Every setting has its unusual creatures, but when a setting questions the very nature of reality, limits on what may or may not be a creature go out the window. Planar creatures might embody the creation or destruction of reality or take on unique aspects of their plane of origin.

The Planar Adventures series highlights aspects that make planar campaigns different, while adding new rules to make them unique.

Cacophonix

A large beast looking like a spindly cross between a cat and a bear, a cacophonix emits terrifying screams that shatter the psyche of those that hear them. Found frequently on the windswept ravines of Pandemonium, these creatures are attracted to loud sounds. The louder their prey, the more they are driven into a frenzy and give chase. They are especially drawn to music.

Cacophonix

Large Monstrosity, Unaligned
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 60 (8d10 + 16)
Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
17 (+3)	17 (+3)	15 (+2)	10 (+0)	11 (+0)	8 (−1)

Skills Perception +2
Damage Resistances psychic, thunder
Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages —
Challenge 3 (700 XP)                      Proficiency +2

Keen Hearing. The cacophonix has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The cacophonix makes attacks with both its claws and bite.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage and 7 (2d6) thunder damage.

Terrifying Shriek. The cacophonix lets out a terrifying shriek. Creatures within 20 feet that can hear take 7 (2d6) psychic damage and become frightened until the end of the cacophonix’s next turn. Creatures that succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw halve the damage and do not become frightened.

Dogmatic Manifestation

It is said among planar residents, that if you believe in a thing strongly, you can make it real. What happens when a belief believes in itself so strongly that it dreams itself into reality? You get a dogmatic manifestation.

Dogmatic manifestations come into being when a living creature is convinced of the reality of something that doesn’t exist. Once the imagined creature, animated object, or even anthropomorphic concept exists, it continues to steadfastly believe in itself, and tries to convince everyone else of its reality. After all, you can see it. It has to be real.

Dogmatic Manifestation

Medium Construct, Any Alignment
Armor Class 18 (natural)
Hit Points 138 (25d8 + 25)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	13 (+1)	13 (+1)	14 (+2)	11 (+0)	18 (+4)

Skills Deception +9, Perception +5, Persuasion +9
Damage Resistances necrotic, psychic
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities frightened, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Common and one other language
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)                              Proficiency +5

Legendary Resistance (1/Day). If the dogmatic manifestation fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The dogmatic manifestation makes four slam attacks.

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) psychic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the dogmatic manifestation for 1 minute. While charmed, the target uses their action each round to loudly proclaim that the manifestation is really the creature or thing it appears to be. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make another Wisdom saving throw. The effect ends if the target succeeds on the saving throw or the dogmatic manifestation attacks the target.

Conversion (recharge 6). The dogmatic manifestation targets a creature within 60 feet that it can see. Through force of will, the dogmatic manifestation transforms the creature into a copy of the dogmatic manifestation. The target’s game statistics, including mental ability scores, are replaced by the statistics of the dogmatic manifestation, but without the conversion ability. A creature that succeeds on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw avoids transformation. At the end of each of its turns, a transformed target can make another Wisdom saving throw. The copy follows the dogmatic manifestation’s commands and remains transformed unto it is reduced 0 hit points or succeed on a saving throw.

Versik

Versiks appear as floating, cloud-like distortions about four feet across. They hover in place before moving too quickly to be seen, and they disrupt matter that they contact. Versiks feast off of some spells, but have no interesting in magical items or existing magical effects.

It is unclear what motivates them or why they destroy some objects while passing through others. No one has ever found the home plane of the versiks, and some believe they come from the space between the planes. They are most common on the Astral and Ethereal planes which connect other planes, lending some weight to that theory.

Versik

Medium Aberration, Neutral
Armor Class 14 (natural)
Hit Points 83 (15d8 + 15)
Speed 0 ft., teleport 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (−1)	17 (+3)	13 (+1)	6 (−2)	14 (+2)	18 (+4)

Skills Perception +5, Stealth +9
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities grappled, prone, restrained
Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages —
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)                   Proficiency +3

Incorporeal Movement. The versik can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

See Through Matter. The versik can see into and through solid matter up to 60 feet. Solid objects within that radius appear transparent and don’t prevent light from passing through them.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The versik makes three disrupting touch attacks.

Disrupting Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) force damage. The versik deals double damage to objects and structures.

BONUS ACTIONS

Stutter. The versik teleports 15 feet.

Transparent. Being transparent, the versik is especially hard to see when not moving. While in dim light or darkness, the versik can take the Hide action as a bonus action.

REACTION

Absorb Spell. As a reaction to succeeding on a saving throw against a spell of 4th-level or lower that targeted the versik, it can absorb the magic. The spell has no effect on the versik and the versik heals hit points equal to twice the level of the spell. If the spell is a cantrip, the versik heals 1 hit point.

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