Just curious to on what everyone else's favorite monster in D&D is. Whatever the reason. Be it CR, lore, design, or encountering the monster in a past campaign.
Personally I honestly love the Doppleganger, Young Green Dragon, and the Rust Monster. The former from when I DMed Lost Mines of Phindelver, and the latter because my mom who wants to play picked as he animal companion/mount.
Gnolls. Specifically because they were the first enemy I'd ever encountered that really gave me problems. It wasn't even in DnD lol, it was in Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance. That mountain area left me hurting after dealing with so many starting gnolls. Ever since I've had a love for them.
I think goblins, because it wasn't too long after I first stated playing back in the OD&D days of the mid-70's, when I was a kid, that I died for the first time and it was to a goblin who ambushed me and clubbed my elf fighter-magic user (elves always were fighter-magic users then since elf was both a race and a class) over the head and stole her sandwich. I was sitting on a rock eating my sandwich. The conversation between me and the DM went something like this:
Me: "What? I didn't hear him sneak up on me? Elves have really good hearing you know."
Him: "No, you were eating your sandwich. It was a really good sandwich so you weren't listening."
Me: *thinks about it* ... "Yeah, fair enough."
Him: "You want to DM next?"
Me: "Sure!"
I've had a soft spot for goblins ever since. Oh yeah, when I took over the DMing duties (it was both our first times) I decided what my friends fought by rolling on a monster chart and got a red dragon! We were all pretty excited. This was Dungeons & DRAGONS after all. We (DMPC's were standard operating procedure for our games then) were pretty excited except we were all first level. So we talked it over and decided maybe we could talk to the dragon. This was our first attempt at negotiating with monsters and seemed quite unique at the time. We agreed to become his slaves and raid towns and bring him treasure. I knew how my friends' minds worked so of course I knew they would go to the town and tell everyone about the dragon and raise an army and come back. So I said as much in my squeaky, dragon voice.
"How does the dragon know that?" one of the players protested.
I think goblins, because it wasn't too long after I first stated playing back in the OD&D days of the mid-70's, when I was a kid, that I died for the first time and it was to a goblin who ambushed me and clubbed my elf fighter-magic user (elves always were fighter-magic users then since elf was both a race and a class) over the head and stole her sandwich. I was sitting on a rock eating my sandwich. The conversation between me and the DM went something like this:
Me: "What? I didn't hear him sneak up on me? Elves have really good hearing you know."
Him: "No, you were eating your sandwich. It was a really good sandwich so you weren't listening."
Me: *thinks about it* ... "Yeah, fair enough."
Him: "You want to DM next?"
Me: "Sure!"
I've had a soft spot for goblins ever since. Oh yeah, when I took over the DMing duties (it was both our first times) I decided what my friends fought by rolling on a monster chart and got a red dragon! We were all pretty excited. This was Dungeons & DRAGONS after all. We (DMPC's were standard operating procedure for our games then) were pretty excited except we were all first level. So we talked it over and decided maybe we could talk to the dragon. This was our first attempt at negotiating with monsters and seemed quite unique at the time. We agreed to become his slaves and raid towns and bring him treasure. I knew how my friends' minds worked so of course I knew they would go to the town and tell everyone about the dragon and raise an army and come back. So I said as much in my squeaky, dragon voice.
"How does the dragon know that?" one of the players protested.
I'm not totally sure why, but I've always really liked mimics. I think I just kind of generally like things that are shaped like things that they're not. Like... I collect novelty mugs, and for the most part I focus on sculpted mugs that are shaped like specific things, as opposed to traditional mugs that just have interesting designs on them. I also really enjoy baking shows where they make novelty cakes that look like other things, like Ace of Cakes. Hell, I've even got a dice bag shaped like a mimic.
Other than that it's probably a side-effect from my experiencing in playing videogames. Mimics are often a chance to experience a little extra challenge, since for whatever reason mimic creatures tend to be stronger than other monsters in the same dungeon... but at the same time they also pretty much always drop really nice loot... often better than what you would find in most mundane chests in the area. So many times mimics end up feeling very rewarding to encounter, since you get pushed a bit harder than you would otherwise and get something extra nice for your trouble.
First and foremost, Dragons! Not particularly picky about the colors, although I tend to favor the classic red and black. Love reading the lore, and they are always scary when encountered.
After that, though, it'd be a tie between the chest mimic, beholder, and the gelatinous cube. Not really sure why, since I usually don't like crazy stuff.
Although, last session our rogue assassin died to a gelatinous cube. Fighter barely made it. They decided to split the party, despite our warnings...
It's just a mess. An absolute dumpsterfire of a monster. A 10 foot radius stench, a tail that can stun you, a gaze that can kill you, and a face that only a mother catoblepas could love.
I love & hate catoblepes!
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Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
It's just a mess. An absolute dumpsterfire of a monster. A 10 foot radius stench, a tail that can stun you, a gaze that can kill you, and a face that only a mother catoblepas could love.
Hags mindflayers, rakshasha and liches, scary creatures who aren’t going to just kill you with brute force, they’re out to outwit you and win before you’ve even had a chance to fight them
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Marvarax andSora (Dragonborn) The retired fighter and WIP scholar - Glory
Brythel(Dwarf), The dwarf with a gun - survival at sea
Jaylin(Human), Paladin of Lathander's Ancient ways - The Seven Saints (Azura Claw)
Urselles(Goblin), Cleric of Eldath- The Wizard's challenge
Viclas Tyrin(Half Elf), Student of the Elven arts- Indrafatmoko's Defiance in Phlan
Hags mindflayers, rakshasha and liches, scary creatures who aren’t going to just kill you with brute force, they’re out to outwit you and win before you’ve even had a chance to fight them
Hmm a game of chess with one of these guys would be pretty interesting
Iron Golem, strictly for those immunities baby! An absolutely terrible foe to run into without proper preparation, but this guy definitely deserves some respect.
"Oh, you casted fireball? I didn't notice, I was busy regaining my HP."
"Oh, you slashed at me with your sword? I didn't notice because I'm hard as hell."
"Oh, you tried to poison me? Let me return the favor with 10d8. Get out of town you piece of cheese, this is my realm."
Iron Golem, strictly for those immunities baby! An absolutely terrible foe to run into without proper preparation, but this guy definitely deserves some respect.
"Oh, you casted fireball? I didn't notice, I was busy regaining my HP."
"Oh, you slashed at me with your sword? I didn't notice because I'm hard as hell."
"Oh, you tried to poison me? Let me return the favor with 10d8. Get out of town you piece of cheese, this is my realm."
That actually sounds pretty terrifying to deal with. In the best way possible
I agree, iron golems are no joke. I do think they would make a good mid-level thing where you could allow characters, who can do things like research or go interact with sages or convince people to let them use their libraries, etc., to learn something of the golem's strengths and weaknesses, and then forearmed the combat-oriented characters get to shine by being the primary ones to take it on. I think that is more fun than just facing one and finding out that you can't affect it with normal weapons or that fire heals it, etc.
Then again, if despite the foreshadowing that maybe this is a very powerful foe and some preparation might be indicated, and the players ignore all of that then letting them find out the hard way could be fun as well. They could have a hard fight and still win and get to feel super-powerful, which is cool, or maybe need to regroup and try again armed with new knowledge they acquired through experience rather than study.
Flumphs and Xorns. They're just silly creatures. Whoever made them must have had a sense of humor.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Blights. One group I DM for hate those with a passion after they've come up in a few games. They've proved tricky to kill and spot, and can provide enough of a challenge.
Flumphs and aboleths. The star spawn are also interesting, if unexplored in 5e. The inevitables from 3e were a favorite, but their flavor was changed up in the 5e marut block. The phane was an extraordinarily powerful epic-level monster in 3e and 4e. It was a deific offspring that can manipulate time. I recall that their overarching goal was to unravel time. I'm working on porting it into 5e, but time-related effects are generally too complicated for the 5e ethos. I might pick it back up when the Wildemount book releases, which should offer us guidance on time magic.
Edit: How could I forget derros and duergar? Gnomes and dwarves are my favorite races to play, so their weird insane mutant offshoots are nice as well.
Just curious to on what everyone else's favorite monster in D&D is. Whatever the reason. Be it CR, lore, design, or encountering the monster in a past campaign.
Personally I honestly love the Doppleganger, Young Green Dragon, and the Rust Monster. The former from when I DMed Lost Mines of Phindelver, and the latter because my mom who wants to play picked as he animal companion/mount.
Gnolls. Specifically because they were the first enemy I'd ever encountered that really gave me problems. It wasn't even in DnD lol, it was in Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance. That mountain area left me hurting after dealing with so many starting gnolls. Ever since I've had a love for them.
Full of rice, beans, and bad ideas.
That's honestly a fascinating story. :)
I think goblins, because it wasn't too long after I first stated playing back in the OD&D days of the mid-70's, when I was a kid, that I died for the first time and it was to a goblin who ambushed me and clubbed my elf fighter-magic user (elves always were fighter-magic users then since elf was both a race and a class) over the head and stole her sandwich. I was sitting on a rock eating my sandwich. The conversation between me and the DM went something like this:
Me: "What? I didn't hear him sneak up on me? Elves have really good hearing you know."
Him: "No, you were eating your sandwich. It was a really good sandwich so you weren't listening."
Me: *thinks about it* ... "Yeah, fair enough."
Him: "You want to DM next?"
Me: "Sure!"
I've had a soft spot for goblins ever since. Oh yeah, when I took over the DMing duties (it was both our first times) I decided what my friends fought by rolling on a monster chart and got a red dragon! We were all pretty excited. This was Dungeons & DRAGONS after all. We (DMPC's were standard operating procedure for our games then) were pretty excited except we were all first level. So we talked it over and decided maybe we could talk to the dragon. This was our first attempt at negotiating with monsters and seemed quite unique at the time. We agreed to become his slaves and raid towns and bring him treasure. I knew how my friends' minds worked so of course I knew they would go to the town and tell everyone about the dragon and raise an army and come back. So I said as much in my squeaky, dragon voice.
"How does the dragon know that?" one of the players protested.
"He's a dragon. He can read minds with magic."
"Oh."
"She's got us there."
The dragon killed and ate the entire party.
"So who wants to DM next?"
Oddly, I sort of miss those innocent times. :)
Sounds like fun times. XD
I'm not totally sure why, but I've always really liked mimics. I think I just kind of generally like things that are shaped like things that they're not. Like... I collect novelty mugs, and for the most part I focus on sculpted mugs that are shaped like specific things, as opposed to traditional mugs that just have interesting designs on them. I also really enjoy baking shows where they make novelty cakes that look like other things, like Ace of Cakes. Hell, I've even got a dice bag shaped like a mimic.
Other than that it's probably a side-effect from my experiencing in playing videogames. Mimics are often a chance to experience a little extra challenge, since for whatever reason mimic creatures tend to be stronger than other monsters in the same dungeon... but at the same time they also pretty much always drop really nice loot... often better than what you would find in most mundane chests in the area. So many times mimics end up feeling very rewarding to encounter, since you get pushed a bit harder than you would otherwise and get something extra nice for your trouble.
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First and foremost, Dragons! Not particularly picky about the colors, although I tend to favor the classic red and black. Love reading the lore, and they are always scary when encountered.
After that, though, it'd be a tie between the chest mimic, beholder, and the gelatinous cube. Not really sure why, since I usually don't like crazy stuff.
Although, last session our rogue assassin died to a gelatinous cube. Fighter barely made it. They decided to split the party, despite our warnings...
I've liked githyanki since the Fiend Folio came out.
CATOBLEPAS!
It's just a mess. An absolute dumpsterfire of a monster. A 10 foot radius stench, a tail that can stun you, a gaze that can kill you, and a face that only a mother catoblepas could love.
I love & hate catoblepes!
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Anzio Faro. Lvl 5 Prot. Aasimar Light Cleric.
Sounds like an annoying monster to deal with
Hags mindflayers, rakshasha and liches, scary creatures who aren’t going to just kill you with brute force, they’re out to outwit you and win before you’ve even had a chance to fight them
Marvarax and Sora (Dragonborn) The retired fighter and WIP scholar - Glory
Brythel(Dwarf), The dwarf with a gun - survival at sea
Jaylin(Human), Paladin of Lathander's Ancient ways - The Seven Saints (Azura Claw)
Urselles(Goblin), Cleric of Eldath- The Wizard's challenge
Viclas Tyrin(Half Elf), Student of the Elven arts- Indrafatmoko's Defiance in Phlan
Hmm a game of chess with one of these guys would be pretty interesting
Iron Golem, strictly for those immunities baby! An absolutely terrible foe to run into without proper preparation, but this guy definitely deserves some respect.
"Oh, you casted fireball? I didn't notice, I was busy regaining my HP."
"Oh, you slashed at me with your sword? I didn't notice because I'm hard as hell."
"Oh, you tried to poison me? Let me return the favor with 10d8. Get out of town you piece of cheese, this is my realm."
That actually sounds pretty terrifying to deal with. In the best way possible
I agree, iron golems are no joke. I do think they would make a good mid-level thing where you could allow characters, who can do things like research or go interact with sages or convince people to let them use their libraries, etc., to learn something of the golem's strengths and weaknesses, and then forearmed the combat-oriented characters get to shine by being the primary ones to take it on. I think that is more fun than just facing one and finding out that you can't affect it with normal weapons or that fire heals it, etc.
Then again, if despite the foreshadowing that maybe this is a very powerful foe and some preparation might be indicated, and the players ignore all of that then letting them find out the hard way could be fun as well. They could have a hard fight and still win and get to feel super-powerful, which is cool, or maybe need to regroup and try again armed with new knowledge they acquired through experience rather than study.
Either way could be a fun time.
Flumphs and Xorns. They're just silly creatures. Whoever made them must have had a sense of humor.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Blights. One group I DM for hate those with a passion after they've come up in a few games. They've proved tricky to kill and spot, and can provide enough of a challenge.
Please take a look at my homebrewed Spells, Magic Items, and Subclasses. Any feedback appreciated.
It's impossible to choose. Here are some favorites:
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Nice picks
Flumphs and aboleths. The star spawn are also interesting, if unexplored in 5e. The inevitables from 3e were a favorite, but their flavor was changed up in the 5e marut block. The phane was an extraordinarily powerful epic-level monster in 3e and 4e. It was a deific offspring that can manipulate time. I recall that their overarching goal was to unravel time. I'm working on porting it into 5e, but time-related effects are generally too complicated for the 5e ethos. I might pick it back up when the Wildemount book releases, which should offer us guidance on time magic.
Edit: How could I forget derros and duergar? Gnomes and dwarves are my favorite races to play, so their weird insane mutant offshoots are nice as well.