Good Choices for an Encounter

[MrStabby]

I am looking for a good enemy for an encounter for medium to high level (lvl 14). There are a few conditions:

Encounter is underground - so nothing like a dragon or more generally flying things

Encounter should be a pure "for fun" combat encounter - no roleplay or moral angst. Predatory beast. Consider a palate cleanser after some of the heavier RP recent sessions.

Nothing "elemental" - simply because of the nature of the campaign this would probably send signals that would be mininterpreted

Encounter should be a really challenging fight and should be focused on ONE big beast. Some pretty irrelevant smaller creatures or something that spawns enemies could be fine.


What I am looking for is an idea - doesn't have to be anything in the monster manual. I can build the monster from there. What kind of monster might attack adventurers deep beneath the earth - Balrog style (only with less of a temptation to interpret as being plot related).

At the moment I am considering beefing up a Hydra (more HP, Regen, Acid blood, faster, better attack) or having a slightly souped up purple worm. What else might be good? Any thoughts? What would be a cool concept to spring on my players?

[superstrijder15]

Just about how much space do you have? And how much swarmyness could you handle? If you think big swarms could be effective you could de a meduse whose statues come to live as buffed gargoyle-like creatures. You could also fight the Purple Worm (CR 15). Hell, that could even be needed to advance because they need to go into the tunnel it leaves behind or something.

[Afrodactyl]

Might I recommend a tweaked ancient White dragon?

It already has a burrow speed, and if you removed the fly speed and the wing attack legendary action, it could make for a cave drake, especially if given tremorsense. Lower the HP slightly, lower the damage on the breath weapon and change it to bludgeoning damage (fluffing it to have it regurgitating swallowed dirt and rocks) to suit your CR needs.

[MrStabby]

The tweaked white dragon would be good... But they are on their way to fight one anyway... circumstantially less of a good fit. Although some ki d of generic big cave lizard might be ok.

The medusa idea I like but suffers from the problem of being interpreted as plot related. A faction has included a lot of Medusae so the encounter might be seen as needing to fit in to that.

It seems you are also backing the purple worm idea so I might rum with that. My concern had been that the fight might be a bit dull. I suppose with surprise when it bursts through the floor and it's ability to swallow PCs could be fun.

I had been intending to keep this for a night attack on the encampment though.

[Louro]

Purple worm dull?
Double the size, swallow the whole party. Now they must fight their way out through the worm's linfocites and digestive oozes.

[Afrodactyl]

If a cave drake and purple worm aren't for you, how about something like a fomorion with a group of nothics as his "children"? Or an umber hulk nest? Or cave wisps (refluffed will o' wisps) that lure the group into a ravenous grick nest?

[Kadesh]

Remorhaz, if you are in snowy climes. A pair of Remorhaz guarding a clutch of eggs (which may or may not begin to hatch dependent on how the fight is going) could be reasonably challenging without being overly deadly.

[Unoriginal]

Do you want it to be only one creature?

A group of Cave Fishers could be awesome.

Or maybe a couple of Cave Fishers fleeing from another creature?

[MrStabby]

Purple worm dull?
Double the size, swallow the whole party. Now they must fight their way out through the worm's linfocites and digestive oozes.

Yeah, should be ok. By "dull" I was probably thinking simple. I tend to create some pretty convoluted encounters. A nasty stinger attack is mainly HP damage, the bite and swallow is fun, even I think, for the person inside the worm.


If a cave drake and purple worm aren't for you, how about something like a fomorion with a group of nothics as his "children"? Or an umber hulk nest? Or cave wisps (refluffed will o' wisps) that lure the group into a ravenous grick nest?

Totally want something like this now - probably not for this encounter but in general - an enclave of knowledge clerics, wizards, warlocks with nothics as servators. Deep underground could be a nice location. Cave wisps are also a great idea. I would be keen to work those in as well.


Remorhaz, if you are in snowy climes. A pair of Remorhaz guarding a clutch of eggs (which may or may not begin to hatch dependent on how the fight is going) could be reasonably challenging without being overly deadly.

This sounds awesome. I think I will go with this. Simple, brutal and matches the environment. Then spring the purple worm when they rest.

[Louro]

Yeah, should be ok. By "dull" I was probably thinking simple. I tend to create some pretty convoluted encounters. A nasty stinger attack is mainly HP damage, the bite and swallow is fun, even I think, for the person inside the worm.
No no, get the whole party swallowed.
"It's dark, wet and warm here. The air feels thick and it's difficult to breath. You hear something watery moving towards you"
Put digestive oozes and parasites inside the worm.
Sort of "rush to the exit before time runs out" encounter.

[Ganymede]

A combat with an Underdark-dwelling medusa and the hunger-crazed xorn that keeps eating her statues would be fun.

[Laserlight]

I had fun with a gelatinous sphere. Think the Raiders of the Lost Ark opening "giant stone ball" sequence, except this isn't stone and it can change direction and chase you around corners and such. You can scale it up to being a cluster of several normal cubes and then have cubes split off and function separately as the sphere takes hits (or "hits of a certain type", such as Force).

I also had fun with a pit trap with Darkness and a couple of rust monsters. The fighter fell in, hit something--a creature he didn't recognize by sound or scent--heard it whimpering, and tried to pet it.