D&D 5E DM Confessions: What monsters do you overuse?

[Imaculata]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned devils. Intelligent, evil, organized, manipulative, otherworldly, terrifying and preying on the flaws of humans.

I think demons and devils are probably the creatures I use the least in my campaigns. I grew up none-religious, so I have less of a connection with these monsters. If I use a devil or demon at all, I usually only hint at it, but never reveal it. I feel a demon or devil loses some of its menace if the players can simply fight it directly. So to maintain the dread of something so evil, I simply describe the evil, but never have them face it directly. One of the big evils in my campaign is a demon queen that rests somewhere at the bottom of a giant crater that radiates evil. I make sure no one ever wants to get near to it. And if they ever were to face this creature directly, the campaign would simply be over.

 

[Azurewraith]

I think demons and devils are probably the creatures I use the least in my campaigns. I grew up none-religious, so I have less of a connection with these monsters. If I use a devil or demon at all, I usually only hint at it, but never reveal it. I feel a demon or devil loses some of its menace if the players can simply fight it directly. So to maintain the dread of something so evil, I simply describe the evil, but never have them face it directly. One of the big evils in my campaign is a demon queen that rests somewhere at the bottom of a giant crater that radiates evil. I make sure no one ever wants to get near to it. And if they ever were to face this creature directly, the campaign would simply be over.

Have to agree I feek devils and demons seem so much cooler subtly nudging people to do this and that for there own nefarious means as opposed to "me balor me smash"

 

[Chethrok]

I think demons and devils are probably the creatures I use the least in my campaigns. I grew up none-religious, so I have less of a connection with these monsters. If I use a devil or demon at all, I usually only hint at it, but never reveal it. I feel a demon or devil loses some of its menace if the players can simply fight it directly. So to maintain the dread of something so evil, I simply describe the evil, but never have them face it directly. One of the big evils in my campaign is a demon queen that rests somewhere at the bottom of a giant crater that radiates evil. I make sure no one ever wants to get near to it. And if they ever were to face this creature directly, the campaign would simply be over.

I agree, keeping them undefined yet terrifying is a staple of making big bads seem bigger and badder. One reason I like the fluff for Asmodeus (at least pre-4e) is that nobody is really sure what he is or where he originally came from. Is the humanoid Asmodeus the real thing, or just a projection? Does he have a miles-long, serpentine body in the caverns below Nessus? Just how powerful is he really? Is he a god, or just a really powerful fiend? I like devils because even for high-level players strong enough to take on a pit fiend, that element of unknown horror is still present.

 

[MechaPilot]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned devils. Intelligent, evil, organized, manipulative, otherworldly, terrifying and preying on the flaws of humans. Maybe it's because I was raised Catholic, but devils have a feeling of being a ... deeper evil, more diabolical than even Lovecraftian horrors because they represent the evil of our own minds, amplified. Like, other bad guys are evil, but devils are Evil With a Capital E. Nothing seems better suited to the pervasive, overarching sinister plot that slowly builds over the course of an entire campaign - you can work in low level bad guys like humanoid cultists, summoning devils to foreshadow and gradually increase the power level, all with the sense of having that overwhelming, unknowable evil waiting just outside the gates of reality to pour in and turn everyone's life into a nightmarish Hell. I've built two campaigns completely around devils, and they usually find a way into most of my stories.

Also, longtime lurker. Not sure why I decided to make this my first post.

I'm also a catholic (that's part of the reason I'm learning Latin), but I have to admit that my use of fiends is usually restricted to the Yugoloths and to the succubus/incubus. For me, the neutral evil fiends are the most evil variety, not really caring about law or chaos, but only about wickedness and power. Plus there's that whole thing about how you can control a Yugoloth if you know its true name, and that has a Solomon aspect to it that I find appealing. I also like how the Yugoloths are more prone to making Faustian bargains with mortals than Demons would be.

 

[UnknownDyson]

I think demons and devils are probably the creatures I use the least in my campaigns. I grew up none-religious, so I have less of a connection with these monsters. If I use a devil or demon at all, I usually only hint at it, but never reveal it. I feel a demon or devil loses some of its menace if the players can simply fight it directly. So to maintain the dread of something so evil, I simply describe the evil, but never have them face it directly. One of the big evils in my campaign is a demon queen that rests somewhere at the bottom of a giant crater that radiates evil. I make sure no one ever wants to get near to it. And if they ever were to face this creature directly, the campaign would simply be over.

I am guilty of using demons the most in my campaigns and not because of any religious connotations, I could care less about that. I do think your opinion towards demons and devils is skewed do to a misunderstanding of the roles of the two creature types though.

1st Comparing Demons and Devils to each other is like comparing night and day, I realize that that is a prevalent thing among players and dms. On the surface they could be said to look similar (although not really), they are both fiends, and they both occupy the lower planes.

2nd Devils are the Machiavellian tempters, they plot over the course of thousands of years. I'm of the opinion that in most cases player characters shouldn't be interacting with devils unless it suits the devils needs or is part of some plan. Why would a lvl 7 wizard be able to get over on a 30,000 year old plotter? Devils need to be unpacked carefully over the course of a campaign to get the full effect of this creature. If the pcs are just encountering devils as enemy's to defeat, the dm is using them wrong.

3rd Demons in d&d are basically a cancer on the universe. Demons are generally the most feared creatures in all of the planes. Why? Because the Abyss is a living plane that spawns infinite screaming horrors whose soul purpose is the corruption and destruction of everything in the universe. Demons are the most numerous creatures in all of the planes, because the abyss spawns them infinitely. When a portal to the abyss is opened demons pour out of the portal like a dam just burst, screaming, killing, burning and devouring whole all they come across. One of the biggest disasters a country can face is a portal to the abyss being left open and unchecked. Everyone would quickly be overwhelmed if it wasn't dealt with. Gods have fallen to hoards of rampaging demons. Gods....

Demons are scary because they are horrible destructive evil creatures. And not evil in the way that a red dragon is evil either. Red dragons want to throw their weight around and flex their power. Most demons don't give a damn about money, or anything that most mortals will care about, they just want to get into your plane of existence, flay you alive, and devour your soul (and they don't need a pact to do that, they just take). And thats not even getting into what the demon lords are about.

Its important to remember the differences. Devils are about law, rule, hierarchy, and seducing mortals into doing what they want whether that be entering into a pact, assassinating a king, or whatever. At the end of the day Devils believe they deserve to rule the universe because it is their divine right.

Demons really don't give a f*** they want to destroy everything, twist everything , they don't want your money, they don't need your allegiance, although they delight in twisting mortals, they just want to burn the whole thing down.

Devils and demons hate each other for these reasons. So lumping them together, shouldn't be done, completely different.

 

[happyhermit]

I am guilty of using demons the most in my campaigns and not because of any religious connotations, I could care less about that. I do think your opinion towards demons and devils is skewed do to a misunderstanding of the roles of the two creature types though.

1st Comparing Demons and Devils to each other is like comparing night and day, I realize that that is a prevalent thing among players and dms. On the surface they could be said to look similar (although not really), they are both fiends, and they both occupy the lower planes.

2nd Devils are the machiavellean tempters, they plot over the course of thousands of years. I'm of the opinion that in most cases player characters shouldn't be interacting with devils unless it suits the devils needs or is part of some plan. Why would a lvl 7 wizard be able to get over on a 30,000 year old plotter? Devils need to be unpacked carefully over the course of a campaign to get the full effect of this creature. If the pcs are just encountering devils as enemy's to defeat, the dm is using them wrong.

Wait, what? You are claiming that the only correct way to use devils is to "carefully unpack them over the course of a campaign" or the DM is using them wrong? So, PCs encounter a recently summoned demon = wrong, or a bound demon, or a one-shot, all = using demons wrong?

Devils and demons hate each other for these reasons. So lumping them together, shouldn't be done, completely different.

Except I can think of a million situations where a GM could use either a demon or a devil (BTW, I am referring to demon and devil types, such as an Imp or Quasit for example or a Glabrezu and a Horned devil). Sure the flavour will be vastly different as will motivations etc, but they can serve many of the same purposes in-game. Whether or not they hate each other has nothing to do with whether or not they can fill similar functions. Not everybody runs games where all encounters are a lead up to BBEGs, and even if they did, having one of these creatures in there need not be "wrong".

 

[jeckyllgeek]

I find that I like to use goblins a lot but also I have a penchant for throwing wererats at the pcs for some reason. I also seem to like skeletons and zombies as they can be part of a quickly manufactured army.

 

[UnknownDyson]

Wait, what? You are claiming that the only correct way to use devils is to "carefully unpack them over the course of a campaign" or the DM is using them wrong? So, PCs encounter a recently summoned demon = wrong, or a bound demon, or a one-shot, all = using demons wrong?

Let me be clear, I am not telling you that you can't use monsters how you want to in your campaign. It is your campaign, If you want liches that run at people with their staves to do melee damage instead of casting finger of death, that is within your power. If you want dragons that are savage beasts rather than intelligent creatures, that is also within your power. What I am stating is that, that is not how those creatures operate in D&D lore, and that they SHOULD not be used that way. You do not have to listen to me, that is merely my opinion.

Except I can think of a million situations where a GM could use either a demon or a devil (BTW, I am referring to demon and devil types, such as an Imp or Quasit for example or a Glabrezu and a Horned devil). Sure the flavour will be vastly different as will motivations etc, but they can serve many of the same purposes in-game. Whether or not they hate each other has nothing to do with whether or not they can fill similar functions. Not everybody runs games where all encounters are a lead up to BBEGs, and even if they did, having one of these creatures in there need not be "wrong".

Demons and devils shoudln't be used interchangebly is what I'm trying to get across here, they are completely different creatures with different goals. If you want creatures to fight really quickly demons serve much better than devils. Devils don't just show up randomly to destroy stuff, that doesn't make any sense. But if that is how you want to run them, that is your perogative.

 

[Imaculata]

I do think your opinion towards demons and devils is skewed do to a misunderstanding of the roles of the two creature types though.

Its not really a misunderstanding, but a deliberate different approach to the use of such creatures. I use demons in a custom setting, in which there is no abyss or hell. Demons in my setting are other worldly beings who crash on the world as comets, leaving gigantic craters in their wake. All life then starts to die out in the vicinity of the crater, as they claim the land as their own. Demons in my setting are much larger than a Lord of the Rings Balrog, and much more intelligent. They are cataclysmic creatures that are more dangerous than any Tarrasque, and who never stop feeding. To look upon one would already mean death.

I never use devils in my campaign, because again, there is no hell or abyss. At best I would throw the half-demon offspring of demons at my players.

 

[UnknownDyson]

That's an interesting take, you use demons kind of like elder evils. I posted that on the assumption that you were using a d&d setting, guess I shouldn't have assumed that.

 

[Imaculata]

Yes indeed. Demons in my campaign are almost like cosmic horrors that are never meant to be fought by the players. That is why I rarely use them. I'm very careful to keep my players afraid of demons, and not overexpose them to them.

 

[77IM]

It's not exactly a specific monster, but I tend to overuse "NPC ally/patron who turns out to be a villain." It's gotten so bad my players form betting pools about which NPCs in the campaign are actually nefarious evil overlords in disguise. I tend to prefer monsters that allow for this trope (doppelganger, rakshasha, devil/demon/succubus/incubus, vampire, polymorphed dragon, really any evil thing of high enough level to have access to shapechanging magic).

 

[pdzoch]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned devils. Intelligent, evil, organized, manipulative, otherworldly, terrifying and preying on the flaws of humans. Maybe it's because I was raised Catholic, but devils have a feeling of being a ... deeper evil, more diabolical than even Lovecraftian horrors because they represent the evil of our own minds, amplified. Like, other bad guys are evil, but devils are Evil With a Capital E. Nothing seems better suited to the pervasive, overarching sinister plot that slowly builds over the course of an entire campaign - you can work in low level bad guys like humanoid cultists, summoning devils to foreshadow and gradually increase the power level, all with the sense of having that overwhelming, unknowable evil waiting just outside the gates of reality to pour in and turn everyone's life into a nightmarish Hell. I've built two campaigns completely around devils, and they usually find a way into most of my stories.

I'm also a catholic (that's part of the reason I'm learning Latin), but I have to admit that my use of fiends is usually restricted to the Yugoloths and to the succubus/incubus. For me, the neutral evil fiends are the most evil variety, not really caring about law or chaos, but only about wickedness and power. Plus there's that whole thing about how you can control a Yugoloth if you know its true name, and that has a Solomon aspect to it that I find appealing. I also like how the Yugoloths are more prone to making Faustian bargains with mortals than Demons would be.

As a fellow catholic, I also do not use any of the demons and devils in the game. I was really disappointed in 4e over representation of the devils and demons on their Monster Manuals (Something I am sure they would not have done in the 80's -- just gives me flashbacks thinking about it). However, I understood WOTC take on the monsters as the ultimate evil for heroes to defeat. While I knew their value to many other game settings, moving them to the forefront in 4e seemed to miss out on the other iconic evil creatures in D&D. The Slaads for example, who are my stand-ins for demons/devils. Demons and devils tend to touch on a larger world that is moving afoot to destroy mankind, so their appearance suggests something far beyond normal hero capabilities -- perhaps my view of them is also influenced akin to Chethrok. However, their use in the game seemed fine in connection with a wizard gone bad or a spell gone wrong (for some reason, Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures comes to mind), but i feel other creatures work just as well -- golems, imps, the dreaded owlbear, any elemental creature or aberration.

 

[Cyan Wisp]

I quite enjoy, as a DM, a bit of (justified) monster zoo.

In 3.5e, I was guilty of way too many humanoid NPCs with class levels - it was kind of my way of road-testing classes when I wasn't a player.

Over the years, I've probably had one too many gnoll hunter/ranger/merc types. There is something so bestial and brutal about gnolls and their hyena pets. I probably overuse giant insects and arachnids, too. These days, playing Eberron, hobgoblins and dinosaurs feature heavily (not together). And damn it if I don't have too many bandits and cultists.

 

[VikingLegion]

I tend to utilize Yugoloths, mainly because I love how they play both sides of the Blood War (demons and devils) to their own advantage. Also, of the fiend types they seem to get the least press. Of course that probably suits them just fine, playing the role of innocent merchant/information broker, there's something so devious and sinister about how they operate. I ran a 6 year campaign with a 'loth as the BBEG that was steering the players the entire time into doing what he wanted. I had an NPC mentor warn the players in the first month of year 1 that Yugoloths are fiendishly (pun intended) clever, and even when you think you are opposing them, you are usually playing right into their hands.

Since Yugoloths have already been mentioned in this thread, I'll add two others I'm guilty of perhaps overusing. Actually I wouldn't say overusing, as I don't throw them around willy-nilly, but there's almost always an appearance in any campaign I run:

Inevitables, particularly Maruts (see my Avatar pic). There's something so badarse about a creature that will pursue you to the ends of the earth with unyielding effort and implacable patience - even crossing the ocean floor on foot for months just to get to the continent you're on. You will never escape it, you can only delay the confrontation. Add in thunder and lightning fists and the Marut is absolutely one of my favorites.

Revenants - after seeing the Crow it is almost mandatory I include one of these in a campaign. I like to run a subplot involving a wrongly killed man or woman going after an NPC that the heroes may need to keep alive for information purposes. This places them in an unenviable conundrum of having to fight off the revenant and protect an immoral pig, even though they know it's wrong and all they really want to do is throw their guy to the revenant and let him exact justice.

 

[VikingLegion]

Sorry, double post.

 

[Unwise]

It's ghosts for me. Every damn place has a ghost or two. They allow you to show plot points, bits of history and exposition in a really interesting way. The can also be approached as either combat or social challenges.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

I over use goblinoids, aberrations, and undead. Aberrations tend to be my BBEGs because they're so strange and monstrous. My affection for goblinoids comes from Dragonlance, probably. And undead are just too damn convenient.

I under use gnolls, yuan-ti, and dragons. I love them. But never seem to build a campaign around them.

I do not use demons, devils, or humans. They bore me.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Not xvarts.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Bugbears. Lots of bugbears. They are a great tough evil humanoid bad guy, and right at a challenge level that continues to be useful throughout a campaign appearing in small numbers at lower levels and larger numbers at higher levels. They make nice crunchy warriors, but can also be deceptively stealthy as assassins.