Holy shit ten years. I started watching your content when I was in high school. (I'll avoid saying the year to keep us from feeling old) Its been a hell of a ride man. Your ranking videos have shown me some epic monsters I didnt even know existed, and have vastly improved my games as a result. It's always so satisfying when you say the monster's name and you hear your most experienced player say "What in the Nine Hells is that?"
Nah, the Silvers are just fine with being number 2, they’re normally ranked as the second strongest Metallic Dragons after Golds after all, and they’re perfectly fine with staying in the shadows to simply observe.
My first character actually managed to decapitate a lich at lv5 with a string of lucky crits. Cue a panicked search for the phylactery and an exasperated DM informing me that "You were actually supposed to talk to him. I honestly have no idea how you managed to kill him" P.S your first top 10 monsters vid was what got me into D&D in the first place
Did you ever find the lich phylactery? Did he come back for revenge? Oh it's so awesome to know that my old top 10 monsters vid opened the door to many adventures for you!
@@esperthebard After day 2 we decided that the best course of action was to just get out of dodge and come back later. The adventures I had with that character was just absolutely insane. Other highlights from the chronicles of Borya Ironheart include: fighting a Cthulu cult in the middle of a summoning ritual in where Borya cut off one of the tentacles coming through the portal and eating it enraging the lead cultist so much that he lost concentration on the ritual, cutting his way into a pirate storm giant's eye and then doing nasty things to its brain (ended up with a nice belt of storm giant strength from its hide), challenging his biological father (who turned out to be a very nasty Tanarukk) to single combat and won and finally killed a kracken by suplexing it onto a spire impaling it. That last feat got him godhood and an apprenticeship to Hephaestus himself. And some people say that champions are boring lol
@@philleW12 That's Borya for you. Damned half orc is so overprotective he can't be anywhere except between his third family (long story) and anything that threatens them
Sounds like the DM screwed up by presenting a CR 20 creature with only 120 hit points to the players. Probable should've had it flying, on a balcony, or surrounded by bodyguards.
@@esperthebard Fiquei realmente surpreso de ver você falando em português, acompanho o conteúdo a anos e sempre achei que era só em inglês. Amei a lista e adoro o canal, abraços do Brasil também.
Man, that Silver Dragon bit... wow. What an amazing description! Loved the whole wording of it, and that light music in the background? Very nice, made me feel inspired in a way!
While I only attempted to call one monster (mind flayer, which I was glad to be correct about), I see in each of these choices the ranking videos which correspond to their creature type. I have found those videos to be extremely helpful as a DM, and I thank you for them. They have helped me to use lower and higher ranked creatures in ways that their mechanics are best suited for. Blessings upon your future and efforts, and congratulations on your book!
Just finished an arc in a campaign I'm DMing where a lich-ruled territory suddenly fell into chaos with undead randomly being released, only for the party to learn that these undead, who had once been controlled by the lich, had been set free when a powerful vampire killed the lich and became one himself. I thought it was an interesting concept having a vampire lich, but it only really works if you're willing to alter the lore and history of vampires and liches for this purpose.
A very solidly written opening to the video, kudos to you =) Edit: I just finished and...wow! So much passion and elegance in putting together all this audiovisual multimedia. Just...wow!
Fantastic video as always of course! I am looking forward to more of your class ranking lists, and am interested as to why the great Beholder wasn’t honoured or on the list, I would love your opinion on it :D
The beholder is awesome, it barely didn't make the cut. Have you seen my aberrations ranking? In that, I elaborate more on the beholder's strengths and limitations. Amazing mechanics and style, but lacking a little in rp, lore, and versatility.
@@esperthebard I will be checking that out right away! I love a beholder as it gives a little ego nudge, without being mean, to those who rely on high AC!
One of my favorite D&D Stories actually comes from the Ghost. Our Wizard, who only possibly could have suffered the additional effect of Horrifying Visage by rolling a Natural 1 of course rolled said one and was then aged 40 years - and in addition to that OF COURSE he was playing an Aarokocra, who "don't usually live longer than 30 years" And thus he actually died of old age from the ghost. Making it a final death
Oni is my personal favorite monster. Origins and lore may be open-ended, but that only adds to it, as the oni is so foreign to the western fantasy of D&D. Maybe the oni are distant ogre/troll cousins from Kara-Tur, or a tribe of ogres made a pact with a night hag by offering their strength in exchange for magical power. The oni is also such a powerhouse of abilities, with traits that allow it to be one of the most persistent villains in a campaign. It would be the *perfect* underling of a vampire, coven of hags, green dragon, or rakshasa. Spying on foreigners as a lost child, luring the party with the weeping of a fair maiden, disturbing their long rests with an ambush, only to go invisible and fly back into the darkness. Only reason why it's classified as a giant instead of a fiend is that it *is* a creature of this world, making the oni impossible to banish or otherwise exercise by divine magic. I even made a character that resembles one in mechanics. A stygian tiefling hexblade, whose glaive thirsts for the blood of fey and celestials. Oni are nightmare made manifest and they are so goddamn rad.
@@rangerecho Yeah, I know Esper would do a better job than that, but his Silver Dragon write-up seems like a tough act to follow. It's probably just as well with the Beholder's conspicuous omission. I'm also surprised it didn't at least rate an honorable mention.
The beholder is awesome, it barely didn't make the cut. After doing so many monster analyses, I've come to understand better the beholder's strengths and limitations. It has amazing mechanics and style, but lacks a little in rp, lore, and versatility. In other words, the beholder is great, but the monsters on this list are all amazing, nearly perfect. I probably should have put it in the honorable mentions though.
Esper returns to the Top 10 realm as a multiclass of a level 20th DM and a 20th Utter Legend. I loved those early days :)* An excellent list, as always! Is the sliver dragon a new entry? I think so. Lovely creature! 18:30 Couldn't agree more. There is something very inspiring in them. * The atmosphere you've set on those adventures and the way you acted them out; to me, that was unheard of on youtube. I think that the Island of Horns was the first set of videos I've discovered from you.
I like how two of your highest ranked monsters, nr 3 & 2, are both good creatures who represent the more beautiful and divine aspects of life. Going on an adventure isn´t just about fighting monsters but also experiencing the wonders afforded to us who have been blessed to be born.
Hey Esper, Been a fan of your work since 2010. Your an absolute awesome writer and content creator. I find myself listening to your old d&d adventure stories every day, on repeat non stop lol it’s really soothing. My question is are you going to finish the Dungeon of Drossknot series that one was by far my favorite adventure of yours. I would love to see it expanded on its fantastic and very, very good thanks for all your work it’s inspired me to DM my own sessions. Anyways thanks and I hope you continue Drossknot eventually :-)
You and me both. I know he's really busy with a ton of projects these days, but here's hoping he does come out with some more narrated adventures at some point. I've also been watching since 2010, and those are definitely what got me into his stuff.
Completly Agree about the Silver Dragon(obvisously the best dragon)! He is my favorite Monster in the Monster Manual and my favorite Character I ever played was a Warlock who had a silver Dragon as a Patron
I'll never get over how Square just straight up took the concept of Mind Flayers (and even used the actual name) for use in Final Fantasy. When DnD (and ultima) used the concept of hobbits they were pretty quickly told not to iirc
Actually, the most interesting D&D dragon for me I have heard so far is Steel Dragon. There's just so much complex lore around them...very creative concept.
I want to lead with saying another great video. The art alone makes these worth watching, but I know the time it takes just to compare monsters and decide the rankings is immense. Well done. The one jarring decision in this video was the Smiling One. It seems to be the only monster in the list that doesn't have some kind of lore extending outside of d&d, and probably one of the most recent additions to the game. Plus, are you telling me you use the Smiling One more than Mindflayers, Merrenoloths, and Ghosts?? What makes more sense to me as 5th place would be Giants in general, with Smiling Ones being the prime example of the variety inherent to the monster type.
Thank you Taylor! In fact I do perceive the smiling one as an icon/representative, more than just for giants, but for the trickster archetype and the great drama of comedy & tragedy found in storytelling, which is a primary element of D&D. I attempted to express that in the video, but I have such limited time in these rankings, so I have to keep things flowing.
Esper, I have pledged and downloaded the sample PDF and I am blown away. Fantastic lore and mechanics that really back up the nature of the monsters. I have a new favourite Hag, Ooze, Amphibian and my goodness what a Devil. Did you sell your own soul? If not may I buy that as well please.
My favourite monster has got to be the Mimic it is fascinating and the fact that it's shapeshifting is purely physical is so cool I die a little on the inside whenever I see them used as mere chompy chests
Happy 10th anniversary, Esper! Love your Dungeons and Dragons Monsters videos. It has taught me about creatures and monsters in Dungeons and Dragons I have never knew about or never even heard of over the years. I'll try to get a copy of your new book some time! Until then, Happy Season of Haunting!
3:40 Yugoloths are notorious for being greedy mercenaries (kind of like the Ferangi, for Star trek fans here) so it actually does make a lot of sense for maraenoloths to be part of their race.
I love the original video, back in the day(less than 10 years ago) there wasn't how to's for how to make DND how to's con sarnit. Was so starved for DND youtube content back then, especially videos that really helped flesh out the beasts and magic of the world giving it more depth past the standard hit point block and attacks. Still digging the content!
Imagine a game where a Sphinx keeps turning back the last hour or day before some type of apocalypse, giving the players unlimited chances but very limited time to save themselves.
Your old videos were not bad at all. Especially I liked those solo adventure simulation (4e at that time) that really helped understanding the game to new players. Sure, a lot of videos have more players present, but being single has a lot of advantages, particularly consistent volume and audio quality and no loud laughing which can often kill the mood. And you can delete bloopers after editing. Your audio was good even back then, with good narration and proper background sounds/music which felt in place. I must say I miss those kind of videos.
I agree with most of what you think about the Monsters i woud Just replace the cloud giant smiliing one with the aboleth although i dislike the fact that they don't have legendary resistance
The Red Dragon to me has always been the poster child of D&D for me. It puts the DRAGON in Dungeons and Dragons. A close second for me is the beholder. I'm very shocked that neither made the list but regardless of popularity they probably aren't the "best" monsters most of the time.
Awesome! That is the sort of thing that motivates me to create these videos. If you end up posting your adventure anywhere, it would be cool to check it out!
Esper, you are being to harsh with your older video. I just saw it, out of curiosity, and I found it very nice. And no, it ain't bias speaking, the older video still nice
I'll check your video list. I am really wanting to join a group as a player and I think that DDTT of some type would be great for me except for one thing, I don't understand the software well enough to use it. I was wondering if you would do a video explaining how you use it for your group. As soon as I get paid, I'm kicking in on that book, hardcover.
ghouls were missing... they are sentient, alive and still are treated as undead. They got cursed by commining cannibalism... they are a lot, and can spread their affliction as easy as they bite their preys... Resident Evil 4 had a town filled with ghoul-like creatures, and was scary as shit.
to be fair, the yugoloths as a hole are known for acting more in line with lawful evil, but being neutral evil they can act on their whims with no issue and do things neither devil nor demon would do, such as lie, neutral evil is the personification of selfishness
Hey can mindflayers take over the body like they do with humans to something like a giant or cave troll? And have their devious brain on the body of a giant creature? just wondering as i watched this..
