Undead Again! | Running the Game

[@kerisuri]

If you put the Bodak on an undead horse, your players can fight a Bodak Horseman

[@matsh5633]

I love this

[@dadefrost2059]

I'm gonna need you to go to prison.

[@StankySwish]

I will be doing this now

[@danielhueg769]

I’m totally stealing this btw 😂

[@sciverzero8197]

"Any enemy can be a minion" *Khalander the Lying One summons 12 Tarrasque minions*

[@Hazel-xl8in]

Sciver Zero *party casts acid splash and deleted two per action*

[@KittenyKat]

@@Hazel-xl8in but even terrasque minions would have to be reduced to -30 hp to kill, and then each one would require a Wish spell to keep it permanently dead. Tarrasques are insane. They're like making a medieval knight fight Perfect Cell.

[@yipyipyipi]

@@KittenyKat when Matt says "Minion" he means it with a Capitol M. Meaning it has 1 hp and thus loses any healing/regen abilities. So if you summon a Tarrasque Minion, it is already at 1hp. When you hit it, it dies. Thats the point of Minions, you dont track them to ensure they drop to negative whatever.

[@cardboardtubeknight]

I mean they wouldn't have the best AC so they would go down quick

[@kaiquebrasil1031]

And the lier part of "The Lying One" is that they are minions.

[@ultimateninjaboi]

Voluntary possession. I've had that in a game. Ghosts of children. Starved to death locked in their room. They wanted to help us "stop the monster," but were afraid to be out and about, and afraid to be left alone again. Eventually, our Paladin, of all people, volunteered to allow one of the spirits to hitch a ride in him, but letting him keep control. And this inspired our Barbarian to then step forward and take on the second, same deal. In exchange for keeping control, I gave them each a flaw associated with the individual they took on (5e flaws). Paladin had the older sister, and got s bit of a stubborn, bossy edge on occasion. Barbarian, with the younger brother, became more attached to the presence of the Paladin, and became afraid of the dark. (Like, pitch black. Dim just unnerved him.) Still. During the quest, it became an interesting side quest for them to find out why the kids were left, and, more interestingly, the party took up the bones of the children, and sought to inter them in the family tombs once it was done. Lay them finally to rest. I hadn't thought of that. The ranger and Paladin came up with it. I loved it

[@jitterysmithy5925]

That's from Curse of Strahd, ain't it? Ran it as well, the Death House was spectacular.

[@lauramcmillan9592]

Absolutely love this. I’ve been thinking about running a Kids On Bikes game, and this would also be a great way to use the powered character mechanic in that game.

[@FridgeEating]

Ah, the Death House. It was fun, but alas, it was not the house that killed our party. Probably because it didn't stand up from the ground and beat us with its roots.

[@jonathongoulding9780]

@@FridgeEating you just caused me to create a One Shot titled The Death House. With the exact same lead up in the quest as Curse of Strahd, but with one major difference. The house is basically the one from the movie Monster House, and the ghost children are lures. Night should end with the house chasing the party through the mystical fog

[@FridgeEating]

@@jonathongoulding9780 You're welcome / I'm sorry

[@pumamanjrandsuch]

Might fight a bright wight tonight out of spite and it will be a delight.

[@MrAndy6]

Hope its not a shite fight that'll give you a fright, but in hindsight, it'll be alright.

[@willhibner2102]

especially if its in bright light.

[@gonecoastal4]

AH! Fighting bright wights at night out of spite is TIGHT!

[@MrSilvUr]

You might fight a bright wight tonight using smite!

[@rockytoprecordingreviews4167]

For a knight to fight the might of a bright wight tonight could invite either fright or delight, despite the lack of light or sight, and incite the right of nerds alike to ignite and take flight the height of their excite to write rhymes of shite and tripe. *drops mic*

[@Saylorspizza]

"How often will you see a Wight at a baseball game?" Just go see the Wight Socks.

[@animefreak122ist8]

Now I just wish that was a real baseball team made up of entirely undead

[@evannibbe9375]

@@animefreak122ist8 I am sure Boston Dynamics will eventually make a robot that looks undead

[@exzyyd392]

@@evannibbe9375 Boston Necrotics

[@JeffGessas]

It's funny rewatching a lot of these videos where Matt talks in the intro about the kickstarter hoping that it will do well knowing now that he is the King of Kickstarter. Makes me happy.

[@DuckyBe]

"It's all downhill from here folks, you might as well stop watching the video now." Clicks like, continues watching.

[@johnsnow9210]

did the exact same thing lol

[@ummacnai]

That's where I disliked... god that was terrible....

[@jeffsemail606]

No one throws me my own guns and tells me to ride.

[@pentbot]

My friend Dwight's midnight game tonight might feature wrights. The airtight zeitgeist of my party's foresight is to prepare blight, smite and sunlight for the impending fight. Once these slighted wrights are sighted, we might ignite lights and colour those wrights bright white outright so we can finish the rite for the erudite sprite's birthright despite missing respite. Then the wainwright and shipwright can politely unite after the gunfight and we can slay the neophyte trilobite parasite. In hindsight, it's a bit trite, but it's alright. Thank you for the video Matt, it was enjoyable and informative. Both the asides which are relevant to the topic and those that aren't keep things engaging, and there seemed like a lot more puns and wordplay then other videos and it was great. I won't ever again forget Elves' immunity to ghoul/ghast paralysis with that mnemonic.

[@hisscout]

pentbot trite? Nay, a delight.

[@tearstoneactual9773]

Were you meaning 'wight' when you said 'wright'? One is an inudead creature, the other is a maker or builder. (Excluding wainwright (cart maker) and shipwright (ship builder).

[@Sanglais]

This was a beautiful thing

[@ForTheGoldenOak]

This boi is on fire

[@davidmink370]

You should do a video on the different types of Hags, I have trouble telling which witch is which

[@zacharyharwell351]

I've always had an issue determining which witch does which ability, as well as which witch dislikes which witch type

[@davidmink370]

I think some sort of inter-witch turf war would be interesting, just choose a witch and whichever witch would witch witches to be the witchiest witch ever

[@gagelong9608]

Which witch is which witch? Wish I knew myself...

[@jrbuschief]

If two witches watch two watches, which witch watches which watch?

[@cotton_mouth70]

Anybody want which 'wich now?

[@Tfrne]

"Especially knowing their alarm is harmless. It's halarmless!" "It's flying rubber! It's FLUBBER!"

[@DortzNC]

You might Fight a Bright Wight Tonight out of Spite using Smite

[@ollikoskinen1]

Shawn Doherty Only if I get paid.

[@yetimourer6509]

to your fright you might fight a bright wight tonight out of spite using spite to the DMs delight, you might even build an appetite.

[@johnalbert2102]

I wish I may I wish I might

[@johnalbert2102]

Well alright.

[@ooccttoo]

You might Fight a Bright Wight Tonight out of Spite using Smite while you sip a Bud Light

[@timetravelingbanana7414]

Banshees don't insta kill, they just drop you to 0 hp, so not insta kill.

[@TheVaultDescendant]

Yea this is kinda important...

[@Man0oz]

Important point but it DEFINITELY can began to lead to a death spiral. Also should have mentioned the whole "death by rapid aging"! If you play a short lived race like Aarakocra, ghosts and can kill you with horrifying visage just by making you crusty old!

[@DerrickUltima]

Man0oz Agreed, but even so the Death Saves are incredibly important.

[@probablythedm1669]

I kind of like Banshees for this. They can literally murderscream half a higher level party into "Death save county". They're a great monster to deploy when the players split the party. That way you don't risk the TPK and it's a rush to defeat it before someone fails 3 death saves. _"Your friends lay dying! You still feel the pain from the wail in your mind, but you still stand. The Banshee glares glares at you with murder in her cold eyes. She wants you... dead. What do you do?"_ Even if it has spent its single wail the player doesn't know that. Perhaps you gave it an extra wail, just to keep them on their toes and teach them that the monster manual is just the average monster of that type. There's going to be weaker ones and stronger ones.

[@JosiahTheSiah]

Because you have a banana as your avatar, I unconsciously word-swapped. Was wondering why bananas would drop anyone to 0 hp.

[@pieman1227]

The banshee wail ability drops a character who fails the save to 0 hp, causing them to fall unconscious- it doesn't outright kill.

[@reedhahn2224]

Magnificent Hair ✅ Magnificent Beard ✅ Magnificent Voice ✅ To this sir, I salute to you.

[@mcolville]

I have Hero Hair and Hero Voice and the rest of me is Comedic Sidekick.

[@itsyojimbo6752]

I have an army in my game full of undead lead by a Lich necromancer and the army is called the Deadites. "Hail to the king, baby!"

[@jaketionary2543]

It bums me out that, as great as the "bright wight tonight" saga may be, we often overlook "ghasts are twice as nasty as ghouls, according to the rules". What fools, who ignore such tools

[@kirkish001]

I loved these Undead videos. Demons seem a bit more straight forward than their counter parts, Devils. I think a video on devils would be awesome and potentially more useful.

[@Demon-.]

I would like if he did a video on every creature or creature type. Devils, Demons, Abberations, Constructs, Angels, etc.

[@docnevyn5814]

WebDM has done a good job of covering most of the major monster types and how to include them in your campaign.

[@QueensBlade2501]

Seconded!

[@kirkish001]

WebDM has, mighty gluestick has, others too. Doesnt mean we don't want our ol' buddy matt's take on them too!

[@salamiraccoon]

But we want Matt's opinions :P

[@fratguide]

Leaving this here for future use, 10:00 is the bit you play before your players fight a wight. Every time I've had a tv in the room and my players encounter a wight, I play this section. Highly recommend

[@CRRash90]

Whoa, whoa, whoa! What about Mummies? Mummies and Mummy Lords are in the Monster Manual and have really interesting attacks, a damage vulnerability for players to discover, and interesting flavor text that says they can retain information and speak to the party, making them potential NPC's. A lot of potential for fun encounters, really underutilized.

[@Vehl]

I rarely ever comment, but I think this video warrants a comment. I absolutely love delving into the differences of each individual undead. I personally try to come up with interesting combinations of undead in an encounter, and with my 23 years of experience, I tend to fall on the ones that I know best. I think adding some variety, and making an effort to educate the pros and cons of each undead is a good refresher and reminds me of different types of fun encounters they could lead to. Demons being my favorite type of monsters would be a blast to watch. This series of going through monsters is an absolute blast, please continue doing so, I appreciate your hard work. Thanks.

[@TheInvisibleClarity]

Banshees drop a character to 0 hit points (unconscious), not killing them. I love the idea of an instant death-causing banshee for a higher level encounter, though.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

Only in the dumbed down rules. If you aren't saving vs death you aren't playing real D&D...

[@weirdwizard27]

Same for the Bodak. Both the Banshee wail and the Bodak gaze specify a drop to 0 HP rather than causing immediate death. 5e mostly doesn't have save-or-die effects, after all.

[@koh123453]

In 2e I know that it’s an insta death.

[@Kasharicdaims]

Gotta say, these past undead videos have helped me out a lot. I was/am running a homebrew adventure with an undead theme where I had initially stuck to wraiths, skeletons and zombies because I know them well enough to use them. After your insight into other undead creatures, the common uses of them and your own spins on how to use them, my list of usable creatures and scenarios they fit into has been broadened enough that I don't feel like i'm being too repetitive with encounters etc. Your videos continue to be a great help, I look forward to the next.

[@XanothAvaeth]

It's really useful to have your mechanical/narrative input on the use and differences of undead, and would love to have those for other creatures. any chance on a video of foreshadowing, I've tried to apply this a few times in my own games, but players forget or ignore. I always have to remind myself a player isn't a reader and while the 'i'm playing a game' mindset players can fall into is sometimes a problem, it can also be a great help if properly tapped into... it's just been very hit and miss for me personally.

[@XanothAvaeth]

Coupled with foreshadowing, I'd love more input on player agency. Meaningful player choice and action is something that can be very difficult to provide and even the best professional adventures can often lack it. getting good intel to the players, allowing them to make meaningful choices with it and allow their actions to change the world in a meaningful way, even if that dramatically changes the direction of the campaign. [when running lost mine of flapdoodle, I almost rewrote the whole thing to be focused around doppelgangers, because my players were so engaged with the first one they met. in retrospect, i wish i had]

[@Yeldibus]

When you pointed out how annoying it is that other youtubers ask for "opinions in the comments" and that you are actually curious what people think I realized that I am watching the right channel. Everyone knows they are doing it because of youtube algorithms/money so they deserved being called out for pretending to be interested. All that aside, just let me tell you that I really appreciate your videos. There are always one or two truly inspirational tidbits that anyone could include into their game, which is really awesome.

[@R-langley]

I'll be running my first campaign in 2days, using the taldorei campaign setting as my base, and using one of its story hooks "you best start believing in ghost stories" I'll be using a couple of the generic npc stat blocks (veteran and thug) and modding them into undead pirates to have the traits that zombies have to make them more freshly killed and dangerous, just to really spice them up and make them more like their inspiration

[@johnblack5125]

I honestly very much enjoyed these 2 undead videos. They actually gave me the inspiration I needed to flesh out my story for my upcoming campaign. I have the books but I love getting an experienced DM's opinion on the usefulness of the provided monsters. Thank you Matt!

[@ninjapirate31]

Undead 2 electric boogaloo?

[@tinysandwich4686]

The most interesting thing to me in D&D are the monsters. Players, politics, RP, etc...are interesting, but the lore, backstory, mechanics, and implications monsters have in a game are what I live for so...YES PLEASE DO MORE OF THESE!!! It helped that undead are among my favorite creature subtype to kick start this sub category of videos, but anything monster related is two thumbs up from me!

[@medievalkite]

I feel like Colville got extra silly with this one lol love it. Much appreciated video as always :)

[@Tom-f4d6l]

I like the 'undead' series and especially how you really reinforce that the 'metabolically challenged' should be used as a part of an encounter and with other monsters. I think you mentioned that having multiple types of monsters really helps make a good encounter (and creates some tactical thinking beyond "I attacked the nearest 'defier of decomposition'). If you do go into a series of demons definitely talk about what sort of encounter they should be in, how they can be paired up to make things interesting. You also just generally have more experience running D&D than I think a lot of average people do. When you talk about the 'resurrection impaired' and can talk about your experiences or times they have worked well for you I think that really helpful. As they say "Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of painting over the ugly parts and recycling for more than it's worth".

[@Humorless_Wokescold]

"He might fight a bright wight tonight out of spite!" Pack it in, folks. That's all there is.

[@thepunkrockchristian]

These videos have been SOOO helpful. I had a DM who used a bunch of these undead, but I felt like he wasn't taking advantage of the roleplaying opportunities. He just used them as lifeless bags of hitpoints. Good to know I'm not the only one who thinks undead can have interesting encounters attached.

[@rg_elk1072]

Thanks for another helpful video. Please do videos on Demons and Devils too! Even though I could just look up the monster's stat block, hearing your suggestions for how to run the creatures helps to spur my own imagination :D

[@quartino_]

Precisely! I'm a new DM, and it's incredibly helpful to hear Matt share his insights and experience with us. In the end, I'm still going to do what makes sense in my world, but there's a good amount of nuggets of wisdom I can mine from these videos.

[@SAHanson]

Thanks for these Matt. Somewhat serendipitously, after your first video my party uncovered a group of shadows in a Pathfinder AP I'm running (Rise of the Runelords) and, because they kinda took the floor in the reverse order to that which was intended due to finding a secret entrance/exit, these guys were at the start of the floor with a load of goblins running in to turn it into a 3-way fight which has ended pretty badly for the melee fighter, having taken 10 points of strength damage so far, and having multiple bosses left to kill (one of whom has got some amount of mythic power allowing her to use some of her cleric-based channel negative energy to erupt out of her wounds, effectively damaging anyone who attacks her in melee with channel energy as a free action). But no, this has been useful and I would appreciate a devil/demon/daemon video.

[@lordofthunder4065]

Matt: "There's a trick you can use to remember this and that's...Just remembering" *Gee, what an idea! Why didn't I think of that?*

[@bryanhodson]

This is a really awesome video; combined with your medusa video, and some creativity ... I have an orcish horde bearing down on the PCs. The orcs sent some 'Orc-Wraiths' ahead to infiltrate the fort kill and turn many of the fort soldiers into 'shades', which possess many of the remaining soldiers. Lots of softening tactics on the fort before the horde arrives, loads of role-play to figure out which soldiers are now orc agents, and the signs that the horde is close. Thank you Matt Colville.

[@feloberto]

Alright, something I NEED to add down here as a request: When you show the images of the monsters, PLEASE write down under each image which monster is which. I spent half the banshee/ghost explanation thinking they were the other way around. Love your videos, I've been following them since ep. 01 and you have given me an absurd amount of knowledge and insight into a seasoned DM's mind. For someone who just started playing and DMing D&D only two months ago, this is priceless. Many thanks, "Mr. Col'ville"

[@Ki6FHX]

Love ghost possession! So, so much potential! My first ghost NPC, the characters were to help the ghost get revenge by getting her close enough to her killer, a Kara-Tur ambassador, in which she would possess him and have him jump the edge of a bridge and drown himself. Fitting as he strangled her, both dying of exficsation. He would dishonor himself and his position in front of his large enterage.

[@bluedwarf1699]

I still think you should monetize your videos, especially because of things like paying for the studio. I can honestly say that no one that watched your videos would mind watching an ad beforehand, if it supports the channel and gets us more amazing content.

[@no_nameyouknow]

It's okay now the kickstarted was a huge success.

[@bodydes]

There is a great deal of overlap between his profession and these videos, it's best to keep it clean on the money side unless he's his own boss.

[@Grogeous_Maximus]

I do mind ads, and I happily bought S&F and will probably buy the next book to support MCDM instead

[@kevinsullivan3448]

I adblock KZbin and support creators on Patreon instead. KZbin monetization is a scam. Funny how KZbin still runs adds on demonitized channels...

[@l3lackhusky]

I think, that these videos are a great help for DM's, you give insight and plothooks for better usage and you make it not boring to watch. Thoses video started a ton of ideas for my own game, where undead are heavily featured. So thanks a lot :)

[@dillonwyatt8144]

Have you ever run a Undead Campaign wherein the PC's are 'awoken' undead. Perhaps they were all zombies, ghosts, etc., of a litch that died and freed them? Or maybe some great divine strike aimed at killing them fused a part of the divine in them allowing their wondering true soul to reattach in part but they lack many of their memories (alive or undead). Now they quest to restore themselves (Very Fullmetal Alchemist) while trying to keep their dark secret hidden.

[@ddesouz6]

I like where you're going with this. Makes me want to write an undead one shot.

[@guille787]

Cool idea!

[@natestevenson3083]

Dark souls?

[@revallmccalla3463]

Like the Forsaken from WoW, broken free of the Lich King's control. Still a great campaign idea! And even better than WoW cause you have more options than just zombie. I'd love to play a vampire spawn trying to ascend to masterdom.

[@TriMarkC]

Dillon Wyatt I have a vampire BBEG who has regained his soul from an extremely well-worded wish. BUT, he’s still a vampire and still undead!! So genie gave his exactly what he asked for but not why he really wanted. Anyway, he’s BBEG because now he’s found a way to turn back time, & just needs a strong enough magical source (aka battery) to power it. There’s a reason there are no gods that can alter time backwards!!! So the gods are helping the PCs, but there are chaotic gods that want to help the BBEG hoping he’ll destroy creation itself!

[@agent11eat]

Hey Matt! I'm of a younger sort, a senior in high school, and let me say this; every single one of your videos is useful and really great to check out or reslisten to when I need help thinking of things for D&D or Dungeon Master advice, these included. It's really sorta fun having someone on KZbin who's got all this background and tradition with D&D. It's like having a mentor, but one tons of people can access. Even the random ideas you throw around show your background working in the game industry, writing, and playing D&D. So yeah, demons sounds like a fun video. I've actually looked at all the demons and devils in the manual and wondered why it didn't say how to use them, it seems like the most important part. I shy away from them a lot because I feel like they should only be used in 'Hell' or fire plane or whatever places.

[@sneeplesnurple5912]

Undead: Summoned Squad: Notified

[@genderqueergorehound]

LAMB SAUCE: LOCATED.

[@z_zoom11]

England: my city

[@marachime]

Grass: Green Air: Clean Sweet Lass: By my side

[@chastermief839]

bagels : toasted cheese : creamed

[@humblebumble8192]

Joke: funny

[@saraphys5555]

As someone whose gone from player too DM, I find these video's of yours too be very helpful in learning my way of running a game. Something my cousin said around the same time as a video of yours was released, was that "As the DM, you can do anything! These are just GUIDES, not RULES, play things your way if you want too". Its been interesting watching these videos of yours in particular, as Iv taken to flavouring up all applicable monsters in the MM with the mythological aspects they're attributed with... like, my Hydra can only be killed either by bleeding it dry, or cartorising the neck-stumps after cutting a head off... as Heracles did when he and Iolous fought the Hydra in greek mythology. Also, what you said about Ghosts... I DID THAT IN MY FIRST DM GAME! :D I took 3 ghosts, and had them as "echos" of the people who were murdered in this old ruin. The catch was, if the party decided to attack them, the mother ghost would have turned into a Banshee, and would have been the threat in that encounter. Luckily, they decided to play it cautiously, and instead where able to listen in on the ghosts "echos" and learnt what had happened, so they were prepared about what to face in the bowels of the Ruin. ...my game is completely homebrew, so there's no campaign to point too for this, sorry. Well, I dunno, I was inspired by Pillars of Eternity, so maybe that part of Caed Nua was my inspiration for that part? ...I dunno... lots of fun, all of it :D

[@kerik6380]

The MCDM logo is so sweet

[@mcolville]

Right!?

[@sidtodd1220]

Keep making vids like these. It helps a ton in thinking of outside the box ways to use these monsters. Especially how you went into several possibilities with the Ghost.

[@Laraythius13]

For anyone who hasn't heard of it, a great resource if you're looking for advice on playing monsters tactically (read: making them meaner by playing to their strengths) is a blog called The Monsters Know.

[@chickenkicker6564]

These undead videos were super useful Matt. I had the same issue as you in relation to not knowing the specific differences and uses between say a ghost and a banshee. This video helped clarify those problems. I'm not sure how useful a demons video would be as they seem more clear in their abilities and function but notes on ways to enhance roleplaying with them would be pretty exceptional or notes on why to use this demon in this scenario over another. Keep up the great content, we all really appreciate it.

[@Glaswalker1001]

Little "let's try this again" error at 20:10? ;)

[@Toxodos]

yeah def forgot to edit that out. The quickness in which he resets is both impressive and a tiny bit creepy

[@theoctopigeon2107]

As someone working on a campaign where a necromancer is the Big Bad, these undead videos are super helpful, and I'd absolutely love to see a demon/devil one! Great for generating ideas too. I'm definitely using a ghost hostage possession scenario in the future! However there is one neat/nasty thing you forgot to mention about the ghost's Horrifying Visage, and that is the aging effect!! The nastiness of that effect is very character level and DM dependent. It's no problem for a party with access to greater restoration, but speaking as someone who played in a group that got essentially TPKd at LV5 by three ghosts, as half our party died of old age while the rest barely held on, that one is an effect not to be forgotten about, or underestimated. Having your 12 year old half-orc turn 72 in a matter of seconds is pretty rough.

[@danieldosso2455]

I'm now making a game where the players find a Wight at a baseball game... simply because of Matt

[@paulrawsonjr.2423]

The Hero Party vs the Wight Socks

[@madana89]

I would love an Odds/Math video. I think it would be cool to do a series of videos on monsters by type, as well (like, an episode on constructs, an episode on aberrations, an episode on fey) but this is mostly because I appreciate the breadth of perspective that comes of many years playing. It helps me to build that same mental library to have an understanding of what the big sections are and who the big names in each section are. That said, I think I enjoy the videos about actual gameplay more. The Sociology of Dnd video was super helpful, as well as the ones where you talked about descriptions, active voice, maintaining players' agency, getting through the grind, etc. Thank you for posting these!

[@TheSpartin01]

I always make my ghosts vulnerable to psychic damage. Just makes sense to me.

[@Hazel-xl8in]

Selim Shahed well, only the gengar family (and marshadow) would be weak :/

[@charlottewalnut3118]

TheSpartin01 That’s kind of strange because they don’t have brains which kind of makes that useless I always figured psychic damage just causes your brain to spontaneously shut off completely or causes you to forget things like suddenly you can’t remember how to breathe

[@andrewbeauman]

This has been great. I'm running Curse of Strahd a bunch lately and a lot of the undead felt like fodder until I dove into more of the lore. So in addition to just generally doing my homework as the DM with the book these videos have been super fun to watch and helpful for my game.

[@JakeB7734]

That thumbnail wins today's notifications. Re "weaponized beauty": The banshee could be used as a once-per-campaign encounter when it fits the story. I thought the description was odd, too, until I needed a spooky encounter in an elf tomb and made a sealed room that held a banshee. She appeared as a lovely elf noblewoman who asked "Where is my husband?" Eventually she remembered he isn't there because he left her at the altar and left her enraged for life and on into undeath. Then her visage changed and she lashed out at the living who interrupted her rest and made her remember her past. Give her a backstory with a reason to be supernaturally angry -- husband assassinated, or children turned to shadows, or younger sister deposed her.

[@kidsfringer]

Just started powering through your running the game playlist. Well done! Thank you so much, and just wanted to drop a note to encourage you. And your watchers are not just guys. My whole family is really enjoying watching this playlist as our detox time, and getting ready for D&D night on Fridays. Keep up the good work

[@Wraithninja1]

More stuff on world building and giving that world a unique and interesting flavor would be super interesting. For example, I'm trying to develope a "New World" conquistador setting/ sandbox campaign. I know you've done some live streams featuring world building, and touched on world building many times, but it would be great to see some dedicated running the game videos on it.

[@poetwarrior7153]

I've just finished a 2 week Matt Colville youtube marathon; great advice for DMs, the campaign diaries told a fantastic story and I've check out adventurelookup and it looks like a resource I'll be tapping for years. Thank you for your contribution to my favorite hobby!

[@ZouiS007]

I'm so happy to see a new video from you, you're always son insightfull! Could you make an episode about misdirection? THX!

[@colanis90]

Both of the Undead videos to date have been fantastic resources of inspiration for me. I've always felt undead made for dull encounters but that's likely because Zombies and Skeletons are always the first thing people think of. Consequently, I've more or less tossed aside every undead creature into that same bargain bin and moved on to more interesting baddies. Boy oh boy, have you opened my eyes. It was just the spark I needed to have the specifics of these monsters laid out in a comparative manner. Please do more! And by "more", I mean please do at least one more undead video (if you think there's enough content left - you've already covered so much), or more monster varietals like the Devil/Demon videos you mentioned. I'd ask for a Monstrosities video but those monsters might be unique enough on their own that they don't require this kind of breakdown. Thanks for all the great content, Mr. Colville!

[@paulschirf9259]

I enjoyed the humor in this one... and I find myself working on an elf ghoul-ghast mnemonic.

[@docnevyn5814]

The horrified elf on the cover of the AD&D Village of Hommlet as Ghouls stun his party is all the mnemonic I need.

[@jakegoodrich6520]

ghouL eLf

[@Mattrons14]

Yes, Mathew Colville, this was an interesting series. And yes, I woul lobe a deamon series as well. Do a wonderfull job of: 1. Reminding/informing me what kind of interesting monsters there are. 2. You give concrete examples of how you could run them in an encounter. 3. Giving examples of on-combat encounters and combat encounters of some co plexity without seeming contrived. 4. You don't spend more time on a monstar them you need. Keep the good stuff comming and continue to deliver this grandmaster blend of game designer, storyteller and experience.

[@AlexLuthore]

Matt, when you're running minions have you considered using a 1d4-1 for the "hits" it takes to down a minion? Meaning they function the same but that ogre might be 2-3 hits and still feel just as minionish but less like a paper monster

[@alexandersvideopicks8735]

I think he is referring to the actual minions (type of various creatures) from 4th Edition. I am not a fan of 4th Edition nor of those minions, but your suggestion might make them more interesting.

[@DennerBob]

I very much liked the compare/contrast of the really similar undead. I've never used any undead other than zombies, ghosts, mummies, and ghouls specifically because I had trouble keeping the similar ones straight in my head. Useful and fun videos, I'd welcome more of the type.

[@zacksporen]

Can we get Old Gregg as a Lake Hag variant?

[@Commanber]

Easy now fuzzy little man peach!

[@brentonchang1]

Super useful. I had no idea how different and detailed each type of undead was. Keep it coming.

[@GingerTron2000]

Matt, whatever you do with the Stronghold rules, MAKE A PDF VERSION AVAILABLE! WotC is really missing the mark by only having hard copies for sale.

[@paulcoy9060]

yeah, but a lot of people are Old School, and like having a physical item in their hands. I know I do.

[@CaptainIcebeard]

paul coy that's why printers exist.

[@Alex-fn2hl]

As for raising targets that are life-drained, consider using it as a premise for an encounter or adventure. A wight rolls into a town, kills the residents with life-drain, and they are raised up by the time the players get there. I'd actually prefer my character dying to having them being aged. I once made a whole-one shot adventure about a ghost possessing a player. One of the PCs was possessed from the start-- and each player had a secret to throw suspicion off of him! It was a great success! EDIT: This WAS a useful video! Thanks!

[@jonothanthrace1530]

He might fight a bright wight named Dwight tonight out of spite!

[@ymmijx6061]

and if it were in an area of magic darkness you might fight a bright wight named dwight tonight out of sight and out of spite!

[@56ZacCameron]

These kinds of videos are super helpful as a DM. I've been running games for about 5 years now and I still eagerly click on Colville vids for inspiration and tips. Examining the Monster Manual from a DMing standpoint both narratively and mechanically is super useful since a DM can't really discuss monsters with their players lest they tip them off to upcoming encounters and online forums tend to get mucked down in the mechanical side.

[@Vineares]

I'm afraid I don't understand the cutaway to the woman this time.

[@Dorian_sapiens]

Me, either. I scrolled through the comments looking for clues, but-no luck.

[@nadsozinc]

I assumed that was Matt's significant other based on the story preceding it.

[@Lotloxa]

Sorry for the necro, but I think that’s Jess/Lady Sariel

[@Jonatron101]

Had a wonderful encounter with two players in Wave Echo Cave that wouldn't have been possible without ghoul paralysis being so weak. It was pyrrhic but not a slog as the two players stood up on a huge stone table and had clumsily alerted several different groups of ghouls and got themselves trapped back to back as the creatures streamed out of the darkness, continually paralysing them and whittling them down until exhausted they stood surrounded by two dozen ghoulish remains. I don't know if they learned anything about running from known danger into unknown danger while making lots of noise but it was badass.

[@mikegould6590]

Two things - First, a discussion between the "boss" undead might be great. Mummy Lord vs Vampire vs Lich. That could lead into Vampires and their Spawn vs Mummy Lords and their Mummy servants. Second thing: I assume no tiny save DC as irrelevant. My 3rd level party tanked their saves versus ONE Cockatrice...not normally a big deal...until I tel you they were on a sinking ship at the time. Yeah. Couldn't make an 8. None of them. Ugh. So a Save DC of 10 for a Ghoul means likely getting eaten alive by the rest of the Pack. Four Ghouls means eight saves, and there's an average of one fail at least in that bunch. Then it's auto Crit bites from there on in, and dead characters. Ghouls are badass. Period. With or without Ghasts.

[@bitescape]

Found this highly useful Matt, I'm a fairly experienced GM but had entirely passed over the Bodak which looks like an awesome encounter and in general this video series got me thinking about better and more interesting ways to play undead in respects to both narrative and 'crunch' compositions.

[@therollingbones4080]

Well you asked sooo, Myself, I don't run 5e, so the Hitpoints and AC's are not useful to me, but the idea behind each undead is invaluable, just in this video I got an idea for 2 custom monsters (I almost always make custom monsters, one of my players in a metagaming skank-weasel and has memorized the pathfinder bestiary and the monster manual) So the video was useful in that I probably wouldn't have gotten the idea for the monsters without it. So the video was useful in regard to the creation of ideas, but the HP and AC and the number crunch weren't as useful.

[@therollingbones4080]

Also I will probably be re watching it to get new ideas.

[@AoWgoldsteel]

I love these not for the information on the monsters but for the story hooks you throw out. I've gotten so many ideas from you for making encounters with monsters more interesting

[@ArthurRex131]

Banshees are female because the original Irish term, Bean Sidhe, translates literally to "woman of the hills." You can't have a male "woman of the hills."

[@Dorian_sapiens]

Supposing a male version existed, the name for it would be something like "fershee". deenes.ffzg.hr/~rmatasov/irish.html

[@christopherfloody5555]

Its not hills, its spelt bansí, with sí being the irish word for fairy. Its a woman of the fey.

[@atrumangelus9733]

What if the Elf's transgender?

[@everchosenlily]

@Janie Mendosa A Beanshee

[@tylertanner7378]

ireland doesn't exist in fantasyland. I can have a male banshee if I want, because the etymology of the real world doesn't matter in fantasy

[@BaaadJuju]

I think the undead videos are awesome. I'm on the verge of running a giant graveyard themed campaign and I'm soaking all the undead content I can to see what others think about undead and their uses. Thanks Matt, keep up the good work!

[@eternalpoliwhirl]

damn it matt i have an exam in the morning!

[@Sufficient_Reason]

These are my favorite of your videos. Though I've been gaming for 20 years, it helps to hear what creative ways others (you) use the standard D&D monsters. The ideas you offer, that I haven't thought of, are a welcome addition to my bag of tricks. The ideas I have heard of, make me feel better about using them. Please keep them coming!

[@RampageAG]

You could make a video on the how hero's have to poop and I would watch it. Yes on demons!!!

[@revallmccalla3463]

I'm actually starting an undead campaign for my roommates! This and almost every video is extremely helpful, if not entertaining for me. I have made certain adjustments of my own for the undead in the game, like: Zombies will always use their first attack to grapple (this is where mobs can be deadly but 1-2 should be a breeze). Also, I am using a personal variant: hits that are 5 or more above a creature's AC are allowed to be aimed shots (this way characters can get headshots or cripple undead). Zombies will not die if the brain is not destroyed so this becomes crucial.Enjoyed the info and I will visit the adventure lookup to check it out. Kudos and ciao!

[@papasmurfdies]

These undead videos are REALLY useful! Especially because you've explained the purpose of these undead and how to use them in an encounter, plus what about them makes them interesting and dangerous etc. As a newer DM its not always obvious how to deploy them in an adventure just from looking in the monster manual.

[@blazinlatino89]

Super useful vid man thanks im running my first dnd campaign with brand new players and your videos have been the best tool i have so thank you!

[@BlueDarkness12y4]

The undead videos are very helpful! It's cleared up what the different kinds of undead are to me anyway. It's quite handy since I'm at the moment building a big sandbox world for a future game with my friends.

[@jonofpdx]

Great video. Definitely hope to see the demon series. Personally found the usage ideas within each example more useful than the comparisons themselves. I personally have less confusion between them and have more interest in examples if how to use them. Would really love to see a video of just interesting ways to use common monsters in the narrative (like your ideas here for the ghost).

[@Rokkiteer]

Very cool video Matt:) I don't have trouble remembering all the little facts about monsters, but I do find the perspective you give valuable. It helps me to figure out how to deploy them. Also thanks for the series Running the Game. It helped me start my own group, where I'm the dm. Best fun I've had in years. I found new friends, which is the best part:D Your series helped me relax and figure out my own style. So thanks.

[@swiggityswooty3497]

I love these videos! I've started running a campaign with large amounts of undead and necromancy and this has given me some cool ideas, thanks Matt!

[@LtZoidberg]

Matt, I really enjoy these sorts of videos. I will say that videos of this nature are really good for those new/aspiring DMs. Spelling out ways to explore different monsters certainly helps DMs fluff up their campaign. Your dialog on the sword cutting the ghost was awesome! I would watch plenty more of these but I will say I feel like videos like this seem from a production value they are more tedious for you to make so I would say more? yes please, but don't be afraid to break them up. A catalog of different monster types would be amazing to check out on your page. Cheers!

[@sunjiudjiji]

Weaponized yoyos were used by the elf siblings in Elven Star (Deathgate, Weis & Hickman) They were cool in that book and they are cool when PCs use them too!

[@aonjmj]

The damn handy mnemonic for remembering elves being immune to ghouls paralysis but not ghasts at the 9:00 minute mark kills me every single time. Just aces.

[@kristenobrien2163]

These undead videos were SO helpful. I was trying to figure out how to fill in some of the story line of my campaign with memorable undead and this gave me a bunch of ideas on what I could use on my players *evil laugh* thanks for the inspiration.

[@rickycilantro]

So I've never had much trouble with remembering how different kinds of undead are different, but I do have that problem with infernals and celestials - but what I find most useful from your videos is learning how I can go away from what the monster manual says and make the monster fit my world and my game.

[@Kuwaiden]

Watching your previous video on undead actually inspired me to create a dungeon. Specifically your image of Shadows as the shadows from a nuclear explosion. This image wasn't really something that the Monster Manual conveyed and it really got my brain churning for how to make use of that image in a dungeon.

[@steegen101]

2:53 it begins! Sorry to jump past the delightful projects that were going on in 2017 but I wanna learn about these ghoulies

[@28ZackBlade]

Always nice to hear the opinions and breakdowns on monsters of any type. Even the off handed suggestions to "Colville " a monster is fantastic! Keep up the good work!!

[@markborbely747]

Once again, great video Matt. I'm currently running a campaign with an undead theme. I'm about the same age as you (Gen X represent!) and have been playing as long as you have. One thing the internet has really done is open up the ability for DMs to talk to each other, exchange and steal ideas :) Your stuff has been a great addition to my bag of DM tricks. Thanks for doing these! Really loved your alignment video. That being said, you should TOTALLY do another undead video. Especially for the 'Boss' undead like Vamps, Liches, Death Knights, etc. I know as you said they are the "Special" undead, but its always nice to get into the motivation of these nasty boys and how their situation gives them insight into different types of existence. For example how a Lich would/could take decades to execute a dastardly plan in their relentless climb to power. Or a Vamp might set up human "farms" to feed it and its underlings. One of the best things about D&D is thinking outside the box when you aren't dealing with human constraints and desires. They turn into fun thought experiments. Also, you should probably do a video giving a brief overview of planes and the creatures that live there. The Demon/Devil vid would be great! But you should also include a quick overview of other planes like Limbo and the Slaad, or Modrons, and my personal fav, the Elemental planes. Keep up the great work!

[@bitterleafcastle1552]

I like the undead videos, they had a lot of interesting and useful info, and the delivery gets more and more hilarious with each video you make. Also, that's a great idea to make one on diceroll mechanics and such, that is really interesting. Anyway, thanks Matt, you're doing a great job!)

[@SerDerpish]

Listening to this video for the first time gave me the idea of a dungeon where the final boss is a wight (or a handful of them) surrounded by the zombies of a previous adventuring party who TPK’d against it. The quest giver would be the ghost of one of the former adventurers who ask the party to kill the wight and their bodies so their souls can escape from limbo, and communicates by possessing one of the PCs and speak through them. It would be a straight dungeon delve, but it makes for a (hopefully) memorable narrative context

[@AndrewRedroad]

Mr. Coleville! Your sassy one-liners were ON POINT today! Very useful info as always; you had me in extra stitches today!