By [ad_1]
One of the most satisfying things about playing Dungeons and Dragons is character advancement. There’s no better feeling for players or Dungeon Masters than watching a group rise from their humble beginnings to positions of power, able to defend the world from any threats. Early on in an adventurer’s career they often face small hordes of weak creatures like bandits, goblins, or wild animals.
At the apex of their careers, they are able to do battle with mighty devils, ancient dragons, and powerful liches. But there is a period in the middle of an adventurer’s career where the enemies they face change up quite a bit. Many of the iconic monsters of folklore or of D&D’s history live on either end of the spectrum, so the middle levels are home to some interesting and unique foes.
10 Humanoid NPCs Help The Players Feel Like The World Grows With Them
It’s easy for Dungeon Masters to forget about basic, humanoid adversaries as a party grows in skill and power. After all, if they were fighting human bandits at level one, it feels sort of weird to throw a group of soldiers at them at level ten. But if the characters are able to grow in power, why shouldn’t the rest of the world? Volo’s Guide to Monsters introduced a wide variety of higher Challenge Rating NPC adversaries, many of them roughly analogous to the player classes. Using these foes can help remind the players that they aren’t untouchable, even as they grow beyond the capabilities of the average person.
9 Aboleths Are Vile, Abberant Puppetmasters
Hailing from the primordial oceans from a time before time, aboleths are a great puppetmaster-type adversary. They are able to ensorcell the minds of mortal creatures, turning them into subservient thralls.
Their legendary and lair actions help make them a powerful monster to engage head-on, even if the party can get past their servants. An aboleth is the perfect candidate to wrap up the first phase of a D&D campaign, serving as the party’s introduction to high-level play.
8 Bring Out An Underutilized Fiend In The Yugoloths
D&D’s cosmological morality system, referred to as alignment, features two axes: Lawful to Chaotic and Good to Evil. The Lawful Evil and Chaotic Evil alignments are epitomized in devils and demons respectively, but a third type of fiend helps fill in the Neutral Evil slot. The yugoloths are extraplanar mercenaries, serving whoever can pay them the most. There are many different kinds of yugoloths, and they make great enforcers, assassins, and bodyguards for a mid-campaign boss.
7 Genies Are A Classic Monster Capable Of Granting Wishes
These elemental creatures come with built-in story hooks that are sure to get a D&D party invested. There is a genie for each of the four elements, and each one has its own personality and proclivities. The earth-aligned Dao are greedy and competitive, willing to do anything to put themselves above other Dao. The air-aligned Djinn are the only Good genies, and are the most capricious of the lot.
The firey Efreet are cunning and spiteful, and the most prone to vengeance. Finally, the water-aligned Marids possess the most powerful innate magical powers. A genie’s classic wish-granting ability is an easy way to hook a party’s attention, and any DMs looking to introduce a tenuous ally that may turn to an enemy at any moment should consider a genie.
6 The Gith Are A Diverse Set Of Planar Enemies
There are two kinds of gith in D&D, the githyanki and the githzerai. The githyanki are militaristic, patrolling the Astral Plane on their specialized ships or from the backs of their red dragon mounts. The githzerai, on the other hand, are monklike ascetics, using the power of their minds to tame the chaos of their chosen home, the plane of Limbo. A single gith would make a fine boss adversary for a low-level party, but by mid-levels a D&D group could be fighting entire crews of githyanki pirates or githzerai warrior-monks in the employ of a powerful enemy.
5 The Hydra Is A Variation On The Dragon
Dragons are a dime a dozen in Dungeons and Dragons, but several draconic creatures make for an interesting alternative. One of these is the hydra, whose regenerative properties and multiplying attacks make it a dangerous foe for a mid-level party. Players familiar with the myth of the hydra won’t have too much trouble guessing its fire weakness, but this monster is still sure to be a fun fight. Cunning DM’s might even swap out the fire weakness for a different elemental type to put a spin on the classic tale.
4 The Mind Flayer Is Iconic For A Reason
Mind flayers, or illithids, are one of the most iconic creatures that originated in D&D. With their squid-like faces and brain-devouring proclivities, they are a formidable foe for anyone, but especially for mid-level parties. By the time a D&D group reaches high levels, they’ll have access to spells like Greater Restoration, Raise Dead, and Resurrection. But before these spells, the illithid’s ability to devour a creature’s brain, killing them instantly, is a major threat that will need to be dealt with carefully.
3 Nagas Make Great Dungeon Guardians
Dungeons are a huge part of Dungeons and Dragons, and higher-level dungeons need higher-level monsters. The naga is a perfect dungeon guardian. They were created by an ancient society of mages and now dwell in deep catacombs and libraries, amassing and hoarding knowledge. These creatures present an interesting opportunity for bargaining and negotiation while still packing enough of a punch to prevent mid-level groups from simply killing them to get at their secrets.
2 The Sorrowsworn Are Horrific And Evocative
These lesser-known D&D monsters made their 5th edition debut in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. There are five kinds of Sorrowsworn, but only four are relevant at mid-levels. The Angry, the Hungry, the Lonely, and the Lost each have unique ways of attacking, reflecting their brand of sorrow.
These creatures are horrifying to behold, making them a great way to remind a group of mid-level players that the world has more dangerous threats than wolves and goblins.
1 Vampires Make For Great Hunting Targets
One of the most classic monsters in fiction, vampires are the perfect threat for a mid-level group. Once players start to reach the upper echelons of play, they will have access to spells and magic items able to destroy vampires without too much trouble. But a party just starting to break out of the early levels will have to approach a vampire very carefully. This dynamic is perfect for replicating classic vampire fiction like Dracula, with the heroes always one step behind the vile monster.
About The Author
[ad_2]
