The best evil monsters to do good in DnD

Important takeaways

• Monsters in D&D have predefined alignments, but changing them can create more interesting dynamics.
• Vampires, beholders, mind taints and lichens challenge the player's expectations.
• Ettins, star spawn, elder oblexes, and cambions can be well-tuned NPCs with unique roleplay opportunities.

Many monsters in Dungeons & Dragons have predefined lineages that represent typical monster tropes, such as evil wizards or demonic creatures that always seek to serve the same goal. This can be useful for dungeon masters and players who expect a certain theme or expectation in RPGs that makes the game less complex.

For veteran players or those all too familiar with these tropes, it can become too predictable to see the same monsters treated the same way in a way that ends up being swing first and asking questions later. By converting these given tweaks, certain monsters can become much more interesting to players and DMs alike.

8 Observer

Incredibly paranoid and unintentionally powerful, a beholder can create anything from its dreams and usually relies on its anxiety to build defenses against anything or anyone that would harm it. A beholder's distrustful nature usually leads it to become overly self-interested and remorselessly destructive.

A viewer who is not beholden to these values, even through magical means, may find themselves able to navigate a world without prejudice or conceit while retaining their cunning intelligence and power. Still tyrannical, in a way, a well-adjusted observer would try to create order from chaos, despite the fears of common folk or experienced adventurers.

7 Vampire

Vampires come from a dense culture of trickery, desperation, and morbid pleasure-seeking that they need to maintain a steady source of blood while staving off boredom. Learning from the master who created them, and centuries of being rewarded for their bloodshed, leads most vampires to become evil, and even enjoy being so.

By creating a well-adjusted vampire, you can challenge players' preconceptions about these undead tyrants while creating a memorable NPC. A lovable vampire will likely rarely be taken at their word, but can use their immense power and cunning to aid the players in ways few other undead can as they constantly struggle with their need to feed on humanoids.

6 Mind Flayer

Part of a deviant cult with many other mind flayers under the control of an elder mastermind, all wrapped in a web of psionic energy, mind flayers are master manipulators and care little for anything or anyone other than their own goals. This is only given if a mind taint is still affected by an Elder Brain or other mind taints.

If left to their own devices, a mind flayer has a choice like any other humanoid creature, and aligning their goals with those on the side of good can lead to interesting dynamics. A Chaotic Good Mindbender can even forcibly gain the loyalty of untrustworthy individuals, knowing that it serves their interests against their will.

5 Lich

Powerful and skilled sorcerers who have achieved immortality by confining their souls to a phylactery, liches always seek to increase their power and knowledge by any means necessary. While this usually leads to death, death and a greater threat to the material plane, it doesn't have to.

A lich may seek immortality for various reasons, such as avoiding a tyrannical god who vows to capture his soul, staying alive long enough to search for the answer to a great threat, or maintaining a vow to protect a bloodline to which they are loyal . to. Undeath and power alone don't have to ensure your lich has evil goals, and can be a powerful ally for players.

4 One

Big, dumb and strong, ettin are two-headed giants with split personalities who usually rely on base instinct and a great deal of self-argument to satisfy their needs for flesh and death. Because the ettin is smarter than your average hill giant and has a permanent ally to bounce ideas off of, any ettin can become well-adjusted with the right guidance.

This can even lead to tribal leaders using each head as the advice of the other and always making decisions with certainty and cruelty. This creates interesting role-play moments between ettin and the players, as they try to seek their help while engaging in a complex debate with two simultaneous authorities.

3 Star Spawn

Created by Elder Evil that can threaten the existence of the entire material plane, star spawn take many different forms and roles within the Elder Evil's army, but are always within its control. Should a star somehow break this control from its master, its fate becomes much more open to interpretation.

This can make a very interesting ally in a campaign focused on eliminating or imprisoning an ancient evil, as the star's inside knowledge of its goals and methods will most likely help the players achieve their goals. With the wide variety of starspawn available, this can be the odd sidekick or a decrepit deviant, struggling to keep his sanity.

Larva Mages and Seers are the best star for this case.

2 Elder Oblex

A fluid far more complex and alive than your average gelatinous cube, oblex grows more powerful and savvy with each body twitched and dissolved. It's also how an elderly oblex learns about its world and its politics, and even the moral values ​​held by the people it devours.

This means that an oblex is not inherently evil, but rather bases its worldview on the memories of the many individuals it consumes. A well-aligned oblex that chooses its targets based on their evil deeds can be a useful source of information for players, trading their vast knowledge for another humanoid to prey upon, should it match the filth's strict criteria.

1 Cambion

Dealers and traders of souls to feed the ongoing blood war in the burning layers of Avernus, cambions tour the material plane, tricking mortals into signing away their afterlife for material riches and power. But a cambion can still feed the blood war while staying well aligned, just by targeting the right individuals.

A cambion that deals exclusively with the vile and evil can be an interesting ally for players looking to use the cambion's wit and wisdom to their advantage. This will also be a challenge for veteran players, as they will be convinced not to take a devil at their word, no matter how convincing they sound or just their actions seem.

Lesser fiends such as imps can also become servants to players, as long as they can tame its baser instincts.