Fitting monsters to face for group.

[Spacehamster]

So game session kind of came up out of the blue and wanted to ask some advice what type/numbers would be fitting for a group of 4 of 4 or maybe 5 level 8 toons w point buy, free level 1 feat and couple low tier magic items?

Just some loose recommendations would be nice as it came up out of nowhere and I have v little time to sit down and plan properly.

Setting is sandbox homebrew world where the pc’s will own a small settlement with surrounding untamed lands and is a continuation from a 3.5 story I began long ago and want to pick up again.

Only pc I know what will be is a hill Dwarf life cleric with plate, shield and axe that will heal and bash some skulls at the front, others by my guess will mostly be martial characters, one player tends to always play a Paladin type char and the one I am not sure if can make it usually plays something magicky.

Anyways any help is welcome.

Best regards / Spacehamster

[BLC1975]

What kind of terrain do you mean by "untamed"?

[Spacehamster]

What kind of terrain do you mean by "untamed"?

It’s a very large piece of land given as a reward for saving a king and his family(the land were barely explored at all and no inhabitants) in the south it’s temperate with forests and half decent farming potential, it has a coastline and in the north it becomes more tundra like climate with open fields and a mountain range.

[BLC1975]

Which books do you have? With a coastline I would be tempted by a Sea Hag coven with Lair and minions.

[Spacehamster]

Which books do you have? With a coastline I would be tempted by a Sea Hag coven with Lair and minions.

Think I have all published books xcpt the very latest adventure book

[Unoriginal]

Well, it's traditional to fight Giants, when the heroes show up in a wild, untammed place they wish to establish civilisation in.

[Afrodactyl]

How about combining the lot? Hag coven tucked away somewhere, using a bunch of hill giants as their dim-witted (thus easily manipulated) and brutish minions who are out generally causing chaos (you can specify what kind of chaos of course).

Could easily be a giant encounter thrown at the party as a stop-gap, then used for a broader campaign arc.

[Unoriginal]

Or it could be that the Giants need help because the Hags have kidnapped their babies, and they're searching through the PCs' new land.

[DMThac0]

Giants stomping through looking for their abducted babies/children, Sea Hags having said babies/children for nefarious deeds, and the crazed beasts who've been scared witless running amok through the territory!

Think of all the bugbears, gnolls, owlbears, and other mid-ranged critters trying to get away and creating utter chaos in their fear.

[the secret fire]

Monsters don't usually make good party faces. It's mostly because of their faces.

[Spacehamster]

Thanks for all the tips, had to create characters for two of the players that were coming later too so did not have any
preparation time at all almost so had to wing it all and just use random encounter generator but tyvm anyways, so damn
fun to get some D&D in again after a 1,5 year of no playing. :)

[BLC1975]

Shame, you should have random rolled the characters on DND Beyond to save time and focus on the adventure...maybe a couple of Triton.

Sea Hag coven, Sea Spawn, Giants, bugbears, Owlbears...was beginning to sound like a kick-ass session. Planted a seed for me though once/if my guys get through the Sunless Citadel in one piece.

[Spacehamster]

Shame, you should have random rolled the characters on DND Beyond to save time and focus on the adventure...maybe a couple of Triton.

Sea Hag coven, Sea Spawn, Giants, bugbears, Owlbears...was beginning to sound like a kick-ass session. Planted a seed for me though once/if my guys get through the Sunless Citadel in one piece.

Well there is always the next session. :) hopefully not 1,5 yrs in the future this time lol. Anyways we had loads of fun so no biggie. :)