The Weekly What the Heck: An Updated Overview

Since I'm on hiatus, this seems like a good time to update the master Weekly What the Heck monster list.

Here's the updated level/role breakdown of all the monsters. The names that are links link to the original post on this site. The level/role links link to the reformatted stat card at tools.dungeonmastering.com (free login required) for easy printing. My plan is to update this post as often as I can until all the monsters have been put in Yax's database and all the names and levels/roles are links:

Laughing Lambchop Lizard		Level 1 Lurker
Eye Mite Midge		Level 1 Minion
Saeggan Genesis		Level 1 Soldier
Beelion		Level 1 Elite Skirmisher
Doppelganger Freak		Level 1 Skirmisher
Laughing Lambchop Lizard ... of Lightning		Level 2 Artillery
Pixie of the Styx		Level 2 Elite Artillery
Emo Monkey		Level 2 Controller
Saber-Tooth Lycotaur		Level 2 Controller
Pixie Trickster		Level 2 Lurker
Ridgeback Loper		Level 2 Skirmisher
Archaic Gastropod		Level 2 Soldier
Trimandibular Praying Mantelope		Level 3 Brute
Saeggan Dreamcaster		Level 3 Controller
Scorpire Vampion		Level 3 Controller
Scorpire Scuttler		Level 3 Lurker
Sapient Sloth Commoner		Level 3 Minion
Nutrition Bulb		Level 3 Minion
Xenomoeba Larva		Level 4 Brute
Goth Emo Monkey		Level 4 Controller
Pyrosphynx Cub		Level 4 Lurker
Spore Bulb		Level 4 Minion
Student of the Path		Level 4 Skirmisher
Undead Chicken		Level 4 Skirmisher
Turkatrice		Level 5 Brute
Wallowing Merhog		Level 5 Elite Brute
Wraithpunzel		Level 5 Lurker
Dire Orcish Knucklewalker		Level 6 Brute
Emo Ghoul		Level 6 Brute
Ridgeback War Machine		Level 6 Brute
Greholdusa		Level 6 Controller
Orcish Knucklewalker Swarm		Level 6 Skirmisher
Merdragoblinborn Ecclesiastic		Level 6 Soldier
Necrotic Xenomoeba		Level 7 Elite Brute
Ravenous Pelicgizard		Level 7 Brute
Monkicore		Level 7 Controller
Scorpire Viscount		Level 7 Lurker (L)
Jamuzavdu (Speed Demon)		Level 7 Skirmisher
Pyrosphynx Sun Lion		Level 8 Brute
Stumper		Level 8 Controller
Sextuple-Finned Hammerhead Fish		Level 8 Lurker
Merdragoblinborn Follower		Level 8 Minion
Were Saber-Tooth Lycotaur		Level 8 Skirmisher
Fireblooded Monkicore		Level 9 Artillery
Merdragoblinborn Schoolmaster		Level 9 Controller (L)
Snake Mahjicocl Soloist		Level 9 Controller
Christmas Treant Shrub		Level 9 Lurker
Cycloptic Elephantaur Gawker		Level 10 Artillery
Treefling Leafwielder		Level 10 Artillery
Conflagrating Pelicgizard		Level 10 Controller
Aquatic Wraithpunzel		Level 10 Lurker
Shellsong Siren		Level 10 Lurker
Green Toothnip		Level 11 Lurker
Embryomace		Level 12 Artillery
Cycloptic Elephantaur Trumpeter		Level 12 Controller
Piscean Tempest		Level 12 Skirmisher
Quizacoatl Contestant		Level 12 Skirmisher
Greholdusa Scourge		Level 12 Soldier
Merhog Steed		Level 12 Soldier
Christmas Treant Bush		Level 13 Controller
Snaketongue Rampant		Level 13 Minion
Snaketongue Restrainer		Level 13 Minion
Firebred Pyrosphynx		Level 14 Artillery
Chanavan Serpent		Level 14 Solo Brute
Piscean Evolutionary		Level 14 Controller
Snake Mahjicocl Principal		Level 14 Skirmisher
Yuan-ti Rampant		Level 14 Skirmisher
Yuan-ti Restrainer		Level 14 Soldier
Demodracosauralisk		Level 15 Elite Artillery
Hemi-Demodracosauralisk		Level 15 Artillery
Abolderithicus Starme		Level 15 Controller
Quizacoatl Host		Level 15 Controller
Treefling Leafmaster		Level 15 Controller
Eye Mite Berserker		Level 16 Brute
Frieghboranean Slimemaster		Level 16 Controller
Frieghboranean Tempest		Level 16 Elite Skirmisher
Squiglet Caretaker		Level 16 Soldier
Sextuple-Finned Scintillating Hammerhead Fish		Level 17 Controller
Ripe Toothnip		Level 17 Soldier
Kruthiguid		Level 18 Elite Brute
Eye Mite Mindraper		Level 18 Controller
Abolderithicus Staryu		Level 18 Minion
Abolderithicus Wistar		Level 19 Artillery
Triclops Manipulator		Level 20 Soldier
Aspect of the Ultimate Dungeon Master		Level 26 Elite Controller
Ultimate Dungeon Master		Level 35 Solo Brute

And here's the updated list of all the commenters and how many times each has contributed.

Name	Comments
Ripper	21
Scott	15
ReverendMike	12
greywulf	10
Gomez	8
Jeff	7
wyattsalazar	7
benpop	5
ChaoticBlackSheep	3
jermwar	3
dicemonkey	2
DoctorCheckmate	2
joeskythedungeonbrawler	2
mthomas768	2
RPGIke	2
AlexSchroeder	1
Ameron	1
Anonymous	1
Bartoneus	1
BenPop	1
d7	1
DawnRaven	1
Donny_the_Dm	1
FatAlibert	1
icosahedron	1
JeffRients	1
Jerm	1
Ravyn	1
rcarbol	1
Rekres	1
TheRecursionKing	1
thievescant	1
Viriatha	1
Will	1
Wyatt	1

I only had to add one new name for the past two months, which doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Weekly What the Heck - Hiatus

I got no comments on last week's What the Heck, and it's been over a month since I got more than two (but props to Scott and Ripper for hanging in there with me). I'm going on hiatus for a while. If everything goes according to plan there will still be WWtH-related content popping up on the blog from time to time, and I might finally get around to updating the master list of WWtH monsters and moving/converting all the stat blocks to the dungeonmastering tools site/format.

I've felt like a fraud keeping it going as long as I have, actually. I haven't DMed a game in almost six months and have played once in the past four months. The good news is, that might change today. We'll see.

Why, that's a Doppelganger Freak!

There was only one comment on last week's What the Heck, but I really didn't expect a barefoot dude in a wig and miniskirt to really generate much interest anyway. Now an angry plant, on the other hand...

I'd like to thank Ripper for his ideas, which have been mashed together with some brainstorming by me and the missus to create:

Doppelganger Freak

Sometimes a doppelganger just.... fails.

Level 1 Skirmisher

Doppelganger Freak

XP 100

Medium natural humanoid (shapechanger)

Initiative +5 Senses Perception +0
HP 29; Bloodied 14
AC 15; Fortitude 13, Reflex 15, Will 13
Speed 6

mShort Sword (standard; at-will) * Weapon

+6 vs. AC; 1d6 + 3 damage.

MConfusing Shift (move; at-will)

The doppelganger freak shifts 2 squares then makes a melee attack; +4 vs. Will; the doppelganger freak gains combat advantage against the target until the end of the doppelganger’s next turn.

CConfusing Shapeshift (minor; recharge 6)

Close burst 2; +1 vs. Will; the target is dazed until the end of the doppelganger’s next turn.

Combat Advantage

The doppelganger freak deals an extra 1d6 damage against any target it has combat advantage against.

Alignment Unaligned Languages Common
Skills Insight +8
Str 11 (+0) Dex 16 (+3) Wis 11 (+0)
Con 13 (+1) Int 10 (+0) Cha 13 (+1)

Doppelganger Freak Tactics

A doppelganger freak moves among its enemies, using its confusing shapeshift to daze as many as possible if it gets surrounded.

Doppelganger Freak Lore

A character knows the following information with a successful Nature check.
DC 17: Occasionally a doppelganger will lose control over its shapeshifting abilities, like a human with a degenerative disease losing motor skills. These doppelganger freaks change shape constantly and randomly.

Encounter Groups

Doppelganger freaks are often found aiding lower humanoids like goblins that will hang out with anybody.

Level 1 Encounter (XP 500)
* 1 doppelganger freak (level 1 skirmisher)
* 2 goblin warriors (level 1 skirmisher)
* 1 goblin blackblade (level 1 lurker)
* 4 goblin cutters (level 1 minion)

Creative DMs can probably have a lot of fun with this one describing its random changes in shape from round to round...

Weekly What the Heck

Welcome to the thirty-eighth installment of my regular feature here at the Near TPK. With continuing apologies to one of my favorite blogs, the Daily WTF, I present... The Weekly What The Heck.

Each Saturday at 10 AM Central Time I'll post one of Jen's drawings of some kind of whacked-out creature, and ask my readers: "What the heck IS that?"

I hope my readers will approach the challenge in the spirit of "Yes, and ..." - building on previous responses so everyone's ideas can be used in the final writeup. Comments are now closed on last week's entry, and I hope to have the final writeup posted tonight. Comments will be accepted on this week's entry until I post next week's entry.

So... What the heck is that? What should it do? Why does it look so irritated?

Charles G. Wilbur (the "Proprietor") does not claim ownership of information, data, text, comments, graphics, messages or other materials ("Content") you submit or make available for inclusion on The Art of the Near TPK (the "Service"). However, with respect to Content you submit or make available for inclusion on the Service, including without limitation comments you post to the Service, you grant the Proprietor world-wide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty free, non-exclusive, fully sub-licensable license(s) to use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform and publicly display such Content (in whole or in part) and to incorporate such Content into other works in any format or medium now known or later developed.

Why, that's an Embryomace!

The final comments are in from last week's "Weekly What the Heck". The result is the embryomace, a sentry/guardian sort of critter.

I'd like to thank Ripper and Scott (with special thanks to Ripper for the inspiration for the name) for their ideas, all of which have been mashed together to create:

Embryomace

An embryomace looks like a combination of a bee and a lobster, with a vaguely human face. Its innocent face lures enemies into range of its deadly bite.

Level 12 Artillery

Embryomace

XP 700

Medium elemental beast

Initiative +12 Senses Perception +8
HP 97; Bloodied 48
AC 24; Fortitude 24, Reflex 27, Will 23
Speed 4, fly 8

mBite (standard; at-will)

+19 vs. AC; 1d8 + 4 damage.

REye Ray (standard; at-will) * Necrotic, plus see text

Requires orb. The embryomace possesses one of the eye ray powers in the list below as long as it is holding one of its orbs. An embryomace adjacent to its nest can swap orbs as a move action, thus changing which power it has. Getting an embryomace to drop its orb requires a melee Str attack against its Reflex.
1-Fire Ray (Fire): Ranged 10; +17 vs. Reflex; 1d6 + 6 fire damage, 1d6 necrotic damage, and the target takes ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends).
2-Cold Ray (Cold): Ranged 10; +17 vs. Reflex; 2d6 + 6 cold damage, 1d6 necrotic damage, and the target is slowed (save ends).
3-Electric Ray (Lightning): Ranged 10; +17 vs. Reflex; 1d6 + 6 lightning damage, 1d6 necrotic damage, and the embryomace makes a secondary attack against two targets within 5 squares of the target. Secondary Attack: +15 vs. Reflex; 1d6 + 6 lightning damage.

CEye Blast (standard, usable only while bloodied; recharge 6) * Fire, Cold, Lightning, Necrotic

Close blast 5; +12 vs. Reflex; 1d10 each of fire, cold, lightning and necrotic damage.

Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Str 19 (+10) Dex 22 (+12) Wis 14 (+8)
Con 19 (+10) Int 2 (+2) Cha 19 (+10)

Embryomace Tactics

An embryomace prefers to stay by its nest. It switches orbs randomly after hitting once or twice with its eye blast or eye rays.

Embryomace Lore

A character knows the following information with a successful Nature check.
DC 15: Embryomaces are generally harmless unless encountered guarding a nest of their orbs.
DC 20: A nest of orbs will typically have a variety of elemental types - the embryomace can switch between orbs. Its attacks pull some of the victim's life force into the orb, and the creature tends to switch orbs often to pull some life force into each of them.

Encounter Groups

Powerful wizards sometimes abduct embryomaces and their nests. They then place the nests where they want something guarded, surrounded by constructs and/or undead that the beast will ignore.

Level 12 Encounter (XP 3,500)
* 1 embryomace (level 12 artillery)
* 1 shield guardian (level 14 soldier)
* 2 skeletal tomb guardians (level 10 brute)
* 1 helmed horror (level 13 soldier)

The idea, in case it's not clear, is that the orbs are eggs and once enough life force has been pulled into them they hatch into baby embryomaces...

Weekly What the Heck

Welcome to the thirty-seventh installment of my regular feature here at the Near TPK. With continuing apologies to one of my favorite blogs, the Daily WTF, I present... The Weekly What The Heck.

Each Saturday at 10 AM Central Time I'll post one of Jen's drawings of some kind of whacked-out creature, and ask my readers: "What the heck IS that?"

I hope my readers will approach the challenge in the spirit of "Yes, and ..." - building on previous responses so everyone's ideas can be used in the final writeup. Comments are now closed on last week's entry, and I hope to have the final writeup posted tonight. Comments will be accepted on this week's entry until I post next week's entry.

So... What the heck is that? What should it do? Can anything wearing a cheerleader skirt really be that fearsome?

Charles G. Wilbur (the "Proprietor") does not claim ownership of information, data, text, comments, graphics, messages or other materials ("Content") you submit or make available for inclusion on The Art of the Near TPK (the "Service"). However, with respect to Content you submit or make available for inclusion on the Service, including without limitation comments you post to the Service, you grant the Proprietor world-wide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty free, non-exclusive, fully sub-licensable license(s) to use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform and publicly display such Content (in whole or in part) and to incorporate such Content into other works in any format or medium now known or later developed.

A Real Life "Dungeon"

Last week I happened to take a trip to an old lead mine an hour south of St. Louis. I've been in a few natural tourist caverns and used them for D&D inspiration, but the mine was a whole different ballgame. I would encourage any midwestern DMs to find the time to take a trip to the Bonne Terre Mine. At least take the walking tour. If you're planning on running any adventures involving aboleths, kuo-toa or other underground aquatic horrors, take the boat tour (which includes the walking tour). Picture a giant aquatic monstrosity bursting out of the waters at the bottom of this deep, dark, dank pit and get a feeling for just how doomed you'd be.

This was the closest thing I've ever seen to a standard D&D dungeon. Granted, there were no 10' x 10' rooms with red dragons in them, but what surprised me was the opposite extreme. All the rooms were huge, and there were no natural caverns. Everything had been dug out over nearly a century by men, mules and machines. The tour guide said this was a "room and pillar" style mine dug completely from solid rock. It was astounding how much space had been carved out. Any dragon would have felt right at home in this place. It even had distinct levels (five of 'em). They have a slide show. The second image will give you a sense of the scale.

According to the guides, the mine extends out over about a 3 mile by 3 mile area. Suddenly the huge cities of the D&D underdark don't seem so far fetched. And the whole structure of the place, with gigantic stone pillars holding up the ceilings of these gargantuan rooms, reminded me of the mines of Moria in the Fellowship of the Ring movie. I'd always thought that place looked way too big to be true, but there I was standing somewhere that looked awfully similar.

Highly recommended as a field trip. Take your whole group and let them get a feel for crawling the underdark in real life. If you and/or your group are exceedingly crazy, you can sign up to go scuba diving in the mine.

Why, that's a Greholdusa!

I only got one comment on last week's "Weekly What the Heck", but it inspired me so I'm going to run with it. The result is the greholdusa, the offspring of... well, probably best not to think about it too hard.

I'd like to thank Scott for his ideas (and the name), which have been mashed together with a couple of my own to create:

Greholdusa

A greholdusa looks like the offspring of a grell, a beholder, and a medusa. It's probably as confused as you are.

Level 6 Controller

Greholdusa

XP 250

Medium aberrant magical beast

Initiative +7 Senses Perception +6; darkvision
HP 72; Bloodied 36
AC 20; Fortitude 18, Reflex 19, Will 19
Immune petrification
Speed 1 (clumsy), fly 6 (hover)

mTentacle Bite (standard; at-will) * Poison

+11 vs. AC; 1d6 + 2 damage, and the greholdusa makes a secondary attack against the same target. Secondary Attack: +8 vs. Fortitude; the target is slowed (save ends). First Failed Save: The target is immobilized instead of slowed (save ends). Second Failed Save: The target is petrified (no save).

MTentacle Grab (standard; at-will)

+10 vs. Fortitude; 1d6 + 2 damage, and the target is grabbed. The greholdusa can grab only one creature at a time.

MVicious Bite (minor 1/round; at-will) * Poison

Grabbed target only; +11 vs. AC; 1d10 + 2 damage, and the greholdusa makes a secondary attack against the same target. Secondary Attack: +10 vs. Fortitude; the target is slowed (save ends). First Failed Save: The target is immobilized instead of slowed (save ends). Second Failed Save: The target is petrified (no save).

RCentral Eye (minor; at-will)

Ranged 5; +10 vs. Will; the target is dazed until the end of the greholdusa’s next turn.

Alignment Evil Languages Deep Speech
Skills Stealth +12
Str 14 (+5) Dex 18 (+7) Wis 16 (+6)
Con 16 (+6) Int 14 (+5) Cha 19 (+7)

Greholdusa Tactics

A greholdusa grabs one target at a time, releasing them once it uses vicious bite on them, and then repeats on a different target.

Level 12 Soldier

Greholdusa Scourge

XP 700

Medium aberrant magical beast

Initiative +13 Senses Perception +10; darkvision
HP 123; Bloodied 61
AC 28; Fortitude 24, Reflex 25, Will 26
Immune petrification
Speed 1 (clumsy), fly 6 (hover)

mTentacle Bite (standard; at-will) * Poison

+19 vs. AC; 1d8 + 3 damage, and the greholdusa makes a secondary attack against the same target. Secondary Attack: +15 vs. Fortitude; the target is slowed (save ends). First Failed Save: The target is immobilized instead of slowed (save ends). Second Failed Save: The target is petrified (no save).

MTentacle Grab (standard; at-will)

+17 vs. Fortitude; 1d8 + 3 damage, and the target is grabbed. The greholdusa can grab only one creature at a time.

MVicious Bite (minor 1/round; at-will) * Poison

Grabbed target only; +19 vs. AC; 2d6 + 3 damage, and the greholdusa makes a secondary attack against the same target. Secondary Attack: +17 vs. Fortitude; the target is slowed (save ends). First Failed Save: The target is immobilized instead of slowed (save ends). Second Failed Save: The target is petrified (no save).

RCentral Eye (minor; at-will)

Ranged 5; +17 vs. Will; the target is slowed until the end of the greholdusa’s next turn. If the target is hit by the secondary attack of either of the greholdusa scourge’s bite attacks while slowed, it is immobilized instead of slowed and considered to have failed its first save.

Alignment Evil Languages Deep Speech
Skills Stealth +16
Str 16 (+9) Dex 21 (+11) Wis 18 (+10)
Con 19 (+10) Int 16 (+9) Cha 22 (+12)

Greholdusa Scourge Tactics

A greholdusa scourge uses central eye and then tentacle grab on one target at a time, releasing them once it uses vicious bite, and then repeats on a different target.

Greholdusa Lore

A character knows the following information with a successful Dungeoneering check.
DC 15: Greholdusae are horrific creatures that combine the eye rays of a beholder, the grasping tentacles of a grell and the petrifying power of a medusa.
DC 20: The eye ray of a greholdusa scourge begins the petrification process and the poisonous bite finishes the job.

Encounter Groups

Greholdusae bring together the three creature types they're related to, spawning horrifically evil plots.
Level 7 Encounter (XP 1,500)
* 2 greholdusae (level 6 controller)
* 1 grell (level 7 elite soldier)
* 1 beholder gauth (level 5 elite artillery)
Level 13 Encounter (XP 4,200)
* 2 greholdusa scourges (level 12 soldier)
* 1 medusa warrior (level 13 elite soldier)
* 1 grell philosopher (level 11 elite controller)

It would sure be nice to get more than one comment on this week's What the Heck (hint hint).

Weekly What the Heck

Welcome to the thirty-sixth installment of my regular feature here at the Near TPK. With continuing apologies to one of my favorite blogs, the Daily WTF, I present... The Weekly What The Heck.

Each Saturday at 10 AM Central Time I'll post one of Jen's drawings of some kind of whacked-out creature, and ask my readers: "What the heck IS that?"

I hope my readers will approach the challenge in the spirit of "Yes, and ..." - building on previous responses so everyone's ideas can be used in the final writeup. Comments are now closed on last week's entry, and I hope to have the final writeup posted tonight. Comments will be accepted on this week's entry until I post next week's entry.

So... What the heck is that? What should it do? Can it fly or just hop really well?

Charles G. Wilbur (the "Proprietor") does not claim ownership of information, data, text, comments, graphics, messages or other materials ("Content") you submit or make available for inclusion on The Art of the Near TPK (the "Service"). However, with respect to Content you submit or make available for inclusion on the Service, including without limitation comments you post to the Service, you grant the Proprietor world-wide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty free, non-exclusive, fully sub-licensable license(s) to use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform and publicly display such Content (in whole or in part) and to incorporate such Content into other works in any format or medium now known or later developed.