D&D 5E The Monsters/Opponents I've used in my Ghosts of Saltmarsh+ campaign so far

[el-remmen]

This thread has a very simple premise, I am simply listing all the monsters (with the capacious definition of "monster" D&D tends to use) I have prepped and run for my current 5E campaign. I invite others to participate similarly. I find it interesting to do this to think about the variety (or lack thereof) of opponents and the themes that have developed either as a result of the specific adventures I am running, character choices, or just my preferences.

Monsters marked "(homebrew)" were either made up whole-cloth or heavily adapted from the original source or existing 5E version. For example, in my setting Harpies are not a race of beings, but women who have been cursed, thus it is possible to "defeat" them by finding out how to break the curse rather than just kill them. If anyone wants to see the stat block for any of these "homebrewed" monsters, I will try to dig it up and post it.

• Skeletons
• Giant Centipedes
• Giant Spiders
• Giant Rats
• Imp
• Iron Cobra (homebrew)
• Living Mural Figures (homebrew)
• Swarm of Spiders
• Stirges (aka Mosquito-Bats)
• Bandits
• Scouts
• Thugs
• Illusionist
• Hobgoblin Mercs (homebrew)
• Velociraptors
• Otyugh
• Pirate Captain
• Pirate Bosun
• Deck Wizard
• Pirate First Mate
• Bullywugs
• Bullywug Croaker
• Giant Toads
• Bullywug Royal
• Koalinth
• Lizardfolk
• Lizardfolk Scaleshield
• Lizardfolk Priest
• Legendary Crocodile
• Knight
• Guards
• Ettercaps
• Wolf Spiders
• Tiefling Druid (homebrew)
• Phase Spider
• Maw Demons
• Ghouls
• Troglodytes
• Evil Monks (homebrew)
• Zombies
• Troglodyte Meatseeker (homebrew)
• Grell
• Cultists
• Amphibaena
• Troglodyte Scouts (homebrew)
• Troglodyte Juggernaut (homebrew)
• Bonesnapper (homebrew)
• Troglodyte High Priest (homebrew)
• Crocodiles
• Spirit Naga (homebrew)
• Harpy (homebrew)
• Ogre Zombie
• Trolls
• Giant Two-Headed Troll (homebrew)
• Shadows
• Cloaker

If you're curious, the group has played 34 four to five hour sessions and is 6th level, verging on 7th.

 

[Voadam]

I have kept track of stuff I have used as a DM from different editions but not by specific campaign. Here are the ones I've used as a DM in 5e.

5e:

Spoiler

Monster Manual

Spoiler

Animated Armor, Animated Object Rug of Smothering, Crawling Claw, Displacer Beast, Dragon Brass Young Adult, Ghost, Hobgoblin Captain, Kobold, Orc, Ogre, Ooze Gelatinous Cube, Ooze Grey Ooze, Ooze Ochre Jelly, Owlbear, Rust Monster, Skeleton, Specter Poltergeist, Sphinx Gynosphinx, Stirge, Vampire, Vampire Spawn, Wight, Wraith, Zombie, Giant Centipede, Giant Crab, Giant Fire Beetle, Giant Rat, Giant Wolf Spider, Acolyte, Commoner, Thug (31)

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

Spoiler

Iron Cobra, Skulk, (2)

Volo's Guide to Monsters

Spoiler

Bard, Warlock of the Fiend, Neogi, Vegepygmy, Vegepygmy Chief (5)

Ebberon Rising from the Last War

Spoiler

Karrnathi Soldier, Valenar Hound (2)

Player's Handbook

Spoiler

Skeleton (1)

Tales of the Yawning Portal

Spoiler

Huge Giant Crab, Kelpie (2)

5e Conversion of The Haunting of Harrowstone

Spoiler

Animated Straightjacket, Blood Writ Names, Burning Skeleton, Father Charlatan, Flaming Skull, Ghostly Brands, Giant Rat, Giant Stirge, Gibs Hephanus, Gurtis Vortch, Mosswater Marauder, The Lopper, Piper of Illmarsh, Professor Lorrimor, Skeleton Prisoner, Slamming Portal, The Splatterman, (17)

Creature Codex

Spoiler

Bearmit Crab, Dark Voice, Dust Goblin Chieftan, Ooze Suppurating (4)

Fifth Edition Foes

Spoiler

Algoid, Cobra Flower, Froghemoth, Gargoyle Four-Armed (4)

The Fiddler's Lament

Spoiler

Crawling Hand, Ghoul Wolf, Grammy Zombie, Grampy Zombie, Kurchega the Skeletal Bandit, Pecrit Murick the Ectoplasmic Man, Skeletal Horse, Skeleton (8)

The Murmuring Fountain

Spoiler

Blood Raven, Embryonic Neh-Thalggu (2)

Tome of Beasts

Spoiler

Azza Gremlin, Clockwork Abomination, Clockwork Huntsman, Erina Defender, Ghoul Iron, Ravenfolk Warrior, Ratfolk Rogue, Spider Thief (8)

 

[Voadam]

My current campaign is a 5e conversion of the Iron Gods Pathfinder Adventure Path.

The party is currently 5th level and started at level 1.

Here is what I believe I have used so far:

Monster Manual

Spoiler

Animated Armor, Hobgoblin Captain, Kobold, Ooze Gelatinous Cube, Ooze Ochre Jelly, Orc, Rust Monster, Skeleton, Giant Fire Beetle, Giant Rat, Giant Wolf Spider, Acolyte, Commoner, Thug (14)

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

Spoiler

Iron Cobra, Skulk, (2)

Volo's Guide to Monsters

Spoiler

Neogi, Vegepygmy, Vegepygmy Chief (3)

Ebberon Rising from the Last War

Spoiler

Karrnathi Soldier, Valenar Hound (2)

Creature Codex

Spoiler

Bearmit Crab, Dark Voice, Dust Goblin Chieftain, Ooze Suppurating (4)

Fifth Edition Foes

Spoiler

Algoid, Cobra Flower, Froghemoth, Gargoyle Four-Armed (4)

Tome of Beasts

Spoiler

Azza Gremlin, Clockwork Abomination, Clockwork Huntsman, Erina Defender, Ghoul Iron, Ravenfolk Warrior, Ratfolk Rogue, Spider Thief (8)

 

[Brad Klein]

One of the players in my 5e campaign gave me a list about a year ago of what he thought they had encountered, asking me to confirm. I have been keeping the list updated since. They started at first-level and are also near seventh. It looks like there is only one homebrew creature (a minor air elemental) but I have applied racial traits to NPCs to make kenku spies and such.

• Bandit
• Thug
• Scout
• Xvart
• Giant Rats
• Xvart Warlock
• Harpy
• Vulture
• Boggle
• Dust Mephit
• Steam Mephit
• Dretch
• Rats
• Giant Bats
• Bat Swarm
• Wererat
• Zombies
• Darklings
• Darkling Elder
• Giant Spiders
• Carrion Crawler
• Kobold
• Giant Weasel
• Kobold Dragonshield
• Swarms of Insects (Centipedes)
• Kobold Inventer
• Violet Fungi
• Hook Horror
• Centipedes
• Goblin
• Goblin Boss
• Minor Air Elementals
• Vampiric Mist
• Hobgoblin Captain
• Hobgoblins
• Worg
• Orcs
• Orog
• Acolyte
• Orc Eye of Gruumsh
• Priest
• Iron Cobras
• Ochre Jelly
• Stone Cursed
• Allip
• Spies
• Bandit Captain
• Veteran
• Archer
• Master Thief
• Skeleton
• Minotaur Skeleton
• Quasit
• Sea Spawn
• Thayan Apprentice
• Swarms of Insects (Wasps)
• Ghast
• Ghoul
• Animated Armor
• Rug of Smothering
• Quaggoth
• Quaggoth Thonot
• Magma Mephits
• Fire Elemental
• Grell
• Troglodytes
• Kobold Scale Sorcerer
• Mummy
• Giant Wasp
• Chasme
• Kenku
• Enchanter
• Giant Crayfish
• Warpriest
• Berserker
• Werewolf
• Illusionist

Edit - reordered list by appearance

 

[el-remmen]

One of the players in my 5e campaign gave me a list about a year ago of what he thought they had encountered, asking me to confirm. I have been keeping the list updated since. They started at first-level and are also near seventh. It looks like there is only one homebrew creature (a minor air elemental) but I have applied racial traits to NPCs to make kenku spies and such.

• Acolyte
• Allip

That's awesome! These are in alphabetical order, I wish I could see them in order of appearance (as i did in mine, skipping duplicates) - makes me think I should add CRs to my list.

Thanks for sharing though. My other game has a lot of overlap, so didn't list them, but unlike my list above, that game would have xvarts and bugbears on the list, and a leucrotta!

 

[Brad Klein]

That's awesome! These are in alphabetical order, I wish I could see them in order of appearance (as i did in mine, skipping duplicates) - makes me think I should add CRs to my list.

Thanks for sharing though. My other game has a lot of overlap, so didn't list them, but unlike my list above, that game would have xvarts and bugbears on the list, and a leucrotta!

I updated my post to put them in order of appearance. I had put the list alphabetical to make it easier to de-dupe.

I definitely have to work a leucrotta in somewhere, they are a favorite!

 

[Scott Christian]

the group has played 34 four to five hour sessions and is 6th level, verging on 7th.

Wait... what?! How is this even possible?

 

[el-remmen]

Wait... what?! How is this even possible?

I guess, I shouldn't mention my 5-year 104 session 3E campaign that ended with characters at 10th/11th level?

 

[Scott Christian]

I guess, I shouldn't mention my 5-year 104 session 3E campaign that ended with characters at 10th/11th level?

Haha! I mean, I know I am a bit of a advocate for shorter campaigns, but that seems absurd to me. Then again, I love to read, but can't stand authors that can't wrap up their stories. I like watching tv fantasy/drama (Walking Dead, Witcher, GoT, etc.) shows, but find they really grow tiresome after three or four seasons. So maybe (probably) it's just me.

 

[el-remmen]

Haha! I mean, I know I am a bit of a advocate for shorter campaigns, but that seems absurd to me. Then again, I love to read, but can't stand authors that can't wrap up their stories. I like watching tv fantasy/drama (Walking Dead, Witcher, GoT, etc.) shows, but find they really grow tiresome after three or four seasons. So maybe (probably) it's just me.

That 5-year campaign was resolved for the main plot that developed, but still had a handful of loose threads to leave the sense that the characters (having gone their separate ways at the end) were still out in the world doing stuff. That said, I don't really play or run a game for a story in the typical novel or TV show way, but to see what happens/develops over time - whatever that may be (so more like serialized stories you might find in comics). I personally prefer long campaigns. To each their own!