Inspired by this article, what are your favorite/most effective monster combos to use against players?
Personally, my favorite is Green Slime combined with anything that isn't affected by Green Slime.
Brown Mold and anything not affected by the cold is a close second.
Goblin Fighters specialising in Archery in a howdah mounted on the back of any Huge-Sized monster, such as an Oliphant (Dire Elephant) or any other easily-angered quadruped monster, capable of bringing physical pain to the party via the monster's natural attacks or the archer's suppressing fire, or defending against magical attacks/providing healing thanks to the Goblin Adept or low-level Druid who is directing the beast.
Six level 4 Goblin Fighters with Composite Shortbows, one Ankylosaurus or Elephant and a level 7 Goblin 'Shaman' (Druid) equipped with a Saddle of Enlargement for his Animal Companion makes for one lethal encounter for the PCs, with the Goblins able to lay down suppressing fire with their bows, often coated with filth or poison for adding insult to injury, and the Elephant being able to lay out some truly painful attacks, plus the Druid able to toss around some of those neat Druid spells, able to actually communicate with his mount for exact combat maneuvers and the ability to summon additional reinforcements at the drop of a hat.
Great article.
I like the evil cleric/wizard with Anti-Life Shell, supported by demons/elementals.
Anything well suited to it's own environment works too, White Dragon on an icy surface, big seamonster attacking PCs on a boat, spellcaster spamming Deeper Darkness/Fog Cloud while his grimlock/(anything with blindsense) bodyguards beat on the party. Fun, fun, fun.
I had a great game involving a pink dragon (red dragon w/half-white dragon template). My players were greatly confused.
Other combos I have used to great effect:
Any humanoids wielding poisoned spears/long spears while riding giant scorpions. The scorpions sting with their poisoned tails and grab with their claws while their riders make full attacks with their poisoned spears. Makes for a good double whammy for parties not able to deal with poison well.
A powerful wizard with a rogue bodyguard entourage. All the rogues have min/maxed disguise checks and all look and sound like their wizard master. Furthermore, they all have the major magic talent and/or spell wands and/or rings of invisibility, which allow them to duplicate spells with which to further confuse the PCs. When the wizard goes invisible, so do the rogues (using their rings or wands) in order to benefit from their sneak attack. Alternatively, just use simulacrums instead of rogues.
"We miss you every day, Dr. Jiggles."
WTF! LOL.
Kenku/Tengu rogue/swashbucklers get +6 when flanking, along with a boss that has levels in marshal to add more devastation when flanking. Ideally, the kenku are wearing robes of flicker (3rd level mystery that shadowcasters use to teleport short distances as IMMEDIATE actions!).
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I had a great game involving a pink dragon (red dragon w/half-white dragon template). My players were greatly confused.
Other combos I have used to great effect:
Any humanoids wielding poisoned spears/long spears while riding giant scorpions. The scorpions sting with their poisoned tails and grab with their claws while their riders make full attacks with their poisoned spears. Makes for a good double whammy for parties not able to deal with poison well.
A powerful wizard with a rogue bodyguard entourage. All the rogues have min/maxed disguise checks and all look and sound like their wizard master. Furthermore, they all have the major magic talent and/or spell wands and/or rings of invisibility, which allow them to duplicate spells with which to further confuse the PCs. When the wizard goes invisible, so do the rogues (using their rings or wands) in order to benefit from their sneak attack. Alternatively, just use simulacrums instead of rogues.
"We miss you every day, Dr. Jiggles."
WTF! LOL.
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Or you can just have four Simulacrums launch four maximized fireballs at once ... damn, why are all the most dastardly ideas coming from RotRL ... Greer, Vaughan and Pett ... You MONSTARS !
- Red Dragon with Iron Golems
- Medusa with Rogue levels and a ranged weapon
Derro rogues, oracles and sorcerers are dangerous on their own with tons of sneak attacks (Built-in sneak attack, darkness at-will, sound burst for group stunning, SR to resist their own sonic attacks and poison to sting even after they die, good at sneaking around, ghost sound to cover their own numbers, high will saves and CHA thanks to the madness ability). I had small group of porcelain skinned dwarves (derro stats) stalking, sniping and ambushing the PCs through massive caverns, where they had to deal with shabby wooden bridges, earthgliding elemental guardians and the derro. Those were some tough fights...
Goblin Fighters specialising in Archery in a howdah mounted on the back of any Huge-Sized monster, such as an Oliphant (Dire Elephant) or any other easily-angered quadruped monster, capable of bringing physical pain to the party via the monster's natural attacks or the archer's suppressing fire, or defending against magical attacks/providing healing thanks to the Goblin Adept or low-level Druid who is directing the beast.
Six level 4 Goblin Fighters with Composite Shortbows, one Ankylosaurus or Elephant and a level 7 Goblin 'Shaman' (Druid) equipped with a Saddle of Enlargement for his Animal Companion makes for one lethal encounter for the PCs, with the Goblins able to lay down suppressing fire with their bows, often coated with filth or poison for adding insult to injury, and the Elephant being able to lay out some truly painful attacks, plus the Druid able to toss around some of those neat Druid spells, able to actually communicate with his mount for exact combat maneuvers and the ability to summon additional reinforcements at the drop of a hat.
Or maybe a dire boar with the giant and advanced templates. That makes the look a bit less exotic and improbable and is still as horrible. I do like giant boars. At least since playing twilight princess.
Or maybe a dire boar with the giant and advanced templates. That makes the look a bit less exotic and improbable and is still as horrible. I do like giant boars. At least since playing twilight princess.Goblin Fighters specialising in Archery in a howdah mounted on the back of any Huge-Sized monster, such as an Oliphant (Dire Elephant) or any other easily-angered quadruped monster, capable of bringing physical pain to the party via the monster's natural attacks or the archer's suppressing fire, or defending against magical attacks/providing healing thanks to the Goblin Adept or low-level Druid who is directing the beast.
Six level 4 Goblin Fighters with Composite Shortbows, one Ankylosaurus or Elephant and a level 7 Goblin 'Shaman' (Druid) equipped with a Saddle of Enlargement for his Animal Companion makes for one lethal encounter for the PCs, with the Goblins able to lay down suppressing fire with their bows, often coated with filth or poison for adding insult to injury, and the Elephant being able to lay out some truly painful attacks, plus the Druid able to toss around some of those neat Druid spells, able to actually communicate with his mount for exact combat maneuvers and the ability to summon additional reinforcements at the drop of a hat.
What is it with giant boars and Neil Gaiman? First the monster under London in Neverwhere, then the forest spirit defender in Princess Mononoke....
I like pig-faced orc archers, pig-headed minotaurs as shock troops, and giant advanced dire boars as mounts.
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Carrion Crawlers (or even a Gelatinous Cube, - any creature which causes paralysis - Ghouls, etc) + Stirges.
Paralysis creature does its shtick - which may already induce some fear in players while stirges land on frozen PC for a nice easy snack.
Good Symbiosis - used this one in a large cavern the players were passing through, made for a very urgent fight.
A really interesting combo I've used for a few years is War troll Cavalers that are mounted on Bulette's. It makes for some interesting roleplay as the players wonder if the troll is actually controlling the beasts or just holding on for dear life. I still have to try them out with the cavaler class though
Then theres the sea hag and piranha swarms I love so much. I also add in Merrow's (aquatic ogres) if the PCs didnt deal with them all
A monster/trap combo I like to use to challenge players is a 20 ft by 20 ft room with an iron golem and 2 Fireball traps that reset every 1d4 rounds. That makes the players sweat, especially when the golems orders prevent it from leaving the room
I've never been able to run this but I've always had described to me as the "meanest encounter ever" is the following:
"You peer into a room and see a half-asleep, very bored looking orc leaning against a spear; he stands guard in front of a plain wooden treasure chest. The room is otherwise unoccupied."
What the players don't know: The orc is a doppleganger. The chest is a mimic.
I like Mass Inflict Critical Wounds traps combined with undead bashers.
A Large critter in the middle of 30 by 30 room, with lots of mobile little flankers along the walls is fun too.
A medusa with some whatchamacalems, those 1 armed flying snakes of positive energy that animate objects, is fun when the statues of your friends start attacking you!
A medusa with some whatchamacalems, those 1 armed flying snakes of positive energy that animate objects, is fun when the statues of your friends start attacking you!Ravids, my friend. Ravids. I did an encounter with a ghost medusa and one of those. Good times.
Thanks! My 3.5 books are around here somewhere.....
Anyways, I've always thought it would be fun to have a medusa encounter where the statues of the PCs came to life and fought the more fleshy PCs. If only so the players of the petrified PCs have something to do during the big fight besides sit there and cool their heels.
A medusa with some whatchamacalems, those 1 armed flying snakes of positive energy that animate objects, is fun when the statues of your friends start attacking you!Ravids, my friend. Ravids. I did an encounter with a ghost medusa and one of those. Good times.Thanks! My 3.5 books are around here somewhere.....
Anyways, I've always thought it would be fun to have a medusa encounter where the statues of the PCs came to life and fought the more fleshy PCs. If only so the players of the petrified PCs have something to do during the big fight besides sit there and cool their heels.
Let the PCs play out the statues trying to kill their friends and the problem is solved
I like mixing plants with undead, because they really don't care about each other.
A big assassin vine and a handful of zombies (or skeletons depending how much meat on the bones you prefer) is always a good time.
I've done this. an assasin vine that had taken root in an ogre Zombie.
Batts
Medusa cavalier mounted on a Gorgon? *grins* I love that picture. If you've seen it you know.
...spellcaster spamming Deeper Darkness/Fog Cloud while his grimlock/(anything with blindsense) bodyguards beat on the party. Fun, fun, fun.
Medusa with Rogue levels and a ranged weapon
Anyways, I've always thought it would be fun to have a medusa encounter where the statues of the PCs came to life and fought the more fleshy PCs. If only so the players of the petrified PCs have something to do during the big fight besides sit there and cool their heels.
...I think I've seen this adventure, or something very like it in one of the retired PFS scenarios.
Back when I started 3.0 our DM keep our character sheets. One year after a campaign that we played some very nasty and fun monster PC's, We ran into my own Monster PCs. It wasn't fun. Think my DM was trying to teach us about minmax'ing
I haven't yet tried this one - but I think an orc and pie would be a good combo...
http://www.montecook.com/arch_lineos11.html
My favorite has to be leather armor wearing hobgoblins with greatclubs herding rust monsters before them. That and Liches who cultivate brown mold and craft shadesteel golems (MM3 3.5)
A re-sealing trap that dunks the players in an acid pit with...an
Acid. Breathing. Dire. Shark. (or 2 or 3)
good times.
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...I think I've seen this adventure, or something very like it in one of the retired PFS scenarios.
** spoiler omitted **
That's been my favorite scenario to DM so far, other than the issue of
Another handy coupling of monsters and monsters or monsters and traps is the traps where the walls close in on the players, and they are being harrassed by ghosts, belkers or other creatures that are either unaffected by the Material Plane-based trap or can turn into gaseous form and escape that way. Alternatively, four Large-size Gelatinous Cubes closing in on all sides of the players with a Roper hanging off the Ceiling and flailing away, hoping to grapple at least one of the PCs and make it's escape before the Cubes engulf them all.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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"You peer into a room and see a half-asleep, very bored looking orc leaning against a spear; he stands guard in front of a plain wooden treasure chest. The room is otherwise unoccupied." What the players don't know: The orc is a Doppleganger. The chest is a mimic.
Ohh! And the floor can be a Trapper, and the ceiling can be a Lurker Above, and one of the walls can be Stun Jelly...
The tricky part is convinving the 10th-Level party that they're just looking at a room with a dozing orc.
---+---
Oh! I've got a wicked idea. The 10th-Level party agrees to help an ally, who tutors new adventurers, test her new "training dungeon" for use with novices. She places hypnotic commands in the PCs, temporarily regressing their abilities to 1st level, with the failsafe that, if real danger presents itself, they'll snap out of the conditioning. Thus hobbled, they wander in and test the training dungeon.
And when they hit the doppleganger/mimic room (obviously a real trap left by some old enemy or another), their real strengths come back, at the rate of one experience level per round.
I like Liches with who have used Trap the Soul on a Dragon or Tarrasque placing them inside their Phylactery
My all time favorite is two dragons. For some reason, players expect them to all come by themselves.