Monster Monday: Nothic

[@miles6283]

Hey, did I miss an announcement about this week's MM?

[@ArcaneForge]

Hey, Miles. No, don’t worry. I’m not feeling super well at the moment so I’ve decided to take the week off. Planning on having another video up Monday after next!

[@miles6283]

Cool. Enjoy your time off

[@powernade]

In my setting, Nothics are the result of a memetic curse. The secret to divinity is hidden in many places, but an incomplete understanding of it can lead you to become one of these creatures. Perhaps Vecna created this dark curse of knowledge and buried the pieces of it among his writings. Any wizard or sorcerer who seeks great power, and isn't careful enough, will uncover the different parts of the memetic curse, and transform themselves into the roving eyes and ears of Vecna himself.

[@ArcaneForge]

That's such a great idea. Ben! I love that! Cheers for watching.

[@griffincrump5077]

I feel like the nothic would make a great enemy for rangers in particular as their favored enemy should be connected to a darker past that the nothic can bring out. “You claim your hatred of evil outsiders was because a devil killed your entire family when you were but a boy, but I’ve peered into your past through those tortured eyes and see your true psyche, you were charmed by a devil to kill your family, slaughtering them with the very axe you still carry, but not because of the devil’s cruelty. You made a deal with that Cornugon to give you a life outside of that farm, well. You got your wish, now you merely serve the 9 through your hatred. So go ahead and strike me down, your masters need another soul to collect don’t they?”

[@johnsnow9210]

Too bad hardly anyone plays ranger anymore. I love this +1

[@theDMLair]

LOL - Totally know what you mean about each monster being your favorite. I feel the same way almost every time I crack open the monster manual, Volo's, or Mordenkainen's. Reading about awesome monsters is a good portion of the reason I love DMing!

[@TheSilversepiroth]

As soon as I discovered the Nothic, I knew it was a perfect fit as a creation of Ximbax, my demon lord of forbidden knowledge. See, unlike many gods and fiends with such portfolios, Ximbax actually PREFERS to unleash unbridled truth into the world, believing that a well kept truth can be more damaging than a hundred lies. So the idea of a creature that can peer into the minds of others and draw out those dark hidden secrets, only to beat their keeper with them like a lash is the perfect kind of creature to not only be crafted by him, but could even be the desired form of his cultists

[@colenelson6087]

In my game, a Nothic is the twisted abomination that comes into being when an individual attempts to contact the elder gods and fails to do so correctly. My party loved how creepy it was when it spoke to them and surprised when it didn't attack them outright. It would talk normally, but I found that using pieces of the poem "The Scarlet King" definitely helped creep factor lol

[@ArcaneForge]

What a great set of ideas, Cole! I love every part of this, especially the Scarlet King! Thank you for sharing!

[@xychoticbreak5198]

*jaw drops at secret reading power* DUDE! I need this in my game. Hory shet! This and the grimlocks. Man.

[@joshuajohnson7413]

If I ever run a campaign with a spell caster who is going to miss some sessions I am absolutely having them be cursed into a Nothic, and have my characters track them down and save them

[@davidsaunders1]

I've never heard of a Nothic. They sound like great fun! Thank you. Great illustration as always.

[@jordanflutes]

I love the Nothic dialogue you recorded.

[@ArcaneForge]

Thanks so much, Jordan! I had a lot of fun with it to, I must say! Cheers for watching.

[@tannerlebel5167]

@@ArcaneForge What program did you use to do that? It sounded fantastic and it's now how imagine Nothics to sound like.

[@ArcaneForge]

@@tannerlebel5167 So I just use a program called Audacity for all of my recording and audio editing. It's free and really useful for what I need it for. For the effect, you can find some more thorough tutorials online, but basically you just record yourself, make a duplicate of the track, reverse it, add an echoy bit of reverb to the reversed audio and then reverse it once more, and you'll have a weird, reverse echo!

[@tannerlebel5167]

@@ArcaneForge Awesome man, thanks for the reply! I appreciate your work

[@apocalypticmoth6040]

This video was so great. I watched it a few months ago before I had a google account so I couldn't comment. At the time that I saw this I had no idea what a nothic was. I decided to write an encounter for it to explore one of my players backstory (using the whole secret learning thing that nothics have) to give her a time to shine. After a few rounds of combat, Holly, the tabaxi bard was unconscious. She rolled a natural 1 on her last death save. Let's just say it didn't go as intended. This was amazing video. Thank you so much. Keep up the great work.

[@knightghaleon]

Wow the lore of this thing is incredible. A group of these would be terrifying to fight. I kind of want to make a Warlock patron out of it.

[@FacelessPorcelain]

Great video as always. Very useful for me since Nothics will are major players in the current adventure I am running as a DM. In short, an evil lord warlock obtained some forbidden texts that he needs to forward his plans, but anyone that reads them is cursed to become a nothic. So, he has tricked a cloister of wizards from a small wizarding college in his territory into reading the texts, then kidnapped them as they were transforming, imprisoning them within his dungeons where they are being made to study the texts for him and assist in furthering his research. He keeps them in line by assuring them that his research can help to cure them of their affliction and giving them small common and uncommon magic items. Of course, this lord avoids speaking to them in person. These nothics could potentially be turned against the lord, but they are still ultimately insane and evil and any alliance with the party is not likely to last. Certain members of the party have been rather hush hush about aspects of their backstories for one reason or another, mainly because they know how easily these details could seriously splinter the party. For example, the paladin despises dragons and will kill any draconic creature on sight, even attacking a dragonborn unprovoked at one point, and the party is not fully aware of just how deep this hatred runs (the overarching villain of the campaign is actually trying to keep her alive because he believes he can use this hatred to start a massive war, not that the party knows that of course). Meanwhile, the bard was actually raised for part of his life by a dragon, and even incorporates (subtle) dragon songs into his spellcasting. When details like this exist that can seriously turn party members against each other, the nothic becomes a great tool for a DM to use to spark that conflict and (hopefully) facilitate some development in the characters and group dynamics. That being said, the party has been tricked by the lord into thinking one of his rivals kidnapped the wizards so now they are off playing into his hands. Hahaha. That is what happens when the mastermind has very high charisma as opposed to intelligence.

[@Jardo]

Great video!! And the nothic voice was so creepy and surprising! Well done!

[@kendoweeb2766]

This is easily one of my favourites of all your art. I especially like the way you did the eye.

[@osvaldoacevedo2624]

Have been writing my own campaign for my first time as DM and your videos have been very helpful with both lore and amazing ways to describe the creatures! I would love to see you draw a Bone Devil.

[@WildPortraitArtist]

In my current game I'm playing a rogue thief who is begrudgingly following a gullible paladin noble around hoping to eventually steal from her and we encountered a nothic today, we managed to talk it out of the cave but not before it used its creepy insight powers to reveal my devious nature to my paladin buddy! It was a really cool moment!

[@joshprice4855]

I think I'd run them where they mimic voices they hear, kind of like the jabbawacky from it lies. They're are so intelligent they can converse using other creatures tones but so removed from their old selves they can't even remember the sound of their own voice.

[@mossminstrel6851]

Imagine trying to explain to it that it's stuck like this. Like, how crazy would that be? Crazier than the thing itself, I bet...

[@joekrafft7125]

for my campaigns it’s either that normal voice or the sniveling coward almost goblin or sméagol from lotr voice

[@mrmars4939]

Stellar art and a stellar narration! You’ve convinced me to take a look at this monster I would have otherwise ignored.

[@clockworkkirlia7475]

Oh I do love a big, beautiful eye... Haha, well, I find it quite interesting that the Pact of the Host from Keith Baker's Morgrave Miscellany book ends up having a fair few similar abilities to a Nothic. Now there's an idea.

[@lambardodelagotti4725]

How do ya'll feel about nothics as a player race?

[@ArcaneForge]

I think that's a great idea. They wouldn't be far off goblins really, but they're not great at wearing armour or wielding weapons. Maybe if they had the slashing claws rules...and a kind of zone of truth natural ability. Either way, let me know if you homebrew something! I'd love to hear more!

[@lambardodelagotti4725]

​@@ArcaneForge I'm trying to find a good way to balance weird insight (limited to once per long rest), along with rotting gaze (lowered down to 2d6). Any Suggestions?

[@ArcaneForge]

Hey! So, in terms of the rotting gaze, I'd be encouraged to use a Dragonborn's breath attack as a guide for damage and effects, so that they stay balanced with the other playable races...maybe also making this a skill that they learn at 3rd or 5th level, just like the Teiflings learning Hellish Rebuke and Darkness. For Weird insight, you could either leave it as it is, but as you say, make it a once per day ability, or you could look at the Fighter in the PHB. They get an ability to compare stats with other creatures, and that might give you a good place to start? Let me know how it goes!

[@roooofus636]

Hey dude love all these videos, you deserve so many more subs! I think a really good way to grow your channel would be to post these illustrations to the /r/DND subreddit. Art and illustrations can really get a lot of traffic on there, especially originals and stuff of this high quality! Also, let me guess, zoologist/biology enthusiast? Love all the interesting evolutionary takes you weave into these things, favourite one so far was the nose-leaf on the grimlock, so cool!

[@jacquescelliers1491]

Great video again Josh! The Nothic sounds like an amazing tool to use to advance a plot where one player's character is hiding something from the rest of the party. Would be interesting to play around with it and see what I can come up with for my own games.

[@XR11-Melissa]

the last compain i ran the main monsters that the campain was focused on was the dreaded bone claw and the cult of vecna. i would love to see you draw a nasty horible bone claw

[@SherlockHolmesGamin]

Awesome video again! Can’t wait to see your channel blow up and be able to say I’ve been here from the start

[@apocalypticmoth6040]

I used this monster in my game after seeing this, the bard got knocked unconscious, and then she rolled a natural 1 on her last death save. Still love the video.

[@uncleravioli5272]

Woah this creature sounds amazing I don't know why it isn't more popular!

[@joshuasteel3543]

Look, you gotta do the most significant and impact monster for the 1 year anniversary. Ancient Red Dragon.

[@silvershock]

Aaaaah, your voice is calming. Perfect to listen to after a restless night.

[@jasondowd4685]

I never use these, but I am definitely going to start! Great video, Josh, as always!

[@tonguefetch8292]

I used the Nothic to foreshadow the demise of the Mage that was tasked with closing a certain magical place. Overcome with the power of temptation he tried one final task before he sealed the Forge. He was all alone, the rest fled to safety, except his second in command. It was a dark thing he tried...ambitious... pushing the limits of mortality. His second in command promised the Lord of the Rotted tower more. Vecna, found them both.... unworthy. Would love to see Graz'zt

[@Neceroe]

I show my players your drawings over the monster manual ones BC theyte just so much better they look better feel more alive and make all the monsters just look scarier

[@DoubieMcroosterhead]

Love the explanation and illustration

[@chonious9705]

My table just took on one of these. As a DM it was great.

[@aidenrhoads3801]

I fought one of those really early in a campaign, we killed it too fast for it to do anything overly cool.

[@joshuacramb2643]

May I request the devils. specifically the chain devil is the one I find has the coolest design

[@laurabeuxlane1554]

OMG you just gave me he KEY for my campaign!!!

[@dlbbld1738]

Hey, Can someone tell me how to become a patron? I really like his art work and his videos. Also, is there a way to buy his old drawings?

[@ArcaneForge]

Hey, DLB BLD! Thank you so much! That’s so lovely to read. If you’d like to become a patron, the link is just here: www.patreon.com/arcaneforge As for my old drawings; at the moment I don’t have a way to do that, but I’m just working on the shop on my website as we speak, so I’ll make sure to put them up there when I’m done! Thanks again!

[@johnsnow9210]

I would immediately buy a hardcover book of prints on silky paper.

[@arthurbonner8542]

This was great. Now I love Nothics 😊

[@Magic__7]

Ive all ways wanted to use one of these but never for around to it

[@griffinbryant5016]

My wizard has a nothic that guards his library in exchange for free access to the books, I just have a soft spot for the poor bastards

[@RykerDavis123]

I'm seriously going to use this in my pathfinder game

[@davidvo3762]

can you cover the allip? !!! :D its in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

[@Anon-nh8tf]

One of my players showed me this video! This is giving me some malicious ideas!

[@xXxAMxIxCRAZYxXx]

Could you draw the Gith?

[@leavemealone930]

How about you draw an Ankeg. Personally I've never dealt with one of these guys in game, but I'm curious as to your interpretation

[@Tengu125]

Looks a bit like a Zerg, but way cooler xD

[@dinowookie3659]

Another great one Josh! I hope I don’t come up against one of these 😂

[@mattblankenbaker6456]

Is there an item/spell that transforms them back?

[@nickmilicic1194]

Matt Blankenbaker not in any canon material, but there's nothing stopping a DM from making that kind of item :)

[@dannyrank123]

In my campaign I befriended our nothic and eventually we managed to cure it by putting it into some sort of healing device that was once used to bring a warlock back from the dead. The only catch is that it'll take 20 years. So our campaign will be long over by the time they will be cured our story will be over

[@Magic__7]

How is this channel still under 10k how

[@raitoiro]

Didn't know of thoose guys, i love the design it remind me a little of the monster of " the promised neverland".

[@tomkelly00]

Mike Wazowski

[@freefromnuts7889]

More awesome work once again. Plus you keep giving me too many good ideas.