If the Wicked Witch of the West’s flying monkeys and a Jackelope were in a mad scientist’s cross-breeding experiment you may just get Perytons! They’re straight out of a childhood nightmare and super fun to run! The Monster Manual references their dubious origins, this adds a little mystery spice to them but also means you can incorporate your own plot-worthy backstory onto them if you’d prefer! Because they are so odd they don’t “belong” to any one environment; meaning you can insert them into your adventures pretty much anywhere you please! Mountain pass? Perytons. Ancient forest? Perytons. Deserted island? Perytons. Farming village under assault? Perytons! Plus they’re just plain evil so motivations for mischeif are hard-wired in!
Heres 4 Tips to run a combat encounter with Perytons:
1) They Fly: If a creature flies that’s always a combat advantage for the DM to take advantage of. Keep them out of reach of your multi-attacking bruisers
2) They Fly reeeeal fast: 60’/ round fast to be exact! They also have their Flyby ability. When flying they don’t provoke Opportunity Attacks. This means they can swoop, hit and scoot back into the sky out of melee range!
3) They dive bomb ya! Set them up so they are dropping 30′ then swooping back up 30′ this will add their Dive Attack damage to their attack! 2d8 can stack up pretty fast!
4) They typically see you! With a +5 to Perception and a Passive Perception of 15 it’s tough to get the drop on Perytons. Plus your stealth heavy party will have a tougher time sneaking past your combat encounter. Even your invisible characters aren’t in the clear from those Peryton-Peepers!
We like the weirdos in the Monster Manual! They bring a sort of eeriness to the game when used correctly. Ropers, Nothics, Beholders, Perytons, and all the other odd-balls remind us that the world of D&D is an alien one!
Have fun dive bombing your party!
TOTMrpg 