What are cool underground creatures?

[Dog Moon]

Okay, so as a part of my Underdark campaign, I've asked for cool locations in THIS thread, but now I just want some cool creatures.

Note that there were already be general Undead, Aboleths, Kuo-toans, insane Dwarves, a few Drow, Cloakers, and Illithids in my campaign, but these are general, almost bland creatures, and I know that there are plenty of different, neat/unique creatures that exist in WOTC Monsters books and the Monsternomicon [the monster books I have access to] that I haven't used or haven't even thought of using.

So my question is, what underground or undead creature(s) would you recommend I find a way to add into my campaign?

 

[Klaus]

Check out Expeditious Retreat Press' Monster Geographica: Underground, for 200 subterranean monsters of all CRs.

And while you're at it, check out Fiery Dragon's Counter Collection: Ancient Darkness, for full-color counters depicting every single one of them.

 

[Vorput]

I'm a big fan of Delvers... bland I know- and from MM1.... but they're just so weirdly alien. And played to their full abberation skewed viewpoint, I think they can be pretty cool.

Gravecrawler from MM2 IIRC seem a cool choice, they fit well underground... but are pretty fearsome if they even get near you. I imagine an entire underground calcified city though, from a bunch of these things... not evil, and a great repository for lost knowledge- but damn dangerous.

Vorp

 

[heimdall]

Kobolds. Troglodytes. Actually, anything that can be tribal can work really well. Including inter-tribal dynamics can really spice up a campaign. Other monsters to consider: Boggles (MMII), Grells (MMII), Myconids (MMII), and Smoke Drakes (Draconomicon).

 

[Vorput]

Kobolds. Troglodytes. Actually, anything that can be tribal can work really well. Including inter-tribal dynamics can really spice up a campaign. Other monsters to consider: Boggles (MMII), Grells (MMII), Myconids (MMII), and Smoke Drakes (Draconomicon).

I second Grells... and like advanced Grells... lots of Grells.... Grells are cool.

And Grick. Advanced Grick too.

 

[Snapdragyn]

Myconids seem cool to me. There's also a blind humanoid race I like (I'm remembering it from Underdark, though it may also appear elsewhere) that 'sees' with sonar -- fits very well for an underground environment & could provide some nice 'alien senses/mindset' moments.

Oozes.

Oh, & desmodu! How could I forget the batfolk?

 

[Land Outcast]

Rakan: Stalactite (or was it Stalagmite?) Dryad

Esscence of Consumption: Stats of a Black Dragon without breath weapon or spell-like abilities. Add in a partial link with the plane of shadow (as incorporeal, but normal weapons have 50% of hitting and magical ones have 25%). That's it... alter the description a bit also.

A Bullete...

A ogre trading warband led by a hunched giant.

Awakened (don't ask me how) Monstrous Spider. (Webs get much more fun, as does descending from the ceiling to grapple your prey and return)

 

[Mycanid]

Wow! Lots of votes for my kinsfolk the Myconid! Hooray!

Not too surprisingly, they are an old standby for me. I loved them when they were first introduced in A4 and still love them to this day. I always liked Piercers too. The Cavefisher is a great beastie. Ropers are tough, but they make a challenging foe for the right party. I also thought Xorn were a great opportunity for rp'ing. (Remember the one that popped up in the caves that led to the Lost City in module I1?) And ya gotta have the 'ole Carrion Crawler sneaking around.

Hmm ... lessee. I was always fond of oozes (gotta have a Gelatinous Cube prowling around somewhere) and molds - the sort of stuff that hangs around Zuggtomy.

Some of the most interesting foes are introduced forgotten races or peoples of a standard race ... for example, the underground city and its inhabitants that were lost in a hallucinatory dream world in B4: The Lost City. In the adventure I am throwing together right now I invent an ancient race of creatures known as the Shapers who were one of the original slave races to escape from the Aboleths, for example ... and there is a whole history and lore and magica bound up with them that is woven into the campaign. Something like that.

 

[Raylis]

Hook Horrors (MMII), I'll add my vote for the mycanoids, earth elementals would be appropriate, and would probably catch the party off guard ^_^

 

[smootrk]

You could really surprise your players with a full-on Githyanki Outpost/City that is making war upon Mind-Flayers in a nearby 'city'. The players must make their way through a warzone or DMZ area. Make even Psionic Characters run screaming like little girls.