I love a good goblin. They’re small, angry and kind of cute in an ugly way. While they are a very fun enemy in any type of fantasy game, they can sometimes feel a little overused. If you’re like me and you need a break from these little green freaks, take a look at some of the alternative fantasy enemies for your players to fight. They all fit the same niche of small, intelligent(ish) and mostly harmless creatures that you can sprinkle into your games for more variety.
Myconids
These fungi’s are one of my absolute favourites to throw at my players. They can be as varied as you like, taking on the shape of whatever mushroom you deem most appropriate for the location, but normally take the form of a small humanoid. They both communicate and attack by releasing fungal spores, giving you the opportunity to dazzle the players with a light show while at the same time paralysing and poisoning any unlucky enough to stand too close. Most often found in dank caves, these creatures normally hide from the light and stay out of the way of more civilised individuals that might disturb them. They’re great for puns and can be as adorable or disgusting as you want, so make for a great low level enemy.
Kobolds
A Kobold is related to a dragon in the same way that a fighter jet is related to a tricycle. They’re both in the same family yes, but one is significantly more impressive than the other. Kobolds are small statured humanoids with draconic features, lacking wings but having large snouts with sharp teeth. They are incredibly similar to Goblins in behaviour, social and intelligent but preferring to swarm over enemies or run away than fight fairly. Some settings have Kobolds act as the inventors of the monstrous world, creating gadgets and traps for nefarious purposes. If you’re looking for your players to carefully step over tripwires and pressure plates in high pressure situations, having them fight against a group of angry kobolds might be the perfect thing.
Awakened Shrubbery
Nothing is quite as hilarious as when a player begins to lose a fight to a sentient parsnip. Plant life is more varied than animal life, and gives you a lot of creative freedom to make the enemies act however you wish. Vines could snare the players before thorns shoot out at them from the underbrush. Alternatively, a player could be buried in a mound of angry strawberries. Additionally, choosing this option would mean your players would have to change up their tactics from what would work against a group of goblins. It’s probably fruitless (get it?) to swing a sword at a tree, but fire would certainly do the trick. Great fun with excellent ambush potential, sentient plants can really turn a random fight into a story worth telling.
Gargoyles
The most ominous of the choices, Gargolyes are sentient statues. Most often found in ruins, castles and crypts, these creatures can appear lifeless until a player is close before sweeping down on stony wings with razor sharp claws. Very fitting for a horror theme, Gargoyles settle well in a niche of being perfect ambush creatures as well as giving new players a flying enemy to fight. Their form is commonly a small winged demon, but could change to reflect whatever setting you wish for them to fill. Statues of fallen heroes could come to life, standing in the path of the players and demanding a challenge, or could be the cuckoo’s from a mad sorcerer’s cuckoo clocks. Whether carved or created, these animated terrors are perfect for crafting fights wherever the players might be.
I hope you enjoyed this silly little list, and I hope it inspired you to add some more variety into the games you create. If I missed any of your favourites, please let me know in the comments!
Featured art for this article is ‘Goblin Gathering‘ by Svetlin Velinov
