What D&D monster has changed the most over the years?

[Bullgrit]

What D&D creature has changed* the most over the years? Has it gotten better, worse, or just different?

What D&D creature has changed* the least over the years? Has staying the same been a good thing, a bad thing, or neutral?

* Change = game rules mechanics or just flavor/ecological information

Bullgrit

 

[NewJeffCT]

What D&D creature has changed* the most over the years? Has it gotten better, worse, or just different?

What D&D creature has changed* the least over the years? Has staying the same been a good thing, a bad thing, or neutral?

* Change = game rules mechanics or just flavor/ecological information

Bullgrit

Off the top of my head, dragons have changed a lot. The evil dragons in 1E only had a limited chance to be able to cast spells and their breath weapon only did damage equal to their hit points, which had a hard cap by age. Their breath weapon was limited to every 3 rounds, I think.

in 2E, dragons had a much greater chance to use spells and their breath weapon use was more random, if I recall. They also had much more hit points and more offensive and defensive capabilities.

in 3E, dragons all had spells and spell-like abilities and a dizzying array of offensive & defensive capabilities. They usually had a ton of hit points as well.

in 4E, dragons went back to the 1E standard of limited options and not nearly as much magic. However, they had even more hit points than 3E as they were SOLO encounter creatures.

I'm sure somebody else will come up with something that has changed far more than that, though.

Thri-Kreen have changed quite a bit, too, I believe.

 

[Shemeska]

Most changed
Archons:
1e/2e/3.x = Lawful Good celestials
4e = evil elementals

Least Changed
Creatures that only appeared in a single edition? But that's a cheap answer I suppose. Therefore my answer goes to most of the iconic demons/tanar'ri who for the most part have remained the same through all of the editions, flavorwise and mechanically.

 

[amerigoV]

Up to 3e, I nominate the goblin. IIRC, In each version of D&D the little buggers got faster. This shows clear lines of evolution as the slower ones failed to live long enough to reproduce.

I do not think they got faster for 4e, showing the utter failure of either the system or the goblin to further evolve.

 

[Kelek72]

I also think dragons have changed drastically -

I'll never forget when I was a kid having planned an epic encounter with a nasty white dragon become completely forgettable thanks to the HP = breath damage rule - the pc's dealt a ton of first round damage and completely nerfed the beast!

3E dragons -in my opinion- restored the fear pc's should have of dragons!

 

[Dausuul]

Most changed
Archons:
1e/2e/3.x = Lawful Good celestials
4e = evil elementals

Yup, gonna have to second this. Funny... a lot of celestials fell in 4E. Eladrin landed in the Feywild, killed the grey elves, and took their stuff. Devas landed in the Prime Material, over and over and over. Archons fell sideways to Limbo (or the 4E equivalent) and turned into more or less the exact opposite of what they were before. Angels didn't fall, but they ripped their own faces off and took over the Astral Plane.

As for least changed? Lot of options there, but I'll go with the gelatinous cube. Much may change, but the gelatinous cube is eternal.

 

[Nagol]

Up to 3.5, water weirds

1e MM--> a neutral evil snake-like rope of water powered by negative energy that attacks with intent to drown its victims.

3.5e MM2--> a beautiful watery humanoid elemental powerful diviner/oracle focused on healing and who won't fight unless provoked.

 

[Echohawk]

Pre 4e lamia: Cruel human/lion hybrid.
4e lamia: Sentient swarm of bugs.

I think that's odder than the archons.

 

[Shemeska]

I'd forgotten about the Lamia too. Personally it just rubs me the wrong way when a monster is removed from the game and its name gets recycled into something virtually the complete opposite. That's regardless of edition too. The 3.x water weird was just odd (oh the temptation to say wierd!). I didn't play the game till 3e, but I fondly remember the water wierd bursting out the well on the cover to D&D Endless Quest #1 the Dungeon of Dread, and thinking that the healing oracle thing in 3.x didn't look a thing like it.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I don't think it's an especially huge change, but I remember kobolds being little dog-men when I was a kid in the 80s, rather than the little dragon-esque folk they are now (or at least in 3e; I don't know about 4e). Seems they shifted from mammals to reptilians somewhere along the way....