Offbeat Beasts: The Bar Brawl — D&D Monsters With A Unique Twist
Written by the Goblins on September 18, 2018
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series exploring cool, weird, or just plain interesting Dungeons and Dragons monsters from both Wizards of the Coast and third-party publishers such as Kobold Press.
Name: Bar Brawl
Source: Creature Codex, Published 2018 by Kobold Press, MSRP $49.99
What it does: A sorcerer, a paladin, and a rogue walk into a bar. This is what happens. The Bar Brawl is exactly what it says on the box. It’s the collective aggression of tavern patrons that millisecond after someone’s mild irritation explodes into a supernova of darts, stools and broken beer bottles.
As a monster, the Bar Brawl uses the same kind of swarm mechanics you’d see in a swarm of insects, bats, or spiders. Consequently it can occupy another creature’s space and can move through any opening large enough for a Medium humanoid. Think of the cliched cartoon fight cloud with arms and feet popping out on all sides.
Why it’s cool: Aside from being a fun take on swarm movement, Bar Brawl wins a lot of points for being thematically perfect in its Traits and Actions. It can gain temporary hit points by drinking nearby alcohol to “discover a hidden reservoir of audacity and grit.”
It has a multiattack and its three weapons are the aforementioned darts, barstools, and broken bottles. Bar Brawl has a challenge rating of 3 and its Barstool attack deals 4d6 damage, so it’s not just a silly encounter to throw at a lower-level adventuring party — it’s potentially a heavy hitter. This is balanced a little by its armor class of 12, making it s somewhat easy target.
When to use it: Bar Brawl is a great enemy to drop into an urban adventure to give your players (and you) a break from fighting thieves’ guilds and city guards. A tavern is one of the last places your party is going to expect to hear “Roll initiative.” Even though this can be a serious encounter, it’s offbeat enough to entertain your players with a memorable fight even as they’re diving behind the bar to dodge bottles and busted chair legs.
