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<blockquote data-quote="JEB" data-source="post: 9274326" data-attributes="member: 10148"><p>Reversing direction, some notable core monsters that were introduced in Basic D&D, and their status as of 5e...</p><p></p><p>Newly core in the Basic Set (1977)...</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Giant ant (driver ant): These appeared in every other edition <em>besides</em> 5e (and were only non-core in 4e). Odd that in over a decade of 5e products, there haven't been any official giant ant stats.</li> </ul><p></p><p>Newly core in the Basic Set (1981)...</p><p></p><p>Appearing in 5e:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Acolyte, noble, veteran: Core in 5e, presumably as a nod to the 1981 rules. While variations of a noble statblock had appeared on and off in other editions, a (human) veteran had only appeared one other time (a 4e issue of Dungeon), and this was the first generic acolyte statblock since 1981.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Living statues: Crystal and iron living statues returned in 5e's Ghosts of Saltmarsh. (Rock living statues only appeared once outside Basic, in 2e's Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix.)</li> </ul><p></p><p>Not in 5e:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">White ape, rock baboon, cave locust (a.k.a. giant locust), giant ferret, robber fly, giant shrew: These became staples of Basic D&D, but haven't returned since. (Really, no one wants a giant ferret mount?)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Giant bee: Similar to the giant ant, these had been a core staple until disappearing in 4e. You'd think 4e or 5e would have had giant bees at some point...</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Oil and tiger beetle: Oil beetles only appeared one time outside Basic (a 3e issue of Dungeon), tiger beetles zero times.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Medium: The wizardly counterpart to the acolyte and veteran, this hasn't appeared since 1981. But it's probably been subsumed into the mage statblock (or the apprentice wizard in Volo's).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Thoul: Seems to be kind of a cult favorite, but remains missing from 5e; its last appearance was in a 4e issue of Dragon. The only other official update had been back in 2e's Mystara Appendix. (However, there was an unofficial update in the third-party product Dave Arneson's Blackmoor.)</li> </ul><p></p><p>Newly core in the Basic Rules (1983)...</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Giant racer snake: The only new core monster in this version, but it didn't make it out of Basic.</li> </ul><p></p><p>Newly core in the Rules Cyclopedia...</p><p></p><p>Appearing in 5e:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Riding horse, war horse: Previously introduced in the 1981 Expert Set, these have replaced every 0e horse type in 5e, except for the draft horse. (And the pony, if that counts.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Nightwalker: Probably the great success story of Basic D&D monsters, returning in 2e's Mystara Appendix and becoming core in 3e and 4e. They were demoted from core in 5e, but returned in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. Their fellow nightshades - the nightcrawler and nightwing - were also core in 3e, but disappeared after.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Frost salamander: Appeared in MTOF, after a few appearances in 2e and 3e.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Manscorpion (tlincalli): Appeared in Volo's Guide to Monsters, after appearances in 2e and 3e. Notably, they were core in 2e's Monstrous Manual.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Werebat: Appeared in Dungeon of the Mad Mage, after non-core appearances in earlier editions (besides 4e).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Giant snail: Returned in Wild Beyond the Witchlight, after just one non-Basic appearance (in 4e Dungeon).</li> </ul><p></p><p>Not in 5e:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There are a bunch of potentially interesting monsters from the Rules Cyclopedia here that not only haven't returned for 5e, but haven't returned for the past few editions (after most were updated in 2e's Mystara Appendix). But I'm paring the list here down to the most noteworthy absences.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Athach: The other experiment (besides the nightshades) in making a Basic monster core in 3e. However, it's been completely absent from later editions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Blackball: They were included in the 3e Epic Level Handbook as the "umbral blot" - which also puts them in the minority of non-core monsters that made it into the SRD. But nothing since. (They may be redundant with the sphere of annihilation, I suppose.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Drolem: Rebranded as the "dragonflesh golem" in 3e. This seemed like an obvious choice to return after that, but it hasn't happened. (I had totally expected them to be in Fizban's.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mud golem, wood golem: These are other straightforward golem ideas dropped after reappearances in 3e.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Werefox: Seemed relatively prominent in 1e and 2e, but only appeared in a 3e Ravenloft product after. (I'd wonder if folks would rather have a kitsune, but we don't have that either in 5e...)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wereshark: Similar to the werefox, this made a few appearances in 1e through 3e, but just vanished after that. Even though it seems like an obvious choice for an archetypal aquatic lycanthrope.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Malfera, nuckalavee, spectral hound: All three returned in 3e, but that's all. I feel like the nuckalavee should have appeared in something Feywild by now.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Bone (skeletal) golem: I strongly suspect this inspired 4e's skeletal tomb guardian, FWIW.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Snow ape, lava ooze: They didn't even make it into the 2e Mystara Appendix, but did still return in 3e. (The latter seems like it has potential.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dragon Rulers, gemstone dragons: These are <em>not</em> surprising omissions, since they compete with better-established options in the AD&D lineage. (It's more surprising they made an attempt at integrating the gemstone dragons in 2e.)</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JEB, post: 9274326, member: 10148"] Reversing direction, some notable core monsters that were introduced in Basic D&D, and their status as of 5e... Newly core in the Basic Set (1977)... [LIST] [*]Giant ant (driver ant): These appeared in every other edition [I]besides[/I] 5e (and were only non-core in 4e). Odd that in over a decade of 5e products, there haven't been any official giant ant stats. [/LIST] Newly core in the Basic Set (1981)... Appearing in 5e: [LIST] [*]Acolyte, noble, veteran: Core in 5e, presumably as a nod to the 1981 rules. While variations of a noble statblock had appeared on and off in other editions, a (human) veteran had only appeared one other time (a 4e issue of Dungeon), and this was the first generic acolyte statblock since 1981. [*]Living statues: Crystal and iron living statues returned in 5e's Ghosts of Saltmarsh. (Rock living statues only appeared once outside Basic, in 2e's Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix.) [/LIST] Not in 5e: [LIST] [*]White ape, rock baboon, cave locust (a.k.a. giant locust), giant ferret, robber fly, giant shrew: These became staples of Basic D&D, but haven't returned since. (Really, no one wants a giant ferret mount?) [*]Giant bee: Similar to the giant ant, these had been a core staple until disappearing in 4e. You'd think 4e or 5e would have had giant bees at some point... [*]Oil and tiger beetle: Oil beetles only appeared one time outside Basic (a 3e issue of Dungeon), tiger beetles zero times. [*]Medium: The wizardly counterpart to the acolyte and veteran, this hasn't appeared since 1981. But it's probably been subsumed into the mage statblock (or the apprentice wizard in Volo's). [*]Thoul: Seems to be kind of a cult favorite, but remains missing from 5e; its last appearance was in a 4e issue of Dragon. The only other official update had been back in 2e's Mystara Appendix. (However, there was an unofficial update in the third-party product Dave Arneson's Blackmoor.) [/LIST] Newly core in the Basic Rules (1983)... [LIST] [*]Giant racer snake: The only new core monster in this version, but it didn't make it out of Basic. [/LIST] Newly core in the Rules Cyclopedia... Appearing in 5e: [LIST] [*]Riding horse, war horse: Previously introduced in the 1981 Expert Set, these have replaced every 0e horse type in 5e, except for the draft horse. (And the pony, if that counts.) [*]Nightwalker: Probably the great success story of Basic D&D monsters, returning in 2e's Mystara Appendix and becoming core in 3e and 4e. They were demoted from core in 5e, but returned in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. Their fellow nightshades - the nightcrawler and nightwing - were also core in 3e, but disappeared after. [*]Frost salamander: Appeared in MTOF, after a few appearances in 2e and 3e. [*]Manscorpion (tlincalli): Appeared in Volo's Guide to Monsters, after appearances in 2e and 3e. Notably, they were core in 2e's Monstrous Manual. [*]Werebat: Appeared in Dungeon of the Mad Mage, after non-core appearances in earlier editions (besides 4e). [*]Giant snail: Returned in Wild Beyond the Witchlight, after just one non-Basic appearance (in 4e Dungeon). [/LIST] Not in 5e: [LIST] [*]There are a bunch of potentially interesting monsters from the Rules Cyclopedia here that not only haven't returned for 5e, but haven't returned for the past few editions (after most were updated in 2e's Mystara Appendix). But I'm paring the list here down to the most noteworthy absences. [*]Athach: The other experiment (besides the nightshades) in making a Basic monster core in 3e. However, it's been completely absent from later editions. [*]Blackball: They were included in the 3e Epic Level Handbook as the "umbral blot" - which also puts them in the minority of non-core monsters that made it into the SRD. But nothing since. (They may be redundant with the sphere of annihilation, I suppose.) [*]Drolem: Rebranded as the "dragonflesh golem" in 3e. This seemed like an obvious choice to return after that, but it hasn't happened. (I had totally expected them to be in Fizban's.) [*]Mud golem, wood golem: These are other straightforward golem ideas dropped after reappearances in 3e. [*]Werefox: Seemed relatively prominent in 1e and 2e, but only appeared in a 3e Ravenloft product after. (I'd wonder if folks would rather have a kitsune, but we don't have that either in 5e...) [*]Wereshark: Similar to the werefox, this made a few appearances in 1e through 3e, but just vanished after that. Even though it seems like an obvious choice for an archetypal aquatic lycanthrope. [*]Malfera, nuckalavee, spectral hound: All three returned in 3e, but that's all. I feel like the nuckalavee should have appeared in something Feywild by now. [*]Bone (skeletal) golem: I strongly suspect this inspired 4e's skeletal tomb guardian, FWIW. [*]Snow ape, lava ooze: They didn't even make it into the 2e Mystara Appendix, but did still return in 3e. (The latter seems like it has potential.) [*]Dragon Rulers, gemstone dragons: These are [I]not[/I] surprising omissions, since they compete with better-established options in the AD&D lineage. (It's more surprising they made an attempt at integrating the gemstone dragons in 2e.) [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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