The most POWERFUL classic monsters! (Read intro before voting!!!)
- Thread starter The Serge
- Start date
WizarDru
Adventurer
It ain't Dungeons & Mindflayers, folks. 
Dragons, all the way. Yes, the players get 'giddy as schoolgirls' fighting 'em...but why not? They're good foes at all levels, from Calcyrx to Ashardalon, and can fit any niche you want them to. They can be misguided good guys, vile bad guys, polymorphed, playing the deep game and so much more.
Devils and demons? They're OK, I guess...but players tend to Dismissal their butts more than anything. They end up feeling like Mr. Mtzlptlyk more than anything else. Now Mind-Flayers....they ARE scary. A good second place, I think.
Dragons, all the way. Yes, the players get 'giddy as schoolgirls' fighting 'em...but why not? They're good foes at all levels, from Calcyrx to Ashardalon, and can fit any niche you want them to. They can be misguided good guys, vile bad guys, polymorphed, playing the deep game and so much more.
Devils and demons? They're OK, I guess...but players tend to Dismissal their butts more than anything. They end up feeling like Mr. Mtzlptlyk more than anything else. Now Mind-Flayers....they ARE scary. A good second place, I think.
Vaxalon
First Post
Yeah, yeah, Dragons...
The thing is, Dragons seem to be a bit to PRIMAL for me, to be the focus of a whole campaign.
Smaug vs. Sauron
Sure, Smaug was scary, but he was a prologue to the Real Enemy.
Gimme a Mind Flayer as the Super Big Bad Guy any day... now THOSE guys are DEVIOUS.
They have GOALS.
Dragons seem more satisfied sitting on their hoards.
The thing is, Dragons seem to be a bit to PRIMAL for me, to be the focus of a whole campaign.
Smaug vs. Sauron
Sure, Smaug was scary, but he was a prologue to the Real Enemy.
Gimme a Mind Flayer as the Super Big Bad Guy any day... now THOSE guys are DEVIOUS.
They have GOALS.
Dragons seem more satisfied sitting on their hoards.
Henry
Autoexreginated
Without a doubt - Mind Flayer.
I have not yet seen a player that wasn't creeped out if the HINT of a mindflayer was in the advanture somewhere - much less a whole COMMUNITY of the things. It's simple to play them as alien - they are unfathomable, they control your thoughts, they can eat your brain, they can send slaves of weak mind but tremdous strength against you, they can eat your brain, they have communities to back them up, they can eat your brain, and they after they eat the afore-mentioned brain, they steal your darned BODY!
Even before Bruce Cordell created the Illithiad, the Mnd Flayers were scary as heck all the way from the monster manual. The 2E Monstrous Manual made them even viler.
(BTW, if Bruce Cordell ever ends up reading this thread - I want you to know that the Illithiad is the one and only D&D work that has scared the hell out of me, and imprinted the nightmarishmess of mind flayer in my mind's eye forever.)
I have not yet seen a player that wasn't creeped out if the HINT of a mindflayer was in the advanture somewhere - much less a whole COMMUNITY of the things. It's simple to play them as alien - they are unfathomable, they control your thoughts, they can eat your brain, they can send slaves of weak mind but tremdous strength against you, they can eat your brain, they have communities to back them up, they can eat your brain, and they after they eat the afore-mentioned brain, they steal your darned BODY!
Even before Bruce Cordell created the Illithiad, the Mnd Flayers were scary as heck all the way from the monster manual. The 2E Monstrous Manual made them even viler.
(BTW, if Bruce Cordell ever ends up reading this thread - I want you to know that the Illithiad is the one and only D&D work that has scared the hell out of me, and imprinted the nightmarishmess of mind flayer in my mind's eye forever.)
Cedric
First Post
I voted "Other", I didn't read anyone elses posts yet, but I'm sure someone brought this up.
Mind Flayer - definately.
Illithid's inspire more fear in me and the players I have played with then anything else. They are just plain scary man.
Intelligent, extremely well organized, fantastic communication among themselves in battlefield conditions. Harsh negotiators and pure evil.
Scary man...scary.
Cedric
Mind Flayer - definately.
Illithid's inspire more fear in me and the players I have played with then anything else. They are just plain scary man.
Intelligent, extremely well organized, fantastic communication among themselves in battlefield conditions. Harsh negotiators and pure evil.
Scary man...scary.
Cedric
Pound for Pound
Pound for Pound? Umm... I like meant that like in reverse... Yeah thats the ticket.
Okay so the Lich is the toughest guy on the block, pound for pound.
takyris said:
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
Pound for Pound? Umm... I like meant that like in reverse...
Yeah thats the ticket. Okay so the Lich is the toughest guy on the block, pound for pound.
sleezesteve
First Post
Pound for pound I think that that the ghosts beat out even the demilichs.
Last edited:
GrayIguana
First Post
Dragons with Goals
I had to go with Dragons. I had a very long campaign in which an ancient wyrm was a central villain. I like to throw some twists into my villains, so this dragon didn't just sit on his hoard. He actively sought to grow his treasures. He had paid mercenaries, and servants who did a large part of his dirty work. This was a secret society, but in reality this dragon ruled the "black market" of a certain region. He was the godfather of a large turf, and I happily sent a few PCs to "sleep with the fishes".
I had to go with Dragons. I had a very long campaign in which an ancient wyrm was a central villain. I like to throw some twists into my villains, so this dragon didn't just sit on his hoard. He actively sought to grow his treasures. He had paid mercenaries, and servants who did a large part of his dirty work. This was a secret society, but in reality this dragon ruled the "black market" of a certain region. He was the godfather of a large turf, and I happily sent a few PCs to "sleep with the fishes".
Similar Threads
Recent & Upcoming Releases
-
June 16 2026 -
June 16 2026 -
September 16 2026 
Arcana Unleashed(Dungeons & Dragons)
Rulebook featuring "high magic" options, including a host of new spells.
Replies (181) -
September 16 2026 -
October 1 2026 -
October 6 2026 -
January 1 2027
