Half-Baked Monster Ploys?

[Palanan]

There are plenty of examples of monsters, or sometimes rival adventuring parties, who employ cunning schemes and intricate plans to dupe unwary travelers.

But not everyone's a genius--especially not some of the dimmer monsters--and sometimes what they think is a brilliant strategem is actually transparent and easily foiled, often with hilarious side effects.

So, what would be some "great plans" which a less-abled monster (or a rather dimwitted band of antiheroes) might try to throw at a group of adventurers?

.

[Telonius]

Dangerous Forest ->
<- Safe Castle

Flip the sign upside down. (Neglect to notice that the words are now upside down as well).

[Red Fel]

Dig a vast, impassable pit trap in front of your home cave.

Realize you're on the wrong side of the pit trap.

Beg passing heroes for help getting back into your home.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Block the road in the middle of a valley, with a clear, unobstructed view of the road as it runs across the hills on either side. Don't invest in Spot.

[Callin]

A giant Branch Covered Pit in the middle of the Cobblestone Road. Chuckles coming from nearby bushes.

Two guys standing next to a sign that says "TOL" infront of a bridge. Attempting to look menacing, but really looking like a group of 10yr olds.

A male halfling in a REALLY Bad Wig and Dress crying for help and holding a doll in the middle of a Crossroads. Dress does not cover her manly tattoos and scars. Or 5 O'clock Shadow.

A few goblins in a really badly sewn Horse Costume attempting to get through the town gate. (I will have to use this one sometime. It just sounds awesome). Goblins attempt to "whinny" to convince the guards.

[BowStreetRunner]

How about an Ettin which lures the party into an ambush by putting a wig and sun bonnet on one head to make it appear that a 'fair maiden' has been taken prisoner by a giant? The wigged head calls out in a feminine voice begging to be saved while the other head pretends to be holding her captive.

EDIT: Okay, this one is awesome:
A few goblins in a really badly sewn Horse Costume attempting to get through the town gate. (I will have to use this one sometime. It just sounds awesome). Goblins attempt to "whinny" to convince the guards.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Poisoned drinks against PCs who are immune to poison. Set it up as a Vizzini (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_eZmEiyTo0) style encounter.

Big monster hiding behind something much smaller. For bonus points, bring it back a few levels later with more points in Hide and maybe a source of HiPS.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

How about an Ettin which lures the party into an ambush by putting a wig and sun bonnet on one head to make it appear that a 'fair maiden' has been taken prisoner by a giant? The wigged head calls out in a feminine voice begging to be saved while the other head pretends to be holding her captive.

I can't help but think of this scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_JOGmXpe5I) from Blazing Saddles. Language warning, for those who haven't seen the movie.

[atemu1234]

A Tibbit Assassin pretending to be a cat got put into a cat carrier.

[Honest Tiefling]

If the heroes do not do what you say, you will sacrifice their love interest to the dark gods! Except that's the wrong person. Yeah, they've never really met that person at all. That person might in fact have class levels and is a bit peeved at being forced to play the damsel in distress routine.

[Telonius]

Classic "box" trap. Box, stick holding it up, a bag of gold coins as bait. The monsters are standing inside the box, since there's nowhere else for them to hide. (Idea credit to Gary Larson).

[SimonMoon6]

Monster takes a sheet, cuts out two eye-holes, puts on sheet, and tries to scare adventurers (it is now cleverly disguised as a ghost).

[Segev]

Orcs, hearing that other races have weaker constitutions, infiltrate local taverns as cooks and only half-cook the food, intending to disable everybody with food poisoning.

[Maglubiyet]

A lone, unarmed goblin stands on the road ahead taunting the adventurers. "Nyah nyah nyah, you can't catch me!"

Can you say trap?

[lhilas]

A MALE succebus trying to seduce a group of male adventurers... XD

The great ol' powerful wizard x'entrixon the third, which came with a brilliant way to defeat the almost-completely-melee-party: use anti magic field to render their magic swords useless against him, oh - wait...

The evil devious queen who decided to arm the fanatic church of the capital known as the faith of the seven, in order for them to advance her own goals, only to be backlashed by them as soon as they become powerful enough. Wait a minute, that sounds familiar. :/

[Segev]

A MALE succebus trying to seduce a group of male adventurers... XDSo...Akio?

[atemu1234]

A MALE succebus trying to seduce a group of male adventurers... XD

I see no problem with this.

[jiriku]

What happens in the dungeon, stays in the dungeon?

[atemu1234]

What happens in the dungeon, stays in the dungeon?

Half-Dragons pretty much disprove that theory.

[Hrugner]

Build a massive fortress with impassible defenses employing the most evil creatures in the world in it's creation and defense, geased to servitude for millennia... out in the middle of nowhere in a place nobody wants to go with no strategic importance, oppressed innocents or natural resources.

[Callin]

Build a massive fortress with impassible defenses employing the most evil creatures in the world in it's creation and defense, geased to servitude for millennia... out in the middle of nowhere in a place nobody wants to go with no strategic importance, oppressed innocents or natural resources.

Adventurers would FLOCK to that. Like a moth to a flame.

[Necroticplague]

Some creatures find differing substances poisonous to their bodies. Many an anthropomorphic dog assassin has had their plot foiled upon realizing that killing a human by slipping him a little bit of chocolate every day is significantly slower than doing it for their own.

[jiriku]

"You fool!" chortled the lich. "Little do you know, but I slipped holy water into your wine! You've been drinking holy water all this time -- now burn with it's purity!"

"Mmmm, good vintage," replied the cleric of Pelor.

[HolyCouncilMagi]

Build a massive fortress with impassible defenses employing the most evil creatures in the world in it's creation and defense, geased to servitude for millennia... out in the middle of nowhere in a place nobody wants to go with no strategic importance, oppressed innocents or natural resources.

To turn this from a half-baked ploy into a way to clear the path to world-domination, make the monsters the naturally threatening kind with no loot and no treasure anywhere; bonus points for several important-looking but ultimately worthless trinkets/statues/etc. Seriously, the party (or parties) that eventually clears the dungeon will spend months trying to figure out how to get the hidden treasure, which means the highest-level guys won't be out and about to stop your evil plans. :smallbiggrin:

Of course, the point of this thread is to avoid devious and cunning plans, so let's keep going with that.

Similar to "monster builds pit outside home then realizes it can't get into/out of own home," some mages make a trap into a room they don't want anybody entering that will explode when somebody crosses the threshold, but they set it up from inside the room and can't get out.

How about ambushes? The goblins want to surround the heroes, so obviously the logical solution is to hide in a circle around the place you want the ambush to happen. Even though the heroes have to walk into it first. Bonus points if the heroes walk up behind one of them and poke them on the shoulder to ask why it's standing there staring into the center of an empty clearing and it shouts, "the ambush is ruined!"

[Story]

If the heroes do not do what you say, you will sacrifice their love interest to the dark gods! Except that's the wrong person. Yeah, they've never really met that person at all. That person might in fact have class levels and is a bit peeved at being forced to play the damsel in distress routine.

Aka the Cersei Ploy.



The evil devious queen who decided to arm the fanatic church of the capital known as the faith of the seven, in order for them to advance her own goals, only to be backlashed by them as soon as they become powerful enough. Wait a minute, that sounds familiar. :/

Hey, wait a minute...

On that note, selling every last one of your fanatically obedient army-slaves isn't necessarily a great idea.


How about trying to flood a cave system that has outlets (which most large systems will)? Or building walls to keep out a flying enemy.

[Telonius]

The monsters have hastily constructed a building. "Ye Old In" is emblazoned on the front. Several (badly) disguised monsters mill around ordering human drinks. There's a table in the corner that's very, very shadowy. The seat is a pit trap.

[Platymus Pus]

Dangerous Forest ->
<- Safe Castle

Flip the sign upside down. (Neglect to notice that the words are now upside down as well).
Bonus points for putting every sign upside down

[BowStreetRunner]

An evil wizard who has carefully researched the party's strengths and weaknesses gathers a group of monsters, each of which is specifically chosen to exploit the weaknesses of one or more party members. Dominating each of the monsters the wizard cleverly lures the party into his trap and then, just when the party casters begin to cast their spells he triggers the carefully prepared room-sized trap, an enormous anti-magic field that encompasses the entire party, the evil wizard, and all of his dominated monsters...

[HolyCouncilMagi]

An evil wizard who has carefully researched the party's strengths and weaknesses gathers a group of monsters, each of which is specifically chosen to exploit the weaknesses of one or more party members. Dominating each of the monsters the wizard cleverly lures the party into his trap and then, just when the party casters begin to cast their spells he triggers the carefully prepared room-sized trap, an enormous anti-magic field that encompasses the entire party, the evil wizard, and all of his dominated monsters...

So the class of actual geniuses has a dud? Beautiful! I like this idea, and think I shall steal it.

[Story]

The monsters have hastily constructed a building. "Ye Old In" is emblazoned on the front. Several (badly) disguised monsters mill around ordering human drinks. There's a table in the corner that's very, very shadowy. The seat is a pit trap.

Sounds like the kind of place where PCs flock to to meet each other.

[Segev]

So the class of actual geniuses has a dud? Beautiful! I like this idea, and think I shall steal it.

Could do it with high-int-low-wis, or could do it with a sorcerer who has low int and wis.

[Banjoman42]

Create a door that only evil creatures can open.
Realize the PCs are the most horrible people in existence.
Even the paladin.

[atemu1234]

Sounds like the kind of place where PCs flock to to meet each other.

Not so half-baked.

[Trasilor]

These remind me of the thread about the Evil Overlord who ends up being awesome.

Examples I can recall:

Making Create Food and Water traps to ruin city's food economy
Making Healing traps to remove the influence of the church on the people
Killing all the monsters/ other bad guys in the region to show your people and other leaders of other kingdoms how bada** you are.

[Trasilor]

How about a dragon who decides to increase his hoard by creating a banking system

...actually this might be a clever idea...

[Arbane]

How about a dragon who decides to increase his hoard by creating a banking system

...actually this might be a clever idea...

And the Gnomes of Zurich hire the PCs to take it out for muscling in on their racket?

[atemu1234]

How about a dragon who decides to increase his hoard by creating a banking system

...actually this might be a clever idea...

I once actually made an extraplanar bank for my PCs. It was a strange thing.

[Segev]

A Slaad hosts an interplanat golf tournament, where the golf balls are keys to the portals that are the holes through which you must get them...and thus get to the next hole in the tournament. He totally has a villainous plot here, but he's too busy running the tournament to even try to implement it.

[Honest Tiefling]

A MALE succebus trying to seduce a group of male adventurers... XD

I've been in too many groups where this would have wiped out the party with little effort.

[Segev]

A MALE succebus

This is technically called an "incubus," for the record.

[Red Fel]

This is technically called an "incubus," for the record.

Actually, if memory serves, the Incubus is a completely different form of demon (at least in later editions of D&D).

I'm aware that, mythologically speaking, the two are the same but for gender. But it's worth noting the in-game distinction.

[Honest Tiefling]

Do...Demons even HAVE gender or sex outside of their assumed forms? They're incarnations of chaos with little to no need for reproduction 99% of the time.

[atemu1234]

Actually, if memory serves, the Incubus is a completely different form of demon (at least in later editions of D&D).

I'm aware that, mythologically speaking, the two are the same but for gender. But it's worth noting the in-game distinction.

Yep, it is.

Also, in mythology, they're the same creature. The succubus seduces men and takes the product of that, then transforms into an incubus, seduces a woman and impregnates them.

[Necroticplague]

Succubi have the Alternate from ability that is equally capable of taking male or female forms. So male succubi are the same as the female ones.

[Segev]

Actually, if memory serves, the Incubus is a completely different form of demon (at least in later editions of D&D).

I'm aware that, mythologically speaking, the two are the same but for gender. But it's worth noting the in-game distinction.To my knowledge, there's actually no "incubus" in D&D 3.5 or earlier other than, possibly, a note that succubi assuming male form are referred to as such. I cannot comment as to 4e or 5e.


Yep, it is.

Also, in mythology, they're the same creature. The succubus seduces men and takes the product of that, then transforms into an incubus, seduces a woman and impregnates them.This, I did not know. I thought they were two sexes of the same kind of demon.


Succubi have the Alternate from ability that is equally capable of taking male or female forms. So male succubi are the same as the female ones.This is how I understood it to work in D&D 3e and earlier (and assumed it would in 4e and 5e); as shapeshifters able to assume either gender, they go by either title as appropriate. It may take a higher K:Planes DC to realize that they're not two different sexes of the same kind of demon, though.

[atemu1234]

This, I did not know. I thought they were two sexes of the same kind of demon.

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/7/7c/Themoreyouknow.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20081023004830

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Might be interesting using a slightly moreso version of Qara from NWN2. Sorcerer. Lots of power. The solution to every problem is to burn it down. The cow got out of the yard? BURN THE COW. THEN BURN THE YARD. The adventurers intercepted the message? BURN THE ADVENTURERS AND THE MESSAGE AND THE ROAD. Now they're infiltrating the castle that contains the MacGuffin? BURN THE CASTLE AND THE MACGUFFIN AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS.

[ekarney]

Expanding on the fake tavern and upside down sign ideas.

<---Town of Suzail
toWn OF suZZAle--->

With the direction to the right leading you to a set of 4 hastily constructed small buildings, and a group of badly disguised Orcs, the "King of Suzzale" then orders the PCs to destroy the "Imposter town, filled with orcs disguised as humans".

Bonus points for:
Either the Orcs realising their spelling mistakes, or the PC's pointing them out, when the PC's pass the sign again it's flipped upside down.
Attempting the bluff check to tell the PC's that the inhabitants of the "imposter town" are just "Very very very very well disguised" When asked why the "citizens" look like orcs, reply with "Mummy Rot" and leave it at that. Mummy Rot has gotten quite a lot of use out of one of my characters as a bluff tool.
Having PCs who will actually go along with it.
Having PCs who can convince the Paladin to go along with it. "If the Barbarian couldn't tell they were Orcs then I'm sure Pelor can't either"