The most POWERFUL classic monsters! (Read intro before voting!!!)

[TiQuinn]

Does it need to be an entire setting, or would a creature and module be just as effective? How would you extrapolate this concept to the "big picture" of an entire setting -- especially when different peoples' microcosms begin to clash. Why are all of the king's subjects part of his nightmare?

I think any monsters created by the king's subconscious would be shadow creations. They would be quasi-real and therefore, would actually cause damage. But suppose the PC's kill the monster in a toe to toe battle? Would the monster really be destroyed if the king hasn't been dealt with also?

An adventure or a creature with the ability to create powerful illusions of this sort would work best, as opposed to a whole setting is my guess. I think the problem with a whole setting based on this idea might be that once the PC's have figured out that the source of the monsters is the subconscious mind of an NPC, it will take most of the mystery out of it in later adventures. Also, why would nobody else discover the source of all the trouble besides the PC's and do something about it? No, the more I think about it, it makes for a great adventure. A campaign based on the idea of destroying the creature responsible could work, but not a complete setting.

 

[7997]

I gotta go Dragons, pound for pound there is nothing better. No other creature has the ablity to make my players squeal so much. Right now we are playing the BoBS mod. Can't wait when they run into Ashalardon at the end. Its going to be nummy!

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

If it's going to be a one-shot deal, do you even need to have a new monster? That almost makes it too easy. Just kill the creature that's bringing about the illusions. Doesn't address the real issue. In the case of the paladin cited earlier, maybe the dragon originates from the ex-paladin himself, with no separate creature projecting it. We've already got a world with wizards, dragons, and what not, so do we really need anything other than the sheer power of this guy's negative emotions? His guilt over his actions and his fear of being discovered has piled up over the years and taken on a life of its own, in the form of the dragon. The PCs could even defeat the dragon one or several times, but each time it just comes back, bigger and badder than before because the paladin stil hasn't confronted his past. Obviously, the easy way out is to kill the paladin. In theory, that removes the source of the dragon. Alternatively, the PCs could bring the paladin to peace by helping him (or making him) confront his past (i.e. publicly take responsibility for what he did, or seek the forgiveness of the comrades he abandoned and the god he failed, or whatever else seems appropriate). Thereby they eliminate the source of the dragon, and get a warm fuzzy feeling for the redemption they helped bring about.

If there was some kind of illusion-making critter wandering around, they could just kill it, leaving the broken shell of an ex-paladin still sitting there, even more bitter than before because he failed AGAIN. And the presence of the creature takes the heat off the paladin as well, since he's not directly responsible for the dragon. He could treat it like it was an outside force that just happened to be feeding on him.

 

[kenjib]

Good point, Canis, I agree.

 

[roytheodd]

I just had to go with Dragon. If done right they can be nigh invincible (but everything should have its Achilles' heel I suppose).

 

[takyris]

I gotta go Dragons, pound for pound there is nothing better.

Pound for pound? Are you sure?

A colossal dragon weighs around 250,000 pounds. Assuming that a lich weighs in at 125 pounds (loss of weight due to skeletonacity), that means that pound for pound, a colossal dragon equals 2,000 liches.

And while, as a player, I would have a sort of train-wreck fascination with being put up against 2,000 of the world's mightiest wizards and clerics in undead form, I think I'd probably prefer to go with ONE dragon as my big bad guy.

-Tacky

 

[Phowett]

Vote: Other.

Our characters were chased and hunted by a Demon Lord named Baalor for a long time. And when we finally thought we have beaten him, he returned in the form of a new body, and were chased by him some more. ...until we finally figured out how he could die. Sure did last a long time though.

 

[Nightfall]

Too bad you didn't add Death Knight...

 

[FireLance]

I voted Other for Illithids. This is why:

1. I happen to like psionics.

2. Illithids are an equal opportunity mind-controller. Practically anything can be working for an illithid. Unlike some more "predictible" villians ("Oh, look! It's the undead hordes of the Necromancer Lich again. Break out the holy water and the mace of disruption!"), the PCs can never be sure what's going to hit them.

3. Illithids don't have to cross planar barriers to get to the PCs, unlike demons, devils and celestials, and they can't be sent away with banishment or related spells. They are right here, right now, and getting rid of them is going to be a lot more difficult.

4. Unlike notorious loners like dragons, liches, demiliches, etc., illithids have a society to back them up. Kill one, and his regular gaming group will come round the following week to attempt a TPK.

5. Aboleths? Don't go near the water. 'Nuff said.

6. Illithids are horribly inventive. Most of Monster Manual II, for example, can be blamed on illithid research into necromancy, magic tech and genetic engineering. And, see point 2.

7. Illithids are creepy. Drow are just dark elves, duergar are just nasty dwarves and humans are only human. There's something alien about illithids.

8. Alek'tch'pau-khan, Third Voice of Klaupaal-rrhem, made me do it.

 

[Dark Dragon]

I went for the dragons. The older they are the more spells they know, and with poly self, a dragon can wander among civilisations mostly unnoticed and make his plots from behind the scenes. Not to forget its powers in combat.

On the second place are illithids and liches. Illithids because of their psi powers and possibility to control their servants totally .

Liches are just fine because it's difficult to kill them. If you use a dracolich, things can get really funny (my party will see Azurphax again when he comes for his revenge...).