Pondering on new ways to use Monsters in our campaigns

Dated: 28 Jun, 2025

The next Dunromin University Press production was planned to be last Christmas. Real Life got in the way. I am not of the Douglas Adams mindset when it comes to hitting deadlines, he famously loves “the whooshing noise they make as they fly by”. No, I like to live up to my promises and it irks me that the fabulous SM19 Beasts of Barnaynia is STILL not ready.

The problem is the artwork. I want original pictures for every monster and this takes time – especially when I am the main artist as well as the writer and I have a full-time job and a family of neuro-divergents to take care of. Some friends, mainly Gareth Sleightholme (@hesir) have helped out and my youngest son, who is a prodigious talent and only 13, have contributed some as well. It does look fabulous.

But I still have a few illustrations to go. The layout and editing on the text is all done. Once the pics are complete (and I won’t use AI) it won’t take long to get it out there, BUT, you might ask, do we need a new book of monsters?

Stupid question, of course we do. Any TTFRPG-er will laugh at such doubt. But, out of politeness, I will consider this blasphemous suggestion for a moment.

We have so many already, and so many we don’t really use. I am a huge fan of 1st edition MM, MM2 and FF, of course, but there are many monsters in there that I have never used. I’m not even sure I have thoroughly read and considered all of them. One of these popped back into my mind this morning, during an online discussion with a delightful chap called Conall Brown on Facebook’s Worldbuilder’s Sanctum: The Pech from 1st edition MM2.

Conall has an interesting problem coming up with the detail for an idea for Dwarves being able to manufacture stone to their needs rather than having to chisel the shape out. It led to a discussion about igneous rocks and crystal growth rates, the use of time manipulation to get fresh granite in record time, rady-shaped to its purpose. Cool ideas indeed, but into my mind popped the Pech.

This diminutive deep cavern dweller has a prodigious capability with the Stoneshape spell due to its mysterious Elemental origins, which is incredible as I believe Stoneshape to be one of the coolest and most powerful but underrated spells in the book.

Deep caverns, powerful magic, using powers I am in love with, what’s not to like?

But I have NEVER used Pech in a campaign. I did write them into a corner of a dungeon once, back in about 1985, but the party never explored that area of the adventure. I think they first appeared in “The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth”, a classic TSR publication from 1982, which I have played as a player but I don’t remember encountering them in there either. How odd?

Anyway, I digress.

One of the beasts in the new SM19 Beasts of Barnaynia is the Darksea Dragon, which itself first appeared in SM05 The World of Barnaynia. This is NOT a dragon but a huge mollusc/crustacean creature with high intelligence and great magical power. They spend their time gathering decorations for their increasingly insane palaces, not for any reason other than to show off. They are vain, tiresome creatures, hopeless self-obsessed and contemptuous of all other life-forms. Inspired by the Aboleth a bit, but more Machiavellian.

This morning, while replying to Conall, my withered grey-matter sparked and I had the inspiration of a deeper relationship between the Pech and the Darksea Dragon.

I shall explain:

The Darksea Dragon requires gaudy, tasteless creations of increasing extravagance to show off to other Darksea Dragons. They can control other monsters to fetch interesting artefacts and decorations from all across the world, but the palaces themselves need to be built and developed as well. The Darksea Dragons themselves, of course, have no real creative talent nor stone-working skills, while the Pech seem, from their description, rather dour and stay-at-home monsters with significant magic resistance.

So, as of now, on Barnaynia at least, the Darksea Dragons often employ the Pech to remodel and extend their subterranean palaces. The Pech, in turn, are not dour creatures of the darkness but flamboyant artists and sculptors given to wild flights of fancy and with an un-earned pompous pride in their extravagant creations. The Pech are, of course, delighted to exploit the Darksea Dragons and produce endless and expensive constructions as required, whilst holding their patrons’ tastes in the highest contempt. The interplay of these two extraordinary creatures and their egos, would be very amusing I am sure, and probably quite camp too.

I’m not sure yet how to get this into an adventure, of course, since it only occurred to me this morning, but it’s an idea that has very much tickled my funny-bone, and yours too, I hope.

If this kind of esoteric gae development and bizarre world building intrigues you, then the World of Barnaynia is perfect for you! Check out the Dunromin Bundle for a vast compendium of great ideas at a perilously self-destructive low price.

SM19 The Beasts of Barnaynia is a monstrous compendium of over 100 novel, terrifying and irreverent monsters suitable for any D&D version, OSR and pretty much any TTFRPG of your choice. We are hoping to have it available VERY soon-ish.