Finding the nastiest creatures in the 2024 Monster Manual to throw at your low level party.
So your players have been strutting around now for a few sessions, dispatching goblins, thinking nothing can hurt them. And maybe you want to wipe that smug look off of their faces. Well I have just the monsters for you!
Although many low level monsters may feel like a fairly basic affair, others can be surprisingly deadly, making even the most over-confident player think twice.
I’m talking about low level creatures that can literally consume your brain, petrify you, or curse you into a monstrosity. These are creatures not to be trifled with, and yes, you can throw them at your players even at low levels.
As a bonus, with D&D 2024 and the updated Monster Manual, monsters also got deadlier. I’ll be using those monsters in my analysis below. If you are still using the 2014 Monster Manual, that’s fine, many of the creatures below were still pretty deadly back then too.
Deadly, low challenge rating monsters to throw at your party
Intellect devourer – CR2
Creations of the mind flayers, intellect devourers look like pulsating brains on legs. Grotesque as they look, their diminutive size can be deceptive. While their damage isn’t particularly high, they can stun their enemies. The DC for this is relatively low, but it’s an intelligence saving throw (which is often dumped) giving a solid chance at actually affecting the character.
But the real danger is the steal body feature which lets an intellect devourer consume the brain of an incapacitated individual that’s on 10HP or lower and teleport into their cranium. This means instant kill time, and at low levels, getting an enemy down to 10HP isn’t too challenging. Add to this the fact that their stun attack causes the incapacitated condition and you can quickly get into trouble.
On their own, an intellect devourer shouldn’t be a cause for concern at low levels, but a gaggle of them could easily become devastating. You could easily throw into the mix some mind flayer thralls, grimlocks or kua-toa (who all are frequently used or created by mind flayers) for some variety.
In a role-playing sense, intellect devourers do get even more terrifying. This is because when they consume the brain of an individual, they retain its memories and take control of the body, they can become the perfect impersonation of their prey. Mind flayers love to use them to infiltrate groups and even take control of these groups. One to consider for any future plots!
Will-O’-Wisp – CR2
Now these guys definitely can’t be deadly! They’re just pretty little lights!
Wrong, they’re chaotic evil undead entities that lure unsuspecting wanderers into deadly bogs, quicksand or the jaws of a ghoul or vampire. Not only that, but they can turn invisible with their bonus action every turn! As well as zapping you with lightning.
But this isn’t even the worst of it. If they manage to get someone down to 0HP, they can consume their life force and kill them. And your players likely won’t have raise dead at this level… At least when they attempt this, they can’t turn invisible that turn, and the DC is blessedly low.
Even still, beware the twinkling lights that pretend to guide the way…
Cockatrice – CR1/2
With a challenge rating of just 1/2 and the appearance of a rabbid chicken, you’d be forgiven for underestimating these beaked beasts. However, with a peck that can petrify, an entire party might be stuck for 24hrs in their petrified state.
Thankfully, a cockatrice has poor aim with just a +3 to hit and requiring 2 DC 11 constitution saving throws to be failed before petrification can happen. But bad rolls happen, and 2 bad rolls are not that rare! With enough cockatrices, you’re bound to hit someone in the party.
Consider an enemy that trains cockatrices and uses them to help fight. Or if you’re facing off against a higher level party, the cockatrice regent is a CR8 fowl to throw at your players.
Basilisk – CR3
What’s that? You weren’t impressed enough by my petrifying chickens!? Well then, I present to you the basilisk. It can petrify you with its mere gaze. And not just one target, but a whole host of them within a 30ft cone.
Players will still need to fail 2 constitution saving throws to become petrified, but there’s no roll to hit required here.
When does the petrification end you ask? Well that’s the neat part… It doesn’t! Well, unless you can grab some magical healing I suppose… Otherwise, your party will make great statues for a pampered prince somewhere.
Werewolves (and other lycanthropes) – CR2-5
The curse of lycanthropy causes someone to take on a more beastial form, becoming more savage and able to shift between humanoid, beast and hybrid forms. Nasty enough on their own, the likes of werewolves, werebears, wererats, weretigers and wereboars can deal a fair bit of damage as a pack. Especially with werewolves that get advantage on attacks when attacking in coordination with allies.
However, a significant change in D&D 2024 makes these creatures particularly deadly. When cursed by lycanthropy from something like a were-creature’s bite attack, if that character drops to 0HP while infected, they become a lycanthrope of the type that infected them, but coming under the DM’s control.
This is different from the 2014 version of these creatures which let the player take on lycanthrope traits. Now, the character comes under the DM’s control and either the party find a way to remove the curse (typically through a remove curse spell) or it’s time for that player to roll a new character. Their old one is now part of the pack.
Bearded devil – CR3
You might wonder what’s scary about a devil with a beard, especially as there are much scarier devils around. Like ones with horns, chains or barbed whips. But this beard has barbs of its own, and you’d better watch out cause they’re deadly!
A level 2-3 party is technically ready to tackle a bearded devil (according to the 2024 DM’s Guide). But the nasty thing about these devilish hipsters is their glaive. When it hits, it causes an infernal wound which bleeds 1d10 damage per turn for a minute (or until you get stitched up a bit). Considering the glaive has already dealt 1d10+3 damage already, that’s enough to kill a level 2 wizard without the chance of a turn to recover!
Add to this their beard attack as well which wounds and poisons automatically on a hit and your weaker party members are in serious trouble!
Roper – CR5
These nasty Underdark creatures disguise themselves as stalagmites and stalactites and then grab unsuspecting wanderers with their very long tentacles (with a 60ft reach). They aren’t the fastest of things, but when they’re hiding for an ambush, they don’t need to be.
The worrying thing about ropers is if they grapple you, you’re in big trouble. You’re poisoned and grappled automatically on a tentacle hit. This makes escaping much harder. It’s also got 6 tentacles (one for each party member and probably a couple to spare). It also gets 4 attacks each turn. 2 bites and 2 tentacle attacks. Your adventurers had better hope they can escape before it draws them into its mouth!
Banshee – CR4
The 2024 DM’s Guide puts a banshee encounter as being appropriate for a level 3-4 party. With a host of resistances and immunities, as well as the ability to frighten enemies, that’s a little tough, but not what I’d consider deadly.
Except, there is its deathly wail… This horrific shriek will instantly drop anyone within 30ft on 25HP or less down to 0HP if they fail a constitution saving throw. And deal damage to those above 25HP.
For a moment, let’s imagine an average level 3 wizard with 14 constitution. They will average about 19HP as standard… A rogue might fair a little better at 23HP. A full health paladin might survive this wail with 27HP, but even a scratch before that and they’re toast!
I almost TPK’d a party with a single banshee once. Only the paladin was left standing from the wail and managed to defeat this haunted soul single-handedly! Just about. A genuinely deadly horror!
There you have it. The deadliest, low CR monsters in the 2024 Monster Manual to sucker punch your players with. Got any other deadly monsters to chuck at your players? Let me know about them in the comments below.
Spotlight on D&D 2024
All the latest updates on what’s changing with the 2024 rules revision.
