D&D General Creatures Obscure & Underused

[Snarf Zagyg]

Carbuncles.

Part pig.
Part armadillo.
Part aardvark.

ALL AWESOME.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

There's a creature that is basically a walking stony, spiky structure of holes and tubes. Wind blowing through the creature's body produces soft whistling noises that can pacify lesser undead.
I couldn't remember the name of it, so I had to poke around til I found it in the 1e Fiend Folio: sussurus.
(Because of course. .)

It's an odd beastie with an odd ability that's inspired a couple encounter ideas years ago, but I've never had a chance to use on in play.

 

[Voadam]

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:

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.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I feel like you could crack open the Fiend Folio and about 75% of the monsters would fit the bill. For every Gith or Death Knight, there's a Tirapheg or Umpleby. There's so much glorious weirdness in it.

 

[Nebulous]

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.)

I have miniatures of several cyclops, a morkoth and living spells, but can't recall using them either. The morkoth seems especially difficult to implement, but would be quite frightening. I could be wrong, but I seem to recall 4e have some fairly extensive backlore to cyclopses.

 

[Nebulous]

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.)

I have miniatures of several cyclops, a morkoth and living spells, but can't recall using them either. The morkoth seems especially difficult to implement, but would be quite frightening. I could be wrong, but I seem to recall 4e have some fairly extensive backlore to cyclopses.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I feel like you could crack open the Fiend Folio and about 75% of the monsters would fit the bill. For every Gith or Death Knight, there's a Tirapheg or Umpleby. There's so much glorious weirdness in it.

I can't disagree! I was flipping through it yesterday to look something up, and there are some very... peculiar beasties in there.

Like gorbel.

It's like a grabby stirge that swallowed a hydrogen-filled dodgeball. How are these magnificent angry balls of explosive malice not in every dungeon everywhere?

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Next chance I get in a Forgotten Realms campaign I'm making players fight a Phaerimm. Weird as hell, important to the setting lore, and yet haven't been given stats for several editions; it's a damned shame. Their days as cover models shall return!

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Next chance I get in a Forgotten Realms campaign I'm making players fight a Phaerimm. Weird as hell, important to the setting lore, and yet haven't been given stats for several editions; it's a damned shame. Their days as cover models shall return!

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Weren't they wiped out? Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Weren't they wiped out? Correct me if I'm wrong.

I think so. But ancient vanquished evils returning isn't exactly abnormal in fantasy.