Before you drink from a fountain or pool, toss a copper coin into it. It’s a small price to pay for your life.
X the Mystic’s 2nd Rule of Dungeon Survival
Lore: The Shade of Water
This serpentine creature is a guardian elemental, bound to a body of water to protect its summoner. It strikes quickly, rising invisibly from the depths to attack any who may provoke it. Should it die, it will return to its original form: a simple pool of liquid.
Water weirds have no concept of good or evil. Like water, they take on the shape of the pool to which they’re bound. Be the water pure and clean or foul and toxic, it takes on that form. Purer weirds prefer to scare interlopers away, while darker weirds will go straight for the kill. However, even the most evil weird can be purified with something as simple as a purify food and drink spell.
Let no player think such spells are useless!
The lore here is pretty bare. But not without potential. Maybe the players need to pull a Spirited Away and help purify a sacred pool to cleanse an evil water weird. Beyond that, however, it’s pretty much just an extra monster usable for an encounter. Perhaps the BBEG throws one at the players for some reason. It’s not bad lore, but it is pretty bare.
Design: Shape of the Container
Water takes on the shape of its container. Whoever decided to make the container look like this is a lunatic.
Honestly, I really like this design! It looks vaguely fish-like while still being a monstrous water creature. It’s a fun take on an elemental, much more than the actual elementals!
It could be even better with a bit of creativity. This is what a clean and pure water weird looks like. But what about one from corrupted water? Put your imagination cap on and you can get some fantastic results!
This is a sick design. Simple yet creative, with room for the DM to put their own spin on things. It’s a fantastic look, easily the best element of the monster.
Because the stats sure ain’t doing much for me.
Stats: Don’t Go Swimming
As you might expect from a creature of pure water, the water weird is pretty tricky to kill. It may have low HP and an even lower AC (hitting liquid isn’t hard), actually hurting it isn’t easy. Its resistant to fire, as well as all non-magical melee. On top of that, it’s immune to poison damage and all conditions.
It also depends on water for life. With Invisible in Water, the creature becomes completely impossible to see while it’s submerged. Though this comes with a consequence: the Water Bound trait. Should the weird leave the water to which it’s bound for too long, it will die.
There is only one attack here: Constrict. Surprise! The water creature is trying to drown you! If it manages to grapple you, you are in deep trouble.
Pun intended.
It’s basically just ‘what if the DM really wanted to drown you’: the encounter. As an early game encounter, it’s not bad. Certainly a step up from the standard slugfest. Still, it leaves a bit to be desired. It’s still incredibly simple and basic.
Placement
This is a pretty disappointing monster. It looks cool! But the lore and stats aren’t all that great. Slightly better than average, but nowhere near the heights the higher ups on this list reach.
With all that in mind, the Water Weird is going to #128 on the Best of the Bestiary!
- Beholder
- Death Tyrant
- Mind Flayer
- Dragon Turtle
- Tarrasque
- Mummy/Mummy Lord
- Nagas (all three of ’em)
- Green Dragons
- Red Dragons
- Blue Dragons
- Black Dragons
- White Dragons
- Silver Dragons
- Couatl
- Behir
- Aboleth
- Sea Hag
- Slaadi (all six of ’em)
- Lamia
- Bronze Dragons
- Brass Dragons
- Copper Dragons
- Gold Dragons
- Chuul
- Vampire/Vampire Spawn
- Kuo-Toa
- Gibbering Mouther
- Kraken
- Intellect Devourer
- Thri-Kreen
- Shadow
- Chimera
- Sphinxes
- Death Knight
- Fomorian
- Bone Devil
- Dracolich
- Faerie Dragon
- Gelatinous Cube
- Lich
- Treant
- Peryton
- Troglodyte
- Remorhaz
- Unicorn
- Orcs (all four of ’em)
- Magmin
- Shield Guardian
- Kobold
- Kenku
- Hobgoblins
- Night Hag
- Green Hag
- Black Pudding
- Ankheg
- Hook Horror
- Succubus/Incubus
- Oni
- Purple Worm
- Storm Giant
- Hill Giant
- Empyrean
- Efreeti
- Grimlock
- Umber Hulk
- Minotaur
- Dao
- Cloud Giant
- Manticore
- Scarecrow
- Drow (all four of ’em)
- Shadow Demon
- Modrons (all five of ’em)
- Marilith
- Drider
- Aarackockra
- Azer
- Demilich
- Spectator
- Gray Ooze
- Ochre Jelly
- Hydra
- Rakshasa
- Marid
- Salamander
- Harpy
- Werejackal
- Otyugh
- Satyr
- Half-Dragon
- Cambion
- Fire Giant
- Nothic
- Pixie
- Animated Armor
- Roper
- Banshee
- Basilisk
- Yochlol
- Bulette
- Cloaker
- Darkmantle
- Doppelganger
- Revenant
- Ghoul and Ghast
- Sahuagin (all three)
- Ettin
- Sprite
- Medusa
- Pit Fiend
- Erinyes
- Chain Devil
- Bearded Devil
- Barbed Devil
- Spined Devil
- Ice Devil
- Mimic
- Djinni
- Troll
- Merrow
- Nalfeshnee
- Glabrezu
- Chasme
- Grell
- Barlgura
- Horned Devil
- Balor
- Water Weird <——————–
- Skeletons
- Shadow Dragon
- Myconids (all four of ’em)
- Piercer
- Werebear
- Lizardfolk
- Vrock
- Dretch
- Pseudodragon
- Gnolls (all three)
- Goristro
- Hezrou
- Manes
- Quaggoth
- Frost Giant
- Weretiger
- Werewolf
- Duergar
- Quasit
- Dryad
- Shambling Mound
- Flumph
- Goblin
- Nightmare
- Rust Monster
- Wereboar
- Wererat
- Githyanki
- Owlbear
- Planetar
- Imp
- Ogres/Half-ogres
- Roc
- Clay Golem
- Flameskull
- Displacer Beast
- Carrion Crawler
- Githzerai
- Grick
- Invisible Stalker
- Rug of Smothering
- Bugbear Chief
- Bugbear
- Flesh Golem
- Vine Blight
- Twig Blight
- Needle Blight
- Mephits (all six of ’em)
- Bullywug
- Hellhound
- Ettercap
- Gas Spore
- Cockatrice
- Lemure
- Homonculus
- Merfolk
- Solar
- Deva
- Gorgon
- Hippogriff
- Griffon
- Cyclops
- Centaur
- Ghost
- Pegasus
- Fire Elemental
- Water Elemental
- Air Elemental
- Stone Giant
- Deep Gnome
- Dinosaurs (All six of them)
- Stirge
- Specter
- Iron Golem
- Stone Golem
- Earth Elemental
- Galeb Duhr
- Helmed Horror
- Flying Sword
- Crawling Claw
- Violet Fungus
- Shrieker
- Gargoyle
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