Setting ideas for flipping the adventurer-crushes-low-CR-monster-for-profit trope?

[7RED7]

It's a well known fact that many adventurers start out by whomping anything that seems like a pushover and can be rationalized as "well, they're monsters so who cares?" What if the setting was reversed? Human, Dwarven, and Elven societies have integrated many of the surrounding monster tribes, but are having trouble protecting them from an unexpected surge in powerful and well outfitted monsters who grind everything in their path during their frenzied pursuit of experience and magical trinkets.


What are some things that would just make sense for this?

Magical items would be slightly harder to come by due to the monstrous adventurers nabbing them all up.

Players would need to work with NPCs to try and devise "encounters" that could sap the extensive resources of the rampaging adventurers without suffering too much attrition of their own numbers. (Every round a monster spends chugging a potion is a round that isn't spent smashing your little kobold friends)

Players would play encounters "backwards" with the players working with the creatures they usually see as XP on legs to make the best town ambushes and dungeon traps.

The monstrous adventurers always seem to get away and come back with more tricks and resources.

Players would need to work at maintaining the stability of the alliance or risk tribes and cities alike becoming too weak to challenge the invaders.

Who has convinced all these powerful monsters to leave their instinctive ways of life and set off a hacking and slashing for loot and glory?

[TuggyNE]

Intriguing. I only have one thing to add right now:

Who has convinced all these powerful monsters to leave their instinctive ways of life and set off a hacking and slashing for loot and glory?

Foul emissaries of Pun-Pun, patron of shameless munchkinry?

[Endarire]

Reminds me of Dungeon Keeper.

[Cespenar]

Some creatures committing suicide when confronted by the "monsters", to deny them precious XP?

Specialization in unarmed/unarmored combat, so that there won't be any items to be looted?

Heavy focusing of fire, since a casualty is far more crippling to the "monsters" than the good guys' army?