What New Monsters Do You Want To See?

[BDRook]

So Volo’s Guide to Monsters comes out soonish, so I was wondering what new monsters you guys want to see get added to the 5e roster. And by "new" I mean "currently not in the 5e monster manual". Personally, and as ridiculous as the monster is, I'd love to see a Wolf-In-Sheeps-Clothing get added.

[JellyPooga]

As might be expected from a thread I started recently, I'd definitely like to see more of the Lords and Ladies, the Fair Folk and the Courtiers and Courtesans of both the Seelie and Unseelie Courts.

[R.Shackleford]

If it is designed anything like the Monster Manual then I really don't need to see anything. I would hate to see my favorite monsters turned into boring piles of meh and HP.

[BDRook]

As might be expected from a thread I started recently, I'd definitely like to see more of the Lords and Ladies, the Fair Folk and the Courtiers and Courtesans of both the Seelie and Unseelie Courts.

Agreed, there's a distinct lack of fey in the book that I'd love to see more of!


If it is designed anything like the Monster Manual then I really don't need to see anything. I would hate to see my favorite monsters turned into boring piles of meh and HP.

Crap hold on. *Holds out fries* They never put enough salt on these things, could you repeat that please?

[eastmabl]

Tome of Beasts.

[MrStabby]

I wouldn't mind seeing environments fleshed out, something like desert:

More sphynx detail
More Lamia
Dry liches
Mummies feel that there could me more of a range between CR 15 and CR 3, maybe give them more of a domain feel to match what they protect.

To be honest I use the MM for inspiration and calibration rather than as a source of stat-blocks and abilities I directly use in games.

Living spells. They were cool. They could also be thematically strong as well.

[BDRook]

I wouldn't mind seeing environments fleshed out, something like desert:

More sphynx detail
More Lamia
Dry liches
Mummies feel that there could me more of a range between CR 15 and CR 3, maybe give them more of a domain feel to match what they protect.

Yeah add some more desert creatures. Maybe some of the Dark Sun monsters. The almighty Sand Kraken perhaps?

[R.Shackleford]

Agreed, there's a distinct lack of fey in the book that I'd love to see more of!



Crap hold on. *Holds out fries* They never put enough salt on these things, could you repeat that please?

If it is designed anything like the Monster Manual then I really don't need to see anything. I would hate to see my favorite monsters turned into boring piles of meh and HP.

[DragonSorcererX]

More draconic stuff such as Dragonspawn, Drakes, Draconic Kobolds, Gem Dragons + Gem Dragonborns + Psionic Dragon Sorcerer (Cross-Class Archetype), also, more elementals and elemental templates (especially Ice and Cold themed).

[JellyPooga]

More draconic stuff such as Dragonspawn, Drakes, Draconic Kobolds, Gem Dragons + Gem Dragonborns + Psionic Dragon Sorcerer (Cross-Class Archetype), also, more elementals and elemental templates (especially Ice and Cold themed).

I would like to see more Elementals, but I'd hate to see the return of the Dragonsploitation of the 3.5 era. There was just too much "Dragon" in everything. Don't get me wrong, I like me some dragons, but when you can't turn around without seeing something draconic, they lose a lot of their mystique. Keep Dragons pure and they retain their mythical status, but spread them out everywhere and they become commonplace and mundane.

[Gastronomie]

A good number of low-to-mid CR monsters with unique abilities and attacks. Most monsters can do only one type of attack, with no special add-on effects.

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.

Give them more "push back X feet" effects. Add variety to their forms of attack. Give them more special traits. I've experimented with a homebrew monster that has 10 attack methods (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?494768-CR-5-Boss-Monster-Elite-Black-Dragon-Wyrmling-Boss-Monster-with-10-Attack-Methods!), and while 10 is probably too excessive in most cases, the encounter with this monster was a great success, my players really enjoying how you can't tell what he's gonna do next.

There should be these "monsters with unique abilities" for the purpose of both being the "boss" and the "minions". Minions can have supportive effects, like "enemies within 10 feet have disadvantage on saving throws" or "can cast Evard's Black Tentacles (but nothing else)". Bosses could have abilities that allow it to ravage through the battlefield, like abilities that control, inflict mass damage, force the players to move around, etc, etc, etc...

Also, enemy casters. There needs to be more casters with various concepts. I've (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?494181-CR-5-Caster-Monsters-Dark-Enchanter-and-Death-Cleric-PEACH) done (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?477616-CR8-Boss-Monster-Disciple-of-Bigby-PEACH) some (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?475696-CR-12-Boss-Monster-High-Pyromancer-PEACH), but I want more. The easiest way to diversify the opponent's attacks are to make them magical.

The point is - see, imagine Pokemon. Pokemon is fun because both you and the enemy have four types of attacks. Monsters with only one type of an attack (especially a boring one) are like Magicarp. Even if it's a high-CR monster, it's nothing but a really, really big Magicarp, like the Level 99 ones you can fish at the resort area. And I don't wanna fight them.

[DragonSorcererX]

I would like to see more Elementals, but I'd hate to see the return of the Dragonsploitation of the 3.5 era. There was just too much "Dragon" in everything. Don't get me wrong, I like me some dragons, but when you can't turn around without seeing something draconic, they lose a lot of their mystique. Keep Dragons pure and they retain their mythical status, but spread them out everywhere and they become commonplace and mundane.

I feel that the half-dragons and the dragonborn aren't enough, I want at least those beautiful draconic kobolds back! Everything is better with dragons!

[Eldamar]

I'd like to see the Hierarch Modrons come back, or some other form of clockwork constructs. More powerful fey creatures. Maybe more elementals, especially nature-y ones or plants. Some of the odd-beastie types like rast, krenshar, etc.

[R.Shackleford]

I'd like to see the Hierarch Modrons come back, or some other form of clockwork constructs. More powerful fey creatures. Maybe more elementals, especially nature-y ones or plants. Some of the odd-beastie types like rast, krenshar, etc.

How about a clockwork slime/pudding?

[Degwerks]

More celestial angel like creatures, devils, demons, githyanki, githzerai, Fey, Fey, Fey, powerful Fey, Draconians, cambions, spelljammer creatures, more giant beasts and dire animals, prehistoric creatures too

[NecroDancer]

New fey, dire sharks, living spells, the worm that walks, spell weavers, Archon, bone-claw, and skull-lord

[NecroDancer]

Froghemeth, don't forget froghemeth

[DragonSorcererX]

Froghemeth, don't forget froghemeth

Already confirmed for Volo's Guide...

[ClintACK]

Fiends. I'd like to see the non-humanoid fiends (like Bezekira(Hellcat) and Achaierai) and the really iconic fiends from the fiendish codices (like Legion Devil).

Also some of the cheesier old monsters like Trapper and Rot Grub. And the sentient Oozes that we seem to have lost.

And more bizarre tentacled eldritch horrors like some of the non-humanoid races that went with Mind Flayers in the 3.5's Lords of Madness supplement. (Actually -- this one we might get, as a part of "diving deep" into the story of Mind Flayers.)

[Else Fangorn]

And more bizarre tentacled eldritch horrors like some of the non-humanoid races that went with Mind Flayers in the 3.5's Lords of Madness supplement. (Actually -- this one we might get, as a part of "diving deep" into the story of Mind Flayers.)

Ditto. I like the aberrations we have so far, but I would love to see some more. Lovecraftian monsters have a proud tradition in D&D and I want to be able to use more of them in my campaigns. I'd especially like to see some high level boss creatures of an eldritch type, more than the races like beholders and mind flayers.

More dinosaurs would be good, too, because who doesn't love dinosaurs?

[Shining Wrath]

There's whole categories that need filling.


Celestials
Fey
Dinosaurs
Plants
High CR beasts
Constructs

[Shining Wrath]

More celestial angel like creatures, devils, demons, githyanki, githzerai, Fey, Fey, Fey, powerful Fey, Draconians, cambions, spelljammer creatures, more giant beasts and dire animals, prehistoric creatures too

We have the gith, unless you mean more varieties.

[ClintACK]

Ditto. I like the aberrations we have so far, but I would love to see some more. Lovecraftian monsters have a proud tradition in D&D and I want to be able to use more of them in my campaigns. I'd especially like to see some high level boss creatures of an eldritch type, more than the races like beholders and mind flayers.

I had an idea a while back for an eldritch-horror boss monster.

Basically, take the Kraken -- with its tentacle multiattack and tentacle legendary action, but then imagine it as tentacles coming out of an enlarged Hunger of Hadar effect and trying to grapple-drag targets into the darkness, or Swallow them into the extra-dimensional darkness.

Maybe toss in some kind of attribute drain to grappled characters. Maybe a Legendary Action to spawn more tentacles as the party severs them...

[Else Fangorn]

I had an idea a while back for an eldritch-horror boss monster.

Basically, take the Kraken -- with its tentacle multiattack and tentacle legendary action, but then imagine it as tentacles coming out of an enlarged Hunger of Hadar effect and trying to grapple-drag targets into the darkness, or Swallow them into the extra-dimensional darkness.

Maybe toss in some kind of attribute drain to grappled characters. Maybe a Legendary Action to spawn more tentacles as the party severs them...

That sounds amazing. Would it be locked to a particular location? Maybe the tentacles could be separate minion monsters instead with a static central monster to actually Swallow the PCs? That would let you have "one monster" without totally losing in the action economy, and it would prevent it from being outmaneuvered.

[Joe the Rat]

More Fey, More "Old One / Far Realms" critters, more creatures or creature templates for the Outer Planes (give me a hell cat, or give me a hellbeast template I can apply to a cat), Kobold "Boss" and "Caster" types, and a couple more levels of NPCs.


So Volo’s Guide to Monsters comes out soonish, so I was wondering what new monsters you guys want to see get added to the 5e roster. And by "new" I mean "currently not in the 5e monster manual". Personally, and as ridiculous as the monster is, I'd love to see a Wolf-In-Sheeps-Clothing get added.In the mean time "Tree Stump Roper" makes a decent impression of one. All it needs is a hat.


How about a clockwork slime/pudding?
I'm not sure if Clockwork Pudding is a novel about basement dwellers, internet hooliganism, and free will, or something out of the Steampunk Bestiary. Either way it's my new favorite thing.

[ClintACK]

That sounds amazing. Would it be locked to a particular location? Maybe the tentacles could be separate minion monsters instead with a static central monster to actually Swallow the PCs? That would let you have "one monster" without totally losing in the action economy, and it would prevent it from being outmaneuvered.

I was imagining it locked in one location -- like the semi-sentient rift that is the source of all the aberrations the PCs have been fighting over the course of the campaign arc. (Roughly -- goblins raiding a rural community; discover that goblins were fleeing aberrations and localized breakdown of reality; big middle part against aberrations and goblin GOO warlocks; boss battle to close the rift.)

Treating the tentacles as independent creatures makes sense. The boss really only needs hps to let PCs sever tentacles to free themselves. I'd expect the big victory to come from completing a ritual or tossing a McGuffin into the rift or something of that sort. So the "boss fight" is about surviving the tentacles long enough to close the rift rather than about chipping away at a block of boss hps.

[Else Fangorn]

I was imagining it locked in one location -- like the semi-sentient rift that is the source of all the aberrations the PCs have been fighting over the course of the campaign arc. (Roughly -- goblins raiding a rural community; discover that goblins were fleeing aberrations and localized breakdown of reality; big middle part against aberrations and goblin GOO warlocks; boss battle to close the rift.)

Treating the tentacles as independent creatures makes sense. The boss really only needs hps to let PCs sever tentacles to free themselves. I'd expect the big victory to come from completing a ritual or tossing a McGuffin into the rift or something of that sort. So the "boss fight" is about surviving the tentacles long enough to close the rift rather than about chipping away at a block of boss hps.

So the tentacles would be the actual stat block monsters and the Rift itself could be a sort of status effect area until a ritual is completed. You could have the tentacles tethered to the area so they can't go too far, and have some kind of recharge for the tentacles so more can appear as they are destroyed, to keep things tense. Personally, I like the idea of a sealing ritual more than a macguffin, so that way you have to protect the ritualists from the tentacles while they work, rather than just having to get close enough to toss the Stick of Sealing Away the Giant Tentacles Horrors from Beyond in. Anyway., I think your idea is brilliant. :smallsmile:

[Belac93]

MORE FEY!!

Also, some undead would be pretty cool.

[BDRook]

If it is designed anything like the Monster Manual then I really don't need to see anything. I would hate to see my favorite monsters turned into boring piles of meh and HP.




Crap hold on. *Holds out fries* They never put enough salt on these things, could you repeat that please?


If it is designed anything like the Monster Manual then I really don't need to see anything. I would hate to see my favorite monsters turned into boring piles of meh and HP.

Delicious, thank you. And it also gives me a great idea for another new addition: The Salt Golem.

[R.Shackleford]

I'm not sure if Clockwork Pudding is a novel about basement dwellers, internet hooliganism, and free will, or something out of the Steampunk Bestiary. Either way it's my new favorite thing.

Glad I could share one of my favorite things with someone who likes it so much :)



Delicious, thank you. And it also gives me a great idea for another new addition: The Salt Golem.

I prefer the Tea Golem, a couple of years ago for 4th of July we were fighting a Tea Golem at a harbor.

Fight went on forever untill I had the bright idea to push them into the harbor.

We didn't know they were tea golem, just that they smelled of "pumpkin spice" and other tea flavors.

The MM and any other WotC based monsters can go Shove off, they are mechanically and many times narrativly boring. Same old thing time and again gets boring.

[MrFahrenheit]

I don't really care what new ones they give us with Volo, so long as there are a good quantity of mid-high CRs provided for later levels of a campaign.

[Shining Wrath]

I don't really care what new ones they give us with Volo, so long as there are a good quantity of mid-high CRs provided for later levels of a campaign.

Without just adding HP to existing monsters. We don't need another age category of dragons between Young and Adult, or bigger giants, or some such tweaks to existing critters.

[MrFahrenheit]

Without just adding HP to existing monsters. We don't need another age category of dragons between Young and Adult, or bigger giants, or some such tweaks to existing critters.

Well I'd hope not, but if it's all rolled into a package (e.g., more AC, features, etc.), then fine. I'd expect to see gem dragons, beholderkin, different giants, etc. eventually, but what I hope for are more high level mooks.

[NecroDancer]

That sounds amazing. Would it be locked to a particular location? Maybe the tentacles could be separate minion monsters instead with a static central monster to actually Swallow the PCs? That would let you have "one monster" without totally losing in the action economy, and it would prevent it from being outmaneuvered..

Pathfinder has Shoggoths, why don't we have Shoggoths?

[Regitnui]

I want to see more setting specific monsters; the Undying of Eberron (positive energy undead) would be great to have. Aquatic monsters would also be fine.

[MrStabby]

I don't really care what new ones they give us with Volo, so long as there are a good quantity of mid-high CRs provided for later levels of a campaign.

Hmm. I tend to find that this is actually a pretty sweet spot. This is the level where you can take the medium to low level CR creatures and add class levels or template type stuff to them and have some cool abilities on top of the base monster.

A zombie giant barbarian for example makes a great centerpiece for an encounter. Hellhound shadowmonks with hit and run tactics and breath weapon attacks are more interesting than the higher level "monster" often is. Maybe a Fiendish cult populated by Ettin with warlock levels (they don't need DC spells) can be a bit of a different challenge (when they use spiderclimb to attack the party from behind or mirror image to be just that little bit tougher to kill).

[BurchardOfEn]

NEW monsters? Are you insane? We can't be running around having new monsters! We've got enough problems with old monsters!

In all seriousness, I would hope that there'd be more monsters that have interesting options. I mean the Balor could do some interesting stuff with its teleport(like teleport onto the wizard), but it maintains the same gimmick throughout its fight which is "Staying Close to Me Is Death." That's not really all that unique from most monster gimmicks. The Pit Fiend is even worse about being really powerful up close with no real ground to stand on outside of that.

Maybe we could see more creatures that are specifically strong at a range and try to keep out of the reach of players in melee?

[MrFahrenheit]

Hmm. I tend to find that this is actually a pretty sweet spot. This is the level where you can take the medium to low level CR creatures and add class levels or template type stuff to them and have some cool abilities on top of the base monster.

A zombie giant barbarian for example makes a great centerpiece for an encounter. Hellhound shadowmonks with hit and run tactics and breath weapon attacks are more interesting than the higher level "monster" often is. Maybe a Fiendish cult populated by Ettin with warlock levels (they don't need DC spells) can be a bit of a different challenge (when they use spiderclimb to attack the party from behind or mirror image to be just that little bit tougher to kill).

I don't have enough time to plan mook bad guy specifics out that much. Hence why I'm hoping for an easy-access published source.

[ClintACK]

In all seriousness, I would hope that there'd be more monsters that have interesting options...

This, a thousand times.

Too many of the monsters in the 5e MM are just stat blocks with different hit dice and attack rolls. Really interesting 3.5e monsters had all their interesting features stripped off.

Interesting fluff and a block of hit points doesn't make for an interesting encounter.

[MrStabby]

I don't have enough time to plan mook bad guy specifics out that much. Hence why I'm hoping for an easy-access published source.

Fair enough.

To be honest i don't always plan it out that much. Sometimes I just stick some thematically appropriate abilities on enemies. Take an ogre and give it whirlwind attack or give an iron golem hellish rebuke a couple of times - some warning ideally to the players fairly often but just as much a surprise when it happens. If nothing else just swap some weapons or chose your favourite spells for casters.

[MrFahrenheit]

If nothing else just swap some weapons or chose your favourite spells for casters.

Yeah this I do, but at that point you're not drastically changing the CR - if it even changes at all.

[Shining Wrath]

An orc with a halberd instead of a greataxe isn't very different.
An orc with a crossbow is modestly different.
An orc warlock (orclock) is different.

[MOLOKH]

The only thing I'm really looking forward to right now is the Choker - it was the first ever monster I fought in a DnD game. Also I was under the impression that it is one of the classic DnD monsters so it baffled me to no end that it wasn't in the 5e Monster Manual.

[ClintACK]

The only thing I'm really looking forward to right now is the Choker - it was the first ever monster I fought in a DnD game. Also I was under the impression that it is one of the classic DnD monsters so it baffled me to no end that it wasn't in the 5e Monster Manual.

Its *unique thing* was that it broke action economy.

That was bad enough in 3.5 -- but action economy is the lynchpin of 5e's balance. So you can see why they'd be nervous about the Choker.

My sad-faced hoping-I'm-wrong prediction: The 5e Choker will replace their flavorful Quickness with a 2/day use of Action Surge.

[MrStabby]

Yeah this I do, but at that point you're not drastically changing the CR - if it even changes at all.

Hmm. Maybe I am not the best person to throw in an opinion here. I don't tend to calculate CRs of monsters and build encounters to budget - i am more of an eyeball things type of person. Pick something that looks fun or thematic then guess how much I need to raise or lower difficulty by to make it an appropriate challenge.

Giving ranged attacks may not change CR by much but it can make a big difference to how the battle goes - forcing a few concentration checks on casters from some crossbow bolts before the close combat guys hit, being able to force the PCs to cross the dangerous bridge to close the ground, or for easy encounters just getting an extra round of combat in before dying can all be significant.

Some of this is personal taste -if I have an Orc tribe, I want something to show its different from other Orc tribes - different domain for their clerics, Orc druids, preferring halberds as weapons or be full of rangers and each Orc has an animal companion. I want my players to be able to tell tribes apart by their tactical doctrine and composition of forces, so I tend to tweak a lot. The more unique abilities you add that adjust how they play the more scope there is for making encounters individual. But yeah, if you are using CR as a guide it isn't a great approach (I do use CR, but mainly to calibrate creatures/NPCs I build from scratch).

[JackPhoenix]

.

Pathfinder has Shoggoths, why don't we have Shoggoths?

We do, they are called Gibbering Mouthers.


Its *unique thing* was that it broke action economy.

That was bad enough in 3.5 -- but action economy is the lynchpin of 5e's balance. So you can see why they'd be nervous about the Choker.

My sad-faced hoping-I'm-wrong prediction: The 5e Choker will replace their flavorful Quickness with a 2/day use of Action Surge.

Sounds like lowest-CR candidate for Legendary Action, IMO

[King539]

I agree with ClintACK. That's why I love the nothic. They have nice flavor, a cool out-of-combat ability in Weird Insight, an unusual ranged attack in Rotting Gaze, and maybe other things I can't remember (I'm AFB).