Good low level monsters - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Good low level monsters

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Jun 12, 2004 23:48:03 I'm looking for some good, "Ravenloft specific" low level monsters that I could throw against a group of 1-3 level PC's. I've looked through the Denizens of Darkness source book but it seems that most of the creatures in that book are of a fairly high challenge rating level. On the occasion that I did find something with a sutiable CR, I found it didn't really fit the setting or tone of the game I'm running, and would just be impractical to use them. I don't really want to throw your generic skeletons or zombies at the party, but that and goblins are pretty much all I can use on them right now because everything else seems too damn hard! If anyone has any ideas on some good lower level/challenge rating monsters that are pretty universal throughout Ravenloft, that would be very much appriciated.
#2
MidwayHaven
Jun 13, 2004 3:13:51 Throw a powrie or two and you're good to go
#3
Mortepierre
Jun 13, 2004 3:50:02 Use the worst monster of them all.. NPCs!

I am always surprised to see people trying to come up with suitable "monsters" for their adventure when evil fit the mold perfectly.

IMHO, at low level, the PCs should encounter as few monsters as possible. They should discover gradually the forces of darkness and evil. Too often, I have seen players fighting undeads (and worse) at low level, which results in people jaded to monsters (even more powerful ones) at higher levels.

Moreover, using plain NPCs will drive home one fact about RL : evil isn't confined to "inhuman" creatures. It lives in everyone and hides beneath even familiar faces. That's the scariest thought of all...
#4
gotten
Jun 13, 2004 7:41:16 On the FoS review site, I made a list of monsters from the Core D&D book that I think could be suitable in Ravenloft. Many are low CR monsters.

Perhaps that list can help you. It is at http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/DR%20Pages/DR%20D20%20Products.htm

Joël
#5
zombiegleemax
Jun 13, 2004 8:22:30 NPCs

That being said the first adventure I decided to send my 1st players on involved the plants attacking them...I think it achieved a pretty good effect...beware of everything.

And now they're in night of the walking dead...and that is doing a good job of creeping them out so its all good.

But if you want some good low level monsters, just use NPCs
#6
zombiegleemax
Jun 13, 2004 10:45:42 well...you can use goblyns, or maybe a single high challenge rating monster like maybe make them kill a weak vampire, if your player prepare themself well they should be able to slay him easily.But well the vampire should be protected by an handfull of commoner and maybe a low level fighter or two.
Also if you quest take place in a big city make them investigate the murders of a red widow. Or maybe make an adventure a la dog soldier: They are attacked by a bunch of afflicted werewolf and they just survive the night. They dont have to kill the wolf but they must survive. Also remmember that animals and dire animals are always good low level monster. Maybe a sect of druid are controlling the wolves to make the villager run away form their sacred groove or maybe a caliban want to avenge himself form some bad treatment and he send a mob of dire rats to kill
his enemies you could make a senario a la willard.
Maybe their first quest could not include fighting a monster but instead helping the monster? Like helping a ghost to avenge himself from his previous murderer or helping an afflicted lychantrope to resist the three night of the full moon. Or even helping him to lift his curse!
Or maybe they could help a monster doing some vile act and discover latter that the individual they help in question is a monster and they must destroy him.
#7
zombiegleemax
Jun 14, 2004 20:02:15 Eh... yeah.... Make sure your players know that ravenloft is not about running into dungeons and going hacky slashy like in Diablo II. I was the only player who survived because he didn't declare Jihad on a dark ominous cave and ran into it with falchion drawn.
Sounds my character heard eminating from the dungeon after a cave in seperated me from my charging companions:

Yaaaaah! Attaaaack!

OMG what is THAT?!

Aaaaah!

Its on my face!

Get it off man!

NOOOOOO!

(Note, they had ran into a bunch of jupiter vines: Aka, bloodsucking plants)

*cough, cough* :embarrass sofice to say, they never came out...

On the bright side, I gained xp for doing absolutely nothing :D
#8
zombiegleemax
Jun 25, 2004 2:58:57
Originally posted by slayergirl
I don't really want to throw your generic skeletons or zombies at the party,

In the last Ravenloft game I used Zombie Fog (or what ever it is called) will with 1 hit point floating baby zombies, I then chucked in some alchemical fetuses who attacked by attaching umbilical cords to people and drawing off nutrients---easy to escape, except if they are between you and the exit as they had a movement of 5 but with a 10 foot reach, again with 1 hp each.

In another part of the dungeon I had skeletal hands running around, but pretty ineffective until they recovered eyeballs from pickling jars and scampered after the PCs like deformed spiders.

Do you need more?
#9
zombiegleemax
Jun 25, 2004 4:44:14 I agree with Mortepierre, humans always make for interesting adversaries. As he already pointed out, the less often you use supernatural foes the heavier will be their impact.

Though for the first session of my campaign, i used the hag template from the 3.0 core rulebook with a level-1-commoner woman (actually the supposed mother of one of my PCs) who was just going through the change. VRGtH offers a lot of nice ideas for that option.
#10
zombiegleemax
Jun 25, 2004 14:35:03 Toben the Many, infecting low-CR beings, would work nicely.

And the great part about Toben is that he can be a recurring horror for an entire campaign...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Jun 12, 2004 23:48:03	I'm looking for some good, "Ravenloft specific" low level monsters that I could throw against a group of 1-3 level PC's. I've looked through the Denizens of Darkness source book but it seems that most of the creatures in that book are of a fairly high challenge rating level. On the occasion that I did find something with a sutiable CR, I found it didn't really fit the setting or tone of the game I'm running, and would just be impractical to use them. I don't really want to throw your generic skeletons or zombies at the party, but that and goblins are pretty much all I can use on them right now because everything else seems too damn hard! If anyone has any ideas on some good lower level/challenge rating monsters that are pretty universal throughout Ravenloft, that would be very much appriciated.
#2 MidwayHaven Jun 13, 2004 3:13:51	Throw a powrie or two and you're good to go
#3 Mortepierre Jun 13, 2004 3:50:02	Use the worst monster of them all.. NPCs! I am always surprised to see people trying to come up with suitable "monsters" for their adventure when evil fit the mold perfectly. IMHO, at low level, the PCs should encounter as few monsters as possible. They should discover gradually the forces of darkness and evil. Too often, I have seen players fighting undeads (and worse) at low level, which results in people jaded to monsters (even more powerful ones) at higher levels. Moreover, using plain NPCs will drive home one fact about RL : evil isn't confined to "inhuman" creatures. It lives in everyone and hides beneath even familiar faces. That's the scariest thought of all...
#4 gotten Jun 13, 2004 7:41:16	On the FoS review site, I made a list of monsters from the Core D&D book that I think could be suitable in Ravenloft. Many are low CR monsters. Perhaps that list can help you. It is at http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/DR%20Pages/DR%20D20%20Products.htm Joël
#5 zombiegleemax Jun 13, 2004 8:22:30	NPCs That being said the first adventure I decided to send my 1st players on involved the plants attacking them...I think it achieved a pretty good effect...beware of everything. And now they're in night of the walking dead...and that is doing a good job of creeping them out so its all good. But if you want some good low level monsters, just use NPCs
#6 zombiegleemax Jun 13, 2004 10:45:42	well...you can use goblyns, or maybe a single high challenge rating monster like maybe make them kill a weak vampire, if your player prepare themself well they should be able to slay him easily.But well the vampire should be protected by an handfull of commoner and maybe a low level fighter or two. Also if you quest take place in a big city make them investigate the murders of a red widow. Or maybe make an adventure a la dog soldier: They are attacked by a bunch of afflicted werewolf and they just survive the night. They dont have to kill the wolf but they must survive. Also remmember that animals and dire animals are always good low level monster. Maybe a sect of druid are controlling the wolves to make the villager run away form their sacred groove or maybe a caliban want to avenge himself form some bad treatment and he send a mob of dire rats to kill his enemies you could make a senario a la willard. Maybe their first quest could not include fighting a monster but instead helping the monster? Like helping a ghost to avenge himself from his previous murderer or helping an afflicted lychantrope to resist the three night of the full moon. Or even helping him to lift his curse! Or maybe they could help a monster doing some vile act and discover latter that the individual they help in question is a monster and they must destroy him.
#7 zombiegleemax Jun 14, 2004 20:02:15	Eh... yeah.... Make sure your players know that ravenloft is not about running into dungeons and going hacky slashy like in Diablo II. I was the only player who survived because he didn't declare Jihad on a dark ominous cave and ran into it with falchion drawn. Sounds my character heard eminating from the dungeon after a cave in seperated me from my charging companions: Yaaaaah! Attaaaack! OMG what is THAT?! Aaaaah! Its on my face! Get it off man! NOOOOOO! (Note, they had ran into a bunch of jupiter vines: Aka, bloodsucking plants) cough, cough :embarrass sofice to say, they never came out... On the bright side, I gained xp for doing absolutely nothing :D
#8 zombiegleemax Jun 25, 2004 2:58:57	Originally posted by slayergirl I don't really want to throw your generic skeletons or zombies at the party, In the last Ravenloft game I used Zombie Fog (or what ever it is called) will with 1 hit point floating baby zombies, I then chucked in some alchemical fetuses who attacked by attaching umbilical cords to people and drawing off nutrients---easy to escape, except if they are between you and the exit as they had a movement of 5 but with a 10 foot reach, again with 1 hp each. In another part of the dungeon I had skeletal hands running around, but pretty ineffective until they recovered eyeballs from pickling jars and scampered after the PCs like deformed spiders. Do you need more?
#9 zombiegleemax Jun 25, 2004 4:44:14	I agree with Mortepierre, humans always make for interesting adversaries. As he already pointed out, the less often you use supernatural foes the heavier will be their impact. Though for the first session of my campaign, i used the hag template from the 3.0 core rulebook with a level-1-commoner woman (actually the supposed mother of one of my PCs) who was just going through the change. VRGtH offers a lot of nice ideas for that option.
#10 zombiegleemax Jun 25, 2004 14:35:03	Toben the Many, infecting low-CR beings, would work nicely. And the great part about Toben is that he can be a recurring horror for an entire campaign...