Ogre Shaman
Large • Giant • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 76 (9d10 + 27)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative -1 (9)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 8 (−1) | 16 (+3) | 9 (−1) | 16 (+3) | 10 (+0) |
Skills Medicine +5, Nature +1, Survival +5
Damage Resistances necrotic, poison, psychic
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Giant
CR 4 (XP 1,100; PB +2)
Curse Ward. The shaman has advantage on saving throws of spells and magical effects that inflict curses.
Curse Weaver (1/Day). The shaman casts geas (spell save DC 13) with a casting time of 30 minutes.
ACTIONS
Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage.
Hex Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +5, range 90 ft, one creature. Hit: 27 (5d10) necrotic damage. Charisma Saving Throw: DC 13. Failure: The target becomes cursed, and the shaman chooses one of the following effects for the curse:
- Hex of Misfortune. If the target rolls a 20 on a d20, it must reroll the die and use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 20.
- Hex of Restlessness. The target gains advantage on the Initiative roll, but it can only spend a maximum of 3 hit dice while making a short rest.
- Hex of Recklessness. The target gains advantage on attack rolls, but attack rolls against it are made with advantage.
- Hex of Weakness. The target's Strength score is reduced to 6.
BONUS ACTIONS
Voodoo Powder (2/Day). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 13, one creature within 10 feet of the shaman. Failure: The target becomes poisoned for 1 hour. While poisoned this way, the target is charmed and falls into a trance, taking the shaman's requests or actions in the most favorable way it can. Additionally, it automatically fails the saving throw against the shaman’s geas spell. A charmed creature can repeat the Wisdom saving throw whenever it takes damage, ending the charmed condition on a success. Success or Effect Ends: The target becomes immune to this effect for 7 days.
REACTIONS
Bind Spirit (Recharge 5-6). Trigger: A creature affected by the shaman’s Hex Blast or Voodoo Powder within 30 feet of the shaman drops to 0 hit points. Response: The target drops to 1 hit point instead, and it can't be affected by this ability for 24 hours.
Ogre Shaman
Large • Giant • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 37 (5d10 + 10)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative -1 (9)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 (+2) | 8 (−1) | 14 (+2) | 9 (−1) | 14 (+2) | 10 (+0) |
Skills Medicine +4, Nature +1, Survival +4
Damage Resistances necrotic, poison, psychic
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Giant
CR 1 (XP 200; PB +2)
Curse Ward. The shaman has advantage on saving throws of spells and magical effects that inflict curses.
Curse Weaver (1/Day). The shaman casts geas (spell save DC 12) with a casting time of 60 minutes.
ACTIONS
Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage plus 4 (1d8) necrotic damage.
Hex Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +4, range 90 ft, one creature. Hit: 13 (2d12) necrotic damage. Charisma Saving Throw: DC 12. Failure: The target becomes cursed, and the shaman chooses one of the following effects for the curse:
- Hex of Misfortune. If the target rolls a 20 on a d20, it must reroll the die and use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 20.
- Hex of Restlessness. The target gains advantage on the Initiative roll, but it can only spend a maximum of 3 hit dice while making a short rest.
- Hex of Recklessness. The target gains advantage on attack rolls, but attack rolls against it are made with advantage.
- Hex of Weakness. The target's Strength score is reduced to 6.
BONUS ACTIONS
Voodoo Powder (1/Day). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 12, one creature within 10 feet of the shaman. Failure: The target becomes poisoned for 1 hour. While poisoned this way, the target is charmed and falls into a trance, taking the shaman's requests or actions in the most favorable way it can. Additionally, it automatically fails the saving throw against the shaman’s geas spell. A charmed creature can repeat the Wisdom saving throw whenever it takes damage, ending the charmed condition on a success. Success or Effect Ends: The target becomes immune to this effect for 7 days.
REACTIONS
Bind Spirit (Recharge 6). Trigger: A creature affected by the shaman’s Hex Blast or Voodoo Powder within 30 feet of the shaman drops to 0 hit points. Response: The target drops to 1 hit point instead, and it can't be affected by this ability for 24 hours.
Ogre Shaman
Large • Giant • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 123 (13d10 + 52)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative -1 (9)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 (+4) | 8 (−1) | 18 (+4) | 9 (−1) | 18 (+4) | 12 (+1) |
Skills Medicine +7, Nature +2, Survival +7
Damage Resistances necrotic, poison, psychic
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Giant
CR 7 (XP 2,900; PB +3)
Curse Ward. The shaman has advantage on saving throws of spells and magical effects that inflict curses.
Curse Weaver (2/Day). The shaman casts geas (spell save DC 15) with a casting time of 30 minutes.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The ogre makes two attacks, using Staff or Hex Blast in any combination.
Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage.
Hex Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +5, range 90 ft, one creature. Hit: 24 (7d6) necrotic damage. Charisma Saving Throw: DC 15. Failure: The target becomes cursed, and the shaman chooses one of the following effects for the curse:
- Hex of Misfortune. If the target rolls a 20 on a d20, it must reroll the die and use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 20.
- Hex of Restlessness. The target gains advantage on the Initiative roll, but it can only spend a maximum of 3 hit dice while making a short rest.
- Hex of Recklessness. The target gains advantage on attack rolls, but attack rolls against it are made with advantage.
- Hex of Weakness. The target's Strength score is reduced to 6.
BONUS ACTIONS
Voodoo Powder (3/Day). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 15, one creature within 10 feet of the shaman. Failure: The target becomes poisoned for 1 hour. While poisoned this way, the target is charmed and falls into a trance, taking the shaman's requests or actions in the most favorable way it can. Additionally, it automatically fails the saving throw against the shaman’s geas spell. A charmed creature can repeat the Wisdom saving throw whenever it takes damage, ending the charmed condition on a success. Success or Effect Ends: The target becomes immune to this effect for 7 days.
REACTIONS
Bind Spirit (Recharge 4-6). Trigger: A creature affected by the shaman’s Hex Blast or Voodoo Powder within 60 feet of the shaman drops to 0 hit points. Response: The target drops to 1 hit point instead, and it can't be affected by this ability for 24 hours.
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.