Movie Monster Monday: The Entity - A Shape-Shifting Horror Inspired by The Thing (1982)

December 1, 2025

Lights. Camera. Initiative.

Every Monday, Giants of the North brings a new movie-inspired creature to your Dungeons & Dragons table. This week’s feature is The Entity, a terrifying aberration inspired by John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). If you love cinematic tension, body horror, and encounters built around paranoia and mistrust, this monster is made for your campaign.

What Is The Thing (1982), and Why Does It Inspire Such Terrifying Monsters?

John Carpenter’s The Thing is one of the most influential sci-fi horror films ever made. Released in 1982 and starring Kurt Russell, the film takes place in an isolated Antarctic research station where a shape-shifting alien begins imitating and replacing members of the crew. Its themes of isolation, mistrust, and grotesque transformation make it a perfect foundation for a Dungeons & Dragons monster.

Why Did We Choose to Create a D&D Monster Based on The Thing?

Tabletop RPGs thrive on uncertainty and player-driven investigation. A creature that can perfectly imitate the party, its allies, or important NPCs creates an atmosphere unlike any other. The Entity brings mystery, tension, and psychological pressure into any campaign.

Medium aberration, neutral evil

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 150 (20d8 + 60)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR 18 (+4) DEX 10 (+0) CON 16 (+3) INT 16 (+3) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 6 (-2)

Saving Throws Int +6, Wis +3
Damage Immunities cold, poison; bludgeoning and piercing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned, prone
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages any languages of a creature it has assimilated
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3

Replication. The Entity can use its action to touch and polymorph into any living creature or a dead creature it has assimilated.

Chaotic Multiattack. The Entity makes three attacks in its true form.

Beak/Maw/Teeth. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft.
Claw/Scythe/Swipe. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit.
Slam/Tendril/Tentacle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 100/400 ft.

Assimilation (Bonus Action). Target must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity save or take 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage; if reduced to 0 HP, it is absorbed.

Split (Reaction). When hit by lightning or slashing, the Entity splits into two smaller versions.

Lore and Behavior. A hive-minded organism driven by survival, replication, and assimilation.

Monster Details

What Exactly Is "The Entity" in Dungeons & Dragons?

The Entity is a hive-minded aberration capable of consuming living creatures and replicating them with frightening accuracy. It steals memories, languages, skills, and habits, allowing it to blend seamlessly into any environment.

Where Can You Encounter "The Entity" in Your Campaign?

The Entity works best in locations where isolation and fear take center stage, such as frozen tundras, abandoned outposts, derelict ships, remote villages, or magically sealed laboratories where help is distant and trust is fragile.

What Tactics Does "The Entity" Use in Combat and Role play?

The Entity is not a straightforward monster. Its tactics involve infiltration, ambush, deception, mutation, and division. It replaces isolated targets, behaves convincingly like its victims, and may split into smaller versions when threatened.

Using The Monster in Your Game

How Can You Add "The Entity" to Your D&D 5e Game?

• A remote outpost has gone silent, leaving only a partially transformed corpse.
• Two identical NPCs each insist the other is the monster.
• A creature thawed from ancient ice reveals twitching limbs beneath the frost.
• A crashed vessel contains mutated bodies and panicked crew logs.
• During a long expedition, a party member begins behaving strangely... or so the others believe.