Bendris Noulg said:
Well, in addition to giving this a bump for Mercule's question, I'll ask one myself...
Recently, the SRD was updated and made entirely official. However, some creatures/races were removed and retained, presumably as Product Identity (i.e., no 3rd Party can use them short of special permissions, and word is that some have already obtained the "green light").
Might I ask, for the sake of curiosity, where the ideas for the following originated?
-Beholder
-Carrion Crawler
-Displacer Beast
-Kuo-toa
-Mind Flayer
-Slaad
-Umber Hulk
-Yuan-ti
I'm not trying to snub WotC, mind you. I'm just trying to figure out what makes these more PI than, say, owlbears and ropers.
Yet another post that I missed...
Okay, here's your list, and my answers
Beholder--Terry Kuntz dreamed up this sweet little critter.
Carrion Crawler--I just needed something nasty for the "clean-up crew, so thought this one up.
Displacer Beast--Vaguely inspired by a PJ Farmer critter in his "Created Universes" series, but not drawn from any specific thing therein.
Kuo-toa--Another "I need something new" race dreamed up out of whole cloth so populate the subterranean world.
Mind Flayer--the depiction inspired by the cover of the paperback noved by Brian Lumley, the Burrowers Beneath, but all the detals made up by me.
Slaad--This isn't my creation, so I can't say more.
Umber Hulk--Just a tough monster I made up from my imagination so the players would have something new and difficult to deal with.
Yuan-ti--this isn't my beastie...
As for the owlbear, I used the Oriental plastic figure sold in a package of various other "monsters" as the basis for it's appearance, then made up its specs.
The Roper I dreamed up out of whole cloth, like the unber hulk, so WotC could well claim it is unique. They missed quite a few others that I made up from whole cloth, of course.
Cheers,
Gary