What is the most interesting way you have used a monster?

Simon Magalis · Mar 14, 2002

Geez, don't take that question the wrong way!

Anyhow, in a dungeon what is the most interesting thing you have done to make a monster really tough?

rounser · Mar 14, 2002

Not my idea, (stolen from Terry Pratchett and a dungeon magazine adventure involving elemental powered boats) but I'm rather fond of engines or other mechanical technology powered by bound elementals or daemons. It puts a fantasy spin on something that would otherwise be difficult to justify.

Large mechanical traps powered by bound elementals, for instance, provide both a power source for the trap and a potential opponent to fight afterwards. And there's something very nifty about a clock with a bored imp inside it saying "tick, tock" and turning a winch.

Phanboy · Mar 14, 2002

Well being one to always yoink a good idea when I see one, I had the party meet up with a small Gnoll hunting group returning home after said party looted their cave complex. Then Alpha male downed a potion of giant growth ala a M:tG commercial and one heated combat begins!

Simon Magalis · Mar 14, 2002

There was a really funny instance in "Four from Cormyr" where two imps had found a dead beholder and climbed inside it and used their levitate ability to fly around and impersonate the beholder to rob passerbys.

LostSoul · Mar 14, 2002

As a friend.

There is a monster in all of us.

drothgery · Mar 14, 2002

Monsters? Those are those things you're supposed to use for enemies when you're too bored to use NPCs, right?

Sir Osis of Liver · Mar 14, 2002

I did the modified contingancy with fireball on the goblins trick.

High level group of experianced players laughted at the puny goblin troupe the evil spellcaster sent to attack them. When the first goblin went "under the knife" and set off a chain reaction they found it less amuseing.

jollyninja · Mar 14, 2002

using a drogon skeleton of the collosal variety will almost allways lead to characters running due to the surface similarity to a dracolich

Humanophile · Mar 14, 2002

I felt like yanking my player's chains, and getting them in trouble, so while they were sacking the keep of a cult known for summoning demons to do their work (well, demons and devils; while it's meaningless in game, it's important mechanically), I wanted to have them free something big and nasty to see what they'd do with it. So I had them stumble across a summoning circle that radiated overpowering evil, and had inside a single ring.

Unfortunately for them, Pit Fiends know both Improved Invisibility and Major Image, so as soon as one of them broke the circle, he was rather impressively bull rushed back. Since everyone had the sense to run like hell, I let them get away, but I'll have to keep illusions in mind next time I want that cool seeming item they have to go out of their way for to detect as magical.

Frostmarrow · Mar 14, 2002

Simple yet effective. I had my group of five level three characters encounter two ogres. No big deal. But since they were armed with longspears they had a reach of 20'! (The MM says reach: 15'-20' so mine had really long longspears.)

The group had to resort to throwing weapons.