Pulling our visions into messy arcane studies, pits flanked by dangerous ooze, and dark caverns of mystery, we rest our eye upon one of my favorite little critters in this whole game.
  Sporting leathery skin and angry spikes, with claws for climbing, and a mouth often gaped, the Nothic is unnerving on its own, but its enormous, unblinking eye sets it far apart from its other cave kin.  Despite its stark appearance, though, the Nothic can form rich bonds and motivations, even spilling themselves into an industry all their own.

Like I said, the Nothic uses to be a spell caster - a creature devoted to the arcane.  This means that those cognitively aware enough of their own affliction would seek to remedy it.  Which births Nothic alchemists and artificers, brewing elixirs and constructing shadows, seeking to silence the incessant voices of their fragmented memories.  
  For those who drink the ill-made elixirs, further mutations plague their forms.  Orcish blood infuses their body with resistance; devilish magic turns their blood to smoke, their steps to shadow; Fey magic infuses the spines and spurs with wild magic that explodes with their emotions.
  On the other side, the unhinged artifice breathes new terrifying life into their visage.  An extra set of arms of offset their twitchy nature; electric infusers to inject them with strange mutagens, all the better to defend their workshop from intruders.  If you were driven to mad industry to silence the voices in your head, what would you make?

See you at the table.
-Adamus

In 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, you'll likely run across the Neogi in three forms - the Hatchling, the standard Neogi and the Master.  Let's break them down.

HATCHLING (tiny) - young and fledgling (AC 10-11; HP Level 1 Wizard), these are dangerous in large numbers and simple on their own.  Just don't wake up their older siblings.
NEOGI (small) - better natural armor (AC 15-16) and multi-attack makes this bugger a tougher beast to tango with, but this standard beastie comes with the main thing that makes these critters tick.  The Neogi has an Enslave ability (Short or Long Rest dependent) that pushes a Wisdom save.  Fail that, and you're charmed by the creature for one DAY (and it knocks out your Reactions - bummer).  Oh and did I mention that the Neogi talks to you telepathically during this whole thing out to a distance of one mile?  *shudder*
MASTER (medium) - not to be confused with the "Great Old" variety, these nasty variations on a theme get everything their small counterparts do (plus more than double their HP pool), and are freaking spellcasters!  Looks like these masters went all in for the Hadar fan club with a slice of Confused Bard, so be ready for some telepathic Vicious Mockery while being whalloped with Eldritch Blast for good measure.  Be careful too, they can function as a 7th-9th level caster, so that spell save may be meaner than you think at low level.  And I know I mentioned the "Hadar vibe", but any DM that does their research can mix up that power set to match another Elder Evil (wink-wink).

Now, each of these creatures has the Mental Fortitude of an Elf and Spider Climb, so watch your six.  What they lack in empathy, they make up for in numbers, and if they're following that Spartan Chuck-E-Cheese childhood, you can bet that what's coming for you ain't no pushover.

The Neogi are a Legacy Monster.
  Given their expansive and extensive lore dating back to second edition (2e), not to mention their pronounced influence within the Spelljammer history, their current iteration and inclusion feels lackluster.  There are dozens of fascinating creatures with deep history and ethos in Faerun and worlds beyond that are offered only a tiny passage in Volo's Guide, or Mordenkainen's Tome, or the Monster Manual talking about them, and, unfortunately, many of these passages end with a "nobody really knows" and a shrug (flips page).  
  To say that these are missed opportunities isn't exactly fair, either.  At its core, 5th Edition is intended to be accessible.  You don't want to bury the DM in mountains of back-logged history (some of it quite problematic today) just to get an interesting critter on the board.  So instead, I offer up my own approach:
This awesome monster can be a one-off.  A "well, that was weird, moving on" type moment.  OR, much like what happens when I do my research for each of these, this monster is a launching point of inspiration.  Truthfully, I hadn't yet considered the Neogi's place in my homebrew setting, but you can BET I've got one mixing now.  The rabbit hole I jumped into has some really cool avenues to play with, and I can twist and turn and mutate them however I see fit.
These things have a huge spider motif going for them - could they be distantly connected to Lolth?  Maybe the Drow that serve her hate Neogi, because they believe their banners as an affront to their queen!  You don't know (shrugs and cackles in DM).  
  My point is that for every moment of disappointment found in a feature, creature, or spell, there can instead be a tiny mote of inspiration, leading you to a setting with greater depth, immersion, and personal craft.

Happy worldbuilding.
​-Adamus

Though the origins of the creature rarely differ, their intentions in Io are often less miserable.  They are also HEAVILY influenced by the plane that they exist in.  
  WoWs of the Feywild will be more innocent and mischievous - still deadly, mind you - but their souls of dead sprites and nymphs don't understand the weight of their actions.  It's tragic, really.  These playful spirits are drawing creatures into their sight to feel not so alone...which kills their new friends anyway.
  WoWs of the Shadowfell carry a sorrowful weight and an unending desire to consume the living.  These spirits are tormented by the wales of their own death that they seek rebirth by draining the life force from other beings.  This usually manifests in alternative versions of their Consume Life ability, wherein they don't kill the target.  Instead, they inhabit their body, siphoning the creature of each of its attributes until only a husk remains...and a Wight is born instead.
  The more I write on these creatures, the greater the permutations and variations that manifest across the planes.  I consider what is in the Monster Manual as fact for the Material Plane, but as any Horizon Walker knows...Planeshift is one helluva drug.

Be safe out there, and beware the lights that drift in the forest.
-Adamus

Will-O-Wisps can be found all over Dungeons & Dragons, but for 5th Edition, look no further than the classic Monster Manual.  

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Displacer Beasts were once the prized jailers and guards of the nobility that filled the upper ranks of the Unseelie Court.  After the Massacre At Harrowhome, however, their prized position grew scattered, and one too many instances of their allegiance being swayed fell dim upon the Dread Queen Mab.  In the Ruins of the Season, deep in the harrowed halls of the broken citadels of beasts and men, prides of Displacer Beasts roam and hunt.  
  But not all nobility has turned a blind eye to these creatures with a love for the kill.  Excellent trackers, a Displacer Beast may sometimes roam with hunters and assassins of a deadly order.  Creatures contracted to hunt their own, these "Skipjacks" utilize the Displacer Beast as a dangerous ally in their pursuit of their fellow Fey.

GM's Note: Since the first campaign I ran in this custom setting, there have been old tapestries, panoramas, ancient texts, and obscure references that player-characters have stumbled across.  Each lore drop would be a tiny morsel of a much larger picture; an eight-legged displacer beast with boney spurs around the jaw-line, multiple tendrils lifting from its back like a living mantle, and a crown of black and silver spines protruding from its head.  This regal creature was always set upon a high rock surrounded by hundreds of other beasts, each bowing to it as if it were their king.  
  The first time this image was presented, I remember my players vigorously writing it down.  At any point following this, any players to be present during this strange initial reveal would bring it up again if ever they fell into an encounter with a Displacer Pride, but little came of it.  
​  Will we see more?  Only my players can tell you...

Tread safely under the borealis of the Feywild.
-Adamus

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Mephits are imp-like creatures of mischief and chaos forged in the elemental planes.  They prefer to dwell in places where their base elements are prevalent, so a Mud Mephit may reside in the plane of earth or water, while a Magma Mephit adores earth and fire.  As pairings go, the Elemental Chaos has forged six slices of these little critters.

DUST - composed of earth and air, Dust Mephits are drawn to death.  Adventurers can encounter them in deep catacombs, deadly streets, or in the eye of a shredding sandstorm.

ICE - a creature born of frigid air and water, an Ice Mephit is devoid of pity.  Aloof and cold, they show little mercy or compassion to those around them.

MAGMA - dangerous to the touch, a Magma Mephit is comprised of earth and fire.  Considered the least intelligent, they are slow to understand commands and are often used as living walls of molten death by more cunning creatures.

​MUD -  slow creatures of earth and water, Mud Mephits are full of complaints and seek endless attention and treasure, stuffing the little trinkets inside their warping bodies.

SMOKE - crude and lazy, Smoke Mephits billow constantly.  Though they are often gifted with superior speech, they like to use it to spin lies and lead creatures astray.

STEAM - nearly ethereal in sight, Steam Mephits can be tracked by the trails of hot water they leave behind.  Fire and water yield bossy and self-absorbed creatures, and each will tend to appoint themselves lord of all other mephits.

Dust and Smoke find great meaning in Ionian Shadowfell, as both can be easily satiated by the natural surroundings, but they are certainly not alone.  Given a Mephit's ability to squeeze, melt, and morph, they are highly suited and trainable in acts of espionage, information, and theft.  It is this practice that birthed the Smoke and Shard - a Mephit spy network created by a vampire lady in the Court Of Whispers.
  Even the Mud Mephit's greed can be entwined into valuable service.  A Mud Mephits for treasure and reward gives it purpose in its employ, and it can promised boons and glittering prizes for tasks and services.  Though slower than the cruelest among them, a Mud Mephit, given enough time, can be trained well to serve a single master, as long as that master has kept their promises of treasure.  Given the immortal nature of a mephit, as steadfast as the element that creates them, a master with a similar lifespan and the correct resources could secure a loyal servant indefinitely.  When considering the vampire Court that rules the Ionian Shadowfell, such service would be invaluable... 

So when you see that precarious mound of magma just sitting there in your path, think twice about kicking it.  You just might upset all of its brothers.  
Tread carefully.
​-Adamus

And that does it for December, and 2020!  Up next?  Not sure.  The polls haven't closed yet.
  Celestials and Fiends are extensive.  We'll see who wins next week.  Happy New Year, friends.
​-Adamus

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In terms of raw defenses and hit points, the Yeth Hound isn't that intimidating, but make sure you're packing something silver.  Their physical stats (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution) are noticeably high, but they're dumb as a post most of the time.  
Where they become truly dangerous is in their unnatural, creepy mobility and their dreaded "Baleful Baying" howl ability.  The thing's got a 300 foot range, so make sure your Wisdom is decent before engaging with one.  If you happen to be one of the unlucky low rollers against the howl, that frightened condition does a lot more for the Yeth than it does for you, stacking on extra psychic damage for its scared victims.  And I can't blame them; the image of this thing bearing down on you is NOT pleasant.
  As an aside, I was actually very intrigued to write about this thing.
​There is something wholly unnerving about these large Fey doggos with humanoid faces, who creepily hover overhead and paralyze prey with their baleful howl.  It's just such an unsettling image.  Add on to this the fact that as long as it's on the same plane as its master, it can ALWAYS contact it telepathically.  Woof, buddy.

Sleep well, travelers.
​-Adamus

Despite its fiendish classification, the Barghest has a difficult relationship with fire, but not for the reasons you think.  It's resistant to the stuff, which tracks, but any mass of it larger than the Barghest's body acts as a tearing of the veil between this plane and Gehenna, and poor thing can be banished there just by being in close proximity.  Sure, you think, they can just bamf back, right?  Unfortunately, no, as a Barghest is more likely to be caught, tortured, and killed for its failure to collect its souls for the General.  Tough luck, doggo.

The Ionian Shadowfell is one of dark purpose.  Creatures born here do not hold sway in D&D's legacy of a sorrow-filled landscape.  No, the creatures that spawn in this place are fueled by furious purpose and twisted by the Perpetual Night.
  The Barghest is a rarity among such denizens, but their existence, especially following the engineering colonization before the turn of Io Shar, is not unheard of.  Goblinoid mariners and pirates became more common beyond the Evernight, far in the reaches of Gressil's Helm.  
  Goblins and Hobgoblins born on the dark sea can sometimes bear the Mark of Gehenna, a sigil of deep crimson in the small of the back.  Creatures bearing the Mark are both cursed and blessed with extreme bloodlust and wicked strength.  At a coming of age, often in battle, the Mark can manifest, turning the skin of a "marked" jet black, and its true form will reveal itself.  
  Barghests take many forms in the Shadowfell, but all are lupine.  Some appear like broken glass, the shards a refraction of their vision.  Others are amorphous clouds with teeth.  Many are hounds with sharpened, boney spurs and horns.  And all are very, very dangerous.   

Unfortunately, in my experience so far, this critter is drastically underutilized.  Their story is one of grand deception, superior command, and a cosmological mission with possible sweeping consequences.  Imagine a villain poised as general of a goblin army, especially considering the complex relationship with his subjects.  Imagine a hero, biting the line between the best picks of the worst people to destroy for his dark master.  
There's a lot of depth here, and I can't wait for my players to begin to scrape the surface.

Sleep tight, doggo.
-Adamus

Source: The Barghest can be found in Volo's Guide To Monsters, published by Wizards of the Coast for use in 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons; also, TONS of actual British folklore.

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Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness, is not to be left waiting.  To do so is to incur the wrath of one of the oldest and most powerful Archfey in existence.  And yet, this exact insult is the crux of a Quickling's lineage.
  Once a race of egotistical, lazy, and narcissistic Fey, these gluttonous creatures ignored and delayed a summons one too many from their great Queen.  So, as an Archfey is want to do, she cursed them.
  Their tall frames were shrunk to tiny sprites.  Their slow minds quickened to an alarming, maddening speed.  These Fey, under their new life, would never be late again, the insolence of their hubris burned into the fibers of their being.

Unlike other entries, the Quickling's Faerunian lore fits perfectly already into the core concepts and forces that rule my Feywild and its regions.  The only adjustment here may be in the relationship of the Quickling's curse.  
  While I am certain that some Quicklings worship their Queen openly, I would assume that many harbor a great ill will toward the Queen, and a great fear to never act on it.  I, being a cruel world-builder, have woven a long, manipulated memory into the Quickling that spins the Queen's actions as an act of salvation.
  The lazy Fey would certainly have perished without her "blessing," so they worship and serve her without question.  In fact, the most zealous and devout Quicklings will create "orders" and guilds in direct service to the Winter Court so as to gain the Queen's favor.  Such favor achieved...is rare, and if ever it happens, THAT Quickling may actually last in a one-on-one fight.  
So if a chill breeze follows a Quickling, exercise caution if you mean to chase it into the Deep Wood.

See you in the forest.
-Adamus

Source: Quicklings and their official 5th Edition attributes can be found in Volo's Guide To Monsters, published by Wizards of the Coast.

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Through an overabundance of summoning rituals and long life, Shadow Mastiffs are less an extraplanar ally and more a living, growing breed in the Planes of Shadow.  Once the complex ritual is complete, a Shadow Mastiff can persist through eons, evolving and adapting to its surroundings, forever in its prime of youth and virility.  Old Mastiffs become Alphas, adopting unique properties based on their experiences.  A Mastiff roiled in pack fighting may develop a hardened hide, or teeth and claws that rend with added ferocity.  Some adopt the abilities of a Blink Dog dominated into their pack, or copies the stalking stealth of a Displacer Beast they felled.  These extra properties can be random, but no less frightening and dangerous.  How they multiply is still a mystery, as these pups are created genderless, but some scholars surmise that when certain conditions are met, a Mastiff will drift toward the gender of the matriarch, and summon her own progeny.  If the Mastiff remains this way, no one knows, or much cares.

As for me, I'm down for a shadow puppy.
​-Adamus