I like the idea of zombies carrying regular diseases, so how about let’s make a zombie with consumption?

first, increase hitpoints.

lower speed,

lower strength.

make it spread illness if you come into contact with it.

give it the Nosferatu’s blood vomit or whatever it’s called attack, which also spreads illness.

Quote from AEDorsay >>

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QOTD: What is a monster you have never encountered as a PC? 

Like almost everyone here, there are hundreds upon hundreds of monsters I haven't encountered. Even if I weren't a chronic DM, that'd still probably be true.

So, I'll just change the question to really cool monsters I wanna encounter that I haven't. There are loads, but here are some ideas: Any Ancient Dragons, Beholders, High CR Wizards, Vecna, Tarrasqe, Lich, etc. There's so many creatures and so many neat ones lol.

I have never encountered the Tarrasque.

Turning D&D zombies into horrifying ones:

• I like giving them more HP.
• Give them a claw attack instead of or in addition to a slam one and have it deal more damage. Give buffer ones multiattack.
• Have them be able to take an action to gnaw out a dead creature's brain. Some more powerful ones could do this to living or even unconscious targets. Spells like Protection From Evil and Good with the creature type being undead would prevent this on a target for the duration.

You could use these zombies in conjunction with the regular ones and more powerful ones. I might try and homebrew these, but I doubt it. And Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft has some creepy zombies, and Explorer's Guide to Wildemount has the Husk Zombie, which is Critical Role attempting to zombify the D&D "zombie".

Dungeons and Dragons isn't the perfectest of systems for the true zombie apocalypse campaign: Gritty, horrifying, potentially full of character deaths, and more importantly having drastically different flavor and mechanics species wise and weapons wise with much more of a fixation on guns and humans in these types of things. But a campaign like that's definitely doable with a boatload of homebrew, and you don't even need these to use things like the Husk Zombie in your campaign. But the typical style of 5e prevents even seemingly terrifying zombies from being that scary merely due to the design of the game and style of bold and reckless play that sees little dstinction between a character's zombification and their death. But you can still make zombies creepy with the right stuff, though the statblock isn't even the worst offender here.

Quote from Nothic2SeeHere2 >>

Quote from Wysperra >>

 For you then, What monsters do you use rarely or not at all?

Hm. Out of the basic rules, I’d say:

• Sphinx (dunno why. I’ll use them eventually, I guess)
• Cyclops
• Grimlock
• Zombies (they’re the least interesting undead. Why bother?)
• Angels (why fight them?)
• Rug of Smothering (can’t take it seriously)
• Unicorn
• Yeti
• Most Beasts

 Heh..

• Sphinx: I hadn't used them either. In my "Work Game" (as I call it) - the party recently got a Spelljammer, whose spirit is a female Sphinx (GynoSphinx)
• Cyclops: I used a Cyclops recently - as a primitive type giant that was easily wow'ed by magic and was being abused by local Sand Giants (a homebrew) that the party helped defeat the Sand Giants
• Grimlock: I've used them - though in my world they're ancient humans that survived beneath the ground when the world was reshaped and gave way to sanity, with the more intelligent of them evolving into Mind Flayers.
• Zombies: Just used them a few months back. Like others suggested, they're not much in terms of what they can do - so really emphasizing how creepy they area and giving them a few extra things (even if they do nothing - describe how one of them is vomiting a glowing green liquid). Characters should, ideally be fearful of any form of undead, because the very nature of them.
• Angels: Been awhile since I used a good angel - but one of the big bad in one of my games is a fallen angel.
• Rug of Smothering: No joke. Just used this a month ago in a low level campaign I run. Was used as a trap just inside the main front door - before entering if you don't speak the command before stepping on the rug - it attacks you. Not sure why you can't take it serious - at low levels it can be dangerous. Several other monsters have the same exact powers as the Rug of Smothering. 
• Unicorn: Players recently had to let a Unicorn die to ensure the time line wasn't disrupted. And another Unicorn is a patron of another character.
• Yeti: LOL. Just used this for one of my Christmas games as the Abominable Snowman.

Zombies, as a standalone monster, are not built to inspire fear. A few more tricks can help change this.

• Turn them into hordes using the same rules for swarms.
• Turn them into an environmental feature likes traps and terrain hazards.
• Take the disease rules seriously (before 2024 removes them!)

Quote from SirTawmis >>

Quote from Nothic2SeeHere2 >>

Quote from Wysperra >>

 For you then, What monsters do you use rarely or not at all?

Hm. Out of the basic rules, I’d say:

• Sphinx (dunno why. I’ll use them eventually, I guess)
• Cyclops
• Grimlock
• Zombies (they’re the least interesting undead. Why bother?)
• Angels (why fight them?)
• Rug of Smothering (can’t take it seriously)
• Unicorn
• Yeti
• Most Beasts

 Heh..

• Rug of Smothering: No joke. Just used this a month ago in a low level campaign I run. Was used as a trap just inside the main front door - before entering if you don't speak the command before stepping on the rug - it attacks you. Not sure why you can't take it serious - at low levels it can be dangerous. Several other monsters have the same exact powers as the Rug of Smothering.

 

 Pretty sure the "can't take serious bit" is because it's, you know, just a living rug.

"As you enter into the dungeon, you encounter a dangerous enemy... A RUG! DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!"

On the topic of Zombies: I see them not as a monster you're supposed to fight, but rather a plot point. zombies hardly pose a threat to the adventurers, but they do pose a threat to the general populous, or they should. it's not a manner of having zombie encounters throughout a campaign, but rather one final encounter where the horde finally catch up with the party, when there is no (easy, at least) escape. also, give DND zombies the normal zombie disease. it not only helps integrate diseases into a game (which I almost never see) but a race against time to find a cure, along with the heartbreaking consequences of failure, would be awesome. in a zombie campaign, don't just use human zombies, use zombies of everything. elephants are vegetarians and generally don't try to hurt people unless you piss them off, but think about a murderous, undead elephant with a swarm of smaller zombies crawling over it, acting as armor, then the swarm detaches from elephant and helps it kill the party. thats frickin scary. or what about something that already has anger issues, think about a rampaging zombie elephant seal or hippo. on a good day, they are territorial and aggressive. but on a bad day, that would be horrifying. if some monsters have become part of the ecology of your world, esssenatialy becoming predators rather than just rare abominations, make them zombies. if Rocs are common in my world, I would definetly make a zombie roc that swoops down, grabs you, and drops you in the middle of a horde.

On rugs of smothering: take them seriously. players expect to fight monsters in a place, they don't expect to fight the place itself. think about if you woke up one day in the afterlife, only to find out your blanket smothered you to death in the night. its scary and serious because you never expect it, not because of the appearance, like, say, a nightwalker or dragon.

Quote from SpiderTrapper >>

On rugs of smothering: take them seriously. players expect to fight monsters in a place, they don't expect to fight the place itself. think about if you woke up one day in the afterlife, only to find out your blanket smothered you to death in the night. its scary and serious because you never expect it, not because of the appearance, like, say, a nightwalker or dragon.

Oh, that’s interesting. I always viewed them as a basic monster, not an environmental hazard. Maybe I could try that.

(Incidentally, I do use the animated armor and flying sword, just not the rug.)

I would personally use a rug of smothering as a trap in a hag lair, of course along with spider tea and swarms of flying swords.

I love Rugs of Smothering and pretty much all animated objects: These are incredible creatures that can shock the party and may actually be quite concerning in combat for the party at lower levels. Pretty much all of them are underused in my eyes, except for maybe the Animated Armor, which is almost guaranteed to have been a nasty surprise for every veteran D&Der.

Thanks for all of the advice on the zombies. I’d been more focused on the stat block than the actual implications on a campaign. Hopefully the Curse of the Husk will become the default for all zombies in 2024.

It seems like the consensus here is that zombies aren’t the best in terms of stats, but utilizing different DM tools as well as homebrew can make them far scarier. Since I do have an undead-focused campaign going on, I’ll try a lot of the tips here, and maybe get back to y’all on it.

(It’s so cool that we have a thread full of veteran DMs, lol.)

Quote from BoringBard >>

I love Rugs of Smothering and pretty much all animated objects: These are incredible creatures that can shock the party and may actually be quite concerning in combat for the party at lower levels. Pretty much all of them are underused in my eyes, except for maybe the Animated Armor, which is almost guaranteed to have been a nasty surprise for every veteran D&Der.

Especially when you try to put it on . . .

Quote from Nothic2SeeHere2 >>

Thanks for all of the advice on the zombies. I’d been more focused on the stat block than the actual implications on a campaign. Hopefully the Curse of the Husk will become the default for all zombies in 2024.

It seems like the consensus here is that zombies aren’t the best in terms of stats, but utilizing different DM tools as well as homebrew can make them far scarier. Since I do have an undead-focused campaign going on, I’ll try a lot of the tips here, and maybe get back to y’all on it.

(It’s so cool that we have a thread full of veteran DMs, lol.)

 Me, whistling, having never DMed a full campaign before.

Quote from SpiderTrapper >>

Quote from Nothic2SeeHere2 >>

Thanks for all of the advice on the zombies. I’d been more focused on the stat block than the actual implications on a campaign. Hopefully the Curse of the Husk will become the default for all zombies in 2024.

It seems like the consensus here is that zombies aren’t the best in terms of stats, but utilizing different DM tools as well as homebrew can make them far scarier. Since I do have an undead-focused campaign going on, I’ll try a lot of the tips here, and maybe get back to y’all on it.

(It’s so cool that we have a thread full of veteran DMs, lol.)

 Me, whistling, having never DMed a full campaign before.

 Me either. But I am now!

Quote from WoodsGirl0402 >>

Quote from SpiderTrapper >>

Quote from Nothic2SeeHere2 >>

Thanks for all of the advice on the zombies. I’d been more focused on the stat block than the actual implications on a campaign. Hopefully the Curse of the Husk will become the default for all zombies in 2024.

It seems like the consensus here is that zombies aren’t the best in terms of stats, but utilizing different DM tools as well as homebrew can make them far scarier. Since I do have an undead-focused campaign going on, I’ll try a lot of the tips here, and maybe get back to y’all on it.

(It’s so cool that we have a thread full of veteran DMs, lol.)

 Me, whistling, having never DMed a full campaign before.

 Me either. But I am now!

 Thats more than I can say, what are you running? homebrew? or a module?

Quote from SpiderTrapper >>

Quote from WoodsGirl0402 >>

Quote from SpiderTrapper >>

Quote from Nothic2SeeHere2 >>

Thanks for all of the advice on the zombies. I’d been more focused on the stat block than the actual implications on a campaign. Hopefully the Curse of the Husk will become the default for all zombies in 2024.

It seems like the consensus here is that zombies aren’t the best in terms of stats, but utilizing different DM tools as well as homebrew can make them far scarier. Since I do have an undead-focused campaign going on, I’ll try a lot of the tips here, and maybe get back to y’all on it.

(It’s so cool that we have a thread full of veteran DMs, lol.)

 Me, whistling, having never DMed a full campaign before.

 Me either. But I am now!

 Thats more than I can say, what are you running? homebrew? or a module?

 I’m running the Planescape boxed set adventure. So really it’s like a mini campaign (probably only going to last through the beginning of March).

I've been working on my adventure for DM's Guild but it really isn't looking too great. Do you guys think I should still post it when I finish even though I'm not proud of it, or should I just scrap the whole thing altogether?

If I wrapped it up and published it, I think it'd be pay what you want with the suggested pay being 0.00 lol.

Edit: Y'know what, I'm scrapping it. I don't have the energy to finish it and it's an abysmal adventure lol.

Dispel magic was like a "must have" for years, and then they introduced "counterspell", lol.

That's why no one ever takes dispel magic anymore.

Well, except for that one Player who knows me too damn well. Knows that I will set magical traps on stuff simply because I am aware everyone stopped taking dispel magic.

I mean, holy cow, disguise that rug of smothering as a throw blanket. Or a curtain.

long ago and far away I had a room that was nothing but the kind of critters that everyone laughs at. Mimics. Rugs of somethignering, living cloaks, floor monsters, ceiling monsters, stuff like that. It was set up to show up at the time that a party needed a rest, as well, so the room looked like a great place to take a break. Beds, chests of drawers, a table with a wash basin and mirror, a large tub, a hearth with a goodly sized cauldron or cooking pot. an actual indoor water pump.

Even food.

And over half of it was a critter hunting for its next meal or a magic item meant to get out of control.

Some of it would prove useful -- a decanter of endless water in plain sight on a table, a scrying bowl just resting there. An everburning log.

rot grubs in the straw of the mattress, mimics as a bed frame, chest of drawers, mirrors of madness -- the amount of fun you can have as a DM is huge.

But, of course, players will give you very dirty looks for springing that on them in 5e when they are low on spell slots and and other things, lol.