Favorite Monster Combos

[ZenBear]

What are some of your favorite monster combinations you've ever fought or set up for your players? I particularly liked my Shambling Mound/Will-o-wisp encounter. The Wisps draw the adventurers toward the Mound, and once combat ensues they flit around healing the Mound with Shock and finishing off downed players. It made for a great early game boss fight for my Darkest Dungeon inspired mega-dungeon with all Revenant players.

[Afrodactyl]

I've used the shambling mound/wisp combo too, it's brutal for a lower level party.

A hollow clay golem with a gelatinous cube inside is awesome too. Clay golem being used as a suit of armour that regenerates health every round.

[Aett_Thorn]

I've used a combo of Green Hags and Blights before, which works out well. The mixtures in tactics between the various types works out really well when they are put together.

[CursedRhubarb]

My favorite I've sent at players so far has been a Helmed Horror paired with a Shield Guardian that had Fire Shield as it's option.

It finally convinced them that perhaps not every encounter needs to be fought.

[Joe the Rat]

I like pairing creatures with thematic swarms. Kenku assassins (Spy stats) that each had a swarm of crows to command. I never got to use them, but a bug-infested zombie was on my to-do list.

Personally, I think every flameskull needs two crawling claws to keep it company.

[strangebloke]

Nothing is nastier than a party of enemy NPCs, using tactics comparable to that of the party.

A bunch of expendable grunts and a singular caster focused on aoe, support, and control. For grunts, zombies are great at low levels. Elementals and golems are awesome at high levels. Casters like hags and oni and rhakshasa make normal encounters terrifying.

Conversely, several little casters (like pixies, or imps) with one serious heavyweight can be really memorable.

The 'two monsters in one' is always fun. Some of the best ones have already been mentioned. It can lead to a 'bloodied' situation, where you kill one monster, only to have another one jump out at you.

[mephnick]

I like Dao with Wall of Stone to separate the PCs and a bunch of Xorn or something else with Earthglide phasing through the walls freely as they need. That one definitely surprised the players.