New Monsters: Troglodytes!

Hey all!

I've just cooked up half a dozen new monster stat blocks, the ever-stinky and spooky TROGLODYTES! Perennial GM favorites for any low to mid-level campaign that ever goes underground, these stinkers pack quite a nasty punch.

Some new things you'll notice I'm trying out:

Flavorful new ways to get into combat. How can we simulate the stinkiness of these creatures without annoying everyone by forcing them to constantly make saves? How about exchanging the usual initiative roll with a STR save. No added steps, but it's an interesting and unique way to reward those with stronger stomachs!

On Death Mechanics. Again, rather than forcing saves too frequently what if we gave a mechanic that rewards smart tactical play? Can the heroes figure out a way to position themselves so that they're not permanently Poisoned? I love making puzzle-like monsters that make the heroes CHANGE-UP how they play.

Burrower. Hidden monsters are a neat little challenge, but. I think the Troglodyte Tunneler strikes a nice balance of being a sneaky ambusher/debuffer without being annoying the play against (for the heroes) or to run (as the GM).

Screech. An AoE attack that ignores the heroes armor! Heroes get plenty of these kind of abilities, it's only fair that monsters do as well. Troglodytes are a particularly tactical enemy to fight against since WHERE each hero stands really matters a lot. I can see this being a lot of fun watching players figure out.

Preferred Targets. One final thing I'm testing out is having some sort of "monster tactics" or "who they like to attack the most" thing. While the heroes roll initiative the GM can roll for the monster's temperament. Different characteristics each hero has can make them more (or less) of a priority target. I'd definitely recommend letting the heroes know or discover during combat that "these Troglodytes really hate your perfume" that can lead to very interesting tactical decisions and roleplaying moments.

I think the idea is a good one, but maybe needs to cook just a bit longer. Thank you all, as always for your support, and let me know how you like the spooky, smelly dudes :D

What I'm Working On

I'm still working on the creator's kit, it's becoming much more of a production than I anticipated (in the best possible way). More on that soon. Also, fingers crossed, hoping to do the Foundry reveal stream with Phil this week too. 💪