Any monster that looks like it came out from outer space or from the Alien movie doesn't make it to my game.
I prefer Greek and Norse mythology types of creatures; even Cthulhu mythos creature are too "spacey" for the type of medieval-fantasy genre that I prefer.
'findel
So you didn't like using Mind Flayers or Beholders?? :-(I prefer Greek and Norse mythology types of creatures; even Cthulhu mythos creature are too "spacey" for the type of medieval-fantasy genre that I prefer.
'findel
To be frank, not really (as with half of the "Underdark" monsters). I know they are iconic, and don't get me wrong, I love all the Erol Otus weirdness in an artistic way; but that's not how I like to imagine my games.
'findel
Jerry, just give him Leadership as "bonus" feat and force him to play the cohort at required level while adventuring with the party; that'll learn 'im!
(Seriously, don't do that, I can't think of a better way to alienate a player.)
Last game, brought out the assweres. It was a first.
Before that, some oozes, because they haven't been in my games for a very long time.
A few games back, brought in plenty of dragons.
I don't think my group has ever cast Reincarnate (despite many, MANY PC deaths). A shame, really, because I always enjoy hearing stories about characters adapting to their new... shapes.
And I don't we've ever fought orcs, either. TONS of hobgoblins, but never orcs.
My players have never fought goblins, because goblins are sweet, well-mannered and generous.
Down with Paizo's Big Lie!!
I rarely use demons or devils. I prefer them out of sight.
The other GM has never used one that I can recall.
I detest 7th, 8th and 9th level spells.
I play in big groups (6+) so high level games are fairly rare to start with.
In other games I play, combat maneouvres aren't used that much, in games that I run, they are used a lot.
I really can not think of anything Iconic to D&D/PF that I have never used as a GM or faced as a player.
Though I don't think I have ever as a player ever actualy fought a minotaur in a maze....plenty outside of a maze...but never one in a maze. I don't think I have ever ran such a encounter as a GM either...mmm...I neeed to fix that.
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Any monster that looks like it came out from outer space or from the Alien movie doesn't make it to my game.
I prefer Greek and Norse mythology types of creatures; even Cthulhu mythos creature are too "spacey" for the type of medieval-fantasy genre that I prefer.
Have you tried running Cthulhu styled ghouls? That can add a nice touch of horror to a game.
I've never encountered a Lich in any of my games, nor used one as a GM.
This thread is really making me appreciate the work and creativity of the DM's I've played under, as I've pretty much encountered almost everything you guys describe. Beholders, Mind Flayers, hanging out in Sigil, traveling the 9 Hells, epic level play, Dragons all across the CR range, etc.
I always thought this stuff was fairly standard. Really makes me realize I've sort of taken things for granted.
This thread is really making me appreciate the work and creativity of the DM's I've played under, as I've pretty much encountered almost everything you guys describe. Beholders, Mind Flayers, hanging out in Sigil, traveling the 9 Hells, epic level play, Dragons all across the CR range, etc.
In my case it's that none of the campaigns I've used had places for them. I ran a dragon-based campaign, a time-traveling vs. shadow monsters campaign, Savage Tide (which has Beholders, or at least the aquatic version, but the party never got far enough to encounter them), and now Kingmaker and another homebrew that doesn't quite yet have an overarching theme planned. I may make use of Illithids in the latter, since I now have the opportunity to make them fit.
Drow I'm just burned out on due to overexposure from years of playing in Forgotten Realms.
As a side note, this thread needs a companion "What monsters do you use all the time" thread. If no one beats me to it I'll make it during my lunch break. =)
I've never encountered or run any of the following...
mind flayer
beholder
succubus
pit fiend
balor ("Type VI Demon" to the old-schoolers)
mimic
lurker above
flumph
...although both a pit fiend and a succubus are in the AP I'm currently running.
Never done much at all plane-hopping, aside from the stint in the Abyss back in high school 25 years ago, when our GM ran Against the Giants/Underdark/Queen of the Demonweb series. (Llolth TPKed us in the final showdown. It was epic.)
Have you tried running Cthulhu styled ghouls? That can add a nice touch of horror to a game.Any monster that looks like it came out from outer space or from the Alien movie doesn't make it to my game.
I prefer Greek and Norse mythology types of creatures; even Cthulhu mythos creature are too "spacey" for the type of medieval-fantasy genre that I prefer.
Quite a few monsters (and many demons/evil outsiders) can receive a chtulhu treatment for a horror-themed game, but I usually choose not to do so. Would I decide to run a horror game (and I definitely intend to do so one day), I'd probably invite the whole "cthulhu family" and adapt the rest of the bestiary to fit the genre, but that would be a conscious choice. I would fit well with a strongly dichotomic light/dark fey world with goblins and elves as fey creatures methinks... (a la seelie/unseelie court).
In other words, I choose my themes at the beginning of a game and try to stick to them. The day "horror" will be a major theme, I will adapt the creature palette to better fit the genre but so far, my themes have been more medieval-fantastic.
'findel
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Since joining these forums, I've learned about a lot of things that are absolutely vital if you don't want to have every session end in a TPK. Most of these I've never used at all, and a few I'd never even heard of until some guy was ranting that you had to have them or die.
Since joining these forums, I've learned about a lot of things that are absolutely vital if you don't want to have every session end in a TPK. Most of these I've never used at all, and a few I'd never even heard of until some guy was ranting that you had to have them or die.
+1
I've also learned that I must be a really really softball DM, because of how many times my players have successfully managed to survive despite having subpar team content.
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Have you tried running Cthulhu styled ghouls? That can add a nice touch of horror to a game.Quite a few monsters (and many demons/evil outsiders) can receive a chtulhu treatment for a horror-themed game, but I usually choose not to do so. Would I decide to run a horror game (and I definitely intend to do so one day), I'd probably invite the whole "cthulhu family" and adapt the rest of the bestiary to fit the genre, but that would be a conscious choice. I would fit well with a strongly dichotomic light/dark fey world with goblins and elves as fey creatures methinks... (a la seelie/unseelie court).
In other words, I choose my themes at the beginning of a game and try to stick to them. The day "horror" will be a major theme, I will adapt the creature palette to better fit the genre but so far, my themes have been more medieval-fantastic.
Quick question: How much do you know about Lovecraft-flavored ghouls? Cos they aren't really what springs to mind for most people when they hear Lovecraft and some type of monster in the same sentence.
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Since joining these forums, I've learned about a lot of things that are absolutely vital if you don't want to have every session end in a TPK. Most of these I've never used at all, and a few I'd never even heard of until some guy was ranting that you had to have them or die.+1
I've also learned that I must be a really really softball DM, because of how many times my players have successfully managed to survive despite having subpar team content.
Yeah. I think on one hand sometimes I do design my encounters to be too easy but on the other hand, some ideas about what is "necessary" in a character build are... well, YMMV.
That or people run games at typically a much higher point buy, more equipment for PCs and/or put in encounters that are WAY higher than suggested CR. I generally follow the guidelines for challenge design and risk of TPK generally tends to happen--even with "non optimized" groups--only once in a great while, usually more due to the players choosing a poor tactic rather than due to not having a certain class ability or bonus to damage or something. (An example from the last game I played: "Let's the four of us, lightly armored skirmishers and spellcasters, charge the front gate of the chief headquarters of the Church of Evil Necromancy when it's full of guards and priests in the process of raising an undead army." "Yeah, that's a great idea!" "No, let's just storm the adamantium reinforced front gate, with all those soldiers behind it. What could possibly go wrong?" And even then only one character died. Because they did at least recognize it was a good time to run away once they got into the thick of it.)
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Don't like abilities that require passing unwarranted notes to players.I love passing notes to players, always have...
So if a character has an ability that facilitates this, so much the better... :-)
The best note I ever received as a GM in a game read like this:
"Do me a favour. Pick up Dave's character sheet, study it intently and then say to me "Yes. You think you can.""
Quick question: How much do you know about Lovecraft-flavored ghouls? Cos they aren't really what springs to mind for most people when they hear Lovecraft and some type of monster in the same sentence.
Admittedly not much other than they are (IIRC) a race in their own (as opposed to human-turned-undead) eating carrion rather than living flesh (aren't they more dog-like than humanoid or something?).
Now I love Lovecraftian fauna, but its mostly a matter of theme and genre; I have simply not tackled horror because I've privileged other themes instead.
'findel
Quick question: How much do you know about Lovecraft-flavored ghouls? Cos they aren't really what springs to mind for most people when they hear Lovecraft and some type of monster in the same sentence.Admittedly not much other than they are (IIRC) a race in their own (as opposed to human-turned-undead) eating carrion rather than living flesh (aren't they more dog-like than humanoid or something?).
It's a bit muddy, and there apparently is a way for humans to become ghouls (re: Pickman's Model ==> Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, the lead ghoul in DQ is supposed to be the same person as the artist in PM) but otherwise they do seem to be their own separate entities. And they're far more intelligent than your average ravenous D&D ghoul (Lovecraft's ghasts are closer to that), and yes they're canine-like in appearance.
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I just used three mimics in my Age of Worms game, upon which point I realized I'd never used one before. Worked out great, really. They got the party bad, taking down the wizard, the wizard's familiar/riding dog, and grappling the rogue for 2/3 of his hp. Then they liberated the other rogue and fighter of their weapons. But spare weapons, flanking, and persistence turned things around very nicely.This thread made me realize that I've never used a mimic in my entire history of GMing/DMing.
This will be rectified in the next session.
I tried out a weakened mimic during a one-shot run this afternoon. To say that it caught the players off guard would be an understatement -- the party was unsure what exactly attacked them four rooms back. The remainder of that encounter involved the entire party creeping back to where the mimic was and peering around corners like Larry, Moe, & Curly.
Best lines last session:
player_2: 'The hell's that?
player_4: A trap, go disable it.
player_2: Someone shoot at it.
player_1: And have it come over here?
player_3: It's not a trap?
Back to D&D fundamentals I've never used: rust monsters.
** spoiler omitted **
I had assumed that because we had ended the last game with
I'll 4th or 5th or what number beholder is on. I ran a couple games with attending on having the party encountering a beholder. Each time though I had the drop the game for various reasons before I get to that encounter. The worse one, when group literally stopped in the room right before the beholder encounter!!
Back to D&D fundamentals I've never used: rust monsters.
** spoiler omitted **
Inspired by the Internet, I once threw antropomorphic rust monsters riding giant rust monsters at the party.
Then they threatened to pour coke (well, ginger ale, but still) all over my Complete Book of Horrors, so I had to rewind and change the encounter to very angry orcs.
One day, one day I'll have my revenge!
Sunder happy Barbarian with Leather armor, a Greatclub, riding a Rust Monster in a cave with damaged magical connection (permanent anti-magic field)?
Anthropomorphic disenchanters, riding giant rust monsters?
This here is the kind of thinking that makes men great in the eyes of history.
But probably they'll tie me to four horses and slap them in the back, so I'll thread carefully.