Changing monster names

[Starfox]

Ops, saw this in "similar threads" and didn't realize I was engaging in thread necromancy.

 

[Yora]

I often create my own creatures with appearance and background, but use the stats for existing monsters. Quite often there aren't any special abilities that need to be represented with a particular trait.
A dragonhawk works just fine with the stats of a griffon and a bison can be a dinosaur pulling carts.

 

[Janx]

When I've done it, orc or elf is generally what the humans call the race.

I'll name the orcs something different, and introduce them as their own race name.

If the players keep using the race name, great. If they call them orcs. That's OK too.

 

[Scorpio616]

I'll changed their names and appearance for anything metagamers will change tactics over. If the party don't have the skills or reasons to recognize it, then it is not being described as an item destroyer / level drainer / stat drainer monster.

 

[Sunseeker]

I make up a lot of my own creatures, and do not always stick to "traditional" molds for existing creatures.

But at the same time, I understand the expectation players have that "trolls regenerate, therefore fire!" So if you have changed a monster, or changed it's name, we could hope that a player might roll some kind check related to knowing things about that monster in your universe.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Feral Bugbears with Scent arn't called such - they're Loupara: black furred wolf men with red glowing eyes that hunt in packs, and are the terror of many a peasant. And that howling they let loose with isn't just for effect - they're talking to eachother with it.

Yoinked.

One of the things that bothers me most about "monsters" is the handling of humanoids where the only differences seem to be hit dice and armor class. I've long felt like they need more individualized special powers and abilities to distinguish them from each other and actually make them interesting to players.

For what I've seen, players don't dislike that sort of thing, quite to the contrary they enjoy it - it adds depth to the setting and gives 'em the renewed joy of discovery.

You tell players a troll is coming over the hill and they immediately "fire up" even if in your game world they are very rare creatures. That's an issue to be sure. But if you tell them a hobgoblin is coming over the hill they FALL ASLEEP. At least with the troll the players are immediately engaged and interested.

 

[Kingreaper]

You tell players a troll is coming over the hill and they immediately "fire up" even if in your game world they are very rare creatures. That's an issue to be sure.

I'm not so sure it is.

If you tell them "It's a troll"; you're telling them that their characters know its a troll. If their characters know it's a troll, they must know what a troll is... no matter how rare trolls are. And if they know what a troll is they'll know it regenerates, for the same reason they'll know a dragon's breath is dangerous.