Monster suggestions? *Dammerung players keep out*

[curious-puzzle]

So my players are venturing into the ruined and abandoned half of a city to go bounty/treasure hunting, and I need some suggestions for neat monsters to toss in there! Magically warped animals/monsters, undead predators, fey tied to decay or fear, anything like that would fit quite well. The party is level 3, with a forge cleric, a grave cleric, an arcane archer, and a zealot barbarian. Even an outsider or two would work, but it would be something more lurk/ambushy than overt and destructive.

Any input is appreciated, thanks!

[Unoriginal]

So my players are venturing into the ruined and abandoned half of a city to go bounty/treasure hunting, and I need some suggestions for neat monsters to toss in there! Magically warped animals/monsters, undead predators, fey tied to decay or fear, anything like that would fit quite well. The party is level 3, with a forge cleric, a grave cleric, an arcane archer, and a zealot barbarian. Even an outsider or two would work, but it would be something more lurk/ambushy than overt and destructive.

Any input is appreciated, thanks!

Nothics are good in that role, I feel.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

A single shadow that wait in the wal and only attack from the walls and floors so he could easily avoid being attacked.

I only suggest a single shadow because it can be very deadly to a level 3 party.

[kingcheesepants]

Oozes. Stick one in a place with a lot of slime or dirty water or whatever and it can pop up and surprise the group. Slithering trackers and gray oozes are the best at this since both have false appearance. Slithering trackers also have bonuses to ambush and if they get the drop on the party can be quite the handful with their damage transfer and grapples. Gray oozes corrode non magical metal so if you do decide to use one make sure that they actually have the means to fight it.

Another method of ambush would be creatures that have some form of shapeshifting and appear to be friendly at first. Be careful not to overuse this or your players will become overly suspicious of every NPC and in the worst case scenario become murder hobos. But having a succubus or something as a "victim" that the players rescue can be a fun encounter. Funny enough you could do both oozes and shapeshifting NPCs if you make an Oblex. They can impersonate anyone that they ate and can serve as a pretty good boss monster for a level 2 group. They even come with their own minions in the form of the oblex spawn.

[quindraco]

So my players are venturing into the ruined and abandoned half of a city to go bounty/treasure hunting, and I need some suggestions for neat monsters to toss in there! Magically warped animals/monsters, undead predators, fey tied to decay or fear, anything like that would fit quite well. The party is level 3, with a forge cleric, a grave cleric, an arcane archer, and a zealot barbarian. Even an outsider or two would work, but it would be something more lurk/ambushy than overt and destructive.

Any input is appreciated, thanks!

A ruined golem - a stone golem originally intended as part of the city's functioning and defense (for example, perhaps main street went through its legs and it open and shut a gate to enforce curfew), but after being left alone for so long, issues have cropped up, like erosion from rain, and the eyes are gummed up with moss, and the joints are sticky with guano, and so on. Basically, thoroughly nerf a stone golem and throw it at them as a boss.

[curious-puzzle]

All great ideas, thanks!

[thoroughlyS]

Redcaps are fey which crop up where a lot of death has occured.