These D&D monsters from Spelljammer: Adventures in Space make great NPCs for your campaign.

While Dungeons & Dragons is a game full of a vast array of diverse worlds for players to explore, there's nothing quite like Spelljammer. Originally introduced in D&D's Second Edition, Spelljammer is a D&D setting characterized by its over-the-top sci-fi elements and magic-powered spacecraft that allow adventurers to traverse Wildspace and the Astral Plane. Spelljammer: Adventures in Space introduces the Spelljammer setting to D&D's fifth edition, bringing with it a slew of unique monsters that players can encounter in space.

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In addition to featuring a plethora of dangerous foes for adventurers to overcome, Boo's Astral Menagerie, (the monster compendium included as part of Spelljammer) is filled with several monsters that are more likely to help adventurers than harm them. So we're going to explore several great new monsters that can be used as memorable NPCs in your Spelljammer campaign.

Plasmoids are a notable inclusion within Spelljammer, serving as D&D Fifth Edition's first playable ooze. In addition to being a fully playable race, as they age in maturity, some Plasmoids can notably increase in size, becoming large-sized beings known as Plasmoid Bosses. Plasmoid Bosses are said to use their size in order to strong-arm others, frequently landing themselves in positions of power within Wildspace.

For this reason it isn't uncommon for the likes of guild leaders or the head of a criminal syndicate within WIldspace to be a Plasmoid boss. For those looking for a wonderful and flavorful option for a criminal contact for a party's Rogue in a Spelljammer campaign, look no further than the Plasmoid Boss.

A fey with the meager CR of 0, a Dohwar is a Penguin-like being known for serving as a merchant within WIldspace. Regardless of the legality of the goods a Dohwar is looking to sell, it's said that they prefer to do their dealings in secrecy, such as within remote alleyways.

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This can potentially lead to some hilarious situations in which an adventurer may need to make a shady-looking exchange with a Dohwar that is simply over a completely innocuous and legal item. Additionally, Dohwar are notably psionic, capable of communicating with others telepathically whilst having the ability to cast the Detect Thoughts spell. These abilities can further help a Dohwar keep its dealings as a merchant under wraps.

Chwinga are tiny elementals that can be found within the Material Plane, often fascinated by the actions of adventurers. While many Chwinga remain in more traditional D&D settings, Chwinga Astronauts can be encountered within Wildspace and are most often encountered as stowaways on Spelljamming Vessels and riding Space Guppies. Far from hostile, Chwinga are unable to speak and prefer to observe the actions of those whom they find the most interesting.

If a Chwinga Astronaut takes a liking to a particular creature, it may bestow them with a magical gift that can assist them as they traverse through Wildspace and the Astral Plane. While these benefits can come in a wide variety of forms, they can most notably allow a creature to cast the Air Bubble spell, allowing them to survive in the vacuum of space, or they may allow a creature to instantaneously summon helpful tools when they may be needed.

Known as primarily as merchants rather than combative threats, Mercanes are giants that are notable due to their inherent telepathic abilities. Rather than being able to telepathically communicate with those around them, these giants have an inherent telepathic link with all members of their species. As Mercanes are characteristically merchants, this allows them to easily gain information about their customers if they'd had dealings with another Mercane in the past.

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Not only can this allow a Mercane to easily determine what a customer may be interested in, it also means that if an individual burns a bridge with a single Mercane, they may end up blacklisted by the entire species!

Starlight Apparitions are the lingering consciousness of those who met unfortunate premature ends while traversing Wildspace or the Astral Plane. Rather than acting in any kind of malicious fashion like a ghost, these celestials aim to help those they encounter avoid similar fates they'd met in the past. Despite being classified as celestials, a Starlight Apparition shares many traits with incorporeal undead like that ability to move through objects and possess others.

This creature opens up a lot of possibilities for a helpful guide to assist a party through a notably treacherous region of the Astral Plane, even allowing the party to potentially reconnect with the consciousness of a fallen friend or ally. It's important to note that these beings are notably unable to leave the Astral Plane, meaning that even if a party were to reconnect with a fallen ally who'd appeared as a Starlight Apparition, they'd be unable to rejoin them in the likes of the Material Plane.

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Staff Writer, Paul DiSalvo is a writer, comic creator, animation lover, and game design enthusiast currently residing in Boston, Massachusetts. He has studied creative writing at The New Hampshire Institute of Art and Otis College of Art and Design, and currently writes for TheGamer. In addition to writing, he directs and produces the podcast, "How Ya Dyin'?" He enjoys collecting comics, records, and wins in Magic: The Gathering.