Favorite Ooze/Aberrant creature
So, a Mind Flayer, a Beholder, and a Gelatinous Cube walk into a bar....
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I have always tried to use monsters in games to elicit a specific reaction, not so successfully though. If my recollection serves me correctly, I have only gotten the desired reaction once. The party was in an old minotaur maze. I dropped plenty of hints. The tunnels were conspicuously free of detritus and there were strange scratches and markings along the walls. There was a suspicious silence pervading the entire area. Thanks to the party arguing, I was able to sneak a shimmering assassin in behind them. I picked off a member of the party before they finally figured out what that mysterious scraping sound was. Gelatinous Cubes are silent killers, I really am quite fond of them for that reason.
If you're looking to inspire abject terror in your players, there is a certain tentacle faced monster you can use. Inspiring the correct level of fear in players is a simple matter of presentation. If you've ever read the books written about the game Starfire, "In Death Ground" and "The Shiva Option", the authors wrote a scene where the humans see footage of the alien species eating humans, alive. If you could arrange for the party to see the inner workings of an Illithid nest without being in immediate danger, and not being able to do anything about it. Be sure to play up the helplessness of the victims. I don't usually try and evoke any seriously heavy emotions in a game. (A game that is supposed to be fun) But there should be some things the characters should be afraid of. There should be some things the characters cannot defeat out of hand. There should be some things the characters will think twice about tangling with. Overcoming those challenges is how heroes are made. Use whatever monsters you want, just make sure package them the right way to get the reaction you want. I like Illithids because they are so alien. The ultimate loss, the loss of personality, is truly terrifying to me.
"As you enter the cavern, you are struck first by the feeling that you are being watched. You feel the physical presence of something large. You can't quite pin down where the presence is, it's as if it's moving high above you in the inky blackness of the natural stone vault."
Of the many directions that opening could go, I like putting the party in the position of being stalked. Think back to the movie "Alien" the scariest part of that movie, is that don't really get a good look at the monster. That can't happen in today's visual world. The game companies use as many images as possible to promote their games, and Beholders are an iconic monster. But not recognizing a monster right off the bat, increases the fear. Most people are afraid of the unknown. I have used the words alien and foreign to describe monsters before. My description skills have improved since then, actually conveying how completely different a creature is not my forte however. I'd like to think I have a descent vocabulary, just not a spectacular one. Still working on that. I've read lots about Beholders. Those things are wrong on so many levels. Not mechanically, but wrong. An offense against nature. THEY'RE A FLOATING MOUTH WITH BIG HONKIN TEETH AND AN ENDLESS APPETITE! Even sharks, commonly referred to as eating machines, wouldn't keep me out water. Beholders make me want to run and hide. Those things are mean, beyond mean. This is a creature that would sooner eat you that look at you. They are totally ruthless in regards to their own species, let alone others. Whoever designed it was either completely mad, or a genius. (As a side note: Did the same guy that deigned Beholders also design the Tall Mouther and the Gibbering Mouther? Because if that's true, that guy has serious issues.)
I sort of rambled on during this post. If you were looking for a short answer no what is my favorite monster... Well that just didn't happen. I like all three. Much like a chef uses ingredients to create a delicious dish. I try and use monsters to create and sustain a mood during a game. Remember that fear is not knowing what is going happen, not being certain of how to defeat that large ravenous thing bearing down on you. Don't design encounters with the intent of killing off the characters, give the PCs reason to be afraid. Maim them a bit. It's good for them to be off balance.
My real favorite Ooze or Aberrant creature? ... The Dungeon Master. ;-)
Happy Gaming!
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