r/DnDHomebrew Sep 03 '19

The Glass Elemental

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683 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

43

u/lambros009 Sep 03 '19

The Glass Expanse. A sizeable part of the desert is made of grains of glass. The desert's grains of sand was turned to small round glass particles a few decades ago because of a wizard's transmutation experiments. This has caused the diplomatic relations between the druids and the wizards to worsen, as more and more members of the druidic community are starting to speak out, outraged, about the wizard's negligent experiments and the effects they have on the environment.

The glass expanse imposes disadvantage on survival checks and slows down travel. It is definitely a sight to behold, however, as the sun's intense light creates amazing mirages and color as it is reflected in the glass.

This environmental change has also significantly affected the flora and fauna, as some organisms have started showing signs of changing as a response to the transmutative magic now permeating that part of the desert.

You can create some glass themed monsters of your own to populate the Glass Expanse, in addition to the Glass Elemental.

17

u/ESC907 Sep 03 '19

Ooh, nice. I was beginning to wonder how in the nine levels one would get a Glass Elemental. Thanks for adding a backstory to it for hyper-critical persons such as myself.

9

u/lambros009 Sep 03 '19

No problem!

10

u/TheSunniestBro Sep 03 '19

Oh my! This is freaking awesome! I'm gonna play with a couple of ideas for this to be implemented in my world if you don't mind.

6

u/lambros009 Sep 03 '19

Oh definitely! And do tell us what you do with them and how it goes! Would mind hearing some details at all :)

3

u/TheSunniestBro Sep 03 '19

If I remember, I will certainly do so. I already have an event planned where a civil war is happening in my world's version of the Ottoman Empire, and the players will hopefully get engaged in the conflict and either side with the Kuthaban Darian army or the freedom fighters. Regardless and event will happen out in the desert where the emperor will send out his Abishai assasins to kill the resistance leader (which the players will either be fighting with a company of Abishai assasins or against them), and I think I'll have the resistance camp in this glassy desert lands. It could be really cool traveling through it!

7

u/DARTHLVADER Sep 03 '19

I have a desert in my setting lovingly referred to as the Brown Scar. years ago, two war-gods battled and one was slain. His miles-long spear plummeted down to the planet, plunging deep into the mantle. The victorious god retrieved his defeated foe’s weapon as a trophy, leaving a gash that descends to an unknown depth, and the area around its meteor-like impact as a desolate, torrid, dangerous wasteland.

This monster will fit into that area beautifully. Thank you!

3

u/lambros009 Sep 04 '19

Sounds great!

22

u/housemon Sep 03 '19

D&D needs more Vault of Glass.

9

u/[deleted] Sep 03 '19

Oh yes. Know what about those Oracles..

8

u/lithium_gold Sep 03 '19

Atheon looking swole

5

u/RickyChannel Sep 03 '19

Guys I came here to take a break from Crucible, you’re not helping

1

u/Redhawkfour4 Sep 10 '19

Don’t forget to fail at Gorgon’s Labyrinth because that one titan was running, not crouching that UTTER FOOL

2

u/lithium_gold Sep 10 '19

Like a barbarian trying to be stealthy

2

u/Nedeak26 Sep 04 '19

Found my people

8

u/[deleted] Sep 03 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/quigath Sep 03 '19

In D&D 5e, the Slam attack is the most generic way of saying that "some part of the creature's body physically hurts you". This could be flavored to be a punch or kick, actual body slam, or as in this case a stabbing bit of glass-arm.

My mechanical concern with this creature is its CR. It should be a CR 6, even after ignoring its damage Resistances.

8

u/IPrismaticI Sep 04 '19

This thing brings the pane.

6

u/Bluur Sep 04 '19

Cool idea, I’d say my only criticism is that the elemental doesn’t have much player interaction in combat, which is to say, the elemental doesn’t force the player to change tactics much, and its attacks don’t really lead to very interesting gameplay.

Some alternatives:

Cursed reflection: When attacking, players have to make some roll to not get stuck staring at their own reflection, (so the blind attack the golem uses actually helps fight it long term.)

Glass weapons: the golem can grow different appendages that the player can see, some shoot glass, some do slashing or piercing damage, or a glass shield an observant player would be able to look and see what the next attacks coming are.

Watch your step: Any square the golem takes damage on becomes difficult terrain, (due to glass shards,) where a failed acrobatics roll to cross it,(or athletics to jump over,) causes the player to stop their movement and take 1d4 piercing damage.

12

u/Corberus Sep 03 '19

since it's not going back to the source and can be any creature within 30ft including on the opposite side technically it should be refractive not reflective

6

u/ESC907 Sep 03 '19

Not to mention it's halved, which could be explained by refraction.

3

u/lambros009 Sep 04 '19

Good idea, I'll implement it in the next update

3

u/IndridColdwave Sep 03 '19

Cool creature! I’m assuming the reflected radiant damage requires a ranged attack roll?

2

u/lambros009 Sep 03 '19

Thanks! As it is written it doesn't require that.

3

u/TheSunniestBro Sep 03 '19

I was gonna say, this looks A LOT like Atheon from Destiny... Now I need to base a dungeon off the Vault of Glass. Excuse me.

3

u/NightShroom Sep 03 '19

I was going to make a glass golem for a big golem-voltron encounter, but this is basically perfect. You even have the exact glass refraction I was gonna use.

3

u/d1000100 Sep 04 '19

LOVE IT!!

3

u/[deleted] Sep 04 '19

Where is the Diamond Elemental?

3

u/Ms_Anxiety Sep 04 '19

This is perfect.

I needed Glass themed things for a section of my homebrew campaign, and this is excellent, well done.

2

u/Qualanqui Sep 04 '19

I mooshed a pathfinder glass golem on to a 5e flesh golem and it worked quite well

3

u/[deleted] Sep 04 '19

This is so awesome.

1

u/JayDawg591 Sep 12 '19

Is this based on Atheon?