What Monsters Are Commonly Used In Your Game?

[Olaf the Stout]

I was reading the thread about Stirges and I realised that I have never used them in any edition of the game or encountered them as a player. In fact, I didn't even know they existed before 3E. For all I know they could have been a new monster for 3rd Edition! It is strange because they seem to be relatively common and popular monsters. The mini is one of the hardest Uncommon minis to get in the D&D mini line.

This got me thinking, am I the odd one out or have a lot of people not used/encountered Stirges before too? My new gaming group has only been together for about 9 months. 2 of the players have told me how they commonly used/encountered Bugbears in their previous campaign. Once again, I don't think I have ever used/encountered them before in a game (although I do remember them from the 2E AD&D MM).

So, what monsters are commonly used in your game? Do you seem to use any that no-one else seems to use? What supposedly "common" monsters do you rarely or never use?

Olaf the Stout

 

[MerricB]

Common (many sessions of use)
Bugbear, Goblins, Kobolds, Orcs, Ogres, Human, Dire Rat, Dire Wolf, Ghoul, Ghast, Gnoll, Skeleton, Worg, Zombie

Uncommon (appeared in up to 10 sessions)
Trolls, Frost Dwarves (PlH), Dragons (any sort), Bodak, Demons, Devils, Dire Bear, Elementals, Gargoyle, Hill Giant, Flesh Golem, Hellhound, Mummy, Wight,

Rare (appeared in up to 5 sessions)
Inferno Spiders (MM4), Stirges, Behir, Chimera, Destrachan, Ettercap, Fire Giant, Frost Giant, Stone Golem, Griffon, Hydra, Phantom Fungus, Manticore, Mimic, Minotaur, Nightmare, Ogre Mage, Salamander, Shambling Mound, Wraith, Swarms, Troglodyte, Vampire, Wyvern

Unique (only appeared once)
Corrupture (MM4), Krenshar, Dark Naga, Purple Worm

List is longer if I can remember some other MM/FF monsters.

Cheers!

 

[el-remmen]

Each of my campaigns features the appearance of:

Hobgoblins
Bugbears
Goblins
Trolls
Lizardfolk
Giants
Needlemen
Manticores
Golems (usually stone and flesh)
Owlbears

 

[Rothe]

Lots of undead, in mixed groups at higher levels.

Goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears together in the warm climes (but I've viewed them as the same species since I first saw the word goblinoids). Orcs and Ogres in the cooler climes.

I'm sure my players would say snakes, lots of giant snakes. But currently they are destroying a lot of Temples of Set, it is a crazy snake cult after all.

Statues and golems that come to life when something is disturbed.

Giant Spiders, large spiders, many spiders.

Giant ants, "carrion crawlers".

These are ones I use fairly often.

One I've used maybe once in decades. Kobolds as written. I like to use goblins for their role.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I'm surprised to see Flesh Golems made the list for both Merric and el-remmen. How do you manage to use them so often? I always thought of them as a bit of an oddity.

Olaf the Stout

 

[JVisgaitis]

Humans. I try to save monsters for weird encounters when the players are off in the wilderness. I also don't have a lot of monstrous races in my games.

 

[MerricB]

I'm surprised to see Flesh Golems made the list for both Merric and el-remmen. How do you manage to use them so often? I always thought of them as a bit of an oddity.

Flesh Golems make good guards for the lairs of evil wizards/clerics. Ditto Stone Golems.

Cheers!

 

[Dykstrav]

Of course I use classed NPCs all over the place, so I don't count those here. I'm only counting critters from monster books.

Low-Level Commons: Kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, skeletons, zombies, normal animals, elementals.
Tough Low-Levels: Usually NPCs with class levels. Occasionally a single tough critter such as a troll, chimera, or manticore.

Mid-Level Commons: Gnolls and goblins (with class levels), ghouls, trolls, giants, elementals, weak demons and devils (such as lemures, abyssal skulkers, et cetera).
Tough Mid-Levels: Demons and devils (vrocks, hezrou, bone devils, chain devils), "personality undead" such as vampires and liches with class levels, stone and iron golems, beholders, night hags, dragons.

High Levels: Demons and devils (barbed devils, ice devils, glabrezu, balors, pit fiends), mighty undead with class levels. Outsiders tend to dominate my higher-level games, because my setting "tops out" around CR 12-15 encounters. I usually reserve stronger stuff for the planes where things are supposed to be terribly dangerous.

 

[Psion]

Humans
Drow
Various undead
Various demons
Yuan Ti

I pretty much have only used stirges when they pop up in published adventures.

 

[Shade]

Monsters I always use or try to use:

• Demons
• Devils
• Yugoloths
• Demodands
• Rilmani
• Celestials
• Slaad
• Illithids
• Beholders
• Yuan-ti
• A variety of dragons
• Elementals
• Trolls
• Dinosaurs
• Githyanki
• Giants
• Genies
• Golems
• Drow (although I think I'm finally sick of them)

Common monsters I rarely, if ever, use:

• Carrion crawler
• Basilisk
• Centaur
• Cockatrice
• Doppelganger
• Harpy
• Manticore
• Rust monster
• Satyr
• Will-o'-wisp
• Sprites

Newer monsters I've used in my current campaign and plan to use more frequently:

• Chronotyryn
• Nerra
• Ethergaunts
• Blackstone gigant
• Rotripper
• Kaorti and associated creatures
• Maugs