I love when a bestiary entry combines known biology (known development of humans as endurance/attrition hunters), with totally alien biology (mated trios). Makes the monster more real while also being just as intriguing as before. Wonderful video AJ!
I got a miniature of one of these in my first blister pack when I first started DMing. I Had no clue what it was but loooooved the design! Thank you for making this video and bringing me back to those nostalgic memories I hold so dear!
"...shared a bowl of hot rosemary mutton stew with feta cheese and a farm loaf of bread with us." Oooh, that's making my mouth water! It's about -9 degrees C in my neck of the woods, and a bowl of that goodness sounds like the winning formula!
Considering the large amount of overt apex predators in the D&D world, I'm actually unsure as to how livestock can even exist in practice. Feels like even common griffins could absolutely ruin a shepherd or farmer's day.
You are assuming that these creatures roam around freely... they do not, Faerun is this big patchwork of microclimates and biomes that support limited populations of apex predators. Many of them are only active during mating seasons or may hibernate for months or even years, so, you know, if you throw examples at me, I can invent logical reasons for them existing ALL DAY... its what I do.
In areas with griffons, the locals would adapt with livestock shelters or clever griffon hunts. Same with most predators. If there is a local one, people who live local would have some tricks. The masai living near lions gives me inspiration. It’s just my thoughts though.
God i like these creatures. They were one of the things I best remember about my old 3.5 MM.. and the main reason I liked the ethereal plane because the creatures there can just "nope" in and out of combat.. good memories...
This would be great for a low-level horror campaign. Have your PCs traveling with a caravan through the desert (so footprints and flying creatures are easy to see), and just start picking off caravan members one by one when no one is looking. The PCs feel _something_ is stalking them but can't see anything.
Hey Professor. Haven't been very active on youtube lately but I wanted to pop in and say thank you. I'm still running games and 70% of my knowledge and confidence comes from your informative and inspiring videos. You rock. Keep on wooping ass.
I’m pretty sure these were the creatures that attacked Drizzt and co. in chapter 8 of “The Orc King”. A thread on the Candlekeep forums seems to support that hypothesis.
This has probably already been brought up, but they remind me a little of one of the life stages of the critters in Tremors. Also, when I was deep in Dark Sun I had created a homebrew monster that was effectively a pack of deinonychus with a single psionic talent and a shared psionic pool; many of these packs had psi talents such as (and I've forgotten the names) shadow-step and dimension door so they could engage in blinking pack tactics.
A horse will outrun a human right up until the point it dies from exhaustion, a dog can outpace and outlast a human but that's entirely due to ancestral canine traits passed on from wolves(the only creature that can compete with us at persistence hunting) and nothing to do with selective breeding.
Creatures on the border ethereal can just float along over the moat, as gravity is subjective, they could also walk through the earth under the moat easily enough and pop back into reality on the other side. *sets fire to drawing board*
Neat little monsters. With creatures that are connected to the Ethereal, I always wonder how they got there. The plane itself doesn't seem to be very well predisposed to giving a thriving ecosystem, so I usually imagine that these are creatures that got marooned in the Ethereal then are adapted to the plane over time.
I would think ecosystems would grow and fade all the time in the ethereal. With those things that manage to endure being that which can interact with the material plane. Basically plane shifting as a form of self-defense from being deleted.
This makes me wonder if the EM. Would attack during a combat encounter, inadvertently coming to the aid of the party or enemy that's threatened it's pray. Or what would happen if the pcs encounter another ethereal creture, maybe even encounter an enemy also stalked by one.
I doubt they could truly be tamed, but it would be cool if a powerful intelligent undead like a Specter or a Lich could train a pack to do their bidding.
Ass blasters we’re the 3rd phase in the lifecycle, though when I saw the thumbnail my first thought was DandD shrieker, the hiding in the rooftop furthered the parallels
@@wReid-ts8bc The Sheriekers are the bipeds, the Assblasters are the airborne. Same animal, different phases. I saw the inspiration right away, I made my homebrew Etherial monster off the same inspiration... only this is WAY better done. Well, I kind of stole a lot from Tremors for my homebrew Ethereal horrors.
I loved this video tremors is probably one of my favorite movies of all it was a large part of my childhood. I'm totally reskining a purple worm into a graboid give it extra grab attacks bc the tentacles only for it to retreat to be and be found days later burst open then late that very night the shrieking starts....
Oooh players would HATE this! It's the two things they hate most - using the guerrilla tactics that they love against them, and fucking with their ability to rest!
Very cool. Can these creatures be domesticated to some level? And if so who would do it? The reason I ask is because you mentioned blink dogs, who would be used by fae creatures such as elves.
Tremors #2 AND #3 in Alternative Prime Material World #319 where the Grabboids are Etherial Monsters and the technology is Rennaisance Era with a heavy dependency on magic. It should only take one Gate spell to get there to watch that version of the movie but you must learn how to use scrying devices of a magical nature because their media isn't really public, it's bored wizards making scripted shows in the Dream realm of the Ethereal Plane. You're welcome.
As someone who loves developing a full ecosystem of creatures, which beast do you believe would be the superior ethereal predator between the marauder and the thought eater you did a video on a few months ago?
Definitely marauder. The danger of thought eaters is the effect of their snacking. It is even possible to make use of them. They are not very intelligent themselves. So the marauder is superior in most ways, maybe even having the marauder munching some of thought eaters when they encounter each other. But the danger could be, for some reason, the marauders start using the thought eaters in their hunts.
"Wizards are trying to do way with named spells so they don't have to reprint a new name for every setting" - tried in 2014, and then immediately gave up the next year with "Elemental evil player's companion", just giving us the named spells without a setting agnostic alternatives for the next 7 years. Misinterpreting past events aside, Great video.
@@AJPickett so far they have only made generic alternative names when they first released 5e as far as I can find. Not old enough to know if there were any spells they released since then were they shaved off the creator's name and made generic. I feel like I would hear some kind of minor uproar if an old school spell name got changed but have not heard anything? PS. Do you know which book and chapter arcanists magic aura show up? I was trying to find what wizards wrote about generic names but I can't find it.
Can you talk about the Hexblades and the Black Dogs of ill Omen? I'm not sure if there's *specific* lore on that but I've seen references in a few places and I'm curious if there's anything that ties that stuff together. I've always been curious on the nature of curses and hexes in D&D and it seems like the shadowfell might be related in someway? I'm not sure how people traditionally interpret this, but I like to relate it to the nature of the shadowfell in my games.
I noticed that the original UA hexblade could turn their shadow into a shadow hound, the shadow sorcerer can summon hounds of I'll omen and of course their is the shadow mastiff, but theirs also the black dog from English legend. I have a feeling these might be related. Actually come to think of it, the cursed Razor martial school in the Pathfinder path of war has a manuver called the black dog's due...
Actually, I didn't even realize it, but there is a Hound of I'll omen in Ad&d. It's nothing like the shadow related ones though it's actually a punishment sent by offended gods to lay a powerful curse and not related to the shadowfell, but that Curse connection remains.
Grabboid inspired, Shrieker phase, but AD&D Etherial monster. I did the same thing, a really boring and bland clone of this. I'm replacing my homebrew with this... it's far nicer.
lmao your players might hate you. This thing represtents the two things players hate the most - guerrilla tactics (that they love using ) used against them, and fucking with their ability to complete rests!
@@monsieurdorgat6864 Jokes aside though, these guys would be rather useful in creating a thriller like vibe. Especially if you put a big bad behind them.
@@toufexisk Maybe, but not really with the big bad IMO. My experience is that the only way to really create fear or anxiety in DnD is to use the same techniques as scary campfire stories and books do. Combat mechanics won't really have the same affects as scary movies can have.
I joke with my players that Ghosts are cheaters, but at least they can cheat because their dead. A living entity that can act like a ghost? Man, why do I feel like surrounding myself in living things. Plants maybe?
**Druid laughs in much-underestimated Nature and Cycle of Life** **Conjurer laughs in much-misunderstood summoning and conjuring magic** **Abjurer laughs in cheat-code-level protections** **Diviner laughs in "nothing is invisible to me"**
Grey elves are a sub-race of high elves endemic to the planet of Oerth (Greyhawk) and Greyspace. They more closely resemble the Silver (or moon) Elves of Faerun although their haughty attitude more closely aligns with that of the Gold (or Sun) elves of Faerun, or the silvanesti of Krynn, being that they believe they are superior to other humanoid races.
@@AJPickett Weird things happen on the edge of reality... Maybe Blue was the first Marauder? An idea from the "real world" gets bounced around in the far realm then gets spat out in DnD's "real" past... We may have found an actual paradox.
Hi, I was wondering if you’re related to the stardew valley content creator “BlaDe” at all? You both have very similar kiwi accents imo (I’m from Auckland myself), and you two seem to have a physical resemblance too.
I love when a bestiary entry combines known biology (known development of humans as endurance/attrition hunters), with totally alien biology (mated trios). Makes the monster more real while also being just as intriguing as before. Wonderful video AJ!
I got a miniature of one of these in my first blister pack when I first started DMing. I Had no clue what it was but loooooved the design! Thank you for making this video and bringing me back to those nostalgic memories I hold so dear!
I have a collection of vintage ral Partha minis they are cool too
Humans took pack tactics to a whole new level with tool use.
I really like your new narrative format: stories told by a half-halfling sage. This is what your channel was always meant to be.
"...shared a bowl of hot rosemary mutton stew with feta cheese and a farm loaf of bread with us."
Oooh, that's making my mouth water! It's about -9 degrees C in my neck of the woods, and a bowl of that goodness sounds like the winning formula!
The good scholar returns in a dark hour thanks for the dedication friend.
Considering the large amount of overt apex predators in the D&D world, I'm actually unsure as to how livestock can even exist in practice. Feels like even common griffins could absolutely ruin a shepherd or farmer's day.
I always wondered that myself. Realistically every damn city would be built behind Attack On Titan walls.
You are assuming that these creatures roam around freely... they do not, Faerun is this big patchwork of microclimates and biomes that support limited populations of apex predators. Many of them are only active during mating seasons or may hibernate for months or even years, so, you know, if you throw examples at me, I can invent logical reasons for them existing ALL DAY... its what I do.
In areas with griffons, the locals would adapt with livestock shelters or clever griffon hunts.
Same with most predators. If there is a local one, people who live local would have some tricks.
The masai living near lions gives me inspiration. It’s just my thoughts though.
God i like these creatures. They were one of the things I best remember about my old 3.5 MM.. and the main reason I liked the ethereal plane because the creatures there can just "nope" in and out of combat.. good memories...
This would be great for a low-level horror campaign. Have your PCs traveling with a caravan through the desert (so footprints and flying creatures are easy to see), and just start picking off caravan members one by one when no one is looking. The PCs feel _something_ is stalking them but can't see anything.
Ethereal Monsters are epic horror monsters.
The intermediate form of a Graboid...
This monster reminds me of the two legged graboids from Tremors 2.
I'm really enjoying your "sage of Candlekeep" persona.
Its fun. Agreed. 😆
Looks like the shriekers from tremors
Aight, where's Burt Gummer when you need him? Lol
Hey Professor. Haven't been very active on youtube lately but I wanted to pop in and say thank you. I'm still running games and 70% of my knowledge and confidence comes from your informative and inspiring videos. You rock. Keep on wooping ass.
Thanks Amigo!
I love this type of presentation. Really grounds the descriptions so you can feel how other travellers might describe them to you.
You simply must consider doing a video about the Ethereal Filtcher!
I have and I shall.
Reminds me of the second evolutionary stage of graboids
Another gem and masterpiece.
Perfect for those of us who's hearts dwell on the Sword Coast. ⚔️
These guys look like a really cool Spore creature.
They look like shreikers from tremors. I've had a tremors themed adventure so my party seeing thease might have some interesting rp moments
Your introductory narrative breathes so much life into the Sword Coast that it begs to be brought to life Elder Scrolls style.
I’m pretty sure these were the creatures that attacked Drizzt and co. in chapter 8 of “The Orc King”. A thread on the Candlekeep forums seems to support that hypothesis.
correct
Shrieker graboids.
I really like the short stories around monster ecology. I also like this alter ego from Candlekeep
Recently reread the Cleric Quintet, so the Cadderly reference is highly appreciated! Those were some great books.
This has probably already been brought up, but they remind me a little of one of the life stages of the critters in Tremors.
Also, when I was deep in Dark Sun I had created a homebrew monster that was effectively a pack of deinonychus with a single psionic talent and a shared psionic pool; many of these packs had psi talents such as (and I've forgotten the names) shadow-step and dimension door so they could engage in blinking pack tactics.
man that is a face not even a mother can love. Thanks as always master sage!
I kinda see why the comparison with Shriekers was made on the community tab. Id imagine the marauders make the same horrible sound the shriekers do.
Humans endurance is actually out matched by horses and some dogs. Which is directly due to our selective breeding. :) But otherwise it's true.
Humans can eat and drink while running, your horse and dog are no match for that.
@@AJPickett And Humans can drive a car faster too... I thought we were talking physiologically... 😜
@@eros5420 We are, anyway, my point stands.
A horse will outrun a human right up until the point it dies from exhaustion, a dog can outpace and outlast a human but that's entirely due to ancestral canine traits passed on from wolves(the only creature that can compete with us at persistence hunting) and nothing to do with selective breeding.
"Jurassic Park meets Tremors? Perrrfect!" said the DM, rubbing his hands together while grinning creepily from ear to ear.
"They don't swim very well at all and avoid going into the water"
Me, and intellectual: How about I build a moat then?
Creatures on the border ethereal can just float along over the moat, as gravity is subjective, they could also walk through the earth under the moat easily enough and pop back into reality on the other side. *sets fire to drawing board*
@@AJPickett The real question here: How do I BECOME a moat then?
Neat little monsters. With creatures that are connected to the Ethereal, I always wonder how they got there. The plane itself doesn't seem to be very well predisposed to giving a thriving ecosystem, so I usually imagine that these are creatures that got marooned in the Ethereal then are adapted to the plane over time.
ectoplasm and pseudomatter provide the basis for a massive ecosystem.
I would think ecosystems would grow and fade all the time in the ethereal. With those things that manage to endure being that which can interact with the material plane. Basically plane shifting as a form of self-defense from being deleted.
This makes me wonder if the EM. Would attack during a combat encounter, inadvertently coming to the aid of the party or enemy that's threatened it's pray. Or what would happen if the pcs encounter another ethereal creture, maybe even encounter an enemy also stalked by one.
Ah, the "There's Always a Bigger Fish" scenario.
@@AJPickett yee but more chaotic
Looks like blue skinned version of the creatures from the second tremors movie 😂
Shriekers, I believe it was. And assblasters were the final form
@@anoneamose4866 correct
That's a Shrieker from the Tremors franchise.
Lol, I was gonna say the Assblaster variant minus the psudo wings
@@Necronamis nah, shrieker for sure
Lol they look like Graboids from the movie series Tremors lol. I feel old now
Excellent stuff, AJ!! 👍🏼👍🏼
Very much enjoyed the references to Cadderly in this :D
I love these guys!
Good video AJ. Story reminds me of the tremors movie series
Yeah me too :)
I like these guys. They are good to keep players alert
That art makes me think “ i’m really glad my pc uses a shield.”
I don't know why but this thing gives off an Oddworld creature vibes.
I haven't heard anyone talking about Ethereal Marauder for a long time. Another great video!
Kinda reminds me of the late stage form of the creatures from the movie "Tremors"..
I doubt they could truly be tamed, but it would be cool if a powerful intelligent undead like a Specter or a Lich could train a pack to do their bidding.
murder hobo's BEWARE!
ah I love the design of these things, the head that is made of three identical sections with a hole in the middle has always been so cool
Clever girls, nasty little buggers too
THIS is how you imply a Tremors reference!
...and a shout-out to Jurrasic Park.
I'm replacing one of my homebrew monsters with this creature. Mine is very similar, like a basic bland version of this.
So Shriekers from tremors?
Love the story at the beginning 🙂
Ass blasters we’re the 3rd phase in the lifecycle, though when I saw the thumbnail my first thought was DandD shrieker, the hiding in the rooftop furthered the parallels
This are older than Perfect Valley Nevada critters. Ah pre-dates?
I was about to ask if anyone else had Shrieker vibes from these XD
@@wReid-ts8bc The Sheriekers are the bipeds, the Assblasters are the airborne. Same animal, different phases. I saw the inspiration right away, I made my homebrew Etherial monster off the same inspiration... only this is WAY better done. Well, I kind of stole a lot from Tremors for my homebrew Ethereal horrors.
@@wReid-ts8bc assblasters are different from shriekers
Tremors influence on these guys I think.
I feel we were denied critical need to know information
I loved this video tremors is probably one of my favorite movies of all it was a large part of my childhood. I'm totally reskining a purple worm into a graboid give it extra grab attacks bc the tentacles only for it to retreat to be and be found days later burst open then late that very night the shrieking starts....
Dimensional tremors
Oooh players would HATE this! It's the two things they hate most - using the guerrilla tactics that they love against them, and fucking with their ability to rest!
Hey, the weird tripods! Nice
Someone watched Tremors
I LOVE the look of these creatures!!!! I think of them as deep one hounds They look perfect for that.
yep, they serve as guard dogs for another ethereal creature I will be covering soon... the very spooky Nilshai
I remember these from one of the Drittz books when they where looking for Gauntlgrym
Anyone else getting screecher vibs from the tremor franchise?
Eyyyy, if it isn't my favorite, "Monster concept that was almost scrapped but got retooled!"
Not gonna mention Tremors 2: Aftershocks?
I did, in the channel's community tab
I was having the same thought from just the video cover even
One of my favs back in my 3.5 days. The first showing scarred the s#$t out of my party of newbies.
Don’t underestimate those Spindle Discs, man...
Seriously...
More people needa hit that like button!!
Very cool. Can these creatures be domesticated to some level? And if so who would do it? The reason I ask is because you mentioned blink dogs, who would be used by fae creatures such as elves.
> " And if so who would do it"
I definitely have a player that would love to.
they can, yes, but not on the material plane
Nice, really good random encounter monster.
Always loved how weird these monsters are
Rocking out to that opening.
tremors #2 or 3?
Other dimension, ethereal to material... :P
Tremors #2 AND #3 in Alternative Prime Material World #319 where the Grabboids are Etherial Monsters and the technology is Rennaisance Era with a heavy dependency on magic. It should only take one Gate spell to get there to watch that version of the movie but you must learn how to use scrying devices of a magical nature because their media isn't really public, it's bored wizards making scripted shows in the Dream realm of the Ethereal Plane. You're welcome.
As someone who loves developing a full ecosystem of creatures, which beast do you believe would be the superior ethereal predator between the marauder and the thought eater you did a video on a few months ago?
Definitely marauder. The danger of thought eaters is the effect of their snacking. It is even possible to make use of them. They are not very intelligent themselves. So the marauder is superior in most ways, maybe even having the marauder munching some of thought eaters when they encounter each other. But the danger could be, for some reason, the marauders start using the thought eaters in their hunts.
Marauders
Interesting looking creature. Reminds me of the Screamers from the Tremors series.
Yep, these absolutely qualify as "dimensional graboids"
Thank you for another one.
"Wizards are trying to do way with named spells so they don't have to reprint a new name for every setting" - tried in 2014, and then immediately gave up the next year with "Elemental evil player's companion", just giving us the named spells without a setting agnostic alternatives for the next 7 years.
Misinterpreting past events aside, Great video.
We shall see.
@@AJPickett so far they have only made generic alternative names when they first released 5e as far as I can find.
Not old enough to know if there were any spells they released since then were they shaved off the creator's name and made generic. I feel like I would hear some kind of minor uproar if an old school spell name got changed but have not heard anything?
PS. Do you know which book and chapter arcanists magic aura show up? I was trying to find what wizards wrote about generic names but I can't find it.
Making some slow work on my homebrew aberrations this will help massively.
I don't wanna dream no more.
Etherial parasites sounds scary
Hail Tharizdun
Can you talk about the Hexblades and the Black Dogs of ill Omen? I'm not sure if there's *specific* lore on that but I've seen references in a few places and I'm curious if there's anything that ties that stuff together. I've always been curious on the nature of curses and hexes in D&D and it seems like the shadowfell might be related in someway? I'm not sure how people traditionally interpret this, but I like to relate it to the nature of the shadowfell in my games.
I'll look into it for you Skippy
I noticed that the original UA hexblade could turn their shadow into a shadow hound, the shadow sorcerer can summon hounds of I'll omen and of course their is the shadow mastiff, but theirs also the black dog from English legend. I have a feeling these might be related.
Actually come to think of it, the cursed Razor martial school in the Pathfinder path of war has a manuver called the black dog's due...
Actually, I didn't even realize it, but there is a Hound of I'll omen in Ad&d. It's nothing like the shadow related ones though it's actually a punishment sent by offended gods to lay a powerful curse and not related to the shadowfell, but that Curse connection remains.
As a dragon born with a very good handle of magic missile, I don't know if I should be scared or in power right know.
Can you do a lore video on Geryon? I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you for all your hard work and research.
No. That's a grabboid.
Grabboid inspired, Shrieker phase, but AD&D Etherial monster. I did the same thing, a really boring and bland clone of this. I'm replacing my homebrew with this... it's far nicer.
Yay a monster I haven't heard of yet
Yeah, this one will be new to a lot of folks :)
@@AJPickett Well I'm looking forward to all the other classic monsters who haven't made it into 5e yet.
@@zacharyweaver276 You are going to love the Nilshai and Ethereal Scarab GTFO jars.
I was looking for this one!
That's a pretty spicy glue stick. :9
The more I hear of DnD, the less I can decide which world is more dangerous for the average peasant.
DnD or Warhammer Fantasy
Warhammer, 100%
Warhammer, no question.
These guys have thought of everything.
The realm of dreams will have its share of nightmares.
certainly
Natural predators of thought eaters perhaps?
This reminds me of stranger things!
Love them! Will definitely add them to the game!!
Thanks!
lmao your players might hate you. This thing represtents the two things players hate the most - guerrilla tactics (that they love using ) used against them, and fucking with their ability to complete rests!
@@monsieurdorgat6864 Sounds good to me!! ΧD
@@toufexisk lol nice
@@monsieurdorgat6864 Jokes aside though, these guys would be rather useful in creating a thriller like vibe.
Especially if you put a big bad behind them.
@@toufexisk Maybe, but not really with the big bad IMO. My experience is that the only way to really create fear or anxiety in DnD is to use the same techniques as scary campfire stories and books do. Combat mechanics won't really have the same affects as scary movies can have.
I joke with my players that Ghosts are cheaters, but at least they can cheat because their dead. A living entity that can act like a ghost? Man, why do I feel like surrounding myself in living things. Plants maybe?
**Druid laughs in much-underestimated Nature and Cycle of Life**
**Conjurer laughs in much-misunderstood summoning and conjuring magic**
**Abjurer laughs in cheat-code-level protections**
**Diviner laughs in "nothing is invisible to me"**
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌟 E X C E L L E N T 🌟
🌟 PRESENTATION 🌟
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
you've become a 20th
Level Storyteller!!! 😁
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
What is the intro music you used for the vid? Reminds me of Metroid
"Electronic Hip-Hop Instrumental - "Speed Zone"" by Curtis Harris (available from Storyblocks stock sound, graphics and video service)
@@AJPickett thanks for the info dude 👍
Is that creature is some kind of Drake ? 🤔
no.
@@AJPickett I would ask but I don't want to be a waste of your time
@@axelmartinez2413 You asked me a yes or no question Axel :)
@@AJPickett right 😅😂
AJ Pickett The eternal marauders kinda remind me of the slogs from oddworld.
My poor poor PCs
What happened to gray elves
Grey elves are a sub-race of high elves endemic to the planet of Oerth (Greyhawk) and Greyspace. They more closely resemble the Silver (or moon) Elves of Faerun although their haughty attitude more closely aligns with that of the Gold (or Sun) elves of Faerun, or the silvanesti of Krynn, being that they believe they are superior to other humanoid races.
Yay!
Clever girl.
Ethereal Marauders are Blue... the trained Velociraptor in Jurassic world is called Blue.... coincidences are delicious.
@@AJPickett Weird things happen on the edge of reality... Maybe Blue was the first Marauder? An idea from the "real world" gets bounced around in the far realm then gets spat out in DnD's "real" past...
We may have found an actual paradox.
In the movie and book Muldoon was the character who had to die because he logically should have given the humans a better chance.
Hi, I was wondering if you’re related to the stardew valley content creator “BlaDe” at all?
You both have very similar kiwi accents imo (I’m from Auckland myself), and you two seem to have a physical resemblance too.
Nope
someone may have been casting magic jar without telling us.....