What is your favorite D&D monster?

[MetalBard]

Pit Fiend would be my second favorite. It's big, evil, intimidating, and has tons of cool abilities to play with. It spreads terror just by looking at it, it can kill you with a bite, constrict you in it's tail, and is extremely intelligent. My players dread being caught with a pit fiend in a deeper darkness spell.

Finally, another devil in the mix! Pit Fiends are cool. I do prefer the pot-bellied version seen in many Planescape products... nothing sucks worse for players than having their butts whooped by something that looks out of shape, yet scary at the same time. They epitomize the seven deadly sin look of devils, in my opinion.

 

[Evilhalfling]

Dretch.
So small so stupid, so pitiful. Lost souls on the way up.

Dragons
So Large, Intelligent and Awe-inspiring, the pinacle of the food chain.

Evil Psionic Halflings.
not in a im going to destroy the world way, more of a Im committing Evil because I have no choice sort of way.

Ghostly NPCs - Souls that just won't or can't move on. Normally an RP rather than combat challange.

 

[Dr. Harry]

So, what is your favorite monster and why?

Owlbears, because they are so purely "let's slap a couple things toghter, but somehow this one works, and:

Perytons, (or 'killdeer' as my players christened them) because (1) anything that stimulates my player's imaginations enough to trigger a colloquial name is good, and (2) something that looks like Bambi that comes diving out of the sky to eat your heart is a good monster. Plus, I always liked how they had human shadows that didn't match their real silhouette.

 

[tigycho]

2 favorites.

The first: Kobolds. So cute. So adorable. So cuddly. I love the 3rd edition kobold picture. Oh yeah, and I also love my 3rd edition kobold sorcerers, kobold barbarians, kobold paladins, kobold druids, etc.

The second: Dragons. Not just any dragons mind you. I'm B.A.D.D. to the core. I only like the dragons that are regal, awe-inspiring things. The type of dragons which make outsiders crap their pants. The dragons which leave only devastation in their wake. None of these CR 3-4 wyrmlings just to give newbie adventurers a shiny leather belt. If you want a dragon skin cloak, you have to earn it. I may cost you a couple raise deads as well.

Gotta agree, and add Goblins to Kobolds. In my games Kobolds and Goblins make my players quiver with fear. I was giving them levels back in 1e, long before 3e officially gave me a mechanic to do so cleanly.

I play them both as incredibly clever. I figure, how do these little runtlings survive in the fringes as well as they do, if they can't compete physically with the orcs and hobgoblins and drow etc?

It's because they have evolved highly developed social and military systems for overcoming their individual weaknesses.

In my games, there is no more elite military force outside the PC races than Kobolds. They fully understand and utilize recon in force, force protectionand projection, skirmishing and combined arms theory. The goblins are nowhere near as organized, but even more devious.

As for Dragons: They are the reason, in my game worlds, that Outsiders REMAIN Oursiders, rather than conquerors. Dragons believe that this world is theirs, and do a better than credible job of making that true. They may not take a daily direct interest in the affairs of the lesser races, but they consider any incursions into the world a challenge to their authority.

Nothing makes a Special Interest Group, even one filled with intermittent fratricidal skirmishes or warfare, band together faster than a challenge to the existence of the Power Base they are squabbling over.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I kinda like werebats and ogre mages. I had a duo of them that were absolutely despised in one campaign I ran (which eris404 played in). They're just so much fun, and versatile, too.

I really like Githyanki, but for the life of me, I can't seem to figure out how to work them into a campaign. I've been accused of being a big vampire fan, but it's more coincidence than truth. Same with Drow, who are very useful and versatile, but overdone at this point.

I also like Shades, mostly due to the Big Bad in a college campaign being a Shade who tormented us from 1st level to 8th level.

 

[Aeric]

I normally don't have any favorites, but I've been on a giant kick for about a year now, so I'm gonna say giants. There's just something intriguing about dealing with humanoids that are so much larger than everyone else, and not just in combat situations.

 

[Tetsubo]

Flumph.

 

[Jack of Shadows]

Death Knight.

Undead are just undead. But a Death Knight has always been pure menace to me.

Jack

 

[DMH]

Aboleths have been my favorite core critter ever since I read them in the MM II (yes the 1st ed). Why- unlike illithids they gain the memories of those they eat, they have a special attack that is very long lasting, they are genetic engineers (I wish there was a skum template), they are ancient and have secrets no human knows of, and they are alien. There isn't enough alien critters IMO. Kopru are cool, only because they are aboleth clones.

As for non-core, the secret eaters from Minions 3.5 are awesome. They only consume three types of memories- their appearance (if someone unmasks one), their encounters with those with forbidden knowledge and the forbidden knowledge itself. It could be as simple as the existance of a person or location, or as complex as arcane magic. What would happen to a wizard if all his knowledge of magic disappeared? Or a priest forgetting his god? Or just some traveller who forgets his quest? This makes for interesting roleplaying if the whole party forgets.

 

[Logan]

Weretiger. Simpley because tigers are my favorite animal, and the idea of a being able to become one always struck me as cool.
I've always had a soft spot for orcs, too. I've always re-done them in some way, though, never liked the syupid evil brute that was in the MM. I tend to make them more like what the Romans thought of the Huns.

And of course, Dragons. Because they are the biggest, baddest guys ever.