Dev Diary #2 - Monster Generator Mockup¶
Welcome to the second Dev Diary for Foe Foundry! I’ll be sharing these updates roughly every two weeks.
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New Priests and Cultist Statblocks¶
Based on Patron Prioritization Poll #1, cultists and priests won out, so here they are in all their fanatic glory.
- 13 different statblocks including a legendary Cultist Exarch as well as Fiend Cultist, Death Cultist, and Aberrant Cultist variants
- Lore, encounters, and adventure hooks too!
- 5 different priest statblocks, including a legendary Archpriest Living Saint
- Lore, encounters, and adventure hooks that you can drop right into your games
Check out the legendary Cultist Exarch as an example:
Cultist Exarch
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Humanoid (Cultist)
AC 17 (Unholy Armor) Initiative +13 (23)
HP 247 (26d8 + 130)
Speed 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 13 | +1 | +1 |
| Dex | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| Con | 20 | +5 | +10 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Wis | 16 | +3 | +8 |
| Cha | 22 | +6 | +11 |
Skills Religion +6, Deception +11, Persuasion +16
Senses Passive Perception 13
Languages Common
CR 14 (11,500 XP; PB +5)
Traits
Fanatic Followers. Whenever the cultist would be hit by an attack, they command an ally within 5 feet to use its reaction to switch places with the cultist. The ally is hit by the attack instead. If the ally is killed by this attack, then the cultist gains 25 temporary hp.
Unholy Aura. The cultist and allies within 30 feet have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magic effects and against features that turn undead. Other creatures of the cultist's choice within 30 feet have disadvantage on saving throws against spells and other magic effects.
Legendary Prowess (3/day). The cultist can choose to succeed on a saving throw or ability check instead of failing. When it does so, it takes 10 force damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The cultist makes three Ritual Dagger attacks. It may replace two attacks with a use of its Dominate or Spellcasting.
Ritual Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 11 (2d4 + 6) piercing damage and 5 (2d4) necrotic damage.
Dominate. The cultist targets one humanoid it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see the cultist then it must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom save against this magic or be Charmed by the cultist. While charmed in this way, the target treats the cultist as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. It takes the cultist's requests or actions in the most favorable way it can. Each time the target takes damage, it may repeat the save to end the condition. Otherwise, the effect lasts for 24 hours or until the cultist dies or is on anther plane of existence. A creature that saves is immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Spellcasting. The cultist casts one of the following spells, using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 19):
1/day each: Command (5th), Flame Strike, Hold Personc (5th), Mass Cure Wounds, Mass Suggestion, Finger of Death
Legendary Actions (3)
Attack. The cultist makes a Ritual Dagger attack.
Spellcasting. The cultist uses Spellcasting. It can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Teleport. The cultist teleports up to 60 feet to a location it can see.
What's Next? Vote in Prioritization Poll 3¶
The Patron Prioritization Poll for this week will focus on Goblinoids. Should I be adding Goblins, Bugbears, Ogres, or Hobgoblins to Foe Foundry next?
5 Tips for Homebrewing Monsters in 5E¶
The Homebrew Monster Tips article offers some GM advice when homebrewing monsters for 5E:
- A Monster's Primary Threat Is Its Damage
- Monsters Can Be Interesting & Threatening
- Monsters Don't Need Multiple Repetitive Attacks
- Monsters Should Use Interactive Debuffs
- You Don't Have to Brew by Hand
10 Powers for Cultists and Fanatics¶
The 10 Powers for Cultists and Fanatics article goes into the flavor and design of the unique powers that are available to Cultists as well as Priests.
Here's one unique example:
Pyramid Scheme
Traits
Pyramid Scheme. If another Cultist died last turn, then the cultist has advantage on d20 tests.
10 Spooky, Stinky, and Shambly Powers for Skeletons and Zombies¶
Who said Skeletons and Zombies have to be bland? With these unique undead powers for skeletons and zombies you'll be ready to supercharge your undead.
Here's a teaser:
Severed Limb
Reactions
Severed Limb (1/day). When the zombie takes damage, one of its decaying limbs sloughs off and attempts to grapple the source of the damage if it is within 5 feet of the zombie. The target must make a DC 12 Strength save or be Grappled (escape DC 12) and Restrained by the limb.
Power Icons¶
I've added icons for all 600+ Unique Powers. For example Grovel and Beg or Identify Weakness. This is an important step in making monster builder UI available.
Performance Improvements¶
Made a bunch of performance optimizations to the site, especially around images, so you should have a smoother experience on mobile.
What's Next?¶
I'm hard at work on the Generator that will allow you to edit monsters by adding powers, removing powers, and smashing two monsters together. Want to create a weird aberrant mind-flayer infested Ogre? When the generator is done, you'll be able to with a couple of clicks
This feature will mark the transition from Alpha to Beta. I wanted to share an update on what the generator will look like.
Here’s a sneak peek at the upcoming Monster Cards. These cards will show a summary of the monster and its current powers. Each monster will have a "loadout" of powers. For example, a basic skeleton has two power slots - a Dark Gift slot which will be filled by some sort of necromantic power and a Weapon slot that will be filled with a martial power.
This is just a wireframe mockup of what a monster card will look like - the design and art are not final!
From the card, you'll be able to customize the monster by tapping on the selected power in each slot and choosing a different possible power.
For example, a skeleton currently has 6 possible Dark Gift powers and 11 possible Weapon powers, meaning that with Foe Foundry you'll be able to effortlessly generate 66 different basic Skeletons. Higher threat monsters will of course have more powers and even more possible variety!
Of course, if you don't want to edit everything by hand you'll be able to re-roll the entire statblock or just roll randomly on a specific loadout.
I hope this gives you a sense of how the generator will allow you to effortlessly craft the perfect foes for your games!
I can’t wait to see what you build with Foe Foundry — and I’d love your feedback as the project grows.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for playing.
🧟 Explore the Monster Library
– Cordialgerm