[3.5] Interesting EL 10 Encounters

[Thurbane]

So, looking for some interesting EL 10 "random" encounters to throw at a new party.

That means: 1x CR 10, 2x CR 8, 3x CR 7, 4x CR 6 etc. (if I'm not messing any calculations up).

I'd rather not have to stat up NPCs, so monsters are preferred.

Just fishing for some general inspiration at this point.

Cheers - T

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

What environment and temperature, and plane if not material?

[Thurbane]

What environment and temperature, and plane if not material?

Not 100% determined as of yet: definitely Prime Material Plane, and likely to include forest, plains, hills, mountains and underground.

[GreatDane]

2-3 bulettes
2-3 giants of the hill or stone variety (raiding party)
Lycanthropes make pretty good out-of-the-box intelligent foes, and you can always team them up with animals
A balhannoth (MMIV) is a great underground surprise, especially with hungry scavengers nearby
A roc isn't much of a challenge as an attacker, but they make great lookouts and fighting companions for, say, a hag or medusa
Cryohydra(s), for those frozen plains or mountains
Wild chimeras aren't that common, but they make great monstrous guardians

[Cygnia]

Brain golem (FF pg85)

[Mike Miller]

Balhannoth waiting in ambush in an Underdark passage. CR 10 , MM4

[Tvtyrant]

1 Destrachan and 2 Digesters (similar looking bipedal ranged monsters.)

1 gargantuan monstrous spider and 4 huge monstrous spiders.

A nine headed hydra and two wyverns or Belkers (no flying out of range on this one!)

Young Red Dragon and a 7 headed pyrohydra (the dragons brother.)

Morgh and 2 Gray Render Zombies it made.

[vasilidor]

a Night Hag and 4 ogres it has bullied into meat shields. tactics are the ogres go into melee while the night hag blast away with rays of enfeeblement or magic missile as appropriate. mostly enfeeblement rays.
a juvenile green dragon and its pet dinosaurs (6 velociraptors or Deinonychus) using ambush tactics.
a group(1d4+2) of half red dragon trolls.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

The leveled Hobgoblins in MMV could be found anywhere: one Hobgoblin Warsoul (CR 8), two Hobgoblin Spellscourges (CR 5), two Hobgoblin Duskblades (CR 3).

The various Landwyrms in the Draconomicon would work: one Forest Landwyrm (CR 10), or two Underdark Landwyrms (CR 8), or four Plains Landwyrms (CR 6).

A Legendary Bear or Tiger (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/legendaryAnimal.htm), or three Legendary Wolves (CR 7), all in MM2.

A forest with a lot of boars and dire boars, most of which will try to avoid an active party, but several dire boars may attack while they're resting. Eventually the king of the forest, a Razor Boar (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/razorBoar.htm), shows up to fight them.

A pair of Cave Trolls (CR 8) from MM3 is a good underground encounter, or a Mountain Troll (CR 10) asking for a toll up a mountain path or across a bridge.

If there are cold/snowy mountains, three Abominable Yetis (CR 7) from Frostburn.

A Drider and two Umber Hulks, all pre-buffed with Mage Armor, the Drider will open up with Web and then spam Lightning Bolts. The Umber Hulks will stay out of the web and try to prevent anyone from approaching the Drider, if they can't reach someone to attack they use a standard action to focus their gaze on a target to force them to save against its effect.

Four Gauths, preferably ambushing them on a rope bridge across an underground chasm. With Flyby Attack they can switch what eye rays are available for that direction each time they move, and they should standard action focus their gaze on someone every round. If they're getting beat up they just retreat into the alcoves in the cavern ceiling that they came out of.

[Thurbane]

Thank you all for the excellent suggestions.