Because more stuff to fight is credit to game.

BEAST: Zeppelican

Imagine a giant, fat pelican with an enormous Lumber-sized beak. Now imagine it's dropping bombs on you. This is the Zeppelican, and it's about the size of a Trojan Knight when fully inflated. Zeppelicans, however, start off quite a bit skinnier than the fat pelican you probably imagined; the "fat" on a Zeppelican is actually it inflating with air to fly.

Upon spawning, it takes off, inflating just a little, and starts hovering around while generating bombs. How does it do that, you ask? Well, one, it eats fish. Fish scales gotta come out somehow, and fish oil has some explosive properties you never would have imagined. No, really. I'm, ah, dead serious. The Zeppelican's wings aren't really what it flies with, but it can put them up as a shield if it sees a bullet heading toward it; it will keep an eye open for Blitz Needle charges. At Tier 2 and below, it'll also have a Blow Back attack that pushes knights away with its wings; good for keeping those pesky Flourishes at bay.

Once it's done loading up bombs, the Zeppelican inflates a lot to take to the sky, putting it out of range. Its shadow will be visible, and bombs will fall from that shadow; these bombs have a scaly texture (FISH BOMBS FTW) and explode in a mass of scales when they land, dealing Piercing damage and Moderate Stun. Their blast radius is equal to a Roarmulus rocket (they fall much the same way, in fact) and there's ten to twenty bombs per bombing run. After it uses up all its bombs, it dives back down, where it starts loading its bombs again.

At Tier 2, Zeppelicans go from carnivores to crazy omnivores. While fish remains their preferred diet, they'll also eat bushes, and get a lot of twigs in their fish scale bombs; each fish bomb will cause one to four twigs to fire off like Slime spines. At Tier 3, two to six twigs fire out.

So there you have it: a giant inflating pelican that is harmless for a while, but then it becomes invulnerable and starts raining down death on knights. So what do you do? Kill its buddies first so you can more easily avoid the storm of bombs it drops and then focus on it when it's done, or kill it first to avoid the storm altogether while getting attacked by its allies the whole time? Keep in mind, these guys take quite a bit of damage from Fire; they shake off most status effects (even Curse) when they go airborne, but Fire is a key exception.

BEAST: Ganodermite

Wolver-sized acid-spitting termites with wooden shells that have mushrooms growing on them. That's the best description I can give.

A Ganodermite can be one of two classes: Worker or Soldier. (A Ganodermite Queen would be so huge it'd probably be boss material.) Soldiers make up the backbone of a Ganodermite force, and come with all the attacks. All Ganodermites have large mandibles that they can bite with; this deals nasty Normal/Piercing damage. They can also spit globs of acid like a Kat's projectiles, shooting one glob at Tier 1 and three globs at Tier 2 and Tier 3.

Unique to Ganodermite Soldiers is a jump attack; they lower their head, open their mandibles, point themselves at a target, and make a flying leap toward their target, snapping their jaws on the first person unlucky enough to be in their way. This attack adds Moderate Stun in addition to whatever the Ganodermite may have caused with a normal bite. Also unique to the Soldiers is a deadly counter-attack feature on Tiers 2 and 3; if they're readying a Bite or Leap and are hit with anything (even a Shock spasm), their mandibles snap shut, resulting in the same thing as a Bite. And they can fire an exploding spore in Tier 3 that causes Piercing damage in a small radius.

Ganodermite Workers are more support-oriented. They're smaller than Soldiers, and have more mushrooms growing out of the wooden shell on their back. Now, those mushrooms on their back have curative properties when used right, and Ganodermites know this. Workers can use the Bite and Acid Spit attacks for slightly less damage than Soldiers; however, they can and will opt to heal an ally for the same amount as a Mender on the same depth. Ganodermite Workers and Soldiers take priority, followed by other healers, and then large monsters like Trojans, Giant Lichen Colonies, Lumbers, and Alpha Wolvers. They can also give a single target a 20-second immunity to status effects; this attack has a long cooldown, but the Worker prioritizes it when an ally is Cursed or Poisoned.

Ganodermites come in five flavors. Standard Ganodermites will have only the Stun inflicted on Leap. Fire Ganodermites are reddish and inflict Fire, Glacial Ganodermites are light blue in color and inflict Freeze, Charged Ganodermites are dark blue and inflict Shock, and Venomous Ganodermites are green-tinted and inflict Poison.

So we have a nasty medium-sized monster, and a new healer with attacks that may end up immune to Poison. Beware.

SLIME: Squishy Wizard
Disclaimer: Not originally my idea! If you know where the original was, provide a link; this one's going to be different in some ways.

Wizards in fantasy games are generally fairly weak defensively, thus being called "Squishy". This wizard is squishy in a different sense. Squishy Wizards are blue Lichens with blue conical wizard hats and what looks like a large gray beard. They levitate above the ground and have a staff attached to them that has pieces of Valestone and Luminite (these make Slime strata) on the end.

Squishy Wizards' first role in a battle is to make their allies stronger. Their Empower attack, which is used at the beginning of a battle, lights up Oilers, refreezes Ice Cubes, and supercharges Quicksilvers in a radius around them, while giving themselves and Slimes in their radius temporary immunity to friendly fire from Quicksilvers. Empower is on quite a bit of a cooldown.

Squishy Wizards have attacks, of course. Staff Strike is fast, but it just knocks targets away and does a little Piercing damage. Magic Missile fires a glowing purple Slime spine with limited homing capabilites and Piercing damage; in Tier 3, three Magic Missiles appear at once. Summon Thorns creates a Thorn Root attack centered on the Squishy Wizard's target; more roots come out in lower Tiers. Empower Blast is usable on a dying Blast Cube, and makes its explosion much larger, while keeping it from hurting any monsters; Super and Ultra Blast Cubes will shoot out more cluster-blobs if affected by Empower Blast.

Squishy Wizards can also Blink. Their Blink cooldown is the same as a Wolver's; they tend to blink behind a Knight that used the attack they're avoiding.

This gives the Slime family a powerful ranged attacker, as well as making the Slime family able to function at its full potential without help from other families or map features, which was the point of the original Squishy Wizard.

GREMLIN: Gremlin Leaders (Tamers, Slimewardens, Engineers, Sergeants, Sorcerers, Professionals)

Gremlins like to assign their higher-ranking leaders to the Clockworks to oversee each sector. Each one appears in levels with its particular Monster family, and all six of them have a small chance to appear in Gremlin levels (except for the Gremlin Sergeant, which appears often in Gremlin levels). They're designed to be support AND attack units! This will add a use for Shadow damage in most areas; Gremlin Sorcerers and Professionals appear with Undead and Fiends, both of which appear in the same place and are resistant to Shadow. Also, it'll give the Gremlins a little more personality.

One thing to keep in mind: buffs from these guys will not stack. Also, if a leader appears and no matching monsters appear nearby, two relevant monsters will spawn next to that leader (for example, Wolvers, Chromalisks, or Ganodermite Soldiers will appear next to a Gremlin Tamer if no Beasts are nearby).

Tamers
"Darn it! I feed these beasts 100% organic food! Don't you realize you're not organic?"

Gremlin Tamers wear Thwacker garb along with backpacks full of what looks like animal food. (It IS animal food, enriched with lots of vitamins and minerals. (None of these minerals are dark matter. (protip: never put dark matter in animal food (ever (TRUST ME))))) Ironclaw Tamers wear green bandannas and Darkfang Tamers wear purple bandannas with the Beast symbol on them. They carry large two-handed nets.

Tamers' nets are the main source of their attack power. If a Knight is caught by the net, the Tamer picks them up, then spins the net, hurling the Knight with the centrifugal force for nasty Normal damage. They also have a sharpened Valestone spike on the end that the Tamer can use like a spear, dealing Piercing/Elemental damage. Tamers apply a 25% defense buff to nearby Beasts of all types, can direct Chromalisks to fire their spit so it creates a wall, can use a whistle or spray Ganodermite Queen Pheromones to give Wolvers and Ganodermites (respectively) an Attack Speed buff, can take a health mushroom from a Ganodermite Worker and apply it to another Beast, and can feed Zeppelicans fish to make them generate bombs faster.

Finally, Tamers can use a different whistle to call two random-status Wolvers, two random-status Chromalisks, or two random-status Ganodermite Soldiers to their side. These extra Beasts drop nothing.

Slimewardens
"I start the day off by getting jabbed by a Toxigel and now I'm going to get beaten up by Knights for the second time this week. I oughta change careers..."

Tenderfoot Slimewardens wear Jelly Helmets that cover the ears as well as a suit of Jelly Armor. Ironclaw Slimewardens wear Brute Jelly with reinforced iron bands, and Darkfang Slimewardens wear Royal Jelly with more reinforced iron bands and the Slime symbol on an attached chestplate. They dual-wield shovels in combat; Tenderfoots carry Slime Slashers, Ironclaws have larger Super Slime Slashers, and Darkfangs have huge, purple glowing shovels.

Slimewardens will hit fast with their Shovels; they can slash for Piercing and Elemental damage, or smack for Normal damage. Slimewardens apply a 25% attack buff to nearby Slimes of all types, can pick up and throw a Lichen to merge it with another Lichen, can use a lighter to light Oilers on fire, can direct an Ice Cube to refreeze another Ice Cube, can throw Quicksilvers along with a Shock Vial to supercharge them on impact, can call every Toxigel, Toxilargo, or Toxoil in an area to use their Spike Spin at once, can toss an exploding Blast Cube, can direct multiple Jelly Cubes to use their Spike Root attack on a single target, can sharpen a Polyp's spikes to give them 20% more attack, and can give a Squishy Wizard a Royal Core to (somehow) give it a shorter Blink cooldown.

Finally, Slimewardens can clang their shovels together to call two Lichens, two Jelly Cubes, two Oilers, two Ice Cubes, two Quicksilvers, two Toxigels, or two Blast Cubes. These extra Slimes drop nothing.

Slimewardens have a tough job. Getting the crap beaten out of them by Knights (repeatedly, since they tend to CE-revive when you're not around) and being repeatedly jabbed by Slimes... almost makes you feel sorry for 'em. Then you realize how much these guys are being paid.

Engineers
"Time for some gear grinding!"

Tenderfoot Engineers wear similar armor to a Gremlin Demo, along with a yellow hard hat. Ironclaw Engineers wear an orange hard hat and Darkfang Engineers wear a purple hard hat with the Construct logo on it. They carry normal-sized wrenches and toolboxes; lower Tier Engineers have larger wrenches and toolboxes. Darkfang Engineers' left arms are cyborganic.

Engineers can hit an enemy for Elemental damage with the Wrench, or swing the Toolbox to cause Normal damage. Engineers apply a 25% defense buff to nearby Constructs of all types, can generate a small barrier around a Gun Puppy that cuts incoming damage to 1/3 of its original magnitude, can direct Retrodes to spray their lasers all at once so they get maximum area coverage, can sharpen a Mecha Knight's sword giving it +10% attack, can overcharge a Lumber giving it an extra status-infliction radius on its next attack, and can overclock a Scuttlebot to give it 10% less defense, but 40% more movement speed.

Finally, Engineers can build two random status variant Mecha Knights, Scuttlebots, or Retrodes. These extra Constructs drop nothing.

Sergeants
"TWENTY push-ups, LAZY MAGGOTS! Wait, an attack? FIGHT THEM OFF, YOU RODENTS! WHO SAID YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO PUSH-UPS?!"

Tenderfoot Sergeants wear Thwacker garb and an oversized hat that looks much like this one. Ironclaw Sergeants wear a dark orange variant and Darkfang Sergeants wear a dark purple variant with a Gremlin Logo on it. They carry rocket launchers into battle that get progressively bigger as the Tier progresses.

Sergeants will fire Ironclaw Rockets out of their launchers, dealing Elemental damage; they're kind of telegraphed, though. They can also hit with the Rocket Launcher for normal damage. Sergeants apply a 25% attack buff and a 120% stress increase (does nothing) to nearby Gremlins of all types, can direct nearby Thwackers to attack a single target with their Spin Attack, can shout at a Mender to get him to heal two targets at once or lay a second Healing Rune, can shout at a Demo to have him throw an extra bomb per attack, can shout at a Scorcher to have him fire three streams of flame at once (much like Vanaduke), can direct a group of Knockers to surround and attack one target, can shout at other Gremlin leaders to increase their area buff to 40% for a short time ("Your beasts are fighting like NERFED GARBAGE!" and "All your jellies are good for are PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES!" and also "I've seen better magic at BIRTHDAY PARTIES, Houdini!" and don't forget "THAT IS THE WORST ROBOT I HAVE EVER SEEN!"), and on those rare occasions they appear with Mortafires, can shout at them to make them hold on to their gear, keeping it from being knocked off.

Finally, Sergeants can blow a whistle to call two random Gremlins or four random-status Knockers to their side.

There's a 25% chance a Gremlin Leader will respond with an annoyed retort ("Sure, as if Scorchers are much better!" and "I've had a bad day and I can grow Toxigel colonies on your face. Shut up." and also "Why do you insist on being a fool?" and don't forget "It's malfunctioning because your loud mouth is overloading its sensors."), but they will still receive the buff.

Sorcerers
"I am a bringer of death! Tremble in despair, Knights!"

Tenderfoot Sorcerers wear a black robe and carry a gnarled wooden staff with a Dark Matter shard on the end of it. Ironclaw Sorcerers carry a larger staff with a larger shard, and wear a hood that covers their eyes. Darkfang Sorcerers have a staff made completely out of Dark Matter, and their robe has the Undead logo on the back.

Sorcerers can swing their staff to cause Normal damage, or fire a blast of energy at the ground for split Shadow/Elemental damage. Sorcerers apply a 25% defense buff to nearby Undead of all types, can increase a Zombie's attack speed, can give Spookats an anti-bullet shield that blocks up to three projectiles, can enchant a Howlitzer head to teleport within close range of its target upon death, can grant a Grimalkin a 25% speed boost, and if you're unlucky enough to find it and a Deadnaught in the same room, can give that Deadnaught a 10% turning speed increase while dashing.

Finally, Sorcerers can slam their staff on the ground, summoning two random status variant Zombies or Spookats to their side.

Professionals
"Yes, some torture chambers would be great here. Hold on, call HR, we've got more Knights in here..."

Tenderfoot Professionals wear a business suit and carry a suitcase. Ironclaw Professionals carry a larger suitcase and have a hat (and a tie), and Darkfang Professionals wear a larger hat that obscures their eyes, and have a Fiend Logo on their tie and suitcase.

Professionals can hit with the suitcase to cause Normal damage, or pour out infernal paperwork for split Shadow/Elemental damage. Professionals apply a 25% attack buff to nearby Fiends of all types, can get a Devilite or Overtimer to toss two projectiles at once, can convince a Pit Boss to make every nearby Devilite into an Overtimer, can feed a Greaver a snack to "overheal" it by 20% of its max health, can feed a Silkwing coffee to double its healing rate and movement speed, and can extend a Trojan's attack buff duration for a short time. (The Trojan attack buff stacks with the Professional attack buff. Watch out.)

Finally, Professionals can use a cell phone (of doom) to call in two random status variant Devilites or Greavers.

Yes, these are like the Gremlin's answer to Pit Bosses. Yes, they are completely dishonest. What did you expect? They work with Devilites. Devilites don't run an honest business. (They have a Disinformation Technology department that puts viruses on computers for a living! At least, I think they do.)

Compliments? Complaints? Scathing rebukes?

(I may add more monsters later!)