Low level but challenging enemies

[Stuvius]

Hi Playground!

I am set to DM a new campaign beginning in January. My group has been playing mid to high level (8-15) lately. This new campaign will begin at lvl 2. I am looking for suggestions for enemies from the lower challenge levels that are fun and have interesting or challenging abilities, attacks etc. I want to avoid the traditional goblin/bugbear etc. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks!

[yellowrocket]

Mobs of house cats.

Dire guinea pigs.

Anything with a reach attack.

Anything that can burrow, and split it's move action in half, and use tumble checks to avoid aoo.

An armadillo using a tumble check to avoid attacks of opportunity to attack party members.

Chipmunks like chip and dale throwing 1d1 acorns at the party from trees. A real threat to level 2 party members cause they aren't going to easily hit them. Or you can use that to keep them from the 15 minute adventuring day.

[Platymus Pus]

An allip.
Monstrous Crab.
Shadows.
Monsters with tons of templates but no cost.
Low level monsters with symbiotes giving them multitudes of immunities and the best of both stats from the fused monsters.

[Beheld]

A Barghest or Greater Barghest.

Kobolds using crossbows from ledges, with small tunnels behind them (Kobolds can squeeze through tunnels that fit diminutive creatures normally), that then run off to a new location to repeat the process after the first shot.

A Basilisk.

A Babau Demon that hides in the rafters of a dark Cathedral firing arrows at them and teleporting around.

Any of the many dragons that just fly by and breath fire on them, and then repeat the process against a few rounds later.

If they travel over water (or if you make them) a Sea Hag that swims under the boat and punches a few holes in it to get it to sink, and then shows herself to them when they are trying to swim away, and then tries to drag under any that make the saves.

A Ravid that flies around causing havoc in a castle.

[nolongerchaos]

Rune Hounds are pretty terrifying for CR 3.

[Troacctid]

You can make any Outsider into a Mulhorandi Divine Minion (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20050209a), giving it immunity to fear and the ability to wild shape at will as a free action, without any change to its CR. So that group of CR 1/4 pseudonatural kobolds your party was fighting is now a group of CR 3 lions.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Wolves, Riding Dogs, and Worgs have trip, and can be widely used as companions for various types of opponents. Their high movement speed make them excellent for flanking, and even in the mid to higher levels a Worg is only CR 2 but gets +7 to hit.

Low-level NPC builds that use unexpected mechanics can have surprising results. For example, a Gnome Warrior 1 with two flaws (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm) (say they're diseased (http://wow.gamepedia.com/Leper_gnome) and use the same two flaws for each one) can get Dodge, Titan Fighting (RoS), and Weapon Finesse, and carry a shortsword and heavy shield with scale mail. That's only CR 1/2, but should have an AC 20 normally, or AC 24 against a medium or larger opponent that's chosen as their dodge target. Give them each one or two acid and alchemist's fire flasks or tanglefoot bags, etc. and they can be quite challenging, even as additions to more powerful encounters at later levels. Make them Whisper Gnomes and their Silence ability can prevent opponents from casting spells, making their high AC even more advantageous.

A group of Orc Warrior 1 skirmishers with the Quick trait (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm#quick), Brutal Throw, and a handful of javelins can do a lot of damage if they use good tactics and/or advantageous terrain (a cliff or steep hill or even a fence, anything that can hinder opponents from reaching them). Those are only CR 1/2, and if they come from a tribe that's naturally quick but less durable than normal orcs they would have been practicing such tactics for generations.

A +0 LA Drow (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) should have a CR like a normal Elf, so give him a single level of Wizard with a few trained tiny/small monstrous spider minions and fill all his 1st level spell slots with Color Spray. The monstrous spiders can run in and try to web the opponents first, he doesn't need to worry about hitting them with Color Spray since they're mindless, and he can carry a light crossbow and a shortsword for whenever he runs out of spells.

An Adept or other spellcaster with a few Grimlock sidekicks can use Obscuring Mist, Wall of Smoke, and similar spells without hindering his followers. Give the caster the Earth Devotion feat and he can also hinder opponents' movement or automatically ruin a charge attempt. Give the Grimlocks reach weapons and Combat Reflexes and the mist will be even more advantageous to them.

[walfulninja]

http://www.tuckerskobolds.com/ Is a very good example of this.

[Huldaerus]

Swarms are also hard to fight at low levels.