1) The roof of underground ceilings aren’t necessarily flat. If the carrion crawler waits behind an outcropping, it might be able to take the players by surprise. If the tunnel is narrow, a paralyzed PC will stop the others advance.
2) The carrion crawler can hide on a ledge jutting out of the wall. It has the reach to get to them from there, and they don’t. It only wants a meal, so once it poisons one PC, it will drag him to the ledge and ignore the rest.
3) Place the carrion crawler on the other side of a small chasm, or even worse, clinging to ceiling above the chasm. Good luck crossing the chasm. (Give the carrion crawler cover via an outcropping of rock, so it doesn’t get shot down.)
4) The carrion crawler is a monster that clings to the ceiling. That means that killing it is followed by a heavy corpse falling on the PC, knocking the PC to the ground and pinning him there.
5) Put the carrion crawler on a ledge, along a height that they have to climb. As soon as they get paralyzed, they’ll fall t the bottom.
6) Have the carrion crawler be coming out a tunnel, on course to intercept the one that they’re in. If they can’t stop the carrion crawler before it enters the tunnel, the body will clog it, and they won’t be able to advance, even once they kill it.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) Centaurs have a literary tradition of being jerks. In parley, they’ll be inflexible. In combat, they’re the one good alignment monster I wouldn’t think twice about using as an enemy. They won’t ally with evil creatures, thought.
2) The centaurs’ preferred combat style will be ranged, with their high movement keeping them away from melee. Since this is horrible for a game, I’d give them a point that they’re defending, and if the PCs manage to reach it they’ll charge to defend.
3) How do the centaurs respond to the players’ horses? In one fantasy book, the centaurs offered a trade in slaves, and it was only after a few pages that we realized that the “Slaves” that they were referring to were the here’s horses.
4) Plot idea: Because the centaurs are nomadic, they are effectively defending a wide area. (Think of the entire Oregon trail, or silk road.) Some enemies want them gone, and the players have to stop the plot. Unfortunately, the centaurs won’t believe their warnings.
5) Have the centaurs come into possession of a cursed object (or Demagorgon figurine). The players have to steal it to have the centaurs. Stealing it isn’t so difficult, but getting away afterwards will be.
6) A chase scene where the players are trying to get away by horseback and the centaurs are in hot pursuit could be rather interesting. You’ll need to give a reason that they can’t just fight, and a place that they can win by reaching.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) To make the chimera difficult: The chimera will choose a PC, and target him until dead. I don’t mean unconscious. To make it easier, the first time the target drops to 0 HP, the chimera will leave, and return after a short rest. It likes to taunt its prey.
2) The chimera likes making an appearance. Have it announce its presence by bursing out of a cave an roaring, from high up on a mountain above the PCs. Coincedetially, this may sent boulders toppling onto them, pinning some of them in place.
3) If its chosen PC prey runs,(possibly due to being a squishy spellcaster), it will fly to put itself in front of that PC in order to cut him off and intimidate him. The fact that it puts the chimera as far as possible from the melee is a nice coincidence.
4) Once it announced itself, the chimera is happy to stalk its prey, attack and retreat. In a place thick with vegetation or boulders, where the players can’t stay tight together or see it coming, this may cause problems.
5) Personify the chimera by describing the way one of its heads is looking at a PC, and alternate which head each time, until they learn that the chimera is totally evil. Doing all the heads at once we be too much desripton, and you’ll be ignored.
6) The chimera is an ideal fight to use to kick off a campaign. If it’s too high for the PCs to deal wih on their own, you can give them NPC allies for just that fight. It lets you set things off with a bang. (Use it as a sign of released evil, or the villain’s first strike.)
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) Chuuls collect magical items, and magical people. That definitely includes caster classes, and can be made to include non-casters. When a chuul paralyzes someone, have them drag them off while other chuuls block the rest of the party’s pursuit
2) Chuuls live near and in water. When a paralyzed person falls into water, the paralyze condition goes from brief hindrance to deadly.
3) Chuuls collect mindlessly, and don’t take care of their surroundings. Consequently, the terrain will be unstable underfoot, and contain piles that might topple over, causing stable characters to fall and paralyzed ones to get buried.
4) Chuuls sense magic, can walk through water and weak walls, and see in the dark. They don’t ambush, but sudden attacks are almost the same, and they’ll always start by targeting the PC with the most magic. (Which might mean magic items.)
5) Scenario: The chuuls captured (“collected”) a magical NPC, who sent off a message spell SOS. There is also an assassin after them, so they don’t have time to fight through all the chuuls. (Chuuls are low damage, high defense.)
6) Expect the chuuls to have captured some magic items without killing the owners. This means that after defeating the chuuls, they’ll want their items back. Whether to do this via moral conflict or via nighttime theft/assassination is up to you.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) The cloaker will disguise itself by finding the sight of a battle, and pretending to be the garment of one of the dead combatants. Make sure to have 1-2 other items of interest by the corpses, so the players’ focus is divided.
2) The cloaker can team up with other creatures, one of whom will wear it as a cloak until they get near a PC. Then it will detach, gaining a meal for itself and one less combatant for its ally. An oni is the ideal choice, but a mind flayer also works.
3) If it attacks the rearmost PC when the others are occupied, they might not notice, especially if they’re beyond darkvision range. With the cloaker over his head, the PC can’t shout for help. (Let the player know via note, and tell him that he’s silenced.)
4) If the PC who’s blinded is near a cliff, he might fall, especially if there’s a tripwire, grease, or loose tiles, and the other PCs aren’t nearby.
5) If a PC with a cloaker attached falls off a cliff, the cloaker will fly him to a nearby ledge, where it can have him to itself. As he isn’t grappled, it can only move him with his permission, so he can choose to go splat, if he’d like.
6) When climbing, the PCs will be especially vulnerable. After the cloaker protects itself by latching on to a PC, have it use the shove attack option to pull the PC off the side. As it’s attached, it will move with the PC.
7) Have the cloaker decide to help the PCs. As it can’t communicate with them, it will have to drag them on to hidden levers and/or away from traps, and hope they realize that it’s friendly.
8) If you have a cloaker vrs. cloaker battle (probably with one friendly, and one or more not), and they both use physic scream, life will become interesting. As far as the players can tell, there’s an entire army of cloakers fighting it out.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1)covenless) Green hags are amphibious. Use this to your advantage when designing their lair and surrounding area. They can’t do much if they’re fighting an entire party at once unless they’re in a coven, so they should lair in a murky swamp with deep water, at least 30 feet, nearby and grapple players with their superior strength, then try to drown them.
2)with coven) they can cast a nasty bestow curse. The hags would hear of the adventurer’s deeds and concoct a plan. Have two of the hags invite the party for tea, while the third, invisible and hiding around in their lair, will cast a bestow curse on one of the party members with their 6th level spell slot. Preferably a fighter or a barbarian or a character likely to participate in a competition of strength. Then, have the hags host a competition, like lifting a weight or something. They will probably fail with the debuffs, which will crush them! Lots of fun damage there, and if the hags are discovered they will all turn invisible and flee.
Sea hag
3)covenless) a sea hag, by themself, cannot do much. Their most powerful ability is their death glare, with a very low saving throw. However, a sea hag can easily win the fight if she knows the party is coming. Watch them from the water, learn their skills and weaknesses. A single sea hag’s most powerful weapon is traps. A hag could definitely procure poison from sea animals, lure the party to an area with very rough waters, or set up a wrecked ship’s rotting floor to fall through into the cold depths below. That’s their biggest strength.
4)with coven) a death glare ability requires a target to be frightened by the hag. They do not need to be frightened by its hideous appearance. Cause fear on the party during fights, or have one of the hags frighten and terrify a character during the night, having them make wisdom saves or be frightened until they figure out what’s going on, after which the other hags come in and surround and death glare them. In addition, a coven of sea hags could easily drive away fish from boats. Starve a town, slowly.
Night Hags
5)covenless) have the hag visit the characters in the real world and talk to them, gathering information. The night hag wants to collect a specific characters soul, the most evil among them. Once they find their target, they will invite them to a local event at the nearby village, where she will then turn that character’s food nasty in their mouth. This will give an excuse for when she nightmare haunts them, “oh, they’re just sick! Nothing to worry about much.” Then, a few nights later, the hag will confront them a final time to collect their soul. To give the party a chance, have her appear in the real world for a bit right before the other party member dies.
6)with coven) three nobles have suddenly increased taxation in the town they lord over, and have made several arrests, taking away the local wizards and sorcerers. The nobles are disguised night hags, trying to turn people to evil acts and stealing, while imprisoning those who could unravel their magical schemes through detect magic or truesight. When a party spellcaster is arrested, they will need to sneak into the noble’s keep to rescue them! And fight the night hags too…
1) Always use at least two cockatrices at a time. If you use only one, the chances are two high that it will get killed before its first turn, and there goes your encounter.
2) Have your enemy keep the cockatrice in a straw-lined cage, which it will hurl at your players with the catapult spell [from XGtE]. If you don’t own XGtE, It’s dangling above the entrance, with a rope near the villains that they can cut. (Think pullies.)
3) Have the first PC to get paralyzed by the cockatrice fall down a hill, and end up in front of crocodiles or lions, forcing the remaining players to split their attention. (Give a reason they can’t all go to the rescue, such as another animal.)
4) Have the cockatrice be eating berries atop a narrow ledge. If they throw a spell, they risk collapsing the ledge. If they don’t take down the cockatrices before approaching, they run the risk of getting paralyzed and falling.
5) The players are in the middle of a fightf against another enemy when one or more cockatrices walk out of a nearby bush and look at them quizzically. Whoever goes next risks provoking them.
6) The players come on a large statue of a powerful foe in the middle of nowhere, and take its jewelry. Moments later, it starts waking up. It’s too powerful for them to fight. (Use after they already met a cockatrice, but not right after.)
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) The couatl can’t accompany the party (immunity to damage makes a broken tank), but it’s a great for slipping the players quest knowledge that they would ordinarily never have. While they’re fighting the villain, have it be doing undercover work.
2) The couatl’s shapeshifting means that it can show up to give new instructions right when it’s needed, streamlining the quest. Streamlining seems small, but actually makes a huge difference in maintaining narrative tension.
3) Puzzle for a hostile couatl. Place it in beast form, together with three actual beasts. The couatl is the one that doesn’t fit the terrain. Don’t be subtle. Your players don’t know that it’s a puzzle, so if you’re subtle they’ll automatically fail.
4) If you want to use the couatl’s tail grapple, have it be holding one of them helpless so that he can see the consequences of his [supposedly] evil actions. Given how powerful the bite is, this is the only possible reason to use the grapple.
5) When taking humanoid form, the couatl will be partial to lizardfolk, if civilized lizardfolk exist in your setting. There are only two humanoids with a bite attack, and gnolls are chaotic evil, so…
6) If they kill a couatl, it’s incomplete divine mission will come around to bite them. You have to start immediately, or they’ll forget, but you can start with a decoy. (Let them think it’s the sword they stole, really it’s a portal the couatl was guarding.)
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) Crawling claws typical use is scene setting. When you do this, get the players involved. Have the players give their letter of introduction to a claw, or send them to get something high up, and place a claw nearby to help.
2) In a haunted house vibe, have a pair of claws be playing the piano. Put on an appropriate soundtrack to play softly in your background.
3) Let the necromancer have a hand they’ll recognize. A woman’s hand with distinct painted nails, or a hand with tattoos. Their feelings toward the necromancer will be heavily influenced by their relationship with the hand’s previous owner.
4) When the fight starts, several hands move toward the door, or toward a bell, to sound the alarm. To make it harder, have some of them sneak under the carpet, behind the couch, and the like. Can they stop all of them in time?
5) Send several of the hands to try to trip up the players, in a trap style. For example, by tipping beakers of acid off a high shelf when a PC in near, by unscrewing a candelabra, by looping rope around a limb. Use with other combatants.
6) Have a hand be assigned to show them where to go. It will dash every turn, regardless of it they’re following. Then obstruct them with enemies, traps, open pits, piles of rubble, locked doors, etc. (The claw’s small enough to slip through cracks.)
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) The single eye is meant as a disability. The cyclops should be very vulnerable to having light shined in his eye, or to getting blinded with a light spell.
2) As the players search a cavern, a cyclops appears at the entrance and starts throwing rocks. Describe the cave shuddering from the impact. See if they realize that the boulders that miss them are going to collapse the cave with them in it.
3) At the players search a cavern, a cyclops rolls a boulder to block the entrance, and sits down to guard it. If they can’t figure out how to escape by high-tide, they’ll drown.
4) The players are on a ledge when a cyclops appears. It’s standing on the ground below, and they’re equal to its chest. Every time its blow misses them, it will destroy a part of the ledge, which was already narrow.
5) The players have to row a boat ashore, but a cyclops spotted them and is throwing boulders. Its aim is lousy, but if it hits, they’ll have to swim ashore, and they’ll probably arrive at its feet exhausted and split up.
6) The players climb onto a large boulder, perhaps to try to free something embedded in the rock. As they’re there, a cyclops picks up the rock without seeing them and is about to throw it. (Ideally, the players should be too low level to fight the cyclops.)
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) The party is attacked by a darkmantle. After killing it, the find that there are several strangers near them. If foes, the party is now out of position. If friendly, chances are one of the players will freak out and attack, so… see “if foes” above.
2) Use darkmantles during a fight in a large cave, filled with several pits or chasms. Basically, various PCs [and various monsters] are going to be taking short time outs, as they’re blinded and don’t dare move.
3) After triggering a trap, the party has to keep moving to stay ahead of an expanding cloud of poison gas. Then they get hit with a darkmantle. They hear rushing water ahead. What do they do? (Even sneakier, the path splits. Unaware of it, so do they.)
4) Place a few hazards on a battlefield, such as slime (save or fall prone) and cracks (get you foot caught. Save or be restrained for a round.) With darkmantles, no one can see what happened to you. (Pass them notes. This is why two different effects.)
5) The spell guarding a passage is out for one minute a day. However, there are darkmantles. Also, traps. You can use tripwires, with or without crossbows, and maybe a boulder trap. (“You hear something rumbling”. Better think fast.)
6) There are multiple darkmantles. They can’t find each other, talk to each other, have fun coordinating. Describe different sections with different types of floor, and see if they realize. Have a few enemies with bows (I.e. drow) to keep they moving.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) The death knight isn’t a villain who will wait for them to approach. It will seek them out. That means that until the players are ready to face it, they’ll have to sneak away from areas, mislead it as to where they’re going to be, etc.
2) The steed suggestions in the MM are far too weak. (The skeleton warhorse can’t survive a Fireball.) Either give them a bucketload of extra HP, have him dismount and fight on foot, or give him a better steed, (maybe a young black dragon.)
3) The death knight gives the impression of being fair, but will subtly change the battle rules to favor itself. (Example: challenging the PCs to a fight, and then declaring that it will fight them one at a time.) This is a trap, if the PCs trust it to be fair
4) If the death knight learn the PCs location, its preferred strategy will be to surround the house or campsite with undead, then to throw the hellfire orb to bring it down and force them to engage it.
5) In a campaign where the death knight is the big bad, consider having it be leading armies of undead. The PCs will need to raise allies, and take out brdges and the like to slow it down, in between the main quest of tracking down the item that can kill it.
6) Climax fight for a death knight leading armies: Set it up so that the PCs and their allies separate the death knight from the bulk of its troops, then the PCs have to bring it down while the NPC allies struggle to keep the minions at bay long enough.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
The demilich is very much a glass cannon. It’s easy for one side to get ahead, and then there is virtually no way for the other side to recover. To fix this, on the players’ side, that means healing items and NPC allies. For the demilich’s side, see below.
1) The demilich is visible at the far end of a wide-open area. Charge it, and it will duck behind a pillar, thereby assuring itself the first strike. The players will have to get crafty if they’re to get close.
2) With its small size, the demilich can pop out of almost anywhere. This tactic guarantees it first strike. Make sure the players have NPC allies to help them survive. In theory, the demilich can duck away and repeat, as necessary.
3) The demilich is in a crowded warehouse type room, ideally with at least one row of shelves running down the middle. Its small size means that it can duck away from the combat at any time. They’ll probably need numbers to corner it.
4) There is a trap between the players and the demilich. The trap is recognizable (a basic pit trap would do) but they still need to find a way past it, and avoid the demilich catching them while getting past.
5) Minions, damage: When using minions, you’ll need to station them so that the PCs cannot possibly get past the minions to attack the demilich. If doing so is possible, it is definitely the right choice, as it is worth sucking up the damage to do so.
6) Minions, control: If the demilich’s minion has control abilities, such as anything that restricts movement or attacking, don’t use more than one minion. Combined with the demilich, more than one would be a lethal combination.
(to be continued)
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
(This half will focus on longer encounters than the first half.)
7) For a much harder fight, have a series of rooms and/or tunnels studded with [complex] traps, and some reason to keep moving. They will need NPC allies to carry unconscious PCs on, or a magical way of doing so.
8) A partly flooded room is another extra deadly place to fight a demilich, as anyone falling unconscious will drown unless rescued. Presumably, the first part of the battle will be climbing to a safe location from which to fight the demilich.
9) A different way to possibly drag out a demilich fight is if a few potions of healing and/or remove curse exist inside the dungeon room. Use an ambush or minions to give the demilich a head start, then have them scramble to grab the potions.
10) Have the demilich arrive in the middle of a different fight. This will throw everything into chaos, but will devastate both sides, making it survivable. (Especially if you cheat on the minions’ saving throws, to make certain enough fail.)
11) Based on the illustration, the demilich looks like an ordinary skull. This means that the demilich can hide / play dead in a room containing [non-animated] skeletons, even after the fight began. With a minor illusion, it can also hide among flameskulls.
12) Plot idea: In Tomb of Horrors, Acerek leaves a riddle challenging heroes to try his dungeon. Could he have an enchantment collecting the souls of those who die in the dungeon? (Especially if the souls of powerful people are somehow worth more.)
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) Combat Encounter: The balor’s inside a pentagram. (The balor has enough reach to attack without leaving the pentagram.) Each round, one of the five candles at the tips of the pentagram goes out. Once all the candles go out…
2) The balor catches them inside a burning forest, or building. His whip ensures that they won’t be able to flee the fire without taking the balor out.
3) Any scenario where parts of the floor are likely to collapse and/or trigger avalanches/rolling-boulders/shifting-rubble is great for the balor. It’s also easily thematic, being the normal result of the balor having already destroyed an area.
4) Have the balor working to cause a volcanic eruption. This can be a campaign goal, and/or a scenario that will make combat harder. Lava, earth tremors, and poison gasses are common results, and will favor the balor.
5) The balor was originally the balrog. As the balrog is much more exciting, turn it back into a balrog at your table. Combat scenario for a balrog: The players have to stop the balrog reaching something. It moves forward slowly, at an unhurried pace.
6) When using a scenario goal that isn’t to kill all enemies, losing doesn’t have to mean death. Have the balor give a triumphant roar, and then fly off. The players will have to survive and fix the destruction caused. You’ll bring to balor back again later.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) how a dumb creature uses disguise self: Play it for horror, or confusion. The barlgura just barely gets the idea of disguise. As a result, the players see a barlgura sized granny (or toddler, or bunny) charging them, grinning in a homicidal manner.
2) How a moron uses phantasmal force: If stopped from attacking, he uses it to show what he’d like to do to them. A copy of the barlgura appears, punches them, then disappears. (Only 1d6 damage, but might break concentration.)
3) Using Reckless for Dummies: If two of his three attacks miss, he’ll switch to reckless. Once he’s using reckless, he’ll keep using it until a turn comes where he isn’t attacking.
Combat scenarios:
4) The barlgura jumps onto a ledge that can’t support both his weight and that of the PC that was there. They have one round before it collapses. (The barlgura can climb, jump, and has little sense of self-preservation.)
5) The players are climbing a mountain. The barlgura is on a ledge, throwing boulders and rubble, inflicting damage, weakening ledges, & knocking them back. When a PC reaches the barlgura, he’ll still have to fight. (D&D Donkey-Kong.)
6) In a fight, the barlgura will jump into their midst to reach the squishy spellcasters, and will retreat by grappling a PC fighting him, jumping to a ledge above, and throwing him down. Use in combination with other enemies.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) After one of the PCs falls unconscious because of the drone of the wings, have the chasme pick them up and place them out of reach, to make waking them up impossible. If the chasme ends it turn over a drop, it can just hold them.
2) Most of the chasme’s damage isn’t healable, so have it hit when they’re split up (in battle, navigating a chasm, moving an object, etc.), and then retreat. Superior speed and darkvision also help.
3) The chasme has spider-climb. Have it wait in ambush atop a doorway they must pass through, or under a ledge. Thanks to its drone, they’ll be able to hear it, but it’s still difficult with an enemy that can kill many PCs in two hits.
4) Have the chasme use its drone to knock some of them unconscious, then fly off to collapse the ledge under them or the ceiling on top. Then attack the survivors when they rescue their unconscious companions.
5) Ambush them with hit-and-run attacks from the chasme from time to time. When they get used to anticipating it, thanks to the sound of its wings, throw in a waterfall. See if they realize that the sound will be drowned out in time.
6) Have the chasme be a scout for a large force, possibly of gnolls. They can hear when it’s coming, so if they want to escape, they’ll have to find a way to either hide (more than once), or lure it down and kill it.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) The dretch is the rare monster that can be used against far higher level PCs than its CR would suggest. Combine with creatures immune to poison, who will also be immune to the rider.
2) Have the first encounter with a dretch be a throwaway encounter, possibly just featuring 1-2 dretches and nothing else. This will teach them about the poison, and they’ll know that they have to avoid triggering it in further encounters.
3) Dretch are best used as a threat that has to be killed before they get close. Fighting under a major negative rider isn’t as much fun as it seems. To make it easier, say that the dretch are too dumb to dash.
4) You probably shouldn’t start the dretch in the middle of a pack of enemies. It makes it too easy to take them down with area-of-effect spells. Have them come in from the side. For a challenge, have them come in during the second round of combat.
5) Place a few dretch behind pillars and scattered around the room. The players get advance sight of the room, and have to decoy the dretch to one side so the room doesn’t fill up with fetid clouds. (If they don’t think of it, their fault.)
6) Have the dretch be stuck in cages or summoning circles. This will cause a major area of the room that the players will have to make sure to avoid.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) The glabrezu is supposed to use subtle methods, like corruption and trickery. To them to trust it, have it pull them out of a trap in darkness, to give a good impression before they see it. (It created the trap and the darkness.)
2) After providing useful information and giving help, to build trust, the glabrezu can cast fly on them when they unexpectedly need it. (unexpected for them). The caster can drop that spell at any time. Fun!
3) Darkness doesn’t just hide anyone in it, it hides anyone behind it. Have the glabrezu hide behind, or to the side, ideally with grappled PCs held inside it, to help sell the lie as to the glabrezu’s location. They’ll get hit with the PC’s spells, the glabrezu won’t.
4) Confusion is a powerful spell, with a very small area of effect. The glabrezu can grapple two people at once. Do so, shove them into a third, cast confusion on all three, and you can tear apart anyone that’s left.
5) The glabrezu can use fly and grapple in combination, to swoop down, grab two PCs, and drop them onto a burning house or into a pit of rats. Repeat. This works when the glabrezu is after one of them, or after a side goal, not when he’s after a TPK.
6) Fly is a great way to conceal a pit. Have the glabrezu stand on a concealed pit, wearing robes to conceal that his feet aren’t moving. Don’t end its turn there, so the glabrezu doesn't fall in if it loses concentration.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
1) The intended goristro strategy is [probably] to alternate charging and hoof attack, as hoof attack lets it knock PCs prone and retreat without opportunity attacks. This only works when the goristro has allies, as otherwise the players will give chase.
2)nCombat encounter: The players are climbing a tower when the goristro arrives. The goristro can [eventually] collapse the tower. In the short run, it can collapse parts of it onto them, and punch stone blocks out of the wall and flying into them.
3) When they’re in a tower, or other elevated position, the goristro grabs [grapples] one of them and steps away. It can either continue to attack that one at will, or hurl him back into the others on a later turn. It can easily step out of sight of the others.
4) Place thorn bushes or cacti for the goristro to throw them into. The thorn will hold them tight, which means they’ll either need a companion to cut them free, or a high DC STR save and damage from freeing themselves.
5) The goristro hurls them into a canyon wall, which either collapses on them, burying them in rubble, or lets off a huge cloud of dust, causing the area to be heavily obscured for a round.
6) The goristro hurls them down a hill, causing them to roll further than the 20 feet that they’re normally supposed to get sent flying. Even worse, it hurls them across a small chasm, making it hard for them to rejoin their companions.
7) The goristro hurls them into a cave. There are other monsters living in the cave, who will attack so long as they remain there.
8) To use in a maze, I’d give them an eagle-eye view via spell or item, as solving a maze while weathering attacks is almost impossible. The goristro will hit and run, because chaotic. Give them an objective that will help them, to keep them moving.
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DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
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6 Ways to use… Carrion Crawler
1) The roof of underground ceilings aren’t necessarily flat. If the carrion crawler waits behind an outcropping, it might be able to take the players by surprise. If the tunnel is narrow, a paralyzed PC will stop the others advance.
2) The carrion crawler can hide on a ledge jutting out of the wall. It has the reach to get to them from there, and they don’t. It only wants a meal, so once it poisons one PC, it will drag him to the ledge and ignore the rest.
3) Place the carrion crawler on the other side of a small chasm, or even worse, clinging to ceiling above the chasm. Good luck crossing the chasm. (Give the carrion crawler cover via an outcropping of rock, so it doesn’t get shot down.)
4) The carrion crawler is a monster that clings to the ceiling. That means that killing it is followed by a heavy corpse falling on the PC, knocking the PC to the ground and pinning him there.
5) Put the carrion crawler on a ledge, along a height that they have to climb. As soon as they get paralyzed, they’ll fall t the bottom.
6) Have the carrion crawler be coming out a tunnel, on course to intercept the one that they’re in. If they can’t stop the carrion crawler before it enters the tunnel, the body will clog it, and they won’t be able to advance, even once they kill it.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to Use… Centaur
1) Centaurs have a literary tradition of being jerks. In parley, they’ll be inflexible. In combat, they’re the one good alignment monster I wouldn’t think twice about using as an enemy. They won’t ally with evil creatures, thought.
2) The centaurs’ preferred combat style will be ranged, with their high movement keeping them away from melee. Since this is horrible for a game, I’d give them a point that they’re defending, and if the PCs manage to reach it they’ll charge to defend.
3) How do the centaurs respond to the players’ horses? In one fantasy book, the centaurs offered a trade in slaves, and it was only after a few pages that we realized that the “Slaves” that they were referring to were the here’s horses.
4) Plot idea: Because the centaurs are nomadic, they are effectively defending a wide area. (Think of the entire Oregon trail, or silk road.) Some enemies want them gone, and the players have to stop the plot. Unfortunately, the centaurs won’t believe their warnings.
5) Have the centaurs come into possession of a cursed object (or Demagorgon figurine). The players have to steal it to have the centaurs. Stealing it isn’t so difficult, but getting away afterwards will be.
6) A chase scene where the players are trying to get away by horseback and the centaurs are in hot pursuit could be rather interesting. You’ll need to give a reason that they can’t just fight, and a place that they can win by reaching.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to Use… Chimera
1) To make the chimera difficult: The chimera will choose a PC, and target him until dead. I don’t mean unconscious. To make it easier, the first time the target drops to 0 HP, the chimera will leave, and return after a short rest. It likes to taunt its prey.
2) The chimera likes making an appearance. Have it announce its presence by bursing out of a cave an roaring, from high up on a mountain above the PCs. Coincedetially, this may sent boulders toppling onto them, pinning some of them in place.
3) If its chosen PC prey runs,(possibly due to being a squishy spellcaster), it will fly to put itself in front of that PC in order to cut him off and intimidate him. The fact that it puts the chimera as far as possible from the melee is a nice coincidence.
4) Once it announced itself, the chimera is happy to stalk its prey, attack and retreat. In a place thick with vegetation or boulders, where the players can’t stay tight together or see it coming, this may cause problems.
5) Personify the chimera by describing the way one of its heads is looking at a PC, and alternate which head each time, until they learn that the chimera is totally evil. Doing all the heads at once we be too much desripton, and you’ll be ignored.
6) The chimera is an ideal fight to use to kick off a campaign. If it’s too high for the PCs to deal wih on their own, you can give them NPC allies for just that fight. It lets you set things off with a bang. (Use it as a sign of released evil, or the villain’s first strike.)
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to use… Chuul
1) Chuuls collect magical items, and magical people. That definitely includes caster classes, and can be made to include non-casters. When a chuul paralyzes someone, have them drag them off while other chuuls block the rest of the party’s pursuit
2) Chuuls live near and in water. When a paralyzed person falls into water, the paralyze condition goes from brief hindrance to deadly.
3) Chuuls collect mindlessly, and don’t take care of their surroundings. Consequently, the terrain will be unstable underfoot, and contain piles that might topple over, causing stable characters to fall and paralyzed ones to get buried.
4) Chuuls sense magic, can walk through water and weak walls, and see in the dark. They don’t ambush, but sudden attacks are almost the same, and they’ll always start by targeting the PC with the most magic. (Which might mean magic items.)
5) Scenario: The chuuls captured (“collected”) a magical NPC, who sent off a message spell SOS. There is also an assassin after them, so they don’t have time to fight through all the chuuls. (Chuuls are low damage, high defense.)
6) Expect the chuuls to have captured some magic items without killing the owners. This means that after defeating the chuuls, they’ll want their items back. Whether to do this via moral conflict or via nighttime theft/assassination is up to you.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
8 ways to use… cloaker
1) The cloaker will disguise itself by finding the sight of a battle, and pretending to be the garment of one of the dead combatants. Make sure to have 1-2 other items of interest by the corpses, so the players’ focus is divided.
2) The cloaker can team up with other creatures, one of whom will wear it as a cloak until they get near a PC. Then it will detach, gaining a meal for itself and one less combatant for its ally. An oni is the ideal choice, but a mind flayer also works.
3) If it attacks the rearmost PC when the others are occupied, they might not notice, especially if they’re beyond darkvision range. With the cloaker over his head, the PC can’t shout for help. (Let the player know via note, and tell him that he’s silenced.)
4) If the PC who’s blinded is near a cliff, he might fall, especially if there’s a tripwire, grease, or loose tiles, and the other PCs aren’t nearby.
5) If a PC with a cloaker attached falls off a cliff, the cloaker will fly him to a nearby ledge, where it can have him to itself. As he isn’t grappled, it can only move him with his permission, so he can choose to go splat, if he’d like.
6) When climbing, the PCs will be especially vulnerable. After the cloaker protects itself by latching on to a PC, have it use the shove attack option to pull the PC off the side. As it’s attached, it will move with the PC.
7) Have the cloaker decide to help the PCs. As it can’t communicate with them, it will have to drag them on to hidden levers and/or away from traps, and hope they realize that it’s friendly.
8) If you have a cloaker vrs. cloaker battle (probably with one friendly, and one or more not), and they both use physic scream, life will become interesting. As far as the players can tell, there’s an entire army of cloakers fighting it out.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 ways to use… Hags!
Green hags
1)covenless) Green hags are amphibious. Use this to your advantage when designing their lair and surrounding area. They can’t do much if they’re fighting an entire party at once unless they’re in a coven, so they should lair in a murky swamp with deep water, at least 30 feet, nearby and grapple players with their superior strength, then try to drown them.
2)with coven) they can cast a nasty bestow curse. The hags would hear of the adventurer’s deeds and concoct a plan. Have two of the hags invite the party for tea, while the third, invisible and hiding around in their lair, will cast a bestow curse on one of the party members with their 6th level spell slot. Preferably a fighter or a barbarian or a character likely to participate in a competition of strength. Then, have the hags host a competition, like lifting a weight or something. They will probably fail with the debuffs, which will crush them! Lots of fun damage there, and if the hags are discovered they will all turn invisible and flee.
Sea hag
3)covenless) a sea hag, by themself, cannot do much. Their most powerful ability is their death glare, with a very low saving throw. However, a sea hag can easily win the fight if she knows the party is coming. Watch them from the water, learn their skills and weaknesses. A single sea hag’s most powerful weapon is traps. A hag could definitely procure poison from sea animals, lure the party to an area with very rough waters, or set up a wrecked ship’s rotting floor to fall through into the cold depths below. That’s their biggest strength.
4)with coven) a death glare ability requires a target to be frightened by the hag. They do not need to be frightened by its hideous appearance. Cause fear on the party during fights, or have one of the hags frighten and terrify a character during the night, having them make wisdom saves or be frightened until they figure out what’s going on, after which the other hags come in and surround and death glare them. In addition, a coven of sea hags could easily drive away fish from boats. Starve a town, slowly.
Night Hags
5)covenless) have the hag visit the characters in the real world and talk to them, gathering information. The night hag wants to collect a specific characters soul, the most evil among them. Once they find their target, they will invite them to a local event at the nearby village, where she will then turn that character’s food nasty in their mouth. This will give an excuse for when she nightmare haunts them, “oh, they’re just sick! Nothing to worry about much.” Then, a few nights later, the hag will confront them a final time to collect their soul. To give the party a chance, have her appear in the real world for a bit right before the other party member dies.
6)with coven) three nobles have suddenly increased taxation in the town they lord over, and have made several arrests, taking away the local wizards and sorcerers. The nobles are disguised night hags, trying to turn people to evil acts and stealing, while imprisoning those who could unravel their magical schemes through detect magic or truesight. When a party spellcaster is arrested, they will need to sneak into the noble’s keep to rescue them! And fight the night hags too…
6 Ways to Use… Cockatrice
1) Always use at least two cockatrices at a time. If you use only one, the chances are two high that it will get killed before its first turn, and there goes your encounter.
2) Have your enemy keep the cockatrice in a straw-lined cage, which it will hurl at your players with the catapult spell [from XGtE]. If you don’t own XGtE, It’s dangling above the entrance, with a rope near the villains that they can cut. (Think pullies.)
3) Have the first PC to get paralyzed by the cockatrice fall down a hill, and end up in front of crocodiles or lions, forcing the remaining players to split their attention. (Give a reason they can’t all go to the rescue, such as another animal.)
4) Have the cockatrice be eating berries atop a narrow ledge. If they throw a spell, they risk collapsing the ledge. If they don’t take down the cockatrices before approaching, they run the risk of getting paralyzed and falling.
5) The players are in the middle of a fightf against another enemy when one or more cockatrices walk out of a nearby bush and look at them quizzically. Whoever goes next risks provoking them.
6) The players come on a large statue of a powerful foe in the middle of nowhere, and take its jewelry. Moments later, it starts waking up. It’s too powerful for them to fight. (Use after they already met a cockatrice, but not right after.)
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to Use… Couatl
1) The couatl can’t accompany the party (immunity to damage makes a broken tank), but it’s a great for slipping the players quest knowledge that they would ordinarily never have. While they’re fighting the villain, have it be doing undercover work.
2) The couatl’s shapeshifting means that it can show up to give new instructions right when it’s needed, streamlining the quest. Streamlining seems small, but actually makes a huge difference in maintaining narrative tension.
3) Puzzle for a hostile couatl. Place it in beast form, together with three actual beasts. The couatl is the one that doesn’t fit the terrain. Don’t be subtle. Your players don’t know that it’s a puzzle, so if you’re subtle they’ll automatically fail.
4) If you want to use the couatl’s tail grapple, have it be holding one of them helpless so that he can see the consequences of his [supposedly] evil actions. Given how powerful the bite is, this is the only possible reason to use the grapple.
5) When taking humanoid form, the couatl will be partial to lizardfolk, if civilized lizardfolk exist in your setting. There are only two humanoids with a bite attack, and gnolls are chaotic evil, so…
6) If they kill a couatl, it’s incomplete divine mission will come around to bite them. You have to start immediately, or they’ll forget, but you can start with a decoy. (Let them think it’s the sword they stole, really it’s a portal the couatl was guarding.)
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to Use… Crawling Claw
1) Crawling claws typical use is scene setting. When you do this, get the players involved. Have the players give their letter of introduction to a claw, or send them to get something high up, and place a claw nearby to help.
2) In a haunted house vibe, have a pair of claws be playing the piano. Put on an appropriate soundtrack to play softly in your background.
3) Let the necromancer have a hand they’ll recognize. A woman’s hand with distinct painted nails, or a hand with tattoos. Their feelings toward the necromancer will be heavily influenced by their relationship with the hand’s previous owner.
4) When the fight starts, several hands move toward the door, or toward a bell, to sound the alarm. To make it harder, have some of them sneak under the carpet, behind the couch, and the like. Can they stop all of them in time?
5) Send several of the hands to try to trip up the players, in a trap style. For example, by tipping beakers of acid off a high shelf when a PC in near, by unscrewing a candelabra, by looping rope around a limb. Use with other combatants.
6) Have a hand be assigned to show them where to go. It will dash every turn, regardless of it they’re following. Then obstruct them with enemies, traps, open pits, piles of rubble, locked doors, etc. (The claw’s small enough to slip through cracks.)
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to Use… Cyclops
1) The single eye is meant as a disability. The cyclops should be very vulnerable to having light shined in his eye, or to getting blinded with a light spell.
2) As the players search a cavern, a cyclops appears at the entrance and starts throwing rocks. Describe the cave shuddering from the impact. See if they realize that the boulders that miss them are going to collapse the cave with them in it.
3) At the players search a cavern, a cyclops rolls a boulder to block the entrance, and sits down to guard it. If they can’t figure out how to escape by high-tide, they’ll drown.
4) The players are on a ledge when a cyclops appears. It’s standing on the ground below, and they’re equal to its chest. Every time its blow misses them, it will destroy a part of the ledge, which was already narrow.
5) The players have to row a boat ashore, but a cyclops spotted them and is throwing boulders. Its aim is lousy, but if it hits, they’ll have to swim ashore, and they’ll probably arrive at its feet exhausted and split up.
6) The players climb onto a large boulder, perhaps to try to free something embedded in the rock. As they’re there, a cyclops picks up the rock without seeing them and is about to throw it. (Ideally, the players should be too low level to fight the cyclops.)
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to Use… Darkmantle
1) The party is attacked by a darkmantle. After killing it, the find that there are several strangers near them. If foes, the party is now out of position. If friendly, chances are one of the players will freak out and attack, so… see “if foes” above.
2) Use darkmantles during a fight in a large cave, filled with several pits or chasms. Basically, various PCs [and various monsters] are going to be taking short time outs, as they’re blinded and don’t dare move.
3) After triggering a trap, the party has to keep moving to stay ahead of an expanding cloud of poison gas. Then they get hit with a darkmantle. They hear rushing water ahead. What do they do? (Even sneakier, the path splits. Unaware of it, so do they.)
4) Place a few hazards on a battlefield, such as slime (save or fall prone) and cracks (get you foot caught. Save or be restrained for a round.) With darkmantles, no one can see what happened to you. (Pass them notes. This is why two different effects.)
5) The spell guarding a passage is out for one minute a day. However, there are darkmantles. Also, traps. You can use tripwires, with or without crossbows, and maybe a boulder trap. (“You hear something rumbling”. Better think fast.)
6) There are multiple darkmantles. They can’t find each other, talk to each other, have fun coordinating. Describe different sections with different types of floor, and see if they realize. Have a few enemies with bows (I.e. drow) to keep they moving.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to Use… Death Knight
1) The death knight isn’t a villain who will wait for them to approach. It will seek them out. That means that until the players are ready to face it, they’ll have to sneak away from areas, mislead it as to where they’re going to be, etc.
2) The steed suggestions in the MM are far too weak. (The skeleton warhorse can’t survive a Fireball.) Either give them a bucketload of extra HP, have him dismount and fight on foot, or give him a better steed, (maybe a young black dragon.)
3) The death knight gives the impression of being fair, but will subtly change the battle rules to favor itself. (Example: challenging the PCs to a fight, and then declaring that it will fight them one at a time.) This is a trap, if the PCs trust it to be fair
4) If the death knight learn the PCs location, its preferred strategy will be to surround the house or campsite with undead, then to throw the hellfire orb to bring it down and force them to engage it.
5) In a campaign where the death knight is the big bad, consider having it be leading armies of undead. The PCs will need to raise allies, and take out brdges and the like to slow it down, in between the main quest of tracking down the item that can kill it.
6) Climax fight for a death knight leading armies: Set it up so that the PCs and their allies separate the death knight from the bulk of its troops, then the PCs have to bring it down while the NPC allies struggle to keep the minions at bay long enough.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
12 Ways to Use… Demilich
The demilich is very much a glass cannon. It’s easy for one side to get ahead, and then there is virtually no way for the other side to recover. To fix this, on the players’ side, that means healing items and NPC allies. For the demilich’s side, see below.
1) The demilich is visible at the far end of a wide-open area. Charge it, and it will duck behind a pillar, thereby assuring itself the first strike. The players will have to get crafty if they’re to get close.
2) With its small size, the demilich can pop out of almost anywhere. This tactic guarantees it first strike. Make sure the players have NPC allies to help them survive. In theory, the demilich can duck away and repeat, as necessary.
3) The demilich is in a crowded warehouse type room, ideally with at least one row of shelves running down the middle. Its small size means that it can duck away from the combat at any time. They’ll probably need numbers to corner it.
4) There is a trap between the players and the demilich. The trap is recognizable (a basic pit trap would do) but they still need to find a way past it, and avoid the demilich catching them while getting past.
5) Minions, damage: When using minions, you’ll need to station them so that the PCs cannot possibly get past the minions to attack the demilich. If doing so is possible, it is definitely the right choice, as it is worth sucking up the damage to do so.
6) Minions, control: If the demilich’s minion has control abilities, such as anything that restricts movement or attacking, don’t use more than one minion. Combined with the demilich, more than one would be a lethal combination.
(to be continued)
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
Demilich, continued
(This half will focus on longer encounters than the first half.)
7) For a much harder fight, have a series of rooms and/or tunnels studded with [complex] traps, and some reason to keep moving. They will need NPC allies to carry unconscious PCs on, or a magical way of doing so.
8) A partly flooded room is another extra deadly place to fight a demilich, as anyone falling unconscious will drown unless rescued. Presumably, the first part of the battle will be climbing to a safe location from which to fight the demilich.
9) A different way to possibly drag out a demilich fight is if a few potions of healing and/or remove curse exist inside the dungeon room. Use an ambush or minions to give the demilich a head start, then have them scramble to grab the potions.
10) Have the demilich arrive in the middle of a different fight. This will throw everything into chaos, but will devastate both sides, making it survivable. (Especially if you cheat on the minions’ saving throws, to make certain enough fail.)
11) Based on the illustration, the demilich looks like an ordinary skull. This means that the demilich can hide / play dead in a room containing [non-animated] skeletons, even after the fight began. With a minor illusion, it can also hide among flameskulls.
12) Plot idea: In Tomb of Horrors, Acerek leaves a riddle challenging heroes to try his dungeon. Could he have an enchantment collecting the souls of those who die in the dungeon? (Especially if the souls of powerful people are somehow worth more.)
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
82 Ways to Use Demons
6 Ways to Use… Balor
1) Combat Encounter: The balor’s inside a pentagram. (The balor has enough reach to attack without leaving the pentagram.) Each round, one of the five candles at the tips of the pentagram goes out. Once all the candles go out…
2) The balor catches them inside a burning forest, or building. His whip ensures that they won’t be able to flee the fire without taking the balor out.
3) Any scenario where parts of the floor are likely to collapse and/or trigger avalanches/rolling-boulders/shifting-rubble is great for the balor. It’s also easily thematic, being the normal result of the balor having already destroyed an area.
4) Have the balor working to cause a volcanic eruption. This can be a campaign goal, and/or a scenario that will make combat harder. Lava, earth tremors, and poison gasses are common results, and will favor the balor.
5) The balor was originally the balrog. As the balrog is much more exciting, turn it back into a balrog at your table. Combat scenario for a balrog: The players have to stop the balrog reaching something. It moves forward slowly, at an unhurried pace.
6) When using a scenario goal that isn’t to kill all enemies, losing doesn’t have to mean death. Have the balor give a triumphant roar, and then fly off. The players will have to survive and fix the destruction caused. You’ll bring to balor back again later.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to Use… Barlgura
1) how a dumb creature uses disguise self: Play it for horror, or confusion. The barlgura just barely gets the idea of disguise. As a result, the players see a barlgura sized granny (or toddler, or bunny) charging them, grinning in a homicidal manner.
2) How a moron uses phantasmal force: If stopped from attacking, he uses it to show what he’d like to do to them. A copy of the barlgura appears, punches them, then disappears. (Only 1d6 damage, but might break concentration.)
3) Using Reckless for Dummies: If two of his three attacks miss, he’ll switch to reckless. Once he’s using reckless, he’ll keep using it until a turn comes where he isn’t attacking.
Combat scenarios:
4) The barlgura jumps onto a ledge that can’t support both his weight and that of the PC that was there. They have one round before it collapses. (The barlgura can climb, jump, and has little sense of self-preservation.)
5) The players are climbing a mountain. The barlgura is on a ledge, throwing boulders and rubble, inflicting damage, weakening ledges, & knocking them back. When a PC reaches the barlgura, he’ll still have to fight. (D&D Donkey-Kong.)
6) In a fight, the barlgura will jump into their midst to reach the squishy spellcasters, and will retreat by grappling a PC fighting him, jumping to a ledge above, and throwing him down. Use in combination with other enemies.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 ways to use… Chasme
1) After one of the PCs falls unconscious because of the drone of the wings, have the chasme pick them up and place them out of reach, to make waking them up impossible. If the chasme ends it turn over a drop, it can just hold them.
2) Most of the chasme’s damage isn’t healable, so have it hit when they’re split up (in battle, navigating a chasm, moving an object, etc.), and then retreat. Superior speed and darkvision also help.
3) The chasme has spider-climb. Have it wait in ambush atop a doorway they must pass through, or under a ledge. Thanks to its drone, they’ll be able to hear it, but it’s still difficult with an enemy that can kill many PCs in two hits.
4) Have the chasme use its drone to knock some of them unconscious, then fly off to collapse the ledge under them or the ceiling on top. Then attack the survivors when they rescue their unconscious companions.
5) Ambush them with hit-and-run attacks from the chasme from time to time. When they get used to anticipating it, thanks to the sound of its wings, throw in a waterfall. See if they realize that the sound will be drowned out in time.
6) Have the chasme be a scout for a large force, possibly of gnolls. They can hear when it’s coming, so if they want to escape, they’ll have to find a way to either hide (more than once), or lure it down and kill it.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to Use… Dretch
1) The dretch is the rare monster that can be used against far higher level PCs than its CR would suggest. Combine with creatures immune to poison, who will also be immune to the rider.
2) Have the first encounter with a dretch be a throwaway encounter, possibly just featuring 1-2 dretches and nothing else. This will teach them about the poison, and they’ll know that they have to avoid triggering it in further encounters.
3) Dretch are best used as a threat that has to be killed before they get close. Fighting under a major negative rider isn’t as much fun as it seems. To make it easier, say that the dretch are too dumb to dash.
4) You probably shouldn’t start the dretch in the middle of a pack of enemies. It makes it too easy to take them down with area-of-effect spells. Have them come in from the side. For a challenge, have them come in during the second round of combat.
5) Place a few dretch behind pillars and scattered around the room. The players get advance sight of the room, and have to decoy the dretch to one side so the room doesn’t fill up with fetid clouds. (If they don’t think of it, their fault.)
6) Have the dretch be stuck in cages or summoning circles. This will cause a major area of the room that the players will have to make sure to avoid.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
6 Ways to use… Glabrezu
1) The glabrezu is supposed to use subtle methods, like corruption and trickery. To them to trust it, have it pull them out of a trap in darkness, to give a good impression before they see it. (It created the trap and the darkness.)
2) After providing useful information and giving help, to build trust, the glabrezu can cast fly on them when they unexpectedly need it. (unexpected for them). The caster can drop that spell at any time. Fun!
3) Darkness doesn’t just hide anyone in it, it hides anyone behind it. Have the glabrezu hide behind, or to the side, ideally with grappled PCs held inside it, to help sell the lie as to the glabrezu’s location. They’ll get hit with the PC’s spells, the glabrezu won’t.
4) Confusion is a powerful spell, with a very small area of effect. The glabrezu can grapple two people at once. Do so, shove them into a third, cast confusion on all three, and you can tear apart anyone that’s left.
5) The glabrezu can use fly and grapple in combination, to swoop down, grab two PCs, and drop them onto a burning house or into a pit of rats. Repeat. This works when the glabrezu is after one of them, or after a side goal, not when he’s after a TPK.
6) Fly is a great way to conceal a pit. Have the glabrezu stand on a concealed pit, wearing robes to conceal that his feet aren’t moving. Don’t end its turn there, so the glabrezu doesn't fall in if it loses concentration.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
8 Ways to Use… Goristro
1) The intended goristro strategy is [probably] to alternate charging and hoof attack, as hoof attack lets it knock PCs prone and retreat without opportunity attacks. This only works when the goristro has allies, as otherwise the players will give chase.
2)nCombat encounter: The players are climbing a tower when the goristro arrives. The goristro can [eventually] collapse the tower. In the short run, it can collapse parts of it onto them, and punch stone blocks out of the wall and flying into them.
3) When they’re in a tower, or other elevated position, the goristro grabs [grapples] one of them and steps away. It can either continue to attack that one at will, or hurl him back into the others on a later turn. It can easily step out of sight of the others.
4) Place thorn bushes or cacti for the goristro to throw them into. The thorn will hold them tight, which means they’ll either need a companion to cut them free, or a high DC STR save and damage from freeing themselves.
5) The goristro hurls them into a canyon wall, which either collapses on them, burying them in rubble, or lets off a huge cloud of dust, causing the area to be heavily obscured for a round.
6) The goristro hurls them down a hill, causing them to roll further than the 20 feet that they’re normally supposed to get sent flying. Even worse, it hurls them across a small chasm, making it hard for them to rejoin their companions.
7) The goristro hurls them into a cave. There are other monsters living in the cave, who will attack so long as they remain there.
8) To use in a maze, I’d give them an eagle-eye view via spell or item, as solving a maze while weathering attacks is almost impossible. The goristro will hit and run, because chaotic. Give them an objective that will help them, to keep them moving.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)