Token Thursday #3 - Four Monsters who'd love to be your friends!

Beneos Battlemaps hogs all the serious news this week, so we can talk about some fun stuff over here!

While most of our creatures are rather ill-tempered and should not be approached without proper caution, some are designed to be ambivalent actors in your game on whose side (or backs!) your players could easily end up on! This weeks blog posts spotlights four Token-Monsters who could prove as interesting and useful allies to your players!

4. The Reefkeeper

Reefkeepers are mostly benevolent elementals whose craggy skin is rich in minerals and nutrients. They live deep underwater and coalesce around reefs or trenches, where they keep a watchful eye on the local flora and fauna. They won't win any beauty contests, but they are fierce protectors of their subnautic realms and their presence can enrich any adventure in a maritime environment.

Reef Keepers are primarily interested in, well, keeping their reefs safe and they are willing to work alongside any party capable of proving that their interests align. They can act as silent guides for underwater environments, using their ability to call upon the assistance of various sea creatures to illuminate surroundings with glowing jellyfish or transport players into formerly unreachable depths on the backs of giant sea turtles. In exchange for some assistance they might even remember a sunken ship or two, its rotten planks now overgrown with kelp and corals, but its treasures still untouched...

If you haven't checked it out yet, you can download the Reef Keepers stats right here!

3. The Magmatic Coreborn

Magmatic Coreborn are often found watching over humanoid settlements close to the Coreborn's place of origin. These areas are often hostile to life due to volcanic activities and frequent earthquakes, prompting the Coreborn to forge a bond with those headstrong and enduring enough to remain. 

A wounded Magmatic Coreborn could be found surrounded by the ruins of a tribal village on an volcanic island, having protected its chosen people from a natural catastrophe or an attacking monster. Have your players travel alongside the weakened Elemental through inhospitable terrain like geysir-pocked landscapes or over obsidian bridges spanning subterran magma lakes to either find a place of strong elemental magic to help the Coreborn recuperate or take on the creature responsible for the attack on the village together! Magmatic Coreborn are often venerated as minor deities by their people and having an effigy of molten rock owe you a favour certainly sounds not too bad!

Take a look at the Magmatic Coreborn's stat sheet right here!

2. The Shattermaw

Shattermaws are gruff and grumpy organic bulwarks who combine the worst (or best, depending on your general outlook in life) traits of an overgrown snapping turtle and a shark who's not going to let a lack of water stop it from chomping down on things. 

As living battering rams, Shattermaws excel at ruining the day of anyone feeling safe behind any kind of wall. They are notoriously bad tempered, but a particularly smooth talking druid might convince a Shattermaw to help - granted the Shattermaw somehow benefits from this deal. Although with an Intelligence of 4 it might just be enough to dangle a nice chunk of meat in front of their head to get it to go where you want it to. Watch formerly self-confident foes overthink their life choices as you turn up with a lumbering Shattermaw in tow! Having the Shattermaw just tear into a group of enemies can be a satisfying reward for a group of players who love to find alternative ways of dealing with challenges. Just keep your fingers out of their reach, as they can be deceptively quick.

If you haven't already, you can grab the Shattermaw's stats here and get your brain juices flowing on how to integrate one into your next session!

1. The Klabautermann

Klabautermänner are fey creatures manifesting on naval vessels as living embodiments of the bond shared between a ship and its crew. While mostly acting as an unseen presence, they can take on physical form, usually appearing as a skeletal mariner. They wield powerful magic and will defend their chosen vessel and crew to the last, should danger present itself.

A Klabautermann is the perfect addition to any kind of naval setting in any campaign. As a manifestation of a ship's spirit they can act as a powerful reward for your players and they offer amazing roleplay opportunities. Their statblock comes with an assortment of powerful buffs as well, actively supporting their ships crew when it comes to navigating, spotting danger or repairing the ship.
A Klabautermann can be the focal point of an array of adventures in a naval setting - think of one still haunting the remains of its long sunken ship, mourning its lost comrades, uniwttingly endangering the sea trade in the area through uncontrolled manifestations of weather magic. Have your players prove themselves to the grief-stricken creature (maybe by exacting revenge on  a treacherous lighthouse keeper, who tricked the crew into dangerous waters as an offering to a fell creature of the deep?), only to finally let go of its former vessel to now inhabit the one used by your players, offering a plethora of combat support, roleplay opportunities and a coolness factor as high as the Mariana trench is deep! 

Check out the Klabautermann right here!

We try to make our creatures as interesting as possible to offer many different angles of approach on using them - they can be powerful enemies in combat, but also epic allies or just interesting set pieces to enrich your world!

Let us know if you enjoyed this format and if there is more you'd like us to cover! You can hit us up in the comments or via our Discord server!

See you next week!