There are seemingly endless monsters that your DM can throw at you in even a single game ofDungeons & Dragons, or at least it feels like it when you’re mid-combat. There truly are monsters for every scenario, and that’s just from the official books.
While some look deadly just from first glance, likeillithids or beholders. Others can be quite deceptive in nature, seeming weak or even cute before being detrimental to your party’s health. Be on the lookout for the monsters on this list before you start your next adventure. Don’t drop your guard, because these may seem harmless, but they can quickly send your team back to the character creation pages.
10Cranium Rat
Not Your Average Vermin
At first glance, nothing more than unusually gross-looking vermin, but the lore of the Cranium Ratsleads you down some dark paths. The stat blocks of the Cranium Rat and Cranium Rat Swarm are pretty average, with some bite attacks and potent psychic abilities.
But, the lore that follows lets your DM alter them as they see fit. With larger swarms getting more and more powerful as their collective conscience grows. At the very best, they are spying on you because of the nearby illithids that spawned them, and at worst, they have some potent psionic abilities to throw your way.
9Gelatinous Cube
A Classic Monster
A D&D classic. Gelatinous Cubes have been around as long as D&D has. While they’re often overlooked as fodder enemies, they really shouldn’t be underestimated. A single Gelatinous Cube can not only block a path, but also deal Acid damage and suffocate a character that gets sucked into its four-sided form.
All it takes is a narrow hallway or small room, and a single Gelatinous Cube can be a major threat no matter what level your party is. There is a reason they’ve survived so many editions as a major D&D enemy, versatile and deadly at the same time.
8Air Elemental
Not A Light Breeze
Elementals in general are surprisingly deadly threats, but Air Elementals especially. They look like just a gathered bit of breeze, if they can be seen at all.
Once spotted, they can easily cause havoc for your party with a solid Slam attack, Multiattack, which allows for freedom of movement and Resistance to damage. Even worse, its Whirlwind attack not only harms the players but also throws them through the air. This makes cohesion and melee attacks nearly impossible with just one Air Elemental in the fray.
7Animated Rug
Trust Nothing
There are a handful of animated creatures out there, and the option for your DM to craft more. While each has their own hurdles to jump to defeat them, the Animated Rug is easily the most deceiving.
Obviously, they look like normal rugs, which can be deadly enough if you get surprised at the right moment. But their Smother attack is something else entirely. It grapples the opponent, blinding them and restraining them. On top of that, any damage they take, the person grappled takes the other half. A 2d6+3 damage on every turn the creature is grappled means you’ll want to act quickly to relieve your party member.
6Rust Monster
Weapons Beware
The bane of many a long-term D&D player. Rust Monsters are something that strikes fear into many a heart, but for an adventuring group that is new to them, they may just look like big bugs.
Running into them without any previous knowledge can easily be the end of your party as your weapons corrode and fall apart before your eyes, leaving you all but defenseless, depending on your party layout. Rust Monsters, even at a distance, should probably just be avoided entirely, unless you don’t mind at least going shopping for new weapons and armor the next session.
5Intellect Devourer
Brain Food
Intellect Devourers look creepy, to be sure, but not necessarily deadly, being the size of a small dog and all. Like any illithid creature, though, they hold dark secrets.
Their claw attack is the least of your concerns, considering they have the ability to slowly consume the Intelligence score of any creature that can’t succeed on an Intelligence Saving Throw. Worse still, they have the ability to swap out with the brain of any creature, effectively puppeteering them for their illithid overlords. Even a single Intellect Devourer can destroy a party, and they’re rarely alone.
4Kuo-Toa
What Makes A God?
Not every deadly enemy is deadly because of their combat prowess. The Kuo-Toa is a creature similar to most Bandits or other humanoid enemies. They do a fair amount of damage with simple weapons and slippery skin, but any group of Kuo-Toa you find can mean an early endgame. The Kuo-Toa have a passive trait in their lore that allows any group of them to create gods.
Anything they worship can become a deity depending on how many of them believe it. This means you may easily be facing down an aquatic cult with an actual god behind them,making it far harderto get away safely.
3Cockatrice Regent
Which Came First?
Many of the major D&D monsters are a sight to behold, but the Cockatrice Regent simply isn’t. It can be boiled down to a character design that sums up as: big chicken. Not that scary, right?
Wrong. Its abilities make it well worth the high CR. An ability that allows Cockatrice Regent to avoid Opportunity Attacks, a Talons attack that does 4d6+4 as the baseline, and even worse, a biting attack that has the chance to petrify the target on two failed Constitution Saving Throws are its biggest weapons. Not just your average big chicken. And this is all fromasingle monster. Imagine a flock of Cockatrices led by one Regent.
2Shadow
A Dark Encounter
Sometimes creatures look edgy, but aren’t worth much worry. That is far from the case with the Shadow creature.Any fear you feeltowards the Shadow is justified thanks to its deadly abilities.
Shadows have a surprising number of Immunities and Resistances, which makes them hard to hurt. On top of that, they can blend in and move through darkness easily, and their main attack, Strength Drain, not only hurts the party member, but also reduces their Strength score by a d4 every time. Once that score hits zero… well, no need for a Death Saving Throw.
1Psychic Grey Ooze
Brains And Slime
Oozes come in all colors and types. Whether they’re jelly-like, gelatinous, or just plain oozy in nature, most are annoying to come across but not a huge threat unless in a confined space. The Psychic Grey Oozes are something else, though.
They not only have the usual benefits of the gelatinous kindred, being able to move through small spaces and such, but they are far smarter than usual. Blending into the surrounding rocks, they can engulf their prey, corroding even tough metal. For more distant enemies, they can use their Psychic Crush ability to do a surprising amount of damage, too. Keep an eye out next time you go dungeon delving.
