Your favorite non-WoTC 3.x creatures

[ShriekingDrake]

MY PLAYERS, STAY OUT. YOU HAVE BEEN ADMONISHED. YE WHO READS BEYOND THIS POINT DESTROYS HIS OWN FUN.






I'm DMing the next campaign for one of my groups--we've been playing together almost 30 years--and I want to throw something entirely new at them.

My plan is a sort of Land of the Lost/Wizard of Oz thing where they end up in a strange world, where their objective is to get home--a thing that will only happen at level 20. In the meanwhile, they will have to make due with the world they're in. I would like them to encounter few, if any, creatures they're familiar with.

I am looking for your favorite non-WoTC creatures. My hope is to have them experience the wonder of encountering completely new creatures, where they actually have to figure out how they work, like when we were all just figuring out the game.

I'd love to hear your favorite non-WoTC/TSR creatures, why you like them, and where I can find them. If you've got good stories, all the merrier.

I know that some of you can recommend good third-party monster books (and I certainly won't scoff at your referrals), but I'm really most interested in your specific monster recommendation.

Thanks.

[Mystic Muse]

The Xxyth from Denizens of Avadnu are pretty cool, in my humble opinion. The book itself isn't that great, but there are some gems in it. I got it for free at Free RPG day at my FLGS.

[Gnoman]

Not a specific creature, but a few of the Encyclopedia Arcane books by Mongoose include rules for creating your own creatures. Specifically, Constructs is a fairly good setup for golems and clockwork creatures, while Crossbreeding is about kitbashing new creatures from existing ones. This would definitely accomplish your goal of strange creatures, although there would be a significant amount of work involved.

[ShriekingDrake]

The Xxyth from Denizens of Avadnu are pretty cool, in my humble opinion. The book itself isn't that great, but there are some gems in it. I got it for free at Free RPG day at my FLGS.

Much obliged. What's cool about them? Did you have a particularly memorable experience with them? They sound alien.


Not a specific creature, but a few of the Encyclopedia Arcane books by Mongoose include rules for creating your own creatures. Specifically, Constructs is a fairly good setup for golems and clockwork creatures, while Crossbreeding is about kitbashing new creatures from existing ones. This would definitely accomplish your goal of strange creatures, although there would be a significant amount of work involved.

Admittedly, I was hoping to both avoid the work and benefit from the experience of playgrounder's prior joys. That said, I appreciate the suggestion,. Such a resource could help me out in a pinch. Thanks

[Palanan]

Well, I have a couple of suggestions, even though they're bending the edge of what you asked for.

One of the most harrowing and enjoyable encounters I've ever run involved sending an essence reaver against an 8th-level party. Yes, it's from Secrets of Sarlona, but it's mildly obscure and the creature has fantastic potential.

I used a different physical design (none of this annoying Dragon Jr. business) and threw it at the party while they were crossing a maze of fissures on a deeply forested hillside. Apart from the tactical calamity (everyone getting lost in the fissures), the fact that its damage couldn't be easily healed by regular magic really knocked the PCs back. A Wizards creature, yes, but we had a great time with it.

My second suggestion is Dangerous Denizens: Monsters of Tellene, a third-party book which is worth looking through. I enjoy it for the broad range of natural wildlife (including margays and snow leopards) but you might find some worthy magical creatures as well.

[JeminiZero]

When you say non-WoTC, are you including homebrew? You could take a look at our homebrew boards (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=15). You could request some specific homebrew here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219438). Or You could start up a thread to request homebrew NPCs (and maybe monster) for the setting like this one (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267254)

[Mystic Muse]

Much obliged. What's cool about them? Did you have a particularly memorable experience with them? They sound alien.

They are. Basically, if they encounter too many things anathema to them (Some of them get fatigued or even exhausted by sunlight. The natural world can practically be poison) they will cease to exist. The most powerful ones are ridiculous, with things like a rain that makes their opponent choose whether to become their mindslave, or die (Necrotic death effect with a Fortitude save to negate).

[samuraijaques]

Vorpal bunnies!

Vorpal bunny
Tiny Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 1/4 d10 (2 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+4 dex, +2 size), touch 16, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-12
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6)
Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3-4)
Space/Reach: 2 ½ ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Vorpal bite
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision, Oversized Jaws, Vorpal Bite
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +0
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 18, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +7, Spot +7, Escape Artist +9, Jump + 4,
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Mountains
Organization: Solitary, pair or warren (7-16)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: --
Level adjustment: --

The creature appears to be an ordinary white rabbit, although it is surrounded by bones and is flecked with the blood of a recently killed animal.

The legendary vorpal bunny is a predator posing as prey. Its bright coloration and harmless demeanor are how this vicious pack predator attracts unwitting prey. Pity the wolf who chases a "helpless" vorpal bunny into a field full of rabbit holes, which then explode with vorpal bunnies who had laid in wait.

Combat

Oversized jaws (Ex): A vorpal bunny's jaws are specially hinged and can open wider than they might appear to be able to, and do damage comparable to the bite of a medium-sized creature.

Vorpal bite (Su): On a confirmed critical hit, a vorpal bunny rips the throat out of its prey, killing it instantly. Targets immune to critical hits are immune to this attack as well.
pretty much as good as it gets

cheers

[andromax]

The Thellahydra from sword and sorcerers Hyperconsious, does like 36 tentacle attacks that all grapple. it's so obnoxious. I summoned it with my psion one game and he banned it after that. encounter took forever.

[Tokuhara]

My favorite is from Green Ronin's [I]Bastards and Bloodlines[I]…

They are the Watchers: souls of dead dwarves placed in the bodies of gargoyles. I know that this doesn't sound all that cool, but a 2LA race od Dwarf/Gargoyle hybrids was just nuts. PM me if you want the full write-up on Watchers. Link to image (http://m1027.photobucket.com/albumview/albums/Mastermond/Watcher.jpg.html?o=0&newest=1)

[ShriekingDrake]

When you say non-WoTC, are you including homebrew? You could take a look at our homebrew boards (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=15). You could request some specific homebrew here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219438). Or You could start up a thread to request homebrew NPCs (and maybe monster) for the setting like this one (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267254)
Thanks. A good suggestion. I'd certainly welcome any homebrew that people like as well.

[Vaz]

Theres a couple of big monsters that hate the clans from the "Secrets of the "x" clan" series in AEG rokugan content. If you include honor and taint (please try not to laugh when you attempt to sense taint), or some analogous content, they work quite well.

[The Glyphstone]

I'm a total beholderphile, so I love all the new creatures from Goodman Games' Complete Guide To Beholders.

[ShriekingDrake]

Thanks for these suggestions. I'm hoping this thread will catch on a bit more.