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The world of Dungeons & Dragons has hundreds, even thousands of monsters for a Dungeon Master to choose from. But, we can often find ourselves using some of the same monsters on a regular basis. A goblin, kobold, and orcs to name a few. But there are so many more interesting monsters to flesh out your adventures and stories with. We polled our audience and discovered what are some of the most underused monsters in D&D.
This is a continuation of a previous blog and youtube video right here.
Not only will we discuss some of these monsters, but we will also delve into the myriad of different ways you can get the most out of them in your D&D game.
Magmins
Magmins are fire elemental spirits bound into physical forms by magic. They view flammable objects as kindling for a grand conflagration, and only the magical control, exerted by their summoners keeps them from setting everything they touch ablaze. Their propensity for fire and havoc makes them ideal for spreading chaos and destruction. A mob of magmins summoned inside a castle can reduce it to a burning shell within minutes.
Magmins are a great little elemental to introduce to your games early. Not do these 1/2 CR monsters allow you to give the game an otherwordly feel right away. But since their intelligence is high enough, they can be reasoned with to an extent, assuming the characters speak the Ignan language.
These little molten buggers have a real fun ability that is often tied to similar elementals, Death Burst. This means that when the creature dies, much like a volcano they erupt in an explosion of fire. Now, the damage isn't much. In fact, it's pretty much the same damage as its melee touch attack. But the beauty in this is twofold. First, it can catch the characters by surprise with last-minute damage. Potentially dropping them below zero, or worse. Second, the explosion can light objects on fire. This can cause extensive damage to the area where the battle takes place. Which, the locals may attribute to the characters for handling the volatile situation so carelessly. Meaning, that they win the fight but lose the battle, figuratively.
Modron
Modrons are beings of absolute law that adhere to a hive-like hierarchy. They inhabit the plane of Mechanus and tend its eternally revolving gears, their existence a clockwork routine of perfect order.
Modrons are perfect servants and repairmen of clockwork equipment, ships, and pretty much any job that is needed. Their complex nature and hive-mind connections mean they are all learning whatever it is their kin learn. Of course, this is limited by their hierarchy. As a Dungeon Master, you can utilize these as repeat villains that easily get more clever with each encounter. Since they are all connected they learn not only the character's strengths but their weaknesses. Then, using their collective knowledge to build complex strategies and traps to perfectly counter the characters...and the players will hate it. It will force them to think and play differently with their characters.
One of the most surprising features is that a few of the mordons can make as many as four attacks. Considering their low CR rating, this really stands out. The Pentadrone specifically not only makes five-arm attacks but also has a paralysis gas that spews in a thirty-foot cone and can remove characters from the battle for up to a minute. Also, they can disintegrate when they die. Making for perfect assassin bots. No evidence left of the deed. Brutal.
Otyugh
An otyugh is a grotesque, bulbous creature borne along on three sturdy legs, its eyes and nose set along a vinelike stalk that snakes from the top of its bloated body. Two rubbery tentacles end in spiky, leaf-like appendages that the otyugh uses to shovel food into its gaping maw.
This CR five monster has a few interesting traits. Most notably, it has a low intelligence score of 6 but still has limited telepathy. As a Dungeon Master, you can use this to send horrifying telepathic images to the characters of the Otyugh devouring bit by bit its previous prey. Or even images it imagines crunching the fighter's armor like the shell of a crab. In either case, these visions can be unsettling to the characters and the players.
The creature's bite spreads a disease that leaves the character poisoned until cured, which is already bad enough. Making it worse is the reduction of the character's hit point maximum every 24 hours until cured. If the disease reduces the creature's hit point max to zero, they just die outright.
On top of this already dangerous threat. It has two tentacles that can grapple and restrain up to two targets on hit, with a reach of 10 feet. As a DM who loves the flavor, their tentacles slam on a grappled creature makes for lots of dynamic scenes of characters being slapped against random objects and stunning them, granting advantage on further attacks. It's a real hands-off situation that I really love.
Peryton
Although this monstrous carnivore feeds on any creature, it prefers humanoids, especially elves, half-elves, and humans. When it kills a humanoid, a peryton rips out its prey's heart and takes it back to its nest to be devoured.
When it comes to brutal combat, nothing can beat a creature that can swoop down, grapple a creature and just fly off with its dinner. The Peryton is a great example of this. These highly intelligent dive-bombing machines have great abilities to optimize for hit-and-run tactics. Their dive attack alone increases damage when it moves at least 30 feet before hitting a target with its talons or gore attack. On top of that, its flyby prevents any opportunity attacks against it. I love to use these to just pick off characters one at a time and fly away. Forcing characters to chase after important NPCs or other player characters can totally strike fear. Even if the characters manage some sort of retaliation, the Peryton has resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, which isn't a great thing to learn as you're trying to save an ally. All this is topped with, the movement speed of 60 feet combined with the Dash action, means the peryton can quickly be out of the way of most thrown weapons and spells within a few rounds, even carrying a character. Oh, did I mention they have two talons and can carry two characters away? And, if it doesn't work, it can always tenderize the meat by dropping from a hundred feet in the air. Enjoy.
Pseudodragon
The elusive pseudodragon dwells in the quiet places of the world, making its home in the hollows of trees and small caves. With its red-brown scales, horns, and a
maw filled with sharp teeth, a pseudodragon resembles a tiny red dragon but its disposition is playful.
I lvoe pseudodragons quite a bit. We don't often see them beyond just being familiars. These little guys can easily make your game feel more fantastical just by having them flying around doing mundane tasks for their wizards. While they can't speak, they can use limited telepathy to communicate details. Whether it is seeking out material components, looking for heroes to take on a quest, or just loafing in a tavern on its day off. They often remind me of cats, as they have little interest in most others and tend to mind their own business when not following some master's orders. Whatever it is, you can introduce these as common sights with little or no difficulty.
The petite dragon isn't exactly a powerful foe in battle. But, their sting poisons a creature for an hour and can render it completely unconscious for the duration. Bringing these into your game.
What are some of your favorite underused monsters in Dungeons & Dragons?
Save time and effort by jumping into the game with already fleshed-out locations, encounters, maps, abilities, and stat blocks. Being a DM is hard. Why not let us do the heavy lifting so you can have a great time at the table.
Monster Variant: Centaur Peacekeeper
Origin: Lamia
Lost Features: Spell list. Claws, dagger, intoxicating touch. Multiattack
New Features
Movement speed becomes 50 ft.
Armor Class becomes 18 (plate)
Piercing Charge. If the centaur moves at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a lance attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 4 (2d8) piercing damage and must succeed on a DC 14 Strength Saving throw or be knocked prone.
Divine Sense (4/Day). Until the end of its next turn, the centaur knows the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet that is not behind total cover.
Holy Weapon. The centaur's lance attacks deal an additional 9 (2d8) radiant damage (included in the attack) and are considered magical.
Lay on Hands. As an action, the centaur can touch a creature and draw from its pool of 25 hit points to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum remaining in its pool. Alternatively, the centaur can expend 5 hit points from its pool of healing to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. It can cure multiple diseases and neutralize multiple poisons with a single use of Lay on Hands, expending hit points separately for each effect cured. This feature has no effect on undead or constructs.
Sacred Weapon (1/Day). For 1 minute, the centaur adds 3 to attack rolls made with its lance. The lance also emits bright light in a 20-foot radius, and dim light 20 feet beyond that.
Spellcasting. The centaur is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The centaur has the following paladin spells prepared:
Cantrip (At will): sacred flame
1st level (3 slots): bless, compelled duel, protection from evil and good, shield of faith
Lance. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (1d12 +3) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) radiant damage.
Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
REACTIONS
Lance Mastery. When a creature enters the reach of the centaurs lance, it can use a reaction to make an opportunity attack with its lance.
Encounter: Fruit of Life
Rare plant that grows a single fruit atop the pile of corpses. Said to heal anything. The characters are hired by Urdul, a dwarf aristocrat. His only son and heir is dying. He has reached out to any and all healers that he can afford, and none have been successful in curing his illness. Many believe it to magical in nature, but there is no clear information to confirm one way or another. He met with a wise sage that claimed ancient lore of something known as the Fruit of Life. Ancient texts claim it can cure any illness. Urdul is seeking characters to find and locate the magical fruit.
Urdul doesn't know where to start, and the characters must head to the world's largest library to better study the lore. The characters must delve into the library and succeed in a skill challenge to locate the source of the fruit. The characters must succeed on six skill checks before gaining four failures.
On a success, they learn the truth. The fruit grows after a ritual on a pile of a hundred corpse sacrifices. Holy water and a complex prayer to a deity must take place.
On a failure, they learn of a place where it may be found. It exists in a land where an entire city was destroyed by a dragon. The land itself is nearly desolate. In it, only the dragon's followers live. The characters must sneak it and locate the fruit, only then learning the truth.
Anyone who eats the entire fruit gains the effects of the regenerate spell.
Magic Item: Bow of Elemental Chaos
very rare, requires attunement
As a bonus action you can speak the bow’s command word and imbue it with energy from the elemental chaos. For up to 1 minute (as if concentrating on a spell) a projectile fired from this bow has an effect that occurs on a hit in addition to its normal damage.
Roll a d6 to determine the additional effect for each projectile fired.
1 On a hit, the target and each creature within 10 feet must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save the creature takes 2d10 fire damage or half as much on a successful one.
2 On a hit, the target takes an extra 1d10 lightning damage and the target and each creature in a 5-foot wide line leading to the target must succeed on a DC 15 Saving throw. On a failed save the creature takes 1d10 lightning damage or half as much on a successful one.
3. On a hit, the target takes an extra 2d10 necrotic damage and has disadvantage on its next attack rolls before the start of your next turn.
4. On a hit, the target takes an extra 2d8 cold damage and each creature in a 60-foot cone must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed same the creature takes 2d8 damage and its movement is reduced by 10 feet. On a success, the target takes half damage and its speed isn’t reduced.
5. On a hit, the target takes an extra 2d10 force damage to the target, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pushed 20 feet and is knocked prone.
6. On a hit, the target takes an extra 2d6 psychic damage to the target, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn.
Dungeon Master Tip: Fast Traveling
Sometimes the journey the characters make from one location to another can be just as or more rewarding than the actual adventure goal. This could be due to numerous different things from random combat, discovering of a lost location or just a simple roleplay opportunity between travelers. Occasionally, however, the pace and continuity of the story require that the characters get to their destination swiftly. So, when fleshing out your world, consider the variety of ways the world’s inhabitants travel. While most mundane travel is likely done by horse-drawn wagon, there are so many more fun and exciting ways to travel. Here are a few that could be tossed in your world. Airships. Dragons. Arcane Portals. Divine Intervention. Teleportation Circles. Flying Mounts. Magic Items. Sailing.
Player Tip: Don’t be a Dick Roleplaying a Halfling
Halflings are practical folk who maintain their good spirits even in the face of dire circumstances. They avoid putting themselves in dangerous or difficult situations and try to keep a carefree attitude and positive outlook.
Stories and tales of the past, regardless of whether they are true, fascinate halflings, and many such legends have lured halflings into fantastic adventures exploring ancient ruins and delving into the world’s deep places. Many halflings have an innate curiosity and adventurous spirit, which, on a small scale, leads only to local trouble and mischief. However, these traits also give halflings the potential to succeed as great adventurers, and more than a few have done just that.
- Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide -
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