What is your favorite Pack monster to send at your players?

[Xalestra]

Are there any monsters that you enjoy ending at your players in some of the larger numbers?

I really love using Chokers. It's difficult at a higher level but sometimes it's nice to watch the big spell casters sealed up for a bit because of their abilities. :smallwink: But they are really fun to use in mass numbers in places that are hard to get out of easily.

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/pathfinder/images/f/f2/Quarantine.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20091122072958

[Eldariel]

Shadows en masse are terrifying. Stirges are really annoying. Both make a lot of sense and work particularly well supplanting some bruisers that draw attention.

[Celluloid Flick]

Those pack-hunting endurance-specialists primates are always a good terrifying pack monster.

[Kyberwulf]

Goblins, or drows. Always fun.

[nedz]

Tarrasques - it's the last thing they will expect.

Really, any monster which is supposedly unique.

[Troacctid]

Wolves. What can I say, they're iconic.

Also zombies, but I think the proper collective term there is "horde", not "pack".

[Necroticplague]

Always a big fan of taking monsters that inflict nasty conditions with low saves, or things that are only a little inconvenient in small amounts, and piling up a ton of them. Ghasts for the eventual paralysis and coup-de-grace that follows, wights to keep stacking up negative levels to lethal levels, shadows to pile on all the stregnth damage.

Most undead in general tend to be good for this, due to the preponderance having some kind of rider effect on their attack. Even if its small, it can add up well if you use a bunch.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

Tooth fairies. Low CR and nasty abilities meant that they are made for pack attacks.

And, while I can't say I used them to attack PCs, I did have a pack of low-CR ghosts aid a party against a significantly-higher level serial killer. Coincidentally, this was all in the same adventure...

[Nibbens]

This may take a bit of set up, but it's so worth - sharks.

Most adventures are above water, so when you have one that forces the PCs to down water breathing potions and quickly familiarize themselves with underwater rules, you wind up with a highly rememberable environment as is.

Then add sharks. Sharks and sharks and more sharks. A wereshark at some point for added fun, and a dire barracuda or two for variety.

If the PCs are realists, make sure they are described as "freshwater sharks" because fantasy is as fantasy does.

Bonus: a "pack" of sharks are called a shiver. That alone makes it worth throwing more than 2 at the party. Make sure you call it a shiver at some point, or the effect is wasted.

[DrMotives]

Wolves. What can I say, they're iconic.

Also zombies, but I think the proper collective term there is "horde", not "pack".

Nah, Horde is good for orcs & marauding humanoids, but zombies don't have the energy to be a horde. I suggest a "shuffle", a "shamble", or a "creep" of zombies instead.

[Jowgen]

I second Shadows, as well as other incorporeals, purely for their abilility to occupy solid objects. So many tactical applications.

For a while now, I've had this idea for a dungeon corridor that has 1 shadow in literally every 5 ft square of wall, floor and ceiling. As soon as the players get half-way, the Shadows start touch-attacking the adjacent open squares with readied proximity-keyed actions. Add in Dimensional Locks (to prevent teleport escape) and hazards for damaging the dungeon corridor to taste. There are handy counters for this scenario, especially if you know it ahead of time, but if the party enters unwittingly they are in for one massive "Oh dear God, no!" moment.

[Doc_Maynot]

Just... The Mob Template from Dungeonscape. I even use it in my PF games

[Quertus]

Shadows, animated objects, adventurers.


Wolves. What can I say, they're iconic.

Also zombies, but I think the proper collective term there is "horde", not "pack".

Any zombie wolves?

[Emrod]

Spiders, assuming none of your players are arachnophobic, where using them is just cruel, most people instinctivly have a natural human response to the idea of many legged monsters skittering about across cobblestone or shuffling through low foliage, stalking through tree canopies carpeted in a dew laden layering of spiders silk.
purple prose aside:

Web as an Ex ability, which you can tailor to be as annoying as you wish by way of DC adjustment, or effect radius.

Wallclimbing, spiders are unique in that they dont inhabit locations where Flight makes them a trivial encounter, Spiders might as well have written the epic player handbook notation for the Climb skill. and even if they WERE out and about in a mountainous or plain ecology some spiders make silk parachutes to literally fly on the wind, paratrooper arachnid death squads ftw.

Deceptive Enemy count, we've all seen the video clip of the poor woman who smacked a spider with a broom and out came skittering baby arachnid horror yes? a spider that drops swarms of its catagory-3 sized spiders on death, in adjacent spaces and for a certain number of rounds is a fantastic way to bloat an encounter realistically, He whom thinks twice about fighting a pack of 3-9 large spiders may enthusiastically LEAP at the deceptivly simple encounter.

The VARIETY, spiders are probably some of the most versatile enemies in D&D from the humble giant spider to the sword/wraith/astral spider, they can inflict diseases, poisons, or acids naturally, which means you can within the realm of disbelief give them auras or environmental miasmas, augment their web attack for a contact poison/acid.

Did you know that the Sword spider is the monster equivalent of a pounce-barbarian? they get 8 attacks at the target they jump at, or at least they did in 3.0 and Ive continued to do so since mostly based on rule of cool and the terror it can evoke.

Ive a personal creation of a spider I call an Marionette Spinner, that takes the corpses of monsters/creatures and lines them with necrotic silk and can control them like puppets, a nifty twist on the undead that doesnt necessarily rely on a mage or lich or crypt, and can be explained if you desire simply by a high concentration of negative energy.

The cross monster support, Driders are -Taureen spiders, Arachnae are spider shapeshifters or lycanthropes depending on your campaign, Lolth is an example goddess for spider fetishism. Spiders are adaptable to pretty much any template with minimalistic fluff needed, seeing as in reality spiders do everything ANYHOW, ohman giant tunnel complex? what made this? Purple worms are blase' dwarves are done to death EARTH SPIDERS WITH BURROW SPEEDS! you now have tunnelweb spiders with pit ambushes. Got a wizard who tried to clean the spider infestation of his septic system with slimes? boom: Skitterhaunt Spider. Party roaming around the (quasi)elemental Planes? stab an elemental template on pretty much any spider and its instantly got moar flavor! Fire/Acid/Rime spiders using web that causes elemental damage for a number of rounds that is or isnt magical based on your particular whim or whimsy.
I could (and have) make a campaign almost entirely around spiders, their versatility is only outmatched by player races in my entirely biased opinion :P

[Thurbane]

Legion Devils (FC II p.122): I run a devil-heavy campaign (the main BBEG is Dispater), and I love these guys. The more of them there are, the tougher they get.

http://i67.tinypic.com/29zv9g8.jpg

[Bullet06320]

I had a DM once that loved to throw packs of children at you to steal all your stuff, he stopped that when a guy playing a paladin got tired of it and went all murderhobo on the children causing his paladin to fall, oh it was fun to watch, lol

[MisterKaws]

Lantern Archons work quite well for Evil PCs, even more so considering that each doubling is only +2 CR...

[Barbarian Horde]

I recently learned what kender is on this forum a few weeks ago. Can I send a horde of kenders at a party?

[Manyasone]

I recently learned what kender is on this forum a few weeks ago. Can I send a horde of kenders at a party?

You can, but there is a special circle in Hell for people who use kender

[Arutema]

I've grown fond of arachnid robots in my modified Iron Gods campaign.

And, of course, for things that grow more dangerous in large groups, there are shocker lizards.

[Huldaerus]

Swarms, Rust Monsters, Incorporeal.

[DarkSoul]

Steel Predators from the Fiend Folio.

...what? :D

Seriously though, I just had a good time with Corpse Rat Swarms (Libris Mortis) with a group of 5 level-appropriate characters.

[Flickerdart]

A pack of cards (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/artifacts.htm#deckofManyThings).

[ComaVision]

I like Phase Spiders.

[Death_Lord12]

Ive a personal creation of a spider I call an Marionette Spinner, that takes the corpses of monsters/creatures and lines them with necrotic silk and can control them like puppets, a nifty twist on the undead that doesnt necessarily rely on a mage or lich or crypt, and can be explained if you desire simply by a high concentration of negative energy.

If you don't mind, could I have the stats for this? or at least the details on the ability.


On topic: I'm planning on throwing a Marruspawn (Sandstorm) fight at my players.

[Invader]

Legion Devils (FC II p.122): I run a devil-heavy campaign (the main BBEG is Dispater), and I love these guys. The more of them there are, the tougher they get.

http://i67.tinypic.com/29zv9g8.jpg

I second Legion devils, one of my favorite creatures to throw at players.

[Âmesang]

I would like to send hordes of hordlings at players sojourning through the Lower Planes, but I would definitely have to have my laptop with me to open up a stat page for each hordling in a separate browser tab (since their stats and appearance are randomized; no two are intended to be alike).


I had a DM once that loved to throw packs of children at you to steal all your stuff, he stopped that when a guy playing a paladin got tired of it and went all murderhobo on the children causing his paladin to fall, oh it was fun to watch, lol
Lord British says: "The path of the virtuous man is to punch children in the face."

[Doc_Maynot]

Lord British says: "The path of the virtuous man is to punch children in the face."

I must hear more about this Lord British. He sounds like a decent chap.

[inuyasha]

Someone above brought up shocker lizards, to which I reply my favorite combo:

Shocker lizards and shambling mounds!

That's a fun way to mess with your players...