Hi all,

Getting back into GMing after several years away, running a handful of sessions for a group of new players. 

After some low level questing I'd like for their starting town to come under attack from an organized alliance of low-tier monsters. Something like Orcs, Kenku, and Kobolds (or whatever! very early stages of planning rn) organized into a fighting force to take the town. I'd like this to happen around level 3-4 as a kind of capstone to their early adventures and launching pad into the next phase of their campaign.

My question: What kind of mid-level threat would be able/inclined to organize otherwise hostile/indifferent monsters into a mini army? It needs to be something intelligent, organized, and threatening/persuasive enough to get Orcs and Kenku to work together for a while. I've thought of perhaps a Young Dragon.....but I'd like options and am drawing blanks. What do you think?

TL;DR: Need a low-mid level big bad to organize low-tier monsters into an army. What creatures fit the bill?

Coven of hags? Adapt the type of hag to the level of the characters.

An orc war chief might work.

Hobgoblin Captain, or for a bit more of a challenge Hobgoblin Warlord

Kenku?

Quote from Hey_Murdock_ >>

TL;DR: Need a low-mid level big bad to organize low-tier monsters into an army. What creatures fit the bill?

Well, you can just use a charismatic leader of one type, though unifying disparate tribes is a bit unusual. If you want something that isn't the same type as them, a Cambion would be good at that sort of thing, though a pretty rough fight.

I don't know what sources you have, but here are some of my recommendations:

orc war chief, illusionist, conjurer, necromancer (this one I feel like fits best, but would also probably be too hard of an encounter without something to balance it), night hag, mage, or wraith.

I think the bast 2 of those are wraith, and mage. both fit well, and would be a difficult but very possible encounter.

A single revenant (DMG 259) who's out to destroy the mayor of the town because the mayor had the man/woman murdered so he could marry the now-revenant's wife/husband. Revenant uses terrifying regeneration powers and sheer force of will to gain dominance over a middling tribe of low-level baddies and is whipping them up into a rage to assault the town with. 

Might want to prepare a branching story for in case the players decide to join the revenant for whatever reason. I've heard that players have a tendency of doing that when the BBE has a backstory or halfway-legitimate motive.

(I don't know how to do the glowy words bit everyone else is using, sorreh)

It could be cool if you did something that uses psionics to keep them in check? 

At best:  Something mimicking a Beholder for a crime guild.  At worse, an ACTUAL BEHOLDER.  Or an Aboleth.

A solitary Mind Flayer, perhaps. Not sure why it's solitary, but this could provide interesting motivation for the invasion (is it an outcast, or is it working on the orders of its elder brain?).

You could make it a relatively smart goblin who went to goblin law school and is seeking reparitions against the humans that are expanding into their territory

i think a wraith with a couple of zombies would be a good encounter.

Husk zombies created by a Nergaliid... also varis I adore your signature there.  Molly was a pain but he was the best pain.

thanks! thats a great idea! i must say tho, the nergalid and husk zombies seemed alot more challenging on critical role!

Husks are CR. 1 and Nergaliid is CR. 3, so it needs brains to defeat