Need a small tough monster please for a level 1 party

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Level 1 is difficult to plan encounters for!

I am trying to work up a small, tough monster which does not do much damage.

Bonus if the monster has fire resistance. The party wizard has been relying on the fireball a bit much lately.

Thanks in advance.

[Kane0]

Something like a Magma mephit or Magmin with max HP?

[Dalebert]

Take a look at Nilbog in Volo's. I frustrated the crap out of some low level characters without being a serious threat to their lives. Overall hilarious. The assassin was a newish player and wasn't adjusting his strategies accordingly for Nilbog's powers and was getting super frustrated but it was really all on him. He should have known better. Kept attacking Nilbog directly instead of his goblin minions.

[krugaan]

Level 1 is difficult to plan encounters for!

I am trhing to work up a small, tough monster which does not do much damage.

Bonus if the monster has fire resistance. The party wizard has been relying on the fireball a bit much lately.

Thanks in advance.

Wat?

If you mean firebolt ... Not many options at level 1.

[the_brazenburn]

Take a look at Nilbog in Volo's. I frustrated the crap out of some low level characters without being a serious threat to their lives. Overall hilarious. The assassin was a newish player and wasn't adjusting his strategies accordingly for Nilbog's powers and was getting super frustrated but it was really all on him. He should have known better. Kept attacking Nilbog directly instead of his goblin minions.

Not even nilbogs. Ordinary goblins will do the job perfectly. They'll snipe at the players, then hide back in the undergrowth. They'll annoy the heck out of your players, while still allowing you to pull them out whenever you want. After all, everybody knows how cowardly goblins are.

As for the mage, how about you have the hobgoblin overlords of the goblins soak the shrubbery that your whole party is standing in in oil prior to the fight (without telling their disposable goblin minions, of course). A single spark from a firebolt will be enough to immolate the whole party.

Disclaimer: the_brazenburn is not responsible for any severely pissed-off players, rage-quits, or angry characters attacking the hapless wizard.

[HolyDraconus]

Let them fight some zorbos

[Potato_Priest]

Zombies are fairly tough, so a zombie gnome or halfling could do the trick.

[opaopajr]

Zombies are fairly tough, so a zombie gnome or halfling could do the trick.

Heh, Lucky, reroll 1s on checks, saves, attacks, on Zombies. That is deliciously evil and I support you! :smallamused:

They should also be interacting with the environment, dropping extra and or destroying extra XP. Like the zombies are tasked to destroy the McGuffin bit by bit, lowering reward XP. Yet the zombies shed fighting body parts when struck that are worth 1d6 HP when killed before the core zombie (limit 50 extra XP total).

It's a timed piñata game! :smallcool:

[The_Jette]

A Hobgoblin with a level of Death Domain Cleric. You can just take the stats out of the book, but change its normal 2d8 hp it has 3d8, and up the Wisdom score to a 13 or 14, so that the saves aren't too high, but not too low, either. You can give a second level, if you think it's too weak for a boss. But, I advise against going higher than that for a level 1 party.

Edit: Wait, when you said "small" did you mean size small? Or, did you just mean a weaker boss for them?

[lunaticfringe]

Shadows can really ruin a party's day.

[krugaan]

Hey, that intellect devourer is only a cr2 ...

[Kuulvheysoon]

Hey, that intellect devourer is only a cr2 ...

Get out.:tongue:

But seriously, that's a bad idea, OP.

[Galactkaktus]

If you want to frustrate your players you can make them fight a faerie dragon. Bonus action invisibility with a breath attack that makes them euphoric and minor illusions to make them waste resources on fake faerie dragons.

[krugaan]

Get out.:tongue:

But seriously, that's a bad idea, OP.

Lol, yes, don't take what I said seriously, there.

Intellect devourers aren't technically unbalanced, but in this int-dump edition are much more difficult and deadly than their CR suggests.

[HolyDraconus]

Let them fight some zorbos

From ToA. They are only 1/2 cr.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

A Hobgoblin with a level of Death Domain Cleric. You can just take the stats out of the book, but change its normal 2d8 hp it has 3d8, and up the Wisdom score to a 13 or 14, so that the saves aren't too high, but not too low, either. You can give a second level, if you think it's too weak for a boss. But, I advise against going higher than that for a level 1 party.

Edit: Wait, when you said "small" did you mean size small? Or, did you just mean a weaker boss for them?

You know, when I was writing it I was thinking small as in would fit in a reasonable sized room. Doesn't need to be dog sized or something lol.

There have been some good suggestions here. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I have some monster manual reading to do!

[Throne12]

So the party walks in and finds a dead body it dont smell yet so it was kill Recently. Hey maybe it has something on it. So a party member walks over and starts searching it. But as soon as he touches it. It sticky can he having a hard time pulling him self off. All of a sudden it starts moving and try to bites him. It's a mimic in a shape of a body. Mimics of the pass would look like chest or doors. But there food source got wised to there tricks. They started shooting a arrow or casting magic at any door or chest they come across. With there numbers Dwindling do to Starvation and being killed off. They need to be more Creative with their shaping ability.

[the_brazenburn]

So the party walks in and finds a dead body it dont smell yet so it was kill Recently. Hey maybe it has something on it. So a party member walks over and starts searching it. But as soon as he touches it. It sticky can he having a hard time pulling him self off. All of a sudden it starts moving and try to bites him. It's a mimic in a shape of a body. Mimics of the pass would look like chest or doors. But there food source got wised to there tricks. They started shooting a arrow or casting magic at any door or chest they come across. With there numbers Dwindling do to Starvation and being killed off. They need to be more Creative with their shaping ability.

In case you haven't seen the ladder mimic, check it out.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Just for follow up.

There were some good ideas here. So far I used the Nilbogs and Zombie's. The difficulty killing them each really got the party's attention. They replaced more ordinary animals I had caged up there and I think made the dungeon fit in better for a bad guy who was doing mind control work and making sacrifices.

Some of the other ideas I'm sure to use in the future. Everyone is worried about a chest being a mimic. A ladder.....who would have thought lol.

[Malifice]

Level 1 is difficult to plan encounters for!

I am trying to work up a small, tough monster which does not do much damage.

Bonus if the monster has fire resistance. The party wizard has been relying on the fireball a bit much lately.

Thanks in advance.

Level 1 party with fireball?

Huh?

[JPicasso]

Just make something up, so they don't know exactly what to expect.

Red goblins. Just like real goblins, but instead of the Hide thing, give them fire resistance and claws that do 1d6. BAM. New monster. Red Goblin Chief has 30 HP or something. and also has firebolt cantrip. Surprise!

[Kane0]

Heh, sounds like a Red from Overlord

[MrStabby]

My favourite mimic form was an ornate breastplate. Up till then I had never had a player actually try and climb inside a monster before.

Now thinking of one on the floor disguised as a trapdoor.


For enemies a gibbering mouther can be fun. Some effects, attacks and some real player peril. Would very much be a boss though.

Or go down the NPC route - barbarian style, give the NPC bear barbarian class abilities including rage damage and resistance. Add this to a chunky HP pool and you can have something tough to take down.