1. Customizing Your Monsters
Page 273 of the Dungeon Master's Guide provides rules to build your monsters from scratch. I highly recommend you read this chapter. I don't recommend you build your monsters from scratch on a regular basis. It's helpful to understand monster design by reading this section, but it's much easier to customize your monsters instead of building them.
It's very easy to take an existing stat block a retool it for your needs. Let's say you want this huge burrowing triceratops headed creature from the Monster Hunter movie trailer.
Burrowing is it's primary feature. So, let's the bulette stat block:
Then we add the Trampling Charge, Gore, Hooves abilities from the Gorgon stat block:
Trampling Charge. If the gorgon moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn... the monster can make one attack with its CLAWS against it as a bonus action.
Gore. Melee Weapon Attack:+8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d12 + 5) piercing damage.
CLAWS. Melee Weapon Attack:+8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) SLASHING damage.
(Notice: We made all attacks +5 damage for consistency sake. Therefore we will upgrade our Bulette stat block from 18 strength to 20 strength. We will change the Gorgon's "Hooves" attack to "Claws" simply by changing bludgeoning damage to slashing damage. We can take out the saving throw in between the Gore attack and Claws attack. Doing this creates make two different types of attack. See below.)
Two different ways to attack:
We can use the Deadly Leap attack from the Bulette stat block doing 14 (3d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (3d6 + 5) slashing damage. These attacks are delivered in a small area effect and cause the targets to roll saving throws.
Or we can use Trampling Charge to attack for 18 (2d12 + 5) and 16 (2d10 + 5). These are directed at a single target and are melee weapon attacks... so we roll to hit. (Personally I would make this attack ignore opportunity attacks to create a dynamic fight. The Monster tramples through the party to exit Melee range with its 40ft movement; using the last 20 ft of that movement to burrow under ground. Then on its next turn it bursts from the ground with its Deadly Leap. Now we have a nasty encounter on our hands!)
We can also increase the size of the monster from Large to Huge. This increases the area effect of the Deadly Leap attack. Also because it's huge we could increase the number of damage dice. Making the Deadly Leap attacks 4d6 each and the Gore/Claws 3d12 and 3d10. Doing this will increase the difficulty. If you want to make sure it's not too difficult for your party use Page 273 of the Dungeon Master's Guide to check the math.
Here is the final stat block on DnD Beyond:
2. Understand Action Economy
Action economy is vital to creating exiting encounters. No matter how cool a monster tor NPC ... if it stands still and gets pulverized by your players it's boring for all involved. This is why it's important to use multiple creatures in an encounter. Your players have each have a character able to use an action, bonus action and reaction. Player characters are far more dynamic than most monsters. At fourth level you might think it's appropriate to put the party up against two Orogs because they are Challenge Rating 2. Then the Orogs make two attacks each then stand there while your party makes four attacks plus reactions and bonus actions... Fighter dual-wielding, Sorcerer quicken spell, Cleric spiritual weapon and Warlock hellish rebuke. That's Orogs 4 vs Players 8. Smart players focus fire on one Orog killing it in the first round. Leaving the last Orog to die on the second round. Make this combat far more interesting with one Orog and 6 Orcs. The Orog attacks twice and the Orcs attack once each. This creates an encounter with 8 attacks vs. 8 attacks. It will be nasty during the first round. But the following rounds get easier as the 13 hit point Orcs die off. Thereby creating a tense moment when the players think they might be in over their heads, but then results in victory. This also provides a combat that will last 3 or 4 rounds, providing players a chance to use different abilities and show off their characters.
Another way to balance the action economy is with lair actions and legendary actions. The list contains several monsters from the Monster Manual with these abilities. Reviewing these stat blocks helps you make encounters more dynamic. You don't need to save these for your big bad boss fights. Even the Challenge Rating 5 Unicorn has legendary actions. The precedent is set. You can give Legendary actions to any lower level "mini-boss", like the CR6 Hobgoblin Warlord or CR7 Drow Mage.
You can also give lair actions to a group of low level monsters. Kobolds fill their caverns with traps. You could create 3 or 4 different trap types that the Kobolds unleash on initiative 20 as their lair action. The Goblin Forest is full of carnivorous plants that the Goblins can activate as their liar actions. Just a few ways to spice up low CR creatures.
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