Faceless Ripper
Medium • Construct • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 44 (8d8 + 8)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +1 (12)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 13 (+1) | 8 (-1) | 9 (-1) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Athletics +5, Acrobatics +3, Deception +1, Medicine +1, Perception +1, Sleight of Hand +3
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages native language of the face worn
CR 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Disguise. If the ripper is adequately disguised and wears a face, any creature that hasn’t observed the ripper act from a distance of 10 feet or closer must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the ripper is not a member of the race it is disguising itself as.
False Appearance. If the ripper is motionless and doesn’t wear a face at the start of combat, it has advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a creature hasn’t observed the ripper move or act, that creature must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the ripper is an animate mannequin.
Stolen Faces. When first encountered, the ripper has 1d4 + 2 random faces it can use. It can speak the native language of that race and sound like a person of that race. It can take 10 minutes of time to remove the face from a dead Humanoid. At the GM’s option, the ripper may have other faces at its disposal, but their effect should be no stronger than the ones listed below.
- Dwarven Face. The ripper gains 10 temporary hit points, once per day.
- Human Face. The ripper gains two skill proficiencies.
- Elven Face. The ripper increases its movement speed by 10 feet.
- Goblin Face. As a bonus action, the ripper can take the Hide or Disengage action.
- Tiefling Face. The ripper casts hellish rebuke in response to the spell's trigger (DC 13), once per day.
- Gnomish Face. The ripper gains advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
- Orc Face. As a bonus, the ripper can move up its speed toward a hostile creature.
- Sahuagin Face. The ripper gains advantage on attack rolls against creatures that don't have all their hit points.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The ripper makes two Claw attacks.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Adjust. The ripper adjusts its frame by collapsing or expanding its body to fit a Small or Medium-sized Humanoid of a specific race.
BONUS ACTIONS
Switch Face. The ripper removes a face or replaces it with a different one in its possession.
Faceless Ripper
Medium • Construct • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 13 (3d8)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +1 (12)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 11 (+0) | 8 (-1) | 9 (-1) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Athletics +4, Acrobatics +2, Deception +1
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses passive Perception 9
Languages native language of the face worn
CR 1/4 (XP 50; PB +2)
Disguise. If the ripper is adequately disguised and wears a face, any creature that hasn’t observed the ripper act from a distance of 10 feet or closer must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the ripper is not a member of the race it is disguising itself as.
False Appearance. If the ripper is motionless and doesn’t wear a face at the start of combat, it has advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a creature hasn’t observed the ripper move or act, that creature must succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the ripper is an animate mannequin.
Stolen Faces. When first encountered, the ripper has 1d3 + 1 random faces it can use. It can speak the native language of that race and sound like a person of that race. It can take 10 minutes of time to remove the face from a dead Humanoid. At the GM’s option, the ripper may have other faces at its disposal, but their effect should be no stronger than the ones listed below.
- Dwarven Face. The ripper gains 5 temporary hit points, once per day.
- Human Face. The ripper gains two skill proficiencies.
- Elven Face. The ripper increases its movement speed by 10 feet.
- Goblin Face. As a bonus action, the ripper can take the Hide or Disengage action.
- Tiefling Face. The ripper casts hellish rebuke in response to the spell's trigger (DC 12), once per day.
- Gnomish Face. The ripper gains advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
- Orc Face. As a bonus, the ripper can move up its speed toward a hostile creature.
- Sahuagin Face. The ripper gains advantage on attack rolls against creatures that don't have all their hit points.
ACTIONS
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.
Adjust. The ripper adjusts its frame by collapsing or expanding its body to fit a Small or Medium-sized Humanoid of a specific race.
BONUS ACTIONS
Switch Face. The ripper removes a face or replaces it with a different one in its possession.
Faceless Ripper
Medium • Construct • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 84 (13d8 + 26)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +1 (12)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 8 (-1) | 9 (-1) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Athletics +7, Acrobatics +5, Deception +2, Medicine +2, Perception +2, Sleight of Hand +5
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages native language of the face worn
CR 5 (XP 1,100; PB +3)
Disguise. If the ripper is adequately disguised and wears a face, any creature that hasn’t observed the ripper act from a distance of 10 feet or closer must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the ripper is not a member of the race it is disguising itself as.
False Appearance. If the ripper is motionless and doesn’t wear a face at the start of combat, it has advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a creature hasn’t observed the ripper move or act, that creature must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the ripper is an animate mannequin.
Stolen Faces. When first encountered, the ripper has 1d4 + 3 random faces it can use. It can speak the native language of that race and sound like a person of that race. It can take 10 minutes of time to remove the face from a dead Humanoid. At the GM’s option, the ripper may have other faces at its disposal, but their effect should be no stronger than the ones listed below.
- Dwarven Face. The ripper gains 10 temporary hit points, once per day.
- Human Face. The ripper gains two skill proficiencies.
- Elven Face. The ripper increases its movement speed by 10 feet.
- Goblin Face. As a bonus action, the ripper can take the Hide or Disengage action.
- Tiefling Face. The ripper casts hellish rebuke in response to the spell's trigger (DC 15), once per day.
- Gnomish Face. The ripper gains advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
- Orc Face. As a bonus, the ripper can move up its speed toward a hostile creature.
- Sahuagin Face. The ripper gains advantage on attack rolls against creatures that don't have all their hit points.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The ripper makes two Claw attacks.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7, reach 5 ft. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Adjust. The ripper adjusts its frame by collapsing or expanding its body to fit a Small or Medium-sized Humanoid of a specific race.
BONUS ACTIONS
Switch Face. The ripper removes a face or replaces it with a different one in its possession.
QUICK REFERENCE
USING MONSTER VARIANTS
Monster variants allow the GM to adjust encounters to better match the party’s strength, narrative needs, or world-building logic. A weaker variant may represent a juvenile, wounded, or lesser specimen, while a stronger variant can serve as a leader, champion, ancient creature, or apex predator.
Variants can be used to fine-tune difficulty without changing the core identity of the monster, making them ideal for scaling encounters, reinforcing hierarchy within a faction, or creating memorable boss-style enemies. You can even use the same stat block but different variants in the same encounter if you want.
Design Note. Each monster is primarily balanced around its normal version. Weaker and stronger variants are derived adjustments and may not always preserve every tactical nuance or “feel” of the original creature. GMs are encouraged to review variants carefully and adjust abilities or tactics as needed to best suit their table.