The Monsters You Always Avoid

[Egavactip]

This thread occurs because of an offhand comment by someone else, perhaps Peter Mack, in another thread.

What monsters are simply not/never/rarely ever worth dealing with? I am *not* talking about uniques.

Here are the monsters I cross the street to avoid, even at very high levels, unless there are special circumstances:

Greater Balrogs
Greater Titans
Time Hounds
Beholder Hive Mothers
Undead Beholders
Black Reavers
Pit Fiend
Horned Reaper
Bone Golem
Grand Master Mystic
Death Mold

These monsters also fall into that category for me, with the caveat that, if i have the right combination of awesome weapons and resistances/immunities, it might be open season on them in some cases.

Great Wyrm of Many Colors
Great Wyrm of Balance
Master Quylthulg
Bronze Golem
Great Wyrm of Chaos
Great Wyrm of Law

[Therem Harth]

Beholder Hive-mothers are nice. They have all the annoying properties of Beholders, plus they summon kin.

Oh, and Death Swords, but usually I don't avoid them; I just walk over to inspect that shiny sword, and get my character instakilled. But I should avoid them, in theory.

Hmm...

Lokkak, the Ogre unique, seems like a case. He's not a big deal later in the game, but is almost always too fast and tough to handle when he first shows up. So for the first dozen or so levels where he's apt to appear, I don't engage him.

[Egavactip]

Beholder Hive-mothers are nice. They have all the annoying properties of Beholders, plus they summon kin.

Oh, and Death Swords, but usually I don't avoid them; I just walk over to inspect that shiny sword, and get my character instakilled. But I should avoid them, in theory.

Hmm...

Lokkak, the Ogre unique, seems like a case. He's not a big deal later in the game, but is almost always too fast and tough to handle when he first shows up. So for the first dozen or so levels where he's apt to appear, I don't engage him.

No uniques, please. That's another thread!

I don't know what you mean by Death Swords.

[Sky]

Pit fiends, and every monster that can summon more of itself. I personally think mobs who summon should only be able to summon lesser mobs (so a balrog can summon a neflashee, but not another balrog), otherwise you can have a mob explosion which is so dramatic, it makes it illogical to attack that monster. Unless the purpose in game design of that monster is specifically that the player MUST avoid it.
Q mobs are fine, but i would cap the amount of summons they can have at any one time, except the big emperor Q guy. That's what Mban is for.

[Pete Mack]

Summoning is sometimes a desirable feature, say if you are playing mage and need a lot of EXP quick at the end of the game. Pit fiends are easy with double resist. It's Greater Balrogs and Horned Reapers I avoid most among demons (and Pazuzu).

[Egavactip]

Pit fiends, and every monster that can summon more of itself. I personally think mobs who summon should only be able to summon lesser mobs (so a balrog can summon a neflashee, but not another balrog), otherwise you can have a mob explosion which is so dramatic, it makes it illogical to attack that monster. Unless the purpose in game design of that monster is specifically that the player MUST avoid it.

I don't have a problem with little brother calling big brother.

[HallucinationMushroom]

Death mold. Sometimes nexus hounds if stat swap is relevant. Jabberwocks seem exhausting, I often avoid those. I dislike the acid ooze? Gelatinous cube? Whichever is stronger I forget, I try to dodge but often end up fighting anyway. Same for drujs. I also dislike the strongest Titan. I like many of the ones you list, but mainly for non-intelligent reasons like... for the hell of it, or to get my jollies. I generally kill everything I come across just because I enjoy it. Debo would laugh, and be equally unsurprised, probably, that I will cross a room to kill a mold in Sil.

[debo]

Debo would laugh, and be equally unsurprised, probably, that I will cross a room to kill a mold in Sil.

I think you mean 'whack a bush'! RIP molds.