Redcap 5e: Volo’s Guide to Monsters

Redcap 5e was an evil, murderous fey having an insatiable bloodlust. It resembled little, demanding, and older human men or undersized wizened gnomes, standing around 3​ to ​4 ft (0.91​ to ​1.2 meters) tall and weighing approximately 50 pounds (23 kilograms). They wore heavy iron boots, leather trousers, and bright-red leather pointed caps, constantly soaked in blood.

Vicious and cruel, redcaps were insane serial killers that thrived on others’ pain and dunked their caps at the blood of those they had killed. They wanted only to murder and cause carnage and mayhem and acted only to meet these such impulses. However, their instinct to survive and will need to soak their hats in new blood was the root of their murderous character.

Favoring attacking head, they had no sense of subtlety. Their heavy iron boots made them dumb and threatening and clumsy when they tried to become stealthy except when rushing to the slaughter.

Iron Boots.

Outsize Power. While grappling, the redcap is a Medium. Also, wielding a hefty weapon doesn’t impose drawbacks on its attack rolls.

_____________________ Actions _____________________

Multiattack. The redcap creates three attacks with its wicked sickle. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, hit 5 ft., one target. Strike: 9 (2d4+4) slashing damage. The redcap goes up to its rate to a monster it can see and kicks with its iron boots. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity rescue throw or accept 20 (3d10+4) bludgeoning damage and be felt vulnerable.

Redcap 5e encounters

Redcaps needed to kill constantly to continue existing, absorbing some of the essences of everything they slew. Their pointed red hats needed to remain soaked in blood, which had to be replenished at least once every three times. Otherwise, the redcap would disappear, a fact they had been entirely aware of. The more they did so, the greater their physical abilities enhanced, and the more resilient and naturally armored they became. It required a cold iron weapon to overcome their unnatural durability. An elder 5e redcap, one who achieved great age and many kills, owned terrible endurance and strength and has been practically invulnerable.

Despite their petite bodies and skeletal frames, they were relatively robust and relatively powerful, as capable as human-sized beings in swinging a considerable weapon or wrestling with a foe. They were fast for their size. Their heavy iron boots made them noisy but not dumb. They can kick an enemy too much injury and knock them down. When it expired, a redcap vanished utterly, leaving just one tooth, which had magic power. It made whoever it wore be viewed slightly more favorably by other fey and especially by additional redcaps. It values 1000 gp.

Combat

Redcap in 5e typically wielded scythes, sickles, slings, and other significant bladed weapons that looked much too large for them. They preferred attacking from ambush, usually because their prey was going to settle down for an evening. They began with their slings but swiftly closed to melee in which they might swing their blades hard and recklessly before their victim could get their defenses up. They were brutal and ruthless in battle.

Elder redcaps used the same tactics and monitored wounded or weakened prey for miles, just waiting for them to relax their guard.

Redcaps could theoretically live as long as 150 decades ago, but most died much younger, given their mortal lives.

Creatures to the Feywild

The night hag Mad Maggie controlled sixty redcaps and thirty madcaps from her home of Fort Knucklebone at Avernus, where she used them as sentries, among other things. She didn’t particularly mind if a number of them died. Firstly, she understood their violent nature enough to know they would attack people for almost no reason. Secondly, she’d more of them being delivered for her every so often from the Feywild.

Society

Redcaps were natural loners and rarely banded together. When they did, they did so only in odd amounts, forming small gangs of 5 or 3 or bands of 7, 9, or 11. Redcaps generally lurked within old and temple keeps and towers, usually abandoned after a catastrophe or after they’d massacred any former inhabitants. They would slaughter every other without hesitation. It took that an elder redcap, more than you, to predominate in their tempers and murderous impulses, primarily by bullying the youngers into the entry.

Occasionally, a redcap would soak its cap in demon ichor rather than blood. That induced redcaps to turn into an even more violent and volatile version called a madcap, known to incinerate upon their deaths.

Lifecycle

Once, at the middle –14th century DR, redcaps were asexual creatures spawned by budding. They did this just a couple of times in their lives, developing a hump on their back for six months. Finally, it fell off, with limbs and head popping out. This newborn had to fight for its own life as soon as it was spawned, soon making it voracious and cantankerous.

Afterward, in the late 15th century DR, redcaps arose from the earth and were created out of bloodlust. It is in the Feywild or where that plane touched the Material Plane at a fey crossing. It is where a sentient creature had acted on a strong need for bloodshed and murdered another. The 5e redcap would look at which the blood watered the soil. The toddler resembled a tiny blood-stained mushroom with a red cap, only emerging out of the dirt. When bathed in moonlight, it jumped from the floor, fully formed, armed forces, dressed in a bloody red cap, and already blood-crazed.

Redcaps could potentially be found all around Faerûn. Still, they had been a particular threat in the halfling realm of Luiren from the 14th century DR.

Beliefs

Redcap 5e had a set of superstitions intricately interweaving with one another. Specifically, they believed even numbers were unlucky and would carry odd quantities of coins and formed groups with an odd number of members. They thought rivers were home to water spirits that could steal their souls; thus, they washed in still water.

They weren’t spiritual, but some dwelling near settlements of different races might worship their gods of slaughter. There were several redcap adepts and even fewer clerics.

Relationships

Some redcaps functioned for hags or evil wizards who knew how to summon them by the Feywild for a few gruesome work. A few redcaps spawned from blood-soaked earth could feel the creature whose murderous impulse had led to their creation and may track them down. It was even possible to get a killer to attract a small group of redcaps all spawned in the one murder website. But however they came to serve, redcaps insisted on being paid in blood and sufferers. Denying the redcap saw it extract its price from its former master instead.

Does Redcap 5e appear in the CR4 creature?

They don’t appear to be a CR4 monster. A CR4 monster would have about 14AC, 116-130hp, a +5 attack bonus, and deal 27-32 damage per round. Your creature comes with an Offensive CR of 1 as well, dependent on its damage output and assault bonus. Then you average these two values out, along with your creature is CR1. Even adding his Reaction and his Temp Hp capability would make it a CR2 in the best.

How to Play a Redcap 5e?

A redcap is a glass cannon that only has melee choices. They are terrible at stealthing while moving, thanks to their own Iron Boots. Therefore your only solution is to charge into the thick of the conflict. And hack and slash your way through your enemies. Thankfully, the redcap does so very well with its sizeable damage output.

Ideally, a redcap wouldn’t leave themselves out in the open since they are susceptible to being kited around wide-open spaces because of their below-average movement rate. Instead, they should conceal their enemies or match them in a confined space where their 25 ft. of speed is not as much of an issue.

Instead, if that isn’t achievable, attempt using Ironbound Pursuit to close the gap between yourself and your opponents. With some luck, you will deal a nice chunk of damage and knock the goal likely, making it hard for them not to be locked into melee combat with you.

Focus Fire

Redcaps do not have any authentic AoE damage choices. Together with their Multiattack, they can choose to target three different creatures with their three special attacks, but that’s the degree of their multi-target combat capacities.

It is more efficient to find a defensively-weak. Still, an accessible target for the redcap is to concentrate the brunt of attacks. First of all, it is logical from a lore perspective since they’re all about decimating a monster so they may soak their fur in their blood and live another day.

It is mainly in a redcap’s best interest to get rid of a target as quickly as possible. Redcap 5e’s low defenses do not bode well for your monster living past a few turns. However, if they could restrict the number of people attacking them each round, their odds of survival are more remarkable.

Should a goal try to escape, a redcap could use Ironbound Pursuit to attempt to finish them off. However, forcing an enemy to retreat or move on the defensive is almost as good as removing them. It buys the redcap 5e some time to deal with the rest of their enemies. It was without having to worry about that goal for the foreseeable future.

The redcap does not necessarily need to kill a goal once they’ve dropped them to 0 HP. That said, it would be well-within their lore to get them to finish the job with no hesitation.

Redcap 5e stats

Conclusion

Redcaps are a good CR 3 creature. They are solitary creatures that don’t scale super well into the late match of D&D 5e due to their bad defenses. Their offensive abilities make them an excellent choice for charging in a low-level party and falling a few of these to their knees.

The lore is enjoyable too. Redcap 5e an exciting way to create a group of murder hobos question their decision to kill people or creatures in cold blood. In case a redcap spawns from the blood of a newly slain shopkeeper, possibly the group will probably think twice about their murderous goals. It also gives redcaps a motive to work together under the banner of the master. Overall, they’re an ancient fun game, a low CR creature to throw.

Redcap 5e: Volo’s Guide to Monsters

Redcap 5e was an evil, murderous fey having an insatiable bloodlust. It resembled little, demanding, and older human men or undersized wizened gnomes, standing around 3​ to ​4 ft (0.91​ to ​1.2 meters) tall and weighing approximately 50 pounds (23 kilograms). They wore heavy iron boots, leather trousers, and bright-red leather pointed caps, constantly soaked in blood.

Vicious and cruel, redcaps were insane serial killers that thrived on others’ pain and dunked their caps at the blood of those they had killed. They wanted only to murder and cause carnage and mayhem and acted only to meet these such impulses. However, their instinct to survive and will need to soak their hats in new blood was the root of their murderous character.

Favoring attacking head, they had no sense of subtlety. Their heavy iron boots made them dumb and threatening and clumsy when they tried to become stealthy except when rushing to the slaughter.

Iron Boots.

Outsize Power. While grappling, the redcap is a Medium. Also, wielding a hefty weapon doesn’t impose drawbacks on its attack rolls.

_____________________ Actions _____________________

Multiattack. The redcap creates three attacks with its wicked sickle. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, hit 5 ft., one target. Strike: 9 (2d4+4) slashing damage. The redcap goes up to its rate to a monster it can see and kicks with its iron boots. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity rescue throw or accept 20 (3d10+4) bludgeoning damage and be felt vulnerable.

Redcap 5e encounters

Redcaps needed to kill constantly to continue existing, absorbing some of the essences of everything they slew. Their pointed red hats needed to remain soaked in blood, which had to be replenished at least once every three times. Otherwise, the redcap would disappear, a fact they had been entirely aware of. The more they did so, the greater their physical abilities enhanced, and the more resilient and naturally armored they became. It required a cold iron weapon to overcome their unnatural durability. An elder 5e redcap, one who achieved great age and many kills, owned terrible endurance and strength and has been practically invulnerable.

Despite their petite bodies and skeletal frames, they were relatively robust and relatively powerful, as capable as human-sized beings in swinging a considerable weapon or wrestling with a foe. They were fast for their size. Their heavy iron boots made them noisy but not dumb. They can kick an enemy too much injury and knock them down. When it expired, a redcap vanished utterly, leaving just one tooth, which had magic power. It made whoever it wore be viewed slightly more favorably by other fey and especially by additional redcaps. It values 1000 gp.

Combat

Redcap in 5e typically wielded scythes, sickles, slings, and other significant bladed weapons that looked much too large for them. They preferred attacking from ambush, usually because their prey was going to settle down for an evening. They began with their slings but swiftly closed to melee in which they might swing their blades hard and recklessly before their victim could get their defenses up. They were brutal and ruthless in battle.

Elder redcaps used the same tactics and monitored wounded or weakened prey for miles, just waiting for them to relax their guard.

Redcaps could theoretically live as long as 150 decades ago, but most died much younger, given their mortal lives.

Creatures to the Feywild

The night hag Mad Maggie controlled sixty redcaps and thirty madcaps from her home of Fort Knucklebone at Avernus, where she used them as sentries, among other things. She didn’t particularly mind if a number of them died. Firstly, she understood their violent nature enough to know they would attack people for almost no reason. Secondly, she’d more of them being delivered for her every so often from the Feywild.

Society

Redcaps were natural loners and rarely banded together. When they did, they did so only in odd amounts, forming small gangs of 5 or 3 or bands of 7, 9, or 11. Redcaps generally lurked within old and temple keeps and towers, usually abandoned after a catastrophe or after they’d massacred any former inhabitants. They would slaughter every other without hesitation. It took that an elder redcap, more than you, to predominate in their tempers and murderous impulses, primarily by bullying the youngers into the entry.

Occasionally, a redcap would soak its cap in demon ichor rather than blood. That induced redcaps to turn into an even more violent and volatile version called a madcap, known to incinerate upon their deaths.

Lifecycle

Once, at the middle –14th century DR, redcaps were asexual creatures spawned by budding. They did this just a couple of times in their lives, developing a hump on their back for six months. Finally, it fell off, with limbs and head popping out. This newborn had to fight for its own life as soon as it was spawned, soon making it voracious and cantankerous.

Afterward, in the late 15th century DR, redcaps arose from the earth and were created out of bloodlust. It is in the Feywild or where that plane touched the Material Plane at a fey crossing. It is where a sentient creature had acted on a strong need for bloodshed and murdered another. The 5e redcap would look at which the blood watered the soil. The toddler resembled a tiny blood-stained mushroom with a red cap, only emerging out of the dirt. When bathed in moonlight, it jumped from the floor, fully formed, armed forces, dressed in a bloody red cap, and already blood-crazed.

Redcaps could potentially be found all around Faerûn. Still, they had been a particular threat in the halfling realm of Luiren from the 14th century DR.

Beliefs

Redcap 5e had a set of superstitions intricately interweaving with one another. Specifically, they believed even numbers were unlucky and would carry odd quantities of coins and formed groups with an odd number of members. They thought rivers were home to water spirits that could steal their souls; thus, they washed in still water.

They weren’t spiritual, but some dwelling near settlements of different races might worship their gods of slaughter. There were several redcap adepts and even fewer clerics.

Relationships

Some redcaps functioned for hags or evil wizards who knew how to summon them by the Feywild for a few gruesome work. A few redcaps spawned from blood-soaked earth could feel the creature whose murderous impulse had led to their creation and may track them down. It was even possible to get a killer to attract a small group of redcaps all spawned in the one murder website. But however they came to serve, redcaps insisted on being paid in blood and sufferers. Denying the redcap saw it extract its price from its former master instead.

Does Redcap 5e appear in the CR4 creature?

They don’t appear to be a CR4 monster. A CR4 monster would have about 14AC, 116-130hp, a +5 attack bonus, and deal 27-32 damage per round. Your creature comes with an Offensive CR of 1 as well, dependent on its damage output and assault bonus. Then you average these two values out, along with your creature is CR1. Even adding his Reaction and his Temp Hp capability would make it a CR2 in the best.

How to Play a Redcap 5e?

A redcap is a glass cannon that only has melee choices. They are terrible at stealthing while moving, thanks to their own Iron Boots. Therefore your only solution is to charge into the thick of the conflict. And hack and slash your way through your enemies. Thankfully, the redcap does so very well with its sizeable damage output.

Ideally, a redcap wouldn’t leave themselves out in the open since they are susceptible to being kited around wide-open spaces because of their below-average movement rate. Instead, they should conceal their enemies or match them in a confined space where their 25 ft. of speed is not as much of an issue.

Instead, if that isn’t achievable, attempt using Ironbound Pursuit to close the gap between yourself and your opponents. With some luck, you will deal a nice chunk of damage and knock the goal likely, making it hard for them not to be locked into melee combat with you.

Focus Fire

Redcaps do not have any authentic AoE damage choices. Together with their Multiattack, they can choose to target three different creatures with their three special attacks, but that’s the degree of their multi-target combat capacities.

It is more efficient to find a defensively-weak. Still, an accessible target for the redcap is to concentrate the brunt of attacks. First of all, it is logical from a lore perspective since they’re all about decimating a monster so they may soak their fur in their blood and live another day.

It is mainly in a redcap’s best interest to get rid of a target as quickly as possible. Redcap 5e’s low defenses do not bode well for your monster living past a few turns. However, if they could restrict the number of people attacking them each round, their odds of survival are more remarkable.

Should a goal try to escape, a redcap could use Ironbound Pursuit to attempt to finish them off. However, forcing an enemy to retreat or move on the defensive is almost as good as removing them. It buys the redcap 5e some time to deal with the rest of their enemies. It was without having to worry about that goal for the foreseeable future.

The redcap does not necessarily need to kill a goal once they’ve dropped them to 0 HP. That said, it would be well-within their lore to get them to finish the job with no hesitation.

Redcap 5e stats

Conclusion

Redcaps are a good CR 3 creature. They are solitary creatures that don’t scale super well into the late match of D&D 5e due to their bad defenses. Their offensive abilities make them an excellent choice for charging in a low-level party and falling a few of these to their knees.

The lore is enjoyable too. Redcap 5e an exciting way to create a group of murder hobos question their decision to kill people or creatures in cold blood. In case a redcap spawns from the blood of a newly slain shopkeeper, possibly the group will probably think twice about their murderous goals. It also gives redcaps a motive to work together under the banner of the master. Overall, they’re an ancient fun game, a low CR creature to throw.