This review has been sponsored by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

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Designed by:  Lucas Anderson, Bum Lee, Jack Weighill, Tessa Klaire

After exploring several non-Chrismas holiday seasons, the Holidanger team returned to the original well for a follow-up to 12 Christmas Slays. Twelve More Christmas Slays adds another dozen holiday-themed creatures and statblocks, and I love it just as much (if not more) than the original.

The 30-page monster book includes a dozen new creatures, ranging from CR 1/2 to 14, though the majority smartly fall in the Tier 2 range (CR 5-10). 

If you haven’t seen one of these seasonal monster books yet, you’re in for a (festive) treat. You won’t find Santa Claus or Krampus here (check out the first book for those), but we do get Sugarplum Beholders, a swarm of reindeer, and an animated table-centaur thing delivering delicious (or deadly) holiday feasts.

Each entry is accompanied by lovely original artwork (artist: Zal Cryptid) and three adventure hooks, granting inspiration to DMs on fun ways to integrate these creatures.

Though the creatures are semi-jokey, the statblocks are anything but.

The Grylla hag can corrupt any creature within 20-ft with a failed Charisma save, possibly permanently alerting their alignment. The friendly Sugarplum Beholder replaces its anti-magic cone for a blast of Haste, while its eye rays can vary between naughty and nice. The gargantuan swarm of Eight “Tiny” Reindeer make full use of their legendary skills, conjuring ice storms, casting invisibility, and teleporting in the blink of an eye.

santa's mobile factory

Santa’s Mobile Factory is a clear favorite. It’s a large construct on tank treads, with conveyor belts and arm claws. It summons presents that can burst into trinkets or creatures, while violently gift wrapping its enemies.

I also love the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, represented here as the same entity in three different forms (not unlike Auril’s triple forms in Rime of the Frostmaiden). Each “ghost” can shunt a target to a Domain of Destiny made up of that creature’s past, present, or future. Each has their own unique weaknesses, attacks, summons, and legendary actions.

In fact, eight of the 12 creatures in the book have legendary actions, a quality I’ve always been thankful for in these holiday monster books. Legendary actions help make up the inherent deficient in action economy every DM faces, and allows us to (hopefully) show off more of the creature’s unique abilities.

The Christmas theme is clearly a winner among the Holidanger books. I would easily rank 12 More Christmas Slays among their best work. You can grab both Christmas monster books in the Holidanger Christmas Bundle (also includes a holiday adventure), or all six Holidanger books in the Holidanger Monster Bundle.

Pros:

  • A dozen interesting, cleverly-designed creatures
  • Most creatures have legendary actions!
  • Delightful original artwork for each monster.
  • Multiple Adventure Hook ideas for each entry.

Cons:

  • None!

The Verdict: Far from an unnecessary sequel, 12 More Christmas Slays is every bit as punny and clever as the original, with another batch of wonderfully fun, interestingly designed creatures ready for the holiday season.

A review copy of “12 More Christmas Slays” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.