It might sound crazy (well, it actually is) but it’s balanced, since monsters without hands can’t use weapons and have to use their abilities (like the basilisk’s petrifying gaze) to win their combats. Just imagine a wolf, a zombie and an owlbear entering the city to buy gear.

Many DMs won’t let players stray too far from the traditional races and classes because it’s hard to make everything work out and be balanced at the same time. If it’s THAT good, then why not many DMs are using it? Whether you’re playing an all-monster party or just want to play a monstrous race in an otherwise normal party, this document presents rules for playing every creature in the Monster Manual, as well as other new and crazy things: His new 294-page homebrew mod “Monstrous Races” offers ways for players to embody any of the 5e D&D monsters by using stats and abilities. Here’s the link for the supplement if you want to check it out. And his work is paying off.Īt the time I’m writing this blog post, he has 4.6/5 stars out of 34 votes on DM’s Guild website. Tyler is a crazy man who one day decided to convert every single creature in the D&D Monster Manual into playable characters and now players can make their dreams come true (being a Gelatinous Cube who slays dragons). I bet you never thought about this answer: “I don’t use them because none of my players picked Hyena as a race”Īgain, that’s because you’re not playing Tyler Kamstra’s campaign. Others might say: “I don’t use them because my players aren’t haven’t reached high level yet” Many people will say: “I don’t use them because I don’t have miniatures to represent them”. However, most of the monsters you get there (like the Hyena), won’t have the chance to appear in your campaign. The MM is packed with tons of great content and beautiful artwork. Having the experience to read all the monster descriptions and lair actions is something unique.

If you’re a DM (or a curious player), you’ve read the Monster Manual for sure, haven’t you? That’s because you’re not playing on Tyler Kamstra’s table. What comes to mind? Someone strong enough to hold a flaming magic sword and a shield? Some ranger shooting multiple arrows directly into the mouth of a big red dragon? or maybe an old man, a wizard, holding a staff and casting fireball? Okay, nevermind, don’t close your eyes or you won’t be able to read the rest of the blog post. …Now close your eyes and imagine a D&D party. A blessed being (Tyler Kamstra) made a homebrew document by transforming all the creatures of the Monster Manual into playable races, including the beloved Tarrasque.

D&d player races