A New Threat Emerges in a World of Perpetual Eclipse
Running a Dungeons & Dragons campaign presents numerous challenges for Dungeon Masters, from crafting engaging narratives to preparing balanced combat encounters. Even with official guidelines, creating fights that are neither too easy nor overly long can be a hurdle. Keith Ammann, an ENnie Award-winning designer, has long been a resource for DMs looking to master monster tactics with his book, The Monsters Know What They’re Doing. The revised and expanded edition, titled Remonstered!, is set to release on October 6.
To mark the occasion, Ammann was tasked with designing an exclusive monster for Polygon, intended to challenge a specific party of fifth-level player characters in a homebrew world. This world is characterized by a constant solar eclipse, leading to scarcity of light and warmth, unpredictable nature, and mutated creatures. The player characters include a World Tree Barbarian, a Battlemaster Fighter, a support-focused Bard, and a Shadow Monk, who excel in melee but lack ranged and magical capabilities.
Ammann identified Monstrosity as the creature type, drawing inspiration from the environment and the party's composition. He designed the Mooncrow, a flying creature with keen eyesight, capable of exploiting the party’s lower Intelligence scores. Its abilities include casting Mirror Image and Phantasmal Force, spells that leverage illusions. The Mooncrow also possesses the ability to innately cast Bane, imposing disadvantage on attack rolls for most party members.
The creature's design draws parallels with the Cloaker, a D&D monster known for its illusory duplicates, but with a more avian appearance suited to the dark, perpetual twilight of the campaign world. Its coloration is described as inky black or dark gray, allowing it to blend into the sky.
Designing for Challenge and Fun
Ammann opted for a flock of Mooncrows rather than a single powerful entity. He set the creature's Challenge Rating (CR) at 2, making them suitable for encountering in groups against a level 5 party. This CR designation ensures that a few Mooncrows can contribute significantly to a challenging encounter without overwhelming the Dungeon Master with a large number of individual monsters to manage.
To balance the monster's offensive capabilities and survivability, Ammann adjusted its statistics. The Mooncrow features an increased Armor Class of 15 due to its "Ecliptic Veil" feature, but this is offset by a reduced hit point total, keeping it within the typical range for a CR 1 creature. This design choice makes the Mooncrow harder to hit, preventing player frustration with high AC, while maintaining a manageable threat level.
Offensively, the Mooncrow makes two attacks per round, dealing approximately 8 to 9 damage per hit. A portion of this damage is Cold, reflecting the creature's ability to absorb heat. This Cold damage is notable as it bypasses the damage reduction provided by a Barbarian's Rage.
The spell selection of Mirror Image and Phantasmal Force was deliberate. Mirror Image provides an effective defensive layer without requiring concentration, while Phantasmal Force directly targets Intelligence, a likely weak save for the party. The ability to cast these spells, combined with Bane, creates a tactical challenge that forces players to adapt their strategies.
An Effective Encounter
When implemented in the campaign, the Mooncrow flock proved to be a formidable yet enjoyable challenge. The Mirror Image spell, in particular, was highlighted for its effectiveness in creating a sense of overwhelming numbers without inflating monster HP, thus avoiding combat drawn-outs. The spell's illusions, while sometimes problematic in other contexts, effectively generated chaos and tested the players' resilience, particularly against the Barbarian.
The encounter successfully depleted the party's resources, forcing them to make critical decisions about resting or pushing forward. Crucially, the players reported having fun and continued discussing the encounter after the session, indicating a successful and memorable combat experience. The success of this encounter underscores the value of Ammann's approach to monster design, offering a valuable resource for DMs struggling with encounter balance.
Remonstered! The Monsters Know What They're Doing by Keith Ammann is available starting October 6 and provides essential guidance for Dungeon Masters seeking to enhance their combat encounters.