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Post by zimthegoblin on Mar 30, 2019 11:06:41 GMT
So as I thought one day I thought what do some monsters eat when they don't eat npcs cows or unlucky towns folk and adventurers. So I came up with some ideas what would an aankek eat why not a giant pill bug they are like crab and harmless so why wouldn't they be a easy meal that could be fun.
Have any of you come up with stuff like that?
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Post by randosaurus on Mar 30, 2019 17:50:55 GMT
I love monster ecology. The Monster Manual used to include a dedicated section on how monsters fit into their environment. Other people also enjoy the topic! This is relevant to your interests:
Here's a principle for designing an ecology. Useful for DIY.
You really can't do better than the collection of writing that has been officially published:
Here's a list of some of the Ecology articles that have been printed in Dragon over the years. "AnX" refers to "Dragon Annual X," where "X" is the annual number.
72 - Piercer
73 - Catoblepas
74 - Bulette
75 - Mimic
76 - Beholder
77 - Unicorn
78 - Mind Flayer
79 - Treant
80 - Doppleganger
81 - Basilisk
82 - Peryton
83 - Stirge
84 - Trapper
85 - Ixitxachitl
86 - Slithering Tracker
87 - Dryad
88 - Rust Monster
91 - Leucrotta
92 - Ettin
93 - Eye of the Deep
94 - Chimera/Gorgimera
95 - Cockatrice
96 - Gulguthra
97 - Gorgon/Gorgimera
99 - Will-o-wisp/Boggart
104 - Ochre Jelly
106 - Maedar/Medusa
107 - Sea Lion
109 - Displacer Beast
114 - Remorhaz
115 - Harpy
116 - Minotaur
117 - Anhkheg
119 - Korred
120 - Gas Spore
122 - Rot Grub
123 - Leech, Giant
124 - Gelatinous Cube
125 - Greenhag
126 - Shade
127 - Yeti
131 - Aboleth
131 - Hook Horror
132 - Aurumvorax
133 - Carnivorous Ape
134 - Red Dragon
135 - Cave Fisher
137 - Carnivorous Plants
139 - Spectator
146 - Dragons (2nd Ed.)
151 - Kappa
151 - Yuan-ti
152 - Umber Hulk
153 - Manticore
155 - Satyr
156 - Behir
157 - Wemic
160 - Gibbering Mouther
161 - Griffon
164 - Iron Cobra
167 - Su Monster
172 - Galeb Duhr
173 - Flind/Gnoll
187 - Dakon
190 - Actaeon
192 - Lamia
197 - Giant Scorpion
214 - Neogi
214 - Owlbear
215 - Amphisbaena
218 - Bird Maiden
219 - Black Pudding
221 - Crystal Spider
222 - Penanggalan
223 - Chitine
224 - Lammasu
227 - Osquip
232 - Roper
235 - Troglodyte
An1 - Wyvern
239 - Stirge
240 - Nymph
An2 - Shambling Mound
242 - Mongrelman
244 - Sphinx
245 - Steeder
246 - Flumph
251 - Wererat
252 - Ghoul
An3 - Steel Dragon
254 - Cyclopskin
257 - Firenewt/Giant Strider
258 - Flail Snail
260 - Aspis
261 - Dark Naga
262 - Jermlaine
An4 - Gray Ooze
266 - Xixchil
267 - Carrion Crawler
269 - Pseudodragon
270 - Gorbel
271 - Bag of Devouring
272 - Hydra
273 - Hippocampus
275 - Darkmantle
276 - Sheet Phantom
An5 - Feyr
282 - Purple Worm
300 - Mummy
301 - Troll
309 - Hobgoblin
312 - Drider
314 - Salamander
322 - Dark Ones
323 - Choker
324 - Night Hag
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lorddundar
Commoner
Posts: 11
Favorite D&D Class: Fighter/Cleric
Favorite D&D Race: Dwarf
Gender: Male
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Post by lorddundar on Oct 22, 2019 17:13:51 GMT
Monster Ecology is great it adds to the game and in the past my players have used it to notice things.
Recently I have my Kids running into a Dire Spider lair with baby spiders in an ruined Temple of Pelor. As they got closer I kept dropping hints, First the Druid noticed Nature Roll DC 10 that there were no squirrels in the trees and the sounds of the forest were missing, no birds chirping. As they got closer they camped out for the night, I let everyone know that the night seemed off, and after some rolls all DC 10 there were no bugs in the air and crickets we not chirping. My Daughter thought this was odd (She is an animal lover and plays the Druid) and asked me if she could look for animals in the morning. I had her and the Fighter looking around and they started noticing small spiders and webs in the trees. These were some of the baby spiders that had left the lair. Now everyone was on guard and thought spiders were the problem. Soon they found husks of animals and insects everywhere as they came upon the ruins, and it was confirmed, spiders were everywhere.
I use this all the time with Carrion Crawlers hiding and waiting for a battle to end, or giant rats being the food for other animals or goblins in a cave. Always find your big badly and think that it is the top of the food chain, then work down. Make sure that the critters get eaten by something smaller or weaker and remember that predators will eat prey. End your food chains with herbivores eating moss, mushrooms or plants in any ecosystem and make sure that they are more plentiful than predators. If the predators eat all the prey they will need to move to better hunting grounds, which is what the Dire Spiders were doing at night and eating cows from a halfling village.
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Post by DM Onesie Knight on Oct 23, 2019 0:32:43 GMT
I made a thread over in DM Resources with a link to a tool I found that could help if you really want to get into the nuts and bolts of the fantasy food chain: But What Does it Eat?Basically, it calculates the caloric requirements for an animal based on its type and size (ie warm blooded animals need more calories per day than cold blooded animals of the same weight). |
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