As a result, the pain and anger from their dethroning is as fresh in their mind as it was when it first happened. That is until the real Gods appeared and freed the mortals from the Aboleths' control.Īboleths 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. Long ago, Aboleths used their psychic abilities to enslave mortals, convincing them that Aboleths were their Gods. 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.Īboleths are a fascinating species of underwater aberrations. While it can be fun to take on these familiar races, it can, unfortunately, mean that interesting species included in Dungeons and Dragons can fall to the wayside. RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Things New DMs Should Know Before Running A Campaign Orcs play a large role in the Lord of the Rings, for example. The repeated enemies are so common often because we're familiar with them from other fantasy mediums we've consumed. Orcs, golems, kobolds, and goblins are among the common grunts that players will see from session to session. Also consider pairing this ghost up with necromancers or other creatures who could impose disadvantage on constitution saves to really make that wail ability as scary as it sounds.Heroes fight a number of different opponents during their time in the Forgotten Realms. Most higher-level character should be able to handle a Banshee, so using this create with low-level characters will allow you to make the most out of this ghost's abilities to hunt down targets. The worst part is that running from the Banshee really isn't an option - it knows the location of any living creature up to five miles away. If it can get within 30 feet of its target, the Banshee can let out a chilling wail that has the potential to drop any hero who hears it down to 0 hit points. In combat, the Banshee acts a bit like a hunter in the sense that it it focuses on getting its targets within either visible range or within ear shot.
While the Monster Manual provides plenty of specters and ghosts, the Banshee is easily stands out as a solid and underused pick. Any setting where these dark creatures can lurk in the shadows and strike unexpected should make use of these terrifying threats. Shadow Demons thrive and scare the best in a setting that compliments their stealth capabilities, such as a dark mansion or a ghost town at night. Invoking the paranoia of being stalked in the dark, the Shadow Demon is the kind of terror that, ideally, players should never be able to see. Related: 6 Spooky Tabletop RPGs to Get in the Halloween Spirit This means it's able to sink in and out of walls and floors in order to get the terrifying jump on any adventurer left in the dark.
With a +7 modifier to its stealth, the Shadow Demon can already slip away from even the most perceptive adventurers, but if that simply isn't enough, the Shadow Demon has another horrifying ability: incorporeal movement. The Shadow Demon can hide as a bonus action while in dim or darker light. The Shadow Demon already looks the horrifying part, but the true terror comes with this fiend's abilities.