For those of you who’ve been following along with the blog, you probably noticed that I’ve been working on a mini-project with the amazing, awesome Bert Verwaest of Crosshead Studios on his Metalhead project. I absolutely love Bert’s vision and style, so I’m glad to help out with all the mechanical know-how to help bring this fantastic world to life.
Today, we’re bringing to life some of the nasty, low-level squishies of that world known as dregs.
What are dregs?
Dregs are creations made by Titans, who, like the Gods, have the ability to mold flesh into beings. However, Titans do not possess the ability to create life from nothing, so they use the discarded bodies of damned souls of the underworld to experiment with. Anything they create has to remain in the underworld; therefore, the soul that is trapped within a creation cannot return to the world of the living.
Dregs are the lowest form of Titan-made creation. In other words, dregs are things a Titan child could create. Created with leftover flesh and body parts, dregs are made to perform simple “manual labor.” Dregs have no known form of communication. But if you listen close enough, you can hear the tortured cries of the damned soul wailing from within these loathsome shells.
What is a dreg watcher?
Watchers are the eyes of the Dreg, armless beings whose bodies are filled with leftover eyeballs in all shapes and sizes. Without a Watcher around other Dregs won’t be able to perform as well, using a Watcher’s eyes to guide their movement.
Dreg Watcher
Medium monstrosity, neutral evil
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 22 (5d8)
Speed 30 ft.
Abilities Str 8 (-1), Dex 16 (+3), Con 10 (+0), Int 7 (-2), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 9 (-1)
Skills Perception +5
Senses darkvision 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 15
Languages –
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
Death Burst. When the dreg dies, it explodes in a burst of released souls. Each creature within 5 feet of it must make a DC 13 saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Eyes of the Dregs. Each dreg worker and dreg biter within 60 ft of the dreg watcher gains darkvision out to 120 ft.
Actions
Eye Rays. The dreg watcher shoots up to two of the following magical eye rays at one or two creatures it can see within 90 feet of it. It can use each ray only once on a turn.
- Fire Ray. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, or it takes 5 (1d10) fire damage. A flammable object hit by this ray ignites if it isn’t being worn or carried.
- Sickness Ray. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, or it takes 3 (1d6) necrotic damage and it is poisoned for 1 minute.
- Sleep Ray. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw, or it falls unconscious. The target remains unconscious for 1 minute until it takes damage, or another creature uses an action to shake or slap the target awake. Undead and creatures immune to being charmed aren’t affected by this eye ray.
More to come!
Again, big shoutout to Bert of Crosshead for this awesome monster concept. We’ve got a few more items coming for this Fifth Edition supplement, so stay tuned.
See you soon!
Art by Crosshead Studios.