D&D 5E What's a good swamp dungeon with a specific theme for first-level PCs?

[I_Cast_Silence]

My PCs are going to be going through a swamp as their first adventure, but I’m clueless as to what monsters will go in the swamp, as well as the keep that houses the main attraction. As for the monsters, what good first level-conducive monsters would be good thematically, when my theme is construct/golem based? Hags are some of the minor villains in the starting town (disguised though; they like live in/own the swamp), so what types of monsters collude with them? I don’t really want the standard forest and cave goblin slaying adventure like so many campaigns start out with, so how can I make it a little different?

Thanks for your responses and sorry if I was a little vague.

 

[LapBandit]

Blights, Bullywugs, and Poisonous Snakes.

 

[was]

...alligators, carnivorous plants, giant frogs, lizardfolk

 

[Mistwell]

My PCs are going to be going through a swamp as their first adventure, but I’m clueless as to what monsters will go in the swamp, as well as the keep that houses the main attraction. As for the monsters, what good first level-conducive monsters would be good thematically, when my theme is construct/golem based? Hags are some of the minor villains in the starting town (disguised though; they like live in/own the swamp), so what types of monsters collude with them? I don’t really want the standard forest and cave goblin slaying adventure like so many campaigns start out with, so how can I make it a little different?

Thanks for your responses and sorry if I was a little vague.

The AD&D 1e adventure "U2 - Danger at Dunwater" was converted by someone to a 5e adventure. You should find plenty of inspiration there. There is also a conversion of U1.

 

[ccs]

Vegipygmies
Stirges
dangerous plants/fungi
quicksand, deep pools,
insect swarms
skeletons
zombies,
wil-o-wisps - to lead the party into other dangerous areas/mislead them, not so much to attack the PCs themselves.
explosive/toxic gasses
getting lost
Outlanders/hermits - where do you think some of the folk with this background come from?

 

[Ath-kethin]

Page 304 of the Dungeon Master's Guide has a list of swamp monsters, sorted by Challenge Rating. You could start there. I've found that just reading the monster descriptions in the MM inspires all kinds of encounter ideas. And keep in mind that you can involve higher-CR monsters (like hags) without having them be combat encounters or even direct adversaries.

 

[Fanaelialae]

My PCs are going to be going through a swamp as their first adventure, but I’m clueless as to what monsters will go in the swamp, as well as the keep that houses the main attraction. As for the monsters, what good first level-conducive monsters would be good thematically, when my theme is construct/golem based? Hags are some of the minor villains in the starting town (disguised though; they like live in/own the swamp), so what types of monsters collude with them? I don’t really want the standard forest and cave goblin slaying adventure like so many campaigns start out with, so how can I make it a little different?

Thanks for your responses and sorry if I was a little vague.

For your theme of constructs, you could use Animated Objects and/or Scarecrows.

 

[PapaKhor]

For a construct based campaign, you might take a look at skeletons and some of the intelligent plant monsters as encounter ideas. Sprinkle natural swamp creatures like giant spiders, snakes, and alligators so that your players don't immediately pick up on the construct theme. As they get closer to the keep, you can increase the complexity of the construct to zombies, mongrelmen and more developed plant monsters. Since I can't tell what the end game will be, or what tier you want to conclude the dungeon at, it is dicey to make other suggestions.

 

[Eltab]

...just to be different from the crowd, I pull down the first of a pair of duplicate posts...

 

[Eltab]

The Creature From the Black Lagoon
The Shambling Mound is in the MM and has an Engulf ability. It shows up as a random encounter in Hoard of the Dragon Queen*, in the chapter with the Swamp Castle.

Your PCs must cross a shallow lake (more like a flood plain) just barely over their head standing up, and this thing throws itself out of the water at their boat. It attempts to Engulf the nearest target and submerge again. Plant creatures need nutrients, too !
PCs wearing metal armor are in big trouble, a chance for the lesser-armored guys to shine trying to rescue them.
Use this on a disposable NPC, as a warning that some very difficult monsters live here.

* Which you should review and use the cool ideas.