Any other Dumb Brute's besides Goblinoids and Giants?

[BlueWitch]

I need some ideas for other enemies that fit the "Dumb brute" archtype to serve as more enemies.

Problem is we spam Hill Giant's and Bugbears/Orcs all the time.

Are there any other (preferably humanoid) creatures that could fit that niche?

A big, dumb, and possibly ugly dude we can get a group of.

Kobolds and Gnolls are sometimes smart and don't really look human enough.

[Jopustopin]

Ogre, Troll, Half-Ogre, Minotaur, etc.

[Particle_Man]

How about Humans?

[Cygnia]

Quaggoths? Grimlocks?

[BlueWitch]

Ogre, Troll, Half-Ogre, Minotaur, etc.

How could I forget Trolls and Minotaurs!?

Alright, this is awesome, thanks!


Quaggoths? Grimlocks?

I just looked them up. Yeah these guy would be pretty good too!

[awa]

yeti
neanderthals

you can also throw templates on a thing, fiendish ogres obsessed with fire that light the city on fire as part of their attack relying on their fire resistance to protect them will play and feel very different than regular ogres

[liquidformat]

why don't you go look at the law assessment threads pretty much everything with a -0 falls into that category... Most undead, most aberrations, most magical beast, things like wyverns and other dragon esc things...

[Khedrac]

Grey Render is one of the archetypes of this for D&D 3.5 (and I never saw them in an earlier edition)

[Mike Miller]

Athatch...athach? Three arms and green

[Efrate]

Most monstrous humanoids.

[Zaq]

By “giants” do you mean “critters with ‘giant’ in the name” or “critters of the Giant type”? Because the majority of the latter still apply.

Maybe throw on a template or two to humanoids that you’ve previously rejected as too smart? I think the Feral template makes something stronger and dumber, doesn’t it? Or the Lost template (Magic of Incarnum): STR +4, CON +4, INT -6, plus some other tricks (including a potentially interesting emotion-based power). Can be added to any living creature that normally has 3 or more INT.

[Eldariel]

Eh, most giants and goblinoids are just as intelligent as humans. Goblins in particular get by with their intellect since they're small but cunning, so they really fit the "dumb brute" archetype poorly. Bugbears, Hobgoblins, Goblins, Stone Giants, Fire Giants, Frost Giants, etc. have 10 Int and Cloud Giants even are above average intellect with 12 with Storm Giants significantly smarter at 16. Of the things you listed, the only dumb races are Orcs with 8 and Hill Giants with their admittedly abysmal 6 Int. There's just as much volatility in those creatures' ranks as in those of humans; there are intelligent and dumb individuals but the races aren't any dumber than any humanoids.

Big dumb humanoid brutes, most animals qualify. Tyrannosaurs are really dumb, really big, bipeds and really strong. A bit less strong, Apes and Dire Apes work. For intelligent but not that intelligent things, Ogres, Hill Giants, Ettins, Minotaurs, Trolls, Orcs, Half-Orcs, etc. do qualify though. Centaurs too. As do many aberrations and magical beasts like Chokers, Ettercaps, Grick, Chimeras, Krenshar, Tarrasque, Hieracosphinx, Harpy, Warg, etc. apply and there are tons of dumb but not that dumb Outsiders too such as Howler, Shadow Mastiff, Vargouille, Hell Hound, etc. Many of those are quadropeds though so I guess you'd want to look into Gricks, Ettercaps, Chokers, Tarrasques, etc. Owlbears, Girallons and other such things are animal intellect humanoid brutes so you can also run those. Of humanoids, Gnolls, Troglodytes, Lizardfolk & co. are dumber than Goblins for sure (just as dumb as Orcs) and fit the bill just fine but if even those are not human-looking enough, I dunno.


EDIT: For non-core books, how about Mongrelfolk [Races of Destiny], Shifter [MM3/Races of Eberron], Varag [MM4], Norker [DR343] (dumb grey Goblinoids with thick hides), Quaraphon [MM3] (kinda Centaurish blue humanoid), etc.?

[Troacctid]

If you're fighting yuan-ti, the broodguards fill the role nicely.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Applying the Feral Creature template (Savage Species) to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid turns it into a fantastic dumb brute.

Aside from that, I'll second the recommendation for Shifters, because I love them.

[ShurikVch]

Bogannarr (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20040308a)

Boggle (Monster Manual II)

Brood Monkey (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20041126a)

Gibberling (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Gibberling) (Monsters of Faerûn)

Hobyah (The Standing Stone)

Mite (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mite_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)) (Dangerous Denizens)

Tree Troll (Dragon #299)

Xvart (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Xvart) (Dragon #339)

If Oriental Adventures is OK, then - Bakemono, Lu Nat, Tasloi; and Shadowlands Madman template - from Creatures of Rokugan

[awa]

most of these are pretty small not "big" dumb brute by any means

[ShurikVch]

most of these are pretty small not "big" dumb brute by any meansHonestly, I missed the "big" part: thread's name says "Goblinoids", and most of them are pretty little

OK, in that case: Gulgar (Monster Manual III), Ogrillon (Dungeon #83), Yeti (Frostburn), Brutes from the Masque of the Red Death, Fiendish (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/fiendishCreature.htm) Ape (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/ape.htm) or Dire Ape (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/direApe.htm)

[MeimuHakurei]

Dinosaurs are pretty much the best way to have mid-level peabrained melee bruisers.

[DwarvenWarCorgi]

I've always loved the Tall Mouther from Shining South, it's just so absurd.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Lizardfolk fit this role perfectly, especially considering you have the Blackscale variant in MM3 (and Poison Dusk for sneaky types).

Dragonkin from the Draconomicon are big and strong and can fly, at an unfairly low CR. Considering you can give one eight levels of Cleric or Sorcerer for a technically CR 7 opponent with 15 HD is just absurd.

Centaurs could be perfect if given the right environment.

Wild Elves or Wood Elves could work. Any humanoids can make up an isolated and xenophobic tribe, and they'll fit that perfectly.

[Falontani]

Incarnate construct golems?

[Endarire]

What about golems?