D&D General The core monster lineup across all editions
Speaking as someone reading through the OD&D rules right now, you ain't kidding.
Since the other thread has moved forward to 2e, thought it might be a nice time to revisit the layers of "essential core monsters".
The fundamental core
The 15 monsters that every single edition of D&D has considered core. This set consists of:
Black dragon, red dragon, white dragon, gargoyle, gnoll, goblin, hobgoblin, kobold, medusa, ochre jelly, ogre, orc, skeleton, werewolf, zombie.
The 1977 core
This one's new, but riffs on the earlier "the 32" (the list without Basic D&D counting at all, suggested by @Clint_L) and "the 49" (the list if the 0e sourcebooks are included, suggested by @overgeeked). These are the 18 monsters added to the original 15 (for a total of 33) if you exclude Basic D&D after 1981 (as a parallel game), but continue to include 1977 Basic (as a step between 0e and AD&D). This set consists of:
Basilisk, carrion crawler, displacer beast, doppelganger, gelatinous cube, fire giant, hill giant, hydra, lizardfolk, manticore, mummy, owlbear, purple worm, stirge, troll, vampire, wererat, wraith.
The AD&D core
Riffing on "the 58" (as originally suggested by @Parmandur) and the 1e analysis in the other thread, these are the 25 monsters added to the above sets (again for a total of 58) if you only include 0e and all descendants of the AD&D line. This set consists of:
Beholder, bugbear, bulette, blue dragon, green dragon, dryad, efreet, ettin, ghoul, flesh golem, stone golem, imp, lich, mind flayer, minotaur, otyugh, pseudodragon, rakshasa, roper, giant poisonous snake, treant, troglodyte, umber hulk, wolf, dire wolf.
(You can also ignore the existence of the 1977 core, if you want, and just lump it in with this set.)
The final TSR core
Another new concept, these are the four monsters (technically three distinct monsters and two variants of one monster, as discussed here) added to the above (for a total of 62), if you work from 2e forward. This set consists of:
Drider, drow, constrictor snake, yuan-ti (technically just abomination and malison).
The fundamental core
The 15 monsters that every single edition of D&D has considered core. This set consists of:
Black dragon, red dragon, white dragon, gargoyle, gnoll, goblin, hobgoblin, kobold, medusa, ochre jelly, ogre, orc, skeleton, werewolf, zombie.
The 1977 core
This one's new, but riffs on the earlier "the 32" (the list without Basic D&D counting at all, suggested by @Clint_L) and "the 49" (the list if the 0e sourcebooks are included, suggested by @overgeeked). These are the 18 monsters added to the original 15 (for a total of 33) if you exclude Basic D&D after 1981 (as a parallel game), but continue to include 1977 Basic (as a step between 0e and AD&D). This set consists of:
Basilisk, carrion crawler, displacer beast, doppelganger, gelatinous cube, fire giant, hill giant, hydra, lizardfolk, manticore, mummy, owlbear, purple worm, stirge, troll, vampire, wererat, wraith.
The AD&D core
Riffing on "the 58" (as originally suggested by @Parmandur) and the 1e analysis in the other thread, these are the 25 monsters added to the above sets (again for a total of 58) if you only include 0e and all descendants of the AD&D line. This set consists of:
Beholder, bugbear, bulette, blue dragon, green dragon, dryad, efreet, ettin, ghoul, flesh golem, stone golem, imp, lich, mind flayer, minotaur, otyugh, pseudodragon, rakshasa, roper, giant poisonous snake, treant, troglodyte, umber hulk, wolf, dire wolf.
(You can also ignore the existence of the 1977 core, if you want, and just lump it in with this set.)
The final TSR core
Another new concept, these are the four monsters (technically three distinct monsters and two variants of one monster, as discussed here) added to the above (for a total of 62), if you work from 2e forward. This set consists of:
Drider, drow, constrictor snake, yuan-ti (technically just abomination and malison).
overgeeked
B/X Known World
All editions except 4e: "fundamental core" plus gray ooze, mule (huh.), pixie, werebear, wereboar, weretiger, and wight. (Total: 15 + 7 = 22)
"AD&D core" (inclusive of "1977 core") minus 4e: "AD&D core", plus the above seven, plus black pudding, centaur, chimera, cockatrice, djinn, gold dragon, air/earth/fire/water elemental, cloud giant, frost giant, stone giant, gorgon, griffon, hippogriff, invisible stalker merfolk, pegasus, roc, specter, unicorn, wyvern. (Total: 58 + 7 + 23 = 88)
Worth noting: many of the above were in one of the two 4e core monster books (Monster Manual and Monster Vault), just not in both.
EDIT: This answer is inaccurate. See post 108 for the correct one.
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Spreadsheet update: just discovered that there are more 0e core monsters I missed, in Book III! More details in the other thread.
Notably, this changes the answer in post 106. In fact, looking at it again, I think I must have messed something up, because "every monster that was core in 1e + 2e + 3e + 5e" - which is what @Parmandur basically asked for - is actually a total of 155 monsters:
Ankheg, baboon, badger, basilisk, black bear, brown bear, fire beetle, beholder, blink dog, boar, buffalo, bugbear, bulette, camel, carrion crawler, centaur, giant centipede, chimera, cockatrice, couatl, crocodile, giant crocodile, displacer beast, dog (mastiff), doppelganger, dragon turtle, black/blue/green/red/white dragon, brass/bronze/copper/gold/silver dragon, dryad, giant eagle, air/earth/fire/water elemental, elephant, ettin, gargoyle, gelatinous cube, djinn, efreet, ghost, ghoul, ghast, cloud/fire/frost/hill/stone/storm giant, gnoll, goblin, clay/flesh/iron/stone golem, gorgon, griffon, sea hag, harpy, hell hound, hippogriff, hobgoblin, homunculus, hydra, imp, invisible stalker, jackal, jaguar, kobold, lamia, lich, lion, lizardfolk, mammoth, manticore, medusa, merfolk, mimic, mind flayer, minotaur, mule, mummy, guardian naga, spirit naga, ochre jelly, giant octopus, ogre, oni, gray ooze, orc, otyugh, giant owl, owlbear, pegasus, phase spider, pixie, pony, pseudodragon, black pudding, purple worm, quasit, rakshasa, remorhaz, roc, roper, rust monster, sahuagin, salamander, satyr, giant scorpion, shadow, shambling mound, shark, giant shark, shrieker, skeleton, giant constrictor snake, giant poisonous snake, specter, androsphinx, gynosphinx, giant spider, stirge, tiger, treant, troglodyte, troll, umber hulk, unicorn, vampire, violet fungus, giant wasp, werebear, wereboar, wererat, weretiger, werewolf, wight, will o'wisp, wolf, dire wolf, winter wolf, worg, wraith, wyvern, xorn, zombie.
Worth comparing to @overgeeked's list of 179.
Notably, this changes the answer in post 106. In fact, looking at it again, I think I must have messed something up, because "every monster that was core in 1e + 2e + 3e + 5e" - which is what @Parmandur basically asked for - is actually a total of 155 monsters:
Ankheg, baboon, badger, basilisk, black bear, brown bear, fire beetle, beholder, blink dog, boar, buffalo, bugbear, bulette, camel, carrion crawler, centaur, giant centipede, chimera, cockatrice, couatl, crocodile, giant crocodile, displacer beast, dog (mastiff), doppelganger, dragon turtle, black/blue/green/red/white dragon, brass/bronze/copper/gold/silver dragon, dryad, giant eagle, air/earth/fire/water elemental, elephant, ettin, gargoyle, gelatinous cube, djinn, efreet, ghost, ghoul, ghast, cloud/fire/frost/hill/stone/storm giant, gnoll, goblin, clay/flesh/iron/stone golem, gorgon, griffon, sea hag, harpy, hell hound, hippogriff, hobgoblin, homunculus, hydra, imp, invisible stalker, jackal, jaguar, kobold, lamia, lich, lion, lizardfolk, mammoth, manticore, medusa, merfolk, mimic, mind flayer, minotaur, mule, mummy, guardian naga, spirit naga, ochre jelly, giant octopus, ogre, oni, gray ooze, orc, otyugh, giant owl, owlbear, pegasus, phase spider, pixie, pony, pseudodragon, black pudding, purple worm, quasit, rakshasa, remorhaz, roc, roper, rust monster, sahuagin, salamander, satyr, giant scorpion, shadow, shambling mound, shark, giant shark, shrieker, skeleton, giant constrictor snake, giant poisonous snake, specter, androsphinx, gynosphinx, giant spider, stirge, tiger, treant, troglodyte, troll, umber hulk, unicorn, vampire, violet fungus, giant wasp, werebear, wereboar, wererat, weretiger, werewolf, wight, will o'wisp, wolf, dire wolf, winter wolf, worg, wraith, wyvern, xorn, zombie.
Worth comparing to @overgeeked's list of 179.
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