I had so much fun creating a monster the other week that I’ve decided to start a new series called The Monster Depot. Each article in the series will feature a unique, creepy monster that you can drop into your OSR or 5e game. Enjoy!
The Lepidura is a human-sized, flying, quadrupedal creature that feeds on the fear of its prey. While the general shape of its body resembles a rabbit, that is where the similarities end. For one thing, it has sharp antlers on its head. In addition to its four legs, the Lepidura also has two large, lobster-like claws that it uses to pierce and crush its enemies. Two bat-like wings allow it to fly through the air to stalk its prey. It has two glowing, ruby-red eyes recessed in its sunken eye-sockets. Its body is covered in a hard, clam-like exoskeleton that protects it from all but the hardest of blows.
Lepiduras tend to attack in small groups of 3-4 individuals. Once they sense a fear-prone target, they swoop in shrieking. They land before attacking, taking advantage of their great speed and mobility on land. The taste of fear makes them ravenous and erratic; they attack their enemies seemingly at random, with no strategy beyond creating as much fear as possible. Lepiduras often charge their prey in an attempt to scare them and potentially knock them prone with their large antlers. Once a target is vulnerable, they will use one or both claws to rend the target’s flesh and crush its bones.
Since Lepiduras are attracted to fear, they try to scare their prey as much as possible. However, they are skittish creatures, and if a majority of their targets cease to be afraid they will almost certainly retreat.
Do you have thoughts or questions about the article or suggestions for future content? Leave a comment below or drop me a line at jtdimino@d20radio.com.
J.T. Dimino
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