301 Monsters you want to use [Archive] - Wizards Community

301 Monsters you want to use [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Starman IX
10-09-06, 08:56 PM This is the Yin to 301 Monsters You'll Never Use (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=700027)'s yang.

This is basically for creatures you want to use, but were to afraid to spring on your players as a part of your story.

1 - Incubus: Redemption quest. Yeah, cliche, but what isn't?

2 - Yuan-ti Abomination: Don't see these walking around in broad daylight much. My players don't hang around jungles much either.

3 - Dire Weretiger: They look cool, but who wants a neutral BBEG or NPC?

4 - Ogre Mage: Something just makes me like these just on the cool factor, but I wouldn't know how to just slide him into the story.

5 - Rakshasa: Regular and Naztharune, the other two don't appeal to me. While these are the easiest to put in, it just doesn't seem like the players would catch on.
TheCrawlingSpleen
10-09-06, 09:38 PM Awesome thread, and that's all I'll say about that. Now, as for the monsters.

I don't enjoy making monsters into "random" fights; in my world, that's what animals and hostile humans are for. When the party encounters something monstrous, I want it to mean something. Giant vermin lurk only in deep caves or dark forests; flesh-eating plants grow in the deepest jungles, and beings from the lower planes don't just pop up at random. Therefore, most of the problems I have involve making a monster encounter unique.

So, for my first post:

Kraken: It's cool, it's evil, it's smart, and it's got awesome magical powers. Plus, it's an actual mythological creature, and it looks like a giant squid. I like giant squid :D. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to use a Kraken while keeping it different from an aboleth (the other race of aquatic, slimy, tentacled masterminds)
d24478667
10-10-06, 07:16 AM Aboleth's try to rule the world. The Krakens like munching on anything they can, and smart enough to run away when they can't.
tryco
10-10-06, 08:17 AM illithids: mindflayers rule:cool: , and are so cool. i'm going to use them in my campaign. but i'm a bit afraid that they will be to strong and will kill the pc outright.

all aberrations: most of them are just so scary. and you can put them in all sorts of places, even in those, the pc won't expect.:plotting:. but then again, same as above.
pita
10-10-06, 08:25 AM Tarrasque.
He's an effing unique effing mother effing monstrosity that cant effing die!
TheCrawlingSpleen
10-10-06, 05:54 PM Tarrasque.
He's an effing unique effing mother effing monstrosity that cant effing die!

The Tarrasque is definitely not something you want to try to kill (unless you're epic), but perhaps the PC's merely need to find a way to return the behemoth to its deep slumber. Alternatively, you could use the Tarrasque's awakening as an event similar to a natural disaster. As the creature chews its way across the landscape, all :censored: would most likely break loose in its wake, with opportunistic evildoers doing whatever they think they can get away with (like criminals in the wake of a hurricane).

Aboleth's try to rule the world. The Krakens like munching on anything they can, and smart enough to run away when they can't.

So you're saying that the aboleths are the big schemers, while the krakens are just looking to expand their own evil lot in life. Got it.

Thank you! :)
Starman IX
10-15-06, 08:13 AM Kick it :bump:
pita
10-15-06, 09:46 AM Can a tarrasque start a campaign, leading to why it awakened, who woke it up, defeating the tarrasque once and for all, and then facing its master?
TheCrawlingSpleen
10-15-06, 01:35 PM Can a tarrasque start a campaign, leading to why it awakened, who woke it up, defeating the tarrasque once and for all, and then facing its master?

Very cool idea!
cog_and_taz
10-22-06, 08:05 AM I came up with a hook of this a while back for high-end chars. They whack the tarrasque and see that it's a gigantic construct.

Their conclusion? "and that means someone built.....HOLY:censored: !!!"

It led to them finding a non-evil but barking mad epic gnome artificer who was making backup tarrasques and lotsa stuff that's far far nastier(though not necessarily stat-wise). Fun stuff, and it scared 'em to no end.
Talisman
10-23-06, 04:48 PM illithids: mindflayers rule:cool: , and are so cool. i'm going to use them in my campaign. but i'm a bit afraid that they will be to strong and will kill the pc outright.

I tortured my players with a mind flayer starting at 5th level (actually starting at 1st...one PC's backstory was that he had been captured and tormented by the mind flayer, giving him amnesia). He popped up now and then, and was just killed 2 weeks ago by the now-15th-level party.

My vote: great wyrm dragons, Black, green, red, whatever. They're so awesome, yet so hard to throw into a story. No one knew there was a 500+ year old red wyrm hanging out in these mountains??
HolyGrenadeFrenzy
10-23-06, 06:33 PM Ancient or Older Red Dragon with the following Templates Phrenic/Monster of Legend/Paragon...Have made one and everyone including other Red Dragons are afraid of it....Lots of fun!...Make it a 20lvl Psion and a 20th level sorcerer or wizard....give it a few prestige classes and let it help the party overcome other reds in exchange for something.
Gandrel
10-23-06, 06:43 PM That was a easy question! All the iconic d&d monsters! From the classy red dragon to the neverdying hit zombies and skeletons they are the vreatures that most player (and dms) expects to run/fight at least once in a campagain. The cool thing about the new d&d is that you can add characters classes to the monsters so you can surprise your players! A barbarian kobold!? A mindflayer monk!? Thats surely unnespected but also expected at the same time.
Necropolitan
10-23-06, 06:44 PM The Deathbringer.

Because it's friggin' scary man. Continunal Anti-Magic field around it in a 20' radius and a *nasty* melee fighter; and Undead to Boot.

Makes my party re-think how effective their Blaster Mage is.
HolyGrenadeFrenzy
10-24-06, 02:00 AM Green Slime and Nilbogs.:D But where can they be found? Wait..Tweens too!
Link182
10-24-06, 03:24 AM Ah the ogre mage is a classic or is it ogre magi? Either way, I've just made one a sort of embassador to a giant lord come to seek retribution from my PCs for killing the giant's men, 2 hill giant enforcers. (the hill giant flunkies were attacking a caravan for failing to pay a passage tax though the giants land, my PCs killed them.)
Now the giant sends this smooth talking Ogre Mage to come collect the PC "criminals", he won't ask for anything unreasonable, just gold from those who participated in the fight and the actual person who struck the killing blow as a captive for trial in the Giants court. I've got the Ogre Mage traveling with two Kenku, one ranger, one wu jen and a small host of orc barbarian servants. One of my PCs is playing a samuri so I figured I'd bring in some forces from the Hordeland area with an Eastern feel, throwing back to my old 1E Oriental Adventure days.

The monsters you want to use?
The Gelatanious Cube of course! I think I might have one drop from the ceiling onto my PCs. Why havn't they made a GC mini yet?
Sapp
10-24-06, 04:37 AM Haven't done this before, but I'd like to set a Solar against PCs. It's the most powerful nondragon monster in all of the Monster Manuals (I through IV). Even if we include the dragons, only Great Wyrm dragons can match it in power.

It's 100 times scarier than the Tarrasque.

It would probably take place in an evil campaign, but I like killing evil PCs anyway.
HolyGrenadeFrenzy
10-24-06, 11:34 AM Haven't done this before, but I'd like to set a Solar against PCs. It's the most powerful nondragon monster in all of the Monster Manuals (I through IV). Even if we include the dragons, only Great Wyrm dragons can match it in power.

It's 100 times scarier than the Tarrasque.

It would probably take place in an evil campaign, but I like killing evil PCs anyway.
Isle of the Ape the first editiojn module...I believe the updated version is free on this website but it may not have been done yet....Whoops I am wrong it isn't on the website but good news...If you find it, it is twisted even if you don't fight the Solar but the Solar fight is pretty much scheduled!
HolyGrenadeFrenzy
03-27-07, 12:01 AM I really like this thread and a resurection is due. :bump:

6. Illithid w/Displacer Beasts

7.Beholders

8.Scorpionfolk

9.Titans

10.Treants & Elder Treants
11.Nymphs
Jenkins007
03-27-07, 01:47 PM Girallons.

Alright, I've fought them before, but I wanna do it again!
My group has come to believe that a girallon is just two halflings in a gorilla suit.
GraveDigger
03-27-07, 02:01 PM Can a tarrasque start a campaign, leading to why it awakened, who woke it up, defeating the tarrasque once and for all, and then facing its master?

I have a campaign that I entitled "The Evils of the Earth" and it's all about the tarrasque awaking and an evil cult of Illithids using the chaos to finally come into power on the surface world, and several other evil factions spring into being including the cult of the Eye and the dragon cult. But everyone seems to die off during that campaign :(
Morrowner
03-27-07, 06:30 PM A Half-Fiend delver. Just statted up a 19 Hd one and my GOD is it brutal. at CR 13 it has caster level 19 Blasphemy, Destruction, Horrid Wilting, Summon Monster IX Unholy Aura 3 times a day, AC 27, SR 29 with great saves, resistances out the ying yang, flight, and over 200 HP!
I'd start with summoning up 1d4+1 Bone Devils. Bone Devils are some tough mammerjammers. After that its Destruction and Horrid Wilting while flying. If that doesn't kill the whole party its time for a swoop down for a well placed Blasphemy. The gear is then going bye bye with DC 26 Corrosive Slimes.
Thing is, I don't have the balls to use one as a BBEG because unless the group is nothing but a bunch of twinks they'd get shredded like swiss cheese!
Syn_Exelian
03-27-07, 08:46 PM Inevitables. I love them to bits, but the players never commit any attrocities truly bad enough to warrent one coming to bring some fun.
Zonhin
03-28-07, 08:59 PM Inevitables. I love them to bits, but the players never commit any attrocities truly bad enough to warrent one coming to bring some fun.

Well, maybe an Inevitable can somehow team up with your players?
MCage
03-28-07, 09:29 PM Houithon (sp?) its from the Fiend Folio, Basically is a big rotting undead beasty that spawns bloodfeind swarms out of its body, these said bloodfiend swarms turn their kills into Fiendish Vampire Spawns. Need a horde of undead, get a houithon and unleash it on a small village, you got yourself a mass of fiendish vampires backed up by a few swarms of some annoying gnats with a big papa Houithon in the town hall (howd he get in there, it doesnt matter your PC's will just want to kill it by the time they get there)

what is that # 20ish i totaly lost count
Morrowner
03-28-07, 09:36 PM Yeah, Hullathoins are pretty nifty. I've always wanted to run an Angel of Decay after a DM rocked my world with one about a year ago.
They are naAAASTY!
WilwarinAndamar
03-28-07, 10:25 PM Assassin Vines
Succubi
Gnolls
Yuan-Ti
Headhunter (homebrew monster)
Muspelheim
03-29-07, 08:15 AM The Deathbringer.

Because it's friggin' scary man. Continunal Anti-Magic field around it in a 20' radius and a *nasty* melee fighter; and Undead to Boot.

Makes my party re-think how effective their Blaster Mage is.

Hmm, is there another version of the deathbringer? The one in my MM2 does not have any kind of anti-magic field, and looks *extremely* weak for a CR 17. The party in my current campaign would tear it apart with no real trouble and they are currently at level 9.5 (two at level 9, two at level 10).
Disciple_of_Juiblex
03-29-07, 09:07 AM Elder E(Something){from the abberation book} horrid rat (eberron)

If i remember right it would be CR 4. Construct. Hp 8. AC 30

They would never look at rats the same way :D
Aldareth
03-29-07, 09:25 AM want to see the freaking faces of my players when the face the Naga Hydra and then the Ha- Naga Overlord :D

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Starman IX 10-09-06, 08:56 PM	This is the Yin to 301 Monsters You'll Never Use (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=700027)'s yang. This is basically for creatures you want to use, but were to afraid to spring on your players as a part of your story. 1 - Incubus: Redemption quest. Yeah, cliche, but what isn't? 2 - Yuan-ti Abomination: Don't see these walking around in broad daylight much. My players don't hang around jungles much either. 3 - Dire Weretiger: They look cool, but who wants a neutral BBEG or NPC? 4 - Ogre Mage: Something just makes me like these just on the cool factor, but I wouldn't know how to just slide him into the story. 5 - Rakshasa: Regular and Naztharune, the other two don't appeal to me. While these are the easiest to put in, it just doesn't seem like the players would catch on.
TheCrawlingSpleen 10-09-06, 09:38 PM	Awesome thread, and that's all I'll say about that. Now, as for the monsters. I don't enjoy making monsters into "random" fights; in my world, that's what animals and hostile humans are for. When the party encounters something monstrous, I want it to mean something. Giant vermin lurk only in deep caves or dark forests; flesh-eating plants grow in the deepest jungles, and beings from the lower planes don't just pop up at random. Therefore, most of the problems I have involve making a monster encounter unique. So, for my first post: Kraken: It's cool, it's evil, it's smart, and it's got awesome magical powers. Plus, it's an actual mythological creature, and it looks like a giant squid. I like giant squid :D. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to use a Kraken while keeping it different from an aboleth (the other race of aquatic, slimy, tentacled masterminds)
d24478667 10-10-06, 07:16 AM	Aboleth's try to rule the world. The Krakens like munching on anything they can, and smart enough to run away when they can't.
tryco 10-10-06, 08:17 AM	illithids: mindflayers rule:cool: , and are so cool. i'm going to use them in my campaign. but i'm a bit afraid that they will be to strong and will kill the pc outright. all aberrations: most of them are just so scary. and you can put them in all sorts of places, even in those, the pc won't expect.:plotting:. but then again, same as above.
pita 10-10-06, 08:25 AM	Tarrasque. He's an effing unique effing mother effing monstrosity that cant effing die!
TheCrawlingSpleen 10-10-06, 05:54 PM	Tarrasque. He's an effing unique effing mother effing monstrosity that cant effing die! The Tarrasque is definitely not something you want to try to kill (unless you're epic), but perhaps the PC's merely need to find a way to return the behemoth to its deep slumber. Alternatively, you could use the Tarrasque's awakening as an event similar to a natural disaster. As the creature chews its way across the landscape, all :censored: would most likely break loose in its wake, with opportunistic evildoers doing whatever they think they can get away with (like criminals in the wake of a hurricane). Aboleth's try to rule the world. The Krakens like munching on anything they can, and smart enough to run away when they can't. So you're saying that the aboleths are the big schemers, while the krakens are just looking to expand their own evil lot in life. Got it. Thank you! :)
Starman IX 10-15-06, 08:13 AM	Kick it :bump:
pita 10-15-06, 09:46 AM	Can a tarrasque start a campaign, leading to why it awakened, who woke it up, defeating the tarrasque once and for all, and then facing its master?
TheCrawlingSpleen 10-15-06, 01:35 PM	Can a tarrasque start a campaign, leading to why it awakened, who woke it up, defeating the tarrasque once and for all, and then facing its master? Very cool idea!
cog_and_taz 10-22-06, 08:05 AM	I came up with a hook of this a while back for high-end chars. They whack the tarrasque and see that it's a gigantic construct. Their conclusion? "and that means someone built.....HOLY:censored: !!!" It led to them finding a non-evil but barking mad epic gnome artificer who was making backup tarrasques and lotsa stuff that's far far nastier(though not necessarily stat-wise). Fun stuff, and it scared 'em to no end.
Talisman 10-23-06, 04:48 PM	illithids: mindflayers rule:cool: , and are so cool. i'm going to use them in my campaign. but i'm a bit afraid that they will be to strong and will kill the pc outright. I tortured my players with a mind flayer starting at 5th level (actually starting at 1st...one PC's backstory was that he had been captured and tormented by the mind flayer, giving him amnesia). He popped up now and then, and was just killed 2 weeks ago by the now-15th-level party. My vote: great wyrm dragons, Black, green, red, whatever. They're so awesome, yet so hard to throw into a story. No one knew there was a 500+ year old red wyrm hanging out in these mountains??
HolyGrenadeFrenzy 10-23-06, 06:33 PM	Ancient or Older Red Dragon with the following Templates Phrenic/Monster of Legend/Paragon...Have made one and everyone including other Red Dragons are afraid of it....Lots of fun!...Make it a 20lvl Psion and a 20th level sorcerer or wizard....give it a few prestige classes and let it help the party overcome other reds in exchange for something.
Gandrel 10-23-06, 06:43 PM	That was a easy question! All the iconic d&d monsters! From the classy red dragon to the neverdying hit zombies and skeletons they are the vreatures that most player (and dms) expects to run/fight at least once in a campagain. The cool thing about the new d&d is that you can add characters classes to the monsters so you can surprise your players! A barbarian kobold!? A mindflayer monk!? Thats surely unnespected but also expected at the same time.
Necropolitan 10-23-06, 06:44 PM	The Deathbringer. Because it's friggin' scary man. Continunal Anti-Magic field around it in a 20' radius and a nasty melee fighter; and Undead to Boot. Makes my party re-think how effective their Blaster Mage is.
HolyGrenadeFrenzy 10-24-06, 02:00 AM	Green Slime and Nilbogs.:D But where can they be found? Wait..Tweens too!
Link182 10-24-06, 03:24 AM	Ah the ogre mage is a classic or is it ogre magi? Either way, I've just made one a sort of embassador to a giant lord come to seek retribution from my PCs for killing the giant's men, 2 hill giant enforcers. (the hill giant flunkies were attacking a caravan for failing to pay a passage tax though the giants land, my PCs killed them.) Now the giant sends this smooth talking Ogre Mage to come collect the PC "criminals", he won't ask for anything unreasonable, just gold from those who participated in the fight and the actual person who struck the killing blow as a captive for trial in the Giants court. I've got the Ogre Mage traveling with two Kenku, one ranger, one wu jen and a small host of orc barbarian servants. One of my PCs is playing a samuri so I figured I'd bring in some forces from the Hordeland area with an Eastern feel, throwing back to my old 1E Oriental Adventure days. The monsters you want to use? The Gelatanious Cube of course! I think I might have one drop from the ceiling onto my PCs. Why havn't they made a GC mini yet?
Sapp 10-24-06, 04:37 AM	Haven't done this before, but I'd like to set a Solar against PCs. It's the most powerful nondragon monster in all of the Monster Manuals (I through IV). Even if we include the dragons, only Great Wyrm dragons can match it in power. It's 100 times scarier than the Tarrasque. It would probably take place in an evil campaign, but I like killing evil PCs anyway.
HolyGrenadeFrenzy 10-24-06, 11:34 AM	Haven't done this before, but I'd like to set a Solar against PCs. It's the most powerful nondragon monster in all of the Monster Manuals (I through IV). Even if we include the dragons, only Great Wyrm dragons can match it in power. It's 100 times scarier than the Tarrasque. It would probably take place in an evil campaign, but I like killing evil PCs anyway. Isle of the Ape the first editiojn module...I believe the updated version is free on this website but it may not have been done yet....Whoops I am wrong it isn't on the website but good news...If you find it, it is twisted even if you don't fight the Solar but the Solar fight is pretty much scheduled!
HolyGrenadeFrenzy 03-27-07, 12:01 AM	I really like this thread and a resurection is due. :bump: 6. Illithid w/Displacer Beasts 7.Beholders 8.Scorpionfolk 9.Titans 10.Treants & Elder Treants 11.Nymphs
Jenkins007 03-27-07, 01:47 PM	Girallons. Alright, I've fought them before, but I wanna do it again! My group has come to believe that a girallon is just two halflings in a gorilla suit.
GraveDigger 03-27-07, 02:01 PM	Can a tarrasque start a campaign, leading to why it awakened, who woke it up, defeating the tarrasque once and for all, and then facing its master? I have a campaign that I entitled "The Evils of the Earth" and it's all about the tarrasque awaking and an evil cult of Illithids using the chaos to finally come into power on the surface world, and several other evil factions spring into being including the cult of the Eye and the dragon cult. But everyone seems to die off during that campaign :(
Morrowner 03-27-07, 06:30 PM	A Half-Fiend delver. Just statted up a 19 Hd one and my GOD is it brutal. at CR 13 it has caster level 19 Blasphemy, Destruction, Horrid Wilting, Summon Monster IX Unholy Aura 3 times a day, AC 27, SR 29 with great saves, resistances out the ying yang, flight, and over 200 HP! I'd start with summoning up 1d4+1 Bone Devils. Bone Devils are some tough mammerjammers. After that its Destruction and Horrid Wilting while flying. If that doesn't kill the whole party its time for a swoop down for a well placed Blasphemy. The gear is then going bye bye with DC 26 Corrosive Slimes. Thing is, I don't have the balls to use one as a BBEG because unless the group is nothing but a bunch of twinks they'd get shredded like swiss cheese!
Syn_Exelian 03-27-07, 08:46 PM	Inevitables. I love them to bits, but the players never commit any attrocities truly bad enough to warrent one coming to bring some fun.
Zonhin 03-28-07, 08:59 PM	Inevitables. I love them to bits, but the players never commit any attrocities truly bad enough to warrent one coming to bring some fun. Well, maybe an Inevitable can somehow team up with your players?
MCage 03-28-07, 09:29 PM	Houithon (sp?) its from the Fiend Folio, Basically is a big rotting undead beasty that spawns bloodfeind swarms out of its body, these said bloodfiend swarms turn their kills into Fiendish Vampire Spawns. Need a horde of undead, get a houithon and unleash it on a small village, you got yourself a mass of fiendish vampires backed up by a few swarms of some annoying gnats with a big papa Houithon in the town hall (howd he get in there, it doesnt matter your PC's will just want to kill it by the time they get there) what is that # 20ish i totaly lost count
Morrowner 03-28-07, 09:36 PM	Yeah, Hullathoins are pretty nifty. I've always wanted to run an Angel of Decay after a DM rocked my world with one about a year ago. They are naAAASTY!
WilwarinAndamar 03-28-07, 10:25 PM	Assassin Vines Succubi Gnolls Yuan-Ti Headhunter (homebrew monster)
Muspelheim 03-29-07, 08:15 AM	The Deathbringer. Because it's friggin' scary man. Continunal Anti-Magic field around it in a 20' radius and a nasty melee fighter; and Undead to Boot. Makes my party re-think how effective their Blaster Mage is. Hmm, is there another version of the deathbringer? The one in my MM2 does not have any kind of anti-magic field, and looks extremely weak for a CR 17. The party in my current campaign would tear it apart with no real trouble and they are currently at level 9.5 (two at level 9, two at level 10).
Disciple_of_Juiblex 03-29-07, 09:07 AM	Elder E(Something){from the abberation book} horrid rat (eberron) If i remember right it would be CR 4. Construct. Hp 8. AC 30 They would never look at rats the same way :D
Aldareth 03-29-07, 09:25 AM	want to see the freaking faces of my players when the face the Naga Hydra and then the Ha- Naga Overlord :D