Author Topic: Tome of Beasts - Not the ToB you're expecting  (Read 1640 times)

Offline TenaciousJ

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Tome of Beasts - Not the ToB you're expecting
« on: September 30, 2016, 11:43:59 AM »
I bought and have been using the Tome of Beasts by Kobold Press since my local store stocked it.  I still have not looked at everything in it yet and simply stuck to checking the monsters by CR index in the back when I'm trying to build encounters.  There's a general trend of monsters applying much nastier effects than anything in the Monster Manual, including ability score damage.

The CR 10 Salt Golem has a multiattack slam that can apply a level of exhaustion on each hit.

The CR 11 Abominable Beauty has a permanent blind and a permanent deafen on a recharge.

The CR 12 Flutterflesh can remove a PC's limb on a critical hit.

A CR 24 Ancient Void Dragon hits everything in a mile radius for 30d10 damage when it dies.  The younger stages of Void Dragon don't have that, but they all have a gravity breath that affects a large area along with a mixed fire/radiant breath and aura of madness that has an augmented function beyond the usual fear aura that dragons have, and one of their legendary actions is to retrieve an item from the dragon's hoard.

Mammon is a fun arch-devil at CR 25 just from a flavor stand point.  I might find some way to slide him into my current campaign when it gets to higher level (currently at 12) to see how he shakes out.

Now for player stuff: This book has a lot of fey in it.  Conjure Fey gets a lot better if this book is allowed.

The CR 6 Mirror Hag has an actionless gaze attack that stuns if creatures don't avert their eyes and has detect thoughts, dispel magic, lightning bolt, locate creature, stinking cloud, and teleport once per day.  It also has disguise self, 2nd level inflict wounds, and ray of enfeeblement at will and a bite attack that does 4d8 damage or 8d8 damage against a stunned target, and a curse that deals Charisma damage.  All this comes on a fairly respectable chassis with enough HP that it won't die to a stiff breeze and advantage on saving throws vs. magic.

The CR 5 Sand Hag has at-will invisibility and limited use hallucinatory terrain and mirror image.  It has a multiattack with claws that can inflict levels of exhaustion and a rechargeable line or cone attack that can apply blindness.

A level 7 Conjure Fey can get the CR 7 Red Hag which seems to come with a full compliment of level 8 druid spellcasting and a multiround necrotic damage aura on a recharge.  It even has conjure animals, so your conjured creature can conjure some creatures.

Conjure Celestial also gets a boost with the CR 4 Firebird.  It's a small celestial with a 100 ft. flying speed and 60 ft. truesight that has guidance at-will, and a respectable spell list: 3/day charm person, 2nd level cure wounds, daylight, faerie fire, heat metal, hypnotic pattern, and tongues and 1/day geas, heal, and reincarnate.  It also has a rechargeable line attack that deals 7d6 fire damage and can blind.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2016, 01:54:40 PM by TenaciousJ »
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