D&D General Friday Chill Discussion: What's your favorite monster?

[Jer]

If I go with the monsters I use the most as adversaries for my players I guess I'd have to say humans? They're the most versatile monster in the monster manual IME.

If I have to exclude humans and go with something a bit more visually interesting probably illithids. I actually really like Brain Collectors from way back in the day - BECMI didn't have illithids but it did have Brain Collectors and I had one who was a mastermind behind the scenes for a campaign. But illithids are almost as good.

 

[iserith]

Nilbog, hands down.

 

[J.Quondam]

Might you interest you in the the Raggamofyn?

Not sure if they originated in Eberron, but they're symbiotes that can turn ANYTHING into a mummy surprise.

Oh yeah! I used them a couple times in 3e. The pic of of the crazed bugbear in thrall to the malevolent underwear on his head is one of my favorites:

 

[Vaalingrade]

Oh yeah! I used them a couple times in 3e. The pic of of the crazed bugbear in thrall to the malevolent underwear on his head is one of my favorites:
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One of the classics.

I played in a game once with someone whose character turned out to be his bolo tie. The host would wake up confused and hostile sometimes on overnights and he assured us he just had night terrors. We eventually had to find him a new 'blank' host by screwing with an evil wizard's clone spell.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

The thing that I love about mimics is that no matter how many times I think "oh, they'll never fall for this," most of the time one of the PCs will still end up unable to resist the lure of treasure and get ambushed.

While I love DMing dragons, and think mimics are cool,

My favorites monsters are white dragons, humble skeletons, and carrion crawlers.

White dragons might lack the finesse and intelligence of other dragons, but there's something primal that evokes the cold of a winter blizzard.

Skeletons just plain look cool and can fit in just about any adventure.

In older editions, carrion crawlers were such a spammy numbers game of having to make up to eight saves vs. paralyzation. They're much fairer now, but also less dangerous.

 

[Reynard]

In older editions, carrion crawlers were such a spammy numbers game of having to make up to eight saves vs. paralyzation. They're much fairer now, but also less dangerous.

My very first character died to the carrion crawler under the rotting gate to the Red Box dungeon.

 

[CleverNickName]

I have lots of favorites, and my absolute favorite changes from day to day. But today, my favorite is either a banshee or a displacerbeast.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I have lots of favorites, and my absolute favorite changes from day to day. But today, my favorite is either a banshee or a displacerbeast.

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All I can think of the combination of these images is "Mr Squeakers, NOOOOOOO!"

 

[Stormonu]

My favorite is the dragonne - dragon + lion, what's not to like? It was my favorite toy from the LJN line growing up, but ironically, I've never used it in an actual game.

For actual in-game use as DM? Wights (& Shadows), pre-5E. Those things show up at a surprisingly low level, and at that time, they are downright deadly.

I don't have a favorite as a player - I'm too busy killing them to like any monster much.

 

[iserith]

My very first character died to the carrion crawler under the rotting gate to the Red Box dungeon.

Same.

 

[Blue]

My favorite "horde of humanoids" monster is the gnoll. Fun to run, fiendish lore, different than the other standards without being too different. Kobolds are a close second.

My favorite "players will face them once in a campaign" monster is the Roper. In interesting (read: extremely disadvantageous for the PCs) terrain.

My favorite monster to roleplay at least once is something just awfully dumb the players can talk circles around. Ogres and Ettins both fit well.

My favorite "not a mimic" is probably the rug of smothering. Though animated armors and flying swords are a close second.

My favorite undead to spam are likely ghouls and ghasts.

 

[Shiroiken]

I particularly enjoy Dragons and Fiends, but if I'm being honest, it's probably NPCs. A rival adventuring party, a necromancer and his apprentices, or even the misguided knight and his retinue, there's so much versatility!

 

[Deset Gled]

I keep coming back to Unicorns (and Nightmares for their evil-themed counterpoints). I feel like unicorns are tragically under-represented in D&D compared to other fantasy stuff. Maybe it's because too many people don't want to fight them. But I think they still deserve more lore and attention.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Ever since I saw the battle scene in Dragonslayer, I’ve been a fan of running some of the nastiest, most devious dragons I could.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

That thing was scary!

My very first character died to the carrion crawler under the rotting gate to the Red Box dungeon.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Beholder, especially all the weird variations (like from Spelljammer). They're such a weird concept that I can't help but be inspired when I read about them. I ran a D&D in space game a couple years ago where a "super hive mother" spontaneously mutated that could control other hive mothers, resulting in the entire beholder homeworld rising up en masse to conquer the galaxy.

 

[Mannahnin]

That thing was scary!

Frank later expressed his regrets on that one.