u/durstann

The briar lich is the result of a pyrrhic victory. When a corrupting blight overtook an ancient elven forest, a band of adventurers was called upon to defeat it. Led by Sister Maelis and aided by the Archon which attended her, they fought to the source of the corruption. At its heart, they discovered that destroying it outright would decimate the forest and the villages that lay within. Desperate for a solution, the party betrayed their cleric's celestial ally. Sister Maelis, used her divine magics to bind the archon's soul to the core of the scourge, cutting it off from its extra-planar source. The unexpected result was neither undead nor celestial, but a terrible amalgamation. A monstrosity in which divine power and corruption are locked in eternal conflict. Exhausted from their fight with the blight's creations, the adventuring party was in no condition to defend themselves from the threat they had just created. They all perished, including Sister Maelis.

You can play around with the homebrew of the briar lich to make your own version.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.

The briar lich is the result of a pyrrhic victory. When a corrupting blight overtook an ancient elven forest, a band of adventurers was called upon to defeat it. Led by Sister Maelis and aided by the Archon which attended her, they fought to the source of the corruption. At its heart, they discovered that destroying it outright would decimate the forest and the villages that lay within. Desperate for a solution, the party betrayed their cleric's celestial ally. Sister Maelis, used her divine magics to bind the archon's soul to the core of the scourge, cutting it off from its extra-planar source. The unexpected result was neither undead nor celestial, but a terrible amalgamation. A monstrosity in which divine power and corruption are locked in eternal conflict. Exhausted from their fight with the blight's creations, the adventuring party was in no condition to defend themselves from the threat they had just created. They all perished, including Sister Maelis.

You can play around with the homebrew of the briar lich to make your own version.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.

The first gryphungus was created by the swamp goblin shaman Gribnuk Moldspeaker, whose tribe lived beneath cliffs where griffons nested. The goblins revered the griffons as sacred creatures but also feared their attacks. Gribnuk sought to create an effigy to both to honor the sky beasts and to ward off their predations. His plan failed. The gryphungus recognized no master, and Gribnuk became the first victim of its spores. By the time the tribe found him, only his bones remained undigested.

You can play around with the homebrew of the gryphungus to make your own version.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.

The first gryphungus was created by the swamp goblin shaman Gribnuk Moldspeaker, whose tribe lived beneath cliffs where griffons nested. The goblins revered the griffons as sacred creatures but also feared their attacks. Gribnuk sought to create an effigy to both to honor the sky beasts and to ward off their predations. His plan failed. The gryphungus recognized no master, and Gribnuk became the first victim of its spores. By the time the tribe found him, only his bones remained undigested.

You can play around with the homebrew of the gryphungus to make your own version.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.

Something I've been working on for a while is finally live. A conversation with some friends about Alexandre Dumas led me to explore some of his lesser known works, and I discovered the Pale Lady, a gem of a vampire book. I studied French in high school and college and have kept up with it on DuoLingo for years now. I wouldn't call myself fluent, but translating a work is a classic way to practice a foreign language.

Now you can read my translation of The Pale Lady on Amazon Kindle. It follows Hedwige, the young heroine as she is captured by two brothers, one gallant, one not. What was really interesting to me about the story is the ease with which the characters discuss vampires. Most modern vampire tales dance around actually saying the word, as though the concept of a vampire is foreign. But the Pale Lady comes right out and says it, as though vampires are a common occurrence that everyone knows about.

If you pick it up, I hope you enjoy the story. Let me know how you like it.

I painted this guy up this year and looking to use it in a D&D game at some point. I'm thinking it's some kind of dragon but it could also be a spirit or ghost.

Hello r/vampires. I recently finished translating The Pale Lady, a vampire story from the mid 1800s by Alexandre Dumas. The Pale Lady is the last few chapters of a larger book called A Thousand and One Ghosts and is notable for two reasons. The first being that the timing of the height of Dumas' popularity meant that Bram Stoker likely ready the book, influencing his Dracula novel. The second interesting thing to me was the straightforwardness with which the characters identify vampires in the story. Unlike modern stories that seem to dance around the word or pretend like the concept of vampires doesn't exist, the characters in The Pale Lady just come out and say, "oh yeah, we've got a vampire problem, just like when I was a kid."

I put it up on Kindle. I know this is a bit of an ad, but I did get approval from the mods before posting. If you pick it up, I hope you enjoy the story. Let me know how you like it.

He's a jumpy guy that likes to move around the battlefield and tenderize his meals before he eats them.

I liked this monster so much that I built out an encounter for it, too.

I love how this monster came out so much that I wanted to make sure it had it's own adventure. You can get the table ready encounter for free.

The turtulip is a small magical creature created by the eccentric transmuter Cassian Bloomward not for power or prestige, but as a gift to the people who visited his gardens. He dreamed the tiny flower-shelled creatures would bring smiles to children, brighten family outings, and gift minor magical boons to visitor that were kind. While successful for a time, it was a dream that would ultimately lead to his undoing.

You can play around with the homebrew of the turtulip to make your own version if you like.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.

The turtulip is a small magical creature created by the eccentric transmuter Cassian Bloomward not for power or prestige, but as a gift to the people who visited his gardens. He dreamed the tiny flower-shelled creatures would bring smiles to children, brighten family outings, and gift minor magical boons to visitor that were kind. While successful for a time, it was a dream that would ultimately lead to his undoing.

You can play around with the homebrew of the turtulip to make your own version if you like.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.

The first eggplantelope was created by the druid Maelis Bramblehorn, who dreamed of producing a guardian capable of defending sacred forests from ambitious wizards and overeager logging expeditions. The creature was designed to not only ignored the destructive spells of would-be invaders but also command its natural surroundings. Proud of the achievement, Maelis attempted to bind the eggplantelope’s loyalty with powerful enchantments, never realizing its innate resistances rendered those spells ineffective. When the druid entered the creature’s grove to exert its control, the startled guardian summoned a writhing thicket of enchanted vines that pulled Maelis beneath the forest floor. The grove remains untouched to this day, nourished by the druid’s remains, while the descendants of the original eggplantelope continue their silent watch over the wild places of the world.

You can play around with the homebrew of the eggplantelope here and make your own version if you like.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.

The first eggplantelope was created by the druid Maelis Bramblehorn, who dreamed of producing a guardian capable of defending sacred forests from ambitious wizards and overeager logging expeditions. The creature was designed to not only ignored the destructive spells of would-be invaders but also command its natural surroundings. Proud of the achievement, Maelis attempted to bind the eggplantelope’s loyalty with powerful enchantments, never realizing its innate resistances rendered those spells ineffective. When the druid entered the creature’s grove to exert its control, the startled guardian summoned a writhing thicket of enchanted vines that pulled Maelis beneath the forest floor. The grove remains untouched to this day, nourished by the druid’s remains, while the descendants of the original eggplantelope continue their silent watch over the wild places of the world.

You can play around with the homebrew of the eggplantelope here.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.

The elderly Maltheus Pickervine lived alone in a moss-covered tower. With his aged body failing, he turned to magical experimentation to devise a method to regenerate. He succeeded not only in restoring his own body, but creating the cucumbear, a companion guardian. Years later, a band of mercenaries seeking to capture the creature for an arena, cornered the duo outside the tower. Maltheus stood between them and his beloved creation, unleashing spells until his magic was spent. Mortally wounded, he ordered the cucumbear to flee into the wilds. The beast obeyed, carrying its dying creator to safety before he succumbed to his injuries, his regenerative power finally spent.

Feel free to play around with the homebrew for this creature.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.

Despite its lumbering appearance, the cucumbear is remarkably difficult to kill. Many weapons fail to cut deeply, wounds knitting shut in moments. When threatened, the beast rears back and expels a spray of acidic brine from glands along its throat. Though fearsome when angered, cucumbears are generally shy creatures, preferring dense forests and marshes where they feast on berries, roots, and the occasional unwary predator foolish enough to challenge them.

Feel free to play around with the homebrew for this creature.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.

The cactipede was first bred in lightless caverns far beneath the surface by Vargan Bitterroot. His experiments were a success until one of his breeding chambers collapsed. Unable to escape, Vargan was discovered days later by his own creations. The cactipedes had tunneled into the chamber, drawn by the scent of blood. To this day, explorers find thorn-covered centipedes lurking among the ruins of Vargan's underground laboratory, where the wizard's bones lie scattered among shattered glass and broken alchemical equipment.

Feel free to play around with the homebrew for this creature.

More on this monster and many other free homebrews at Patreon and my newsletter.