Suggestions for minions

I'm looking for some suggestions for fun and interesting minions. I've got an upcoming encounter set in the underdark, on the flooded ruins and dwarven outpost maps (I forgot where these come from), but I attached them. The party will start on the flooded ruins map cross/ford the river to get to the other map, and will have to either ford the river there or cross the bridge.

The party is 11th level, and consists of rogue/cloaked sniper, cleric/radiant servant, paladin/champion of order, warlock/feytouched, wizard/hermetic sabotuer, fighter/pit fighter, wizard/academy master.

I'm thinking my big boss will be a couple of medusa archers that will have taken over the old dwarven outpost, so I need some lackeys for them to harass the party with until they enter play. I would like to use a bunch of minions that are fun and interesting and to have lots and lots of minis on the map for them to wade through, they like that kind of thing, and it's fun to put lots of minis on the map.

The encounter should be one they win, it's just an random thing they've encountered on their way to their goal, but should still be fun. It's the only thing we are doing that night 4 hours or so.

I would like to try and avoid using the same minions i've used in the past and those would include gnolls, orcs, kobolds, probably other relatively common ones that I can't seem to recall right now. I've got undead, drow, and kou-toa in the immediate future so I would like to avoid them as well.

Any ideas for me?

I always like the idea of medusas using grimlock minions, since grimlocks and blind (and thus immune to the gaze). If you have a DDI subscription, the compendium has a leveled down version, otherwise the level 14 version in the monster manual shouldn't be overpowering.

Here's the most recent minion I wrote, still in a rough form. Not quite what you're after I think, but it's an idea.

Ensnaring spider- tiny soldier minion L5- 50XP.
+5 initiative, perception +5, Stealth +10. Speed 6
AC 20, Fort 17, Reflex 19, Will 14- +4 vs OAs
Web- reach 0. +10vs reflex- grabs on, -1 speed
Bite- Reach 0, grabbed only, +10vs Fort, 5+5 poison
A creature whose speed is reduced to 0 is restrained

MatthewJHanson said:

I always like the idea of medusas using grimlock minions, since grimlocks and blind (and thus immune to the gaze)

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Agreed. Medusa minions should be blind (and have tremorsense or something).

Lauberfen said:

Ensnaring spider- tiny soldier minion L5- 50XP.

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Nice! I love that they have a "side effect", though IMHO the speed penalty should not last for the whole encounter. (Or does the speed penalty go away when you kill the minion? If so then I'd make the speed penalty -2 so most PCs are stuck in place by 3 minions, rather than needing 5-6 minions each.)

Give those dudes tremorsense 5, perhaps making them "trapdoor spider" landmines, and I think you've got solid gold.

Cheers, -- N

Hey buddy!

I second the idea if Grimlocks. Its just a classic combo.

But think about this- Cyclops Guards, 14th lvl minions.

I don't think you guys have fought large sized minions before. Its a lot of fun. And at 14th lvl they should get a few good hits in before they get whacked.

If you want, you could have them be blinded (hollowed out eye sockets) or something. Or give them horse blinders.

The Human Target said:

Hey buddy!

I second the idea if Grimlocks. Its just a classic combo.

But think about this- Cyclops Guards, 14th lvl minions.

I don't think you guys have fought large sized minions before. Its a lot of fun. And at 14th lvl they should get a few good hits in before they get whacked.

If you want, you could have them be blinded (hollowed out eye sockets) or something. Or give them horse blinders.

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Yea I was looking at the grimlocks they might be good to use. I turned some mezzoloths into minions one night, I think that the were perhaps the largest "minion-iy" thing so far.

A couple cyclops guards might be fun.

@HT. You ought to come up and co-DM again

I like the trapdoor spider landmine idea a lot, might need to use them as well.

Now a few aquatic type dangers to keep them on there toes and I'm done.

tactically I would use aid another with the minions, they can give big attack bonuses to your ranged guys to ensure they hit.

Yuan-Ti is what I'd use in your situation.

Nifft said:

Agreed. Medusa minions should be blind (and have tremorsense or something).

Nice! I love that they have a "side effect", though IMHO the speed penalty should not last for the whole encounter. (Or does the speed penalty go away when you kill the minion? If so then I'd make the speed penalty -2 so most PCs are stuck in place by 3 minions, rather than needing 5-6 minions each.)

Give those dudes tremorsense 5, perhaps making them "trapdoor spider" landmines, and I think you've got solid gold.

Cheers, -- N

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Glad you liked them. Sorry about the format, that's cut straight from my powerpoint for the adventure. Yes, I intended the slowing effect to only be while they are grabbing a character. I also thought they'd 'grab on', so they don't stop movement, but go along with the character as they move. I'd argue that 8 can fit in a square with a player, because of the 3 dimensions. However I can see that you're right about needing a bigger penalty to speed- -2 should be perfect.

Perhaps I should just go slowed, then restrained? Not quite as cool I think.

I'm thinking of these dropping from trees/cave ceilings. But tremorsense is another good approach.

Ahzad said:

Yea I was looking at the grimlocks they might be good to use. I turned some mezzoloths into minions one night, I think that the were perhaps the largest "minion-iy" thing so far.

A couple cyclops guards might be fun.

@HT. You ought to come up and co-DM again

I like the trapdoor spider landmine idea a lot, might need to use them as well.

Now a few aquatic type dangers to keep them on there toes and I'm done.

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Yeah man, lemme know. I'm starting up a game with my new group but I should still have plenty of free Saturdays a month.