Metal Monster Manual Monday - Volume 7

Continuing a weekly series of posts wherein I share several album covers (mostly by death metal bands!) as brainfood for encounters in your tabletop RPG. Expect this every Monday!

ESSENCE OF THE LAND (Warforged)

Fairly straightforward. This is either a faerie portal, sapient elder tree, or fey conglomeration of deceptive, malignant vegetation. You know what to do.
Beautiful artwork, though.

WHOM THE MOON A NIGHTSONG SINGS (Various Artists)

What would she say to one who approaches her?


Alright, time for the BOSS BATTLE:

PRIVATE JUDGMENT DAY (Aborted Fetus)

This town is obviously controlled by a corrupt and tyrannical government, or a wicked and perverse cult. Whether the PCs want to rescue a specific prisoner or simply stop this gruesome spectacle of terror, there's challenge to be had!
1) Obviously the executioner. Big guy with an axe and mask. Fairly standard; give him a ton of HP and damage, with not too much in the way of brains.
2) Guards. They seem well-armored, and have long polearms ideal for fighting in ranks (or hooking interfering PCs off the execution platform!)
3) That hag or wretch to the left of the executioner, holding a head. Witch? Necromancer? Just a garden-variety creep, haha?
4) Those dogs at the bottom. Obviously have a taste for blood, probably violent, possibly possessed or magical (look at the eyes!).
5) An evil necromancer showing up on the scene would have a heyday. Animate piles of shifting heads? Check. Mutilated horrors reaching from their gibbets toward the living? Check. Shuffling, burning, headless bodies? Check.

As a parting note, I notice that the execution block is a stump. Where did it come from? Was it once a sacred tree? Does it still derive nourishment from the streams of blood that run down its roots? (What eldritch changes would such nourishment bring about in it?)


How would YOU use any/all of these monsters, encounters, and scenes in your game, Reader?
(Let me know how it goes if you do!)

(Sorry that some of this post was somewhat sparse. I've got a lot on my plate and a lot on my mind this week. The stuff should still be useful and perhaps thought-provoking, though.)

Previous volumes:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6