D&D General Creatures Obscure & Underused

[Maxperson]

Good point. It isn't surprising that they haven't been statted out recently, due to the fact that they're extinct.

They're tricky and magically powerful. Even though there's the paragraph that said the Shadovar hunted them to extinction, I highly doubt they got all of them. After all, the Netherese were also extinct until the Shadovar showed up and surprise! I wouldn't hesitate to bring in an enclave of them that survived either on Toril or on another plane.

 

[Zaukrie]

Cyclopes. They're great monsters, and I originally learned about them from Greek Mythology, but in D&D I have for some reason never felt compelled to put them in a campaign. Maybe it's because they're a bit lacking in flavorful lore, at least in 5e.

Morkoths. This is the opposite of Cyclopes for me. They're new to me, are cool and would be a great villain, but I have also never found a time in a campaign to add them in.

Living Spells. Fairly new creatures to 5e, only 4 official stat blocks in this edition (Three in E:RftLW, one in W: DotMM). I have even created homebrew stats for more than 12 other living versions spells, but have never found a situation in a campaign where it would fit into the story.

(I may add more later.)

There are two products on DMSguild for living spells....one fairly traditional one, and one I wrote with more unusual spells ......mine needs updating/editing/layout work.....But I agree, they are great for something different in any world, not just Eberron.

As to the OP, I think plant monsters (in general) are really under used. Heck, there aren't even that many in 5e right now.

The original Berbalang in the FF has some crazy cool fiction....and the flail snail picture always makes me want to run it.

I use Kaorti in nearly every campaign....

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

They're tricky and magically powerful. Even though there's the paragraph that said the Shadovar hunted them to extinction, I highly doubt they got all of them. After all, the Netherese were also extinct until the Shadovar showed up and surprise! I wouldn't hesitate to bring in an enclave of them that survived either on Toril or on another plane.

That's highly likely. D&D lore is like comic books and comic book movies with death. They never seem to stay dead.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Oooh, and another one that is obscure/underused (although perhaps deservedly so).

The Hippocampus, half fish/seahorse and half horse. I have never used one in my entire DM career, and I cannot recall seeing one in any modules. Even in cases where you might expect to see it like in the Saltmarsh series. At least they do not show up in the recent update, and I do not recall them in the originals.

Of course, I likely have missed an appearance somewhere.

Not the greatest monster since the 1e version was CG and therefore not something you would likely fight, but it is a mythical beast.

Cheers

There is an updated stat block for the hippocampus in Mythic Odysseys of Theros.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

OK, slight thread resurrection here.

Another underused creature is the Nilbog.

Everyone knows about it because of its annoying nature, but I can't recall ever coming across it in any adventures I read or ran over the years. Or was I just fortunate/unfortunate in what I ran?

The description does make it annoying, but might be worth something for a one-shot?

Cheers

I agree. I've never, ever used the Nilbog, but they do seem interesting.

 

[Omand]

There is an updated stat block for the hippocampus in Mythic Odysseys of Theros.

Yes, that it was jolted my memory of it. But while it is in a monster section, I cannot recall it ever being in a published adventure. I have also never seen the point of including them in any adventures I create myself. I mean 1E had giant seahorses you could ride if you got your hands on them. Almost the same thing, but perhaps cooler?

 

[Omand]

Another one that was brought to mind by the Monstrosities Survivor threads.

Kruthiks

Created for 3E as far as I am aware and given a lot of space. I never warmed to them and have never used them in anything I have created. I am not aware of any published material that uses them either.

They keep coming back through, as they made it into the 5E MM.

Does anyone use them, or have I just missed the published uses?

 

[Helldritch]

How come no one thought of one of the most dangerous one shot monster for low level that appeared in only one official adventure and made many players screams at my table? The Brain Collector from Castle Amber! That was a nasty one.

 

[Richards]

Kruthiks

Created for 3E as far as I am aware and given a lot of space. I never warmed to them and have never used them in anything I have created. I am not aware of any published material that uses them either.

Apparently they were in Keep on the Shadowfell and Scepter Tower of Spellgard, both of them 4E adventures.

Also, I seem to recall them appearing in at least one issue of the D&D comic book featuring Adric Fell's adventuring team, Fell's Five, written by John Rogers. A bunch of kruthiks were invading the surface, but it turned out they were just fleeing a beholder (or several - it's been some time since I read those issues).

Johnathan

 

[ccs]

I also like a lot of stuff from the Moldvay basic set but did not see a lot of the monstrous animals it included such as the Robber Fly, the various lizards or the Rock Baboon. The first monster entry with a picture is the Ape, White:

View attachment 123889

which are pretty fantastic albino cave apes sometimes kept as pets by neanderthals. I do not recall ever seeing them in a module.

Although if you throw on an extra pair of arms and bulk them up a bit you get Girallons which I have seen.

View attachment 123890View attachment 123891

There's one in Palace of the Silver Princess.
Chained up in the bathchamber if I recall.