Dungeons & Dragons Cave Nightmare Miniature

This is a highly detailed miniature of a Cave Nightmare.

This model was created by MZ4250 who makes amazingly accurate models of the Monster Manual creatures and provided by Commercial License.

A Cave Nightmare in Dungeons & Dragons is a sinister and terrifying creature that blends the monstrous traits of an aberration with the unsettling familiarity of a predatory cave-dweller. It is not a standard entry in official D&D sourcebooks like the Monster Manual, which means it typically appears in homebrew campaigns or third-party settings. As the name suggests, the Cave Nightmare thrives in subterranean environments—dark caverns, forgotten ruins, and deep tunnel systems—where light rarely reaches and where isolation plays tricks on the mind.

This creature is often depicted as a manifestation of fear itself, born from the lingering terror of those who have died in the dark. Its form may shift slightly depending on the storyteller, but common elements include elongated limbs, eyeless faces, jagged teeth, and shadowy bodies that blend into the cave walls. It is often said to move silently, its presence only betrayed by a drop in temperature or the faint scraping of claws on stone. It strikes from the darkness, preferring to stalk its prey for hours or days, feeding not only on flesh but on the mounting panic of its victims. Many accounts describe it as an entity that can seep into dreams or hallucinations, twisting reality around the unfortunate souls who encounter it.

Mechanically, a Cave Nightmare could be adapted using traits from creatures like the Shadow, Banshee, or Gibbering Mouther, combined with unique abilities that induce fear, create darkness, or manipulate the environment. Dungeon Masters might give it legendary actions or lair actions, making it a central horror in an extended underground campaign. Players facing a Cave Nightmare must be wary of psychological warfare, not just brute strength. The darkness becomes its ally, and the more frightened the adventurers become, the stronger it seems to grow. It is not merely a monster to be fought—it is dread given form.

31.31mm tall at 32mm scale.