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Every core monster ever in D&D
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<blockquote data-quote="JEB" data-source="post: 9285142" data-attributes="member: 10148"><p>Now, let's review the new core additions in the 3.0 Monster Manual...</p><p></p><p>Core in every edition since 3.0: Hezrou, vrock, chain devil, ice devil, night hag, succubus. All but the chain devil had also been in the 1e MM, of course, but 2e had left them out of the core.</p><p></p><p>Core only in 3.0 and 5e:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Azer, chuul, bearded devil, gibbering mouther, grick, shield guardian, warhorse, vampire spawn: These were core in the 4e MM, but didn't make it into the Monster Vault.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dretch: Not in the 4e MM, but did make it into the Monster Vault.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Angels (deva, planetar, solar): 4e had its own unique take on angels, which fell by the wayside when 5e brought back the classic variants.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ape: While they were skipped in the 4e core rules, apes got a rather distinctive writeup in MM3.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Darkmantle: Held back for MM2.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dust mephit: However, they did make an appearance in 4e Dragon.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Half-dragon: From its origins as a PC race in 2e, to a template in 3e, to absent in 4e, it finally ended as one of the few templates in 5e.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lizard, octopus, toad: See previous posts on 4e's general disinterest in mundane animals.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Magmin: Also completely absent in 4e.</li> </ul><p>Non-core in 5e:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Volo's Guide to Monsters brought back the barghest, bodak, devourer, girallon, shadow mastiff, vargouille, and yeth hound. Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes brought back the allip, choker, gray render, howler, and retriever. Volo's only came out slightly ahead here for 3.0 core reps! The (cavern) choker, notably, had also been core in 4e.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio brought back the xill (another 1e Fiend Folio vet).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villainy brought back the achaierai and the bebilith. (The bebilith had also appeared in 4e's MM2.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chains of Asmodeus brought back the hellcat.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">5e Planescape restored the classic archons (hound and lantern) as well as the avoral (guardinal).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Explorer's Guide to Wildemount brought back the frost worm. (Which is largely the reason why I counted EGTW as a source, despite being a borderline third-party setting.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Other monsters revived in 5e adventures included the assassin vine (Tomb of Annihilation) and the skum (Ghosts of Saltmarsh).</li> </ul><p>Not in 5e:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">As previously, not covering every omission, just some highlights.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tiefling: Tieflings were core in both 3e and 4e, and obviously do exist in 5e... just not as monsters.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Aasimar: Similar to the tieflings, except that they were skipped in 4e (the deva PC species pretty much filled their niche) and are non-core in 5e.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dire animals: One of 3e's new ideas was making "dire" versions of animals, likely to replace earlier editions' giant animals (and riffing on the long-running dire wolf). A handful of these carried forward into 4e, but 5e brought back giant animals and basically dropped the "dire" concept.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Templates: One of 3e's other big ideas was monster templates: celestial creature, fiendish creature, etc. 5e only has a few of these in its core rules, and hasn't done much with them since. (I wonder if the 2025 update will drop them.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Formian: Very clearly meant to replace modrons as the default lawful planar creatures in 3e. 4e likely dropped them due to not fitting into their cosmology; 5e has instead given all their love to modrons, and forgotten the formian.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mephits: 5e seems pretty content with their core lineup of mephits, so who knows if we'll see the air, earth, ooze, salt, or water variants again? (Arguably the 5e mud mephit is an updated ooze mephit, but as there's precedent for multiple mephits for the same elemental source, can't be sure.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chaos beast: Originating in 2e Planescape, 4e did give them another chance in the Book of Vile Darkness. (Maybe 5e will bring them back for the Vecna adventure?)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ghaele eladrin: A version remained part of the 4e elf-PC eladrin (the 4e MM has a "eladrin ghaele of winter"), but the 5e eladrin no longer echoes its Planescape incarnations.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Thoqqua: A veteran of the 1e Fiend Folio and 2e Planescape, but apparently not interesting enough for later editions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lillend: Similar to the thoqqua, they were in 1e (Dragon) and 2e Planescape - and were even escalated to 2e's MC Annual 3 - but haven't appeared since.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Belker, rast, ravid: These oddballs from the late Planescape line likewise haven't returned since 3e.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Animated object: 4e just gave them an appearance in Dungeon; 5e prefers bespoke animated objects to generic ones.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Aranea: A Basic D&D veteran like the athach and nightshade, and even a PC option at times, but vanished since 3e.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Deep dwarf, grugach: For whatever reason, 3e dug up a few obscure racial variants and included them as monsters. Deep dwarves haven't been back (they are kinda redundant with duergar), but there was actually an attempt to bring back grugach in 5e (as seen in Unearthed Arcana).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Arrowhawk, delver, digester, ethereal filcher, mohrg, phantom fungus, phasm, shocker lizard, spider eater, tendriculos, tojanida, yrthak: 3e was probably the last edition to try and invest in lots of totally new core monsters. Of course, some - like these - just didn't work out. (Pathfinder has occasionally made use of them, though. I wish 5e would at least revive the very kaiju-like yrthak...)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Destrachan, ethereal marauder, krenshar: That said, a few of these less popular 3e originals must have had supporters, as they got one more chance in 4e. The destrachan was even core again, in the 4e MM!</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JEB, post: 9285142, member: 10148"] Now, let's review the new core additions in the 3.0 Monster Manual... Core in every edition since 3.0: Hezrou, vrock, chain devil, ice devil, night hag, succubus. All but the chain devil had also been in the 1e MM, of course, but 2e had left them out of the core. Core only in 3.0 and 5e: [LIST] [*]Azer, chuul, bearded devil, gibbering mouther, grick, shield guardian, warhorse, vampire spawn: These were core in the 4e MM, but didn't make it into the Monster Vault. [*]Dretch: Not in the 4e MM, but did make it into the Monster Vault. [*]Angels (deva, planetar, solar): 4e had its own unique take on angels, which fell by the wayside when 5e brought back the classic variants. [*]Ape: While they were skipped in the 4e core rules, apes got a rather distinctive writeup in MM3. [*]Darkmantle: Held back for MM2. [*]Dust mephit: However, they did make an appearance in 4e Dragon. [*]Half-dragon: From its origins as a PC race in 2e, to a template in 3e, to absent in 4e, it finally ended as one of the few templates in 5e. [*]Lizard, octopus, toad: See previous posts on 4e's general disinterest in mundane animals. [*]Magmin: Also completely absent in 4e. [/LIST] Non-core in 5e: [LIST] [*]Volo's Guide to Monsters brought back the barghest, bodak, devourer, girallon, shadow mastiff, vargouille, and yeth hound. Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes brought back the allip, choker, gray render, howler, and retriever. Volo's only came out slightly ahead here for 3.0 core reps! The (cavern) choker, notably, had also been core in 4e. [*]Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio brought back the xill (another 1e Fiend Folio vet). [*]Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villainy brought back the achaierai and the bebilith. (The bebilith had also appeared in 4e's MM2.) [*]Chains of Asmodeus brought back the hellcat. [*]5e Planescape restored the classic archons (hound and lantern) as well as the avoral (guardinal). [*]Explorer's Guide to Wildemount brought back the frost worm. (Which is largely the reason why I counted EGTW as a source, despite being a borderline third-party setting.) [*]Other monsters revived in 5e adventures included the assassin vine (Tomb of Annihilation) and the skum (Ghosts of Saltmarsh). [/LIST] Not in 5e: [LIST] [*]As previously, not covering every omission, just some highlights. [*]Tiefling: Tieflings were core in both 3e and 4e, and obviously do exist in 5e... just not as monsters. [*]Aasimar: Similar to the tieflings, except that they were skipped in 4e (the deva PC species pretty much filled their niche) and are non-core in 5e. [*]Dire animals: One of 3e's new ideas was making "dire" versions of animals, likely to replace earlier editions' giant animals (and riffing on the long-running dire wolf). A handful of these carried forward into 4e, but 5e brought back giant animals and basically dropped the "dire" concept. [*]Templates: One of 3e's other big ideas was monster templates: celestial creature, fiendish creature, etc. 5e only has a few of these in its core rules, and hasn't done much with them since. (I wonder if the 2025 update will drop them.) [*]Formian: Very clearly meant to replace modrons as the default lawful planar creatures in 3e. 4e likely dropped them due to not fitting into their cosmology; 5e has instead given all their love to modrons, and forgotten the formian. [*]Mephits: 5e seems pretty content with their core lineup of mephits, so who knows if we'll see the air, earth, ooze, salt, or water variants again? (Arguably the 5e mud mephit is an updated ooze mephit, but as there's precedent for multiple mephits for the same elemental source, can't be sure.) [*]Chaos beast: Originating in 2e Planescape, 4e did give them another chance in the Book of Vile Darkness. (Maybe 5e will bring them back for the Vecna adventure?) [*]Ghaele eladrin: A version remained part of the 4e elf-PC eladrin (the 4e MM has a "eladrin ghaele of winter"), but the 5e eladrin no longer echoes its Planescape incarnations. [*]Thoqqua: A veteran of the 1e Fiend Folio and 2e Planescape, but apparently not interesting enough for later editions. [*]Lillend: Similar to the thoqqua, they were in 1e (Dragon) and 2e Planescape - and were even escalated to 2e's MC Annual 3 - but haven't appeared since. [*]Belker, rast, ravid: These oddballs from the late Planescape line likewise haven't returned since 3e. [*]Animated object: 4e just gave them an appearance in Dungeon; 5e prefers bespoke animated objects to generic ones. [*]Aranea: A Basic D&D veteran like the athach and nightshade, and even a PC option at times, but vanished since 3e. [*]Deep dwarf, grugach: For whatever reason, 3e dug up a few obscure racial variants and included them as monsters. Deep dwarves haven't been back (they are kinda redundant with duergar), but there was actually an attempt to bring back grugach in 5e (as seen in Unearthed Arcana). [*]Arrowhawk, delver, digester, ethereal filcher, mohrg, phantom fungus, phasm, shocker lizard, spider eater, tendriculos, tojanida, yrthak: 3e was probably the last edition to try and invest in lots of totally new core monsters. Of course, some - like these - just didn't work out. (Pathfinder has occasionally made use of them, though. I wish 5e would at least revive the very kaiju-like yrthak...) [*]Destrachan, ethereal marauder, krenshar: That said, a few of these less popular 3e originals must have had supporters, as they got one more chance in 4e. The destrachan was even core again, in the 4e MM! [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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