What Monster(s) are Overexposed?

[Remathilis]

I actually was considering a Greek-Myth inspired campaign with little-or-no minion-oids (kobolds, goblins, etc), demons, devils, drow, Chthulu-inspired aberrations, or lycanthropes; but plenty of monstrous humanoids, undead, human-based foes, elementals, giants, fey and an occasional dragon.

I kinda got a luke-warm response from my players, believe it or not.

 

[CleverNickName]

Wow, that's a lot of drow hate.

But perhaps that is exactly why they get used so much?

I mean, gamers hate the drow so much that when they see one, they immediately reach for their most painful, most powerful weapon and vent the full measure of their angst upon it. Spellbooks are spent, wands are emptied, and bazookas (if you roll that way) are switched to semi-auto. As soon as I utter the words "a dark elf" everyone starts rolling initiative before I can finish the description.

ME: "The painting on the wall shows a dark elf..."
(dice inexplicably start bouncing all over the table)
PLAYER 1: "Six initiative."
PLAYER 2: "Fifteen initiative. Oh, it's only a painting."
PLAYER 3: "Twenty-two initiative! I fireball the painting!"
ME: *sigh*

Admit it: few things are more satisfying in D&D than smacking down a band of evil, enigmatic, oh-so-misunderstood emo-elves with spider fetishes. And that is precisely why they are in nearly every adventure published since the mid-80's.

You want drow.

You need drow.

 

[doctorhook]

I picked Drow. Frankly, all of the the others can be used well, even if it is rare, but I haven't seen a drow in years that doesn't make me want to roll my eyes.

This was true for me until I discovered Eberron.

Eberron also saved Gnomes and Half-Elves for me.

PS: I voted Undead and Demons. What's evil or scary about these guys? Encountering them and defeating them is routine now; at least with Kobolds or Drow I can use elements of "personal evil". No such luck with the minions of Orcus. Talk about overplayed...

 

[Festivus]

So what is needed to be seen more?

I grow weary of every low level adventure it seems having Goblins, Kobolds, Gnomes or Halflings as the antagonists (what is with the shorties?).

I had an adventure with giant ants, fungus men, constructs and a trapped demon in a buried ancient tower full of traps, puzzle locks and obstacles. That was a fun one... I did it in Neverwinter Nights... I should rewrite that adventure for 4E.

 

[Klaus]

So what is needed to be seen more?

I grow weary of every low level adventure it seems having Goblins, Kobolds, Gnomes or Halflings as the antagonists (what is with the shorties?).

I had an adventure with giant ants, fungus men, constructs and a trapped demon in a buried ancient tower full of traps, puzzle locks and obstacles. That was a fun one... I did it in Neverwinter Nights... I should rewrite that adventure for 4E.

Humans.

Griffons, Medusae, Golems, Lizardfolk, Ogres...

 

[amerigoV]

So what is needed to be seen more?

Flumps. And more Cowbell.

 

[Hellzon]

So what is needed to be seen more?

Despite what some guy wrote above, I like Wererats. (And there aren't that many in published 4E modules, are there?)

To answer the OP: Kobolds specifically (I voted option #1 before seeing that it applied to all humanoids). Kobold Hall, Keep on the Shadowfell, The Slaying Stone, even Sunless Citadel. I wonder if there even are any printed WOTC 1:st level modules without kobolds.

(Rescue at Rivenroar doesn't have any, I'm sure we can find more if we keep looking through Dungeon.)

 

[Klaus]

Despite what some guy wrote above, I like Wererats. (And there aren't that many in published 4E modules, are there?)

To answer the OP: Kobolds specifically (I voted option #1 before seeing that it applied to all humanoids). Kobold Hall, Keep on the Shadowfell, The Slaying Stone, even Sunless Citadel. I wonder if there even are any printed WOTC 1:st level modules without kobolds.

(Rescue at Rivenroar doesn't have any, I'm sure we can find more if we keep looking through Dungeon.)

Scepter Tower of Spellguard was crawling (heh) with wererats.

 

[Wiseblood]

I voted other. My choice could easily fit in some other category. My coice for the most over exposed is Tieflings. (they're the new drow)

The sheer number of 1/2 human humanoids is really starting to chafe. 1/2 elves, dragons, undead, demons, devils, really it's starting to remind me of the 2e elven family tree. Drow, high, wild, and so on ad nauseum.

Forgive me, tieflings are like kryptonite to my enjoyment.

 

[Set]

Low-level Humanoids - D&D doesn't need a bajillion humanoid races to fill in the low-level adventures. What's wrong with using ... I dunno... HUMANS?!? If you're going to have kobolds/goblins/hobgoblins/orcs/gnolls, make that racial choice meaningful to the adventure

Probably boring for you to draw, too.

While the 'old guard,' orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, kobolds, gnolls & lizardfolk, have pretty much crept into useful niches, every time I see a *new* humanoid race, like tasloi, flind, nycter, witchknives or whatever, I wonder if they are really necessary, or could just be replaced with those already present. Do I need an Urd when I can just have a dragontouched kobold with wings?

Even some of the 'old school' humanoids, like locathah and tritons annoy me, as I'd rather just have some sahuagin not be evil, and some merfolk be all lawful and stuff.

So what is needed to be seen more?

I grow weary of every low level adventure it seems having Goblins, Kobolds, Gnomes or Halflings as the antagonists (what is with the shorties?).

I saw one proposal for a low-level encounter that dealt with primarily giant ants as foes, who turned out to be under the control of a crazed dwarf that had slain their queen and crawled into her carapace, to somehow trick the ants into thinking that he was their new queen...

Another low level encounter involved a necromancer who was seeking bodies for her work, and would send out multiple undead created from each body, one a necromantically charged 'ooze' made from cold, dead blood, that would crawl over and suffocate prey, another made from the removed skin, which was cured to leather-like toughness and sent crawling forth to entangle people. The skeleton would then carry the bound and drowned human corpse back to her, and she'd make another group of undead from that body, saving the muscles, organs and veins to make a fourth undead, another ooze, that had weak acid, weak blood-drain and a little bit of bludgeoning damage from it's muscle-y slams. (She didn't send those out to gather bodies, because the acid damaged the skins and the blood-drain made it harder for her to make her little blood oozes. They were strictly for home defense.)

Four different 1 to 1/2 HD undead, each using different combat mechanics, all from the same body, and only one of them a 'boring old skeleton.'