Seriously dangerous monster of the week - the Ki-Rin.
I've never used this, and I can't recall a dungeon in which I've ever encountered it, but I was looking at it the other day, just idling through the Monster Manual as you do, and read that it could cast spells as an 18th level magic user. It also has the inherent ability to call lightning, presumably at 18th level also. This, if you check the spell out (druidic, I think) gives 20d8 of lightning damage, which is an average of 90 hit points, but it gets worse because any spell that has to do with the sky (err, methinks lightning counts) is doubled in strength. That's an average of 180 hit points in one strike.
Okay, so it's not as bad as the 360 points of damage that all Tiamat's heads can do to you if they breathe on you at the same time and you fail your save, but pretty harsh. And while you're busy smouldering (that assumes you make your save), it then casts the same spell from its list of actual spells it can do that day. Or a wish. Or meteor strike. Or whichever 9th level spell it fancies.
Basically, if you see a Ki-rin coming and it looks angry, run.
Anyone else got a little-known monster that can do some serious damage, and really ought to be better-publicised?
So I suppose it would be a bad idea to call a ki-rin a silly-looking unicorn wannabe? :P
ReplyDeleteIf you want dangerous (and silly-looking) check out the morkoth. No fancy-schmancy spell-slinging... just this:
1. It's only found in its lair.
2. Anybody near its lair is hypnotically drawn to it. (Saving throw? Heck no!)
3. The victim never sees the monster - he's charmed (at a -4 to his save) at which point the "charmed victim will then be devoured at the morkoth's leisure."
So, it's a creature that characters are drawn to with no save, and it eats them unless they make a save v. spells at -4 to the roll.
And it's silly looking, to boot. Not that most characters would ever get the chance to say so...
Hehehe...
ReplyDeleteThere's only one thing worse than being killed by a Morkoth, and that's having to admit that you've been killed by a Morkoth.
Because everyone will then rush off to the MM to check it out and see the picture. And then this conversation will ensue:
"So you got killed by something that looks like a transvestite octopus?"
"Uhh...yeah"
"So how did that happen?"
"I got hypnotically drawn to its lair and then it charmed me"
"It charmed you?"
"Yeah"
"So you found a transvestite octopus charming?"
The Giant Skunk can be a bit problematic for a lower level party. The musk is quite nasty, and can ruin Magical clothing items.
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