D&D 5E Which common monsters/creature types do you exclude from your campaigns?

[Minigiant]

Hags.

If I want evil.witches I use evil witches. If I want ugly fey I use ugly fey. If I want old crones I use old crones.

If I want scary faeries who pretend to be grandmas lure foes into a false sense of security and instill in allies in sense of protection, I just do that.

Don't mess with Granny Smiff, Mama Mary, Lady Bluebird, Aunt Rose, or Memaw. Especially the last one.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

That's what I do with my hobgoblins (as a matter of fact, I can't even think the last time I used orcs - but I use hobgoblins a lot) - even more evil and even more expansionist Romans.

Exactly. As a result of this I've ended with basically THREE faux-Roman empires in my current high-level campaign which is set in like "future Taladas", with the Imperial League of Minotaurs as faux-Rome 1 "Fun Rome" (mostly gladiator-themed, with gladiator-lawyers and stuff - that's from the original take I note - they don't have slavery), The Thenolian Empire as "Evil Byzantium", so the Eastern Roman Empire, but with tons of necromancy (again, basic Taladas take except they have an army of undead giants in my campaign), and a faction I won't name in case my players Google it, but which is basically "Hobgoblin Rome", on the other side of the continent, and which is "Rome that really sucks" (so the closest to reality!).

EDIT - Literally just realized, right now as I was writing this, after running Taladas on and off for over 30 years, that the Thenolian undead stuff is what replaces slavery for them, and suddenly that makes a ton of sense.

 

[Bitbrain]

Orcs are a mainstay in the D&D world. Now, mine are all in the north of my world, and the players seldom encounter them. At least in my 5e campaigns. In my 1e game the chars definitely fight Orcs as the chars are low level. And Volo's has presented a beautifully written section expanding on Orcs well beyond the MM. I most definitely have plans for the players to run into the full spread of Orcs in my 5e games, and will port over as much as I can into my 1e game.

I mean... if you strip out Volo’s fear-mongering of orcs and their culture, there is a subtle implication that the orcs are actually a matriarchal society, but I still wouldn’t call it “beautifully written” by any stretch.

EDIT

Ruin Explorer beat me to it.

 

[Stormonu]

Demons and Devils. I was probably one of the few (if not lone) people that was glad to see them disappear for most of 2E.

 

[Stoutstien]

Hmm I'm a firm believer in staying away from the kitchen sink mentality when slapping content together so it's not really about what I exclude as much as include in a given setting.

 

[Voadam]

I don't use dinosaurs.

Same.

I came close when running C5 the Bane of Llewellyn but did not get to the boomerang Amazons on Pteranadons scenario.

The aspects of Eberron I used as inspiration as DM for my mashup homebrew setting did not involve the dinosaur riding halflings.

I am surprised none of the 3e adventures I ran ever used any given the prevalent use of deinonychus, triceratops, and tyrannosaurs rex, both living and undead versions in 3e stuff that I saw.

 

[cbwjm]

Thank you for inspiring Angelsaurus.

The image I have is of a t-rex with wings as tiny as its arms.

 

[WarDriveWorley]

None by default, but I tend to tailor my encounters/monsters based on what I'm running as a campaign concept and will often alter regular monsters to make them more unique/interesting.

As a side note I try to avoid portraying orcs/goblinoids as a default monster with broad strokes. If I use them I do my best to give them realistic reasons to be antagonists.

 

[Voadam]

The image I have is of a t-rex with wings as tiny as its arms.

A dinosaur cherub.

 

[Shiroiken]

Modrons. Destroy any sense of fantasy for me.

I hated the mechanical changes they've put in to make "Mechanus" a thing. I still use them as an orderly society of outsider creatures, but base them more on a society like Flatland. This gives them a very strange vibe, while keeping the strict structure they need.