Underrated Monsters

[Princesse]

Hi,
As a DM, i'm always thinking of a way i can do interesting encounters that are not only ''you hit me i hit your until everyone is dead'' so i was wondering about underrated monsters that have some fun abilities, that are outright overpowered for their CR or just have hidden stuff that not everyone know about.

I'll start with the stirge. The fact that once they stick on their target, the target automaticly loses health makes a swarm of them very deadly. Having one or two big monsters with a swarm of stirge makes the encounter very interesting.

[Belier]

Sahuagin are pretty dangerous if you don't dispatch them quickly.

Even a pack of wolf's around a bigger dude can be problematic if they manage to get a few players prone.

[Belier]

I'd say also that vargouilles can kill you in a weird way

[Unoriginal]

Hi,
As a DM, i'm always thinking of a way i can do interesting encounters that are not only ''you hit me i hit your until everyone is dead'' so i was wondering about underrated monsters that have some fun abilities, that are outright overpowered for their CR or just have hidden stuff that not everyone know about.

I'll start with the stirge. The fact that once they stick on their target, the target automaticly loses health makes a swarm of them very deadly. Having one or two big monsters with a swarm of stirge makes the encounter very interesting.

Well, funnily enough, the underrated monsters are the ones that some people say are only "you hit me I hit you until everyone is dead".

IMO what makes an encounter interesting is not a question of abilities, but of presentation.

Now, something that both relies on presentation and on abilities would be, for example, the Intellect Devourer. It's CR 2, and you get 4 lvl 2 PCs fighting one of them in a room, it's probably dying quick without being able to do much.

If, however, you have one creep around, hard to notice, and capable to pick one PC alone... well, it's a nightmare even for higher level characters.

As for fun powers, the Kobold Engineer is probably among the best for the low CR monsters.

[strangebloke]

Oh, loads.

Anything that has a disabling effect, frankly. Will-O-Wisps and pixies are the classic examples, but even something like... what are they called again? Those six-armed spider people from Volo's. They're CR 1/2, and have proficiency in athletics and each get three attacks. The attacks deal piddly damage, but you can make a shove/grapple attempt with them as well. A CR-appropriate pack of those can grapple and knock prone the whole party.

Combine those disablers with a big ugly beatstick, and you've got a hard/interesting encounter on your hands.

Conversely, combine a bunch of meatsack minions with a powerful AOE disabler. The classic combination of a necromancer who prepared stinking cloud and counterspell in addition to having a pack of skeletons. SO FRUSTRATING for players.

If you play phase spiders with a modicum of intelligence (which you should) they're total masters of hit-and-run tactics, and will really keep the party on their toes. Attack, retreat, attack, retreat, rest, attack... Makes for a fun mini-quest in a dungeon where they need to track the things to their nest.

Flameskulls are absurdly lethal, given their CR. They've got an awesome suite of immunities, resistances, and spellcasting that makes them super not-fun to deal with for a 5th level party.

Really anything can be fun if you use them well. Usually you only need one thing to seize upon to make for a fun encounter. So, zombies for instance don't need to breathe. Have them lurch out at the party while they're swimming through a tunnel. Ogres are large-sized, which means that several small creatures can mount them. An ogre covered in goblin archers is amemorable encounter.

[FelineArchmage]

Hi,
As a DM, i'm always thinking of a way i can do interesting encounters that are not only ''you hit me i hit your until everyone is dead'' so i was wondering about underrated monsters that have some fun abilities, that are outright overpowered for their CR or just have hidden stuff that not everyone know about.

I'll start with the stirge. The fact that once they stick on their target, the target automaticly loses health makes a swarm of them very deadly. Having one or two big monsters with a swarm of stirge makes the encounter very interesting.

If you like things that stick to people, cloaker's can attach to a target and whenever they take damage, the person they are attached to takes half.

I also had a fun encounter with one of my groups and I threw a bunch of gibbering mouthers at them. The kick was is that they were in a 10ft wide tunnel, so they could only march in two lines. Whenever they started their turn within 20ft of the mouthers, they had to make 1-4 saves to not be effected by their gibbering ability or else they could't do anything. They couldn't surround them and had to face them head on.

[the_brazenburn]

Goblins. Goblins are highly underrated for their CR. Their Nimble Escape feature is by far the most important thing in their stat block. Too many DMs mistake them for mini-orcs and have them simply charge, or shoot arrows from the open. That isn't how goblins should be played.

Goblins are deadly against low-level parties, especially if they don't have AoE. The little green men can snipe at them from a distance, constantly moving from cover to cover, or attempt a hit-and-run ambush with scimitars in the dark.

I actually had to stop using them against parties of 3rd level or lower, because they kept killing PCs.

I'll also concur with Intellect Devourers. Oft forgotten, never useless.

[Scripten]

When used against parties without the ability to breathe underwater, Merrow are especially dangerous. Their ability to drag enemies into the water with their harpoons should not be underestimated.

[Princesse]

Those are all great ideas! I notice that most of them are low level monsters too! So we can use them in every campaign.

[Ronnocius]

Hi,
As a DM, i'm always thinking of a way i can do interesting encounters that are not only ''you hit me i hit your until everyone is dead'' so i was wondering about underrated monsters that have some fun abilities, that are outright overpowered for their CR or just have hidden stuff that not everyone know about.

I'll start with the stirge. The fact that once they stick on their target, the target automaticly loses health makes a swarm of them very deadly. Having one or two big monsters with a swarm of stirge makes the encounter very interesting.

I made a similar thread not long ago, this topic interests me so I will be keeping an eye on it. As for my answer, I think the tlincalli (scorpion folk) from Volo's Guide to Monsters could be considered underrated, mostly because I have rarely seen people mention them on these forums and have never heard a story of them appearing in a D&D game.

[Daithi]

A 1/2 CR creature that is underrated is the Rot Grub. If you don't use fire by the end of your next turn to kill it then it will burrow through your body and into your heart eventually killing you. The only other way to stop it is to use some spell that cures disease or maybe cutoff your arm if it entered there.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Kuo-toa can cause previously nonexistent gods to manifest as physical entities if enough of them believe hard enough.

[MrStabby]

Helmed Horrors, the bane of warlocks.

And of monks.

Faced a party with an couple of encounters featuring these. Party was split. It was much harder for some than others. Warlock and monk especially. Immunity to spirit guardians, fireball and heat metal.

[CursedRhubarb]

I made a tower for some friends to run through before that turned out fun. Was full of animated armors and flying swords (both easy to change to fit other weapons/armors for variety). Threw in a helmed horror, mimic, smothering rugs.

Place looked abandoned but was like a Scooby Doo episode

[Finback]

I used two Shield Guardians in a narrow corridor, that was lined with weaponry. There were suits of armour as well. Once the party hit a certain point (the midway), the SGs stepped away from the walls at either end, and began moving towards them. Narrow space, large enemy, no easy way past. And this was BEFORE they used their stored spell feature (in this case, one had a noxious cloud to poison, the other had a burning hands - which would also ignite said poisonous gas). They aren't fancy fighters, but they are TOUGH, and regenerators too.

(I also had four little animated weapons that jumped off the wall to pester the party).

[Ratter]

Tuckers kobolds, or in this case, Tuckers goblins. I mean seriously they're great

[JackPhoenix]

Tuckers kobolds, or in this case, Tuckers goblins. I mean seriously they're great

Yep. Goblins are better suited for that sort of tactics than kobolds in 5e, thanks to their extra mobility and stealthiness. Kobolds are better to swarm their enemies.

I think it's pretty neat that 5e made the low-level humanoid enemies distinct through abilities that naturally leads to different tactics. Goblins are naturally good at hit and run. Kobolds prefer to swarm the enemy, and avoid fighting in daylight. Bugbears are ambushers. Troglodytes are ambushers who'll avoid daylight, just like kobolds, but unlike them, spread out to affect all enemies with their stench instead of surrounding the same target. Gnolls want to attack weakest/most injured enemies. Hobgoblins will want to work together, keep someone in melee with the enemy, while providing ranged support. Orcs can close distance quickly, and it's hard to escape from them.

[the_brazenburn]

Yep. Goblins are better suited for that sort of tactics than kobolds in 5e, thanks to their extra mobility and stealthiness. Kobolds are better to swarm their enemies.

I think it's pretty neat that 5e made the low-level humanoid enemies distinct through abilities that naturally leads to different tactics. Goblins are naturally good at hit and run. Kobolds prefer to swarm the enemy, and avoid fighting in daylight. Bugbears are ambushers. Troglodytes are ambushers who'll avoid daylight, just like kobolds, but unlike them, spread out to affect all enemies with their stench instead of surrounding the same target. Gnolls want to attack weakest/most injured enemies. Hobgoblins will want to work together, keep someone in melee with the enemy, while providing ranged support. Orcs can close distance quickly, and it's hard to escape from them.

Lizardfolk will ambush and try an underwater grapple.

And grimlocks will swarm from the dark.

BTW, goblins are equally effective at sniping from cover at a distance, slowly moving away and never leaving hiding spots.

[strangebloke]

Lizardfolk will ambush and try an underwater grapple.

And grimlocks will swarm from the dark.

BTW, goblins are equally effective at sniping from cover at a distance, slowly moving away and never leaving hiding spots.

"Goblins in tall grass" is very much a tucker's kobolds situation.

Undead are actually the best ambush creatures in my opinion. Stack 'em under the floor boards, fill the knee-deep pond with 'em, drop them from the ceiling! You're never safe from zombies!

[Asmotherion]

I have used Imps as Boss fights for low level parties. Just Maximise their HP, and add a bit to their Dexterity (for AC purposes).

Their abilities are amazing, and if you include their "possesion of a humanoid" ability, a single imp can make a horror story alone for a 1-3rd level party.