Adamus Drake Official
  • The Nexus
  • Adamus Drake Music
  • GM's Corner
    • The Gray Owls Fiction
    • Voidspeaker
  • The Den
  • Instagram
  • Legacy Archives
    • D&D 5E Resources >
      • Character Creation - D&D >
        • Home-brew Feats
      • Knight Owls Armory >
        • Home-brew Races
        • Home-brew Class Options
        • Protection
        • Potions, Scrolls, and Consumables
        • Weaponry
        • Adventurer Essentials
      • Spell Compendium - D&D 5e >
        • Custom Crafted
        • Expanded Invocations List
    • Game Master Resume
    • DM Podcast
    • Owls History >
      • KO Event Dates - Descriptions

The Remorhaz Is Terribly Awesome

11/13/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
Some baddies you find just hold a special place in your heart.  Maybe you often fall back on them because they're so versatile, or you save them for that key moment when they'll be most effective.  Could they be a striking nemesis, a freak chance encounter, or a surprising subversion of expectation?  
  I use a lot of monsters, and I make a lot of my own (that's another post altogether), but none so far have had such an "OH CRAP" moment from my players in recent games as the Remorhaz.

Monster Lore

The Remorhaz is a traditionally arctic monstrosity.  A predator preying on elk, polar bears, and other creatures that wander into their territory.  They burrow deep into snow or ice, lying in wait for the faint vibrations of creatures moving above them.  While hidden, it can raise or lower its body temperature, keeping the snow or ice around it from melting, or allowing it to glide through the cold tunnel.
  A Remorhaz nest is quite a find, especially if you are a frost giant, as the young Remorhaz can be trained from hatching to obey commands and guard your citadels.  Some might even become mounts for other creatures.  Be careful if training these beasties, though; they are adept at swallowing their victims...

Their Place In Ionian Lore

The Remorhaz has become recently fascinating to me, and not just because of their mechanical capabilities.  Residing in the grand north of the world, somewhere beyond the Wynnrik Region, the Remorhazes and their ilk would have been one of the first batches of creatures to encounter menacing Brood as they fled the collapsing Shadowfell at the turn of the 6th Age.  This means that the once dormant, territorial creatures, fought, failed, and were corrupted by the impending swarm of shadow monsters.  What came out of such a clash was an even more formidable foe.
Picture

What Makes Them Scary

1) They Can Swallow You (and then Burrow)

I have a few players it seems with a penchant for getting eaten, and with an ability like Swallow, this number continues to rise.

On their turn, a Remorhaz makes a Bite attack against a creature it is grappling (snake-like body, go figure).  If the attack hits, you're looking at 6d10+7 piercing damage PLUS 2d6 fire damage, AND the creature is swallowed.  While swallowed, they are considered blinded and restrained, and will suffer 6d6 acid damage at the start of each of Remorhaz's turns.

Now, that's pretty awful.  However, your allies can deal damage to this thing while you're in its gullet.  Deal enough damage in a single turn and the thing has to make DC 15 Constitution Save or regurgitate you.  ...HOWEVER, if this thing swallowed you BEFORE it moved, it can now burrow 20 feet down (movement speed).  Without a player with Sentinel, you're in BIG trouble if they can't hit it hard enough with attacks of opportunity.  
  If you're still conscious, you might be able to get yourself out.  Restrained only brings your speed to 0, gives others advantage on attacking you, and your attacks and Dex Saves have disadvantage.  You can engage in trying to hack your way out (which at higher levels is completely kosher), cast a spell, and so on.  But if the odds aren't in your favor, your body might be SOL.

2) Fire AND Cold Damage Immunities

Let's shut down that Fireball and Cone of Cold immediately, shall we?

3) Their Bodies Are Superheated (Melee beware!)

Every time a creature touches the Remorhaz or hits it with a Melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 3d6 fire damage.  Every hit.  Not every turn, or every round.  EVERY.  HIT.
  This one is nasty.  True, average damage here is only 10 fire, but it can add up quick.  Imagine your Monk suffering 40 damage just for smacking the creature with their Flurry of Blows; sure, the thing can't take Reactions now, but the martial artist is melting.  It forces you to pay attention to a creature's mobility, economy, and range - so YAY for tactics!

4) Ionian Augmentations (6th Age)

After their brush with the Brood, the resulting surge of necrosis and corruption moved through the species, garnering them two new curious features.  
  First is an immunity to Necrotic damage.
  Second, a plethora of pulsing, bulbous tumors and sacks that litter their bodies.  Every time the Remorhaz suffers damage (except Psychic damage), one of the boiling tumors bursts (GROSS).  Every creature within 5 feet of the creature immediately suffers 2d6 Acid damage.  Oops.  
It makes the 5-foot radius around them extra volatile, and just like before, no saving throw.  This, coupled with the Heated Body feature, can really mess with the melee attackers and how they synergize with ranged support.
​  Keep your healers healthy, you're gonna' need it.
Also, I've been painting two of them!  Trying to follow the picture in the book for once.  So far his color test is looking really nice.  Can't wait to tighten up everything, smooth the fades, and finish him up.
Picture
Stay safe and don't get swallowed.  
See you at the table.
​- Adamus
1 Comment
Casey
8/15/2021 11:06:16 pm

The swallow and burrow straight down tactic....I didn't even think of that. Brilliant and scary. I don't know if I dare use it tbh because I think it might be a death sentence for a PC but THANK YOU!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Adam Summerer

    Professional Game Master musician, music teacher, game designer, amateur bartender, and aspiring fiction author.  
    ​In short, I'M A BIG NERD.

    1st Saturday: Etsy updates*
    2nd Saturday: Monster
    3rd Saturday: Worldbuilding
    ​4th Saturday: REST DAY

    Buy me a Mocha CoffeeBuy me a Mocha Coffee

    Archives

    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017

    Categories

    All
    4th Edition
    Buff DM
    Builds
    Call Of Cthulhu
    Cloudsinger D&D
    Cocktail Recipes
    Custom Rules
    D&D Rules
    Disney Plus
    DM's Book Club
    Drinking And Dragons
    Drinks
    Dungeons & Dragons
    Eberron
    Education
    Feywild
    Game Mastering
    Gaming
    Group Dynamics
    High Rollers
    Homebrew
    Homeschool
    Io Lore
    John's Study Hall
    Life Lessons
    Lore Drop
    Martial Arts
    MEAD
    Miniatures
    Monster Of The Week
    Moonriver
    Movies
    Music
    Notes From The Apprentice
    NPC Rewind
    One-Shot Wonders
    Pathfinder RPG
    Player Tips
    Shadowfell Campaign
    Shows
    Star Wars
    Star Wars Saga Edition
    The End Of The World RPG

    RSS Feed














    Become a Patron!

Quick Links

​Music
​Gray Owls
GM's Corner

Professional Links

Instagram
Bandcamp
​

© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • The Nexus
  • Adamus Drake Music
  • GM's Corner
    • The Gray Owls Fiction
    • Voidspeaker
  • The Den
  • Instagram
  • Legacy Archives
    • D&D 5E Resources >
      • Character Creation - D&D >
        • Home-brew Feats
      • Knight Owls Armory >
        • Home-brew Races
        • Home-brew Class Options
        • Protection
        • Potions, Scrolls, and Consumables
        • Weaponry
        • Adventurer Essentials
      • Spell Compendium - D&D 5e >
        • Custom Crafted
        • Expanded Invocations List
    • Game Master Resume
    • DM Podcast
    • Owls History >
      • KO Event Dates - Descriptions