D&D

The Murska

Only mentioned once in the 2e "Planes of Chaos", the Murska is an 8 foot long beetle native to Pandemonium. The Murska are strange shape changers who grow a coat resembling that of their last meal, as well as learning some memories and languages of that creature. And that... is about it.

Combat-wise the Murska is lacking, with only a grapple attack and gaining no benefit (Its AC is actually worse by 2) when in a disguise.

The idea of a beast that takes on the mishapen form of its last meal is right out of a campfire story. I imagine small groups of these Beatles scurrying along the walls of damp caverns, looking for weak or slow creatures they can hunt. While at rest around a the camp, a familiar looking face and voice might appear from the dark, only revealing its true form once it is too late.

When making the stat block for the Murska i wanted to make the changing form of the Murska matter more because I find it to be the most interesting aspect of the fiend. After consuming a creature the Murska gains several changes for the next 12 hours. The Murska has its AC drop, gains advantage on charisma saves, gains the languages of the creature, and gains one Trait from the creature.

The Snipe

A Snipe hunt is an North American practical joke dating back to the 1840s. In a snipe hunt a person is instructed on how to catch a rare Snipe, usualy by holding a bag and making some strange noise, in order to laugh at the absurdity that the person is believing. There is infact a cryptid called the Arkansas Snipe or Skeeteroo. The Skeeteroo is described as a large mosquito that stands on two legs and has racoon like hands. In its stories the Arkansas Snipe eats horses and cows, using the cowbell of the dead cow to lure in more. There are also accounts of two Snipes working together to fly off with someone, often discussing with eachother were to hide the body for later.

In pandamonium I picture the Snipe as an elusive creature, one can rarely find one on purpose with most attempts to find one ending in an obbsesion of finding the fiend. Snipes are stealthy humanoid mosquitoes that seek out solitairy creatures as prey, usualy acting alone they will occasionally work in pairs or small groups to acomplish larger tasks. Snipes often lurk among the edges of towns and camps, waiting to a lone target to stray too far from the rest. Crawling along the cavern surfaces and seemingly being unaffected by the winds of the plane. I have provided a stat block for the snipe, making it a low to mid level threat, very effective in duels but quickly being outmached against larger numbers.

The Howler

As of 5e Howlers are the only monsters native to pandemonium and is the only one to have appeared more than once throughout D&Ds history. Howlers are large fiendish pack hounds who feed on fear itself and whose howl drives those who hear it mad. Other than those base facts, Howlers have varied greatly throughout their appearances. All but the 5e version sport quills as a major feature, with the newest edition almost getting rid of the quills all together. Every edition has given the titular howl a different effect; 2nd edition mimicked the effects of pandemoniums winds, 3rd reduced Wisdom scores, 4th deals psychic damage and grants advantage, and 5th both frightens and incapacitates the target. The relative strength of the Howler has also changed from a relatively low level creature, to a CR 8 creature that hunts in packs of 2-20.

When researching both the Howler and cryptids, I found some similarities between the Howler and the Ozark Howler. Both of these creatures are large territorial hunters that posses fearful howls. At its heart, the Howler is a pack beast that you hear long before you see it coming, a creature that stalks and haunts you in order to feed of your fear itself. A fiend with glowing red eyes that contains features of dogs, cats, goats, and porcupines. 

As it already has a 5e stat block, I don't necessarily need to rework the Howler, but I want to. I feel that the quills were a core aspect of the creature, and a lower CR creature can be used in a wider range of campaigns (especially when appearing in packs). I have created two stat blocks; the first is a low level younger version, and the second is a larger version that demons and other fiends could ride as mounts.

Fiends of Pandemonium

The lower planes of D&D are populated with many iconic fiends. The Abyss has demons, Baator has devils, there are Yugoloths in Gehenna, and Carceri is the home of the Demodands.  But according to 5e, there is just one creature that truly calls Pandemonium home, the Howler.

In 5e (and 5.5) the only monster native to Pandemonium is the Howler, a beastial fiend whose titular howls drive those who hear it mad. Back in 3e the Mivilorn (a elephant sized dog with a mouth as wide as its body) stalked the tunnels of Pandemonium. The only other creature known to be native to the plane was the Viltch, a three limbed mandril that delights in destruction and vandalism, which was only mentioned once in 1e.

These creatures feel disjointed with one another, there isn't much that meaningfully differentiates these fiends with a demon or other beast of the lower planes. So what I want to do is imbue these fiends with a more of a unified personality. I want you to be able to see them as beings that could only feel at home in the Windswept Depths of Pandemonium.

So what is the unifying theme of Pandemonium, what kind of beasts would live in the Howling winds and darkened caverns of the embodiment of insanity. They would be both indescribable beings who drive the beholder mad, and be unknowable mysteries shrouded with lies. They would be Cryptids.

Hear me out here! Cryptids are animals that have been claimed to exist but never proven to exist. They are shrouded in mystery and conspiracy, they are the monsters that go bump in the night, they live in the stories that we only share when gathered around the campfire at night. They inspire obsession in those who glimpse them and act in esoteric and unknowable ways.

In my following posts I will highlight cryptids that would call this realm home as new D&D monsters and revisit old monsters, giving them new life in the winds of Pandemonium.

Artist: Brynn Metheney

Enter: Pandemonium

Welcome to the Windswept Depths of Pandemonium, the plane of madness and insanity in D&Ds forgotten realms. Nestled between the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo and the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, Pandemonium is often forgotten among the more fleshed out lower planes.

Composed of howling stone tunnels and caves filled with deafening winds, Pandemonium is the physical embodyment of madness driving all who enter insane within hours. The plane is composed of four layers; Pandesmos, Cocytus, Phlegethon, and Agathion.

Over the following months I plan on visiting and reimagining each aspect of Pandemonium; the layers, points of interest, and the creatures that call the plane home. If that sounds at all interesting, give me a follow and drop any ideas you might have in the comments.

Artist: Tony DiTerlizzi