From 85dc6bad996b083d68410f43a8ccf5f3ecb363e6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: default Date: Wed, 27 May 2026 05:25:59 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Final draftish --- content/posts/dnd-monsters/index.md | 86 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 85 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/content/posts/dnd-monsters/index.md b/content/posts/dnd-monsters/index.md index bcfe1dd..9fc2676 100644 --- a/content/posts/dnd-monsters/index.md +++ b/content/posts/dnd-monsters/index.md @@ -15,8 +15,92 @@ breakLines=false "Can I roll to attack the barrel?" — Random player {{< /typeit >}} -How does a dragon run DnD? Have you ever wondered how to build and come up with creatures on the fly? +How does a dragon run **DnD**? Have you ever wondered how to build and come up with creatures on the fly? I'll outline some of my tips and tricks below on how I run completely random encounters based on the situation and players. ## Coming up with a monster + +There are lots of beasties available via the **Monster Manual** and a pleathora of other sources including homebrew and third party monsters. **So why bother**? + +**I'm an insane person.** + +Anyways, I always like the personal touch of bringing creatures players have not seen before. Meta-gamer's cant take advantage of their *out-of-character* knowledge about monster stats, and players get a unique experience. That still leaves the question, **how do you make a monster?** + +### Read the situation + +One of the main keys is to **read the situation**, literally. If players are in a tavern, what kind of things could they end up fighting in a tavern? How about in a forest? It doesn't have to be something crazy, nor does it not have to be something crazy. Some monsters I make up I really let go wild. + +For example, one such monster was a fungus monster that had one attack, eat. The players were in a forest with a bunch of mushrooms, Ureka!, let's have them fight a fungus. + +I also like to take inspiration from media and even existing monsters, watching too much **Gravity Falls**? Add some chaotic demon for the players to fight. Need an interesting city showdown? Why not pull in a sharp shootin outsider wearing all black. + +Of course, keep in mind whether you care about **consistency in your world**. Some things make less sense than others. But let your creativity soar. + +## Running a homebrew monster + +One of the tricks to homebrew monsters is how I run combat. I find combat in **DnD** specifically quite tedious, so doin the least amount of math and rolling works out best for me. + +### Gauging difficulty + +There are a few ways to quickly gauge a monster's difficulty. + +- The Monster's AC, *how hard they are to hurt* +- The Monster's Attacks, *how hard they hit back* +- The Monster's HP, *how long they can fight* +- The Amount of Monsters, *how overwhelmed players will feel* + +The first thing I usually decide is how hard do I want this fight. + +This unfortunately usually takes a little feel for the game. I start by figuring out how I want to direct combat. Some key things to keep in mind for directing combat would be, **Is this a Boss fight? Are the players going to be fighting a large group of enemies or just one?** How you construct your encounter will greatly impact how you have to manage monster difficulty. + +For instance, if you want to run a **Boss Battle**, you need to consider some key things: if there are lots of players, you will want to give your monster some **[Legendary Actions](https://arcaneeye.com/mechanic-overview/legendary-actions-5e/)** or give them some **Minions**. You will also need to consider how tough the boss is or how powerful are his attacks? + +If instead you want a scuffle in the woods with bandits, consider the amount of bandits and how hard they should be to kill, **which leads me to my next trick...** + +### Deciding the AC and the HP + +**Armor Class** is essential to certain combats, it makes a difficult monster truly difficult. But I also try to make sure it makes sense, if a **Monster is a big fleshy beast** the size of a barn, it probably **will not have that great of an AC**. + +Conversely, **Health Points** are the ying to the yang of **AC**. They truely make the fight either shorter or longer. Every monster stat block will have the **Dice roll** for **HP** such as `2d8+20 (29)` which is helpful in drafting up random health. I personally don't like that approach and instead I usually measure a fight in a **"How many times can this enemy be hit?"** approach. + +If it is a weak enemy like an enemy raider, perhaps he will have an **AC of `14`** with his default armor, and perhaps **he can take about 2 hits**. + +I usually only track HP for enemies as a show for players, sometimes I actually roll out the **HP**, but it honestly takes gauging the feel. Sometimes it is necessary, like for a boss, other times it is unnecessary, for instance a swarm of bats. + +### How much damage should my monster do? + +Do NOT go nuts with damage. If your average **player has `30` HP**, your monster's attacks generally should not do **more than `60-80%`** of the average player's health. We generally want to have a fun and engaging fight, not to **[TPK](https://blackcitadelrpg.com/dnd-acronym-list/)** the party. + +For instance, I like to scale my damage off of existing weapons, or using a [dice calculator](https://dice.clockworkmod.com). + +| Device | Damage Dice | Average Damage | +|------------|-------------|----------------| +| Flail | 1d8 + mod | 4.5 + mod | +| Glaive | 1d10 + mod | 5.5 + mod | +| Greataxe | 1d12 + mod | 6.5 + mod | +| Greatsword | 2d6 + mod | 7 + mod | + +I also use existing monster features a lot, if your monster only does an average of `8` damage a hit, but you need twice that, have your monster get **Multiattack** for instance on the [brown bear statblock](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/16816-brown-bear). + +Back to my previous example with the **Giant Fungus** the attack and method for which players ean escape was heavily inspired by the **[purple worm](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/16987-purple-worm)**, I however nerfed a few requirements, dropping the `30` to `16`, and the damage to `3d6`. + +### The tiresome fight + +The final thing I try to avoid, is a **tiresome fight**. + +What I mean by that is **when combat gets too drawn out, it needs to end**. A thrilling combat should not devolve into **play fighting with foam swords**. + +If your enemy is **not doing enough damage**, perhaps he had some **friends lurking nearby**. If the enemy is too hard to fight, perhaps **every hit now counts for two hits or double damage**. + +## Why do we do what we do + +**We do it for the players.** + +While it is fun to dream up horrific monsters that players have to fight and have no chance winning against, we want everyone to have fun. **Your monsters should be a challenge**, but they should not be a death sentence. + +We want to tell a story and we want to give the players something memorable that keeps bringing them back. + +Of course, this is not the only way to create your own monsters, heck, you don't even need to run combat the way I do, my hope is that perhaps my words will inspire your future games. + +Happy rolling!