Be VERY careful using Intellect Devourers as a "low level encounter." Even a single intellect devourer can result in an almost instant TPK with only a couple of bad rolls.
Also, be careful with Rot Grubs. I've lost characters to both in the first session. Intellect devourer was a bad roll after a stupid decision (made intentionally, OOC) but the rot grubs killed me in one round for not standing far enough away while someone messed with an item.
yeah my party ran into one at level 2 (they were meant to be level 1 but I let them level early) and one of my players had his brain devoured but luckily my campaign is set in a city with a lot of powerful people so they found someone to cast greater restoration.
One of the things that 5e should have kept from 4e was the obvious monster role tags (skirmisher, artillery, etc) to let DMs build really fun tactical encounters just at a glance.
What is it with so many of these creatures being able to paralyze, stun, or otherwise get rid of your ability to do anything in combat? And why would you suggest Intellect Devourers and Shadows, those creatures could TPK higher level parties, let alone lower level ones.
Only throw Intellect Devourers at a party under 4th level if you expect somebody to die... They have caused disasters for the party every time I've used them, even at 8th level
@@kamikeserpentail3778 Some people like to play with almost no threat to their characters. As a result, if anything moderately dangerous shows up, they aren't prepared to deal with it.
Tips on Gibbering outhers: I've always assumed the gibbering mouthers are essentially like parrots, and are imitating things they have heard previous victims say; similar to the way The Predator said "over here.", or "do you want some candy." If a character passes their save against the gibbering, have them realize that one of the random things said was actually a clue to the quest.
@@jessegd6306 right but then you throw in there (with a WIS or INt check of course), "According to the map there's a secret door under the tapestry." Then the players are like wait, secret door? tapestry? where's that. Lo and behold later, they see a tapestry and wonder...
But they are only CR 3. Or do you mean that Wizards of the Coast still hasn't figured out how to give monsters meaningful CRs, after more than 20 years?
@@rogerwilco2 Yeah, Intellect Devourers are CR 3 in the sense that they aren't great in a straight fight. They should be something like power 3 and possible consequences 10.
Intellect Devourer stat blocks are unimpressive, for sure. The problem is their unique abilities which, with only a couple of bad rolls, can result in an almost instant TPK, especially since those bad rolls are reliant on an ability which the vast majority of players use as a dump stat in 5e. Intellect Devourer snatches your third level Totem of the Bear barbarian with a crit-fishing GWM build? The now-effectively-dead Barbarian (huzzah, low level save or die!) proceeds to kill the whole party, resistant to everything they throw at it. Even at much higher levels, these things can still generate a TPK in the right circumstances just by being present.
@@rogerwilco2 CR is already meaningful if you use it for it's intended purpose: keeping in mind how much damage the creature can do per turn, and how many hitpoints they have. CR is not meant to be a "This creature is CR 3 so you can blindly plug in this creature into an encounter for a lvl3 party" kind of tool. You will still need to read the full statblock, think beforehand about whether the encounter needs to be combat or not in the first place, if it is combat is it an fight to get away, a fight for resources that both groups need, or is it a fight to defeat the enemy, and you have to think on whether your party can deal with the negative consequences, other than damage, things like poison, sickness, mind control or petrification. How would wizards of the coast ever express in a single number that the danger of a monster is in how sudden they appear, or in how big the group of monsters is compared to the party? CR wasn't ever meant to express all of these things and more. CR is just an estimate for damage, hitpoints and EXP calculation, and that is exactly what it is based on. How you use a monster, what kind of danger it should pose and what kind of encounter you build is what makes an encounter deadly or not.
Take any monster at all (almost), turn it undead, then cut off bits until what's left is the level you need - giant --> giant's undead hand; dragon --> dragon skull, neck, one lower arm and hand plus a lot of connecting sinew; owlbear --> owlbear missing a foot it chewed off to get out of a trap.
Someone said level 1-3 of dnd is survival horror and I really like to lean into that. Designing encounters where it makes more sense for the low level party to try strategem rather than a straight fight, using npcs to their advantage, or even fleeing the encounter rather than fighting through it
I'm planning something like this for my first DM campaign, watching local kids dash out into shallow water, kill a single tapeworm pest that's praying on the local oyster crop and then dashing back to land with the body to trade in for a copper. If the players don't leave enough travelling speed to get back, they'll get swarmed by a few, resulting in the rest of the team needing to dash in and help them. If all goes well, maybe I'll throw in a local kids first time that gets it wrong and needs to be saved. Just need to create a monster now. Will probably re skin something With a poison/grapple ability and give it a swimming speed
For my games. I tend to use Giant Wasps which are reflavored goblin stat blocks. It isn't a hard sell for the players to hate or outright exterminate Wasps. (I was inspired by Fable: The Lost Chapters).
One of the more memorable, opening story arcs I once did for my campaign was using kobolds that were worshipping a dragon (as kobolds do), making the party believe that is what they were eventually facing. Some of the players were freaking out that they'll have to fight a dragon at level 1-3, some assumed this was some dragoin wyrmling... In the end it turned out that it was just a plain lizardfolk shaman who used simple magic and persuasion to convince the kobolds he WAS an actual dragon to have his own minions :D I still remember the reveal when the build up was that a dragon was about to enter and when the true became apparent, some of my players spat a bit of unpleasant words (in a joking manner of course - they loved the twist ^^').
I think I just had a great idea for a HIGH level encounter using Ogre Howdahs. The Stomping Fortress. A herd of dozens of Ogre Howdahs, with several larger specimens sporting large, elaborate fortifications on their backs. When threatened, they get into formation, pull out tower shields, and become a full-on fortress in their own right. The smaller humanoids spread bridges between the fortifications for ease of movement, and to make it easier to bolster the outer ranks. The real kicker here, is that they're coordinated enough to move around using loud verbal commands. Play it like this: The Howdahs get one turn in initiative, and their "riders" get a turn as well. On the Howdahs turn, their next move has to be announced at the end of the turn as a verbal command. This allows the Howdahs to be a massive and unique threat, while giving your players time to react. Their riders allow for a more active threat that can keep up with the players, harassing them and not letting them get comfortable with the Howdahs slow, predictable charges.
My first campaign as a player, the DM (first campaign as a DM) tossed a Shadow at us, looking primarily at the CR. My low strength character almost died. Be very careful with anything that has an ability to kill a player character without reducing them to 0 HP first.
Then of course you can mix and match Kobolds and Goblins and bandits with other creatures.... (Kobolds in the service of a dragon might have some loyal guard drakes if their lord is feeling generous... and they can use them as mounts... a Kobold Dragonshield mounted on a Guard Drake can make for a pretty mean combo...) Or giant Vultures carrying around some Kobolds(They both have pack tactics so having Kobold riding on them would let both mount, passengers, and rider to benefit.... That and some of these creatures could also be used in traps by the above.... (Kobolds in a swamp? Sure they might have some pits full of Quippers to throw you into...)
@@SkoomaGodDovahkiin666 Meanwhile in my game: The players sell a bound and unconscious Black Dragon wyrmling to an Illathid while in the black Market area of the Sewers.... (Gotta love it when the players chose to do things that can become problems for them later on down the line in the campaign...)
@@minnion2871 Based. My group does that too. A lot. Not just illithids, sometimes we sell dragons to Gith and Warforged and perpetuate their wars for profit. Best part? The paladin(Ambition or Conquest played by either me or my brother) are the ones doing the haggling.
My players are now scarred from too many gibbering mouthers. It doesn't matter if they are level 3 or level 10, if they hear something that might be a gibbering mouther, they will be noping out of there as fast as possible.
1. excellent work. Great content Good Script. 2. Really like your art style throughout your videos. 3. The only way this would be better: include the Monster name and book/page number - but really this was excellent, so don't worry about that.
My favorite is a group of corrupt tax collectors who've decided to set up a toll booth. Low level players often find the 10% of coin or 20GP, whichever is greater, plus surprise fees for carrying weapons at the ready to be a bit too much. If they pay up, they'll get a letter of permission for carrying the weapons, signed by the officer and with the real seal (which they don't need). If they fight... well, you've just slain the King's Men. Not sure if they are humanoids or fiends.
the main villains are trying to dummon aboleth, so i wanted to include some abberations in the campaign. i had so much fun in describing a sewer with a gibbering mouther in it that my player almost fell into. I describe that the stone had contorted into something fleshy. and once i describe the actual mouther, he was so freaked out
Wonderful video! I'm trying to run a campaign with a lot of aberrations, but the players start at level 3 so I had trouble finding interesting and balanced monsters to work with. Thanks for helping me create encounters with this video!
Grey oozes are just mean. I was running Dragon of Icespire Peak and someone recommended swapping out the Ochre Jelly for Grey Ooze. I looked at the stats, saw the lower CR, but then the weapon ruining ability... Nah, ochre jelly for my players it is.
Technically, the Death Burst effect is different for the various kinds of Mephits. Mud Mephits, for instance, can restrain creatures on death, while Magma Mephits deal fire damage. It varies. Mephits also have a bunch of breath weapons, that have various offensive or debuff effects. As such, they can fill a number of different roles in a fight. Useful both in groups on their own, or as minions for other creatures. The main downside to this is their low save DC, meaning individual Mephits are unlikely to make their breath weapons stick against all but low level parties. Which is why they're often found in large numbers. Sooner or later, the PCs will fail some saves.
Great suggestions, the tip about using the same stats with different descriptions is really handy when you have experienced players. One I used a while back was Vargouille. I had the party go out to rescue some nobles, but when they got to the bandit hideout, the bandits were all dead, the nobles unconscious. On the way back to town, all of the nobles' heads twist off in horrific fashion and the Vargouille attack the party. Even the veteran players didn't see it coming.
If my knowledge of history serves me this day, the tale of the brave knights fighting an evil bunny is a perfect example of this. Though they required the use of an artifact called the Holy Hand Grenade or something akin. Oh well, they fought bravely. Those fools
You could have done with writing the creatures name next to them as your microphone semi cuts out at the start of a sentence. Other then that, very useful 👌
In 5e I still beleive the most underrated low cp monster is wolves. Pounce+ pact tactics =a nasty combo. And can be encountered anywhere really in the wilderness, simple mindset just hunt the prey or defend den
Be careful ! Some of those monster are designed as high level minions. They have low CR but are not meant for low level players, they are designed to fight alongside other monsters against high level players. The Shadow, the Intellect Devourer, and many others will have a high chance to kill one or more low level PC before going down. Do not use those monsters if you don't want a PC to die in that encounter ! Always double check the actions of the monster, try to imagine a round of attacks. For exemple the Orc against a level 1 character. It can do up to 15 damage on a regular attack and 27 damage on a crit, with an average of 9 and 16. So on the first round, he will take down a PC with a low chance of killing it on the spot. That's normal, the Orc is a mid level minion, not a low level monster.
The side campaign I ran to give my DM a break revolved around a Druid that went mad. Rats, ravens, giant rats, beefed up deer I home brewed as "great stags," wolves and dire wolves, dire bears that were just low CR dinosaurs I reskinned, and even awakened shrubs and trees. The party loved it after session after session of goblins and bandits in our main campaign. Sadly I TPKd them due to bad choices on both sides of the table (don't trust CR with level three players..) so I've been working on the next chapter of the story with them arriving in the Shadowfell and dealing with trying to get home. Zombies, skeletons, shadows, and the like will all be a whole new flavor for them. Of course, the Druid will still be pushing against the hamlet they started in and getting stronger while they're gone, so I'll have to nerf the Archdruid stats a lot less. Breaking away from the tired CR < 2 monsters is fun.
As much as i love this video, sometimes i cant understand the names of these monsters, maybe write them down on the corner of the video, or at least in the description, its really hard to figure out how to type these correctly
Absolutely *do not* use intellect devourers against low level parties, unless you're ready for everybody to shred their character sheet. They don't do much damage, but that body stealing thing is for real. You have to kill the body, then get a true res to get your people back, as the corpse will not have their brains. Most low level parties can't access that without in-game help; that is, assuming that any of them will escape the encounter to try (there's no guarantee that they will) Also, if goblins and kobolds bore your players, you aren't doing it right. If your players have to fight goblins or kobolds, without time and resources to prepare, their reaction should pants-pooping terror. Gaining levels shouldn't erase that concern, either. I've seen mid-level parties tpk in a goblin den, and almost been one of those players. Anything with that level of intelligence should be an existential threat, given a home field advantage, regardless of party level
So, I'm going to say it, most CR ratings are pretty much garbage as a way to measure creature difficulty. Different creatures play very differently regardless of their CR. If you are calculating on a purely mathematical standpoint, then sure CRs make a degree of sense, but they fail to take into account something far more important, creature tactics. While a zombie might have no regard for its own well being, along with many other undead or animated creatures, living beings have self preservation and wil pretty much always turn to flee if the fight turns against them unless they cannot. A CR 4 creature can TPK a party of 5 6th lv adventurers thanks to a few bad rolls or player stupidity while a CR 10 creature can be a cakewalk for the same party on account of scouting, planning, and preparation. Don't use CR to guide your encounter creation, use the setting and the creature abilities as well as the intended difficulty of an encounter to inform your creature selections. Of just homebrew them, monster stat blocks are guides for what a creature might be able to do, not hard and fast rules of their limitations, it is perfectly reasonable to expect a mimic might be a bit fast or have a multiattack option or for a shadow to drain constitution instead of strength. Plus, its a good way to remind the players that there is really no benefit to trying to min/max their actions based on meta knowledge like what a creature they never have heard of in character might be.
Ahh.. low level encounters... never fight a war pony at level 1. We didn't intend to okay? We wanted to tame one. Then rolled a one... then the 2 of them TPK'd the party or 4 level 1's.
I'm genuinely afraid my amateur 1st lvl party will die in a tavern fight against drunk unnamed npc before even getting to one of these amazing creatures😃
My first encounter was avatar of death... I regret not screening deck of many cards ahead of time before i had a bandit steal a deck from the arch mage of the local college
Great video, 1 suggestion though, despite the subtitles that come with the video if you decide to make a similar video it would be great to put down the name for each monster for people who aren't familiar with these creatures and newer DMs specifically.
Going to be honest here, Goblins and Kobolds are generally reserved for mid level parties when I run them. If you DM them correctly with the correct intelligence, they are far more dangerous than low levels can handle.
@@redmage808 Remember that 'Average intelligence' is only 10-11. So Goblins with Int 10 should be expected to use basic tactics in combat. Ambushes, traps, ganging up on targets and ranged combat all come into play. Goblins also come in groups, you will rarely encounter just one. A small group of 6 might not be much, but a band of 12-24 riding Worgs as mounts, with a pack of 6-12 Dire Wolves as hunting dogs, is another thing entirely. When you think of goblin traps, go basic and obvious. Logs or boulders rolling down hills, hunting snares on the ground, rock falls from above in caves. They will not be hard to avoid on their own, but in combat the Goblins could set them off when they want. Goblins are small size creatures, use that to their advantage whenever possible. Low caves that humans might have trouble fighting in, dense forest or jungle underbrush is another option. They also have the Nimble train in 5e, so hit and run tactics are something you can use a lot. Don't be afraid to add poison to weapons either, it doesn't have to be strong, the volume of hits will make it an issue on their own. If you really want to go tough, consider giving some of the leaders some character levels. Rogue, Fighter and Sorcerer are all good classes to give them for added spice. Another thing to consider is that all Goblins and Worgs have darkvision, do not hesitate to target party light sources in combat if doing so would be helpful. Finally, Goblins tend to be cowardly, so having them retreat and come back in larger numbers is not uncommon. If the PCs are in Goblin territory then you can harass them over and over again. Make sure they are resting in safe places and if they are not then ambush them. Goblin tribes can be as large as a few hundred combat capable members, they can take turns attacking to the point that sleep is not an issue. Players have to deal with fatigue and other concerns. Sabotage their food stores or water when you can. Use any of these or a combination of them and your players, even at mid levels, will take goblins seriously. Just remember that they will react accordingly sooner or later, after 5th level the mage might just fireball a goblin group on sight if you make them like this.
@@redmage808 also adding onto what was already said if the party drives off the initial attack and some get away they can track the party with wargs and such. If you have a party that goes all in using Leomunds Tiny hut a shaman with Dispel Magic can make the entire territory more terrifying. Also even with Darkvision Perception checks are still at disadvantage in the dark as its still dim light. So the goblins can sneak up fairly easily, the shaman dispels it, the goblins get a surprise round and the next round try to press the advantage while the shaman uses a stinking cloud, web, or some other simple but useful spell. After that first round if they dont have a major advantage they can retreat and return in a few hours. The shaman NEVER puts itself at risk. I ran my lvl 12 party through hell like this. When they entered the stronghold that had trolls as well they definitely felt the pressure. They only had 1 martial character and the rest were casters so after 2/3 encounters only the Barbarian was still in fighting shape.
Just want to say stright up, rot grub swarms are just cruel to send at your players! And the whole cr 1/2 is just way off in my opinion hahah Thank you for the video by the way. Subscribed!
They used to be worse, their bite did no damage points, but had a numbing effect, so the player had to make either a INT or CON, I can't remember which, check to even notice the presence of the grubs, although back then if the fire missed as long as the rot grub entered from an arm or leg the player had a couple of turns before it was too deep. Although, they can also be killed by anything capable of a Cure Disease effect, so hopefully the healer has a spell ready to fly.
Well it is like... Our druid likes to summon poisonous snakes, as their CR rating is 1/8 they do 2d4 poison each, and she can summon a lot of them. So one time she summons them against some sorcerer urds. So our damn had them find the snakes and mostly succumb to them. But if I had been damn I would have them take it to the air and just burn them with any aoes they had. The snakes have like to health. CR doesn't really mean anything
A great collection of low level creatures and I love the line art. I particularly love the Pegasus, horses are notoriously difficult to draw yet your Pegasus was dynamic and powerful, fantastic thanks !
I love this, gonna have to try some of these out to surprise my players. I did a low level one shot where the final boss of the players investigating a trade route blockage ended up being a "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing" that was threatening to choke the forest the trade route ran through of any life. (google it, its a fun and bizarre classic monster that sadly did get updated to 5th edition)
Troglodytes are my favourite, especially in caves. Because they have stench that poisons those of low constitution, it's fun to use to build up to a trog encounter.
Super helpful as I planning my first one shot and I was looking for something that is not a goblin or kobold for a couple of random encounters. Still have a Kobold pair but their part of a skill challenge (silvery barbs) and unlikely to be an actual threat unless the players attack them.
Don't use Shadows too freely! A person with it's Strength reduced to 0 DIES IMMEDIATELY! A few hits by some Shadows can turn the tide in an instant, and potentially cause a TPK.
Very useful video. I'm definitely adding your channel to my gaming help links. As for low level encounters, I've been reskinning monsters and adding a passive ability or weaker version of an attack from a larger monster. A low level construct or goblin becomes a broken or unfinished golem for example. It keeps the new players unsure and surprises old players with different stats.
I made an encounter where there's two Bandits controlling two giant rats and if they manage to knock out the bandits before the rats the rats will run off
The players encounter a small child in the road crying over the body of his dead dog. As the party deals with this, the boy suddenly transforms into a giant spider. FIGHT! During the fight, another spider appears from behind the party. AMBUSH! Once the fight is over they notice the dog is still alive. Wait... it's not an injured dog! It's a shapeshifted druid who was trying to ambush the party to rob their dead bodies. It really sets up expectations that the DM is a devious SOB
actually had swarms of stirges knock out a lvl 7 monk, because he was the only alive creature in range, the other players near him being undead creatures so they only focused on him...
I actually had a really fun experience with reskinning monsters a couple times. When I was running an MTG themed campaign, I actually re-skinned some lesser used creatures (of my own repertoire since I don't often get to run adventures anymore) as Eldrazzi. I had used a wyvern, slaads, and I believe a hydra, but described them as strange, otherworldly abominations
Aberrations: The Nothic is only CR 2, is unnerving to look at, and can insidiously learn a character's secrets. With a +5 to Stealth, it should be able to hit one character with its Rotting Gaze, during the surprise round, before bounding off down a hallway.
Be wary of scourges- they are the 1/8 CR level because of their health. They do a sizable amount of damage with their auto hit, with surprisingly good AC, in numbers they can wipe low level parties. They can easily be countered with sleep spell.
Wow, you have picked some of the hardest low level encounters out there. Intellect devourers can kill way higher characters real quick due to dumpstat-ing Intelligence. And Shadows too, why not add Ghosts as well? Just reduce stats and when they reach 0, the character is dead, no death saving throws, just dead.
I find reskinning or nerfing encounters to be more fun. Take an enemy and reskin and tweak them. Nerf them or buff them if u have to. I’m currently making a fresh campaign and within the first 2-3 sessions I plan on having them face a mini boss that’s just a reskinned hill giant. I turned it into a titanic skeleton under ice resurrected by a ritual. Plan on having them fall down and be cushioned by snow putting them in a new boss arena. Nerfed the giant pretty hard because they might not be level 4 by the time they get there lmao
any of those aberations can devestate lvl15 parties , imagine what they can do at a lvl 1 party . Anyone that is not an expirienced dm pls dont use aberations against a lvl1 party they will die
Magmins. All of our narration is always in the Closed Captions, so consider turning them on if you're having trouble making out any of our spoken words.
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Be VERY careful using Intellect Devourers as a "low level encounter." Even a single intellect devourer can result in an almost instant TPK with only a couple of bad rolls.
Also, be careful with Rot Grubs. I've lost characters to both in the first session. Intellect devourer was a bad roll after a stupid decision (made intentionally, OOC) but the rot grubs killed me in one round for not standing far enough away while someone messed with an item.
My first level party used sleep and ran.
I found this s*** out the hard way 2 weeks ago
yeah my party ran into one at level 2 (they were meant to be level 1 but I let them level early) and one of my players had his brain devoured but luckily my campaign is set in a city with a lot of powerful people so they found someone to cast greater restoration.
Just like a Shadow.
I didn't know I needed to see an Intellect Devourer in boots, but it was much appreciated.
One of the things that 5e should have kept from 4e was the obvious monster role tags (skirmisher, artillery, etc) to let DMs build really fun tactical encounters just at a glance.
My two favorite low level abberition is the Gazer and Choker
What is it with so many of these creatures being able to paralyze, stun, or otherwise get rid of your ability to do anything in combat? And why would you suggest Intellect Devourers and Shadows, those creatures could TPK higher level parties, let alone lower level ones.
Only throw Intellect Devourers at a party under 4th level if you expect somebody to die... They have caused disasters for the party every time I've used them, even at 8th level
I don't see how a single one could cause trouble for an 8th level party, if they use any sort of care.
Intellect devourers are disaters
@@kamikeserpentail3778 Some people like to play with almost no threat to their characters. As a result, if anything moderately dangerous shows up, they aren't prepared to deal with it.
Tips on Gibbering outhers: I've always assumed the gibbering mouthers are essentially like parrots, and are imitating things they have heard previous victims say; similar to the way The Predator said "over here.", or "do you want some candy." If a character passes their save against the gibbering, have them realize that one of the random things said was actually a clue to the quest.
Imitating things their previous victims say? "What's that noise? Where are you?! Help-HELP! Save me-Save me-Save me-Save me-"
@@jessegd6306 right but then you throw in there (with a WIS or INt check of course), "According to the map there's a secret door under the tapestry." Then the players are like wait, secret door? tapestry? where's that. Lo and behold later, they see a tapestry and wonder...
@@jessegd6306
Doctor Who style "hey, who turned off the lights?". I very much appreciate that idea.
That's a great idea.
I just stole this idea. You the man!
1:24 **DO NOT** use intellect devourers on a low level party, unless your intent is to do a full TPK
But they are only CR 3.
Or do you mean that Wizards of the Coast still hasn't figured out how to give monsters meaningful CRs, after more than 20 years?
@@rogerwilco2 Yeah, Intellect Devourers are CR 3 in the sense that they aren't great in a straight fight. They should be something like power 3 and possible consequences 10.
Two intellect devourers nearly killed the warlock in the party I DM for.... He was level 9
Intellect Devourer stat blocks are unimpressive, for sure. The problem is their unique abilities which, with only a couple of bad rolls, can result in an almost instant TPK, especially since those bad rolls are reliant on an ability which the vast majority of players use as a dump stat in 5e. Intellect Devourer snatches your third level Totem of the Bear barbarian with a crit-fishing GWM build? The now-effectively-dead Barbarian (huzzah, low level save or die!) proceeds to kill the whole party, resistant to everything they throw at it.
Even at much higher levels, these things can still generate a TPK in the right circumstances just by being present.
@@rogerwilco2 CR is already meaningful if you use it for it's intended purpose: keeping in mind how much damage the creature can do per turn, and how many hitpoints they have. CR is not meant to be a "This creature is CR 3 so you can blindly plug in this creature into an encounter for a lvl3 party" kind of tool. You will still need to read the full statblock, think beforehand about whether the encounter needs to be combat or not in the first place, if it is combat is it an fight to get away, a fight for resources that both groups need, or is it a fight to defeat the enemy, and you have to think on whether your party can deal with the negative consequences, other than damage, things like poison, sickness, mind control or petrification. How would wizards of the coast ever express in a single number that the danger of a monster is in how sudden they appear, or in how big the group of monsters is compared to the party?
CR wasn't ever meant to express all of these things and more. CR is just an estimate for damage, hitpoints and EXP calculation, and that is exactly what it is based on. How you use a monster, what kind of danger it should pose and what kind of encounter you build is what makes an encounter deadly or not.
Take any monster at all (almost), turn it undead, then cut off bits until what's left is the level you need - giant --> giant's undead hand; dragon --> dragon skull, neck, one lower arm and hand plus a lot of connecting sinew; owlbear --> owlbear missing a foot it chewed off to get out of a trap.
Zombie or skeleton wildlife works too.
Someone said level 1-3 of dnd is survival horror and I really like to lean into that. Designing encounters where it makes more sense for the low level party to try strategem rather than a straight fight, using npcs to their advantage, or even fleeing the encounter rather than fighting through it
I'm planning something like this for my first DM campaign, watching local kids dash out into shallow water, kill a single tapeworm pest that's praying on the local oyster crop and then dashing back to land with the body to trade in for a copper. If the players don't leave enough travelling speed to get back, they'll get swarmed by a few, resulting in the rest of the team needing to dash in and help them.
If all goes well, maybe I'll throw in a local kids first time that gets it wrong and needs to be saved. Just need to create a monster now. Will probably re skin something With a poison/grapple ability and give it a swimming speed
For my games. I tend to use Giant Wasps which are reflavored goblin stat blocks.
It isn't a hard sell for the players to hate or outright exterminate Wasps. (I was inspired by Fable: The Lost Chapters).
Isn’t there already a giant wasp creature?
Somehow I instantly knew what you were making an homage to.
There's plenty of inspiration to be gained from Fable series, great choice
Hero, your health is low! Do you have any potions or food?
One of the more memorable, opening story arcs I once did for my campaign was using kobolds that were worshipping a dragon (as kobolds do), making the party believe that is what they were eventually facing. Some of the players were freaking out that they'll have to fight a dragon at level 1-3, some assumed this was some dragoin wyrmling...
In the end it turned out that it was just a plain lizardfolk shaman who used simple magic and persuasion to convince the kobolds he WAS an actual dragon to have his own minions :D I still remember the reveal when the build up was that a dragon was about to enter and when the true became apparent, some of my players spat a bit of unpleasant words (in a joking manner of course - they loved the twist ^^').
I think I just had a great idea for a HIGH level encounter using Ogre Howdahs.
The Stomping Fortress. A herd of dozens of Ogre Howdahs, with several larger specimens sporting large, elaborate fortifications on their backs. When threatened, they get into formation, pull out tower shields, and become a full-on fortress in their own right. The smaller humanoids spread bridges between the fortifications for ease of movement, and to make it easier to bolster the outer ranks.
The real kicker here, is that they're coordinated enough to move around using loud verbal commands. Play it like this: The Howdahs get one turn in initiative, and their "riders" get a turn as well. On the Howdahs turn, their next move has to be announced at the end of the turn as a verbal command.
This allows the Howdahs to be a massive and unique threat, while giving your players time to react. Their riders allow for a more active threat that can keep up with the players, harassing them and not letting them get comfortable with the Howdahs slow, predictable charges.
My first campaign as a player, the DM (first campaign as a DM) tossed a Shadow at us, looking primarily at the CR. My low strength character almost died. Be very careful with anything that has an ability to kill a player character without reducing them to 0 HP first.
The more I read the comments on here, the more I appreciate pf2e's monster level system. Coming up with a raiding party is such a joy!
Its eazy to kill your players, its hard to ALMOST kill your players
Then of course you can mix and match Kobolds and Goblins and bandits with other creatures.... (Kobolds in the service of a dragon might have some loyal guard drakes if their lord is feeling generous... and they can use them as mounts... a Kobold Dragonshield mounted on a Guard Drake can make for a pretty mean combo...)
Or giant Vultures carrying around some Kobolds(They both have pack tactics so having Kobold riding on them would let both mount, passengers, and rider to benefit....
That and some of these creatures could also be used in traps by the above.... (Kobolds in a swamp? Sure they might have some pits full of Quippers to throw you into...)
"Kobold dragonshield on a guard drake" Well I know what I'm doing.
Meanwhile my Dragons:
Release the Intellect devourers.
That's how I got banned from DMing.
@@SkoomaGodDovahkiin666 Meanwhile in my game: The players sell a bound and unconscious Black Dragon wyrmling to an Illathid while in the black Market area of the Sewers.... (Gotta love it when the players chose to do things that can become problems for them later on down the line in the campaign...)
@@minnion2871
Based. My group does that too. A lot. Not just illithids, sometimes we sell dragons to Gith and Warforged and perpetuate their wars for profit. Best part? The paladin(Ambition or Conquest played by either me or my brother) are the ones doing the haggling.
Reskinning is a lot of fun, especially when you tweak the creature. Like changing a movement speed from climb to burrow, or vice versa.
Monstrosity: That which strikes fear into the most heavily armored of fighters, the Rust Monster.
I LOVE using gibbering mouthers! So much fun to describe and play!!
My players are now scarred from too many gibbering mouthers. It doesn't matter if they are level 3 or level 10, if they hear something that might be a gibbering mouther, they will be noping out of there as fast as possible.
@@yodal_ They can be brutal. Especially if your party doesn't have enough ranged classes.
Very cool video! Will be sure to use some of these for my homegame.
Thanks for making this! Note: "gibbering" is like the word "gibberish", pronounced with a 'j' sound at the start: JIB-bur-ing.
1. excellent work. Great content Good Script.
2. Really like your art style throughout your videos.
3. The only way this would be better: include the Monster name and book/page number - but really this was excellent, so don't worry about that.
The fact they're apparently not called "slaadpoles" is a crime against language.
It would be great if there was Super Bunny and Holy Hand Grenade in DnD.
No reason there can't be. Don't let your dreams be dreams!
My favorite is a group of corrupt tax collectors who've decided to set up a toll booth. Low level players often find the 10% of coin or 20GP, whichever is greater, plus surprise fees for carrying weapons at the ready to be a bit too much. If they pay up, they'll get a letter of permission for carrying the weapons, signed by the officer and with the real seal (which they don't need). If they fight... well, you've just slain the King's Men. Not sure if they are humanoids or fiends.
They're taxmen, always fiends
the main villains are trying to dummon aboleth, so i wanted to include some abberations in the campaign. i had so much fun in describing a sewer with a gibbering mouther in it that my player almost fell into. I describe that the stone had contorted into something fleshy. and once i describe the actual mouther, he was so freaked out
Wonderful video! I'm trying to run a campaign with a lot of aberrations, but the players start at level 3 so I had trouble finding interesting and balanced monsters to work with. Thanks for helping me create encounters with this video!
Grey oozes are just mean. I was running Dragon of Icespire Peak and someone recommended swapping out the Ochre Jelly for Grey Ooze. I looked at the stats, saw the lower CR, but then the weapon ruining ability... Nah, ochre jelly for my players it is.
Technically, the Death Burst effect is different for the various kinds of Mephits. Mud Mephits, for instance, can restrain creatures on death, while Magma Mephits deal fire damage. It varies.
Mephits also have a bunch of breath weapons, that have various offensive or debuff effects. As such, they can fill a number of different roles in a fight. Useful both in groups on their own, or as minions for other creatures.
The main downside to this is their low save DC, meaning individual Mephits are unlikely to make their breath weapons stick against all but low level parties. Which is why they're often found in large numbers. Sooner or later, the PCs will fail some saves.
Great suggestions, the tip about using the same stats with different descriptions is really handy when you have experienced players.
One I used a while back was Vargouille. I had the party go out to rescue some nobles, but when they got to the bandit hideout, the bandits were all dead, the nobles unconscious. On the way back to town, all of the nobles' heads twist off in horrific fashion and the Vargouille attack the party.
Even the veteran players didn't see it coming.
*yoink*
If my knowledge of history serves me this day, the tale of the brave knights fighting an evil bunny is a perfect example of this. Though they required the use of an artifact called the Holy Hand Grenade or something akin. Oh well, they fought bravely. Those fools
You could have done with writing the creatures name next to them as your microphone semi cuts out at the start of a sentence. Other then that, very useful 👌
In 5e I still beleive the most underrated low cp monster is wolves. Pounce+ pact tactics =a nasty combo. And can be encountered anywhere really in the wilderness, simple mindset just hunt the prey or defend den
Be careful ! Some of those monster are designed as high level minions. They have low CR but are not meant for low level players, they are designed to fight alongside other monsters against high level players. The Shadow, the Intellect Devourer, and many others will have a high chance to kill one or more low level PC before going down.
Do not use those monsters if you don't want a PC to die in that encounter !
Always double check the actions of the monster, try to imagine a round of attacks. For exemple the Orc against a level 1 character. It can do up to 15 damage on a regular attack and 27 damage on a crit, with an average of 9 and 16. So on the first round, he will take down a PC with a low chance of killing it on the spot. That's normal, the Orc is a mid level minion, not a low level monster.
Gnolls are fantastic enemies and vastly underrated imo
The side campaign I ran to give my DM a break revolved around a Druid that went mad. Rats, ravens, giant rats, beefed up deer I home brewed as "great stags," wolves and dire wolves, dire bears that were just low CR dinosaurs I reskinned, and even awakened shrubs and trees.
The party loved it after session after session of goblins and bandits in our main campaign. Sadly I TPKd them due to bad choices on both sides of the table (don't trust CR with level three players..) so I've been working on the next chapter of the story with them arriving in the Shadowfell and dealing with trying to get home. Zombies, skeletons, shadows, and the like will all be a whole new flavor for them. Of course, the Druid will still be pushing against the hamlet they started in and getting stronger while they're gone, so I'll have to nerf the Archdruid stats a lot less.
Breaking away from the tired CR < 2 monsters is fun.
As much as i love this video, sometimes i cant understand the names of these monsters, maybe write them down on the corner of the video, or at least in the description, its really hard to figure out how to type these correctly
Absolutely *do not* use intellect devourers against low level parties, unless you're ready for everybody to shred their character sheet. They don't do much damage, but that body stealing thing is for real. You have to kill the body, then get a true res to get your people back, as the corpse will not have their brains. Most low level parties can't access that without in-game help; that is, assuming that any of them will escape the encounter to try (there's no guarantee that they will)
Also, if goblins and kobolds bore your players, you aren't doing it right. If your players have to fight goblins or kobolds, without time and resources to prepare, their reaction should pants-pooping terror. Gaining levels shouldn't erase that concern, either. I've seen mid-level parties tpk in a goblin den, and almost been one of those players. Anything with that level of intelligence should be an existential threat, given a home field advantage, regardless of party level
So, I'm going to say it, most CR ratings are pretty much garbage as a way to measure creature difficulty. Different creatures play very differently regardless of their CR. If you are calculating on a purely mathematical standpoint, then sure CRs make a degree of sense, but they fail to take into account something far more important, creature tactics.
While a zombie might have no regard for its own well being, along with many other undead or animated creatures, living beings have self preservation and wil pretty much always turn to flee if the fight turns against them unless they cannot.
A CR 4 creature can TPK a party of 5 6th lv adventurers thanks to a few bad rolls or player stupidity while a CR 10 creature can be a cakewalk for the same party on account of scouting, planning, and preparation.
Don't use CR to guide your encounter creation, use the setting and the creature abilities as well as the intended difficulty of an encounter to inform your creature selections.
Of just homebrew them, monster stat blocks are guides for what a creature might be able to do, not hard and fast rules of their limitations, it is perfectly reasonable to expect a mimic might be a bit fast or have a multiattack option or for a shadow to drain constitution instead of strength.
Plus, its a good way to remind the players that there is really no benefit to trying to min/max their actions based on meta knowledge like what a creature they never have heard of in character might be.
Ahh.. low level encounters... never fight a war pony at level 1. We didn't intend to okay? We wanted to tame one. Then rolled a one... then the 2 of them TPK'd the party or 4 level 1's.
I'm genuinely afraid my amateur 1st lvl party will die in a tavern fight against drunk unnamed npc before even getting to one of these amazing creatures😃
Nothic's are cool lads too. Gets some character backstory out in thr open with mind reading
My first encounter was avatar of death...
I regret not screening deck of many cards ahead of time before i had a bandit steal a deck from the arch mage of the local college
Great video, 1 suggestion though, despite the subtitles that come with the video if you decide to make a similar video it would be great to put down the name for each monster for people who aren't familiar with these creatures and newer DMs specifically.
Going to be honest here, Goblins and Kobolds are generally reserved for mid level parties when I run them. If you DM them correctly with the correct intelligence, they are far more dangerous than low levels can handle.
Ditto with bandits.
As a newbie DM, how can I make my goblin encounters much more deadly?
@@redmage808 Remember that 'Average intelligence' is only 10-11. So Goblins with Int 10 should be expected to use basic tactics in combat. Ambushes, traps, ganging up on targets and ranged combat all come into play.
Goblins also come in groups, you will rarely encounter just one. A small group of 6 might not be much, but a band of 12-24 riding Worgs as mounts, with a pack of 6-12 Dire Wolves as hunting dogs, is another thing entirely.
When you think of goblin traps, go basic and obvious. Logs or boulders rolling down hills, hunting snares on the ground, rock falls from above in caves. They will not be hard to avoid on their own, but in combat the Goblins could set them off when they want.
Goblins are small size creatures, use that to their advantage whenever possible. Low caves that humans might have trouble fighting in, dense forest or jungle underbrush is another option.
They also have the Nimble train in 5e, so hit and run tactics are something you can use a lot. Don't be afraid to add poison to weapons either, it doesn't have to be strong, the volume of hits will make it an issue on their own.
If you really want to go tough, consider giving some of the leaders some character levels. Rogue, Fighter and Sorcerer are all good classes to give them for added spice.
Another thing to consider is that all Goblins and Worgs have darkvision, do not hesitate to target party light sources in combat if doing so would be helpful.
Finally, Goblins tend to be cowardly, so having them retreat and come back in larger numbers is not uncommon. If the PCs are in Goblin territory then you can harass them over and over again. Make sure they are resting in safe places and if they are not then ambush them.
Goblin tribes can be as large as a few hundred combat capable members, they can take turns attacking to the point that sleep is not an issue. Players have to deal with fatigue and other concerns. Sabotage their food stores or water when you can.
Use any of these or a combination of them and your players, even at mid levels, will take goblins seriously. Just remember that they will react accordingly sooner or later, after 5th level the mage might just fireball a goblin group on sight if you make them like this.
@@Ishlacorrin de la g
@@redmage808 also adding onto what was already said if the party drives off the initial attack and some get away they can track the party with wargs and such. If you have a party that goes all in using Leomunds Tiny hut a shaman with Dispel Magic can make the entire territory more terrifying. Also even with Darkvision Perception checks are still at disadvantage in the dark as its still dim light. So the goblins can sneak up fairly easily, the shaman dispels it, the goblins get a surprise round and the next round try to press the advantage while the shaman uses a stinking cloud, web, or some other simple but useful spell. After that first round if they dont have a major advantage they can retreat and return in a few hours. The shaman NEVER puts itself at risk. I ran my lvl 12 party through hell like this. When they entered the stronghold that had trolls as well they definitely felt the pressure. They only had 1 martial character and the rest were casters so after 2/3 encounters only the Barbarian was still in fighting shape.
Ikea Gölem. Brilliant.
I’ve never ran an encounter without an ooze
Just want to say stright up, rot grub swarms are just cruel to send at your players! And the whole cr 1/2 is just way off in my opinion hahah Thank you for the video by the way. Subscribed!
They used to be worse, their bite did no damage points, but had a numbing effect, so the player had to make either a INT or CON, I can't remember which, check to even notice the presence of the grubs, although back then if the fire missed as long as the rot grub entered from an arm or leg the player had a couple of turns before it was too deep. Although, they can also be killed by anything capable of a Cure Disease effect, so hopefully the healer has a spell ready to fly.
Well it is like... Our druid likes to summon poisonous snakes, as their CR rating is 1/8 they do 2d4 poison each, and she can summon a lot of them.
So one time she summons them against some sorcerer urds.
So our damn had them find the snakes and mostly succumb to them.
But if I had been damn I would have them take it to the air and just burn them with any aoes they had.
The snakes have like to health.
CR doesn't really mean anything
A great collection of low level creatures and I love the line art. I particularly love the Pegasus, horses are notoriously difficult to draw yet your Pegasus was dynamic and powerful, fantastic thanks !
I love this, gonna have to try some of these out to surprise my players. I did a low level one shot where the final boss of the players investigating a trade route blockage ended up being a "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing" that was threatening to choke the forest the trade route ran through of any life. (google it, its a fun and bizarre classic monster that sadly did get updated to 5th edition)
Straight up amazing work! Keep it up :D
Iron Cobras are no joke. That random poison effect is bonkers.
0:44 alright I'll subscribe 😎
Haha, I said the exact same thing at 2:03
Yesss, love gnolls. Less in modern editions were they are inherently evil instead of more rational mercenaries, but still love me some doggies
Since I like to write Horror Campaigns, I'd especially like to work with the ones that induce fear and terror. Along with the undead.
Goblins can incite fear and terror if used correctly.
Unless you mean the actual fear condition
In a campaign a number of years back, I decided goblins were too cliché, so I had the starting town be attacked by merfolk.
9:48 as a cat owner i can confirm, they are just litle devils in disguise and i love em for it
Troglodytes are my favourite, especially in caves. Because they have stench that poisons those of low constitution, it's fun to use to build up to a trog encounter.
These are some of the best dnd'n videos out there. As a long time player I love how you break down and explain subjects for EVERYONE
Super helpful as I planning my first one shot and I was looking for something that is not a goblin or kobold for a couple of random encounters.
Still have a Kobold pair but their part of a skill challenge (silvery barbs) and unlikely to be an actual threat unless the players attack them.
Don't use Shadows too freely! A person with it's Strength reduced to 0 DIES IMMEDIATELY! A few hits by some Shadows can turn the tide in an instant, and potentially cause a TPK.
Incredible video! Love your content so far
Thanks a ton!
Terrific video. Those sketches!
mischievous, not mischievious; 'comprises', not 'is comprised of'
Please kill me. All best.
I like wolves, but that's because I like to run campaigns where you can feel the wild world and the act of traveling actually feels like an adventure
Very useful video. I'm definitely adding your channel to my gaming help links.
As for low level encounters, I've been reskinning monsters and adding a passive ability or weaker version of an attack from a larger monster. A low level construct or goblin becomes a broken or unfinished golem for example. It keeps the new players unsure and surprises old players with different stats.
I made an encounter where there's two Bandits controlling two giant rats and if they manage to knock out the bandits before the rats the rats will run off
The players encounter a small child in the road crying over the body of his dead dog. As the party deals with this, the boy suddenly transforms into a giant spider. FIGHT! During the fight, another spider appears from behind the party. AMBUSH! Once the fight is over they notice the dog is still alive. Wait... it's not an injured dog! It's a shapeshifted druid who was trying to ambush the party to rob their dead bodies.
It really sets up expectations that the DM is a devious SOB
actually had swarms of stirges knock out a lvl 7 monk, because he was the only alive creature in range, the other players near him being undead creatures so they only focused on him...
This is a wonderful resource can you please do this for Pathfinder 2e?
i give my players rats, with a zombie rat lycanthrope that can summon horde of rats as a boss
I actually had a really fun experience with reskinning monsters a couple times.
When I was running an MTG themed campaign, I actually re-skinned some lesser used creatures (of my own repertoire since I don't often get to run adventures anymore) as Eldrazzi. I had used a wyvern, slaads, and I believe a hydra, but described them as strange, otherworldly abominations
Running the tortle package they went up against geonids at level 1. An hour of hellish combat later I resolved to never trust cr again
Aberrations: The Nothic is only CR 2, is unnerving to look at, and can insidiously learn a character's secrets.
With a +5 to Stealth, it should be able to hit one character with its Rotting Gaze, during the surprise round, before bounding off down a hallway.
Be wary of scourges- they are the 1/8 CR level because of their health. They do a sizable amount of damage with their auto hit, with surprisingly good AC, in numbers they can wipe low level parties.
They can easily be countered with sleep spell.
Wow, you have picked some of the hardest low level encounters out there. Intellect devourers can kill way higher characters real quick due to dumpstat-ing Intelligence.
And Shadows too, why not add Ghosts as well? Just reduce stats and when they reach 0, the character is dead, no death saving throws, just dead.
Gah thank you for this. Almost wish they had organized the monsters by rating its overwhelming to sort through
Intelect devourer are cr 3, not 2.
And gibberish mouthed are cr *5* .
I find reskinning or nerfing encounters to be more fun. Take an enemy and reskin and tweak them. Nerf them or buff them if u have to. I’m currently making a fresh campaign and within the first 2-3 sessions I plan on having them face a mini boss that’s just a reskinned hill giant. I turned it into a titanic skeleton under ice resurrected by a ritual. Plan on having them fall down and be cushioned by snow putting them in a new boss arena. Nerfed the giant pretty hard because they might not be level 4 by the time they get there lmao
But, where are the sea creatures. Oh and, plant boats.
add some fun: add levels to goblins and make their first appearance at about PC lvl 4.
I need a full version of "I'm a Lich, I'm a boss."
Video: "mephits are a combination of...... "
Me: muppets? 🤔
Screaming Devilkin are pretty good early level monsters. Despite the name, they are Fey.
any of those aberations can devestate lvl15 parties , imagine what they can do at a lvl 1 party . Anyone that is not an expirienced dm pls dont use aberations against a lvl1 party they will die
Should be pronounced "jibbering," like "gibberish."
"Guys this is a black and white video." Lol
i like using large bugs (like around the size of a german shepard)
What’s the creature at 7:20 called? I couldn’t quite make it out. Might be an idea to put their names on screen in future :)
Magmins. All of our narration is always in the Closed Captions, so consider turning them on if you're having trouble making out any of our spoken words.
@@masterthedungeon Thank you.
4:18 they all be talking about blahaj, but the real shit in ikea is the gölem
It's gibbering as in gibberish. Why does no one get this right?
What?! No fecking pumas?
I love to take these low level monsters and buff them to be interesting even in later levels
Why does the mouse have a knife?! 😅
You need more subscribers this is a good Channel and has been helpful
Thank you! Share us with your friends if you can!
actually…. 3:51 it is Pegasi not pegasusses. :p
Many D&D GMs ask the question...
I started my game in a goblin tavern....
I'd have loved to see Star Spawn in the aberration section. Easily my favorite aberrations.
Call of Cthulhu D20 was made for 3rd Edition.
@@dubuyajay9964 ?
Ya but Aberrations are weird and gross and bad
Why did you have to call me out like this
Dont use cow scared cow they can tpk