Best Monsters To Use For A Survival Campaign In DND

Summary

• Larvae evoke physical disgust, ideal for a survival campaign, and suitable for lower levels of play.
• Liches provide powerful climactic boss battles in survival campaigns with soul-consuming magic.
• Myconids, Yetis, and Carrion Crawlers add atmosphere and challenge to survival scenarios.

Survival-based campaigns can be some of the most fun you’ll ever have in a Dungeons & Dragons adventure. For high-level players who may feel like they’ve seen it all before, testing their limits as a DM by forcing them to consider rations, water supply, illness, and more can bring an intriguing dose of reality into any campaign.

But, what’s a survival campaign without monsters that test those same limits? If you plan on running a survival-based adventure that pushes your players to their absolute brink, consider using these monsters to keep the sense of danger alive and present throughout the campaign.

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Larvae

Larvae in Dungeons & Dragons aren’t like the typical larvae we know in the real world. In D&D, Larvae are depraved souls lost to the bowels of the Lower Planes. They resemble maggots, and have disfigured features that barely resemble how they looked in life.

Larvae are great for a survival-based campaign as they evoke a sense of physical disgust and grotesqueness that is essential for capturing the mood of an adventure like this. You can either use a single Larva for lower-level parties or multiple swarms of Larvae (utilizing mob combat rules) for higher-levels of play.

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Lich

Liches are extremely powerful mages that can lay waste to even some of the most daring adventuring parties around. They consume souls and use them to feed their dark magics. If you’re looking for a climactic boss battle for your survival campaign, consider using a Lich.

The reason Liches are great for these kinds of campaigns is that they have access to spells like Finger of Death, and Disrupt Life that can absolutely decimate mid to high-level parties, forcing players to think on their feet and perhaps even seek help post-battle.

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Myconids

Myconids are, in essence, fantastical fungi that players can stumble across in dense forest environments. Fungi of any kind are great for a survival-based campaign, as you can tailor the abilities of these spores to evoke undeath or plague.

Plus, the 2025 Monster Manual has plenty of different options for Myconids that can be adjusted for any party level. They’re probably best suited for lower levels though, unless you add in a lot of them. Look at Myconid Spore Servants for higher tiers of play.

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Yetis

Yetis can make great boss battles for survival adventures if you’re in the right type of biome. If your players are exploring a frostbitten mountain or tundra, consider using a Yeti to serve as the climax for their current arc. These creatures can be tailored for mid to high levels of play.

Though powerful, Yetis also have a critical weakness that players can exploit, which makes for fun roleplay in combat. If a Yeti takes fire damage, it triggers its Fear of Fire trait, which means they have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of its next turn.

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Carrion Crawler

Carrion Crawlers are great monsters to use for lower-level parties, as they look extremely formidable, but are actually not all that difficult to defeat. This means you can get a great encounter in for your party without actually risking a TPK. Carrion Crawlers scour the earth, feeding on corpses and decay.

If your campaign is set in a post-apocalyptic environment, Carrion Crawlers are great for setting tone and creating atmosphere. Have players see these creatures consuming corpses, knowing that if they fall to one of these creatures, their fate will likely be the same.

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Blights

Plant blights are a great addition to any campaign that takes place in a barren wasteland, or a decaying forest. The best part about blights is that you can tailor them to any kind of party, as the 2025 Monster Manual has no shortage of options available to you.

For a really tough challenge, use the Gulthias Blight which can prove tough to even the most expert players. The Gulthias’ Life-Draining Root ability can restrain and grapple targets, dealing extra Necrotic damage every single turn and reducing HP maximums.

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Bandits

Bandits do a great job at making a survival environment feel grounded and real, while adding a real sense of stakes to the mix. The threat of the party losing valuable items may have them staying up through the night to guard their supplies, incurring points of Exhaustion.

As with many of the creatures on this list, there are tons of different Bandit options you can use, but they work best in groups. Sending in just one bandit will be pretty easy for even a beginner party to take down. Also, make sure to have fun and provide backstories, names, and a general motif for your group!

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Giant Wolf Spider

Giant, mutated arachnids will always be right at home in any kind of survival or post-apocalyptic landscape. Flavor these creatures with acidic or biohazard-like poison, and you’ll have a perfect creature for your campaign. You can also use a couple of these creatures in tandem with one another for better action economy in combat.

In addition to their standard abilities, consider using webs to make combat more interesting. Perhaps the Spider’s lair is all difficult terrain thanks to its web-like encasement. Or, maybe party members can suffer from the Restrained condition if they’re not careful.

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Flesh Golem

A classic twist on a Frankenstein-esque monster, Flesh Golems are macabre creations stitched together with various body parts. Seeing this creature for the first time is sure to evoke a visceral reaction from players, and perfectly sets the tone of this type of adventure.

Plus, the Flesh Golem is no pushover. Its Berserk feature, which essentially gives it a second wind in battle, can turn a long combat session on its head. Additionally, it has Magic Resistance and can absorb Lightning damage, meaning players may have to think on their feet to stay alive.

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Invisible Stalker

Invisible Stalkers are great creatures to use to strike fear into the hearts of your players. True to its name, the Stalker has the Invisible condition, and can make up to three attacks against players. Plus, their Vortex ability can grapple opponents, which is good for crowd control.

For a great sense of suspense, have your party continuously hunted by an Invisible Stalker as they move through their campaign. They’ll be sure to sleep with one eye open if they think they’re being hunted, even if they can’t see their target!