RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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GnomePaladin, mummy rot in 3.5 still only needed one check a day once it got going.
Phase spiders are my number one. Five of them really hammered a 13th level party in my STAP game a while back :-)
That they were on a ropebridge at the time and the phase spiders could fly was just icing on the cake :-)
Demi-lich for the win!
Chaos beast.
That amorphous body attack can ruin your day and your character's career.
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Yeah, they're nasty, though they were worse in 3.5, where it was a Charisma check instead of a Will save to stabilize for a minute. Didn't they turn you into one once you dropped to 0 Wisdom in 3.5, too?
Anyways, The big saving grace on the Chaos Beast are its low saves (a +9 Fort, +8 Ref, +4 will save) for its CR; a Slumber Hex, Slow, Phantasmal Killer, Stunning Fist, or any number of other save-or-sink effects have a moderate to good chance of succeeding against it. Heck, a lowly Create Pit spell can ruin its entire day.
That said, if a Chaos Beast gets the drop on someone (possible with a +14 Stealth modifier), it has a pretty good chance of getting its curse off, which can be pretty destabilizing if a party isn't prepared to deal with it. (Though maybe I'm remembering its curse being worse in 3.5... I could have sworn that the end result was being turned into one.)
A monster I overlooked (simply because I haven't ever had a chance to run one in Pathfinder) is the Intellect Devourer. As a CR 8 it has...
-DR 10 Adamantine and Magic
-Immune to fire, Resist Cold, Elec, Sonic 20
-Immune to Mind Affecting effects
-SR 23
-Speed 40
-Unlimited use of a single target Confusion as well as Inflict Serious Wounds, and Invisibility .
-4 natural attacks and 3d6 sneak attack
What's worse, its another monster with the ability to piggyback on something else, giving it the possiblity of augmenting its mental powers with a variety of nasty attacks (say, like taking over the body of a Dire Tiger or a Red Dragon). I'm curious as to the results of anyone running one of these menaces in one of their games...
I second the vote for intellect devourer. One of them nearly slew our entire 10th-level party, and it didn't even have a host body.
I second the vote for intellect devourer. One of them nearly slew our entire 10th-level party, and it didn't even have a host body.
They are pretty weak without a body. Did everyone just have a bad dice moment?
Something I learned today is that low level heroic NPCs with the Half Fiend template are much scarier than they let on. Had a level 3 party of five fight three of them and they were given a run for their money.
Admittedly, I always find that templates really do bump up the difficulty of an encounter more so than advancing them normally.
Gnolls throwing Pugwampi gremlins in Tanglefoot Bags. So many double rolls that failed!
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I second the vote for intellect devourer. One of them nearly slew our entire 10th-level party, and it didn't even have a host body.They are pretty weak without a body. Did everyone just have a bad dice moment?
It ambushed us from invisibility, confused the party barbarian, then ran around a corner. Barbarian did a number on us and himself. By the time we got around the corner, the little bastard had turned invisible again.
He kept playing cat and mouse games with us, always keeping ahead with his superior speed, invisibility, and tiny size (via its reduce person spell-like ability).
Our combat-characters were continually confused, the DR soaked up a lot of damage giving it a lot of unexpected durability, and our spellcasters were unable to effectively blast/target it with spells due to its energy resistances, globe of invulnerability, invisibility, AND spell resistance.
This guy is EXTREMELY dangerous. YOU try fighting a highly intelligent aberration with a Stealth modifier of +49 and at-will "f*ck you" abilities.
I see. It is better than I thought it was, plus it had favorable terrain. I may have to use it now.
Hmmm those fellows are coming up in
Can't believe no one has mentioned Rakshasa (unless I missed it?).
Mind-reading, illusion-casting, spell-immune, will eat you as soon as look at you monsters?
Oh, yeah, with Sorcerer levels.
Properly-played by the GM, these things are horrible.
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Can't believe no one has mentioned Rakshasa (unless I missed it?).
Mind-reading, illusion-casting, spell-immune, will eat you as soon as look at you monsters?
Oh, yeah, with Sorcerer levels.
Properly-played by the GM, these things are horrible.
And almost never encountered. The key point about Raksasha's is that you enver know you're dealing with one until you've gone through about twenty layers of false identities.
Hmm...I think I'll overcome my arachnophobia and use a few phase spiders in my campaign. How can one ignore such an excellent recommendation? :D
Can't believe no one has mentioned Rakshasa (unless I missed it?).
Mind-reading, illusion-casting, spell-immune, will eat you as soon as look at you monsters?
Oh, yeah, with Sorcerer levels.
Properly-played by the GM, these things are horrible.
And killed by one blessed bolt. By the time I hit level 8 I have one at all times.
And killed by one blessed bolt. By the time I hit level 8 I have one at all times.You're mixing editions. A bolt with bless weapon on it just gets through the DR, it doesn't kill in one hit.
That's a shame. The look on the GM's face was price-less. He should have seen it coming.
The Assassin Vine is definitely a player killer at lower levels, though my top 5 for both Bestiaries involve creatures you can't reasonably escape from once you encounter them (with the exception of the Mummy.) The assassin vine is nasty, but if you see one before you engage it, you can at least get away or pelt it at range. While this is unlikely to happen for a 1st or 2nd level party due to the thing's stealth and CMB for grappling, a decently perceptive scout should be able to see one before its too late. Not so much with Incorporeal fliers who can chase you through any terrain at high speed, or teleporting, flying outsiders.
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Higher Level Horrible Stuff (Level 10+)
Honestly, I don't find a lot of the upper tier monsters in the first bestiary that horrific, with a couple of extreme exceptions (Tarrasque, Balor, Solar). The Bestiary 2 however has some real killers in it:
1)Shining Child Holy crap is this thing nasty. Overall good stats, perfect flight with a fast speed and an unlimited use of a 10d6 fiery, ranged touch attack. Couple that with some of the best Spell-like abilities in the game on a CR 12 and you have a nightmare to fight against(Wall of Force, Spell Turning, Greater Dispel Magic, Sunbeam, Scintillating Pattern, and Greater Teleport to name a few.)Oh, and its got elemental resistances, immunties, and an abnormally high touch AC. No SR is its only weakness.. except it has Spell Turning .
2)Catoblepas Usually, Magical Beasts are some of the easiest critters to contend with. They typically have poor will saves, low touch ACs, and their special attacks (with the exception of Basilisks) are rarely fatal or destabilizing. This thing has the worst breath weapon in the game. A 60' cone will probably encompass an entire party, especially on a surprise round. Unless you're immune to poison, three consecutive saves at DC 23 is rough, especially when the result is 1d6 con. I could see this thing one-shotting an unprepared party, especially with just a couple bad rolls. Oh well, at least it doesn't disintegrate you like in the old days..
3)Demon, Omox A lot of nastiness here, the worst of which is its swift Dimension Door ability. One of the few creatures that can stop spell-casters from flat-out speaking once they're grabbed, it would be quite easy for this thing to grab somebody underwater and swim away with them (with a swim speed of 80), either strangling or suffocating them do death. In this reagrd, they remind of a Choker done right for higher levels. Considering the amount of environmental control it has with its SLAs (Create Water, Control Water. Stinking Cloud, Acid Fog) and it would be easy to set up such ambush tactics.
4)Tick Swarm Okay, techincally a CR 9, but I think this has to be the worst swarm in the game. If they also flew, it would be unholy. If this thing gets surprise on the Arcane casters, you might be looking at several dead PCs. The Cling ability combined with Blood Drain is pretty horrific.
5)Banshee The thing about Death Ward now: It doesn't last that long and doesn't really provide immunity to death effects, just a bonus to saves. The fact that the Banshee can't be nerfed by that spell (though it does stop her touch attack) or Silence makes her capable of one-shotting a party, especially since someone theoretically could have to save twice in one turn against her. I'm glad that she's as bad as she should be, but damn...
The Shining Child is not that bad to me except for the permanent blindness(60-foot-radius aura of blinding light as a free action...). Yeah a low level spell gets rid of it, but that is not a spell that is normally prepared.
That is a good way to start off a proper TPK. :)
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Ogres! I mean I've seen ogres give APL 5 party a run for their money. Bumping into a single Ogre at level 1 is brutal but appropriate as for APL1 party for a tough fight as that is APL+2 Hard. I've seen a single Ogre TPK a parties and I've seen Ogre's die with out harming a party all. Between levels 1-4 Ogres are really a question luck and tactic determining how well you fare.
I've seen Ogres nearly wipe a 7th level party with decent rolls. When I ran "Hook Mountain Masscre", a Cleric of Cayden Cailen PC got overconfident and seperated himself from the rest of the group, causing the Ogres they were fighting to initiate a game of "Mug-a-Tug" on the poor soul. While they couldn't hit him in melee, they had no problem grabbing him with flanking bonuses and charging and quickly cut him to pieces once they pinned him down. When the paladin finally got to him and charged to his defense, a couple of lucky crits sent him down too. The rest of the group were pretty shaken and almost abandoned the bleeding paladin, but fortunately, the stupid ogres were all clustered around the cleric's body, allowing a couple of area-of effect spells to wipe them. Sometimes its the sheer brutality of a PC death that makes them remember a monster as being particulary horrible.
The Shining Child is not that bad to me except for the permanent blindness(60-foot-radius aura of blinding light as a free action...). Yeah a low level spell gets rid of it, but that is not a spell that is normally prepared.
That is a good way to start off a proper TPK. :)
And killed by one blessed bolt. By the time I hit level 8 I have one at all times.Can't believe no one has mentioned Rakshasa (unless I missed it?).
Mind-reading, illusion-casting, spell-immune, will eat you as soon as look at you monsters?
Oh, yeah, with Sorcerer levels.
Properly-played by the GM, these things are horrible.
... there are so many ways to avoid ranged weapon fire that I won't try to list them all. Yes, they have a horrible weakness. Which they know about. And take steps to mitigate. See section of my first post involving 'properly played by the GM...'
And TarkXT is right... they're masters of deceit, disguise, and misdirection.
They are the kind of BBEG around which one plots an entire AP/campaign.
... and I really hate seeing them.
Ahhhhhh Bogeyman CR 10 aaaaaaaa
I'm pretty much going to go with the Bogeyman from Bestiary 3 as my winner. I don't even know where to begin with him...
Quickened phantasmal killer 3/day? That do it for yah? No?
How about the ability to keep the entire party panicked forever by sneak attacking them from invisibility? For 6d6? Sure, his attack bonus isn't insanely high, but he'll be attacking flat-footed characters that can't see him until he attacks. Only long enough to turn invisible again...
DR 15 plus 5 fast healing so long as ANYONE is suffering from his multiple fear effects means you're screwed even if you have cold iron weapons.
Anyone who has those weapons can take a Hold Person or Suggestion to switch weapons right in the face.
On the other hand, the raw terror this entity inspires has created an entire storyline and series of horrifying adventures in the horror campaign I'm running, as the party flees from the bogeyman in fear. I created a motif of him leaving lollipops at the scene of heinous atrocities to raise the tension...Now the party basically loses their minds every time they see a lollipop.
I guess some of your other monsters are scary...but the bogeyman is the master of scariness himself.
Moox
Shining Child is nasty. Put a couple of those guys together for even more nastiness. What, you made your first save? Now make another. And then here's some wall of force to box you in. Even better, have them greater teleport to the party for instant surprise round. I once threw 8 of them at my level 19 party, and realized I had a potential TPK on my hands.
How bout the Mothman
My Opinion on Bestiary 2
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2)Witchfire Will-O-Wisps on steroids. Trading off magic immunity for being incorporeal and possessing a host of spell-likes is pretty even, but the Witchflame ability can make it so that the hags can burn through Protection from Energy spells with a couple attacks, and at range. Extremely dangerous considering the damage ouput its capable of. In multiples (like a coven), its easy for them to gang up and char the PCs one by one.
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Our (admittedly melee-heavy, 5th lvl at the time) party was caught by a Witchfire in constrained area and it nearly wiped us all out. Didn't help that we had no idea what it was and that the only characters that had magic weapons were caught out of position. Then it summoned Will-O-Wisps to block our way out and keep us from fleeing, leaving the poor barbarian for dead* but dragging the unconscious druid (in bear form) with us.
* Managed to survive, barely.
I was thinking of using 3 Shining Children as guardians in my Savage Tide game ...
** spoiler omitted **
against a 5-player, 14th level tweaked and homebrewed party. Would 4 be too many? :-)
Depends of the build. In our STAP, we were heavily geared towards Outsiders, and a 14th level party would have access to Holy Word, Holy Smite, Dismissal, Banishment , and a number of other means to deal with the menaces. If they have lots of that kind of magic, I'd go with 5, especially with five players.
BTW, I like the flavor of what they guard.
How bout the Mothman
Yeah, they're pretty horrifying if you actually have to fight one. I think I overlooked them because of their alignment and their supposed purpose (being agents of fate and all).
Still, Mothra has...-SR
-Gaze attack
-Extremely powerful SLAs for its CR, usable 3/day ( Greater Invisibility, Phantasmal Killer, Modify Memory, Shadow Walk)
-Effectively the use of Limited Wish once a day.
Fortunately, they are defensively pretty weak if you can pin one down and have no resistances or defenses other than SR. Also, saves aren't that great either, so if one gets hit with a save-or-sink effect, the fight might be over.
The CR 7 Sceaduinar is really tough. It comes in with anti-life shell, and starts casting spells: deeper darkness (darkness? Sceaduinar don't care. What does it have for senses? Lifesense.) at will targeted dispel magic, enervate, silence. When it has at least laid silence on every area near by, ruining spell casters days, and has fired off its 3 enervates, and has dispelled any death wards, displacements, haste, etc., then it can attack with slay living/harm + energy drain + 1d6 negative energy damage +1d6+3 with a +14 bite attack (not vs. tough AC), or just go for the touch and slay living/harm.
Perfect example and a great reason to never adventure on the Negative Energy Plane (besides the obvious reasons). Harm on a CR 7? Fighting one of these even at level 9 could be rough!
I think that's something people are overlooking. They're so agape about the offense they haven't really paid attention to the defenses.
I think I am going to have to go back through bestiary 2 and 3 in detail instead of just speed reading.
I think I am going to have to go back through bestiary 2 and 3 in detail instead of just speed reading.
I'm certainly in love with both.
3 is just brimming with mythological references in particular. I'm very happy Paizo took the time to range outside of cookie cutter celtic medieval legend and delved into japanese, chinese, indian and even old norse mythos. Plus the lovecraftian references are a bonus.
I'm only sad I'll never get to use them all.
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I've had two characters killed by wraiths (levels 4 and 11). Con drain accompanied by the ability to hide in walls is deadly. Of course, it didn't help that both of these characters found themselves alone at the bottom of a pit trap with a wraith (dread wraith in the higher level case). This was under two different DMs.
I found the Colour out of space in the Carrion Crown AP was pretty nasty. Huge Incoporial ooze, flight, Disintigrating touch with vital strike, and ability drain. Sure its weak against force effects but it also has a high SR and many resistances and immunities. Also an aura of malaise that has a huge range. All at CR 10.
Those who consider imps nasty should see Doru Divs. They lack the fast healing, but DR 10 / cold iron or good, at-will invisibility, SR, fire and poison immunity, acid and electricity resistance 10, perfect fly speed and poisonous bites makes them nasty CR 2. Not to mention it can use suggestion and charm person.
Those who consider imps nasty should see Doru Divs. They lack the fast healing, but DR 10 / cold iron or good, at-will invisibility, SR, fire and poison immunity, acid and electricity resistance 10, perfect fly speed and poisonous bites makes them nasty CR 2. Not to mention it can use suggestion and charm person.
true true I used them to torment a Group(eating their food, trying to bring one PC against the other) too bad ididn't get too use paikaras against them(spreading their deseases; posing as menbers of communtiy and wrecking havoc in this way (have I mentioned the PC are the best healers in town?
How bout the MothmanYeah, they're pretty horrifying if you actually have to fight one. I think I overlooked them because of their alignment and their supposed purpose (being agents of fate and all).
Still, Mothra has...
-SR
-Gaze attack
-Extremely powerful SLAs for its CR, usable 3/day ( Greater Invisibility, Phantasmal Killer, Modify Memory, Shadow Walk)
-Effectively the use of Limited Wish once a day.Fortunately, they are defensively pretty weak if you can pin one down and have no resistances or defenses other than SR. Also, saves aren't that great either, so if one gets hit with a save-or-sink effect, the fight might be over.
We rolled one on the random encounter table in kingmaker at level 3 :(
I've been killed by so many monsters at this point it's hard to name them all...
Long story short, I hate any monster that requires a save or die, turn to stone, paralyze, str drain etc. against the save where I don't have a good score.