r/HomebrewDnD

The Deathmarked Wight is a CR 12 variant of the classic wight, created for campaigns where undeath feels tied to a greater power. Instead of being only a hateful remnant of a former life, this wight has been chosen by a death god, ancient lich, or powerful necromantic order, carrying a mark that gives it purpose, authority, and far more dangerous abilities.

It can place a deathmark on a victim, weaken enemies with necromancy, drain life, raise the creatures it kills into temporary undead servants, and unleash pulses of necrotic power. I wanted it to feel like an undead enforcer or emissary, the kind of creature sent to crush rebellions, retrieve escaped undead, punish enemies of a death cult, or prepare the way for something much worse.

The Wight entry also includes expanded lore and optional traits to customize the base creature, such as memories from life, empowered zombie servants, or extra necrotic damage against untouched victims. Together, the two statblocks give you both a classic undead threat and a much deadlier champion of death for higher-level encounters.

These creatures are from Undead & Undead: The Ultimate Undead Handbook for 5E and the 2024 Edition available on DriveThruRPG!

Undead are more than shambling corpses and skeletal minions. Undead & Undead is your complete guide to raising the dead, commanding their power, and unleashing them in terrifying new forms - from restless spirits and cursed warriors to spectral lords, zombie dragons, and necromantic abominations.

What’s Inside?

• 90+ Undead Statblocks – From crawling hands and soul wisps to deathpriests, banshees, mummy sovereigns, and lich gods. Each entry includes optional traits and variants to customize your encounters.
• Undead Lair System – A scalable, flexible system to turn crypts, cursed cities, and haunted ruins into deadly environments. Includes thematic traps, lair actions, environmental effects, and more.
• 50+ Magic Items – Cursed relics, necrotic weapons, undead-bound artifacts, and forbidden tomes designed to horrify or empower.
• Customizable Templates & Traits – Easily create unique undead with variant traits, thematic abilities, and storytelling tools for every archetype.
• Campaign Tools – Includes undead cult generators, random encounter tables, unholy rituals, haunted visions, and apocalyptic plot hooks to fuel your adventures.
• VTT & Art Resources – 60 art handouts and 45 VTT tokens to bring your undead encounters to life, whether in person or online.

I’m also working on Mythological Items for 5E and 5.5E, an upcoming Kickstarter featuring 300+ magic items inspired by myths and legends from around the world. It includes weapons, armor, relics, artifacts, and scaling items that can grow with the characters over the course of a campaign. You can subscribe to our newsletter to get updates and download a free 30-page PDF preview. We only send emails occasionally, and only when there’s a new release, important news, or exclusive free content and discount codes to share.

You can find more of my creatures and manuals on DriveThruRPG, my Linktree, or by visiting r/JonnyDM!

They have finally arrived, the very representation of death incarnate as the Kindred. I have held them in incredibly high esteem regarding their power scale. What do you think? Do you like it? What modifications would you make to them?

The art and images are from League of Legends, property by Riot Games.

If you want to use Kindred and other champions, here is the FoundryVTT module.

Hello, fellow adventurers! Today, we are excited to share some Uncommon magic items inspired by Asian legends and myths! These entries come from our upcoming Kickstarter project, 300+ Mythological Items for 5E and 2024.

Step into a realm of ancient gods, legendary heroes, and forgotten civilizations with Mythological Items, a comprehensive compendium featuring over 300 magical items specifically designed for 5E and its 2024 ruleset update. This manual spans a vast array of cultural traditions, organizing its treasures into regional categories for easy reference and immersive worldbuilding. Each item includes not only full game mechanics, but also lore and background information to integrate it seamlessly into your campaign, whether as treasure, quest rewards, or the key to an unfolding mythic saga. From the storm-summoning weapons of thunder gods to cursed trinkets whispered of in ancient lore, this book brings myth to your table like never before.

This manual offers an extensive collection of magical items that can be incorporated into any campaign, regardless of its connection to specific mythological themes. The items presented in this volume, drawn from a multitude of global legends and folklore, are envisioned to enhance the diversity and depth of any fantasy world. This eclectic array mirrors the inherent blending of elements in many worlds and settings, where influences from various cultures and mythologies coexist harmoniously. For instance, Thor’s Hammer, Mjölnir, could serve as the centerpiece of a divine quest, while Draupnir, the Norse ring of endless wealth, might drive political intrigue or power struggles in a kingdom torn by greed.

Mythological Items also provides a solid foundation for campaigns that wish to delve deeper into the relics of a specific mythology or blend multiple traditions into a larger, interconnected setting. A campaign inspired by Greek mythology could see players donning the Nemean Lion’s Pelt, becoming nearly invulnerable as they take on challenges worthy of Heracles himself, while a campaign drawing from Japanese folklore could involve uncovering the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the fabled grass-cutting sword tied to imperial lineage and divine storms.

We suggest checking our pre-launch page for additional info and an extended 30-page preview of our compendium, scheduled to release in a few months! Alternatively, you can also subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on upcoming projects, special offers, and important news about our past and future works.

Happy adventuring!

We are in the process of assembling a bestiary of 5.5 D&D monsters, and would love for you to use them in your campaign or session and give us feedback! We've thrown a handful of representative monsters into a playtest manual. If you'd be interested in giving it a go, feel free to download here: Crypt of Creatures Playtest

✨New amazing item!!!✨

Visit Tales & Taverns for tons of adventures, creatures, races, classes, quests, mini-games, tavern games, monthly miniature giveaways, and more than 800 pages of UNIQUE DnD content!!

Here is the Orc Shaman, a CR 4 spellcaster built to add storm magic, ancestral spirits, and battlefield support to orc encounters.

I wanted this creature to feel like more than just an orc with spells. It can support nearby allies with temporary hit points, empower a warband with primal rage, call down lightning through its Rite of the Storm Gods, and use its voice as a supernatural force that carries across the battlefield.

The page also includes optional traits that let you customize the shaman depending on the role you want it to play. It can become more durable against thunder and lightning, deal extra force damage through ancestral spirits, hold concentration more reliably while wounded, perform ritual movement, or unleash one final spell when reduced to 0 hit points.

It works well as a tribal spiritual leader, battlefield caster, cultic storm priest, or dangerous support monster behind a larger orc warband.

This creature is from Orcs & Orcs, available on DriveThruRPG in PDF and hardcover print!

Orcs & Orcs is the ultimate guide to unleashing the full fury and depth of orc-kind in your 5E campaigns, whether you want savage warbands, disciplined armies, cursed berserkers, or iron-willed mercenaries.

What’s Inside?

• Dozens of Orc Statblocks – From the Orc Bannerbearer to the Red Orc Warlord, each entry includes extra traits and variants to help you customize encounters with brutal precision.
• Powerful Orc Factions – Expand your bestiary with Ironpeak Orcs, Oathsister Orcs, Red Orcs, and twisted Mutant Orcs. Each brings unique abilities, lore, and lair ideas.
• Orc Campaign Tools – Warband factions, tactical lairs, encounter suggestions, and more.
• 70 Orc-Themed Magic Items – Tribal relics, cursed axes, brutal armor, spiritual totems, and more.
• VTT & Art Resources – Includes 27 handouts and 17 creature tokens to bring orcs to life in-person or online.

Orcs fit into any fantasy campaign as enemies, allies, or complex factions. Wherever your world needs strength, rage, and scars earned in battle, orcs are ready.

I’m also working on Mythological Items for 5E and 5.5E, an upcoming Kickstarter featuring 300+ magic items inspired by myths and legends from around the world. It includes weapons, armor, relics, artifacts, and scaling items that can grow with the characters over the course of a campaign. You can subscribe to our newsletter to get updates and download a free 30-page PDF preview. We only send emails occasionally, and only when there’s a new release, important news, or exclusive free content and discount codes to share.

You can find more of my creatures and manuals on DriveThruRPG, my Linktree, or by visiting r/JonnyDM!

Hello, fellow adventurers! Today, we are excited to share the Bowl of the Moon Rabbit and Maneki-Neko Figurine, two Uncommon magic items inspired by Japanese folklore. These entries come from our upcoming Kickstarter project, 300+ Mythological Items for 5E and 2024.

Step into a realm of ancient gods, legendary heroes, and forgotten civilizations with Mythological Items, a comprehensive compendium featuring over 300 magical items specifically designed for 5E and its 2024 ruleset update. This manual spans a vast array of cultural traditions, organizing its treasures into regional categories for easy reference and immersive worldbuilding. Each item includes not only full game mechanics, but also lore and background information to integrate it seamlessly into your campaign, whether as treasure, quest rewards, or the key to an unfolding mythic saga. From the storm-summoning weapons of thunder gods to cursed trinkets whispered of in ancient lore, this book brings myth to your table like never before.

This manual offers an extensive collection of magical items that can be incorporated into any campaign, regardless of its connection to specific mythological themes. The items presented in this volume, drawn from a multitude of global legends and folklore, are envisioned to enhance the diversity and depth of any fantasy world. This eclectic array mirrors the inherent blending of elements in many worlds and settings, where influences from various cultures and mythologies coexist harmoniously. For instance, Thor’s Hammer, Mjölnir, could serve as the centerpiece of a divine quest, while Draupnir, the Norse ring of endless wealth, might drive political intrigue or power struggles in a kingdom torn by greed.

Mythological Items also provides a solid foundation for campaigns that wish to delve deeper into the relics of a specific mythology or blend multiple traditions into a larger, interconnected setting. A campaign inspired by Greek mythology could see players donning the Nemean Lion’s Pelt, becoming nearly invulnerable as they take on challenges worthy of Heracles himself, while a campaign drawing from Japanese folklore could involve uncovering the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the fabled grass-cutting sword tied to imperial lineage and divine storms.

We suggest checking our pre-launch page for additional info and an extended 30-page preview of our compendium, scheduled to release in a few months! Alternatively, you can also subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on upcoming projects, special offers, and important news about our past and future works.

Happy adventuring!

The Winged Lynx is a CR 6 flying predator built for mountain passes, remote forests, sacred peaks, and isolated wilderness encounters. It is fast, intelligent enough to feel unsettling, and dangerous enough to become the center of local legends, whether as a feared monster, a false deity, or a misunderstood guardian.

I wanted it to feel more interesting than just “a lynx with wings”, so the page includes lore, encounter ideas, and multiple plot hooks. It can stalk travelers from above, terrorize a village, become the focus of a dangerous cult, or guard an ancient mountain secret that the party needs to uncover.

Mechanically, it is a mobile ambush predator with stealth, aerial movement, a diving attack, a fear-based roar, and bonus action mobility, making it useful as either a solo wilderness threat or part of a larger mountain encounter.

This creature appears in The Aberrant Codex: Mutations and Aberrations, available on DriveThruRPG! You can also check it out there for a more extensive preview. Delve into the warped world of aberrations, mutations, and cosmic horror in your 5E campaigns.

What’s Inside:

• Mutation Rules & Zones – Mechanics for wild magic areas, arcane corruption, and the strange transformations they cause.
• Character Options – 12 subclasses, 10 backgrounds, 4 new races, and 30 feats themed around mutation, aberration, and forbidden evolution.
• Spells & Items – 33 spells and 80+ magic items warped by planar influence or unstable energies.
• Monsters & Templates – Over 150 monster statblocks, from psionic predators to mutated horrors, plus variant rules for custom mutations.
• VTT Resources – Includes 100+ creature tokens and 125+ art handouts to bring your sessions to life.

Whether you want eldritch creatures, strange player options, or full rules for reality-warping regions, The Aberrant Codex has it all. The Hardcover edition of The Aberrant Codex is also available here: https://buy.stripe.com/8x24gyfNNegY75qgwI6c005

You can also subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on upcoming projects, including a Kickstarter launching in the coming months: Mythological Items for 5E and 5.5E, inspired by myths from around the world. By joining the newsletter, you can download a free 30-page PDF preview of the upcoming Kickstarter. We only send emails occasionally, and only when there’s a new release, important news, or exclusive free content and discount codes to share.

For more of my creatures, items, and manuals visit DriveThruRPG, my Linktree, or r/JonnyDM!

Hi everyone!

​I wanted to share my latest project: The Circle of the Umbra.

​The goal here was to create a "Dark Druid" that feels less like a nature-guardian and more like a predator trapped by a shadow curse. I’ve always felt that the standard Druid chassis is a bit too "light" for certain darker campaigns, so I designed this subclass to fundamentally shift how the class plays.

​Anticipating the "Standard Level" Questions:

You’ll notice that this subclass includes features at levels where Druids don't usually get subclass upgrades (Levels 7, 15, 17, 18, and 20).

​I chose this "Base Class Variant" approach for a few specific reasons:

​The Flavor Gap: Standard Druid features like Beast Spells and Archdruid feel wrong for a character whose magic is being actively corrupted by the Shadow Weave.

​Horizontal Power Balance: These aren't "extra" features. They are surgical replacements for base class features. For example, Umbral Casting replaces Beast Spells to ensure the character can only cast their "corrupted" spells while transformed.

​The Damage Tax: At Level 7, I’ve locked the Elemental Fury damage into Poison, Necrotic, Acid and Psychic. By taking the "tax" of being resisted by many monsters (Poison/Necrotic), it balances out the high-utility Psychic damage.

​Design Philosophy:

This is a Glass-Cannon Striker. You lose the "extra health bar" of traditional beast Wild Shape in exchange for high mobility (Umbral Slip) and high-risk/high-reward damage (Vital Strike).

​I’m looking for feedback on:

​The Level 7 Damage Swap: Does the Poison/Necrotic restriction feel like a fair trade for Psychic damage?

​High-Level Scaling: Does the scaling of the Umbral Weapons feel appropriate for a full-caster who is trying to survive in melee?

​Formatting: I tried to stick as close to the WotC "clinical" voice as possible—let me know if anything reads as ambiguous!

​Thanks for taking a look at Silvax's curse!

It took over a day to rework this. I really hope it is more balanced, and that somebody can give me a feedback to it. I know that lady does not make sence for a subclass of the Son of Sparda, but i couldn't come up with another fitting name so yeah. I really like dnd and Devil May Cry and thought I'd cmbine those.

I’ve been playing D&D for quite a long time, and I’ve always loved unusual character concepts or races that carry an inherent sense of conflict. For example, in my very first game, which immediately turned into a full campaign, I chose to play a Drow while fully understanding that it would likely create situations that could either help or hinder the party.

That was also when I seriously started digging into Drow lore, and of course I eventually came across Driders. They were essentially classic arachne-like creatures, which instantly caught my attention as a potential way to play an actual spider monster character.

The main issue was that Driders were very clearly designed as enemy monsters, making them unsuitable as playable characters, and on top of that they were deeply tied to Lolth, which completely removed the possibility of playing one as even a neutral character.

I spent a long time trying to solve that problem. At first, I limited myself to searching for existing homebrew solutions, but eventually I decided to simply “brew” my own race from scratch, and that is what I’d like to share with you.

Arachnids are an ancient race of intelligent beings descended from volcanic spiders altered by the influence of mysterious magical crystals. Over time, they developed intelligence, the ability to mimic humanoid appearances, and partially humanoid forms, though they retained their predatory nature and many inhuman traits.

Physically, arachnids are divided into two generations. The elder generation preserves most of its spider-like features: chitinous exoskeletons, numerous eyes, and monstrous proportions. The younger generation is far closer in appearance to humans and other humanoid races, though additional eyes, cold skin, unusual anatomy, and unnatural movements still betray their origins.

Arachnids possess an innate connection to venom and spider silk. Their bodies are highly resistant to toxins, they are capable of producing their own venom, and can create various objects from webbing. However, their physiology handles cold extremely poorly.

Despite their frightening reputation, arachnids do not possess a unified culture or inherent worldview. Due to generations spent living among other peoples, their behavior and morality are largely shaped by the environment in which they were raised.

I invite you to take a look at their racial traits,
as well as the lore I wrote in an attempt to make the race easily adaptable to your world without requiring major setting changes.

Unfortunately, I do not have the resources to commission an artist, nor the artistic skill to provide illustrations myself. However, I am confident that the popularity of arachne and spider-like humanoids in pop culture will make it easy for you to find references or simply use the image you already have in mind.

I would also like to emphasize that this race was designed as a solid foundation for creating characters within a very specific aesthetic and thematic style. Because of that, both you and your DM (if you are a player) are completely free to alter, expand, or remove any elements as you see fit.

My goal is simply to restore a small piece of cosmic justice and give players the opportunity to play not only cosmic slimes or snakefolk, but spiders as well, while finally separating them from Lolth as their mandatory creator. Remember: “The code is more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules.”