Amazing Monsters in Spelljammer 5e
Must-Have Monsters For Your Fifth Edition Spelljamer Adventure
Dungeons & Dragons is ready to set sail through Wildspace with a slew of amazing monsters for Spelljammer 5e. This will be a combination of classic creatures from the Original release as well as some all-new surprises. What’s cool is that many of the classics aren’t just getting a new paint job but new features!
With Spelljammer joining the official Dungeons and Dragons products for the fifth edition NOW is the time to explore this new breed of enemy. All of this adds a layer of depth to explorable areas in Wildspace and beyond. At launch Wizards of the Coast LLC will unveil new races, new equipment, and Amazing New Monsters for D&D 5e. It’s the Monsters from the World’s greatest roleplaying game we’ll focus on in this article.
There is a huge push behind the rebooted Spelljammer material, and for good reason. Spelljammer is as fresh in 2022 as it was when it was introduced in 1989. Spelljammer will officially releases in print and on D&D Beyond on August 16th, 2022 BUT we have a sneak peek at things to come in The Monstrous Compendium Vol1: Spelljammer Creatures. You won’t find these exact options in the Monster Manual, The Dungeon Master’s Guide, The Player’s Handbook, or in previous editions. So, let’s explore a few MUST-HAVE monsters with The Top D&D 5e Creatures for a TRUE Spelljammer adventure!
(The following MONSTERS come with helpful stats for all Dungeon Masters, tips for all Character Classes, and how to manage the games adventures.
Bring Terror To The Game
Monster: Eldritch Lich
Source: The Monstrous Compendium Vol 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Similar to other liches, eldritch liches are spellcasters who have escaped death. An eldritch lich avoids death by granting a Great Old One to implant a Far Realm parasite inside the lich. The parasite not only bestows undeath it causes terrifying tentacles to protrude from the liches body.
The lich employs its telepathy to share dreadful whispers with those around it.
FEATURES:
Far Realm Parasite: Inside the lich’s torso dwells a wormlike parasite that contains the lich’s soul. When the lich dies, it implodes into the parasite, which then vanishes into the Far Realm. In 2d4 days, the parasite causes the lich to reappear within 1d4 miles of where it died. If the lich died inside a magic circle cast to contain the Undead, the lich instead reappears with all the lich’s memories.
Legendary Resistance: (4/Day). If the lich fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Unusual Nature: The lich doesn’t need air, food, drink, or sleep.
Far Realm Step: Immediately after taking damage, the lich, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, magically teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Parasitic Tentacle: Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 25 (6d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 25 (6d6 + 4) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. The poisoned target can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. The third time the target fails the save, the target dies and dissolves into a gibbering mouther that obeys the lich and uses the target’s initiative.
Trapped In A Dungeons & Dragons Wildspace Bringing New Game Play Options
Monster: Fractine
Source: The Monstrous Compendium Vol 1: Spelljammer Creatures
A fractine is a two-dimensional creature that drifts through Wildspace and the Astral Sea similar to General Zod in the Superman Movies. When a fractine discovers another creature, it flattens into a mirror-like trapezoidal between 9 and 13 feet tall.
Fractine are intelligent and allow themselves to be used as scrying sensors by using their mirrored surface to cast divination spells. The fractine will then drain magical energy from the spellcaster like a space symbiote.
FEATURES:
Bludgeoning, piercing, slashing, and thunder damage: These damage types can cause a fractine to break into two smaller fractines, each one autonomous and capable of imprisoning creatures. When a fractine dies, it folds in on itself and disappears, releasing any creature trapped inside it.
Magic Resistance: The fractine has an advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Scrying Focus: A spellcaster can use the fractine as a substitute focus when casting the scrying spell or similar magic, provided the spellcaster and the fractine are within 5 feet of each other.
Two-Dimensionality: The fractine can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa. It can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, but it takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Unusual Nature: The fractine doesn’t require air, drink, or sleep.
Imprison: The fractine targets one creature of its size or smaller in its space. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be imprisoned in a demi-plane. While the creature is imprisoned, a distorted image of it can be seen on the fractine’s two-dimensional surface. The fractine can imprison only one creature at a time and can release that creature as a bonus action. If the fractine is reduced to 0 hit points, any creature in the fractine’s demi-plane is released instantly. A released creature reappears in an unoccupied space as close to the fractine (or where it died) as possible. A creature can leave the demi-plane on its own by using magic that enables planar travel, such as the plane shift spell.
Explosive Things Come In Tiny Packages with Great Game Mechanics
Monster: Goon Balloon
Source: The Monstrous Compendium Vol 1: Spelljammer Creatures
A goon balloon is a 5-foot-diameter spherical air sac creature with clawed feet. Its multiple unblinking eyes enable the monster to see in all directions at once. These eyes create kaleidoscopic light that pierces the minds of the goon balloon’s enemies.
Although they seem playful the goon balloons are quite mean-spirited. They like to observe the suffering of other creatures and orchestrate that suffering, given half a chance.
When the goon balloon dies it transforms into a noxious gas that explodes from the corpse, potentially poisoning other nearby creatures. This monster adds a layer of gamer humor to the encounter that many players will love to play against.
FEATURES:
Burst: The goon balloon bursts when it drops to 0 hit points, releasing noxious gas in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on itself. Creatures in that area must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. A poisoned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Unusual Nature: The goon balloon doesn’t require air, food, or drink.
Float: The goon balloon moves up to 20 feet vertically in one direction without provoking opportunity attacks. If it ends this movement suspended in the air, it hovers in place. It can’t be knocked prone while airborne.
What Every Role-Playing Game Needs – Space Trees
Monster: Yggdrasil
Source: The Monstrous Compendium Vol 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Cast-off splinters of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, yggdrasti are gigantic, dead trees covered with barnacles. They soar through Wildspace and the Astral Sea with their topmost branches leading the way and their withered roots trailing behind them.
Yggdrasti attack any settlements or spelljamming ships they come across without provocation. By using a speak with plants spell or similar magic, someone might be able to convince the yggdrasti to break off its attack, but the monster’s innate hatred of other living things is extremely difficult for it to suppress.
When Yggdrasti are on land it hides among ordinary trees, burying their roots in the ground to pull off the deception. They can uproot themselves at any time and use their roots to shamble awkwardly across the ground, but flying is their preferred mode of travel.
FEATURES:
Cavities: The yggdrasti has 1d4 + 2 cavities in its trunk. Each cavity is big enough to hold one Medium creature, two Small creatures, or eight Tiny creatures. A creature inside a cavity has three-quarters cover against attacks and other effects that originate outside the cavity. The yggdrasti’s cavities aren’t connected and are instead solitary pockets.
False Appearance: If the yggdrasti is motionless and rooted in the ground at the start of combat, it looks just like a dead tree and has an advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a creature hasn’t observed the rooted yggdrasti move or act, that creature must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the yggdrasti is animate.
Root: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage, and if the target is a creature, it is grappled (escape DC 15). The yggdrasti has four roots, each of which can grapple one target.
Lightning Discharge (3/Day): The yggdrasti shoots lightning at one creature within 120 feet of itself. The target must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 31 (7d8) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
A Living Nightmare For Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers
Monster: Nightmare Beasts
Source: The Monstrous Compendium Vol 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Nightmare beasts are enormous quadrupeds that stand 20 feet tall, or 40 feet tall when rearing on their hind legs.
A nightmare beast’s legs end in claws, enabling it to climb well despite its size. Its skin is thick and tough, and its teeth are long and sharp. A pair of long, curved tusks jut from the sides of the beast’s mouth, and its large red eyes glow in the dark. The creature smashes through structures and fortifications with ease, and it doesn’t hesitate to rend foes with its claws and gore them with its tusks, but its most devastating attack is its magical ability to disintegrate foes with its terrible gaze. Powerful spellcasters create nightmare beasts to serve as living siege engines. A single beast can lay waste to entire cities and armies.
FEATURES:
Disintegration Gaze (Recharge 5–6): The beast targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of itself. The target must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 70 (10d6 + 40) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If this magical effect reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is disintegrated and leaves nothing behind, except a pile of ashes plus whatever equipment it was wearing or carrying.
Teleport (2/Day): The beast magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Amazing Monsters in Spelljammer 5e – This isn’t your Parents Fourth Edition
There you have it. These are THE best monsters to add to your Spelljammer 5e setting to ensure a true Wildspace-rich campaign. With the release of The Full Spelljammer Sourcebook on August, 16th there will no doubt be more options to choose from but you can’t go wrong with these!
Check out more Spelljammer Creatures in Vol 1 of The Monstrous Compendium for MORE Spelljammer-specific creatures to choose from.
Are you looking forward to exploring Wildspace in Spelljammers?
What other Monsters are you looking forward to?
What other Dungeons & Dragons topics should we cover? (Dungeon Master tips, beginning class options for new players, character sheet breakdowns, or sourcebooks like Radiant Citadel?)
Let us know below!
And while you’re here check out other D&D articles – LIKE THIS – The New D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
