Ideas for Swamp Encounters

[Simplicity]

Darktentacles from the MM2. Tons of attacks, smart, and able to
use equipment in each tentacle.

Those things are nasty. Give them some magical swords/wands/etc.
Grapple someone and then put a wall of force between the them and
the rest of the party.

These things are awe inspiring when run correctly.

 

[frankthedm]

small, lethal, armor invading parasites.

 

[Shallown]

Pants - I'll have to get a copy of FF since several people have mentioned it. I think I have a friend GM that has a copy. As Lizard men go I was planning to have them as guides. Evil guides who just want to use the PC's to clear out some territory but Lesser of two evil evil types. I'll have lots of time to use them enough to show their evil without tempting the stronger aligned characters into hurting them at least until they have helped theparty. Gotta torture/challenge them somehow.
Several people have mentioned druids. Since I have only had one as an NPC it might be cool to trot them out as potential conficlst for the players. Maybe set it up to go either way depending on the players.

Thanks Hand set dressing is half the fun. Anice Lizardfolf witch doctor would be fun to RP... I gotta have some fun as well. Booga... Booga...

Thanks Nifft. I just used some shadows on them and hurt them and but ghouls unless souped up would be turned way to fast. Clerics make undead hard to balance out. I can't always have them overly resistant. Luckily my Cleric player has the worst luck turning things so I will throw some in just to drag players under or I mean characters under.

Yeah Jester I just have to make like notes to remember since I tend to get drawn into my own games and forget to impress upon the players the environment as much as I should.

Shilsen consider it yoinked. Will be ineteresting to throw at them something they just couldn't know about. I have a couple veteran players and though they are good at not knowing what they know it helps when they don't know.

Simpilicty I'll throw one in the temple just for you Should freak them out a little I even have them in a running fued with some alienest and skin of the demons cult. Basically a group of insane people. I will change the nature of a monster without changing stats at the drop of a hat. Like making Clockwork Horrors a product of a magical energy draining bowl that gave them life. More a frankenstien hive of mechanical beast.

Got it covered Frank. Gonna have leeches and poisonous frogs and alligators Oh MY.

Thanks again everyone

 

[Nightfall]

Check out CC Revised, (Hag template) and CC 3 (Can't think of ALL of them but there are plenty swamp/jungle based ones) Also pick up Wilderness and Wastelands. Should have something in the AND the Blood Bayou. Now THAT'S scary.

 

[Hand of Evil]

You can also do the old stone altar, the stone circle, or such. The party sees the passing of cloaked figures and later come on to a stone altar in the swamp, the remains (body, flowers, food) on it. It could be a plot hook later in the game or an side adventure.

NPC to meet in the swamp, gator hunters and crawdad catchers.

As talked about above swamps are hard on equipment, food, clothing and shoes go very fast.

Oh, giant snapping turtle! Maybe a dragon turtle.

 

[JoeGKushner]

The locals here helped another poster out by helping him to fully stat out a miniature.

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=72490

Pretty cool miniature and great thread. Might be a little too powerful for what your looking for, but it is reptillian in nature and it'd be cool if you could 'reuse code'. Sorry, but every programming class I've ever been in, this has been hammered into my head. Heck, it even fits the swamp motto!

 

[kigmatzomat]

Things I tossed at PCs in a swamp:

Shocker lizard colony. When they combine electrical discharges you get some *dangerous* amounts of energy. The rogue (fortunately) ticked them off and evaded his way out of their range but left a row of lightning-shattered trees behind.

Giant insects. I used one of the centipedes and applied a penalty to spot based on the fact that to all concerned, they were being attacked by a small hillock. They beat it into the ground in moments (brain the size of a walnut with no concern for tactics) but had a pretty good shock.

Yrthak. Weird, eyeless beasts with a sonic attack. I'm a vicious, evil man so the sonic attack has an AE affect when used on creatures immersed waste-deep in water. Best combat tactic is to snatch creatures and drop them into deep water. Swimming creatures don't fight back particularly well.

Cryohydra. forget doing damage, freeze them knee-deep and then enjoy the buffet of appetizers. Watch the fun that comes from a cleric flame-striking himself to get free.

 

[Nifft]

Thanks Nifft. I just used some shadows on them and hurt them and but ghouls unless souped up would be turned way to fast. Clerics make undead hard to balance out. I can't always have them overly resistant. Luckily my Cleric player has the worst luck turning things so I will throw some in just to drag players under or I mean characters under.

The way I see it, the ghouls could be "shadowing" the party, only jumping in when the PCs were in trouble. Is someone wading into muck? 10 rounds later, a hand strikes from below. Ghouls would have a perfect "symbiotic" relationship with things that drain blood -- like a Bloodthorn or Stirges. Also, Ghouls are cheap. Sure, the Cleric can turn the first five pairs that show up, but after that? And finally, Ghouls are smart enough to have class levels. Check out that +6 Charisma adjustment! Now, think about Sorcerers and Blackguards...


Here's another monster that might fit, that my PCs absolutely hated:

XXXX: (Small Aberration [Yugoloth], 20 ft. move, 30 ft. swim)
Hit Dice: 4d8 + 4
-- Init +3
-- AC 18, Touch 14, Flat 15
-- Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +5
-- Str: 14, Dex: 16, Con: 10, Int: 3, Wis: 12, Cha: 6
-- Acid Resistance 10, Darkvision 60 ft., water breathing
-- Improved Grab with Tongue attack, Blood Drain if attached
-- BAB +3/Grapple +5
-- Attack +7 (tongue 15 ft. ranged touch)
-- Attack +5 (bite 1d4+3 + 1 Con)
-- Skills: Hide 6, Spot 7, Listen 7
-- Feats: Alertness, Weapon Focus (Tongue)
-- CR 3

Appearance: Lumpy dark green and brown sleek frog, big as a housedog. Insectile fasceted like eyes. Forelimbs end in pads with hooks. Tongue has suckers like a squid's long arms, mouth is full of hollow needle-like teeth.

Tactics: The XXXX shoots its tongue at prey. If the target is smaller than the XXX, it is drawn into the XXXX's mouth. If the target is larger than the XXXX, the XXXX is instead draw to it, latching on with its hooked pads and needle-sharp teeth.

Genesis: The XXXX was part of an experiment by Yugoloth magi to breed Canoloth soldiers for other environments. It was deemed too stupid to follow orders, and insufficiently powerful to justify further experimentation.

-- N