The forty-odd year history of DnD - and I
use the term “DnD” as a catch-all for
pretty much any pen-and-paper RPG set in a
medieval fantasy world - has produced many
hundreds of monsters to pick from, usually
first level adventurers are oftentimes stuck
fighting the same old somewhat-boring low-level
monsters, never really being truly challenged
until they reach higher levels.
So this is a quick list of five low-level
monsters that you should add when creating
your next DnD adventure.
Accompanied by a couple of explanatory notes/suggestions
for the budding DM.
Some of these suggestions will work better
in some editions of the game as opposed to
others, but they can all work with a bit of
DM tweaking.
Keep in mind, the rules of the game being
more of a guideline rather than unbreakable
laws.
So without further ado, let’s begin with...
The Bugbear
Despite whatever mental image you might’ve
already conjured of some weird bear-insect
chimera, a bugbear isn’t that.
Although I’m pretty sure there has to be
some sort of spider-bear abomination in one
of the many monster manuals out there.
Usually people will go with the classic kobolds,
orcs, goblins or hobgoblins as their main
cannon fodder.
That is totally fine, those are classic staples
of the game much like skeletons, zombies and
Rodents Of Unusual Size but bugbears are an
interesting spice to add to the mix.
They’re rather strong, travel in gangs or
bands and really like to keep quiet.
When they attack they prefer to ambush and
can coordinate their attacks.
A great challenge for a party in the beginning
stages of learning how to work with each other.
The Carrion crawler
This one should be a staple for any sort of
adventure that takes place under ground.
And seeing how most dungeons tend to be subterranean
in nature, adding one of these creepy crawly
overgrown centipedes shouldn’t be a stretch
for most settings.
Keep in mind that even though they can put
up quite a fight for a low level party, they’re
not big on loot, so you’ll teach the party
a solid lesson.
They’ll learn that getting away with their
characters still alive is reward in itself.
The Assassin vine
One of the more unassuming monsters you can
add to your adventure for more than just a
splash of “what the fuck?!” and potential
strangling death.
The assassin vine can be placed in pretty
much any sort of forest/swamp/jungle setting
and as it name entails, it kills motherfuckers.
Not only kills them, but is also big into
recycling so it uses their bodies as fertilizer.
So in case you’re DMing a more foolish type
of crazy risk-taking party, let them run into
an assassin vine and then see them Spot check
any plant in a 20-meter range from that moment
onward.
The Mimic
Wonderfully devious and difficult enemy to
take down, especially if you play it right.
Find a way of making the players think that
they might actually be dealing with a human
until it’s too late and you can spring the
mimic trap on them.
Due to the pervasiveness of Internet memes
and jokes, the mimic disguised as a large
chest could be, and should be, considered
a cliche as far as adventure-writing goes.
So think a bit outside the chest when creating
a mimic encounter it’s going to be guaranteed
fun.
The Rust monster
A great way of teaching your players about
the precarious nature of material possessions
within a fantasy world… by dissolving them
while they wear them.
Not only will they learn to care for their
current level gear and make them truly appreciate
any masterwork or magic item but it’s also
a great way of relieving them of some of their
cash if you’ve fucked up in the first couple
of adventures and gave them too much money
so now they can make it rain ale in the tavern.
Besides the chance of acting as a bit of a
reset for a foolhardy DM, the rust monster
also poses a nice challenge to the party and
should make for some interesting tactics in
fighting it, especially if they rely a bit
too much on plate armor to absorb damage,
a rust monster encounter will make them change
their entire playstyle from that moment onward.
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