One of the secrets to a challenging encounter is “having your bad guy ride on something also dangerous.” Like one of these monsters!
Want to make your fights a little more challenging? All you really have to do is put the enemies on top of mounts that are themselves also dangerous. This is especially rewarding for boss fights, when you can just really pull out all of the stops to try to make them cinematic. But I like to do this any time I want the players to know that things are getting a little bit deadly.
What monsters make for good enemy mounts? Plenty. The Monster Manual is full of examples of creatures that can be deadly. But as it happens, here are five that are especially predisposed to being mounts without stretching credibility!
Nightmare
Nightmares are evil, flaming horses that exist in the world specifically to cause terror and ally with other denizens of the Lower Planes in “committing evil acts.” It is a horse that can read your vibe from across the room, and if said vibe is suitably rancid, this horse will join your cause. To that end, there are plenty of examples of evil creatures that might ride atop a Nightmare, including:
- Evil knight (death knight, vampire, etc.)
- Evil wizard and/or lich
- Group of lesser devils/demons out for a joyride
- Evil deity’s special messenger or champion
- Cultists who got a summoning ritual right
Whatever the case, a Nightmare is a versatile option to signify “hey there’s supernatural evil at work here,” while its fly speed and ability to deliver flaming hoof strikes make it a surprising threat in combat.
Dinosaur
Want your villain to feel a lot more primal? Try a dinosaur mount. This is something straight out of the pulpiest fantasies, but it’s also a way of making your villain feel beefy, even if they’re a magic user. Imagine a Warlock riding atop a triceratops; was it a Warlock with a magic evil spear?
Although my favorite is the classic Barbarian riding on a dino. It works on basically any dinosaur as well, if you can get the saddle/harness designed well enough. Any Warhammer Fantasy player should know the appeal of someone riding a “cold one” and there are plenty of dinos, big and less big, to use.
Cockatrice Regent
If there is one thing that signifies to an audience that we’re in a fantasy world, it’s people riding birds. If you want to signpost that you are facing the ultimate fantasy villain? Have them ride an evil bird. And a Cockatrice Regent is exactly that.
You might know the cockatrice for its petrifying bite, which should already clue you in as to why this one works so well in a combat. But the cockatrice regent is large in its own right. Meaning it can deliver slashing talon attacks as well, plus it has the ability to lash out magically at creatures that hurt it. This is a great mount for an evil spellcaster especially, going just from vibes alone.
Manticore
Flying mounts make any encounter deadlier, or at least more complicated. And the Manticore is a great monstrous mount, because a manticore is a legend all on its own. They have leonine faces and bodies, and can deliver slashing claws, vicious bites, and can launch spikes from their tails, making them a force to be reckoned with. Add to that whatever the manticore rider has up their sleeve, and you’ve got a deadly combo.
Dragon
Of course if you really want to make your villain shine, put them on a dragon. It will make everything that much more deadly, and that much more memorable. Just pick the right age category to make sure that the dragon doesn’t overshadow your villain, because they will otherwise.
What mounts do you give your villains?
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