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The abandoned core monsters of D&D
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<blockquote data-quote="JEB" data-source="post: 9297395" data-attributes="member: 10148"><p>Finishing up with 2e... the Monstrous Manual! Another big block of abandoned core monsters here.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Arcane (mercane)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Argos</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Aurumvorax</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Broken one</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Crabman (crab folk)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Crypt thing</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Deepspawn</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Eyewing</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Feyr</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Firedrake</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gargantua (humanoid, insectoid, and reptilian)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Giant bloodworm</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Giant carp</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gibberling</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Giff</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gloomwing</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Grippli</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Half-ogre</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hatori</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Kirre</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Living wall</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mist mephit</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Moon dog</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Neogi (normal and great old master)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Phantom</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sirine</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tabaxi (and tabaxi lord)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tako</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wemic</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wereraven</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Zaratan</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mummy, greater</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Shedu, greater</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Abishai (black, green, and red) (baatezu/devil)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Archlich (lich)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Bird maiden (swanmay)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Maedar and glyptar (male medusa)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Storoper (roper)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ustilagor (intellect devourer larva)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Xaren (xorn)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Yuan-ti histachii (broodguard)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Beholder-kin: death kiss, director, examiner, hive mother, lensman, overseer, and watcher.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dragons: gem (amethyst, crystal, emerald, sapphire, topaz), brown, cloud, deep, mercury, mist, steel, and yellow.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Elemental: composite (black cloud of vengeance, skriaxit, tempest, arctic tempest) and pech.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Giants: desert, fog, jungle, mountain, reef, and wood (voadkyn).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gith: Dark Sun and pirate flavors.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gnome: tinker gnome and spriggan.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Golems: bone, doll, gargoyle, glass, caryatid column, juggernaut, necrophidius, and stone guardian.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gremlins: gremlin, fremlin, galltrit, mite, and snyad (not to be confused with <a href="https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/races/racesPsionic.html" target="_blank">synad</a>).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mists: vampiric and crimson death.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ooze/slime/jelly: mustard jelly, olive slime (and slime creature), and stunjelly.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Skeleton: giant and skeleton warrior.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sprites: atomie and sea sprite.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Trolls: desert, giant, ice, spectral, and spirit.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Zombies: sea zombie and zombie lord.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Bats: azmyth, night hunter, and sinister.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Birds: 'wari, boobrie, condor, eblis, emre, kingfisher, raven (giant and huge), and skyfisher.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Cats: elven and wild.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Insects: aratha, aspis, assassin bug, bumblebee (giant), cave cricket, dragonfly (giant), firefriend (giant firefly), fly (giant), fyrefly, horax, pernicon, termite (giant harvester), and velvet ant (swarm).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mammals: bhaergala, chattur, cooshee (elven hound), dakon (not to be confused with <a href="https://torment.fandom.com/wiki/Dak%27kon" target="_blank">Dak'kon</a>), debbi, hsing-sing, losel, monkey spider, rothé, sleek, stench kow, Steppe pony, taer, and tyrg. Plus generic giant mammal.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Plants: obliviax, quickwood, retch plant, snapper-saw, thornslinger, and thorny.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Snakes: boalisk, elder serpent, heway, jaculi, and winged snake.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Spiders: flying, hairy, trap door (giant), and watch.</li> </ul><p>EDIT: After the 3.0 update, remove the obliviax from the above list - it was in MC Vol. 2.</p><p></p><p>Why were they included? The easy answer would be as with the 1e and 2e compilations, they were just trying to put everything they had in one place. But that's not quite true here - there are hundreds of other monsters from the 2e Monstrous Compendium series that didn't make it into this hardcover. That suggests most if not all of these were considered a "best-of" selection, worthy additions to what had been in the first two MCs. So what makes these stand above the rest?</p><p></p><p>Also worth noting is that every then-current 2e setting was represented here. Not just Greyhawk and the Realms, but also Dragonlance, Kara-Tur, Spelljammer, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, and Al-Qadim. Maybe it was just for advertising purposes, but they actually didn't nod much to the setting origins in the text. So again, these seem like favorites. What might have been the appeal?</p><p></p><p>Why were these cut? Well, to be fair, some cuts were necessary - this is just a lot of creatures, they couldn't all carry forward! And as with MC Vol. 1 and 2, a lot were variations on a better-established monster, which made them easy to trim. But there are still a few surprising omissions, like gremlins.</p><p></p><p>Any other thoughts on these monsters? Speaking for myself, this book is near and dear to my heart, as it was the one that led me to playing D&D (unlike the Fiend Folio, which was also very important to my childhood but didn't push me towards the game). And a lot of these cuts remain personal favorites: especially the crypt thing, deepspawn, and wemic.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JEB, post: 9297395, member: 10148"] Finishing up with 2e... the Monstrous Manual! Another big block of abandoned core monsters here. [LIST] [*]Arcane (mercane) [*]Argos [*]Aurumvorax [*]Broken one [*]Crabman (crab folk) [*]Crypt thing [*]Deepspawn [*]Eyewing [*]Feyr [*]Firedrake [*]Gargantua (humanoid, insectoid, and reptilian) [*]Giant bloodworm [*]Giant carp [*]Gibberling [*]Giff [*]Gloomwing [*]Grippli [*]Half-ogre [*]Hatori [*]Kirre [*]Living wall [*]Mist mephit [*]Moon dog [*]Neogi (normal and great old master) [*]Phantom [*]Sirine [*]Tabaxi (and tabaxi lord) [*]Tako [*]Wemic [*]Wereraven [*]Zaratan [*]Mummy, greater [*]Shedu, greater [*]Abishai (black, green, and red) (baatezu/devil) [*]Archlich (lich) [*]Bird maiden (swanmay) [*]Maedar and glyptar (male medusa) [*]Storoper (roper) [*]Ustilagor (intellect devourer larva) [*]Xaren (xorn) [*]Yuan-ti histachii (broodguard) [*]Beholder-kin: death kiss, director, examiner, hive mother, lensman, overseer, and watcher. [*]Dragons: gem (amethyst, crystal, emerald, sapphire, topaz), brown, cloud, deep, mercury, mist, steel, and yellow. [*]Elemental: composite (black cloud of vengeance, skriaxit, tempest, arctic tempest) and pech. [*]Giants: desert, fog, jungle, mountain, reef, and wood (voadkyn). [*]Gith: Dark Sun and pirate flavors. [*]Gnome: tinker gnome and spriggan. [*]Golems: bone, doll, gargoyle, glass, caryatid column, juggernaut, necrophidius, and stone guardian. [*]Gremlins: gremlin, fremlin, galltrit, mite, and snyad (not to be confused with [URL='https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/races/racesPsionic.html']synad[/URL]). [*]Mists: vampiric and crimson death. [*]Ooze/slime/jelly: mustard jelly, olive slime (and slime creature), and stunjelly. [*]Skeleton: giant and skeleton warrior. [*]Sprites: atomie and sea sprite. [*]Trolls: desert, giant, ice, spectral, and spirit. [*]Zombies: sea zombie and zombie lord. [*]Bats: azmyth, night hunter, and sinister. [*]Birds: 'wari, boobrie, condor, eblis, emre, kingfisher, raven (giant and huge), and skyfisher. [*]Cats: elven and wild. [*]Insects: aratha, aspis, assassin bug, bumblebee (giant), cave cricket, dragonfly (giant), firefriend (giant firefly), fly (giant), fyrefly, horax, pernicon, termite (giant harvester), and velvet ant (swarm). [*]Mammals: bhaergala, chattur, cooshee (elven hound), dakon (not to be confused with [URL='https://torment.fandom.com/wiki/Dak%27kon']Dak'kon[/URL]), debbi, hsing-sing, losel, monkey spider, rothé, sleek, stench kow, Steppe pony, taer, and tyrg. Plus generic giant mammal. [*]Plants: obliviax, quickwood, retch plant, snapper-saw, thornslinger, and thorny. [*]Snakes: boalisk, elder serpent, heway, jaculi, and winged snake. [*]Spiders: flying, hairy, trap door (giant), and watch. [/LIST] EDIT: After the 3.0 update, remove the obliviax from the above list - it was in MC Vol. 2. Why were they included? The easy answer would be as with the 1e and 2e compilations, they were just trying to put everything they had in one place. But that's not quite true here - there are hundreds of other monsters from the 2e Monstrous Compendium series that didn't make it into this hardcover. That suggests most if not all of these were considered a "best-of" selection, worthy additions to what had been in the first two MCs. So what makes these stand above the rest? Also worth noting is that every then-current 2e setting was represented here. Not just Greyhawk and the Realms, but also Dragonlance, Kara-Tur, Spelljammer, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, and Al-Qadim. Maybe it was just for advertising purposes, but they actually didn't nod much to the setting origins in the text. So again, these seem like favorites. What might have been the appeal? Why were these cut? Well, to be fair, some cuts were necessary - this is just a lot of creatures, they couldn't all carry forward! And as with MC Vol. 1 and 2, a lot were variations on a better-established monster, which made them easy to trim. But there are still a few surprising omissions, like gremlins. Any other thoughts on these monsters? Speaking for myself, this book is near and dear to my heart, as it was the one that led me to playing D&D (unlike the Fiend Folio, which was also very important to my childhood but didn't push me towards the game). And a lot of these cuts remain personal favorites: especially the crypt thing, deepspawn, and wemic. [/QUOTE]
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