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I have been thinking about the style and flavor of my game (to be resumed later this month) and have decided that one of the things that gives a "1E Feel" is the presence of "iconic creatures." So, what are iconic creatures?
I would say that the list should definitely include orcs, goblins, dragons... can you help me go from here? What are the creatures you most associate with classic D&D?
One more exercise:
Try to take an iconic creature and present it in a new way. Does anyone do this? Can you present an example for the group? I think Dungeon has been doing this well lately.
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
"When there are monsters there are miracles."
- Ogden Nash
Iconic creatures really fall into three broad catagories for me:
1. Mythical creatures: While this has always been a great way to find new monsters, many great ones that we all know and love were in the original monster manual. Chimera, madusea, dragons, undead or any other creatures pulled from real world history.
2. PC creatures: Ala monsters that have little or no obvious realistic putpose other than to screw with the players. Mimic, Trapper, Lurker Above, Gelatanious Cube (come on, it was the perfect size to fit in a corridor), Rot Grubs.
3. The "Whoa! I've got to throw that at the players" moment: This is even more subjective. This is the first few times you flipped through 1E monster manual and said "Cool. My players are so going to face that!" when you saw the mind flayer for the first time. Other examples for me are green slime, beholders, giants, ropers, the demons. Later on for FF and MMII it was the Shadow Demon, Drow, Death Knight, Deamons, Dracolisk, more oozes.
What I would really recommend Wolf is that you pick up the Tome of Horrors by Necromancer Games. It has SO many old school creatures updated that it reads like a trip down memory lane. Seriously, if you want 1E feel, you'll love reading this book.
From the pages of the lore-keepers at the college of Sorânor in the City of Endless Light, Solarus:
The True Gorgons, or Fear Casters, are a wicked race of female serpents with awful powers and access to witchery magic. These foul hags have the bodies of giant snakes but the torso of female humans, all covered in scales. They are certainly not lovely, as their presence can cause fear: those who look upon the true gorgon must reach done deep inside and make a gut check of tremendous will or be over come with fear so terrible they are literally frozen and watch the gorgon in horror. Many a stalwart hero has been over come with fear and stood in place paralyzed fully aware of the gorgon as she consumed him.
It is said the powers of fear can even affect victims from a distance. Those that hear the fear caster still must resist the urge to run, and those who see the gorgon also suffer from permanent mental scarring do to the trauma produced from facing such overwhelming fear.
The magical powers are to be feared also. True gorgons have the ability to project their will into a victim overcome with fear and force the individual to watch as they commit great acts of evil. Many gorgons are also witches and manifest witchery powers.
As the pinnacle of the gorgon race, these are creatures to be avoided. If you enter a forgotten crypt and hear the evil and unholy laugh of a hissing woman: Run. Run fast.
True Gorgon:
Medusa (the original with the serpents body, as taken from the Tome of Horrors)
Replace the “Turn to Stone” with just a “Paralyzed with Fear” ability that only requires you to see her.
Add a ranged minor fear or run away affect
Remove the poison snakes for hair
Add the ghost template, without the incorporeal ability, undead traits, and keep the hit dice the same (These are not undead after all, we are just using the template)
From the template, make sure to keep the manifest ability and the ability to drain Cha, Wis, and Int to represent the scarring from overwhelming fear
Add at least one level of Witch from Arcana Unearthed. (Use sorcerer for those without AU/AE)
Add colorful flavor text
Mix: Walla! True Gorgon: The Fear Caster.
Final Note. This monster is still similar to the original, so play up the fear and magic in the flavor text. I had my characters really shaken about this monster before they ever even encountered it just from descriptions. A few bodies with twisted faces starring in horror, evil hissing laughter, and random fear checks, as they got close, as if they were being watched and hit with a fear aura. Great fun.
I was so happy with the feel of this monster I created a whole new category of monsters called gorgons and now I’m happily converting Nagas, Hags, and Ophideans to the cause…
2. PC creatures: Ala monsters that have little or no obvious realistic putpose other than to screw with the players. Mimic, Trapper, Lurker Above, Gelatanious Cube (come on, it was the perfect size to fit in a corridor), Rot Grubs.
I just used a Gelatanous Cube against my party last night! What fun.
To your list I'd add the Piercer, the Roper, the Water Weird and the "I wouldn't exist if it wasn't for adventurers" Rust Monster.
I'm not yet particularly inspired to update one, but I'm going to be giving it some thought ...
The roper and the piercer were both just weird and good fun back 20+ years ago. You really want those creatures that have no discernable place in an ecosystem. Stuff that was obviously designed to be a "gotcha" when you played. The Violet fungus, shrieker and ear seeker (for them pesky thieves) are good examples.
I'm not sure I can think of much that I consider "iconic". But templated, improved monsters are always fun. My last campaign I created some critters that were referred to as big'uns by one of the NPCs. Basically, it was a half-draconic (black) Gray Render. The PCs freaked out on what a big'un could be because they didn't know what it was. As for other new classic creatures, let me think about it a little bit. It's late tonight.
What I would really recommend Wolf is that you pick up the Tome of Horrors by Necromancer Games. It has SO many old school creatures updated that it reads like a trip down memory lane. Seriously, if you want 1E feel, you'll love reading this book.
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
"When there are monsters there are miracles."
- Ogden Nash
According to this test, I am a Lawful Good Gnome Paladin with the following ability scores:
Str. 10
Dex. 15
Con. 16
Int. 15
Wis. 10
Cha. 12
The test said it, not me. :\
Try to take an iconic creature and present it in a new way. Does anyone do this? Can you present an example for the group? I think Dungeon has been doing this well lately.
What really gets a group of high level players in when it turns out that Goblin you just walked past thinking "It can't even hit me." has not only hit you, but done 40 damage. Oh the wonderfull things you can do with the Paragon template....
__________________ Well, that was fun
"Things arn't as pretty on the inside..."
Spoiler:
"Xen is basically the GMF's goodwill ambassador to the Far Realm" HightCloak
I love using deceptive looing classes for NPCs. A classic example: (20th lv campaign for instance)
GM: You see the drow wearing scale mail and carrying a longsword with an adamantine sheild. It raises its sword in challenge to you.
PC: *sigh* another stupid guard...Alrght I unsheather my Greatsword
PC2: A couple of firebalss coming online...(YES that WAS stolen from KoDT )
GM: It casts fireball. Make a Reflex save.
PC: WHAT?? IN SCALE MAIL?
PC3(rules lawyer): You roll fail chance for that?
GM: *maniacal laughter*
PCs(All): *awkward looks*
GM: <_< >_> O_O The beauty of warmages....
Warmages appear on teh surface to be typical NPC Warriors but when they start chucking fireballs the PCs have to start changing tactics.
I did think of one twist on an iconic creature that I used years ago ...
The characters ranged between 5th and 7th level, and I put them up against a small cadre of kobolds. The players were having a blast mowing down the hopelessly overmatch creatures, and I played it up by describing the kobold's frantic cries, bordering on panic as they threw themselves headlong at the invaders. What fun!
That is until they met the kobold champion, who happened to have extra hit dice and a pair of Gauntlets of Ogre Power. Heh, the look on my players' faces as the "slightly larger" kobold began beating them down was priceless.
Of course the players won out in the end, but with a few more bruises than expected. And weren't they disappointed to learn that those kobold-sized gauntles didn't fit on any of their characters ...
Location: In the scenic part of Hell: The Village of Barovia
Posts: 253
Iconic creatures, at least to me, are those that make me feel like I did when the game was new. Kobolds, Bandits (human, orc, or bugbear), Trolls, Dragons (always metallic, usually adult or younger), things like that.
Pretty much anything that I remember throwing at my PCs back in the day. I have a special weakness for 4th level wizards named Zanser Tem (from that old boxed set back in 2e).
__________________
Spoiler:
Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. -Henry Louis Mencken
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mordmorgan the Mad
Uh...yeah, I looked through all my core books...and, uh...I couldn't find any rules
on "Common Sense" at all. Is that some kinda Rogue ability?
Disclaimer: The above is SARCASM. Just so you know.
Bandits! I can't count how many times i've been forced to raid a bandit lair or defeat a bandit leader! So many DMs and computer games use that plot, but it never really gets boring if ya ask me. "Whats that you say? A Bandit lair! Adventurers, AWAY!"
__________________ Well, that was fun
"Things arn't as pretty on the inside..."
Spoiler:
"Xen is basically the GMF's goodwill ambassador to the Far Realm" HightCloak
Bandits! I can't count how many times i've been forced to raid a bandit lair or defeat a bandit leader! So many DMs and computer games use that plot, but it never really gets boring if ya ask me. "Whats that you say? A Bandit lair! Adventurers, AWAY!"
___________________________
I Definitely NOT a Bandit Camp I
I__________________________I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I/////////////////////////////////
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
"When there are monsters there are miracles."
- Ogden Nash
According to this test, I am a Lawful Good Gnome Paladin with the following ability scores:
Str. 10
Dex. 15
Con. 16
Int. 15
Wis. 10
Cha. 12
The test said it, not me. :\
According to this test, I am a Lawful Good Gnome Paladin with the following ability scores:
Str. 10
Dex. 15
Con. 16
Int. 15
Wis. 10
Cha. 12
The test said it, not me. :\
ranger: Wait!... I think I failed a Spot check!
Rogue: I don't see anything.
Ranger: Exactly.
NPC Ninja: Uh.. we're right here.
Ranger: I think I just failed a Listen check too.
My apologies for hijacking my own thread (is that possible???). I just read your bit about bandits and laughed out loud thinking of that strip. I had to make that sign.
I actually think there are some real groaners in OOTS, but when they are funny, they are HILARIOUS. You just have to realize that sometimes the humor hits you over the head and sometimes it is VERY subtle.
And now, back to our previously scheduled thread, "Iconic Creatures."
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
"When there are monsters there are miracles."
- Ogden Nash
I just used a Gelatanous Cube against my party last night! What fun.
I'm planning to use Gelatinous Cubes for my next session, and I came up with the idea of making a 'crushing wall' trap but with the jelly cubes as the walls. So, you set up a long corridor 15 feet wide (the exact width of the cubes) and place one cube at the end of the corridor and the other cube at the beginning, maybe hidden behind a sliding secret door or similar thing. Then, when the PCs move to the middle of the corridor, the rear cube appears and starts moving foward, while the front cube closes in.
The only way to escape is by killing a cube before both cubes meet.
The good thing about these 'crushing walls' is that they cannot be disabled or disarmed like a regular trap, and they attack and paralyze too. Plus the PCs get to see their companions engulfed.
Ah yes lots of fun with the classic Gelatinous Cube. I used several ideas from the Book of Challenges and had a cube engulf a dwarf rouge that had a potion of spider climb. it climbs up a tunnel above the PC's and then WHAM. Drop down on them. Or you coudl just put one at the bottom of a pit trap.
)
