Favorite Monsters, HO!

[heregoeshell]

Alrighty all, looking for some monster inspiration, and figured I'd ask everyone for their favorite monsters either to run or fight, based on interesting mechanics, abilities, uses, etc. If you like it for a specific reason, please lend me your input! If you can provide the book, or further details such as a statblock or any details it would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all!

[unseenmage]

Awakened Sand created by the Awaken Sand spell from the Sandstorm book. A Construct with ooze-like traits and free will.
Becomes more interesting when cast on Shapesand or Black Sand; or even chili pepper powder or gunpowder for that matter.

[RoboEmperor]

Ravid.

I gain his at-will Animate Objects (Su) ability on my PC via Assume Supernatural Ability, and play as a (expendable and renewable) Gargantuan Animated Object for the entire game.

I love this monster to death. Been using him since before I read Savage Species by binding him via Lesser Planar Binding.

[flappeercraft]

Probably the Immoth from MM2. Ability to cast spells as a free action? Yes please

[Buufreak]

As I have said before on many a favorite monster posts, Wemic, hands down. It's a centaur, if you replace all the crap parts with lion.

Edit: source is either monsters or races of faerun.

[Jay R]

The classics - dragons, hippogriffs, pegasi, gryphons, hydras, trolls, giants, skeletons, zombies, werewolves, centaurs, etc.

Anything I read about in stories before I ever heard of D&D.

[JNAProductions]

Awakened Sand created by the Awaken Sand spell from the Sandstorm book. A Construct with ooze-like traits and free will.
Becomes more interesting when cast on Shapesand or Black Sand; or even chili pepper powder or gunpowder for that matter.

Where is Awaken Sand found?

...

I just reread your post, got it.

[onlyfro]

Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but I really appreciate when the monsters fit the environment and the context of the adventure. In our encounter last week, the DM had a PC prisoner in a large city guarded by a drider and four dryads, and I grimaced trying to figure out how or why these creatures were cooperating as urban prison guards.

Contrast that with the last adventure that I DM'ed, where the PCs entered a village that had been wiped out by lycanthopes. Also in the village were Moon Rats (MM2 151) who were being hunted by a trio of grimalkin (MM2 122). Or a campaign before that, where the PCs visited the laboratory of a mad construct animator (not named Dr. Frankenstein) and faced a flesh golem while he was watching through the eyes of his homunculus.

Sure, certain monsters in the reference books are interesting, but if they don't logically fit into the scenario, I won't use them. I personally feel that it is more important to preserve the fabric of the story.

[CMagnum]

I just had my players encounter a tendriculous which was in the middle of a fight with three werewolves. The tendriculous was very fun to play. I love the swallow whole ability and it usually creates some interesting scenarios; as one person is trying desperately to escape from its gullet, another player will be stabbing into it. In a similar vein but wholly different flavor, I had a party in a previous campaign fight a Behir and as previously stated I had a lot of fun with swallow whole. Improved grab to get them there first is quite nice as well.

[WhamBamSam]

I just had my players encounter a tendriculous which was in the middle of a fight with three werewolves. The tendriculous was very fun to play. I love the swallow whole ability and it usually creates some interesting scenarios; as one person is trying desperately to escape from its gullet, another player will be stabbing into it. In a similar vein but wholly different flavor, I had a party in a previous campaign fight a Behir and as previously stated I had a lot of fun with swallow whole. Improved grab to get them there first is quite nice as well.My favorite Swallow Whole creature is the Mivilorn from MMIII, which can bite multiple adjacent targets at the end of a charge, scooping them all into its mouth to be swallowed.