D&D 5E Looking for cool evil grunts

[Skyscraper]

In an upcoming campaign loosely based on The Red Hand of Doom, I wish to present players with an army of evil foes, but I feel that goblins and hobgoblins, and also orcs, are getting really old. I'd like to set up an army that has somewhat original, or at the very least unusual, evil grunts.

Any ideas?

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Deadites!



Or Deadheads!

 

[TarionzCousin]

Hmmmm...

There is the kobolds, lizard men, dragonkin progression, but that's not too original.

What about mites, xvarts, or deep gnomes? The deep gnomes could have earth elementals and dire badgers as pets.

 

[Skyscraper]

Deep gnomes.. good idea, interesting theme

. Other ideas?

 

[trentonjoe]

I have always wanted to run a "Against the WereSomething" campaign. Orcs and Orogs can be reskinned as lesser werewolves and such.

A werewolf druid is going to be one of my next NPC's I make.

 

[Joe Liker]

It feels like half the Monster Manual is made up of grunts.

I find a good cult is always fun. Even though it's a cliché, you can always gussy up their abilities based on whatever it is they worship. How about a Far Realm theme?

You've also got your myconids, bullywugs, kuo-toa, sahuagin, gnolls, drow, mephits ... LOTS and LOTS of options. Even low-level fiends could be made to work.

 

[rjfTrebor]

i've been having a good time running a game where a demon queen has escaped a prison and turned a rogue band of soldiers into brainwashed fanatics or twisted creatures reflavored from the MM.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Devils.

 

[Bupp]

I've had great success in the past using cults as ongoing campaign foes. Humans can decidedly the most evil of races and the hardest to distinguish as foes as well. As added flavor any sort of humanoid shaped creature can be brought in as mercenaries/followers.

In my days of running in Greyhawk, I had one campaign that was built upon the Vecna Lives! and Falconmaster/Falcon's Revenge/Flames of the Falcon series that features the rise of Vecna to full godhood. A later group I used Five Shall be One/Howl From the North to lead into Greyhawk Wars and fought against Iuz. Both were supplemented by other modules/Dungeon adventures that featured cultists that were reskinned to fit with either Vecna or Iuz.

 

[AmerginLiath]

Joe Liker mentions a nice list, but the inclusion of Sahuagin is what excites me. Ever since my childhood being repeatedly massacred in 1st edition, I've loved the creepiness of the Sahaugin as an alien Dunwichian sort of evil. One could even reskin more of the megadventure to be around water and include more of that ecology: my first thought is to include Skum along the army by replacing the Purple Worm in the Ghostlord's lair with an Aboleth, such that the enemy is holding alliance with the druid to 'feed' captives to his pet/ally/master to be remade...