One of my favorite things about 4th Edition is how easy it is for the GM to assemble groups of monsters of a single theme or type and create a fun encounter for the players. Having goblins, kobolds, or undead of different roles, or with varying powers, appearing together keeps things interesting. I hope that this is something that carries over into D&D Next.
At the end of the alphabet comes the zmey. Originally found within the tales of the Old Margreve, the zmey is a creature of legend. These massive forest guardians have three dragonlike heads and a powerful tail, and they breathe fire down on their foes. It was a natural choice to make it a solo creature. Solo creatures that are far too easy for a party to defeat have also become stuff of legend, so we had to make sure our own would stand up to assault without being too powerful to provide a fair challenge. We continually tweaked it from inception to the very end of playtesting.
In our ongoing look at the Isle of Morphoi, we take a look at the Nethysule, which has been illustrated by Chris McFann. You can venture beyond the jump now to read the entire entry, and then head over to the Journeys to the West Kickstarter and join the crew if you want to see more about this area of the world! You can also take a look at the Part 1 and Part 2, plus maps.
Nethysule
This blue-purple-skinned humanoid wields a quarterstaff. It has vertically placed eyes and a ridged forehead.
And we have met launch status, my friends, but there’s so much more we want to do on this journey before we embark, so keep those pledges coming! Let’s set sail with style and panache. My commodores and captains expect some nice digs, after all. We’ll get the best ship, fill the cargo with foodstuffs and trade goods, hire us some mercenaries (red shirts, cough), waylay…er convince more sailors to join us—and we’ll explore this vast ocean! The bards will sing songs of our exploits for ages to come, and rightly so.
