Most Horrifying Monsters

[PersonofJid]

I'd like to know what everyone thinks are some of the scariest monsters to have to fight in D&D. Scary in the sense that if you were to kick in the door of a dungeon, and you saw this monster waiting for you on the other side, it would make you wish that you had brought a change of underwear.

[ArcaneGlyph]

When you are a low level fighter and know nothing about them beyond their name and reputation: Rust Monsters

[Asrrin]

Illithids and beholders take the cake for me.

[Seharvepernfan]

Of the top of my head, I'd say a beholder.

Dragons, of course, can be horrifying, but mostly when you're not ready or prepared for them. Beholders are always an "oh sh-" moment, even when you're higher level.

[Hamste]

Gibbering mouthers are pretty horrifying even if they are not that tough.

Mimics can be pretty bad as well just for the surprise factor(People seem to forget this but they can be anything including but not limited to doors, that odd patch of wall, that tower shield and even the toilet)

But the very worst for me is the Chaos Beast. It not only looks creepy with it's ever shifting form but it is also horrible to deal with. 2 +10 attacks and each time it hits you need a dc 15 fortitude save or become one yourself (Pretty low but someone is bound to fail). Woe to the group who's cleric does not know restoration or gets affected by this. The only bright side is these things health, it is slow and it's ac is quite low but in a cramped space it can still be massively dangerous.

[Norin]

*Mimic toilet

Horrifying indeed! :smalleek:

[navar100]

beholder
medusa/gorgon/basilisk/cockatrice
incorporeal undead
rust monster
oozes

I also never, ever want to see a unicorn. They are always a bad omen. When ever the party sees or meets one, a clusterfudge combat will happen later that game session. Every time. All the time. Every game. Every DM. Never fails. Been happening since 1989.

[ShriekingDrake]

Meenlocks are really creepy!

[Sylthia]

Mimics, Rust Monsters, and Gelatinous Cubes

[limejuicepowder]

I don't like facing save-or-dies, so any monster with that type of mechanic makes me sweaty. I just don't like the thought of an entire character's future based on a single die roll.

[Deox]

Obligatory mention for Adamantine Horror.

Also, +1 for beholder. Recent session, one turned half the party into stone, and sent another character fleeing for two minutes leaving my elf all alone against it.

[Qwertystop]

Teratomorph.

It's about what you'd get if you took a Rod of Wonder with a homebrew set of tables and put it in a blender with fifty different kinds of Jello before bringing the whole mess to life.

[RogueDM]

As a player the worst I encountered was a beholder with half of its eyes destroyed.... we were very low level.

As a DM I think my players now fear the Gibbering Mouther most of all. They failed to carve their cleric out of its mouth before he was digested. It didn't help that their wizard was cowering in a cupboard somewhere... or that the cleric forgot that he had already activated Nimbus of Light and needed only expend it to save himself...

[Razgriez]

The most horrifying monsters in the game?

A party of Optimized adventurers... Seriously, have you seen what those crazy ones do? They turn entire towns into smoking craters with with Cantrips/Orisons and Level 1 spells!. And if they aren't that, they look like some sort crazy thing made from multiple creatures half the time!


Wait, DM opinions are allowed in this discussion, right?

[Blackhawk748]

Illithids are always up there, Tsocari too. What really terrifies me? Giant squid, i once played a homebrewed werewolf and the centaur fighter got caught by one. Now me the grapple monster werewolf could barely do anything against it. If i see a squid i freak out now :smalleek:

[Crasical]

Mimics can be pretty bad as well just for the surprise factor(People seem to forget this but they can be anything including but not limited to doors, that odd patch of wall, that tower shield and even the toilet)


Horrifying indeed! :smalleek:

It always bugged me that the mimic is large sized and takes up 150 cubic feet when transformed, since they usually get presented as being much smaller than that.

[Coidzor]

Meenlocks are really creepy!

Precisely because they have a lolhuge range and don't need to ever actually be seen by the party before they're all comatose from their wisdom going straight to 0.

[gorfnab]

That Damned Crab! (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20040221a) - especially when you're level 1 to 3.

[Manly Man]

It always bugged me that the mimic is large sized and takes up 150 cubic feet when transformed, since they usually get presented as being much smaller than that.

I usually just play them like a living, gnawing, gnashing, starving bag of holding. They fit whatever space you put them in, but they have that much space internally.

As for most horrifying monsters, it depends on whether we're talking about fluff or the average encounter. For the latter, it's a tie between beholders and squads of kobolds when you're on their home turf. As for the former, it's gotta be the illithids for me, as well as them being one of the most interesting. In a discussion of what would happen if a mind flayer became 'good', there was a bit about how the Elder Brains are responsible for much of their villainous culture, and if its subjects found out the few secrets that the Elder Brains were keeping from them, it would essentially be helpless as every last illithid would turn on them and, eventually, devour their own god.

Their horrific experiments, their amorality, their cold-hearted genius, and most of all, if played right, the methods to their madness, are all terrifying. Ceremorphosis is probably the last thing I would ever want to see, short of seeing a box of kittens being run over slowly.

[ShriekingDrake]

Precisely because they have a lolhuge range and don't need to ever actually be seen by the party before they're all comatose from their wisdom going straight to 0.

That and what they do to your characters once they get their horrible, hooked mitts on you. That whole living transformation process is evocatively icky.

[The Viscount]

Mockery Bugs always do it for me. They're just scary, and MMV even suggests you play them that way.

Angel of Decay always gets me, mostly because the art is so fantastically repugnant. It's wonderful quality of art put to a truly unsettling end.

Wendigo is pretty creepy, especially if you play it right. Those charred stumps, man. That's not right.

Atropal Scion is pretty bad as well. It's basically the non-epic version of the Atropal, now with even more detailed and disturbing art.

Vitreous Drinker is a combination of many things that are just wrong. Eyes everywhere, nasty giant tongue, murder of crow minions, and he's pretty fierce in combat to boot.

For sheer combat horror, the Plague Blight is a big one. He's deceptively normal for the most part, but his disease has an incubation period of instantaneous and requires a save every round. If you're not prepared, it can wreak some serious havoc. And yes, the disease does deal Con damage, so each fort save becomes harder to make.

[ArcturusV]

Depending on how you run into it? I find that Gelatinous Cubes are more than capable of filling the pants of my players.

Similarly, oddly, Demons and Devils can, if you play them up properly. It's all in the presentation. I've had 2 HD demons that made my players crap their pants, and avoid him at all costs. Even when they were level 9. Demons and Devils should just BE scary, if you put the effort into it.

[Eurus]

Bodaks and medusas are pretty terrifying, for me. You walk up to a bodak unexpectedly, and you can bet most of the party is going to shut their eyes and run screaming (into a wall).

[Amphetryon]

There is a certain module, from a certain 3rd party campaign setting advertised in a comic about some Knights sitting around a Dinner Table.

The party is supposed to be 1st or 2nd level. The module provides almost no magic items, particularly of a restorative nature, with the notable exception of one Tiny size Dagger +1. If you don't know it, go ahead and look up the damage on a Tiny Dagger.

One of the set monsters the party has to face is an Allip with Turn Resistance.

Yeah.

At appropriate levels, Allips are annoying. In this module? If the Cleric can't turn it, and if the DM doesn't change how Ability Drain works, it's a TPK.

[ArqArturo]

Mockery Bugs always do it for me. They're just scary, and MMV even suggests you play them that way.

Angel of Decay always gets me, mostly because the art is so fantastically repugnant. It's wonderful quality of art put to a truly unsettling end.

If you're having undead problems I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems but a lich ain't one

:p

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/8083/cleric20.jpg

[kreenlover]

Ooh, boy, these things still give me nightmares.

Freaky Illithids! I read the Illithilliad? That 2e book all about them. Oh god, nightmares for weeks! Squids, tentacle thingies, anything with tentacles! Things that eat your brain with tentacle beards! Things that can put a mini squid up your nose to turn you into a tentacle bearded brain eater? Things that look like Davy Jones, and will always remind me of what he did to that nasty captain in the third movie with the tentacles in the nose and eyes and ears and euggh!

Yah. Illithids would just about do it for me. Illithids and Beholders. Illithids and Beholders and anything unnatural and tentacley.

Uggh. Shudder. Squid beaks on your throat. Shudder. C'thulu. :smalleek: :smalleek: :eek::eek::eek::eek:

And, on a lighter note, any type of randomly encountered scantily clad astoundingly beautiful female. You know how often those things turn out to be horrible monsters that look hideous and want to eat your souls? 100% of the time! :smalleek:

Same with randomly encountered little kids in the woods or dungeon. Especially if they are singing.

So you guys probably think that my characters go around killing anything with tentacles, any beautiful women, and little kids. But, let me tell you, when you combine any two of the three, it becomes ok to kill it. Trust me. My DM said so. :smallbiggrin:

[Coidzor]

So you guys probably think that my characters go around killing anything with tentacles, any beautiful women, and little kids. But, let me tell you, when you combine any two of the three, it becomes ok to kill it. Trust me. My DM said so. :smallbiggrin:

Any kids (http://youtu.be/cRXNNqNfQBs?t=23s) that come to the attention of adventurers are automatically suspect.

[ArqArturo]

Any kids (http://youtu.be/cRXNNqNfQBs?t=23s) that come to the attention of adventurers are automatically suspect.

Kids in a campaign are usually cookie-cutter npcs/The Chosen One you must either protect or destroy (depending on the party)/siblings of former adventurers.

For me, the most hideous monsters have to the both the Night Hag, and the Vaath from the BoVD. Night Hags are horrifying because they eat away your sanity while you sleep, and they're ugly.

Real ugly.

And then there's the Vaath, a... Thing, that transfers everyone else his enjoyment of chewing your face off, while it chews your face off.

[Krobar]

Beholders, and the Ancient Night Twist.

[Rainshine]

I believe its one of the golems, but I had a DM who did a pretty good job with a monster that absorbed the faces of its victims into its flesh.

[Randomguy]

This thing (www.goblinscomic.org/03292011/) is terrifying even before you find out about its touch attack.

[Toy Killer]

Ever since I played a Wight, I feel like I've always just shodded them off as elite zombie cannon fodder in lieu of embracing their truly horrific side.

And then realizing that Ghouls and various other zombie expy's, Their is a lot to be said in regard to the simple basic undead.

Even a lone zombie isn't too terrifying to a PC; What's to fear? slowly wandering about with a penchant for eating people if the victims are slow enough for the cadaverous friend to get a hold of them. A wight, however? They can think, and are described by their burning hatred for the living. They are fast, and they are silent. Sunlight doesn't stop them. Turning is more difficult then usual. They can keep their class levels. They are Diet Death Knights.

I, as a Wight, can't kill a Fighter with his Cleric buddy around. Well... What's stopping them from following the party after they left. Find that nice little town where they want to sell off MY belongings. How quaint, a Lumberjack burning the midnight oil... out in the middle of nowhere.

Forget the Necromancer. I am The Wight-pocolypse. I don't care if you have thirty clerics, a town of 200 wights is going to take out someone in your party as your levels slowly succumb to undeath. Oh? You're party is protected by Deathward? Cute, the town isn't and your spell has a duration; Undeath doesn't. Good luck with that 8 hours of rest, or even 10 minutes of preparation.

Ultimately, a Wight's greatest edge over a party is the fact that they don't have to pit themselves against the party. Every single NPC they ever met, knew or could meet is a potential target for wightification and they are perfectly capable of waiting it out in the mean time. Just being mortal is the only fault the wight needs to be a resounding pain in their side.

[almightycoma]

swarms specifically of bugs...(shudders) just the though of seeing enough bugs to fill a 5x5 combat square makes my skin crawl. now i have to picture them all over me/under my armor where my hands cant get to them to brush them off ? :smalleek:

[ArqArturo]

Ever since I played a Wight, I feel like I've always just shodded them off as elite zombie cannon fodder in lieu of embracing their truly horrific side.

And then realizing that Ghouls and various other zombie expy's, Their is a lot to be said in regard to the simple basic undead.

Even a lone zombie isn't too terrifying to a PC; What's to fear? slowly wandering about with a penchant for eating people if the victims are slow enough for the cadaverous friend to get a hold of them. A wight, however? They can think, and are described by their burning hatred for the living. They are fast, and they are silent. Sunlight doesn't stop them. Turning is more difficult then usual. They can keep their class levels. They are Diet Death Knights.

I, as a Wight, can't kill a Fighter with his Cleric buddy around. Well... What's stopping them from following the party after they left. Find that nice little town where they want to sell off MY belongings. How quaint, a Lumberjack burning the midnight oil... out in the middle of nowhere.

Forget the Necromancer. I am The Wight-pocolypse. I don't care if you have thirty clerics, a town of 200 wights is going to take out someone in your party as your levels slowly succumb to undeath. Oh? You're party is protected by Deathward? Cute, the town isn't and your spell has a duration; Undeath doesn't. Good luck with that 8 hours of rest, or even 10 minutes of preparation.

Ultimately, a Wight's greatest edge over a party is the fact that they don't have to pit themselves against the party. Every single NPC they ever met, knew or could meet is a potential target for wightification and they are perfectly capable of waiting it out in the mean time. Just being mortal is the only fault the wight needs to be a resounding pain in their side.

You have just given me an awesome idea for this week's session :smallbiggrin:.

[ryzouken]

Phaerimm from Faerun freaked me out when I first stumbled over them. Spellslinging monstrosities that have a tail spike that injects you with its eggs? Yeah, no thanks.

They're like giant, sorcerous face huggers... /shudder

[Coidzor]

Kids in a campaign are usually cookie-cutter npcs/The Chosen One you must either protect or destroy (depending on the party)/siblings of former adventurers.

Exactly, all Kill On Sight. XD

[ArqArturo]

There's a lot of focus on the undead/abominations, but I think a few humanoids also deserve some of the fear.

Think of gnolls, for starters. I mean, I don't know if they do, but since they kind of look like hyenas, they could have the laugh. Imagine you're enslaved by a pack of them. You can't see well in the dark, but they sure as heck can, they look at you and do that disgusting laughter, followed by some of them talking to each other. You've no idea what they're talking about (gnolls have their own language), but you have an idea it's not nice. They also tend to make meals of their slaves, once they get tired of it. And, to make things worse, they commonly worship Yeenoghu. And I guess demon-worshiping rituals must be messy.

And then we have the bugbears. The big fuzzy goblinoids blend stealth with brutality. They're the quintessential monster in the closet, snugly hidden in the shadows, waiting for the moment to strike.

[CockroachTeaParty]

I don't know if it's been mentioned already, but the Spawn of Kyuss from the Monster Manual II is up there for me.

Everything about them screams uncomfortable body horror. You can feel the worm crawling up your body, and then once it gets inside your brain, you die horribly, slowly, as it eats your mind and turns you into a undead nest of horrors.

There are lots of 'fate worse than death' monsters out there, but that's a pretty horrible way to die.

[TripleD]

For me, too many monsters in D&D that try to be "scary" either end up being an interesting twist on horror cliches ("Oh, a vampire-thing that drinks bone instead of blood"), gross ("hmmm, a demon without skin"), or they try way too hard and end up being ridiculous in their moustache twirling ("Bwahaha! We are the tentacle people from the future!")

The scary monsters in D&D are the ones who ignore the conventions of pulp or post-Tolkien Fantasy and stay true to their folklore roots.

Take Trolls for example. These things are honest-to-God monsters. If they decide that you are going to die, then they will throw themselves into ripping you limb-from-limb and devouring you. They will not rest, they will ignore any pain, and only fire can stop them. What's even scarier is that they are reasonably intelligent. Fluff even seems to indicate that, with some application, they could raise themselves up to become smarter and more civilized. But most don't. They like like being nightmares.

They cake though, has to go to Splinterwaifs from Monster Manual III. One thing that "elves" of folklore were famous for is kidnapping children. Splinterwaifs take that concept to horrifying new places. For all the parents out there, imagine your child being eaten, slowly, just a few feet away from you, all the while being largely invisible to your eyes, and tell me these things wouldn't be terrifying to have running around the real world.

[joca4christ]

My experience with the game is fairly limited, by and large. Having read through the core MM, I'd have to agree on mind flayers, beholders, and aboleths as being among the most frightening. Haven't personally run across any as of yet, though.

For my players, so far the two things that have given them, "Oh crap" moments have been a grell, and a stone spike.

It helped terrify them of the grell that I googled the image and said, "This is what you see." Nothing says creepy like a floating brain with a beak and tentacles. Add to the fact that as soon as they went into the room it as in, it swooped out of nowhere on a Fly By attack, snatched up their tank, who failed his Fort save and was consquently paralyzed for the next four rounds.

The stone spike was funnier. The party saw a "statue" in a room with crystal tipped arms. I let the party oracle do a planes check where he realized this was an elemental of some kind. The rogue sneaks past while the rest of the party waits to see what happens. Upon finding the way out of the room, he motions for the rest to follow him. So they push forward the skulk thru had captured, and the stone spike promptly hits it with a full attack, smashing it into jelly. They spent the next couple of rounds trying to figure out whether it could move or not. (It could, which prompted a whole new level of horror!)

[Fyermind]

When I kick down the door to a dungeon and find a library, I panic. Narrow corridors, cramped spaces, thousands of books, not always the best illumination, it makes a terrible place to fight. Furthermore, there is probably something very smart who owns the library, and you have no idea what it is yet.

The other thing that scares me is when the first thing the DM says is "Roll a will save"

[Vedhin]

I'd have to say the aforementioned meenlocks. Of all the monsters, they creep me out the most. If meenlocks are played correctly, they are absolutely terrifying. They stalk you from underground tunnels, projecting thoughts of being watched into your mind, damaging your Wisdom, shredding your sanity. Then, after you fall unconciouos, they dart out and drag you into their warrens, and turn YOU into a meenlock. Forever.

Also, brought to you by the WotC website: the Gutpuppet (http://wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/mm/mm20011215a), the Slaver Fungus (http://wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/mm/mm20020519a), the Feverclaw (http://wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/mm/mm20030214a=the Feverclaw), and the Mindstealers (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20030727a). Finally, the creepiest things from the WotC website, the Blood Mother (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20030314a) and Blood Elementals (http://wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20030208a).

[Novawurmson]

As a DM about to start a horror campaign, thank you.

The Necrosis Carnex from MMIV was actually the first monster I ever fought in D&D, and probably the grodiest.

Honestly, the things I've been most scared of in campaigns are generally humanoids. I guess the idea that something so much like you can still be that wicked is pretty unnerving.

[Lord Vukodlak]

I designed a naturally invisible creature that caused insanity if viewed with true seeing or see invisibility..

[ArqArturo]

Here's a couple of creepy critters, these are, however, from the beastiaries of Pathfinder.

The Leukodaemon. This thing embodies Disease (being deacons of Pestilence and all), they have an aura that sickens you, it throws flies at you that eat away flesh and blood, and the scariest part? Each arrow they throw can give you a disease, instantly. You don't really have to be fighting it directly, it can hide, waiting patiently, and fling the disease he wants at you (extra frightening if the DM is using the diseases from the BoVD), and every day, he can stalk you, and throw you a new disease. Waking up? Here, have some chickenpox. Hiding? Let me throw you some gangrene. Going to the cleric to get some magical aid? Have some Life Blindness and Faceless Hate while you're at it. Heck, he can team up with his buddy the wight in order to wipe out a town and a group of annoying do-gooders that have been thwarting its plans to spread the love. Want to make him extra creepy? Let the Leukodaemon call its diseases not as such, but as 'blessings', and treat diseased characters, especially if they're at the last, like if they were its children.

Ogres as described in Pathfinder are also disturbing: Incestuous, humanoid-eating brutes that enjoy torturing captives, and take great delight and care on their craft. They're big, mean, ugly (because incest) and brutish, but smart enough to know where to stick that scalpel where it hurts the most (not where it can kill you) so to hear you scream better. Basically, they're giant rednecks.

[Cheiromancer]

At lower levels our party was terrified of wights. Just the thought of energy drain. Allips were awful too.

Later on we had a really bad experience with a roper. I still think of them with dread.

[Manly Man]

When I kick down the door to a dungeon and find a library, I panic. Narrow corridors, cramped spaces, thousands of books, not always the best illumination, it makes a terrible place to fight. Furthermore, there is probably something very smart who owns the library, and you have no idea what it is yet.

I once had the group I DM'd run into a library, and as it turns out, the librarian was a lich. She was perfectly fine with people coming in and out and reading, but there were three rules and subsequent punishments.

1. Talking louder than a whisper, unless you were asking her a question, meant she would grab your tongue, using the paralyzing touch feature. Yelling would mean she took your tongue out through magic, and would return it when you left.

2. Stealing material meant she would cast wither limb on your hands, and if you wanted your hands back to normal, you had to do it yourself, or work for her until she decided you had done enough. If you kept on trying to steal somehow, she would break off fingers.

3. Damaging material meant she would keep you captive in the library until you replaced the material, whether through buying or rewriting it yourself. Doing it again would get you flung off to another plane of existence, her preference being either Hades or The Abyss.

Yeah, the players learned quick not to mess with her.

[Grod_The_Giant]

On a mechanical level, beholders are just about the only thing that freak me out.

On a fluff level... it's reeeaaaalllly hard to argue with the mockery bug.


The shopkeeper turns toward you, a silly grin on his face. “Here’s your change. Here’s your change!” he says, his voice rising to a shout. Then, in a spout of blood, his face detaches from his skull and leaps toward you, propelled by a centipedelike body with foot-long spines. “Here’s . . . your . . . change!” shouts the centipede with the shopkeeper’s face as it scuttles your way.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM5_Gallery/106319.jpg

And let's not forget the Vinespawn, a literal tentacle rape horror. I once converted one to an aberration and threw it in an adventure because hey, my villain liked making aberrations, and the picture looked snazzy. Only after the encounter began and I read the "spawning" ability did I realize my mistake :smalleek:


This thing (www.goblinscomic.org/03292011/) is terrifying even before you find out about its touch attack.
+1 for Mr. Fingers. Especially bad if you know that the constant cracking sounds as it moves are the sounds of its bones breaking and reforming in new positions...

[ArqArturo]

And let's not forget the Vinespawn, a literal tentacle rape horror. I once converted one to an aberration and threw it in an adventure because hey, my villain liked making aberrations, and the picture looked snazzy. Only after the encounter began and I read the "spawning" ability did I realize my mistake :smalleek:

I was gonna say Brienne of Tarth has immunity... Well, you get the point. But then I remembered Berserker.

[Doomboy911]

The crawling apocalypse. A giant undead octopus war machine. It slides through the sand impossible to detect. I think I could beat one but I'm very scared of the idea.

But what I'm really afraid of is the the flesh ooze. Just a humoungus mound of flesh that doesn't absorb you, it crushes you. And the worst part it has bits of hair and I think teeth just around. So creepy.

[Sheogoroth]

At low levels, any intelligent undead that deals multiple negative levels.
Someone's probably going to die, and depending on the party, they might just flee.
Then, with shock and horror, you come to the realization that your former character is a buffed intelligent wight, and is actively stalking your party.
Very fun for the DM, horrifying for the party.

[The Viscount]

I don't know if it's been mentioned already, but the Spawn of Kyuss from the Monster Manual II is up there for me.

Spawn of Kyuss is pretty nasty on that end, but I personally wasn't bothered too much by them due them looking like Iron Maiden album covers.


If you're having undead problems I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems but a lich ain't one

:p

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/8083/cleric20.jpg

While ordinarily that does solve problems, the Angel of Decay is a 26 HD CR 17 monster. I know boosts to cleric level exist, but do that many people walk around with +5 (the minimum to successfully turn it) to their level?

Gray Jester works decently, because there's really no reason for the group of Cha 0 followers he has, other than to be creepy.

[Phelix-Mu]

Kids in a campaign are usually cookie-cutter npcs/The Chosen One you must either protect or destroy (depending on the party)/siblings of former adventurers.


Really? I often make children just be reborn x or y via some kind of contingency thing. It has some special knowledge or has some specific item. Just cause it looks like a child doesn't mean it necessarily behaves like an irl child.

To the OP: I'll nominate telepaths. So it's not a creature. So what. We can put anything with access to mindrape-esque powers into the same box. Memory alteration is scary.

I think there is a Krynn creature called Undead Beast. I know it from 2e, where the picture for it creeped me out when I was young.

And finally, the original prince of scare, the Death Knight. I really wish their mechanics in 3e were a bit better, cause in 2e they were pretty kickass enemies to be up against.

[Crasical]

This thing (www.goblinscomic.org/03292011/) is terrifying even before you find out about its touch attack.

For those of us without the time or inclination to go on an archive binge, is this an actual DnD monster or what?

[RFLS]

Well, I've been having huge success in wigging my players out with the vaath from BoVD. Kytons, from the same books, are pretty freaky, too.

Eh, I'm just going to toss the BoVD on the list. The whole book.

Also, for a Core option: Aboleths are pretty freaky. Giant, betentacled fish that slime you to the point of suffocation and can mess with your head.

[Randomguy]

For those of us without the time or inclination to go on an archive binge, is this an actual DnD monster or what?

I always assumed it was, but it turns out it's just a hombrewed monster called a lesser finger horror (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Lesser_Finger_Horror_%283.5e_Creature%29). (The comic's author made the stats).

[Sith_Happens]

Mechanically: Allips, no contest. CR 3 my ass.

Didn't spend 2300 of your 2700 gp wealth-by-level on a magic weapon? Possibly because the DMG specifically advises against letting you do so? Better start running then.*

Get hit by it? Of course you did, it's a touch attack. Don't worry though, a Restoration spell will fix that right up. Oh, you can't cast Restoration for another four levels? Sucks to be you.

My heart goes out to all the groups that have been wiped or crippled because their DMs trusted the CR system.

Fluffwise: Reading about the Aboleths' perfect racial memory on Lords of Madness creeped me the **** out for some reason.

But, given the right group and the magic words, I'm going to have to go with Slaymates. What are the magic words, you ask?

"Are you my mummy?"

:smallamused:


* This distinction is shared with Shadows, making them the runner-up.

[Blackhawk748]

i hate those things, its why i scream "POWERS ABOVE" and throw every turn attempt i have at them when i play a cleric, otherwise i run, fast, and pray that the mage has magic missile.

Also Dragons scare the crap out of me when played right. They're a mage with the body of godzilla and the mind of Dr Doom, even if your "prepared" (and im a true believer that you never truly will be) they are one hell of a fight.

[Lord Vukodlak]

Drowned nuff said.

[Hida Reju]

KRUTHIK from 3.5 Miniatures Handbook page 62. Or as I read it somone inserting Starcraft into D&D

They come in 3 life stages, Hatchling = Zergling, Adult = Hydralisk complete with spike shooting, Greater = OMG ITS THE SIZE OF A BEAR AND ITS EATING ME.

They hit hard, fast, and use pack tactics to bring you down, have a mad high bonus for stealth and great Jump checks to leap though windows, over walls, and creep around in tunnels.

I turned them into a plague that haunted the world for years, kill teams went into ruins and never came back.

Oh and as usual the CR is a lie. AC 19 on a CR 2 non magic using creature with multiple attacks and a high touch AC vs spells. Yeah and it gets +11 to hit on a pair of claw attacks.

[Phelix-Mu]

I guess that part of my problem is I'm not a player often enough. Whereas my underdeveloped player mind might look at something and get all psyched out, my prevalent DM mind looks at something like, lets say kythons/vaath/kruthiks, and my thought is "oh, come here, you beautiful thing you...I have an encounter idea...." *runs off giggling to find notebook*

Like, literally, I remember looking through my new copy of BoVD, seeing kythons and having pretty much that exact reaction.

Same feeling I had when I homebrewed multi-armed, carnivorous ghost-trees for an adventure I was running inside a cursed forest. Great stuff. Really. Man-eating ethereal trees that pop onto the Prime fully solid and proceed to rend, rend, rend, before disappearing again. Plus, they had a rebirth mechanic like haunts, but faster, that had to do with the curse.

Man, I love this job.:smallbiggrin:

[RustyArmor]

Wendigo is pretty creepy, especially if you play it right. Those charred stumps, man. That's not right.

My one player lost not only one char, but two to a wendigo. Now anytime I open that book he freaks out. :smallbiggrin:

[Coidzor]

I guess that part of my problem is I'm not a player often enough. Whereas my underdeveloped player mind might look at something and get all psyched out, my prevalent DM mind looks at something like, lets say kythons/vaath/kruthiks, and my thought is "oh, come here, you beautiful thing you...I have an encounter idea...." *runs off giggling to find notebook*

Like, literally, I remember looking through my new copy of BoVD, seeing kythons and having pretty much that exact reaction.

Same feeling I had when I homebrewed multi-armed, carnivorous ghost-trees for an adventure I was running inside a cursed forest. Great stuff. Really. Man-eating ethereal trees that pop onto the Prime fully solid and proceed to rend, rend, rend, before disappearing again. Plus, they had a rebirth mechanic like haunts, but faster, that had to do with the curse.

Man, I love this job.:smallbiggrin:

On the other hand, everyone's a critic.

[Kelb_Panthera]

It varies a bit depending on what kind of horrifying you're talking about.

Per the OP, the most horrifying "I kicked in the door, saw it, and crapped myself" monster I'm going along with several others and saying beholder as well.

Dragons are terrifying in this category, but not really horrifying.

For horrifying by implications of what it means for the campaign, it's a toss-up between mind-flayers and devils. Both mean dealing with powerful, well organized societies of foes.

Illithids and a few associated creatures represent a power-behind-the-throne organization supported by networks of psionic agents and thralls and a "the best we can do is push them back for a time" win scenario. Worst-case, you become a puppet or a snack.

Devils represent the ultimate in organized corruption of society on a fundamental level. They don't just want to take over and run things like illithids, but to take things over and set down societal rules and laws that ensure that every soul raised in the new society will be lawful evil, and thus damned, from the moment they reach the age of reason. Then they have an array of supernatural powers, groups of fanatic cultists (some of whom are spellcasters), and their immortality means they have all the time in the world to accomplish these goals. Even simply driving them back is a monumental task, once they've got a firm foot-hold.

On a more personal level, tsochari are nasty little buggers. They climb inside your body and entwine themselves around your internal organs while you're helpless (often by simply being asleep when one sneaks up on you) then communicate their desires telepathically and coerce you into meeting those desires by squeezing your insides until you comply or drop dead. In the latter case, or if they just don't feel like dealing with a living host, they can eat out your brain and take over your body with none the wiser. They just really creep me out on a really basic level.

Edit: forgot to mention; I assumed humanoids were out when I wrote this. There's really nothing more horrific than a truly vile humanoid enemy.

[Shining Wrath]

Horror takes several forms.

For just plain "Ewwwww", there's the one ... I can't possibly spell it ... that's a beautiful woman until the head detaches, pulling out the entrails, and starts floating around. Requires a will save if you see it detach or you freak out.

For "We are now, in fact, completely screwed" horror the beholder is right up there.

For horror in the "horror movie" sense, vampires.

For horror in the Lovecraft vein, aberrations of various sorts. Daelkyr.

[killem2]

Wind Warriors from age of worms, with class levels. :smallyuk:

[The Viscount]

Drowned nuff said.

The greatest terror of all: having to look up drowning rules. Same goes for the Voidwraith.

Hullathoin is pretty bad as well. It's a Huge Undead dragon-like thing with tentacles for some reason. If it grapples you, it deforms you for some reason, dealing Cha damage as it twists your face. It's surrounded by the undead followers it rebukes as a 20th level cleric, despite being a CR 15 monster. It's got a swarm of bloodfiend locusts that live in it and it can call out to attack you and turn you into a fiendish vampire spawn (despite the fact that that template doesn't apply to undead), but by far the worst ability is the ring of pus. It deals some acid and strength damage, and also nauseates for 10 rounds. That's pretty extreme, but I'd be nauseated for more than a minute if I were hit by a wave of undead pus.

[supervillan]

Horror takes several forms.

For just plain "Ewwwww", there's the one ... I can't possibly spell it ... that's a beautiful woman until the head detaches, pulling out the entrails, and starts floating around. Requires a will save if you see it detach or you freak out.



Penangallan, I think. An oriental vampire type monster.

My vote goes to Green Slime, sadly not even a monster any more. But just touch the stuff and you turn to Green Slime too. OK, so it's less scary than it used to be, but 1d6 Con damage per round for just a little of the stuff is still nasty, and knowing your potential fate is the real frightener. Optionally getting smothered in the stuff, as per some classic dungeon traps, can cause much more than 1d6 Con damage per round.

[Shining Wrath]

Penangallan, I think. An oriental vampire type monster.

My vote goes to Green Slime, sadly not even a monster any more. But just touch the stuff and you turn to Green Slime too. OK, so it's less scary than it used to be, but 1d6 Con damage per round for just a little of the stuff is still nasty, and knowing your potential fate is the real frightener. Optionally getting smothered in the stuff, as per some classic dungeon traps, can cause much more than 1d6 Con damage per round.

Yes, that's (http://monsters.wikia.com/wiki/Penanggalan) it.

[Beardbarian]

Nothing drived me crazy for the fear than a Lich at the end of a dungeon.
Also Aboleth.

[XmonkTad]

Lilitus (FC1). It's a succubus on steroids. 9th level cleric casting, 30 cha, and the ability to use ANY magic item rolled into a CR 12. They will have a follower, probably a clergyman of some sort.
Aside from being very powerful opponents, they can tattoo their name on you (wherever they want) and then whisper chaotic evil things in your ear from a different plane.
This is the joker bard to the mid level batman wizard.

[ArqArturo]

I think mechanically, to me anyways, a monster is not that impressive, and can't really scare the crap out of me. If it has stats, it can be killed, or at least pacify.

To me, one has to creep me out with fluff. For example, more on the Daemons in Pathfinder. This is taken from the Pathfinder SRD, btw:

Harbingers of ruin and embodiments of the worst ways to die, daemons epitomize painful death, the all-consuming hunger of evil, and the utter annihilation of life. While demons seek to pervert and destroy in endless unholy rampages, and devils vex and enslave in hopes of corrupting mortals, daemons seek only to consume mortal life itself. While some use brute force to despoil life or prey upon vulnerable souls, others wage campaigns of deceit to draw whole realms into ruin. With each life claimed and each atrocity meted out, daemons spread fear, mistrust, and despair, tarnishing the luster of existence and drawing the planes ever closer to their final, ultimate ruin.

Notorious for their hatred of the living, daemons are the things of dark dreams and fearful tales, as their ultimate ambitions include extinguishing every individual mortal life—and the more violent or terrible the end, the better. Their methods vary wildly, typically differentiated by daemonic breed. Many seek to infiltrate the mortal plane and sow death by their own taloned hands, while others manipulate agents (both mortal and immortal) as malevolent puppet masters, instigating calamities on massive scales from their grim realms. Such diversity of methods causes many planar scholars to misattribute the machinations of daemons to other types of fiends. These often deadly mistakes are further propagated by daemons' frequent dealings with and manipulation of other outsiders. Yet in all cases, despair, ruin, and death, spreading like contagion, typify the touch of daemonkind, though such symptoms often prove recognizable only after the hour is far too late.

Daemons flourish upon the plane of Abaddon, a bleak expanse of cold mists, fearful shapes, and hunted souls. Upon these wastes, the souls of evil mortals flee predation by the native fiends, and terror and the powers of the evil plane eventually transform the most ruthless into daemons themselves. Amid these scarred wastelands, poison swamps, and realms of endless night rise the foul domains of the tyrants of daemonkind, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Lords of devastation, these powerful and unique daemons desire slaughter, ruin, and death on a cosmic scale, and drive hordes of their lesser kin to spread terror and sorrow across the planes. Although the Horsemen share a singular goal, their tactics and ambitions vary widely.

Along with mastery over vast realms, the Horsemen are served by unimaginably enormous armies of their lesser brethren, but are obeyed most closely by retinues of daemons enslaved to their titles. These specific strains of daemonic servitors, known among daemonkind as deacons, serve whoever holds the title of Horseman. Although these instruments of the archdaemons differ in strength and ability, their numbers provide their lords with legions capable of near-equal terrorization.

More so than among any other fiendish race, several breeds of daemons lust after souls. While other foul inhabitants of the planes seek the corruption and destruction of living essences, many daemons value possession and control over mortal animas, entrapping and hoarding souls—and in so doing disrupting the natural progression of life and perverting the quintessence of creation to serve their own terrible whims. While not all daemons possess the ability to steal a mortal being's soul and turn it to their use, the lowliest of daemonkind, the maniacal cacodaemons, endlessly seek life essences to consume and imprison. These base daemons enthusiastically serve their more powerful kin, eager for increased opportunities to doom mortal spirits. While cacodaemons place little value upon the souls they imprison, greater daemons eagerly gather them as trophies, fuel for terrible rites, or offerings to curry the favor of their lords. Several breeds of daemons also posses their own notorious abilities to capture mortal spirits or draw upon the power of souls, turning the forces of utter annihilation to their own sinister ends.
The Four Horsemen

Four dread lords, infamous across all the planes, rule the disparate hordes of daemonkind. Risen from among the ranks of their terrible brethren to displace those fiendish tyrants before them, they are the archdaemons, the End Bringers, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In the blasphemous annals of fiendish lore, they are the prophesied architects of multiversal ruin, destined to stand triumphant over cadaverous cosmoses and infinities of silence before also giving way to absolute oblivion. Undisputed in his power among their kind, each Horseman rules a vast realm upon the bleak plains of Abaddon and a distinctive method of mortal ruin: pestilence, famine, war, or death from old age. Yet while each archdaemon commands measureless influence, daemons know nothing of loyalty and serve only those they cannot overcome. Thus, though the Horsemen stand peerless in their power and manipulations among daemonkind, they must ever defend their thrones from the machinations of ambitious underlings and the plots of other archdaemons.

Upon the poisonous expanses of Abaddon, lesser daemonic peers carve petty fiefdoms and posture as lords, but despite their world-spanning intrigues, all bow before the Horsemen—though most do so only grudgingly. Ancient myths also tell of a mysterious fifth Horseman, the Oinodaemon, though nearly all mention of such a creature has been scoured from the multiverse.

That creeps the crap out of me. Things that don't want to destroy me utterly, or tempt me. These things are out to get you, and permanently and utterly banish you and all you love, because they hate you and all you represent: Life.

This is why I use a lot of Daemons in my games >:)

[Callos_DeTerran]

Assuming just D&D...? Hmmm...I would probably have to go with...a boneyard for mechanically horrifying. Did it grapple you? Did you escape? ...No? ...Well...your skeleton is gone. You didn't need that, right? ...right?

From a fluff perspective I would have to say...either the Jerren (for making halflings into things of nightmares) or aboleths. Sure, they're more limited then mind flayers, but I honestly find Mind flayers kind of pathetic given...they're trapped in a stable time loop of causing their own extinction and trying to stop it. Aboleths...the world was theirs...then it wasn't but they still remain. Maybe they are the only thing that remains from that old world...maybe the horrifying psionic giant fish with mutagenic slime tentacles is a bad enough remnant from those times and I don't want to think about what might have opposed them...feed on them even.

Outside of straight D&D (but still in a d20 system), I'd have to go with the snuff golem as a terrifying creature to encounter, mechanically and fluffwise. By it's very existence you know something unspeakable has happened, has happened before, and if this horrid creature has it's way...well continue to happen over and over...and over.


...This is all disregarding unique entities like Elder Evils, demon princes, or arch-dukes of course.

[ArqArturo]

I think mechanically the Illithids can be frightening. First you have to daze, then grapple, then suck on the delicious brains. But then, they share the same diet than zombies. How's that for lack of self-love?.

I think any creature with a gigantic save-or-suck is frightening to any party of adventurers. Hell, even wights are creepy, since they drain levels with no save. Oh Mr. Wizard, you just got 3rd level spells? ZAP. Wanna turn/rebuke/channel energy at me Mr. Cleric? POOM.

But, again, they have stats. And I have a Greatsword that's really itching for a fight.

[kreenlover]

Yah, Daemons are terrifying.

I still find tentacle horrors worse though.

But, there are so many monster out there. I find many of the more exotic undead creepy, like the Skull Lord, and the ...Bone Pillar? I think its called.

Man, those things are all nasty.

Yah, undead just for that visceral 'its a freaking rotting shambling DEAD thing thats attacking me, oh gods oh gods, why won't it just DIE!!!'

So many monsters should just have adventurers make saving throws versus fear just by existing.

[ArqArturo]

So many monsters should just have adventurers make saving throws versus fear just by existing.

Owlbears should make adventurers roll will saves to avoid dazed, and I say daze because there's no "How the BLEEP did that happen!? Geez, it makes no frikkin' sense! Who on their right mind actually--OMG IT'S EATING MY ARM!" condition.

[Blackhawk748]

I second undead, especially when the DM plays up the fact that they FEEL NO PAIN!

Me: I attack the zombie with my axe
DM:Your axe bites into the creature as the zombie tries to take a bite out of you!
Me (after several rounds and several more zombies) WHY DONT YOU JUST FREAKING STAY DEAD!!!

I also second, hell i THIRD Aboleths. Giant magic fish from the primordial past? Ok thats scary but then remember a piece of advice from a very wise man, "Theres always a bigger fish." Yes there is probably something bigger than an Aboleth.

Oh and Giant Wasps. Seriously how much do we freak out when we see a NORMAL one, now theres a 3 foot long pissed of insect trying to kill you! Honestly i dont care who you are you freak the hell out.


Owlbears should make adventurers roll will saves to avoid dazed, and I say daze because there's no "How the BLEEP did that happen!? Geez, it makes no frikkin' sense! Who on their right mind actually--OMG IT'S EATING MY ARM!" condition.

This made me lol, but ive actually fought a few owlbears, those things deserve a bit more respect than we give them. I agree they look ridiculous but they do some decent damage, also i liked their 3.5 art, they actually didnt look that freakin dumb

[ArqArturo]

This made me lol, but ive actually fought a few owlbears, those things deserve a bit more respect than we give them. I agree they look ridiculous but they do some decent damage, also i liked their 3.5 art, they actually didnt look that freakin dumb

They also make great plushies:


http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/313/c/a/owlbear_cub_by_viergacht-d4fo2it.jpg

[Blackhawk748]

i have the strangest desire to buy one.............

[Lord Vukodlak]

i have the strangest desire to buy one.............

That takes the horrifying out of Owl Bears they suddenly become cuddly friends.

[kreenlover]

i have the strangest desire to buy one.............

I see nothing strange about that desire. I just want to know where to find them so that I can fill my room with them :smallbiggrin:

[ArqArturo]

I see nothing strange about that desire. I just want to know where to find them so that I can fill my room with them :smallbiggrin:

Here's the link of the image, I dunno of the maker accepts requests though (http://viergacht.deviantart.com/art/Owlbear-cub-268181957?offset=0#comments).

[Kelb_Panthera]

Is it strange that I suddenly find myself wanting an aboleth plushie? Oh! or a beholder plushie! How awesome would that be?

Lets petition hasbro to make plushie versions of everything in the MM.

[kreenlover]

Oh my. Beholder plushie? We need to make Hasbro make these. Where do I sign the petition?

[Kelb_Panthera]

Oh my. Beholder plushie? We need to make Hasbro make these. Where do I sign the petition?

I was only half serious about the petition thing. (I meant the first part of that post though.)

Realistically such things would appeal to just a little bit too much of a niche market for hasbro to really commit to it.

We could maybe look into getting the monsters covered in the OGL made into plushies by a smaller company or a start-up entrepeneur if we can generate enough interest.

(still no beholder plushie that way, though :smallfrown:)

[Dusk Eclipse]

Dunno, Cthulu plushies are quite popular from what I've seen so there is hope; but if we are talking about non-OGL monsters that I would love to see as a plushie I would absolutely adore a Displacer Beast plushie.

[The Viscount]

Hey, we've got rust monster plushies.
http://www.rustyandco.com/store_images/rusty_plush.png
I see no reason why we can't have beholder plushies.
EDIT:Oh wait, non-OGL. Darn.

[Gizmo777]

Bump because I am loving this thread. I always hate seeing well played Lich's or Beholders. They are very scary when first being seen, and I always want to be playing ranged characters, or wishing I was.

[Vedhin]

How does a "Most Horrifying Monsters" thread switch to the topic of plushies of those same monsters?

[Blackhawk748]

Have you ever fought an animated plushie? Those things are scarier than their actual versions, because they are tiny versions with all the power of the full sized ones. Oh my god what have i created................

[Vedhin]

Have you ever fought an animated plushie? Those things are scarier than their actual versions, because they are tiny versions with all the power of the full sized ones. Oh my god what have i created................

Bah, if they're smaller they have reduced damage dice and no threatend area. Higher AC and to hit though.

[Blackhawk748]

I dont think the beholder cares about lower damage with its spells

[TuggyNE]

How does a "Most Horrifying Monsters" thread switch to the topic of plushies of those same monsters?

For the same reason there (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Big-Little-Cthulhu-LOT-Cthulu-Plush-Stuffed-Animal-MesoAmerica-Aztec-Inca-Maya-/161069418792?pt=Stuffed_Animals_US&hash=item25807c4928) are (http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Medium-Cthulhu-Plush-12-HP-Lovecraft-CoC-Toy-Vault-/350616044536?pt=Stuffed_Animals_US&hash=item51a25843f8) Cthulhu (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Medium-Cthulhu-Plush-New-Plush-Toys-and-Action-/290948166464?pt=Stuffed_Animals_US&hash=item43bddcb340) plushies (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toy-Vault-Plush-My-First-Cthulhu-Plush-SW-/130946749242?pt=Stuffed_Animals_US&hash=item1e7d08d33a): the Internet is a strange and twisted place.

[Fates]

Demilich. No question. Those things are all that is terrifying about epic wizards, amplified by the fact that they're virtually indestructible and can literally eat the souls of every member of your party, causing permanent, irreversible death. And they're just a little skull.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Hey.... we can have Demi-lich plushies! They aren't OGL!:smallbiggrin:

[Qwertystop]

Demilich. No question. Those things are all that is terrifying about epic wizards, amplified by the fact that they're virtually indestructible and can literally eat the souls of every member of your party, causing permanent, irreversible death. And they're just a little skull.

Just a little skull? That's not the scary ones. The worst ones have their thumbtipbone made into a d6, and then use the jewels required as the pips and inhabit the die.

Completely innocuous in the lair of a rich gambler villain.

[CRtwenty]

I guess that part of my problem is I'm not a player often enough. Whereas my underdeveloped player mind might look at something and get all psyched out, my prevalent DM mind looks at something like, lets say kythons/vaath/kruthiks, and my thought is "oh, come here, you beautiful thing you...I have an encounter idea...." *runs off giggling to find notebook*

Pretty much this. I've been a DM so long that I look at monsters and think "Wow, this would be cool to use" not "Oh god that thing is horrifying!"

In terms of monsters my PCs hate, they really loathe dealing with incorporeal things. Mostly because they had a dungeon where they had turned a whole bunch of Wraiths in an early encounter but hadn't destroyed them, so they spent the next several encounters having Wraiths randomly come at them from the floor and walls with no warning.

Anyway the ones that creep me out are anything that can turn other people into monsters. Meenlocks in particular.

[Vedhin]

Just a little skull? That's not the scary ones. The worst ones have their thumbtipbone made into a d6, and then use the jewels required as the pips and inhabit the die.

Completely innocuous in the lair of a rich gambler villain.

Why not be a caltrop d4 instead?

[gooddragon1]

Anything under water. I'm not sure why but the inability to see far under water and things like giant squid can just be terrifying. Make the water magical and darker than normal and you've got some nasty stuff. The giant squid full attacking with 11 attacks is also nasty. I can't even imagine a dire squid.

[Cuaqchi]

Spiders... Normal size swarms up the the giant ones. It may just be the dice but the most dangerous encounters I've ever had in any game involve the arrival of any number of spiders.

[Xervous]

Not that it is on the top of the list, but Dread Blossom Swarm.

Within 15 ft? Save vs. paralyze
Taking swarm damage? Save vs. nauseated
Paralyzed and taking swarm damage? Here, have 1d6 CON damage

Regeneration (cold,fire) on top of swarm traits and plant traits

+21 Hide in forested terrain

60 ft FLY speed

CR 6

[TuggyNE]

Why not be a caltrop d4 instead?

Hmm. A demilich needs at least 8 (soul) gems in its body; a d4 numbered pip-wise has 1+2+3+4=10 gems. Yep, it works.

Only problem is that, depending on the culture, d4s might be very rare or unknown, either of which would call unpleasant attention to the demilich. (Of course, it's not as though d6s are universal either. Basically, almost any common pip-wise die, and some that aren't numbered that way, would be suitable for a demilich form.)

[Venger]

I believe its one of the golems, but I had a DM who did a pretty good job with a monster that absorbed the faces of its victims into its flesh. that sounds like a cadaver golem

the viscount said most of my list.

as far as what's left for me he didn't already mention, the wheep is pretty awful. it looks like a normal rotted corpse but it has mouths on the palms of its hands in the same place the pale man from pan's labyrinth had his eyes(google if you're curious but don't say I didn't warn you. he's the most terrifying anything ever) and it has a pair of rusted iron nails sticking out of its eye sockets.

flesh jelly is a big one for me because of its art and the way it's described as having a "membrane" around it. plus there's a picture of some guy being crushed by one. a flesh jelly just looks like a giant tumor. i's probably the most repellent monster in the game, even if mechanically it's an absolute cakewalk of an encounter at CR 19

in the same vein, famine spirit is a stupidly easy encounter for a lvl 17 party, but is subject to some very well detailed art. it is just disgusting to look at.

one case of the monsters being scary-looking and also kind of hard to fight with are the fensirs. angry hag-creatures that will kidnap you and feed you to their morbidly obese den mother, called a rakka. rakkas are fensirs that go into a severe postpartum depression after giving birth and eat until they're the size of elephants and lose their capacity to reason, essentially becoming dumb beasts. in the picture, the one in the picture is in the process of bringing a whole sheep to her mouth to swallow whole.

[Sugashane]

Players in my campaigns are starting to get really anxious around creatures like Bugbears and Ogres (not Ogre Mages). I also add class levels to a lot of random monsters as well, so they make great frenzied berserker/war hulks. You can detect magic items, but you can't detect levels.

It gets really comical for me when they set up these elaborate ambushes and on the first attack it falls because it is the MM version. lol. I do write down where the leveled ones and basic ones are though, so I can show them if they think I'm just metagaming too.

[Manly Man]

Anything under water. I'm not sure why but the inability to see far under water and things like giant squid can just be terrifying. Make the water magical and darker than normal and you've got some nasty stuff. The giant squid full attacking with 11 attacks is also nasty. I can't even imagine a dire squid.

Avoid stuff that takes you into The Abyss, since there's an ocean that spans three layers, called the Shadowsea, and the guy who runs the layer that's entirely water is this (http://samlib.ru/img/h/hrenow_r/wneshnieplany/bezdna.dagon.princtemnyhglubin.jpg) fellow (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/Monster2_gallery/51.jpg).

[Dusk Eclipse]

that sounds like a cadaver golem

the viscount said most of my list.

as far as what's left for me he didn't already mention, the wheep is pretty awful. it looks like a normal rotted corpse but it has mouths on the palms of its hands in the same place the pale man from pan's labyrinth had his eyes(google if you're curious but don't say I didn't warn you. he's the most terrifying anything ever) and it has a pair of rusted iron nails sticking out of its eye sockets.

flesh jelly is a big one for me because of its art and the way it's described as having a "membrane" around it. plus there's a picture of some guy being crushed by one. a flesh jelly just looks like a giant tumor. i's probably the most repellent monster in the game, even if mechanically it's an absolute cakewalk of an encounter at CR 19

in the same vein, famine spirit is a stupidly easy encounter for a lvl 17 party, but is subject to some very well detailed art. it is just disgusting to look at.

one case of the monsters being scary-looking and also kind of hard to fight with are the fensirs. angry hag-creatures that will kidnap you and feed you to their morbidly obese den mother, called a rakka. rakkas are fensirs that go into a severe postpartum depression after giving birth and eat until they're the size of elephants and lose their capacity to reason, essentially becoming dumb beasts. in the picture, the one in the picture is in the process of bringing a whole sheep to her mouth to swallow whole.

Source for Fensirs?

[Fable Wright]

Nothing drived me crazy for the fear than a Lich at the end of a dungeon.
Also Aboleth.

Another +1 to Aboleth, if just for one scene in Mass Effect 3.

http://images.wikia.com/masseffect/images/8/8c/ME3_Leviathan_Triton_Mech.png

Admittedly, the game's Leviathans aren't exactly Aboleths. They're just much, much bigger. (For reference? That mech? Large size. And here you can only see the Leviathan's head.) Something that big, at the bottom of the ocean, who knows all about you even before mindraping you, lifespan and memory measured in potentially millions of years, and has entire villages/cultures/continents under its thrall, that has a vested interest in keeping you or anyone else from sharing information of its existence? Even when I knew what I was going to find, it was still terrifying. And Aboleths are basically Leviathans that can fit onto a combat grid. Terrifying.

[Manly Man]

The worst part is, I think they can do it, at least, that an aboleth with advance Hit Dice can actually reach Colossal size, though I could be wrong.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Only up to Gargantuan (which is still quite big IMO)

[Manly Man]

Still, that's freaking gigantic. It's pretty scary when you have one of those big enough to munch on horses like they're popcorn.

[hamishspence]

Source for Fensirs?

Fiend Folio:
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ff_gallery/50146.jpg

[Vedhin]

Oh, the Ephemeral Swarm is pretty scary. It's a swarm of incorporeal undead (read: immune to almost everything), that deals Str damage. It's also only CR 5.

[TuggyNE]

Oh, the Ephemeral Swarm is pretty scary. It's a swarm of incorporeal undead (read: immune to almost everything), that deals Str damage. It's also only CR 5.

Is that in MM2? </wildguess>

[Vedhin]

Is that in MM2? </wildguess>

I think it's MM3. MM2 does definitely have some horribly unbalanced thigns itself. Like the adamantine Horror with Implosion, Disjucntion, and Disintegrate as at-will SLA's. And somehow it's CR 9.

[ksbsnowowl]

Is that in MM2? </wildguess>

It is in the MM3. It is a very difficult encounter for 5th level PC's. I put some gestalt 4th level PC's against one once (running Whispers of the Vampire's Blade), and they had to run away and come finish it off after being better prepared.