D&D General Favorite Underrated D&D Monsters for Low-Level Encounters

[Tonguez]

Boggles - their dimensional rifts and boggle oil switching between slippery and sticky terrain are fun

 

[Koloth]

Rust Monster. Turns the tables on those metal clad fighting tank types.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

I like Bodak and Spectator, both great to put fear back into players who made specific build that makes them feel overpowered early on, usually a high AC one.

 

[Brotton Goodfellow]

Here’s what I did to zombies, skeletons and ghouls to change it up.

ZOMBIES

AC: 8

HP: 12

Attacks

1. Grab: +3, If the zombie hits, the target is grappled. If two or more zombies grab the same target, the target is restrained.
2. Bite: +3, 1D6+3

Abilities

Swarm: If 3 or more zombies have grabbed the same target, the next attack to the target is an automatic critical.



SKELETONS

AC: 10+1D8

HP: 12

Attacks

1. Melee or Ranged (shield and spear or hunting bow) +3, 1D6+3

Abilities

Bone Brothers: If two or more skeletons use their action to create a formation, their AC becomes 20 OR each attack has advantage.



GHOULS

AC: 13

HP: 20

Attacks

1. Claws: +5, 1d10+3, DC 12 Con or target rolls a D4 (1. Left arm, 2. Right Arm, 3. Left Leg, 4. Right Leg). Whichever limb is hit, is paralyzed for an hour.
2. Bite: +5, 1D12+3

Abilities

Frenzy: If a Ghoul lands a critical hit, it has advantage on its attacks

 

[Scott Christian]

For swamps, I like the Gibbering Mouther. It can be a scary foe if you have armor wearing adventurers in a swamp.

Canyon land, I like displacer beasts. They can be deadly, so they require some plan or clever encounter skills. Plus the varied terrain of canyon lands can always make things difficult.

For crypts and graveyards, ghasts and ghouls do the trick.

And for ruins, nothing beats a good gargoyle.

 

[Clint_L]

I love the animated rug for a low level encounter, especially with new players. It's tricky to defeat it without hurting the person trapped inside, so the combat becomes kind of a puzzle, with stakes.

Perytons can be another challenge for a party that focuses on melee, as fly-by can be a real challenege to deal with.

 

[Pamphylian]

Shadows are a personal favorite - low level/hp, but 1d4 Strength damage on a hit, and 0 Strength means death, terrifying. 5e would benefit from more ability score damage and more non-HP routes to death imo. Pairs great in an environment where Strength checks/saves are necessary, whether another creature with a strength save ability, or hanging on to a cliff side or rope over a crevasse. If characters go below 8 strength, I'm having them make "can you hold on to the rope" checks.

Also in the ability score drain realm - Vargouilles, with an incapacitating area affect scream and a kiss that curses the incapacitated to lose Charisma every hour until death (and transformation in to a Vargouille), with sunlight pausing disease progression. Great in a remote location were a race against time mad dash to a Curse Remover may necessary, where every hour of sunlight counts. Long lasting effects, risks of horrible transformations, ability drains, great stuff.

Stirges mentioned above - especially great as they are behaviorally inclined to keep sucking on a downed PC until death. I'm inclined to add a "Rug of Smothering" style damage transfer for attached stirges or have missing the stirge hit the victim. Good for when you have other monsters or something else the PCs are trying to do so that pulling them off is a big tradeoff.

Merrenoloths - surprisingly low CR for something with thematic high level magic and legendary/lair/regional actions. Very interesting role as ship captains on the Styx, lots of interesting non combat uses. Very strong on their home turf, where they can gust of wind an enemy off their ship into the feeblemind inducing waters of the Styx.

 

[Mort]

Intellect devourers punch way above their CR 2. Their ability to try and stun an opponent every round is very nasty. They make excellent guardians as they are near impossible to sneak past, especially by a low level party (Detect Intelligence is difficult to circumvent, especially at tier 1).

Plus their whole schtick of replacing the brain of a creature and then knowing EVERYTHING about them is both creepy and great for adventure ideas.