WHAT IS MONSTROUS?

Designed and drawn by hardcore monster enthusiasts, monstrous is the Game Manager’s
(GM’s) go-to reference for telling better stories through monsters.

In it, Kyle “Map Crow” Latino’s lavish illustrations bring to life dozens of classic monsters
from myth, legend, and high-fantasy RPGs.

The bad guys in this book have been remixed by the designers at Cloud Curio so their rich
backstories tie directly into their motivations and actions. You can build a campaign around
them or drop them into an existing one.

Additionally, each type of monster will have a workbook page for GM’s to design their own
versions of these flavorful monsters for their homebrew games. monstrous focuses on
flavor and narrative impact and is compatible with any fantasy roleplaying game.

! PLEASE NOTE: This is a preview document for monstrous for promotional use.
It is not indicative of the final writing, design, or layout. All content within is subject to change.

2 WHAT IS MONSTROUS?
 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

monstrous helps gms weave monsters more

deeply into their stories in four ways:

1
Focusing on what makes each monster unique. We ask what uniquely makes each monster
what it is, what it does, and what it’s motivated by that will impact the stories they appear in. We
steer away from prescriptive blocks of trivia and lore, instead concentrating on the motivations
and abilities that make for an engrossing game.

2
Providing easy-to-use worksheets. Each monster includes a straight forward fill-in-the-blanks
worksheet that provides the structure for GMs to quickly and easily create the monster that will
fit perfectly in their world.

3
Creating multiple evocative forms of each monster. For each worksheet, this book provides
three completed forms: specific and highly evocative versions of the monster. These forms are
statless and can be readily overlaid onto the mechanics of your game of choice.

4
Putting fresh spins on classic archetypes. The classics are classic for a reason, and we’ve
boiled them to their essence. That being said, they often feel stale to old hands who have seen
them over and over. Each of our monsters features surprising twists that will bring back the fear
and awe of encountering them for the first time.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK. 3

Lich
no. i shall not accept death. i shall not submit to decay, these vulgar processes.
With patience I shall wrest understanding from senselessness, as water from the stone.
And when I have ground all wisdom from the stones, their dust will commingle
with the marrow of your bones. I will wring that grist of its meager worth
mine.
and pray it may serve a nobler purpose—mine

THE LICH’S ESSENCE. THE LICH’S GOAL.

No mere undead ghoul, the Lich is a once-
living creature that chose undeath as a path to
immortality. A highly intelligent and powerful
wielder of magic, the Lich bound their soul to an
object, a tabella defixionis. So long as the object
persists, so too will the Lich. Their body destroyed,
their empire in ruins, their capacity for fellowship
withered away, the Lich will endure the ages alone,
pursuing inscrutable plans on timescales mortals
cannot comprehend.
For the Lich, eternal life is merely a means to
an end. They covet time, the time necessary to
achieve a purpose that few dare dream of. Every
form of the Lich will have its own unique endgame,
but each of these goals shares a common trait: the
necessity for more time than a single mortal life
can afford.

4 MONSTROUS. LICH.
THE LICH AND YOUR STORY.
The Lich’s story is about defying the laws that
govern the natural world. It is a story about
someone who traded away everything that made
them (for lack of a better term) “human.” What
began as a noble pursuit of a worthy, relatable
goal has become twisted by the merciless pursuit
of it. Compassion, love, friendship, mirth, and
life itself—all have lost their value and meaning
in the Lich’s eons-long quest for the power to
accomplish the impossible.
THE LICH AND YOUR WORLD.
Ancient religions and arcane traditions were seeded
by the Lich untold ages ago as a part of their
schemes. Paradoxically known by a myriad of cursed
names and largely forgotten by the mortal world, they
patiently wait between the pages of history. Whenever
the Lich reemerges into the world, they quickly gather
a cult that shares some part of their vision, hoping
(perhaps in vain) for an eternal reward.
MONSTROUS. LICH. 5
 LICH CORE ABILITIES
fill in the following blanks and add bonus abilities to create a form of the lich.
ASPIRATION.
The Lich’s entire will bends toward _____________
__________________________________, a goal
that will take countless mortal lifetimes to achieve.
Examples: unmaking existence; finding their
soulmate; constructing a mathematical proof of
the Riemann Hypothesis.
ETERNAL MASTERY.
The Lich is the founder of the arcane school of
_____________________________________, and
the most sacred mysteries of _________________
_________________________________________.
Examples: transmutation and memory; alchemy
and the blade; automation and death.
The Lich is immune to the effects of these magical
domains. The Lich may cast all spells of these
domains known to the mortal world.
Bonus Abilities: Add one or two legendary spells
known only to the Lich, related to their mastered
arcane and holy orders, and to their Aspiration.
TABELLA DEFIXIONIS.
The Lich’s essence is bound to a prized object,
_________________________________________,
kept in a secure location, _____________________.
If the Lich’s body is destroyed, in 7 days’ time, their
essence will possess the living creature nearest to
the object.
Examples: an alabaster abacus kept in a secure
location, a volcanic observatory; a hibernating
starship kept in a secure location, through an
overgrown planar gate; a handwritten poem kept
in a secure location, sewn into the heart of a
stitched dragon.
6 MONSTROUS. LICH.
EVIL PET.
The Lich is always accompanied by an exotic and
utterly loyal pet, a _____________________ named
__________________________________________.
This pet obeys the Lich’s command and they can
read one another’s thoughts. If the Lich is slain, the
pet can track the Tabella Defixionis.
Examples: a sphinx named Mythos; an animated
porcelain dachshund named Turbo; a nanobot
swarm named Decimere.
If the pet is slain, choose one:
• The Lich seems utterly detached, for what is one
more droplet in an ocean of death?
• The Lich seems surprisingly affected by the loss.
Do they yet cling to some shred of empathy?
PREPARE THE WAY.
The Lich has a cult devoted to them. Every 7 days the
Lich’s cult is left unopposed by the PCs, the cult may
take 1 of the following actions:
• Sway a person or organization of questionable
morals to act on the cult’s behalf.
• Create an artistic, religious, or social movement
secretly devoted to the Lich.
• Dispatch an agent of the Lich’s cult on a secret
mission.
• Bonus Abilities: Add 1 or 2 actions to the cult’s
repertoire appropriate to the Lich’s Aspiration
and Eternal Mastery.
If the Lich’s body has been recently destroyed, the
following options are also available to the cult:
• Locate the Tabella Defixionis.
• Move the Tabella Defixionis to a new sacred site.
• Locate the Lich’s reincarnated body.
• Restore the Lich’s memories and powers to their
reincarnated body.

PARADISIUM LICH
Adama, the First Lord of Men. The Wilting Rose.
Keeper of the Golden Flame. The Bloody Baptist.
The Paradisium Lich has forgotten his true name,
lost countless eons ago when he was cast from
the heavens for committing the first sin against
Perfection. As punishment, the True Immortals saw
fit to rob him of just enough memory that he cannot
recall the fields of paradise, yet leave him with
just enough memory that it pains his every waking
moment in this sick “reality.” Perhaps they are testing
him. There must be a way back to Perfection. And
though every mortal die, every star fall, every thread
of reality fray, the Paradisium Lich will take his place
as a True Immortal once more.
ASPIRATION.
The Paradisium Lich’s entire will bends toward re-
entering paradise to be with the True Immortals.
ETERNAL MASTERY.
The Paradisium Lich is the founder of the arcane
school of blood magic and the most sacred
mysteries of purifying radiance. The Lich is
immune to the effects of these arcane and holy
orders. The Lich may cast all spells of these
orders known to the mortal world.
BONUS ABILITY LEGENDARY SPELL:
TASTE OF PARADISE.
One creature touched by the Lich is cast into a
pocket dimension of their own personal paradise.
If they’re a PC, ask the player what it’s like. The
creature must then choose:
• Be temporarily “imprisoned” in this paradise
and bring back a permanent souvenir. Or…
• Return instantly to harsh reality and feel the
pang of paradise lost.
BONUS ABILITY LEGENDARY SPELL:
FIERY BAPTISM.
Nearby creatures are bathed in a plume of
purifying golden flame. Creatures baptized in the
flame must confess a previously hidden sin they
have committed for all to hear. The Lich hears
these sins, and forgives them.
TABELLA DEFIXIONIS.
The Paradisium Lich’s essence is bound to
a prized object, a wilting white rose kept in a
secure location, floating in a reflecting pool in the
center of an overgrown crater where the Lich fell
from Paradise. If the Lich’s body is destroyed, in
7 days’ time, their essence will possess the living
creature nearest to the object.
EVIL PET.
The Paradisium Lich is always accompanied by
an exotic and utterly loyal pet, a baby pegasus
named Little Light. This pet obeys the Lich’s
command and they can read one another’s
thoughts. If the Lich is slain, the pet can track the
Tabella Defixionis.
BONUS ABILITY PREPARE THE WAY.
The Paradisium Lich’s cult also has access to the
following action:
• Convert a discrete region or district into a
seeming paradise. The paradise lasts only
for 7 days unless the cult renews this action.
MONSTROUS. LICH. 7
 ST AY INFOR MED

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