I'm sure this idea has probably already been done in some shape or form, but it's been sitting in my unused pile for a while so here it is.
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Normally: dungeon ecologies tend to form a sort of pyramid, with large threats like dragons, beholders, and liches at the top and small threats like goblins, bandits, and zombies at the bottom.
As a writing exercise- what if we inverted this dungeon pyramid, while maintaining it's integrity?
Instead of inverting the individual creature or fundamentally changing their design philosophy, we instead tweak the context- changing their environments, relationships, how abilities work- to make the little guys the fundamental threat.
Some idea constraints / tenants (to try to stick to or ignore, I'm not in charge of you):
1. It's not just about whose in command (e.g. the dragon being the threat but the goblin is it's boss). It's about flipping the usual design philosophy (e.g. the dragon is less of a threat then the goblins; dragons are the common encounter at the start of a dungeon, goblins are the big one at the end).
2. Try to keep the spirit of their original design niche in tact (e.g. goblins are numerous and weak, dragons are massive and strong, etc). Keeping all the numbers the same of course doesn't quite work for balance, but you can try to where it counts.
3. When possible: its good / easy to draw on real work biology, history, sociology, etc.
4. Try not to take too much time on these, quick pitches work better.
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Kobolds
Pretty sure most tabletop folks know the idea of the trap-expert guerilla warfare kobolds by now; they're a natural fit which is why I'll mention them here.
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Dragons
- While truly immense, powerful, and strong- dragons are still beasts. One need not look further in the real world then the ruthless hunting of elephants or rhinos to think of how mighty beasts can become hunted. (Some fantasy settings already have versions of this with people hunting for blood or bones or scales and such). Now place that elephants with treasure hordes and some greedy adventurer will find a way.
- Depending on the system: one of the problems "boss" enemies normally face in games is one of action economy. With a creature like a dragon, it's easy to see how this could manifest within the narrative as well. Even if you're a mighty dragon, you can only take out enemies so quickly, and there's always many more of them. Even if you can breath fire or fly, being surrounded by fifty men with longbows may put you down (barring impenetrable scales of course).
- One of the main things dragons are famous for is sleeping. How deep can this sleep be? How easy is it for a dragon to wake, let alone muster the energy to move it's massive body? (Greyoll- the large immobile dragon from Elden Ring- comes to mind as an example.)
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Goblins
Goblins are numerous, smaller than average, and traditional goblin society tends to be a raucous affair.
But why is goblin society so boisterous and uncontrolled? It's because they are G*d's chosen.
No like literally. It's not some religious belief. Like the last page of every holy text agrees the last thing G*d said before he headed out for cigarettes was "Goblins are my favorite," to everyone else's dismay.
Version 1:
The psychological weight of this is unbalancing. Would a god-fearing adventurer Cain the Abel represented by Goblin kind? Would Goblins be treated as nobility, for G*d's favor?
Version 2:
As a result of this blessing: they do not face the consequences of any of their actions.
Why are they so numerous or brutish? It's not because of anything eugenical, they just don't need to be careful or smart or polite.
Kick your baby like a football? They'll laugh between each bounce.
Don't eat for six months? You're emaciated and skinny sure, but one meal more and you're right as rain.
Get your head bashed in? Boy you'll have one comical bump on the head.
They are two steps from being living cartoon characters, and if they infest your temple or dungeon it's best to just give it to them and move on rather than try and negotiate with G*d's immortal clowns.
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Liches
How are liches made? Technically through careful magic and study yes- but then again there are many wizards and sorcerers who never descend into lichery.
Liches are truly born from someone with such world-bending skill suffering from intense paranoia, dread, and existential fear that they can do nothing else but follow their compulsions. There's always cracks in their defenses, vulnerabilities they need to plug up, people they should avoid.
They become furtive, scurrying around hiding their phylacteries in ever more careful spots- never realizing that by constantly moving them and fretting over them, it makes it abundantly obvious where it is or that their unbreakable vault with an undecipherable password just needs to get shaken real hard to break the thing inside.
The ultimate irony of a lich is that while they obsessively clutch to life and work so hard to safeguard themselves with magical solutions, they are blind to basic solutions or self-maintenance. Their immortal bodies run ragged from lack of attention. Everything that made them actually worthwhile falls to ruins in favor of anxious safety.
Your average lich encounter is basically a case of The Riddler:
Lich: "Nyahaha fools- you'll never solve my puzzle box and defeat me!"
Party: "What if one of us just punches you into dust while the rest of us smash the box with hammers?"
Lich: "It's not fair! You cheated! Noooooooo"
etc etc etc
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Zombies
You guys have seen Zombie movies. I feel just slotting a virulent undead, forgotten in some tomb, springing to life to release a scourge counts enough here.
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Blink Dog
Blink dog's are excitable little pups that travel in packs, love meat, and can bend space-time at a whim.
They also can tele-frag you, shunt portions of your body off to nowhere, or straight up chestburst in a puddle of destruction.
A whole pack of blink dogs operating together becomes even more nightmarish, as they'll go on a coordinate hunt to take out throats, underbellies, etc.
Rumor tells some Blink Dogs, when backed into a corner, will also condense into a singularity in a moment of sacrifice for the sake of the pack- or perhaps it's how more Blink Dogs are made.
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Mindflayers
Mindflayers in theory could become a threat, however the following factors keep them as a more just a deadly nuisance rather than psychic masters:
- A mindflayer tadpole may insert itself into a host, and slowly take control of them. However, this is preventable with many basic folk solutions (e.g. sleeping with some salt near your pillow, a simple net around the bed, etc). As a result: mindflayers tend to only sprout from the weak, desperate, or foolish. Since most mindflayers grow in the bodies of wandering drunkards or homeless rabble, they start off life in a particularly bad spot. Even the best of the countryside tend to be malnourished- getting your tentacles on a wealthy noble or adventurer is unheard of.
- On a similar note: the most nutritious food source for the mindflayer- the brains of wizards and other scholarly types- are few and far between. Even if they weren't protected, the ratio of wizards to mindflayers is incredibly small. The most common form of brain they can eat is again peasantry, which are paltry thanks to the anti-education efforts by the nobility to keep the peasantry in line. "Oh boy, new local gossip" or "That goddamn rabbit keeps getting in to my cabbages" aren't exactly reality bending sorcerous secrets.
- Every fucking adventurer these days are wearing fucking metal helmets do you know how hard it is to crunch your damn teeth on a metal helmet
- Maybe elder brains are all ending of Phantom Menace-y? I dunno
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Purple Worm
Worms are mostly underground.
Yes they are all big and poisonous and scary but they have to dig. Like the fastest worm still only goes like, 0.05 miles per hour, and that's in good loose earth. Even on foot you're like 50 times faster then it.
And above ground? They are giant, blind, and still slow. Unless you're like tied down or really care about a building in it's path, it's no big deal.
Just slowly walk without rhythm away and you're fiiine.
