Random Encounters

[GreatDane]

Have you ever found a random or weird monster that doesn't seem like it belongs in any practical setting? Or thought, "these monsters would work great together, but have no reason to associate?"

I'm looking to assemble a mess of random encounters in the CR 5-9 range for my campaign. The setting gives me an excuse to tap weird monsters or combinations of monsters, so anything goes! The only exception: I can't use critters with an Intelligence higher than 6. I don't need stats or extreme details, I'm just looking for random one-liners. Stuff like:


A Quanlos (MMIV) has a polar bear under its influence, and waits to ambush the PCs with its mind-control venom while they handle the bear.
A pair of lions corner the party in an alley.
Two gambols (MMII) use their Great Leap ability to ambush the PCs from a great height.
A chimera pelts the PCs with spikes from a hard-to-reach location near a convenient passage, but doesn't follow if they just leave. (The PCs can either challenge the chimera or spend time going around.)

These are supposed to be wandering creatures, not intelligent foes. Bonus points if the encounters use (ruined) city terrain! So, what's a random monster you thought was cool?

[Venger]

fiend folio's ocularon.

a giant, levitating jellyfish that jabs your eyes out with its tentacles and turns them into exploding gas bombs. possesses the most annoying to overcome regen in the game "silver and keen." when you kill them, they explode.

they're an extremely disturbing and weird monster, and are seldom a good thematic fit for what's going on.

[atemu1234]

I dare you to try fitting a Flumph in anywhere without getting a laugh.

[Rangô]

Ruined city terrain... Well I'd suggest you to take a look at Sandstorm, besides of that sort of monster you will find example battlescapes and maps fitting them. And of course MMIV the best manual without a shadow of a doubt.
I faced my party against a Saguaro Centinel (CR 9, miniboss melee damage mainly, but in sandy terrain where is hard to avoid him (Bullrush and Awsome blow) it was pretty fun pushing the party against a hole full of porcupine cactus (CR 1)), Waste Crawler (CR 9, somekind of bulldozer-scorpion construct with spelllike abilities(Hold monster), which I filled of angry archeologist gnomes (Scout/Ranger skirmish/ranged attack after hold)).

[The Viscount]

I must know, are you limiting to Int 6 because you're using a Night Twist? That's a fascinating monster.

As for random encounters, I nominate the Rakka. They're giants from Ysgard that have a bizarre amount of characterizing fluff. Rakkas are Huge with a bunch of health, female Fensirs that have grown enormous and reduced to Int 3 for no real reason. They're on a downward spiral and usually only have a year to live.

[GreatDane]

These are great suggestions, and they inspired me to look outside the Monster Manuals, which turned up a whole wealth of options.

I'm not sure what a Night Twist is. What book is it from? The reason there are monsters running rampant is that the event that ruined the city sundered a museum/zoo that contained specimens from the world over. Since this was generally a Good city, they didn't imprison creatures intelligent enough to protest in Common.

[Venger]

These are great suggestions, and they inspired me to look outside the Monster Manuals, which turned up a whole wealth of options.

I'm not sure what a Night Twist is. What book is it from? The reason there are monsters running rampant is that the event that ruined the city sundered a museum/zoo that contained specimens from the world over. Since this was generally a Good city, they didn't imprison creatures intelligent to protest in Common.

Yeah, there are tons of monsters outside the monster manual. here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dungeons_%26_Dragons_rulebooks#Dungeons_.2 6_Dragons_3rd_edition_and_v3.5) is a list.

A night twist is an evil tree that victimizes monsters with int ≤5. it gives them bad dreams and fills them with an overwhelming desire to seek out the tree to the exclusion of all else. It'd be an excuse to have disparate, weird monsters work together.

Mind control of a more vanilla variety is also of course an option, like a mind flayer or aboleth.

That's an interesting explanation as well. sounds like fun. so you're generally looking for "animal" like monsters?