might not seem too high for 7th-level characters, but Domhnell’s Ice Armor trait is sure to keep him in the fight, causing Domhnell to regain 20 Hit Points every turn if he has at least 1. He’ll keep regenerating until his Snow Constructor has been destroyed, at which point this trait won’t function.
Domhnell’s no slouch on the offensive end either, letting off two Ice Spike attacks per turn, dealing 16 Cold damage with each attack on average. He can make these attacks at range or in melee, letting Domhnell pepper enemies while in flight or go toe-to-toe if players manage to keep him grounded.
Encasing Ice is Domhnell’s show stopper, a 40-foot cone of ice and snow dealing 24 Cold damage on average and giving targets the Restrained condition. Those who fail can repeat the save at the end of their next turn, but a second failure doesn’t mean continuing the Restrained condition, but the Paralyzed condition instead, as targets are fully encased in ice. If a creature with the Paralyzed condition takes 10 or more Fire damage, this condition ends.
Domhnell’s Legendary Actions are pretty varied, each meant to be used in different ways. Frigid Flug lets Domhnell make another Ice Spike attack, while Frost Burn deals a little Fire damage to a target and halves their speed until the end of their next turn, helping to keep threatening characters at bay. His last Legendary Action, Hardened Hoarfrost, is defensive in nature, giving Domhnell Resistance to all damage types except Poison, Psychic, and Thunder until the end of the next turn in Initiative. This helps Domhnell to stick around on the battlefield longer, giving him more time to soften up enemies and freeze them solid, statuesque symbols of the screeching’s might!
It was a fun challenge creating abilities that fit with Domhnell’s wintery aesthetic, and we hope you can enjoy running Domhnell Frostbeak in your games!
By Ivo Hoying
Epigraph by Inti Navia
“No one knows where the Punk’kin came from. Oh, from the depths of the blackened cornucopia, to be sure, but from what power?” The Croaker trailed off, then shrieked as a small snake slithered past his foot. Thumbleberry Thunkin, reporter– “Investigating the Lilybrooke Reports”.
Nothing fits better for a fall-themed zine than a pumpkin monster, and what better than a singing, sentient pumpkin based on Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas, intent on turning would-be feasters into the true fall feast? Thus, the Punk’kin was born.
Sporting 67 Hit Points and 14 AC, the Punk’kin is sure to stick around for a bit in combat against 2nd-level characters (the level recommended for his debut zine). His defensive capabilities don’t end there, as his Sinister Song trait will sow discord as long as the Punk’kin stays up. Characters ending their turn within 15 feet of him better succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or subtract 1d4 from all D20 tests until the end of their next turn, which can make a huge difference at low levels. One success is all it takes for a character to be immune to the Punk’kin’s Trait for 1 hour; they just better hope that success comes before they become another part of the menu!
He isn’t all just defense, though, as the Punk’kin wields two attacks sure to cause mayhem for players. First is his Devious Ladle, which is a fairly standard melee attack with a little extra range that deals 8 Bludgeoning damage on average. The Punk’kin can also unleash Baleful Onomatopeia, a ranged attack that deals 6 Thunder damage on average. He can do both of these attacks in a single round, allowing for assaults on players both nearby and far away.
To make things even more dangerous, the Punk’kin can break out Rolling Devastation, allowing him to move up to his speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks. Any Medium or smaller creature’s space he moves through has to succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take a hefty average of 16 Bludgeoning damage and have the Prone condition. He recharges this ability with a 5 or 6, so players better hope he rolls low, or he’ll roll all over them!
I had a great time designing the Punk’kin and hope you have an even better time running him!
By Ivo Hoying
Epigraph by Inti Navia
Using the magical art from Aaron Miller, Goodberry Press is proud to present One-Page Wonders. If you need a quick encounter to play with your friends, you’ve come to the right place. So light your torches, draw your blades, and watch your backs, because you’re about to face the nefarious Frog Lizard…
This short encounter is intended for characters of 2nd level, and is set within the cobblestone streets of the city of Watershine. An eccentric entrepreneur by the name of Welsley Raventree has made his name a staple amongst the populace, for dramatically expanding the business of his family’s merchant empire. Now the richest man in Watershine, he has become known for staying secluded in his grand manor. Welsley has even dismissed all of his servants, preferring utter seclusion. His younger sister, Remulia Raventree, has hired you to perform a wellness check on the eccentric aristocrat.
Though his manor, located at the heart of Watershine, is indeed large, an obvious trail of destruction will lead any who enter straight through his halls and rooms. Tears in the carpet and tapestries, scratches on the walls, knocked over shelves, even stained blood litter the house, leading to Welsley’s indoor arboretum. Welsley himself is pacing back and forth in front of the arboretum entrance. He has grown fond of collecting strange flora and fauna, but this particular creature has gotten the best of him. He will explain that his imported Frog Lizard got free of its cage, and has taken over the arboretum. He will begrudgingly offer any who can safely capture it a 200 gp reward.
The arboretum is 80 feet wide and 100 feet long, with a 50 foot ceiling. Dense trees and foliage make the whole room an indoor jungle. A circular pond 20 feet across resides in the center. The Frog Lizard will stalk any who enter, picking a random target to try and ambush first. A successful DC 12 Investigation check will reveal the creature’s whereabouts. This creature is from a faraway land, and it is very, very angry…
By Inti Navia
Stat Block by Ivo Hoying
Using the magical art from Aaron Miller, Goodberry Press is proud to present One-Page Wonders. If you need a quick encounter to play with your friends, you’ve come to the right place. So light your torches, draw your blades, and watch your backs, because you’re about to face the nefarious Frog Lizard…
This short encounter is intended for characters of 2nd level, and is set within the cobblestone streets of the city of Watershine. An eccentric entrepreneur by the name of Welsley Raventree has made his name a staple amongst the populace, for dramatically expanding the business of his family’s merchant empire. Now the richest man in Watershine, he has become known for staying secluded in his grand manor. Welsley has even dismissed all of his servants, preferring utter seclusion. His younger sister, Remulia Raventree, has hired you to perform a wellness check on the eccentric aristocrat.
Though his manor, located at the heart of Watershine, is indeed large, an obvious trail of destruction will lead any who enter straight through his halls and rooms. Tears in the carpet and tapestries, scratches on the walls, knocked over shelves, even stained blood litter the house, leading to Welsley’s indoor arboretum. Welsley himself is pacing back and forth in front of the arboretum entrance. He has grown fond of collecting strange flora and fauna, but this particular creature has gotten the best of him. He will explain that his imported Frog Lizard got free of its cage, and has taken over the arboretum. He will begrudgingly offer any who can safely capture it a 200 gp reward.
The arboretum is 80 feet wide and 100 feet long, with a 50 foot ceiling. Dense trees and foliage make the whole room an indoor jungle. A circular pond 20 feet across resides in the center. The Frog Lizard will stalk any who enter, picking a random target to try and ambush first. A successful DC 12 Investigation check will reveal the creature’s whereabouts. This creature is from a faraway land, and it is very, very angry…
By Inti Navia
Stat Block by Ivo Hoying
“The clouds parted, and I beheld the eyes staring into my oblivion. Hundreds of black, oozing eyes, covering the creature like parasites feasting on a carrion corpse. From the hovering body emerged Them– the people from the sky. As they floated down to the dirt and tainted earth, I heard my mouth begin to scream.”
When thinking of monsters that could fit a Halloween, campfire story-themed zine, one of the first things that came to mind was aliens. Specifically, UFOs. While there are certainly alien-like creatures in 5e, there weren’t any that seemed to scratch our itch. Thus, the Elseworlders were born.
The grunts of the Elseworlders are the groundlings, the grey aliens of Campfire Combat. On their own, the groundlings don’t seem like much of a challenge for the recommended level 11, but their difficulty skyrockets in groups. First, a Fly speed makes them hard to catch for martial characters, allowing the groundling to make use of its two offensive abilities. The simpler of the two, Mindblast, is the standard attack for the groundling, effective both up close and at range. The attack’s damage reflects the resistances and immunities of the Elseworlders, dealing a combination of Psychich and Cold for 17 damage total, on average. Shooting out two of these blasts a turn ensures the groundlings can’t just be ignored. Hijack Functions is where the true danger of the groundlings arises, allowing them to paralyze targets for up to 1 minute. Don’t be too scared, though, as one successful save renders this ability useless on the target for all groundlings for 1 hour.
The groundlings may seem pesky, but the real hitter of the Elseworlders is the terraprowler, a living UFO. The terraprowler takes a lot of inspiration from Jean Jacket from Jordan Peele’s Nope. This living aircraft isn’t just for the groundlings to get around; the terraprowler is the leader of the groundlings, consuming all it can. First off, the terraprowler is beefy. 232 hit points, type of beefy. And pairing that with a 16 AC and 50-foot flying speed, the terraprowler doesn’t just absorb a lot of damage, it avoids a lot too. Legendary Resistance protects against nasty spells and effects, making sure players can’t get around this beast too easily.
The terraprowler isn’t suffering offensively too much either, starting with its main attack, Numbing Tentacle. First off, the range. 100 feet combined with a high flying speed means the terraprowler can strike from just about anywhere, delivering 18 points of damage on average and reducing speed by 10. The prowler can do this 3 times around, leading to not just damage, but potentially immobilizing slower targets altogether. That’s the last thing you’d want, as Abduct is the terraprowler’s next move. Targeting creatures directly below it, the terraprowler sucks creatures up over two turns, restraining them in the process. Once abducted, creatures don’t have much time until the terraprowler consumes them, 28 damage on average at the end of the terraprowler’s turns. Up to 3 creatures can be abducted at a time, although dealing damage to the UFO while inside it causes the terraprowler to release them.
Legendary Actions only streamline consumption, as Groping Tendrils allows for a Numbing Tentacle attack at the end of another creature’s turn. Must Have Been the Wind lets the terraprowler turn Invisible and move, meaning not only can it hide, but creep that much closer to its targets.
Hopefully, you can pair the Groundling’s Paralysis and ranged assault with the Terraprowler’s Abduct to totally terrify your players this Halloween!
By Ivo Hoying
Epigraph by Inti Navia
“The clouds parted, and I beheld the eyes staring into my oblivion. Hundreds of black, oozing eyes, covering the creature like parasites feasting on a carrion corpse. From the hovering body emerged Them– the people from the sky. As they floated down to the dirt and tainted earth, I heard my mouth begin to scream.”
When thinking of monsters that could fit a Halloween, campfire story-themed zine, one of the first things that came to mind was aliens. Specifically, UFOs. While there are certainly alien-like creatures in 5e, there weren’t any that seemed to scratch our itch. Thus, the Elseworlders were born.
The grunts of the Elseworlders are the groundlings, the grey aliens of Campfire Combat. On their own, the groundlings don’t seem like much of a challenge for the recommended level 11, but their difficulty skyrockets in groups. First, a Fly speed makes them hard to catch for martial characters, allowing the groundling to make use of its two offensive abilities. The simpler of the two, Mindblast, is the standard attack for the groundling, effective both up close and at range. The attack’s damage reflects the resistances and immunities of the Elseworlders, dealing a combination of Psychich and Cold for 17 damage total, on average. Shooting out two of these blasts a turn ensures the groundlings can’t just be ignored. Hijack Functions is where the true danger of the groundlings arises, allowing them to paralyze targets for up to 1 minute. Don’t be too scared, though, as one successful save renders this ability useless on the target for all groundlings for 1 hour.
The groundlings may seem pesky, but the real hitter of the Elseworlders is the terraprowler, a living UFO. The terraprowler takes a lot of inspiration from Jean Jacket from Jordan Peele’s Nope. This living aircraft isn’t just for the groundlings to get around; the terraprowler is the leader of the groundlings, consuming all it can. First off, the terraprowler is beefy. 232 hit points, type of beefy. And pairing that with a 16 AC and 50-foot flying speed, the terraprowler doesn’t just absorb a lot of damage, it avoids a lot too. Legendary Resistance protects against nasty spells and effects, making sure players can’t get around this beast too easily.
The terraprowler isn’t suffering offensively too much either, starting with its main attack, Numbing Tentacle. First off, the range. 100 feet combined with a high flying speed means the terraprowler can strike from just about anywhere, delivering 18 points of damage on average and reducing speed by 10. The prowler can do this 3 times around, leading to not just damage, but potentially immobilizing slower targets altogether. That’s the last thing you’d want, as Abduct is the terraprowler’s next move. Targeting creatures directly below it, the terraprowler sucks creatures up over two turns, restraining them in the process. Once abducted, creatures don’t have much time until the terraprowler consumes them, 28 damage on average at the end of the terraprowler’s turns. Up to 3 creatures can be abducted at a time, although dealing damage to the UFO while inside it causes the terraprowler to release them.
Legendary Actions only streamline consumption, as Groping Tendrils allows for a Numbing Tentacle attack at the end of another creature’s turn. Must Have Been the Wind lets the terraprowler turn Invisible and move, meaning not only can it hide, but creep that much closer to its targets.
Hopefully, you can pair the Groundling’s Paralysis and ranged assault with the Terraprowler’s Abduct to totally terrify your players this Halloween!
By Ivo Hoying
Epigraph by Inti Navia
“The clouds parted, and I beheld the eyes staring into my oblivion. Hundreds of black, oozing eyes, covering the creature like parasites feasting on a carrion corpse. From the hovering body emerged Them– the people from the sky. As they floated down to the dirt and tainted earth, I heard my mouth begin to scream.”
When thinking of monsters that could fit a Halloween, campfire story-themed zine, one of the first things that came to mind was aliens. Specifically, UFOs. While there are certainly alien-like creatures in 5e, there weren’t any that seemed to scratch our itch. Thus, the Elseworlders were born.
The grunts of the Elseworlders are the groundlings, the grey aliens of Campfire Combat. On their own, the groundlings don’t seem like much of a challenge for the recommended level 11, but their difficulty skyrockets in groups. First, a Fly speed makes them hard to catch for martial characters, allowing the groundling to make use of its two offensive abilities. The simpler of the two, Mindblast, is the standard attack for the groundling, effective both up close and at range. The attack’s damage reflects the resistances and immunities of the Elseworlders, dealing a combination of Psychich and Cold for 17 damage total, on average. Shooting out two of these blasts a turn ensures the groundlings can’t just be ignored. Hijack Functions is where the true danger of the groundlings arises, allowing them to paralyze targets for up to 1 minute. Don’t be too scared, though, as one successful save renders this ability useless on the target for all groundlings for 1 hour.
The groundlings may seem pesky, but the real hitter of the Elseworlders is the terraprowler, a living UFO. The terraprowler takes a lot of inspiration from Jean Jacket from Jordan Peele’s Nope. This living aircraft isn’t just for the groundlings to get around; the terraprowler is the leader of the groundlings, consuming all it can. First off, the terraprowler is beefy. 232 hit points, type of beefy. And pairing that with a 16 AC and 50-foot flying speed, the terraprowler doesn’t just absorb a lot of damage, it avoids a lot too. Legendary Resistance protects against nasty spells and effects, making sure players can’t get around this beast too easily.
The terraprowler isn’t suffering offensively too much either, starting with its main attack, Numbing Tentacle. First off, the range. 100 feet combined with a high flying speed means the terraprowler can strike from just about anywhere, delivering 18 points of damage on average and reducing speed by 10. The prowler can do this 3 times around, leading to not just damage, but potentially immobilizing slower targets altogether. That’s the last thing you’d want, as Abduct is the terraprowler’s next move. Targeting creatures directly below it, the terraprowler sucks creatures up over two turns, restraining them in the process. Once abducted, creatures don’t have much time until the terraprowler consumes them, 28 damage on average at the end of the terraprowler’s turns. Up to 3 creatures can be abducted at a time, although dealing damage to the UFO while inside it causes the terraprowler to release them.
Legendary Actions only streamline consumption, as Groping Tendrils allows for a Numbing Tentacle attack at the end of another creature’s turn. Must Have Been the Wind lets the terraprowler turn Invisible and move, meaning not only can it hide, but creep that much closer to its targets.
Hopefully, you can pair the Groundling’s Paralysis and ranged assault with the Terraprowler’s Abduct to totally terrify your players this Halloween!
By Ivo Hoying
Epigraph by Inti Navia
Launching in November is Primal Encounters, a book with over 400 beast encounters! Building off of Skwirl’s Wildshape Cards, this book gives you even MORE reason to use them! Click the link here to learn more about the Kickstarter, and show the team at Goodberry Press and beyond some support!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aaronbmiller/primal-encounters-5e
