Heroes fight a number of different opponents during their time in the Forgotten Realms. Orcs, golems, kobolds, and goblins are among the common grunts that players will see from session to session. The repeated enemies are so common often because we're familiar with them from other fantasy mediums we've consumed. Orcs play a large role in the Lord of the Rings, for example.
While it can be fun to take on these familiar races, it can, unfortunately, mean that interesting species included in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons and Dragons can fall to the wayside. This list covers some of the underrated opponents that aren't being given the spotlight that they deserve so that, in your next campaign, you can surprise your players with an enemy they don't know anything about.
10 Aboleth
- Pages 13-14 in the 5e D&D Monster Manual
Aboleths are a fascinating species of underwater aberrations. Long ago, Aboleths used their psychic abilities to enslave mortals, convincing them that Aboleths were their Gods. That is until the real Gods appeared and freed the mortals from the Aboleths' control.
Aboleths have perfect memories which are passed down within the generations - an Aboleth can remember everything about their parents' lives, grandparents', great-grandparents', and so on. As a result, the pain and anger from their dethroning is as fresh in their mind as it was when it first happened. They've been plotting their revenge for eons.
9 Dinosaurs
- Pages 79-80 in the 5e D&D Monster Manual
You may have been too busy fawning over the countless fantastical creatures in D&D to notice that the Monster Manual actually includes stat blocks for Dinosaurs. They still exist in the material plane but are noted to live in the places that humanoid races almost never tread, like tropical islands and inaccessible plateaus.
The manual provides details for several accepted species of dinosaurs, like the Pteranodon and Triceratops. There are plenty of ways to 🧔challenge your party with these non-magical enemies. They might not be very smart, but they pack quite a punch with their strong jaws and tails.
8 Kuo-Toa
- Pages 198-200 in the 5e D&D Monster Manual
The Kuo-toa are a race that was driven mad when they were enslaved by Mindflayers. They aren't slaves to these Mindflayers anymore but have remained just as broken as before. Kuo-toa peoples devoutly worship Gods that they've made up themselves.
If you know a little about Gods in D&D, you'll know that mortal belief in a God has a significant impact on that God's power. Since the Kuo-toa worship so fervently, they can actually cause 𒈔their invented God to bec𝓰ome real. The Archpriests in their society are quite powerful, being surrounded by the devotees to these Goꦫds and even gaining magical powers from worship if a God is made real.
7 ꦡ Doppelganger
- Page 82 in the 5e D&D Monster Manual
Doppelgangers are exactly what they sound like - shapeshifters that can look like any humanoid they desire. While Dungeon Masters (DMs) may include a Doppelganger in a side quest or as a brief twist in the main story, not enough of them center entire stories around Doppelgangers. The few DMs that have done it can attest to the intrigue and mistrust it creates within the party.
Doppelgangers have a few key personality traits to keep in mind if you're going to revolve a plot around them. First, they cannot naturally learn languages, mannerisms, memory, or any other details simply by taking on someone else's form. As a result, they tend to spend time stalking their target before the transformation. Second, they often work in small groups to swindle people out of their money. Third, they are too lazy to raise their young. Instead, they simply mate with humanoid women and leave her to raise the child. These babies are called "changelings" and when they grow up, they leave their families to find other Doppelgangers.
6 Yuan-Ti
- Pages 307-310 in the 5e D&D Monster Manual
If your players' characters are gold-hungry, consider luring them into an encounter with the Yuan-ti. This species actually used to be human, with a rich, ever-expanding empire, legendary warrior🍎s, and a philosophy of clear and 𒊎emotionless thought.
They worshiped serpents and were eventually heard by the serpent Gods. As the🌱 religion spun out of control, the Yuan-ti humans began to bree𒐪d with snakes - in retrospect, Yuan-ti consider this to be a spiritual moment of shedding their weak humanity. Other species were outraged by the Yuan-ti and fought against them, so their once-great kingdom fell. Now, Yuan-ti keeps to themselves in the ruins of their civilization.
5 Lamia
- Page 201 in the 5e D&D Monster Manual
Lamiasꦜ are half-human, half-lion creatures of hedonism. Their human halves are as beautiful as their lion halves are deadly. This hedonistic species creates dens in forgotten ruins, filling them with ancient relics and whatever fine, bওeautiful items they can steal from travelers and traders who pass by.
At first glance, with these items scattered about, a Lamia den is a gorgeous place. However, if you push past the magic they have cast, you'll be able to see the decaying ruin that is really beneath it.
Above all, Lamias are hedonistic. They weaken the minds of their prey with their beautiful dens, extravagant belongings, and intoxicating spells of food, wine, and incense. You'll never see it coming when they begin to cast enchantments on you. They also adore crushing the virtue of adventurers they come across, seducing them, and bringing them to an evil alignment.
4 Medusa
- Page 214 in the 5e D&D Monster Manual
Medusa isn't just one woman in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Rather, they are a species of monstrosities. Medusas are men or women who sought out something vain, including immortality, physical beauty, to be endlessly admired, etc. They may have prayed to a God, made a deal with a Dragon, or asked a powerful mage. Medusas do receive their desired reward... for a time. But when the magic has run out they become a horror as punishment for their vanity, with grey skin and snake hair.
Anyone who looks at a Medusa is turned into stone - including the Medusa themself - so most of them live far away from society. Even if they try to make a nice home for them⛄selves, their immortality means꧃ that, one day, they will allow it to fall into disrepair and it will be known as their lair.
3 Hags
- Pages 176-179 in the 5e D&D Monster Manual
Hags earn a spot on this list of underrated D&D enemies simply because their versatility is often overlooked. Whatever the kind of setting you are playing in, there is a Hag for your needs. They may work in cﷺovens or alone, they may be helpful or antagonistic, and they may be easy to reach or remote. The choice is yours.
Green Hags are the kind that live in forests or swamps, tricking people by using the voice of a young person or wailing baby. A Night Hag delights in twisting good people to evil, having once been fae themselves before their exile to Hades. Sea Hags are angered by beauty and will destroy it any way that they can. If a pre-existing Hag subtype doesn't work for you, there's more than enough lore for you to understand them and create your own kind of Hag.
2 Modrons
- Pages 224-226 in the 5e D&D Monster Manual
You may have seen people fawn over Modron designs online, or even within your own D&D group, but when was the last time you actually faced them down in a campaign? Their adorable mechanical designs are just unusual enough that any new design that popped into a DM's head could easily be rendered canon.
The trouble🌼 with including Modrons in a campaign is that their lore is a little specific. They pretty much only exist on the plane of Mechanus and they serve one leader: Primus. Whilওe a DM could homebrew another explanation for their appearance, it can be a slippery slope to explain your choices. However, if you do have a plane-hopping party, consider taking a trip to visit the Modrons.
1 Rakshasa
- Page 257 in the 5e D&D Monster Manual
The Rakshasa has been in D&D since the original AD&D Monster Manual. It's a fiend creature of immense wisdom and unbelievable intelligence. It originated in the Nine Hells because Devils were trying to escape to the Material Plane. While on the Material Plane 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:it can take any form it wants, but its true form is like a cross between a human and🔥 a tiger🐻.
Rakshasas are on the Material Plane to eat humanoid flesh and cause chaos. It will do anything to avoid death because that would mean going back to the Nine Hells. However, do be wary if you choose to kill a Rakshasa - their bodies can reform and their new body will retain all their past memories, including knowledge of the one who slew them.