As a player, what monster/opponent is the most frustrating to fight?

[dogoftheunderworld]

At lower levels, swarms are really frustrating, since you can't actually damage them with weapons, and you don't have any other immediately useful tricks in your repertoire to deal with them.

I'll take some of that action.

My poor little 1st level PCs came upon a swarm of beetles in sewer (first 3.5 swarm these players have ever faced). They just couldn't hurt it. Of course they only had one lantern (no extra oil) and one sunrod -- no mundane torches. What kind of adventurer goes into a sewer without torches?!? They ended up throwing rations at the swarm and running away

Now they have to go back into the sewer... I wonder what they might bring?

 

[Christopher Lambert]

Regeneration. I once ran a battle with 5 weak regenerating creatures (low attack bonuses), so the battle took forever. When one creature went down, the players couldn't decide on whether they had to whack it or whether to pick on the new ones.

A single one is fine if your DM has the sense to give up once the creature is down and flame is being applied to it.

 

[Sejs]

Anything with really long stun or paralysis abilities; mind flayers, ghouls, etc.

 

[The_Gneech]

Flying, invisible wizards.

-The Gneech

 

[GuardianLurker]

Frustrating? Hmm - my players haven't really gotten frustrated with any of my monsters. But they fear a number of them.

They're inordinately afraid of Behirs (mainly due to one the characters acquiring a "tasty" flaw) to the point I could almost start using my Behir minatures as "Don't Go Here" signs.

Despite my never throwing one at them, they fear Beholders; to the point where I might just throw one at them for the heck of it.

They fear dragons, but rightly so.

 

[EricNoah]

I don't like energy drain, either as a player or as a DM. It's just the wrong mechanic for me. I replace it with something different (either CON damage or fatigue or exhaustion or something) when I run them as DM.

 

[the Jester]

I am frankly amazed that nobody has yet mentioned rust monsters.

For the pcs in my epic game, the most frustrating foes have been solars- they regenerate fast, and if you aren't evil it's hard to deal them real damage!

 

[Goblyn]

Incorporeal undead. No, not just incorporeal undead, but stat-draining, relentless, knows-its-got-you-trapped-and-now-it's-playtime incorporeal undead.

And level-draining stuff.

 

[DrNilesCrane]

My players soldier bravely through it all, although level draining is a real pain for everyone all around. We're doing a by the book D&D campaign now and using it, but I'm planning on dropping it for a different mechanic for the next, more "experimental" campaign.

 

[VirgilCaine]

We (6th level party of 4) fought an Ogre Mage last game session. One of the most annoying creatures we've ever had to deal with. Outdoors, and he could fly and we couldn't; went invisible, and my mage had a Glitterdust prepped instead of a See Invis. After he showed up the first time I nailed him and we could see him, but it lets him get the first shot in.

And that Cone of Cold... OWIE.

Yeah, but 1/day is better than 3/day, yuh? The unlimited invisibility and darkness are the real power of that monster.

Imagine ogre barbarians trained while invisible, with 10 Int each, and helms of telepathy (only within 60', but these are meleers, not flyers).