Monsters Disguised as Cute Things

Fauchard1520 · Jun 4, 2019

Have you ever been fooled by an evil thing disguised as a cute thing? The classic wolf-in-sheep's-clothing is the go-to example, but GMs seem to love mixing it up. I've seen dragons disguised as house cats and demons as halfling schoolgirls. In consequence, I have learned to never trust the "harmless and adorable" denizens of D&D.

So how about it? What cute critters have you been blindsided by?

Comic for illustrative purposes.

Sacrosanct · Jun 4, 2019

Well, back in the day, our group did fall for the wolf in sheep's clothing monster. Yes, the monster actually named that. First time we ever saw a monster like that, so we while cautious, we didn't fully understand what it was and it didn't go well. Funny enough, that adventure (Expedition to Barrier Peaks) had another "cute" monster that was devastating: AURUMVORAX. Those things were TOUGH.

To your overall point though, the big lesson for us where cute=deadly was more with plants. If it was a pretty flower, chances are it wanted to suck your blood or put you to sleep while its roots dissolved your flesh or something. Every time.

Shiroiken · Jun 5, 2019

For my regular group, I've never managed to pull it off. They've watched Monty Python's Holy Grail with me far too many times to actually trust a cute creature. I did manage to get a player to roll around in a pile of goldbugs (creature that mimics a gold coin), but that's it.

Best scenario was one I wrote, but didn't run. A friend wanted to test some WWII RPG, but wanted to field test it with a D&D dungeon. I wrote one out for him where the party gets teleported inexplicably (because a one shot story didn't matter), and while it had 3 exits, he steered the party in the direction of the one he liked best. The final room was filled with dozen of cute fuzzy kittens... that would transform into sabre-toothed tigers if interacted with (including the inevitable cry of "KITTIES!" from the party's crazy cat lady). If they'd just walked past, they would have survived... instead it ended with a TPK.

TarionzCousin · Jun 5, 2019

I've never seen players as terrified as my entire group was by a "completely innocent looking/harmless" eight year old girl loose in the lower levels of a dungeon.

R_Chance · Jun 5, 2019

This topic is giving me flashbacks to "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". "That rabbits dynamite" to quote King Arthur. Then comes the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch

Paul Farquhar · Jun 5, 2019

Shiroiken said:
They've watched Monty Python's Holy Grail with me far too many times to actually trust a cute creature.

My group is just the same. I've taken to putting in actual cute things, just to frighten them.

True story: In last week's game the party came across a black cat lying in front of a cosy fire, the McGuffin around it's neck. What was the first thing the wizard did? "I try speaking to it in Abyssal".

Baldurs_Underdark · Jun 5, 2019

I dislike it when a DM disguises a monster without giving the players a chance to discover its true identity. A DM can withhold as much information as he wants, and as a result the players can be kept really clueless. This will only lead to two possible outcomes:

The monster always gets a surprise round in combat
Player characters trust nothing, and will just start murderhoboing everything, and stab strangers at the first opportunity

I find neither very appealing for my game.

If I want to trick my players, I make sure that they first commit a little sin. For example, there appears to be some gold on the floor. If greed takes over and they pick it up (usually in a rush before another player does it), then they get ambushed. I still get a surprise round for my NPCs, but now the players are bickering among themselves instead of with me. A much more appealing outcome.

Paul Farquhar · Jun 5, 2019

In my experience players are already paranoid of everything before they even start. Probably because they have seen MP&HG. There is no point in giving out clues - if it moves it's a threat, if it doesn't move, it's a mimic.

Fenris-77 · Jun 5, 2019

Do Halfling Warlocks count? Halfling Assassins? Oooooh! Look as his fuzzy little feet, He's so cu ... URK?GLUGGPFFFT

Players are generally paranoid though, for sure. Generally with good reason though. The cats and little dungeon girls are the fruits of devious and sadistic minds who enjoy playing with the PCs heads. I like it a lot.

Bitbrain · Jun 5, 2019

Not quite "monster disguised as something cute", but I threw a Froghemoth at my players last session.

It started with the Mul Bard laughing at the image of an elephant-sized frog with octopus tentacles, announcing that he could never take such a ridiculous creature seriously as a threat, and then switched to him screaming "OH, HOLY ****! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" when the monster knocked him down to half hit points.

After the combat encounter ended, he got up and shook my hand, declared that never in a million years would he have thought he would ever be fooled by "that Killer Rabbit scene from Monty Python" in real life.