D&D Monsters that Scare You and Your Players

[shilsen]

and oh yeah, Elephants... I don't know why or how, but Elephants freak my players out...

In that case, you should use a Dire Elephant on them. It has a listed climb speed, so imagine how freaked out your players would get if their PCs entered a room, looked up and saw a dire elephant hanging from a wall above them

 

[trowizilla]

For some reason, one of my players absolutely despises Howlers. He plays the melee fighter with not-so-great saves, so the PC looks like a pincushion after a howler encounter. The guy hates if I even mention them. I keep threatening to send them to the Howler Dimension, especially now that they're plane-hopping.

 

[Gez]

In that case, you should use a Dire Elephant on them. It has a listed climb speed, so imagine how freaked out your players would get if their PCs entered a room, looked up and saw a dire elephant hanging from a wall above them

One of the few times the emoticon is genuine. I'm still trying to catch my breath, you bastard! I'll have to use that!


I haven't for now, managed to truly terrify my players with monsters. I think they're jaded. But I hope to surprise them anyway. Also, I hope my big investment in the D&D miniatures will help -- placing a Warforged Titan or Behir, or even my five Bulettes, on the battlemat next to their little character mini is I hope going to send shivers down their spines.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Kobolds. My players are utterly paralyzed by kobolds. Not that I had anything to do with that...*cough*

Ditto.

Nothing is worse than kobolds. Mind Flayers? Pansies. Beholders? Wimps. Dragons? Hacks.

it's all about the kobolds.

 

[iwatt]

Dopplegangers.

amen. As a player, nothing creates more paranoia than knowing there are dopplegangers around. Specially because as a RBDM I've used player colusion to have them play the doppleganger as a PC (i.e replacing a kidnapped character).

I'm always expecting to get payed back for that

As a PC, another creature I fear and loathe is the rust monster. I always use overkill to take them out.

DM: "you see a big bug with antenna..."
ME: "Flamestrike"
DM: "There's no way to crisp him without burning yourself".
ME: "Bring on the pain, it's roasted cockroach time..."


.... My dex 11 War cleric just hates the damn bugs

 

[Ukyo the undead]

Anything that can destroy my soul or make me suffer for all eternity scares me a lot. So, dying in ravenloft is my character( and my) greatest fear. Undeads and fiends follow in close second.

 

[Bryan898]

In that case, you should use a Dire Elephant on them. It has a listed climb speed, so imagine how freaked out your players would get if their PCs entered a room, looked up and saw a dire elephant hanging from a wall above them

Beautiful... it almost brings tears to my eyes thinking of it. My characters will hate me after the next gaming session.

As a player, nothing creates more paranoia than knowing there are dopplegangers around. Specially because as a RBDM I've used player colusion to have them play the doppleganger as a PC

That reminds me of the first time we played 3rd edition. I stayed up all night and read the rules then ran a game the next day. Basically it involved a gang of dopplegangers that needed to be rooted out of a tower for some reason that escapes me. The PC's played along great, and they were so paranoid they hardly talked to each other . I remember at one point one PC that was a doppleganger suddenly grabbed the other PC and threw him off the balcony without me needing to initiate it.

 

[iwatt]

That reminds me of the first time we played 3rd edition. I stayed up all night and read the rules then ran a game the next day. Basically it involved a gang of dopplegangers that needed to be rooted out of a tower for some reason that escapes me. The PC's played along great, and they were so paranoid they hardly talked to each other . I remember at one point one PC that was a doppleganger suddenly grabbed the other PC and threw him off the balcony without me needing to initiate it.

Yup, my players as well. The dwarf was about to start killing randomly by the middles of the seesion

 

[Allanon]

Cranium Rats... the large packs ... playing those critters right in a planescape campaign is an absolute hoot. My favorite moment was when they had locked themselves in a room with null magic (which also affect psionics in my campaign) and though themselves safe. Suddenly they heard hundreds of tiny teeth gnawing at the door. "They're eating through the door!!!". I loved that moment... still brings a shiver to their spines whenever they're reminded of it. Almost a TPK.

 

[Shemeska]

Cranium Rats... the large packs ... playing those critters right in a planescape campaign is an absolute hoot. My favorite moment was when they had locked themselves in a room with null magic (which also affect psionics in my campaign) and though themselves safe. Suddenly they heard hundreds of tiny teeth gnawing at the door. "They're eating through the door!!!". I loved that moment... still brings a shiver to their spines whenever they're reminded of it. Almost a TPK.

Awesome!

Cranium Rats have been fun to use. Just the description of them in 2e or 3e is creepy.