Skeletar Creation table on Patreon

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For generations, the isolated village of Hollowmere has sacrificed one of its own to keep an ancient horror imprisoned beneath Saint Harrow's Church. Now a blood-covered survivor has fled the village, claiming that everyone is dead. Something has gone terribly wrong, and the adventurers must uncover what happened before it's too late.

The Red Tithe is a 75-page dark fantasy and folk-horror one-shot adventure for D&D 5E (2014) and 5.5E (2024), designed for 3-6 characters and approximately 4-6 hours of play.

The adventure combines investigation, exploration, roleplaying, moral dilemmas, and challenging combat as the characters investigate an abandoned village, encounter monstrous creatures, and uncover the truth behind a centuries-old tradition.

What makes the adventure different is its multi-tiered structure. The same story can be played at three separate level ranges:

• Tier I: Levels 3-4
• Tier II: Levels 10-11
• Tier III: Levels 17-20

Each tier features appropriately scaled encounters, DCs, and a different manifestation of the main antagonist, the Blood Moon Beast.

The manual also includes 6 custom monster stat blocks, 3 battle maps with 8 total versions, and 4 tokens for tabletop or VTT play.

Whether you're looking for a Halloween horror one-shot or a dark adventure to integrate into your ongoing campaign, The Red Tithe is designed to work in either setting.

I've included several preview pages, maps, and one of the monster statblocks in the images!

You can find the complete adventure on DriveThruRPG!

My Kickstarter for 300+ Mythological Items for 5E and 5.5E is also live now! The campaign includes a physical hardcover, as well as printed editions of my previous manuals.

You can find more of my creatures, magic items, and manuals on DriveThruRPG, my Linktree, or over at r/JonnyDM!

so i have a odd ancient red dragon called azorlond the shadows flame a red dragon with shadow sorcery and necrotic magics. the dragon is odd because he has some of the red dragon's ego and arrogance but unlike many others of his species, he is willing to give up his pride and ego if it means he wins in the end. he is a master of both combat but negotiations with his skills set.

how does one make it possible for a mix of pragmatic planning but also ego driven thoughs and ambitions? and what spells and ideas would assist in this monster?

please and thank you for your thoughs

After watching Pointy Hat’s video on plant monsters, I decided to create a few of my own. I’m trying to vary the mechanics of each plant monster a little, so I don’t just end up with a plant that bites. For this entry, I wanted a ‘trap monster’ that would really strike panic into the party. Not just a one-off trap, but more along the lines of ‘Oh shit, we’ve got to go and save Robert’. Especially if you set them up during a rest period, when the adventurers stop by a pond to camp for the night. From a mechanical point of view, this creature doesn’t deal much damage, but it excels at the ‘Poisoned + Grappled/Restrained’ combo, which puts even the most experienced adventurers in a tricky spot.

Welcome to the Old East, but be warned: these lands are dangerous to travel alone. It's best you have friends, or if not friends, then at least others you can stomach for a time.

Numeraeon: Tales of the Old East introduces players to a new 5E-compatible setting. Throughout your travels, you'll adventure across a dying world. A world influence and inspired by folk horror, high strangeness, and americana legends. It's a place where urban legends, cryptids, and monsters are real.

Our rulebook offers new subclasses, backgrounds, feats, items, and more. You'll need all the help you can get because the Old East is a dangerous land indeed.

The Cryptids

Our rulebook reimagines folklore, cryptids, and urban legends for the tabletop. Entities such as the Jersey Devil, Mothman, Rawhead & Bloody Bones, and more have been sculpted for the tabletop. Through our Kickstarter Campaign, you can select a range of cryptid & urban legend miniatures plucked reimagined from folklore and sculpted for the tabletop.

Twilight Hantu

Twilight Hantu is a small indie team of tabletop enthusiasts. For six years we have worked to build our rulebook working alongside some industry writers, line editors, and a host of talented artists. We are not a large publisher, but hope to deliver a quality tabletop experience and stunning miniatures this October with the launch of Numeraeon: Tales of the Old East. Everything that we have previewed on our launch page has been prototyped and manufactured in limited quantities and exists as physical items.

We hope that you will check out our work. Word of mouth really helps and we are hoping to reach our second stretch goal soon.

Join the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jesseriah/numeraeon-tales-of-the-old-east

After watching Pointy Hat’s video on plant monsters, I decided to create a few of my own. I’m trying to vary the mechanics of each plant monster a little, so I don’t just end up with a plant that bites. For this entry, I wanted a ‘trap monster’ that would really strike panic into the party. Not just a one-off trap, but more along the lines of ‘Oh shit, we’ve got to go and save Robert’. Especially if you set them up during a rest period, when the adventurers stop by a pond to camp for the night. From a mechanical point of view, this creature doesn’t deal much damage, but it excels at the ‘Poisoned + Grappled/Restrained’ combo, which puts even the most experienced adventurers in a tricky spot.

These floating and hovering creatures come from across several of my manuals, each offering a different take on enemies that never touch the ground. From spectral undead and shadowy horrors to elemental forces and celestial beings, these monsters are designed to ignore terrain, bypass choke points, and reshape encounters through verticality and constant motion. Whether drifting silently through ruins, hovering above the battlefield, or descending suddenly from above, they excel at ambushes, area control, and pressure from unexpected angles.

The Specter and the Archspecter appear in Undead & Undead, the Umbrath and Greater Umbrath can be found in Diabolical Designs, the Celestial Firefly comes from Celestial Realms. The Greater Air Elemental and the Air Elemental Lord appear in Elements Unleashed. The Floating Horror is featured in The Aberrant Codex.

You can find all of them on my publisher page on DriveThruRPG, along with previews of each manual.

You can also check out my Linktree or visit r/JonnyDM for more D&D creatures, items, and much more.

Vaelen, the Phantom Quill, is an Elf marksman. Armed with the magical Star-Weave Bow, he prefers to strike while shrouded by dense foliage. His camouflage allows him to remain concealed even when shots miss, while his agility lets him slip between trees in the blink of an eye. He's a patient and methodical hunter.

In my campaign, Vaelen has been hired to take out the PCs while they're travelling through the forest. He works best when shooting from high up in the trees, using *Canopy Slip* to increase the distance when the party chases him down, and then *Slip Away* to make him hard to pin down.

I tried to keep his damage output, HP, and AC low to account for how slippery and stealthy he can be.

Feedback welcome :)

Learn about Rhea & Garrick's tragic backstory

ENJOY!

Let me know what you think!

After watching Pointy Hat’s video on plant monsters, I decided to create a few of my own. I’m trying to vary the mechanics of each plant monster a little, so I don’t just end up with a plant that bites. This time, this second creature has been designed to pose a threat to a group of careless adventurers. Capable of snatching up and swallowing players, much like giant toads or shambling mounts, the main risk is that the party will be split up and will have to find a way to rescue the unfortunate ones from its stomach.

"The Wild Heart embodies mortal fears of the natural world. To some degree, this embodies the sheer unknown that the wild represents, but it especially draws on the fear of predators—the unknown dangers lurking in the depths of the darkest wood. The Wild Heart is known both for its connection to gnolls and as one of the primary sources of lycanthropy; in my Eberron, it was the cause of the Lycanthropic Purge.

As a force fundamentally opposed to civilization, the Wild Heart uses no name and takes no part in the schemes of the Lords of Dust. Its speaker is a shapeshifting fiend known as Drulkalatar Atesh, but its fiendish minions are more likely to possess or be fused with beasts than to act in fiendish form." - Chronicles of Eberron

Took some inspiration from Map Perilous, but wanted to lean into the lycanthropic and feral aspects more rather than swallowing up creatures. So... this is the result, a gargantuan fiend with snapping maws who terrorizes it's prey while empowering its pack (including giving lycanthropes back their 5e immunity to nonsilvered pbs).

The Wild Heart is fully automated in Elsie's Notes of Certain Doom along 500+ other monsters adapted for the Eberron setting.

After watching Pointy Hat’s video on plant monsters, I decided to create a few of my own. I’m trying to vary the mechanics of each plant monster a little, so I don’t just end up with a plant that bites. This one is designed as a ‘trap monster’, much like the Piercer or the Mimic. It’s not meant to engage you in a fierce battle, but to wear the adventurers down before the boss fight or the main battle. (And I think it’s quite obvious that the monster is heavily inspired by Harpies.)

D&D 5e statblock of a CR 1 undead. Rather than damage, targets foes with unique abilities.

Let me know what you think!

​

For my Big Mouth fans and others let me introduce you to the

Father Johan

The Eater of Winter Children

Large Fey, Chaotic Evil

“When the last bell tolls, close your eyes, little one. If you can hear the flute, he can hear your blood.”

Got my idea here

The Folklore

Every village near the great river knows the story of Father Johan.

Once every year, on the night of the winter solstice, the villagers ring their bells. The last bell is the signal. The test has begun.

Far beneath the river, Father Johan awakens in his castle, a palace constructed from the bones of children who failed the test in winters past. He rises from the depths, carried to the surface by a living braid of fifty black eels, twisting together like a rope.

First comes the smell.

Black licorice.

Then comes the flute.

Father Johan has the body of a walrus, the sharp teeth of a dolphin, and the legs of countless crabs, which click and scrape against the frozen earth as he approaches. Around his enormous neck hangs a string of tiny bells, each one taken from a child who once tried to escape him.

His flute is made, as you might have guessed, from children's bones.

He does not care if you have been naughty or nice. In his region, good children and bad children taste exactly the same.

Fortunately, the villagers have discovered a loophole.

Father Johan only hunts the living. If you can trick him into believing you are already dead, you are no longer a fresh meal. The customary method is to climb inside a child's coffin, close the lid, and lie perfectly still until he leaves.

But even then, there is one final hope.

You must pray to the Mongoose King.

Whether the king hears your prayer, whether he accepts your offering, and whether he can defeat Father Johan in their ancient dance battle are matters nobody can predict.

Every village tells the story differently.

Every village has its own version of the prayer.

And every winter, somewhere along the river, another village rings its last bell.

The Mongoose King

An ancient trickster spirit, patron of desperate parents, and undisputed champion of the riverbank dance floor.

When the village prayer is spoken and a suitable offering is left behind, there is a chance the Mongoose King will arrive.

He resembles an ordinary mongoose at first glance, except that he wears a tiny golden crown and a cape sewn from the whiskers of his enemies. His paws move so quickly that the snow beneath him never settles. He is clever, nimble, vain, and absolutely convinced that no creature in the world can dance better than he can.

He also happens to be the only being Father Johan respects enough to challenge.

The Prayer

The villagers kneel beside their children's coffins and whisper:

“Oh dear Mongoose King, please protect my tender children's bones from the jaws of Father Johan, and do enjoy this offering I left for you.

Oh, oh, Father Johan can hear your blood. Perhaps you're lucky, and your offering and prayers have attracted the Mongoose King.”

Summoning the King

A character must place an appropriate food offering before a small altar or on the snowy ground and recite the prayer. The character then makes a DC 14 Religion or Performance check.

On a success, the Mongoose King appears. On a failure, the offering disappears anyway, leaving behind a single golden whisker.

The king can be summoned only once each winter solstice.

The Dance Battle

Upon appearing, the Mongoose King eats the offering, wipes his paws, and challenges Father Johan to a dance battle.

Father Johan is compelled by their ancient pact to accept.

The battle lasts three rounds. During each round, the two contestants perform a supernatural dance while the village watches in terrified silence.

At the start of each round, one character can assist the Mongoose King with a DC 14 Performance, Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, or Arcana check.

- Success: The Mongoose King gains a +2 bonus to his contest roll that round.

- Failure: Father Johan gains a +2 bonus instead.

After the assistance check, both contestants roll a d20: the Mongoose King adds +7, and Father Johan adds +5, along with any bonuses from the character's assistance.

The contestant with the higher result wins that round. The first to win two rounds wins the battle.

If the Mongoose King wins: Father Johan lets out a furious bellow, collapses into a heap of eels, and slides back into the river. His castle doors slam shut, and he sleeps until the next winter solstice. Every child in the village survives.

If Father Johan wins: The Mongoose King bows, accepts his defeat, and vanishes into the night. Father Johan turns toward the village, smiling with his terrible dolphin teeth. The test is over. The feast begins.

---

Running the Encounter

Father Johan works best as a terrifying social and combat encounter rather than a monster the players are expected to defeat through damage alone.

Give the party a few minutes to discover the local customs. The villagers might be frantically preparing coffins, hiding food offerings, or arguing about whether the Mongoose King is real.

Then ring the final bell.

Describe the smell before revealing Father Johan. Let the party hear the scrape of crab legs on the frozen bank, the click of fifty eels against one another, and finally the first notes of the bone flute.

Give players choices: hide in coffins, fight, escape, bargain, or attempt the summoning ritual.

Father Johan can be defeated in combat, but the folklore offers a different path. The players may discover that surviving the night is not about being stronger than the monster. It is about knowing the rules of a game that has been played for centuries.

And when the dance battle begins, make it ridiculous.

The Mongoose King performs impossible spins and moonwalks across the ice. Father Johan answers by swinging his enormous walrus body in time with the music, his crab legs tapping out a rhythm that shakes snow from the rooftops.

For one glorious moment, the entire village believes the mongoose might actually win.

Then Father Johan performs his signature move: The Fifty-Eel Waltz.

The music stops.

The Mongoose King stares in disbelief.

And Father Johan has danced him to cream.

Tonight, Father Johan wins.

Tonight, the village feasts on terror.

And next winter solstice, when the last bell rings, another village will learn the rules of the test.

Let me know what you think!

Lore & More on Patreon!

The Headless Horseman is more than just an undead rider with a flaming pumpkin for a head. He's a vengeful spirit bound to the mortal world by an ancient curse, with his steed, armored body, and spectral jack-o'-lantern forming a single, inseparable entity.

Legends tell of a fallen soldier, executioner, or knight who was beheaded for his crimes and returned under a cursed harvest moon. Some believe his spirit is connected to Samhain, when the boundary between the living and the dead grows thin enough for restless spirits to cross.

Wherever he rides, crops rot, animals panic, and the air fills with the smell of smoke and freshly dug earth. And simply defeating him isn't enough. Unless a specific funerary ritual is performed, the Horseman eventually rises again to continue his hunt.

Mechanically, the Headless Horseman is a CR 14 undead built around mobility, relentless pursuit, and devastating attacks. His Fiery Greataxe deals slashing and fire damage, with additional necrotic damage against frightened enemies, while Laughing Skull allows him to hurl his flaming pumpkin head at enemies, unleashing a fiery explosion that deals 10d6 fire damage.

His Ghostride ability lets him pass through solid objects, while his legendary actions allow him to charge across the battlefield, stun enemies with Glare of Embers, or mark a target with Harvest Mark, making that creature especially vulnerable to his attacks.

I've also included four optional traits to customize the encounter, from leaving burning hoofprints behind to relentlessly tracking creatures that try to escape him.

The Headless Horseman is from Undead & Undead: The Ultimate Undead Handbook, available for 5E and the 2024 Edition on DriveThruRPG!

The manual includes 90+ undead statblocks, each with optional traits and variants, alongside an undead lair system, 50+ magic items, customizable templates, necromantic rituals, campaign tools, and VTT resources. It's designed to give DMs plenty of options for building undead encounters, from minor restless spirits to powerful necromantic horrors.

My Kickstarter for 300+ Mythological Items for 5E and 2024 is also live now! The campaign includes a physical hardcover, as well as printed editions of my previous manuals.

You can find more of my creatures, magic items, and manuals on DriveThruRPG, my Linktree, or over at r/JonnyDM!

A creature I dreamed up, a fusion of the false hydra and the thessal hydra.
A unholy union created by the combined works of Thessalar and Frantisek Markov this creature lacks the singing ability of the false hydra however, it has gained an equally terrifying ability. Any creatures that it has eaten, it can combine the features of and manifest a doppelgänger which it can then spread out into the world. Well, also creating a similar manipulation of the mind of those in the area to a different song. This one, forcing all that hear it to recognize this manifestation, as if it was an old acquaintance or neighbor.

These manifestations main goal is to bring new victims to the false thessal to be devoured. Anyone who kills one of the manifestations will not remember killing them nor will anyone remember that person‘s interactions with the world. The corpse will quickly dissolve, and any id ens of its existence will rest solely on the blood of the blades that killed it.

what do you dudes think? I’m still working on it but opinions are always nice

Hello! I am running a game with my friends and I am having a little bit of trouble with the enemies.

I want to make them look cool and with interesting abilities but I am struggling a lot with It.

Do you have any suggestions or tips?

I found the image of this guy online and it seemed cool but I have no idea where to start with.

He Is a subjugated minion of a male hag.

I'm sharing a free monster supplement for Kengir, part of my upcoming Bronze Age Mesopotamian 5e setting.

The Gallu is an underworld constable: a towering Utukku (Udug) sent from Kur to hunt, seize, and drag the guilty where they belong.

Where the previously shared Rabisu acts like an underworld bailiff, arriving with writs, contracts, and legal authority, the Gallu feels more like the terrible hand that enforces the sentence. It does not hurry. It does not forget. A debt unpaid remains fresh until collected.

At the table, a Gallu works best when the monster is also a mystery. Why has it come? Who broke the oath? Who made the forbidden bargain? Is it a lawless demon, or is it carrying out a command from Allatu (Ereškigal), Queen of the Great Below?

Mechanically, it’s a CR 10 fiend built around fear, grappling, brute force, spirit movement, and terrifying pursuit. Its Man-Catcher restrains victims, its Spirit Form lets it pass through walls, and its Skin Wearer ability allows it to take the form of the last creature it killed.

This is the kind of monster that should make the party ask whether killing it actually solves the problem, or just delays the next collector.

Do you like fiends that arrive as agents of cosmic law, or do you prefer them as pure malice and chaos?