Monster concept suggestions?

[regal heart]

I have time to write again! Writing a high-level (~15th+) adventure for publication (nominally 5e but may be published for multiple rules sets), and part of that is a chapter of 50+ new monsters. Most of these are conversions or adaptations of older edition D&D, but several are new.

I want to make sure these new ideas are as clear and interesting as possible, so I've compiled a one-pager summary of my new monster ideas – trying to capture the essential bit of narrative & mechanics. Any feedback or questions is welcome! 🙂 Make these monsters earn their salt!

[mighty olive]

I love most of these

they're really unique and unlike most dnd monsters which are "just bonk it really hard while trying to not get bonked back"
Most of these have interesting mechanics

the tyrant in shadow one feels really hard locked into whatever the campaign your doing is but it'll probably be easy to use for other campaigns

maybe the manticore spellsinger can merge spells together?

like make some custom attacks for it which are just a combination of spells

maybe power word kill with charm person

[regal heart]

Thanks! Oh, that's a fun idea. Wait, charm person and power word kill going together? Isn't that mutually exclusive?

[mighty olive]

it's homebrew that doesn't matter

[regal heart]

Indeed! I meant conceptually. How can I charm you if you're dead?

[mighty olive]

no no here's the thing

if they're charmed they can't resist power word kill can they?

[regal heart]

hah, uh... talking 5e power word kill doesn't work that way... but I get what you're saying

[mighty olive]

oh Come now 5e is famous for having loose rules do we really need to be picky about this one 😂 ?

but yeah this is just an example of so many other combinations

like dark blast and fireball since clearly fire and dark magic are a big theme here

[regal heart]

Gotcha, that's a great suggestion! Here's the current manticore writeup

[mighty olive]

here's another interesting idea

maybe once a spellcasters kills one of those they have a short period of time where they can try to acquire one of the manticore's spells?

[regal heart]

oh that's fun! "eat the liver, quick, that's where its magic is!" hah

[mighty olive]

lol

ok sooo are cinder haunts able to reproduce or are they made strictly from corpses

because while this may be a stretch it may be worth looking into

which is that armor they leave behind after entering new armor either has some sort of virus that one a new creature wears it it starts getting turned into a cinder haunt

or they can essentially grow/get made from the old armor they leave behind

[regal heart]

I like the idea of some kind of corruption lingering around armor discarded by a Cinderhaunt. I'll think on that.

Cinderhaunts don't reproduce or "spawn" like how wraiths create specters.The cult sends initiaties to the Plane of Fire in a rite of passage. However, those who sought to cheat or trick their way past the tests are consumed by flames - these souls may arise as Cinderhaunts if their hearts burn with an unfulfilled yearning. The Cinder Wastes (Plane of Ash) are filled with Cinderhaunts wandering ruins of forgotten civilizations.

But they do inflict a disease called Ashwrack which eventually petrifies victims as ashen statues...which the Cinderhaunt then animates (while the petrified creature is still dying).