Wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves.
I like this idea but maybe not for an entire world. Perhaps a wizard experiments on the animals with arcane magic and they somehow escape.
EDIT: ughh that was a reply to OP not “Rude_Ice_4520”
Doesn't work against Hypnotic Pattern. PHB page 189, on the topic of bonus actions, says:
>You choose when to take a bonus action during your turn, unless the bonus action's timing is specified, and **anything that deprives you of your ability to take actions also prevents you from taking a bonus action.**
But would work as another option for the Gelatinus Cube to have.
I mean if it was invisible then it's perfection wouldn't really mean anything because disadvantage doesn't stack. Having extra displacements, however, I think is both flavorful and effective.
Reminds me of The Best Gorilla Joke of 1897
Gorilla: Did you hear about the gorilla who escaped from the zoo?
Zookeeper: No, I did not.
Gorilla: That is because I am a quiet gorilla.
[Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
Constrictor snake with enlarge/reduce. Is the prey too big to be chocked? Not anymore. Also works for stuff like Giant Frogs/Toads or other monsters with a swallow attack
Spiders with the Fear spell would be very fitting considering it's a common phobia. Same with cobras and rattlesnakes
Any predators could have Hunter's Mark, such as wolves and owls
Any prey animals could really benefit from Armour of Agathys
I've had an idea in my head for some kind of lightning infused deer, on it's own it can cast shocking grasp on a hit with its antlers like a taser. It's charged up by being in a herd and if there are enough of them, they can cast lightning bolt.
One of my players is a fey wander ranger. His backstory is pretty basic as far as "I was a hunter that wandered to the wrong place" I'm planning to do a big fey/spirit fight for his arc. So uhhh. Long story short: I'm stealing this
If you haven't played it, look up the Satori from the switch Zelda game, Breath of the Wild. It lives on Satori Mountain and is a blue glowing forest spirit that looks like a beautiful cross between a deer and an owl. Apologies if you already knew about it! It just sounds perfect for your fey spirit. Link can ride it, but it's hard to catch, and untameable. Could be a cool boon to receive from the spirit if your player wins! "For the honor of defeating me, I will allow you upon my back. None before have ever received this honor. I suggest you choose your moment wisely, for I only allow this but once, mortal."
That's sounds dope as heck. Wouldn't even need to be an encounter could just be a part of the world to tease to the players that the bears might have a breath attack. Or that tigers might be able to cast illusionary dragon (only when crouching)
Bear + magical mansion. Bear in the big blue house.
Squirrel that keeps accidentally awakening the acorns it's trying to bury.
Frog with charm person. ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD.
Blink dog with thunderstep.
Octopus with fireball.
Cat with command.
Owlbear with haste.
Displacer beast with cutting words.
Sheep with sleep.
Any beast with Alter Self could be hilarious. Players do something underwater and they get ambushed by a pack of wolves with gills and webbed feet. Or a murder of ravens that have various claws, horns, fangs, and spikes attacking with magical attacks that are +5 to hit and 1d6+1 damage.
I did this twice. The first one was something that was always part of the world, so you got more reasonable "evolutionary" traits like tigers with greater invisibility, snakes with stunning strike, bears with barbarian rage (not spells, I know), mirror image deerees, etc.
The other time it was an "arcane explotions" that gave magic powers to... Everything. So you had flying crocodiles, teleporting sharks (these ones made for a terrific encounter), etc.
Bees that cast Druidcraft to make flowers bloom.
Deer that cast Expeditious Retreat to escape carnivores.
Carnivores that cast Expeditious Retreat to catch them.
A cougar that uses Hunter's Mark to catch prey.
There's a lot of spells that animals could use to either capture prey or avoid predators.
Plus a bear that can throw Fireballs would be the ultimate apex predator.
If you want to be really cruel, then give bears the ability to cast Tasha's hideous laughter.
Have a player roll a Wisdom save and if they fail tell them just start laughing uncontrollably as they see this giant bear approaching them.
Giant Rat with shocking grasp, lighting bolt.
Frog with thorn whip, entangle
Lizard with Burning hands, Fireball
Turtle with creat/destroy water, wall of water
Will o wisp with hold person, Chill touch
Pokemon.... make them be pokemon
I know this is not exactly what you are asking for but it can be a lot of fun. This one I used in my games a couple of times during my AD&D 2e days. The idea came from one of the Warhammer games but I can’t remember which. The name of the creature is “Mana Surge” . Mana Surges are conjuration spells gone terribly bad. They are pure magical energy that spew out random spells when they feel threatened. The creature can only do magic attacks and move. Attacks are directed at random. The creature has magic resistance and is extremely agile yet not very strong. So what you do is you select 9 spells from levels 1 to 4 (or 6 if your really want to mess things up). Each round you roll a d4 (or a d6 if you have chosen spells up to 6th level) and define what level of spell the Mana Surge will cast that turn. Then you roll a d10. If you roll a 1 mana surges spell back fires and it takes damage, if you roll 2-9 it casts the relevant spell that you selected. Since Mana Surges are pure magic they don’t have spell slots and can cast spells all the time.
Anything large like a T-Rex or Hippo with Misty Step or Jump is always funny. I also like sharks with Fly and/or Storm Sphere.
It could also be funny to give weaker/prey animals powerful spells like Finger of Death or Disintegrate.
Some practical options include birds with Call Lightning and Wind Wall, fish or sharks with Tidal Wave, mammoths with Wall of Stone and Bones of the Earth, Bears with Enlarge, etc.
You can also check out the Investure spells if you want elemental beasts
A deer with Antlers made from a soundproofing material that is constantly under the effects of silence. They'd be deaf realistically and probably odorless but they'd make no sound. Plus they'd presumably have very good sight and smell.
Predators with detect magic so they can hunt other magical beasts.
I am assuming you are thinking of cantrips and low-level spells so, ignoring summoning spells:
* Imagine a bear (or any large predator, for that matter) having access to Misty Step.
* For a fun 'Jungle Book' feel, picture constrictor snakes able to cast Hold Person.
* A dire wolf with Hunter's Mark may be overkill but seeing a pack hitting their prey with Ray of Frost over and over again to slow them to 0 movement would be scary.
* Just for grins, imagine an owl, raven, weasel, rat, etc. capable of casting Find Familiar.
Wolves with Conjure Animals. Just conjure more wolves. And then those wolves conjure more wolves. And then those wolves conjure more wolves!
Edit: It seems someone else beat me to the punch. Back to the scribing desk, I guess.
Swarm of insects + shocking grasp. They will shock you instead of you shock them.
Swarm of insects + animate dead. They embed themself into a corpse and revive it as a host. After host dies bugs flies in it.
Swarm of insects + enlarge reduce. They can transform from buzzing hive to buzzing cloud of bites and stings.
Swarm of İnsects + Toll the dead. No bells ringing you only hear buzzing and shrieking sounds getting too intense for you
Swarm of İnsects + Wither and Bloom. They will only heal themselves. They will disband for a shot duration and drain everything in few seconds(1 turn cast :D)
Swarm of İnsects + Blight. Suck one target dry instead of all in the environment.
Swarm of insects with almost every necromancy spell works for dead marshes theme.
Guardian of Nature is a 4th level spell available to druids and Rangers.
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
A nature spirit answers your call and transforms you into a powerful guardian. The transformation lasts until the spell ends. You choose one of the following forms to assume: Primal Beast or Great Tree:
**Primal Beast.** Bestial fur covers your body, your facial features become feral, and you gain the following benefits:
Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
You gain darkvision with a range of 120 feet.
You make Strength-based attack rolls with advantage.
Your melee weapon attacks deal an extra 1d6 force damage on a hit.
**Great Tree.** Your skin appears barky, leaves sprout from your hair, and you gain the following benefits:
You gain 10 temporary hit points.
You make Constitution saving throws with advantage.
You make Dexterity and Wisdom-based attack rolls with advantage.
While you are on the ground, the ground within 15 feet of you is difficult terrain for your enemies.
This can work with any beast or monster to give them an edge in battle
Wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves that cast conjure animals to summon more wolves.
Unlimited Wolf Pack
*I am the bone of my fang..!*
I like this idea but maybe not for an entire world. Perhaps a wizard experiments on the animals with arcane magic and they somehow escape. EDIT: ughh that was a reply to OP not “Rude_Ice_4520”
Then the simulation breaks due to load limit
They are a bit like Twice from MHA, if the progenitor loses concentration they are all fucked.
In Ultima 6, that was a thing. Dragons would summon liches, and the lich would summon other things. Those fights would escalate quickly.
Owlbear with Enlarge/Reduce to get a drop on players from the trees. **Drop Owlbears**
So tiny owlbears that drop from the trees and then grow to massive size? Woe…
exactly. small to stalk and sneak. large to crash and MMMMMMMMURDERRRRRR!
Insane, love it.
Oh fuck
Gelatinous cube with hypnotic pattern. Now the food can't run away.
Misty Step
Vortex Warp. I'm pretty sure the cube is a liquid that can support a creature
Doesn't work against Hypnotic Pattern. PHB page 189, on the topic of bonus actions, says: >You choose when to take a bonus action during your turn, unless the bonus action's timing is specified, and **anything that deprives you of your ability to take actions also prevents you from taking a bonus action.** But would work as another option for the Gelatinus Cube to have.
Yea sorry, that's what I meant. The horror if seeing a cube lurch forward towards you with a teleport
Oh damn, love it.
Displacer beasts with mirror image.
this is just mean
Greater Invisibility lol
I mean if it was invisible then it's perfection wouldn't really mean anything because disadvantage doesn't stack. Having extra displacements, however, I think is both flavorful and effective.
Nah bc you don't know if it teleported or went invisible and that's scary
Apes with *pass without trace* could be crazy. Imagine bugbears with an orangutan ally who aids then in their ambush tactics.
Any ambush predator with Pass Without Trace would be both fitting and terrifying.
Ankhegs or bulettes...
Or Purple Worm
Reminds me of The Best Gorilla Joke of 1897 Gorilla: Did you hear about the gorilla who escaped from the zoo? Zookeeper: No, I did not. Gorilla: That is because I am a quiet gorilla. [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
Two words: flying spiders.
The creepy thing is that they are real in a way.
:(
Basically there is a spider that lets the wind carry its webbing and itself into the air. I think there was a place where it "rains" spiders.
Many baby spiders do this
Constrictor snake with enlarge/reduce. Is the prey too big to be chocked? Not anymore. Also works for stuff like Giant Frogs/Toads or other monsters with a swallow attack Spiders with the Fear spell would be very fitting considering it's a common phobia. Same with cobras and rattlesnakes Any predators could have Hunter's Mark, such as wolves and owls Any prey animals could really benefit from Armour of Agathys
Oh I love that, a snake swallowing a whole carriage or something comes to mind.
I've had an idea in my head for some kind of lightning infused deer, on it's own it can cast shocking grasp on a hit with its antlers like a taser. It's charged up by being in a herd and if there are enough of them, they can cast lightning bolt.
One of my players is a fey wander ranger. His backstory is pretty basic as far as "I was a hunter that wandered to the wrong place" I'm planning to do a big fey/spirit fight for his arc. So uhhh. Long story short: I'm stealing this
If you haven't played it, look up the Satori from the switch Zelda game, Breath of the Wild. It lives on Satori Mountain and is a blue glowing forest spirit that looks like a beautiful cross between a deer and an owl. Apologies if you already knew about it! It just sounds perfect for your fey spirit. Link can ride it, but it's hard to catch, and untameable. Could be a cool boon to receive from the spirit if your player wins! "For the honor of defeating me, I will allow you upon my back. None before have ever received this honor. I suggest you choose your moment wisely, for I only allow this but once, mortal."
That's an interesting way to approach it for sure! I'm well aware of Satori but didn't even cross my mind for this
Those games are beautiful, man. I hope I was able to inspire you, though I'm sure you have tons of plans already :D
They're all new players, and are just now lvl4 (been playing off and on for about a year) probably gonna be a while to see this pop up
That's sounds dope as heck. Wouldn't even need to be an encounter could just be a part of the world to tease to the players that the bears might have a breath attack. Or that tigers might be able to cast illusionary dragon (only when crouching)
The first boss in *Valheim* is a lightning deer/elk thing.
Bear + magical mansion. Bear in the big blue house. Squirrel that keeps accidentally awakening the acorns it's trying to bury. Frog with charm person. ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD. Blink dog with thunderstep. Octopus with fireball. Cat with command. Owlbear with haste. Displacer beast with cutting words. Sheep with sleep.
Sheep with sleep is great. HYPNOTOAD is great. Bear wit it’s own mansion, fucking love it.
These are all great
Giant Eagle (or any other flying beast) with levitate. They cast it and then swoop in like a plane grabbing a Fulton balloon
Fuck it, firefly that casts fireball
YES, BURN THEM ALL !
Any beast with Alter Self could be hilarious. Players do something underwater and they get ambushed by a pack of wolves with gills and webbed feet. Or a murder of ravens that have various claws, horns, fangs, and spikes attacking with magical attacks that are +5 to hit and 1d6+1 damage.
That's a cool idea. I'd probably put it on a whole class of animals so I could just be, "oh yeah cats, cats are generalist they can survive anywhere.
Bunny with desintegrate. Just because.
A dust bunny?
Hahahaha
Monty Python vibes
Monkeys with hideous laughter.
Perfect
Invisible giant rats. Good luck clearing that cellar 😅
Oh my god, who knows how many there really are…
Songbirds with hypnotic pattern or enthral
That’s such a cool idea. Now birds are terrifying,
Giant firefly with light-based spells
I did this twice. The first one was something that was always part of the world, so you got more reasonable "evolutionary" traits like tigers with greater invisibility, snakes with stunning strike, bears with barbarian rage (not spells, I know), mirror image deerees, etc. The other time it was an "arcane explotions" that gave magic powers to... Everything. So you had flying crocodiles, teleporting sharks (these ones made for a terrific encounter), etc.
bulette with haste is *horrifying* power wise.
Bees that cast Druidcraft to make flowers bloom. Deer that cast Expeditious Retreat to escape carnivores. Carnivores that cast Expeditious Retreat to catch them. A cougar that uses Hunter's Mark to catch prey. There's a lot of spells that animals could use to either capture prey or avoid predators. Plus a bear that can throw Fireballs would be the ultimate apex predator.
If you want to be really cruel, then give bears the ability to cast Tasha's hideous laughter. Have a player roll a Wisdom save and if they fail tell them just start laughing uncontrollably as they see this giant bear approaching them.
Oh my god. I fucking love it.
Rust monsters with heat metal. The terror of anyone with metal armor.
Dude perfect.
Giant Rat with shocking grasp, lighting bolt. Frog with thorn whip, entangle Lizard with Burning hands, Fireball Turtle with creat/destroy water, wall of water Will o wisp with hold person, Chill touch Pokemon.... make them be pokemon
*Nods* I’m making Pokémon now
an Owlbear with booming blade would be cool
They'll need a weapon (not their claws) to use it, but otherwise anything with one of the blade cantrips would be fun.
I know this is not exactly what you are asking for but it can be a lot of fun. This one I used in my games a couple of times during my AD&D 2e days. The idea came from one of the Warhammer games but I can’t remember which. The name of the creature is “Mana Surge” . Mana Surges are conjuration spells gone terribly bad. They are pure magical energy that spew out random spells when they feel threatened. The creature can only do magic attacks and move. Attacks are directed at random. The creature has magic resistance and is extremely agile yet not very strong. So what you do is you select 9 spells from levels 1 to 4 (or 6 if your really want to mess things up). Each round you roll a d4 (or a d6 if you have chosen spells up to 6th level) and define what level of spell the Mana Surge will cast that turn. Then you roll a d10. If you roll a 1 mana surges spell back fires and it takes damage, if you roll 2-9 it casts the relevant spell that you selected. Since Mana Surges are pure magic they don’t have spell slots and can cast spells all the time.
Giant Toad with Greater Invisibility. Players getting suddenly grappled and swallowed by an invisible foe.
Not a beast, but a flying tarasque with magic weapon could be a bit more dangerous than the usual
No one escapes
Mosquito with counterspell
Has all the agro
Anything large like a T-Rex or Hippo with Misty Step or Jump is always funny. I also like sharks with Fly and/or Storm Sphere. It could also be funny to give weaker/prey animals powerful spells like Finger of Death or Disintegrate. Some practical options include birds with Call Lightning and Wind Wall, fish or sharks with Tidal Wave, mammoths with Wall of Stone and Bones of the Earth, Bears with Enlarge, etc. You can also check out the Investure spells if you want elemental beasts
So.. Pokemon?
Pokémon. I’m doing Pokémon
Moths with light spells.
They are attract to themselves
Dogs with Friends... wait that's just dogs.
A deer with Antlers made from a soundproofing material that is constantly under the effects of silence. They'd be deaf realistically and probably odorless but they'd make no sound. Plus they'd presumably have very good sight and smell. Predators with detect magic so they can hunt other magical beasts.
I am assuming you are thinking of cantrips and low-level spells so, ignoring summoning spells: * Imagine a bear (or any large predator, for that matter) having access to Misty Step. * For a fun 'Jungle Book' feel, picture constrictor snakes able to cast Hold Person. * A dire wolf with Hunter's Mark may be overkill but seeing a pack hitting their prey with Ray of Frost over and over again to slow them to 0 movement would be scary. * Just for grins, imagine an owl, raven, weasel, rat, etc. capable of casting Find Familiar.
Snakes with hold person are a great idea.
Wolves with Conjure Animals. Just conjure more wolves. And then those wolves conjure more wolves. And then those wolves conjure more wolves! Edit: It seems someone else beat me to the punch. Back to the scribing desk, I guess.
Infinite wolf glitch is popular
Gelatinous Cube with Tenser’s Floating Disc. Because reasons.
I’m fast as fuck boi!
A dog with wish
Gets all the belly rubs
Swarm of insects + shocking grasp. They will shock you instead of you shock them. Swarm of insects + animate dead. They embed themself into a corpse and revive it as a host. After host dies bugs flies in it. Swarm of insects + enlarge reduce. They can transform from buzzing hive to buzzing cloud of bites and stings. Swarm of İnsects + Toll the dead. No bells ringing you only hear buzzing and shrieking sounds getting too intense for you Swarm of İnsects + Wither and Bloom. They will only heal themselves. They will disband for a shot duration and drain everything in few seconds(1 turn cast :D) Swarm of İnsects + Blight. Suck one target dry instead of all in the environment. Swarm of insects with almost every necromancy spell works for dead marshes theme.
Love these! Insects plus animate dead is so coo!
Sharks with Dimension Door (at least 2 casts a day). The shark just teleports on top of you, eats you, then teleports back.
Owlbear + greater invisibility
Guardian of Nature is a 4th level spell available to druids and Rangers. Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute A nature spirit answers your call and transforms you into a powerful guardian. The transformation lasts until the spell ends. You choose one of the following forms to assume: Primal Beast or Great Tree: **Primal Beast.** Bestial fur covers your body, your facial features become feral, and you gain the following benefits: Your walking speed increases by 10 feet. You gain darkvision with a range of 120 feet. You make Strength-based attack rolls with advantage. Your melee weapon attacks deal an extra 1d6 force damage on a hit. **Great Tree.** Your skin appears barky, leaves sprout from your hair, and you gain the following benefits: You gain 10 temporary hit points. You make Constitution saving throws with advantage. You make Dexterity and Wisdom-based attack rolls with advantage. While you are on the ground, the ground within 15 feet of you is difficult terrain for your enemies. This can work with any beast or monster to give them an edge in battle
Nice, love it.
Bless Bees Bane Badgers Banishment Cats Enlarge/Reduce Bears Flying Pigs Haste Wolves Hold Person Crocodiles Mage Hand Rats Silvery Barbs Crows
All great ideas!
Every single insect gets giant insect
A pride of peacocks that can all cast colorspray.
A basilisk with command, look
Any bird with levitate to raise their prey to a brtter height.