5th Edition,  Coldforged,  D&D,  DMXP,  RPG,  World Building

Coldforged Atlas: Here There be Monsters

I continue rushing headlong into the second year of writing Coldforged material, and this year I hope to cover enough topics in preparation to print as is possible. We are in the home stretch! I’m on the last portion of the book, the monsters, allies and Heroes!

Real Monsters!

Back, a long time ago, I spent a few months creating encounter tables for the setting. These took such a long time because the limited scope of the monsters within the sourcebook was so tight, and I wasn’t truly able to express the feel of the world within the confines of those monsters. I had to create monsters from thin air, though many already had a basic shell in my head that I had assumed must be somewhere within the main book, even though I’d perused it dozens of times.

This, then, is an overview of the list of monsters I have set out to create, and why.

Expanded Humanoids

Cyclops Shaman, Cyclops Hunter, half-dragon hill giant, Half-Dragon Lizardman, Half-Dragon Torgle, Saldi Warrior, Saldi Priest, Saldi Mauler, Horned Empire Greenblood, Horned empire captain, Horned empire Wind Speaker, hill giants armed for war, Troglodyte Warrior, Troglodyte Champion, Troglodyte Musk Shaman, Gimla

These are creatures that fill one of two purposes. They are either new creations for the world, Like the Horned Empire, Gimla and Saldi, or they fill gaps in the current list of creatures of their type, creating a broader spectrum of monster that I can use to either populate higher-level encounter or, as is the case with the Troglodyte and Cyclops, I use to show the diversity of the monsters in Coldforged as compared to other settings.

Wild Beasts

Tundra Tiger, Half-dragon giant frog, Woolly Rhino, Half-Dragon Crocodile, Terror Cat

Though small, this is a list of creatures that I wanted to make sure existed to fill specific wild niches in the ecosystem and specific threats in portions of the world that felt they needed them. The Half-dragons, in particular, are a good representation of the experimentation that Jet has done on the continents creatures.

Dragon Replacements

The Coldforged setting is bereft of most dragons. Jet has cornered the continent and won’t be letting go any time soon. I do like the idea of drakes and draconic analogous, however, so I wanted to take the time to put together some creatures that are big and threatening like a dragon, but not quite to the level that they achieve.

Frost worm, Frost Drake, Water drake, Sky Drake, Stone Drake, Fire Drake, Northern Wyvern, Southern Wyvern, Northern Hydra, Black Hydra, giant swamp wurm

Also, I made an animated snowdrift, because I used one to kill a party member that one time.

Animated Snowdrift

Civilized Monsters

In addition to the more traditional and monstrous creatures to use as foes, I also wanted to create examples of the NPC’s that exist within the settings kingdoms. It wasn’t enough for me to say that they are this one Humanoid or anther, I had to create from scratch each of them below, in order to demonstrate each culture.

Killbaran: I wanted to showcase the old colleges and legions of old, as they are not only the primary focus of the past but also the strongest forces of the present and the goals of the Nova Killbarum

Magus, Collegiate Mage, Legionare, Preatorian, Preatorian Commander, Combat Medic

Tyndarian: I wanted to make sure that I captured the strong military traditions of the Tyndarians, as well as the local watch.

Knight, Footman, Captain, Town Watch

Drimmen: Though the names are likely to change prior to publishing, I wanted to make sure that I was able to feature the Drimmen orders and how they align within the citadel, as well as those individuals who aren’t particularly pious, and simply belong to part of the mercenary core.

Mercenary Commander, Line Trooper, Battle Priest, Paladin

Thraxian: The Thraxians are devoted to ancestors and the Spirits of the world. I wanted to make sure that this form of culture was represented in the warriors and leaders of the Thraxian people.

Clan Chieftan, Warriors, Primal Druid, Scout

Levishan: Many cultures revere nature within Coldforged, and ensuring a distinct separation between their reverence is important. To that end, I wanted to make sure I put the focus on what the Levishans take was.

Nature Druid, Archer, Woodland Defender, Green Knight

Broken Sail: Pirates and their ilk are represented only by a single entry in the core books, and I felt that with the diminutive size of most of the Brokensail inhabitants, they needed a few more entries.

Pirate Captian, Pirate admiral, Pirate, Swashbuckler, Cutthroat, Marine

Hrondring: I felt it important to indicate the difference between the people of the Hrondring and the other cultures around the continent with stat blocks that exemplify those differences

Hrondring Warrior, Hrondring Beastkin, Hrondring Chieftan, Hrondring Shaman, Hrondring Hunter

Modresto: Lastly, the necromancers and their lackeys of the Modresto are important to call out as individuals, and set their differences above those of other, simpler villains apart.

Demonologist, Devoted Defender, Ironclad, Deathsworn

It is a lot of monsters, to be very clear, and I don’t know if I’m up to it. Many of these may end up being saved for an addendum or separate book. I don’t actually know if I’ll end up making them all or if some will be abandoned after a short time, but I know I am going to try and see how it turns out.