Monstrosities: DnD 5e Monster Guide Posted byBen Lawrance2nd January 202216th March 2024Posted inMonsters, Lore, MonstrositiesTags:Lore, Monsters Adventurers fighting a tarrasque Everything you need to know about monstrosities in DnD 5e What are monstrosities? Monstrosities in Dungeons & Dragons are creatures that are monstrous in nature. They are frightening, dangerous and usually savage. Truth be told, many of the creature types in D&D 5e might be considered monsters like dragons, aberrations or undead making monstrosities a bit of a catch all for “everything else monstrous”. Much of what makes a creature a monstrosity though, seems to come from their origin. They can be created in a wide array of ways whether by an experiment gone wrong, a curse, some unholy punishment from the gods or simply a freak of nature. They are however, distinct from creatures created in other ways or with other distinctive features, such as undead, created from necromantic magic, aberrations that come from alien realms or oozes that are just… slimey! Monstrosities do not belong to the natural order of things and it is generally advised to steer well clear of such creatures. Typically, a monstrosity seeks prey upon lesser creatures (and sometimes, even bigger creatures). They are deadly predators of the highest order and should be taken seriously. What are monstrosities?Types of MonstrositiesAnkhegAstral DreadnoughtBanderhobbBasiliskBehirBuletteCarrion CrawlerCatoblepasCave FisherCentaurChimeraChitineCholdrithCockatriceDarkmantleDeath DogDeep ScionDisplacer BeastDopplegangerDriderEttercapFroghemothGirallonGorgonGray RenderGrickGriffonHarpyHippogriffHook HorrorHydraKrakenKruthikLamiaLeucrottaManticoreMeazelMedusaMerrowMimicMinotaurNagaOwlbearPerytonPurple WormRemorhazRocRoperRust MonsterShadow MastiffSkulkSphinxSorrowswornSteederTarrasqueTlincalliUmber HulkWorgXvartYetiYuan-TiUsing monstrosities in your campaign Types of Monstrosities Ankheg CR 2 A huge insectoid creature that burrows underground. Astral Dreadnought CR 21 Huge, armoured creatures that travel the astral planes. Banderhobb CR 5 Monsters formed of shadow and flesh that steal their victims away. Basilisk CR 3 Eight-legged reptiles that can petrify with their stare and can poison their victims. Behir CR 11 Twelve-legged creature with a serpent’s body and electrical breath. Bulette CR 5 Burrowing creatures, also known as land sharks. Carrion Crawler CR 2 Insectoid creatures that generally prey on dead bodies but will also attack the living too. Catoblepas CR 5 Buffalo looking creatures that also have features of a warthog that reek of death and live in swamps. Cave Fisher CR 1 Lobster looking creatures that ambush their prey underground and capture them using sticky filament. Centaur CR 2 Part humanoid, part equine, Centaurs have a similar temperament to that of most humanoids. Chimera CR 6 Large creatures formed from a mix of dragons, lions and goats with a head for each of its aspects. Chitine CR 1/2 Bipedal, spider-like creatures with four arms. Choldrith CR 3 The priests and leaders of the chitine. Cockatrice CR 1/2 A two-legged, lizard, bat and bird hybrid. Despite their seemingly weak capabilities, these creatures are capable of turning flesh to stone. Darkmantle CR 1/2 Octopus-like creatures that live in subterranean areas and disguise themselves as stalagtites. Death Dog CR 1 An ugly, two-headed hound that desires humanoid flesh. Deep Scion CR 3 The result of humanoids that have had their lives spared by an evil aquatic creature, only to be transformed into these shape hanging servants. Displacer Beast CR 3 Many-tailed panthers with a magical ability to make themselves appear in a place where they are not. Doppleganger CR 3 Bipedal creatures with the ability to change their appearance. Drider CR 6 Drow and spider hybrids that have undergone a horrendous ritual to be joined together. Ettercap CR 2 Bestial spider-like creatures found throughout Faerun. Froghemoth CR 10 Amphibious creatures with a frog-like appearance and tentacles, they’re roughly the size of an elephant. Girallon CR 4 Four-armed apes that are incredibly strong, savage and territorial. Gorgon CR 5 Highly aggressive bull creatures that attack on sight. Gray Render CR 12 Large, bulky predators found in swamps. Grick CR 2 Large worm-like creatures with a beak surrounded by four tentacles. Griffon CR 2 Intelligent beasts with the appearance of an eagle and a lion. Harpy CR 1 Aggressive creatures with a humanoid upper half, wings and the lower body of a reptile. Hippogriff CR 1 Less intelligent than griffons and with the body of a horse rather than a lion. Hook Horror CR 3 Large, bipedal creatures with a beak and sharp hooks for hands. Hydra CR 8 Many-headed reptiles with an appearance similar to a wingless dragon. Kraken CR 23 A gigantic, amphibious creature with a huge tentacles and a mouth of many teeth. Kruthik CR 2 A six-limbed alien-looking insectoid with a tough carapace of natural plated-armour. Lamia CR 4 Cruel, seductive creatures with the upper half of a woman and the lower half of a lion. Leucrotta CR 1 Ugly, dog-like creatures with a cruel intellect and torturous habits. Manticore CR 3 A vicious creature with the body of a lion, dragon wings and a humanoid face. Meazel CR 1 Violent, reclusive creatures that respond to being disturbed by killing or cursing the trespasser. Medusa CR 6 A serpentine humanoid with many snake heads that can turn a person to stone. Merrow CR 2 Monstrous looking merfolk that live under the sea. Mimic CR 2 A creature that can mimic the appearance of mundane objects as a form of capturing its prey. Minotaur CR 3 A large humanoid with a bull’s head. Naga Intelligent snake-like immortals. Owlbear CR 3 A large bear-like creature with the face of an owl. Peryton CR 2 A cross between a large eagle and a stag with a demonic looking face. Purple Worm CR 15 A deadly and gigantic earthworm of purple skin. Remorhaz CR 11 A worm like creature with many spiked legs and blue skin. Roc CR 11 Massive birds of prey capable of even carrying something the size of an elephant. Roper CR 5 Tentacled creatures of the underdark that seek to ambush unsuspecting victims. Rust Monster CR 1/2 Creatures capable of corroding metal. Shadow Mastiff CR 2 Hounds shrouded in shadow and darkness. Skulk CR 1/2 A worm like creature with many spiked legs and blue skin. Sphinx Intelligent, cunning, winged lion-like creatures. Subraces: Androsphinx and Gynosphinx Sorrowsworn Creatures native to the Shadowfell that embody different forms of despair, invoking those feelings and feeding upon them. Steeder CR 1/4 Giant spider-like creatures with a spiked carapace. Tarrasque CR 30 A gargantuan creature and the most terrifying known to man that slumbers in the core of the world. Tlincalli CR 5 Creatures with a humanoid upper body and a scorpion lower half. Umber Hulk CR 5 Large, four-eyed creatures with large claws and insect-like features. Worg CR 1/2 A large, evil wolf-like predator. Xvart CR 1/8 A worm like creature with many spiked legs and blue skin. Yeti Large, humanoids with thick fur and sharp claws. Yuan-Ti Once humans, the Yuan-Ti transformed themselves into snake-like beings centuries ago. They are intelligent, deceptive and power-hungry. Subraces: Abomination, Anathema, Broodguard, Malison, Mind Whisperer, Nightmare Speaker, Pit Master Using monstrosities in your campaign Monstrosities generally aren’t the brightest of creatures. They tend to be fairly instinctive, often operating on baser forms of intellect such as the desire to eat (normally meat). Because of this, they make reliable combat encounters. Sometimes you don’t want the party to negotiate around a problem, instead, you simply want them involved in a fight. Monstrosities can easily be used as guardians of certain areas or territory. They can also be trained by more intelligent creatures much like a guard dog, allowing you to have them fight alongside humanoids and other creatures. There are some exceptions here though. Yuan-Ti for example are both intelligent and cunning. They work well as part of a cult, assassin’s or spies. Baldur’s gate 3 has also taught us that speak with animals allows for all sorts of interesting and unique missions. Consider taking inspiration with creatures that have desires or can be fooled. A mother owlbear that’s lost her young, a roc with an injured wing or a misunderstood yeti are all great ways to invert expectations for monstrosities. Tere is also the absolute king of creatures in the gargantuan tarrasque! It’s the most powerful monster in the game with a challenge rating of 30 (higher than some minor deities). They make an excellent fight for high level parties. Or consider chucking one at a low level party and have them race away while faster creatures try to knock them off chariots like I did once. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... Published by Ben Lawrance Ben is the creator of Dungeon Mister and is an experienced dungeon master who's been immersed in the D&D universe for over 20 years. View more posts