Monster Palette

[the Jester]

What kind of palette of monsters do you use in your games?

I was thinking about this while working on some story hour stuff involving chagmat- an obscure 1st edition monster from an old module in Dragon magazine, waaay before Dungeon existed. In fact, they are in an adventure from my very first issue of Dragon!

Anyway, I was thinking, "Gosh, I've used a lot of old school monsters," including ankhegs, blindheims and xvarts. But then I started thinking about all the new(ish) monsters I've used in my 4e campaign- things that were (as far as I know) new to the game in 3e or 4e, like assassin vines, darkmantles and needlefang drakes.

By contrast, I haven't needed much homebrewed from whole cloth yet. Lots of "orcish murderer", "kobold facilitator," etc.- new variants- but no actual new monsters; no "hoptiplaptikon", "purple mauler" or anything like that.

It all got me to thinking about the palette of monsters I use in my game, and wondering what the palettes of others are like. Have you gone outside of the Monster Manual in your 4e game, even if just by using MM stats and slapping a new name on it? How much homebrewing have you done so far? New monsters or conversions of old favorites? Discuss!

 

[el-remmen]

Among the creatures common to my "monster palette" are:

bullywugs
lizardfolk
needlemen
hobgoblins
ogres
humans (the best monster ever)
zombies
ghouls

I keep monstrous monsters on the fringes, and thus much more rare.

BTW, this is just in general. I don't play 4E.

 

[justanobody]

Mine depend on what the location is when I run the game. I will search for the proper monster for the location and populate it accordingly.

Staples include goblins, orcs, etc. Kenku find their way in most times as well.

 

[Wik]

Oo! Nice question.

Lesse, here. In the last couple of adventures, in a campaign that has a bit of a "Sword and Sorcery" vibe in addition to "RAW D&D", I've used:

Hobgoblin Soldiers invade the PCs' hometown:
* Romanesque hobgoblins
* Nervous goblin recruits
* Rage Drakes
* Goblin Snipers
* A Tiefling Officer

Investigate an ancient Eladrin Dungeon
* Orc and Human Bandits on the Top Floor
* Otyugh and Tangler Beetle Combo
* More Orcs
* Eladrin Mummies and Flaming Skeletons
* Homunculi Constructs
* a Mad Wraith and his Skeletal Children

PCs investigate a DIFFERENT series of Eladrin Ruins
(Different group of players, playing on the same map, but vs. different foes)
* Some possessed wolves and snakes
* Needlefang Drake Swarms and Spitting Drakes
* Zombies
* a Mummy and a bunch of Zombies wrapped in shrouds
* a ghostly child and a dozen feral zombie minions
* a ghoul with the paladin class

PCs investigate lizard folk in the region
* Every variety of lizardfolk in the MM, some with class levels (loved the blackscale Bruiser/Swordmage!)
* all the Zairtails from the FRCG.
* a few of the varieties of drake.

Current adventure, modified version of Sceptre tower
* a horde of kobolds
* some halfling rogues.

 

[Agamon]

Not too much yet. Goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears with wolves and drakes for an invading army, led by a gnoll and imp. Undead and constructs coming in the current adventure. Mind you, I'm not making a differentiation between demons and devils in my game (thus the demonic adept gnoll with the imp adviser).

 

[Rechan]

The problem is that I want to use so many monsters, but finding justification for them being there is more the challenge!

My current adventures:

PCs invade a colony of demon-possessed humans
*Human bandit and guard
*Elf archer and scout.
*Kuthrik hatchlings (reskinned as demons that pop out of the bodies once the hosts are killed)
*Homebrew Tar Demon
*Kobold Ratmaster (from Dragon, reskinned as the master of the Kuthrik Hatchling demons).

NPCs venture into Ancient, abandoned Temple in Jungle
*Rotwing zombie.
*Corruption Corpse.
*Ochre Jelly.
*Homebrew Demon.
*Reskinned/altered Ghoul
*Harpy/Deathlock Wight combination Elite.
*Traps: Crossbow turret, scything blade trap (reskinned as thorn plants and a lightning trap, respectively)

Battling the Volcano God and his Sacrificing Worshipers
*Orog Militant (Dungeon Magazine) reskinned as a genasi tribal warrior.
*Elf scout with different powers, again a genasi warrior.
*Reskinned, levelled up Kobold Slinger.
*Reskined (and altered) Duerger Theurge (Thunderspire).
*Reskinned Urvost, Master Smith.
*Magma Claw.
*Fire Bat.
*Runeflame Skeleton (Return to the Moathouse
*Reskinned Orc Bloodrager (Volcano God)
*Reskinned Gelatinous Cube (Sentient Magma Flow)
*Human lackeys.

Misc Monsters
*Assassin vine (The_Jester's)
*Norker Grunt (Thunderspire)
*Norker Shadowblade (Thunderspire)
*Bladetail Behemoth
*Mist Demon (Ketery's)
*Cave Fisher (The_Jester's)
*Darkmantle (The_Jester's)
*Sea Monster (Mine)
*Giant Praying Mantis (Goodman Games)

Monsters I will Be Using Soon
*Norker Warrior (Thunderspire)
*Reskinned Halfling Snaremaster, Ravenous Hound and Lost One Kidnapper (Dungeon Magazine: Den of the Destroyer)
*Bulette
*Viceclaw Crab (Goodman Games)
*Deathstep Centipede (Goodman Games)
*Corpse Slug (Goodman Games)
*Gibbering Bunch (FRCS)
*Greenvise (The_Jester's)

 

[el-remmen]

Oh! I forgot gnolls and bugbears and crocodiles!

 

[Voadam]

I'm currently running two games.

The first is set in a wilderness setting with a lot of animals, goblins, lycanthropes, and beasties, though a BBEG is adding lots of wierdness to the mix by summoning up bad corrupting forces so more twisted versions of things are showing up.

The second is set in a city so mostly people types, human, orc, with a recent battle involving summoned creatures.

In 3e in general I think I've used monsters from the following sources:

MM:
MM 3.0 [sblock]Pit Fiend, Frost Giant, Gnoll, Orc, Skeleton, Snake Constrictor, Giant Ant, [/sblock]
3.5 SRD [sblock]Aboleth Mage, Allip, Animated Object, Aranea, Archon Lantern, Archon Hound, Archon Trumpet, Avoral, Azer, Bugbear, Celestial Creature, Chimera, Bebilith, Dretch, Glabrezu, Hezrou, Retriever, Succubus, Vrock, Horned Devil, Dire Bat, Dire Boar, Dire Weasel, Dire Wolf, Deep Dwarf, Duergar, Water Elemental, Gray Elf, Wild Elf, Fiendish Creature, Fomorian Worker, Fomorian Myrmarch, Fomorian Queen, Shrieker, Gargoyle, Efreeti, Fire Giant, Goblin, Gray Render, Griffon, Half-Fiend, Hellhound, Hobgoblin, Cryohydra, Lycanthrope, Wererat, Air Mephit, Ice Mephit, Dark Naga, Night Hag, Gray Ooze, Orc, Aasimar, Tiefling, Rakshasa, Roper, Hellwasp Swarm, Rat Swarm, Treant, Troll, Worg, Badger, Black Bear, Bison, Dog, Riding Dog, Eagle, Light Riding Horse, Lion, Monkey, Owl, Rat, Raven, Constrictor Snake, Wolf, Giant Fire Beetle, Giant Wasp, Giant Centipede, Monstrous Spider Hunting, [/sblock]

Other WotC Monster Books:
MMII [sblock]Ash Rat, Palrethee Demon, Moonbeast, Runic Guardian, Teratomorph, [/sblock]
d20 Menace Manual[sblock]Dimensional Horror, Fiend Stygilor, [/sblock]

Non-WotC Monster Books:
Book of Beasts[sblock]Gray Dragon, [/sblock]
Book of Fiends[sblock] [/sblock]
Book of Templates[sblock]Water Elemental Creature, Earth Elemental Creature, [/sblock]
Complete Minions[sblock]Asherake, Salt Demon, Dover, Faust, Forlorn, Frostbiter, Ulatra, Vore, [/sblock]
Denizens of Darkness[sblock]Pyre Elemental, Zombie Golem, Vyrloka Vampire, [/sblock]
Encyclopedia of Demons and Devils[sblock]Aatze the Bull Demon, Belial, [/sblock]
Kaiser's Garden[sblock]Bractyran Whelp [/sblock]
Manual of Monsters[sblock] Jungle Troll, [/sblock]
Monster Geographica Forest [sblock]Stinging Woodfly, [/sblock]
Monsters of Norrath[sblock]Sarnak, [/sblock]
Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary[sblock]Zenzogin, Barrow Wight, [/sblock]
Tome of Horrors Revised[sblock]Bullywug, [/sblock]

Non-Monster Sourcebooks:
Complete Guide to Drow[sblock] [/sblock]
Complete Guide to Wererats[sblock]Wererat Exemplar, Wererat Shifter, [/sblock]
Complete Book of Eldritch Might[sblock] [/sblock]
Mindcraft [sblock]Mindeater, [/sblock]
Slayer's Guide to Demons[sblock]Dark Lantern, Jarugar, Pyarian, Mad Winds, [/sblock]
Tome of Magic[sblock]Dark Creature, [/sblock]
Strange Tribes of the Scarred Lands[sblock] [/sblock]

Modules:
Lord of the Iron Fortress[sblock] Axiomatic Creature, Blade Golem, Steel Predator, [/sblock]
Demon God's Fane[sblock] [/sblock]

Web Enhancements/Online sources:
Book of Fiends Web Enhancement[sblock]Demonic Creature, Devilish Creature, [/sblock]
Fiery Dragon Web Enhancement Ogdoad[sblock]Blue Ogdoad, Death Ogdoad, [/sblock]
Freeport web enhancement[sblock]Disease Spirit, [/sblock]
RollInitiative.com monsters[sblock]Oozombie, [/sblock]
d20 Modern SRD[sblock]Fiend Rotlord, [/sblock]
d20 Arcana SRD[sblock]Chemical Toxyderm, [/sblock]

 

[avin]

Heh... I try to use very uncommon monsters from other sourcebooks... in fact, things like orcs, gnolls and kobold are fairly rare as "monsters". They often show up as npcs...