This was an awesome video! If you enjoyed making it, you should absolutely make it into a series because nobody is really doing anything like this on UA-cam. In terms of interesting monsters that I like, I’ve made a whole list of monsters with unique abilities that hope to run one day since I’ve read all the 5e monster books for fun. I also know I’ll never get through all of these in my lifetime, so I’m sharing it here too (note I paired some with other monsters that I think they might have interesting interactions with): Valenar Animals Jermlaine Thrulls Kuo-Toa Dire Corby Grung Thorny Vegepygmies Sunflies Clockwork Horrors Myconid Sovereign Bearded Devil Bulezau Kobold (Dragonshield, Inventor) Ogre Chain Brute Xvarts (non-speaker, warlock) Flying Horrors Deathlock Wights Lava Child Needlefolk (Lord and Spawns) Specters, Shadows, Gas Spores Oracle Firenewt Warlocks of Imix, Giant Striders Egg Hunters Hollyphant Rain Unicorn Bullywugs (Croaker, Knight, Giant Toad) Chimera Returned Kakomantis Incubus/Sucubus, Lamia Nymphs (Lampad, Naiad, Oread) Hoplites (Akroan, Meletian, Setessan) Firbolg (Wanderer, Primeval Warden) Sea Hag Cinder Hulk Chain Devil Goblin (Bosses, Psi Commanders) Howler Dragon Followers (Blessed, Chosen, Speaker) Inquisitor of the Sword Vargouille [Reflection]/Maurezhi Orc (War Chief, Claw of Luthic, Blade of Ilneval, Nurtured One of Yurtus) Abominable Yeti Frost Salamander Blight (tree, razorvine) Hydroloth Hammer Handed Stone Golem Faerie Dragons Autumn Eladrin Maelephant Steam Mephit, Sahuagin (Blademasters and High Priestesses) Blastseekers (Galvanic, Cosmotronic, Counterflux, Flux) Norker War Leader, Worgs/Winter Wolves, Hobgoblins (Warlords, Captains) Nightmare Shepherd Djinni Fog Giants Slaadi (Death, Red) Frost Giant Everlasting One Archon, Mount Aeorian Nullifiers, Black Pudding Stone Giant of Deadstone Cleft, White Maw Guardinal (musteval, avoral) Solar Dragon, Astral Elf Aristocrat Ironscale Hydra Wastrilith Hill Giant Avalancher, Xorn Beholder Lunar Dragon Boneclaw, Ropers, Darkmantles, Meazels Quaggoth Thonots, Drow House Captain Drowned Relentless Killers (Slasher, Juggernaut) Shadar-Kai (Soul Monger, Gloom Weaver) Fire Giant Dreadnought Nabassu Purple Worm Giff (Warlord, Shock Trooper, Shipmate) Cloud Giant of Evil Air, Swarm of Ravens Warlord, War Priest Titivilus, Merregon Treants, Dryads Modron Package (nonaton, hexton) Androsphinx Baernaloth Death Knight Death Giants (reaper, shrouded one) Githzerai (enlightened, uniter, traveler, futurist, knight) Fomorians (warlock, deep craweler, standard) Githyanki (supreme commander, kith'rak) Duergar (Despot, Warlord, Screamer, Kavalrachni, Mind Master, Stone Guard), Female Steeder Amnizu/Nupperibo Ghost, Dragon Wyrmlings (red, blue, green, black, white) Sorrowsworn Vecna the Archlich Core Spawn (Seer, Emissary, Worm) Gnoll Package (Shoosuva, Leucrotta, Flind, Pack Lord, Witherlings) Golem, Ancient Dragon (Flesh with Blue, Clay with Black, Iron with Fire) Inspired, Quori (Kalaraq and Hashalaq) Intellect Devourers,Star Spawn (Grue, Hulk, Larva Mage, Seer) Abishai (Red and White) Juiblex Zuggtmoy Yeenoghu Scions (of Skoraeus, Surtur, Thrym or Grolantor) Drow (Matron Mother, Inquisitor (Summoner Variant), Yochlol, Glabrezu) Ancient Dragon Turtle Trolls/Fensirs (Variant, Mutates, Venom, Ice, Rot, Spirit, Amalgam, Devourer) Ancient Time Dragon Kolyarut/Marut
That’s an awesome list, thanks for sharing! And just imagine how many more you’ll add when the new Monster Manual comes out! Also, I have a series called 5-Minute Monster where I analyze different enemies and give tips for using them both in combat and story, so you might like that! There’s a playlist with all of them!
@@TheBardsCollegeYTI did enjoy them! It looks like we also both had Ropers, Slaadi, and Liches on our list. Also, forgot to mention earlier, the editing on your videos is great :)
Thank you very much! I think there are definitely technical aspects I can improve (a better mic…) but I’m usually pretty happy with the editing, glad you agree!
I usually have a swarm of stirges that live around the Tarrasque's shell, as a little surprise for those fliers with range attack ideas. I also like to send the first Murder Hobo in every game group an Aleax, something that hasn't been around since 1st generation D&D. Usually, the first one appears in a dream sequence and if they don't take the hint. The second one is real.
I love the idea of a Tarrasque having its own little ecosystem with stirges, very cool! And I had to look up Aleax, I hope for their sake they get the message!
These critters also have the advantage of mostly being giant bugs (or at least having more limbs than a creature of their type *usually* would, and thus earning the title of Honorary Bug.)
Umber hulk have always been a favorite of mine. Even high level characters struggle when confused. They make great brute minions for higher level games
banger video man, you got one happy DM and 6 unhappy players! I didn't even know most of these monsters existed aside from the cockatrice and froghemoth
Great video man. Behirs and helmed horrors are definitely going on the list. I've been looking for more unique higher level enemies as my party is getting into the higher levels
behir I used. And Kruthiks, (nice for the projectile and slash), perytons, automatons like the oaken bolter and stone guardian. In fact, automatons are great traps and guardians (and immune to a lot of those control spells), perfect for puzzles. Allips are spirits of forbidden knowledge, so they make great "timers" and "chase" monsters to use against your party if they learn someone's secrets... OR as guardians they must defeat to reveal some juicy details. Berbelangs also work for the same, but are low key easier to deal with, as they're demons and will bargain for knowledge, and the visuals for them is just chef's kiss. And for whinsy, look no further than the kobold inventors, but if you feel adventurous, scale up their "weapons" and give the party such things as a giant skunk to deal with or a swarm of giant centipedes!
Love these shouts! Perytons and berbelangs are ones I need to try out, and surprisingly I’ve never used kobolds, either! Thanks for the recommendations!
Very cool list; I've got a couple of those monsters waiting in the wings for my current campaign, actually. The players are level 4 at the moment, so maybe I should hold off on the behir for now...but the umber hulk would be just right!
In my current campaign I have a slightly edited version of the thri kreen as just, a common race of people that can be found both as friendly npcs and enemies, they can speak normally rather than by telepathy (because I like the idea of them speaking by clicking their amndibles and it giving them something akin to their own accent) and I feel it adds a lot to my desert setting, I really like the animalistic ancestries like tabaxi or loxodon and think they fit a fantasy setting eprfectly, and thri-kreen really fit a desert setting.
Thri-Kreen really do feel like they belong in the desert! I love turning them into a race your players will encounter often, I bet it adds a lot of mystique to your setting!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT I wanted to having a recurring "general" merchant character and while I started with a very tropey merchant man who shows up everywhere with a big handlebar moustache that you've seen before, I realised making them a thri-kreen would both make them stand out a bit, and be a fun extra thing of the merchant having 4 arms so they can alwayys be pulling something out of their bag or reorganising shelves while physically presenting and demonstrating any products.
Since my setting has both Kobolds and Goblins as playable species that aren't particularly monstrous anymore, I've used derro to replace their niche as low level small intelligent humanish monsters. I think they're also a monster that could use more attention and love lore wise
I am literally using almost all of these in my campaign right now Its a roman themed campaign and ive got a gladiator named The Umber Hulk Hoganus The god Emperor based off Zues has a pet Behir One big bad who has a large group of Iron golems has also made an army of helmed horrors and swarms of homunculi And the BBEG for the whole campaign is based around Achilles who has an Ant theme so most of his agents are all thri kren
3:32 COCKATRICE PIRATE! COCKATRICE PIRATE! turn to stone -> throw overboard It might really feel like BS but it's also gotta be so funny that some players won't mind dying this way
This was an awesome video! If you enjoyed making it, you should absolutely make it into a series because nobody is really doing anything like this on UA-cam.
In terms of interesting monsters that I like, I’ve made a whole list of monsters with unique abilities that hope to run one day since I’ve read all the 5e monster books for fun. I also know I’ll never get through all of these in my lifetime, so I’m sharing it here too (note I paired some with other monsters that I think they might have interesting interactions with):
Valenar Animals
Jermlaine
Thrulls
Kuo-Toa
Dire Corby
Grung
Thorny Vegepygmies
Sunflies
Clockwork Horrors
Myconid Sovereign
Bearded Devil
Bulezau
Kobold (Dragonshield, Inventor)
Ogre Chain Brute
Xvarts (non-speaker, warlock)
Flying Horrors
Deathlock Wights
Lava Child
Needlefolk (Lord and Spawns)
Specters, Shadows, Gas Spores
Oracle
Firenewt Warlocks of Imix, Giant Striders
Egg Hunters
Hollyphant
Rain
Unicorn
Bullywugs (Croaker, Knight, Giant Toad)
Chimera
Returned Kakomantis
Incubus/Sucubus, Lamia
Nymphs (Lampad, Naiad, Oread)
Hoplites (Akroan, Meletian, Setessan)
Firbolg (Wanderer, Primeval Warden)
Sea Hag
Cinder Hulk
Chain Devil
Goblin (Bosses, Psi Commanders)
Howler
Dragon Followers (Blessed, Chosen, Speaker)
Inquisitor of the Sword
Vargouille [Reflection]/Maurezhi
Orc (War Chief, Claw of Luthic, Blade of Ilneval, Nurtured One of Yurtus)
Abominable Yeti
Frost Salamander
Blight (tree, razorvine)
Hydroloth
Hammer Handed Stone Golem
Faerie Dragons
Autumn Eladrin
Maelephant
Steam Mephit, Sahuagin (Blademasters and High Priestesses)
Blastseekers (Galvanic, Cosmotronic, Counterflux, Flux)
Norker War Leader, Worgs/Winter Wolves, Hobgoblins (Warlords, Captains)
Nightmare Shepherd
Djinni
Fog Giants
Slaadi (Death, Red)
Frost Giant Everlasting One
Archon, Mount
Aeorian Nullifiers, Black Pudding
Stone Giant of Deadstone Cleft, White Maw
Guardinal (musteval, avoral)
Solar Dragon, Astral Elf Aristocrat
Ironscale Hydra
Wastrilith
Hill Giant Avalancher, Xorn
Beholder
Lunar Dragon
Boneclaw, Ropers, Darkmantles, Meazels
Quaggoth Thonots, Drow House Captain
Drowned
Relentless Killers (Slasher, Juggernaut)
Shadar-Kai (Soul Monger, Gloom Weaver)
Fire Giant Dreadnought
Nabassu
Purple Worm
Giff (Warlord, Shock Trooper, Shipmate)
Cloud Giant of Evil Air, Swarm of Ravens
Warlord, War Priest
Titivilus, Merregon
Treants, Dryads
Modron Package (nonaton, hexton)
Androsphinx
Baernaloth
Death Knight
Death Giants (reaper, shrouded one)
Githzerai (enlightened, uniter, traveler, futurist, knight)
Fomorians (warlock, deep craweler, standard)
Githyanki (supreme commander, kith'rak)
Duergar (Despot, Warlord, Screamer, Kavalrachni, Mind Master, Stone Guard), Female Steeder
Amnizu/Nupperibo
Ghost, Dragon Wyrmlings (red, blue, green, black, white)
Sorrowsworn
Vecna the Archlich
Core Spawn (Seer, Emissary, Worm)
Gnoll Package (Shoosuva, Leucrotta, Flind, Pack Lord, Witherlings)
Golem, Ancient Dragon (Flesh with Blue, Clay with Black, Iron with Fire)
Inspired, Quori (Kalaraq and Hashalaq)
Intellect Devourers,Star Spawn (Grue, Hulk, Larva Mage, Seer)
Abishai (Red and White)
Juiblex
Zuggtmoy
Yeenoghu
Scions (of Skoraeus, Surtur, Thrym or Grolantor)
Drow (Matron Mother, Inquisitor (Summoner Variant), Yochlol, Glabrezu)
Ancient Dragon Turtle
Trolls/Fensirs (Variant, Mutates, Venom, Ice, Rot, Spirit, Amalgam, Devourer)
Ancient Time Dragon
Kolyarut/Marut
That’s an awesome list, thanks for sharing! And just imagine how many more you’ll add when the new Monster Manual comes out! Also, I have a series called 5-Minute Monster where I analyze different enemies and give tips for using them both in combat and story, so you might like that! There’s a playlist with all of them!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT Thanks! i’m actually working through it now. I saw Sea Hags plus some others on both of our lists, so I started there :)
Hope you enjoy the videos, glad we had some overlap!
@@TheBardsCollegeYTI did enjoy them! It looks like we also both had Ropers, Slaadi, and Liches on our list.
Also, forgot to mention earlier, the editing on your videos is great :)
Thank you very much! I think there are definitely technical aspects I can improve (a better mic…) but I’m usually pretty happy with the editing, glad you agree!
I usually have a swarm of stirges that live around the Tarrasque's shell, as a little surprise for those fliers with range attack ideas. I also like to send the first Murder Hobo in every game group an Aleax, something that hasn't been around since 1st generation D&D. Usually, the first one appears in a dream sequence and if they don't take the hint. The second one is real.
I love the idea of a Tarrasque having its own little ecosystem with stirges, very cool! And I had to look up Aleax, I hope for their sake they get the message!
The swarm of stirges around a ginormous creature is a great idea.
These critters also have the advantage of mostly being giant bugs (or at least having more limbs than a creature of their type *usually* would, and thus earning the title of Honorary Bug.)
100%, I love all animals but giant bugs make things much creepier and more memorable when your players are inevitable grabbed by those extra limbs!
Welcome to the ant colony
@@onyxgrnr666 basically an ankheg colony!
Honestly really surprised this channel doesn’t have a lot more subs, the presentation of this video is great :)
Thank you so much, kind words like that really mean a lot! I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
Umber hulk have always been a favorite of mine. Even high level characters struggle when confused. They make great brute minions for higher level games
I like the idea of umberhulks as minions, might steal that for my own game! Thanks!
banger video man, you got one happy DM and 6 unhappy players! I didn't even know most of these monsters existed aside from the cockatrice and froghemoth
Glad I can help torment your party! That’s why I’m here!
I’m going to be playing a Thri-Kreen gunslinger so I always have a free hand to load firearms
I love that! One gun is reloading while another is firing!
Great video man. Behirs and helmed horrors are definitely going on the list. I've been looking for more unique higher level enemies as my party is getting into the higher levels
Glad I could help! I’ve enjoyed using both of those, so I hope they give your players the challenge you’re looking for!
The yellow musk creeper W/ zombies. It was the only thing that nearly resulted in a tpk on a dinosaur survival island game I ran.
Had to look this one up - of course it’s from Tomb of Annihilation! Brutal monster, thanks for putting it on my radar!
behir I used. And Kruthiks, (nice for the projectile and slash), perytons, automatons like the oaken bolter and stone guardian. In fact, automatons are great traps and guardians (and immune to a lot of those control spells), perfect for puzzles.
Allips are spirits of forbidden knowledge, so they make great "timers" and "chase" monsters to use against your party if they learn someone's secrets... OR as guardians they must defeat to reveal some juicy details.
Berbelangs also work for the same, but are low key easier to deal with, as they're demons and will bargain for knowledge, and the visuals for them is just chef's kiss.
And for whinsy, look no further than the kobold inventors, but if you feel adventurous, scale up their "weapons" and give the party such things as a giant skunk to deal with or a swarm of giant centipedes!
Love these shouts! Perytons and berbelangs are ones I need to try out, and surprisingly I’ve never used kobolds, either! Thanks for the recommendations!
Very cool list; I've got a couple of those monsters waiting in the wings for my current campaign, actually. The players are level 4 at the moment, so maybe I should hold off on the behir for now...but the umber hulk would be just right!
You have great taste in monsters! And you can always save the behir for when they get a little stronger… Or if they get cocky, your choice
I’ve used behir and umber hulks before.
Good stuff
Love them both! Hope your players did too - or hated them, either or!
In my current campaign I have a slightly edited version of the thri kreen as just, a common race of people that can be found both as friendly npcs and enemies, they can speak normally rather than by telepathy (because I like the idea of them speaking by clicking their amndibles and it giving them something akin to their own accent) and I feel it adds a lot to my desert setting, I really like the animalistic ancestries like tabaxi or loxodon and think they fit a fantasy setting eprfectly, and thri-kreen really fit a desert setting.
Thri-Kreen really do feel like they belong in the desert! I love turning them into a race your players will encounter often, I bet it adds a lot of mystique to your setting!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT I wanted to having a recurring "general" merchant character and while I started with a very tropey merchant man who shows up everywhere with a big handlebar moustache that you've seen before, I realised making them a thri-kreen would both make them stand out a bit, and be a fun extra thing of the merchant having 4 arms so they can alwayys be pulling something out of their bag or reorganising shelves while physically presenting and demonstrating any products.
That’s awesome! I might have to steal the “4-armed shopkeep” for my own games!
Since my setting has both Kobolds and Goblins as playable species that aren't particularly monstrous anymore, I've used derro to replace their niche as low level small intelligent humanish monsters. I think they're also a monster that could use more attention and love lore wise
I agree, I really like derro! I used some when my party entered the Underdark, definitely should be more popular!
I am literally using almost all of these in my campaign right now
Its a roman themed campaign and ive got a gladiator named The Umber Hulk Hoganus
The god Emperor based off Zues has a pet Behir
One big bad who has a large group of Iron golems has also made an army of helmed horrors and swarms of homunculi
And the BBEG for the whole campaign is based around Achilles who has an Ant theme so most of his agents are all thri kren
You have great taste in monsters, then! That sounds like a very fun campaign!
3:32 COCKATRICE PIRATE!
COCKATRICE PIRATE!
turn to stone -> throw overboard
It might really feel like BS but it's also gotta be so funny that some players won't mind dying this way
It just. Makes. Sense! I’m glad you see the vision, the best part is when they un-petrify 24 hours at the bottom of the ocean. Hilarious!
great list, with some great imagination in the use in game
Thank you! I always hope I can inspire creativity for others, too!
Super helpful!
I’m glad! Thanks for watching!
you, my friend, are very well spoken and i WILL be watching more of your videos. thank you youtube algorithm
Thank you very much! I’m glad you enjoyed the video, there’s more to come!
Waa! Whimper! Whine! I still haven’t used all the monsters from 1E! Bring back the disenchanter. Think a rust monster which eats magic items.
I just looked them up, I can only imagine the rage at the table when someone’s favorite magic sword has the spells sucked out of it!