[3.0/3.5] Most powerful monster?

[Apophis775]

What, in your opinion, is the most powerful monster?

[B1okHead]

Are templates allowed?

[Apophis775]

Nah, I'm thinking MM or campaign setting mobs.

[Toptomcat]

Intelligently played true dragons.

[Kilbourne]

For it's original challenge rating? The catoblepas.

[Kansaschaser]

The Phane from the Epic Level Handbook.

It can only be killed with weapons forged in the future. And if you do kill the Phane, it can regress time back to a point where it was still alive and start over.

[Zuljita]

That Damn Crab bears mentioning provided you are discussing the monster's power at his CR. If you arent discussing CR things get crazy, we talking epic?

[TroubleBrewing]

It's not the Tarrasque, thats for sure.

[Psyren]

Man is the true monster.

[Keld Denar]

You should probably amend that to say "Most powerful creature for it's CR". I mean, you'd be hard pressed to find many CR1s that are stronger than CR20s, simply because CR20s are ment to be challenges for high level parties and CR1s are ment to be challenges for low level parties.

For example, the above mentioned crab is what, CR3? That means its a tough but not overwhelming encounter for a group of level 1s, and a moderate challenge to a group of level 2s. That thing will DESTROY either of those groups. Horriobly, mercilessly, and without remorse. Heck, it could pose a challenge for a group of level 4s, who should be fighting 2-3 of them according to the EL system. For it's CR, its VERY VERY VERY strong.

[Wabbajack]

A Great Wyrm Time Dragon (Dragon Magazine 359) is probably the strongest monster there is.

99HD, CL of 37 and a bunch of nice abilities like time stop with a one round 'cooldown' and immunity to every effect or spell that is not instantaneous.

[No brains]

I've always been scared of that Hekatonkheires.

I remeber it having a huge CR spike above the rest of the Epic Level Handbook.

[mootoall]

The Adamantine Horror is always a good choice, as are the Elemental Weirds. In fact, pick something from MMII

[psilontech]

Most powerful, and by that, I mean most annoying for its CR - I would have to put my pick as the Pixie. Especially if you don't have the ability to see invisible at any useful range.

Those goddamn pixies have given me more trouble in a single campaign than anything else.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/sprite.htm#pixie

You and a bunch of strangers wake up in the middle of the woods with no memory of what just happened.

Again.

And again.

And again.

**** Pixies.

[arguskos]

I'd hazard that at CR 4, nothing tops the Voor. NOTHING.

I've had players use shrink item to pelt it with a telephone pole, and they still died.

[Thefurmonger]

That Damn Crab bears mentioning provided you are discussing the monster's power at his CR.

+1 to this, Seriously, that crab can go die in a fire.

[Kansaschaser]

Technically, if you want the most powerful monster for it's CR, then you should go with a common house cat. It has 1/4th of a CR.

[vegetalss4]

Technically, if you want the most powerful monster for it's CR, then you should go with a common house cat. It has 1/4th of a CR.

the common kobold is clearly more powerfull and is also cr 4.

[Combat Reflexes]

Man is the true monster.

+1. According to RAW, they can be infinite CR as there is no level cap (right?)
It's true in a philosophic way, too.

[Kansaschaser]

+1. According to RAW, they can be infinite CR as there is no level cap (right?)
It's true in a philosophic way, too.

So, if a person were to add EVERY base class with EVERY prestige class, what level would he be?

[aquaticrna]

you can still go higher because of epic levels

[Combat Reflexes]

So, if a person were to add EVERY base class with EVERY prestige class, what level would he be?

When that someone had all levels in all classes, he would visit the Homebrew forums

[Kansaschaser]

you can still go higher because of epic levels

Vecna's Testicles! I almost forgot about that.

So assuming you take 20 levels of every base class plus every level of every prestige class, minus classes that have conflicting alignment restrictions, then how powerful could you be?

Also, this is under the 3.0/3.5 rules. If it were Pathfinder, then monster could be advanced an infinite number of times too since there is no upper limit that I've seen for adding hit dice.

[aquaticrna]

then how powerful could you be?

hm... all of it, all the power

[Runestar]

the common kobold is clearly more powerfull and is also cr 4.

A housecat with flaws can take soulmeld feats and gain the ability to fly, spit acid globs, and get a cr1 familiar...while still staying as a cr1/4.

[Derjuin]

Tendriculos is ridiculos pretty silly for its CR 6, from what I've seen. Not sure if it's the most powerful with regards to CR, but it's pretty strong.

[Safety Sword]

You should probably amend that to say "Most powerful creature for it's CR". I mean, you'd be hard pressed to find many CR1s that are stronger than CR20s, simply because CR20s are ment to be challenges for high level parties and CR1s are ment to be challenges for low level parties.

For example, the above mentioned crab is what, CR3? That means its a tough but not overwhelming encounter for a group of level 1s, and a moderate challenge to a group of level 2s. That thing will DESTROY either of those groups. Horriobly, mercilessly, and without remorse. Heck, it could pose a challenge for a group of level 4s, who should be fighting 2-3 of them according to the EL system. For it's CR, its VERY VERY VERY strong.

All kinds of awesome the first time I tried one of these out on a level 3 party.
After doing the description the obligatory "I charge it" turned to tears and horrified party members as the grapple, improved grab and constrict combo takes down the front liner before he's struck a blow.

This would get my vote for a very very strong creature for it's CR.

[Kansaschaser]

A housecat with flaws can take soulmeld feats and gain the ability to fly, spit acid globs, and get a cr1 familiar...while still staying as a cr1/4.

Oh my! I'm trying to picture that image in my head and it's making me laugh.

I'm not buying guard dogs for my house anymore. I'm getting Flying Acid Spitting Cats with a Toad Familiar.

[arguskos]

If you're accepting homebrew, I'd like to enter the Blade Lords in the running for highest power CR 20-ish critters out there. I built them to end lives and be absurdly ridiculous monsters for high-end parties to challenge, and thus far, I've not heard of anyone actually taking one down, despite one guy saying his party was gonna try it and he'd report to me if they won. I never heard back, so can only assume the Lord crushed them all without mercy (as they're wont to do).

[Thurbane]

You should probably amend that to say "Most powerful creature for it's CR".

Assuming, of course, that that was the OPs intent. He may just as well have meant most powerful monster in a book, full stop.