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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
The core monster lineup across all editions
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<blockquote data-quote="JEB" data-source="post: 9281963" data-attributes="member: 10148"><p>Since <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/every-core-monster-ever-in-d-d.702706/" target="_blank">the other thread</a> has moved forward to 2e, thought it might be a nice time to revisit the layers of "essential core monsters".</p><p></p><p><strong>The fundamental core</strong></p><p>The 15 monsters that every single edition of D&D has considered core. This set consists of:</p><p></p><p>Black dragon, red dragon, white dragon, gargoyle, gnoll, goblin, hobgoblin, kobold, medusa, ochre jelly, ogre, orc, skeleton, werewolf, zombie.</p><p></p><p><strong>The 1977 core</strong></p><p>This one's new, but riffs on the earlier "<a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-core-monster-lineup-across-all-editions.702634/post-9266666" target="_blank">the 32</a>" (the list without Basic D&D counting at all, suggested by [USER=7035894]@Clint_L[/USER]) and "<a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-core-monster-lineup-across-all-editions.702634/post-9269439" target="_blank">the 49</a>" (the list if the 0e sourcebooks are included, suggested by [USER=86653]@overgeeked[/USER]). 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:</p><p></p><p>Basilisk, carrion crawler, displacer beast, doppelganger, gelatinous cube, fire giant, hill giant, hydra, lizardfolk, manticore, mummy, owlbear, purple worm, stirge, troll, vampire, wererat, wraith.</p><p></p><p><strong>The AD&D core</strong></p><p>Riffing on "<a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-core-monster-lineup-across-all-editions.702634/post-9269422" target="_blank">the 58</a>" (as originally suggested by [USER=6780330]@Parmandur[/USER]) and the <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/every-core-monster-ever-in-d-d.702706/post-9277957" target="_blank">1e analysis</a> 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:</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>(You can also ignore the existence of the 1977 core, if you want, and just lump it in with this set.)</p><p></p><p><strong>The final TSR core</strong></p><p>Another new concept, these are the four monsters (technically three distinct monsters and two variants of one monster, as discussed <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/every-core-monster-ever-in-d-d.702706/post-9280461" target="_blank">here</a>) added to the above (for a total of 62), if you work from 2e forward. This set consists of:</p><p></p><p>Drider, drow, constrictor snake, yuan-ti (technically just abomination and malison).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JEB, post: 9281963, member: 10148"] Since [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/every-core-monster-ever-in-d-d.702706/']the other thread[/URL] has moved forward to 2e, thought it might be a nice time to revisit the layers of "essential core monsters". [B]The fundamental core[/B] 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. [B]The 1977 core[/B] This one's new, but riffs on the earlier "[URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-core-monster-lineup-across-all-editions.702634/post-9266666']the 32[/URL]" (the list without Basic D&D counting at all, suggested by [USER=7035894]@Clint_L[/USER]) and "[URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-core-monster-lineup-across-all-editions.702634/post-9269439']the 49[/URL]" (the list if the 0e sourcebooks are included, suggested by [USER=86653]@overgeeked[/USER]). 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. [B]The AD&D core[/B] Riffing on "[URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-core-monster-lineup-across-all-editions.702634/post-9269422']the 58[/URL]" (as originally suggested by [USER=6780330]@Parmandur[/USER]) and the [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/every-core-monster-ever-in-d-d.702706/post-9277957']1e analysis[/URL] 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.) [B]The final TSR core[/B] Another new concept, these are the four monsters (technically three distinct monsters and two variants of one monster, as discussed [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/every-core-monster-ever-in-d-d.702706/post-9280461']here[/URL]) 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). [/QUOTE]
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