This article is part of a series for both the April 2020 RPG Blog Carnival and the 2020 Blogging A to Z Challenge.

Abnormally mana-rich, Shandalar is a place where magic flows freely: from the wilds of Kalonia and the kingdom of Thune to the shadows of Xathrid, the peak of Valkas, and the remote Evos Isle. It was once home to the Onakke, an ogre civilization adept at using the plane’s abundant mana to craft artifacts of terrible power. Now the inhabitants of this unusual plane must combat the growing hive mind of the slivers, an ever-evolving race that threatens to consume their world.

Unlike other planes, Shandalar does not have a fixed location in the Multiverse: it forever drifts through the Blind Eternities, the space between the planes. Shandalar is a rogue plane, drifting through the multiverse instead of retaining a steady position or course. It is a relatively small plane and incredibly rich in mana. The magical energy is so prevalent that it all is sentient, and the common people use minor spells as an everyday convenience.

«Hunt bigger.»

For your campaign

Slivers are creatures that share a hive mind, which allows them to share their abilities with other nearby slivers. The creature type was introduced in the Tempest set and were depicted as reptiles, with variations in accordance with the abilities each has to offer to the hive. An evolved form of slivers from Shandalar has humanoid features, but I never liked them, so I stuck with the classic version. D&D has no official version for the slivers, so I created one back in 4e (I’m sorry, but the article was written in Spanish). And since I still had pending creating one for the 5e rules… you can guess what’s coming.

New creature: Sliver

Slivers have an armored vertebrate body, a long, bifurcated whip-like tail, one arm with a single talon for a hand, and a head with an armored crest and no eyes. A sliver’s anatomy often reflects the adaptation that it transfers to the other members of its species. Telekinetic Sliver, for example, shows brainy lobes. To reflect its added wiliness in battle, Watcher Sliver has evolved rows of eyes along its head, where most slivers have none. In a subtle approach, Bonesplitter Sliver carry around bonesplitters; it has a special adaptation to its blood. Its blood rages with bioluminescent blood. Spinneret Sliver sports organs referred to in its name: organs that let it spin webs like a spider, and it also makes arachnid-like clicking sounds.

As hinted in the Hive Mind ablity, particular slivers have and grant special features to other slivers. A different sliver stat block may look like this:

I’m pretty sure you’ll find new fun ways to improve your slivers. When was the last time you created a creature for your campaign? What did you need these for that no other monster could accomplish?