Monster Parties

[frogglesmash]

Assuming balance/mechanics aren't an issue, what kind of monster parties work best? IMO vampire/werewolf parties work well simply because there's a fair amount of precedence for them, and demon parties can make fun one off adventures, devil parties could be fun if you'e okay with all the scheming and backstabbing.

[FocusWolf413]

Hobgoblin all-martial parties work super well.

[deathbymanga]

Gnolls make good characters just because they are really fun. plus, they get 5 HDs in only 3 levels. that's rediculous :P

[Gildedragon]

Kobold parties can be a blast. They are PCish and quirky

Ghost parties: they each have inbuilt hooks (the unresolved issues that keep them bound), planar exploration once the issues are resolved (travel to the afterlife)

[MisterKaws]

Awakened animals. As an additional idea, make a "leader" character, kinda like a Disney princess.

[yellowrocket]

A party of dragons looking to eliminate all the high level "PCs" before they reach a level capable of destroying them and taking their loot.

[SwordChucks]

Awakened animals. As an additional idea, make a "leader" character, kinda like a Disney princess.

I've always wanted to do a "Homeward Bound" campaign where everyone is an awakened animal companion/familiar/mount trying to get back to their respective partners. Things like bard bluejays, wolf rangers and saint bernard paladins.

[frogglesmash]

I've always wanted to do a "Homeward Bound" campaign where everyone is an awakened animal companion/familiar/mount trying to get back to their respective partners. Things like bard bluejays, wolf rangers and saint bernard paladins.

Makes me think of a Balto themed campaign.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Undead monsters with different dietary requirements. "Who has the elf blood for Humphrey?" "Did you get it all over my rotten meat again? Ugh..."

[Alex12]

Goblin parties are fun, especially if blues are included there. The last survivors of their tribe, kicked out for liking fire too much, all sorts of plot hooks there.

Kobolds are, of course, always fun.

[PallentisLunam]

I've always thought giants would be fun, particularly trolls.

[KillianHawkeye]

Gnolls make good characters just because they are really fun. plus, they get 5 HDs in only 3 levels. that's rediculous :P

That's..... not how Hit Dice work. :smallconfused:

Also, where did you even get those numbers? A gnoll has only 2 HD (and no class levels) at level 3.


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To give a suggestion for the thread topic, an entire party of Tsochari (from Lords of Madness) where each PC is bodyjacked into a member of one of the typical humanoid races could make for an interesting time.


Joke Answer: I'm pretty sure satyrs throw the best parties. If you're lucky, there might even be some nymphs there! :smallwink:

[radthemad4]

Do you want everyone in the party to pick the same monster?

[frogglesmash]

Do you want everyone in the party to pick the same monster?

I'd actually prefer a small variety of monsters that follow a theme of some sort. A goblin party could contain bugbears, hobgoblins, and varags, a celestial party could contain devas, archons, and angels etc. etc. It is true though, that some monsters don't lend themselves well to variety, vampires may pair up with other undead, but it's not likely, illithids cooperate almost exclusively with other illithids, and Beholders barely get along with other Beholders.

[atemu1234]

I once had a party with a Lesser Fey'ri. It was... interesting.

[radthemad4]

Drow, Drider, Draegloth, Mind Flayer

Senmurv, Giant Eagle, Giant Owl, Asperi, Pegasus

Blink Dog, Nethersight Mastiff, Winter Wolf, Bearhound

Dryad, Treant, Oread, Sylph, Nymph

[GrayDeath]

Always wanted a Party of an Erynie, a fallen Celestial of the featherwinge Category, a Half-Coatl (or member of the Rainbow Savant class if none is to be fdound) and any one of the many Birdmen.
4 winged mostly Humoid Creatures of which none is a humanoid or shares any similar heritage.

They`ll all ahve to be lawful evil of course, otherwise theys would not follow my order to adventure together ^^

[Cosi]

I don't think Goblins or Kobolds really count as "monsters". Those dudes are people, and you can just play them in a regular party if that is a thing you want to do.

As far as monster parties, I don't know that an Aboleth, a Babau, a Hill Giant, and a Bralani is particularly less reasonable than one of a Human, an Elf, a Dwarf, and a Halfing. If you're using the the RAW alignment system, you'll probably have issues with fiends and celestials in the same party, but that's just one more reason not to use the RAW alignment system.

The Dragon party (where everyone is a Dragon), or the Vampire party (where everyone is a Vampire), and the Werewolf party tends to have easy plot hooks, but mixed parties also make a lot of sense. A Vampire gets a lot less out of teaming up with another Vampire than he does out of teaming up with someone who can walk around in daylight. Similarly, a Mind Flayer might well want to team up with someone who eats the bodies of people whose brains he eats (like a Barghest) rather than another Mind Flayer.

[Gildedragon]

A four Jann party would he great for planejaunting/diplomacy

Four tarrasques!

[Alex12]

Four tarrasques!

This is the best idea ever, but only in an intrigue campaign.

[frogglesmash]

This is the best idea ever, but only in an intrigue campaign.

You jest, but what sane person would risk the ire of a tarrasque by deceiving it?

[Gildedragon]

You jest, but what sane person would risk the ire of a tarrasque by deceiving it?

A team of murderhobos

[frogglesmash]

A team of murderhobos

Why would a murderhobo waste their time deceiving something they could just as easily kill for loot and XP?

[Bobby Baratheon]

Why would a murderhobo waste their time deceiving something they could just as easily kill for loot and XP?

As part of the plan to murder it for loot and XP. :smallbiggrin:

[Inevitability]

This is the best idea ever, but only in an intrigue campaign.

You get to put 51 ranks in disguise and bluff from those RHD. Somehow, I doubt intrigue will be difficult.

"Senator von Tarrasqor, do you support declaring war on the nation of Graarxat?"
"ROAAAAAR!"
"A wise decision, sir. I shall relay it to the council."

[Alex12]

Also, relevant webcomic (http://rustyandco.com/).

[WeaselGuy]

Also, relevant webcomic (http://rustyandco.com/).

Loving the comic strip btw. Source of much needed humor and distraction during a slow day at work.

[Red Fel]

devil parties could be fun if you'e okay with all the scheming and backstabbing.

That's racist.

All seriousness, do a Planescape-style or Sigil-based campaign, and have everyone play Outsiders or Planetouched. A Planetouched campaign can be really fun (just ask Marlowe (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?422242-Planetouched-play-D-amp-D)) but if you're willing to up the ante and make it particularly character-driven, proper Outsiders can be amazing.

But wait, you ask your monitor, as if I could hear you from there, What about Outsiders of opposing alignments? Well, let's pretend for a moment that I could hear you gabbing at your monitor like an imbecile - that would make it even better!

Have you ever played a Planescape-style campaign? Rather than Outsiders being constantly at each other's throats over dominance of the Material, they're all just... People. Doing people stuff. Some of them have wings, some have horns, some are accompanied by the sounds of trumpets, others are perpetually on fire, but they're all just people. It's less about good versus evil, and more about factions - helping this guy, messing with that group, doing a favor for this weirdo here, that sort of thing. A team of innovative, unorthodox Outsiders - even ones from opposing parts of the cosmology - who learn to work together as friends and colleagues can become serious power brokers in the Planes.

I'd go nuts with it. An Archon, an Eladrin, a Devil, and maybe a mildly defective Modron or something for good measure.

No Demons, though. Those guys suck.

[Draconium]

I love doing monster campaigns, but most often, I find they're most fun when everyone is a different kind of monster. One of my favorite campaigns found a Red Dragon (guess who?), a War Troll, and a Gnome all working together to conquer the world and establish equality among humanoids and "monsters." It was awesome. :smalltongue:

Basically, as long as you can make a good story to hold everyone together, the exact party composition matters little. They don't even all have to be similar types, as long as there's balance between the characters. I'm not saying parties made up of one type of monster can't be fun, I'm just saying it may not be as important as you may think.

[Gildedragon]

Yuan tis make good PCs. They are insane cool, esp the abominations
Rakshasas: bored hedonist immortal sorcerer looking for thrills and chills, tired of the evil Lord role. Trying the hero thing on for size

Edited: I forgot about the censoring thing. Went too coloquial. Removed offending word