I’m a bit embarrassed to say I have never used an Oni in any of my games before. I was looking for a creature that could help to marshall and direct the Ice Orcs in my Middle-Earth campaign and out popped the Oni.

I am trying to use opponents that are somewhat original but not going totally against Middle-Earth Cannon. So I am trying to stay away from the likes of Kobolds, Kenkus, and Gnolls that frequent most Dungeon and Dragons campaigns.

I’ve leaned into some Fey creatures and was looking for a evil male counterpart to the hags that I have used. My current party is level 5 so I was looking for a middle challenge rating monster. Sometimes that is harder than you would think it should be. There seems to be a plethora of lower challenge rating monsters with a good amount of higher challenge rating monsters.

The Oni is an excellent challenge for middle level players with deadly melee and ranged attacks. Perhaps the most fun was the Oni’s ability to fly. This gave the battle a whole new dimension as the Oni could fly to gain an excellent vantage point to direct his minions and escape from ground attacks.

Oh and did I mention that the Oni also regenerates at the end of every round? I love describing to players that an opponent suddenly seems more healthy and his wounds have unnaturally healed. Bazinga!

In addition, the Oni gave the encounter a whole new twist and provided a plot nugget when the Oni’s mask lay smoking on the ground after he was defeated. Once the purple mist dissipated, our brave Paladin leaned down and picked up the mask for himself – a move that will certainly have some future consequnces.

The Oni – it is a gift that keeps on giving.