in alphabetical order...(need more! see babombs post at end)

let's share a dastardly(can i say rat bastard if i am not in the club?) idea for every monster in the monster manual, alphabetically.

i'll start

Aboleth: the only re,aining evidence of how to operate a recently recovered artifact died with a lawful evil cleric who was eaten by an aboleth 300 years ago. fortunately they remember everyhting their victims knew, as do their young.

of course, they remember how to perform all his evil rituals too.

edit: achaierai is next, extra points if you can pronounce it

Achaierai: The only way to cure the king's recent onset of madness is for him to injest the gland in an achaierai's body which creates the insanity cloud. The glad must be eaten fresh out of the creatrue's body, and will only work if given up willingly.

A local ruler (king/baron/knight) has sent his only son to defeat a monster -- perhaps to be named later! -- his son failed and the ruler was driven mad and commited suicide. His wife (queen/baroness/wife/consort) now rules in his place but the Allip lives on.

An Allip is CR 3. If the party deals with it violently, the party gains the appropriate experience. If the party finds the son's remains -- at the heart of the monster's lair -- the party will find the son's journal, in which it is recorded that the son fought the beast not for glory or for his father, but in a sincere desire to help the people of the land. That will help ease the ruler's torment and the party recieves experience appropriate for a CR4 creature.

edit: next up - animated object. Have fun with the dancing murphy beds guys!

The king's daughter - the princess, heir to the throne, and subsequent ruler of the land has been murdered.

Meanwhile, all the furniture in the king's castle has become restless, and attacks all those who come near it, making it a truly dangerous place to be.

Can the PCs figure out why the furniture is acting so strangely? Perhaps the dead princess is trying to tell them something....

edit - Ankheg is next.

I don't know about dastardly, but I do like the idea of tying an encounter or adventure around every monster. Neat thread!

Oh! Using my own world (but easily adaptable)

Animated Object

An orc shaman, unable to get past the defenses of a barge beloging to a calisian merchant, has cursed the barge! It now acts as if it was alive! Most of the mercenaries, travelers, and laborers were able to escape, but the merchant's daughter (or son) has been captured! The party must board the living barge, fight off the undead mecenaries/travelers/laborers that remained not to mention things like animated rope and the like (rogues may check for things like falling door frames and other such "traps").

Once rescued, the barge is to be treated as a Colossal Construct, CR 10. If using the Murchad's Legacy setting, the barge travels 5 miles per day between Madeline's Lock and Lock Exosus (~130 miles). If it reaches Lock Exosus, the Remarian Legionaires will cut it down, and indirectly killing the merchant's child.

edit: die_kluge beat me. No, he p0wned me. Rats. Ankehg is still next.

Ankheg

A local baron, and known collector of rare and exotic arms and armours, asks the party to collect the materials for a suit of plate armour he wants fashioned. The plate is to be fashioned from the scales of an Ankheg. The baron is offering a large reward for the return of the scales

Of course, the local druid population objects to the slaughter of these creatures for sport...and the druids have the knowledge to create an elixer to cure a rare disease. You did remember to send the PC's on a quest to find the cure for the King's illness, didn't you?

Next, the Mighty Morphing Spider Thingamabob, Aranea!

Aranea

The party is approached by a young woman who begs their assistance. She claims some drow elves are out to capture her and she desires protection. She promsies to reward the party after they save her.

She is telling the truth. She is being hunted by 3 1st level drow fighters. However, she intends to turn on whoever is apparently winning the combat on round 2 of the combat (sadly, she is too impatient). If the party wins -- and she does not turn on them -- she gives them 50gp plus whatever the drow were equiped with.

Next: arrowhawk

Arrowhawk

A wealthy would-be huntsman desires the party to capture him a mated pair of arrowhawks. The party is only permitted to do stun damage for the encounter. The arrowhawks can be tracked by their spoors on a Wilderness Lore check of DC 15 (a guide can be hired for 50gp but she will not assist in combat).

Next: Assasin Vine! Look out landscapers!

A small village at the edge of the Great Forest has been attacked and nearly every man, woman and child killed or taken. All indications are that it was a Drow raid. The Drow chose their path from the Underdark well as it leads through some caves that come out in the forest that are inhabited by a patch of Assassin Vine. The Drow realized that the Assassin Vines would be useful guarding their retreat into the Underdark in case they were followed.


Up next...the Athach