Beginners' Monster List

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

Fun thread, interesting to see what people would put on their lists of 20 monsters. Seems like we have a lot of similarities going on as to what is iconic in D&D.

Oh I have to mention that a lot of us including original poster failed to note the section where he says:

"...and, let's start with 20 "monsters"/magical/not-real-world creatures. Again, variants of types (different dragons, for example) could all be included as a single entry."

Seems most of us are putting in things like human bandits instead of using the "monsters"/magical/not-real-world creatures caveat, real world could be a completely different list like with the furry animals such as lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!).

 

[Jacob Marley]

Oh I have to mention that a lot of us including original poster failed to note the section where he says:

"...and, let's start with 20 "monsters"/magical/not-real-world creatures. Again, variants of types (different dragons, for example) could all be included as a single entry."

Oops! Well, that just goes to show how difficult it is to pare down monster lists.

 

[steeldragons]

Fun thread, interesting to see what people would put on their lists of 20 monsters. Seems like we have a lot of similarities going on as to what is iconic in D&D.

Oh I have to mention that a lot of us including original poster failed to note the section where he says:

"...and, let's start with 20 "monsters"/magical/not-real-world creatures. Again, variants of types (different dragons, for example) could all be included as a single entry."

Seems most of us are putting in things like human bandits instead of using the "monsters"/magical/not-real-world creatures caveat, real world could be a completely different list like with the furry animals such as lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!).

It seems I was less than clear. The intention of the original post was for a list of 20- mundane animals/creatures AND and list of 20- "monsters"/magical/not-real-world creatures.

While, yes, I see your point that "Human Bandits" could be considered and were/are certainly real-world enough...in the context of a fantasy game, think various types of humans (i.e. villainous bandits, crazed berserkers, mysterious nomads) are certainly "monstrous" (not encountered in the real world) beings to be encountered in the gaming world.

Also, since other [presumably] PC races: notably dwarf and elf, but goblin or orc also for some games perhaps, were included, seems fitting humans should go here rather than among the horses, birds, and dogs.

So that's why I, at least, included them among the "monsters" list.

Now, however, it seems I am going to have to increase my initial proposal as there are simply too many classics getting left by the wayside (or my lists, anyway.) So how about, we up it to a nice round 50 creatures.

That's 20 mundane, 20 magical, and 10 more that might have been missed/forgotten.

SO, here's the next thing for you guys. Out of the following list, which 10 are too [olde] skool fer cool and must stay or which get put on the back burner for a presumed next "set" or at least some kind of Monster Expansion book?

...and yes, keep in mind/think of this as a "starter's set". So think in terms of lower levels (say, not about 4th or 5th)

Ankheg
Ape
Boar
Bat (must go in. Absolutely must.)
Blink Dog
Chimera
Demons (say 3 common/low level types)
Devils (as demons)
Displacer Beast
Dryad
Fungi
Genie
Gnome (as a race, not an elemental being)
Hydra
Lycanthropes (I comPLETEly forgot lycanthropes in my list. Ok, this is a must, also.)
Manticore
Medusa
Minotaur (another "can't believe I forgot it!")
Puddings
Roc
Satyr
Stirge
Umber Hulk

EDIT: OMFG! UNICORNS! I forgot unicorns too!?!? How does one forget unicorns? I am so not right in the head today.

Ok. So consider "Unicorns" in the above list for the extra 10 that should be included in the Must list of 50.
/EDIT

 

[steeldragons]

I semi-replied via my reply to Lanefan on the spawing topic. Basically, I'd rather have "Stuff that Everyone Needs" book, "Stuff that only the DM Needs" book, and then a third book for the stuff in the middle. Unlike, the Jester, I'm perfectly willing to split monsters across multiple books to make that happen.

So with that said, I agree that any common animals should be in, and maybe some of the dire variants. And good call on familiars. I'd considered mounts, but not those or animal companions in general.

Then I'd also include some of the most common variants of the most common creatues. Include the basic goblin (and a picture of same), but not the leaders, shamans, etc. Also include a fair amount of lore on each creature type by category. That is, you get the stat block for a single basic goblin, along with the rest of the page on common lore. You can even include a few "rumors" that may or may not be true. (Only the DM knows for sure.)

On things like horses, the lore section is more about different types, how sturdy they are, etc. And you might have stat blocks for a nag, common mount, and warhorse.

When you get to monsters that are more prototypical D&D, but not common, you still get a page of lore, but it is definitely sketchy and leans heavily on rumors. The dragon page is like this. While it has no statblock whatsoever, it does have a picture.

For things like undead, you might have more than one page on "undead", with a sample skeleton and zombie stat block. Or you might have a page on "animated undead" with a skeleton stat block and references to zombies, and another page on "undead" that was more like the dragon section.

Then in the DMG or full-blown Monster Manual(s), you have more of the stat blocks for all these types, including the uncommon stuff.

I'm not wedded to those particular examples. There is room for editor discretion around the basic concept.

Can't XP you til tomorrow,[MENTION=29358]Crazy[/MENTION]Jerome , but really like this thinking. Though I am still inclined to the 2 books instead of 3, but your "common knowledge/lore entry" for those things that players might have heard of but don't really know/wouldn't have encountered is a very cool concept and I can imagine this sparking quiet a bit of curiosity (and thus interest in exploring!) for new players. Excellent!

 

[Mark CMG]

First of all, no good comes from scattering monster stats between the player and dm books; they should absolutely 100% be dm material. The pcs learn about them through (. . .)

Agreed regarding "monsters" but many creatures should be very familiar to players (mounts, beasts of burden, hunting animals like dogs and falcons, as well as pets [cats, ferrets, etc.], etc.) and that's what steeldragons would have been referencing regarding my post in the other thread. As I said there -

I like this but would include a small section of animals in the Players' book with creatures like horses, camels, dogs, cats, hawks, ferrets, and maybe bears and some other more dangerous but familiar ones. It would help during play both regarding the keeping of domesticated animals and in allowing players to better understand the combat sections.

Bears, wolves, and some other dangerous creatures that essentially double as monsters but can be "kept" by civilized beings (even if not domesticated) would aid considerably in understanding how combat works just from reading the books.


I added this later for clarification of my position -

I'd go with two books for rules and gameplay, one for players (with some animals and such included) then one for GMs with many of the typical cross-setting and mythical creatures plus GM guidelines for creating more. But I'd also have the setting books be the place for most creatures, common ones included in a player setting book and more information on those creatures and many others in the GM setting book.

 

[steeldragons]

1. Alligator: normal, crocodile, giant versions of each
2. Ant: giant, giant fire
3. Bat: normal/swarm, giant, mobat
4. Bear: black, cave, grizzly, polar
5. Birds of Prey: eagle, falcon, hawk, owl, raven, vulture, (normal and giant versions of each, % chance to be intelligent/speaking.)
6. Boar: normal, giant
7. Cat: domestic, lion, lynx, puma, sabertooth, tiger, (normal and giant versions of each)
8. Deer: stag, elk, moose (normal and giant versions of each.)
9. Dog: domestic, hunting/hound, guard/mastiff, wild
10. Dolphin: normal, telepathic
11. Elephant: normal, mammoth
12. Frog: giant, poisonous, toad/giant and poisonous
13. Furry Woodland Creature: Badger, Beaver, Ferret/Weasel, Fox, Otter, Rabbit/Hare, Squirrel (normal and giant versions of each, % chance to be intelligent/speaking.)
14. Herd Animal: antelope, bison, camel, cow, sheep, wildebeest, yak, zebra
15. Horse: draft, riding/light, war/heavy, wild
16. Rat: normal, giant, swarm
17. Scorpion: normal, giant
18. Shark: normal, giant
19. Snake: poisonous, constrictor, two-headed (normal and giant versions of each.)
20. Spider: poisonous, bola, tarantulas, wolf, large and giant versions for each
21. Turtle: giant, giant snapping
22. Wolf: normal, giant, winter

1. Ankheg
2. Basilisk
3. Centaur
4. Dragon: Start with a list of 8 (so as not to overwhelm). 1 good and 1 evil for each of the 4 elements, maybe? Soooo, something like: Gold/Red (fire), Silver/Blue (air), Bronze/Black (water), Copper/Green (earth)
5. Dryad
6. Dwarf: Hill, Mountain, Deep
7. Elemental: air, earth, fire, water (normal and giant versions and 1 "humanoid" creature for each: sylph, gnome, salamander, undine)
8. Elf: Dark, Grey, High, Wood
9. Faerie: Brownie, Pixie, Sprite
10. Giant: fire, frost, hill, stone, storm, wood(treants
11. Goblinoid: Goblin, Hobgoblin, Bugbear
12. Golem: Crystal, Flesh, Iron, Stone, Wood
13. Griffon
14. Harpy
15. Human: Bandit, Barbarian/Berserker, Nomad/Tribesman
16. Kobold
17. Lycanthrope: Were-bear, boar, cat (lion/tiger/etc), rat, wolf
18. Manticore
19. Medusa
20. Monstrous Vermin: Carrion Crawler, Rust Monster, Stirge
21. Ogre: normal, two-headed (ettin?)
22. Ooze: Gelatinous Cube, Green, Grey, Yellow
23. Orc
24. Pegasus
25. Troll
26. Umber Hulk
27. Undead: Ghoul, Ghost, Skeleton, Spectre, Vampire, Wraith, Zombie
28. Unicorn

All of the above go into the DMG.

The following could go into the Player' books, per MarkCMG's recommendation for mounts or familiars and a la Crazy Jerome's "stat/lore."

Fully statted for use/options as Mounts, Familiars (and/or Animal Companions if your game/DM allows/uses them):
1. Bat: normal/swarm
2. Bear: black, grizzly, polar
3. Birds of Prey: eagle, falcon, hawk, owl, raven, vulture (normal and giant)
4. Boar
5. Cat: domestic, lion, lynx, puma, tiger
6. Deer: stag, elk, moose
7. Dog: domestic, hunting/hound, guard/mastiff, wild
8. Elephant
9. Furry Woodland Creature: Badger, Beaver, Ferret/Weasel, Fox, Otter, Rabbit/Hare, Squirrel (normal and giant)
10. Herd Animal: antelope, bison, camel, cow, sheep, wildebeest, yak, zebra
11. Horse: draft, riding/light, war/heavy, wild
12. Rat: normal, giant, swarm
13. Snake: poisonous, constrictor
14. Spider: poisonous, bola, tarantulas, wolf, large and giant versions for each
15. Wolf: normal, giant

With a note that other animals are available from your DM as makes sense for your character's background i.e. a PC from a coastal town might get access to dolphins and sharks. One from a desert region could have access to scorpions.

"Common Knowledge/lore" List:
No stats. Just explained in the most generic terms. Just what a "common person" would think/might know about when someone says "dragon" or "fairy" or "goblin"...and basic info that would be common knowledge.

For example, maybe including under the Lycanthrope entry something like, "It is said those cursed with this unnatural affliction are averse to silver." But no actual in-game rule/crunch such as "They can only be hit with silver or magic weapons."

(I'm getting images for all kinds of cooooool watercolory representations of each, a la the Brian Froud/Alan Lee Faeries and Gnome books...)

ANYwho, here's that list:
1. Dragon
2. Dwarf: lore fitting Hill variety only
3. Elf: lore fitting High variety only
4. Fairyfolk
5. Goblinoid: Goblin, Hobgoblin, and Bugbear
6. Kobold
7. Lycanthrope: Wererat and Werewolf only
8. Ogre
9. Orc
10. Pegusi
11. Troll
12. "The Undead": skeletons, zombies and ghosts only.
13. Unicorn

So, combined/intermingled, a Player's book "Creature" section totals under 30 (28) entries...and some of those entries are truncated compared to what the DM has access to (cave bears, sabertooth cats, additional undead and lycanthropes, etc.).

I'm just imagining those BLISSFUL DM moments when you describe a monster or it makes an attack, let's say a vampire for argument's sake, and the players' face go aghast in absolute abject HORROR shouting "HOLY $%@^!!! That's not in the book!!!!" and the DM gets to give that oh so deliciously subtle grin and whisper, "It's in mine." BWAHAHAHAHA! <thunder crashes>

Seems like a nice compromise to between "Don't let the player's see anything" and accommodate the "Makes sense to give the players info on things they might use, would know or have heard about."

What do we think, gentlefolk?
--Steel Dragons

 

[I'm A Banana]

Keep it simple, with categories.

Kobolds (include vermin and monstrous vermin)
Goblins (include hobgoblins, bugbears, wolves, and other "wicked wildlife")
Orcs (lump together various "barbaric/evil/underdark humanoids" into this camp)
Giants (many different environments)
Undead (from skeletons to vampires to zombies to wraiths)
Faeries (Unseelie, mostly)
Demons / Devils (A quick sampling of the hundreds available should do ya fine)
"Bad Guys" (Bandits, Necromancers, Cultists and the like)
Elementals (all sorts!)
Dragons (all sorts!)
Aberrations (mind flayers, aboleths, all those tentacle slimy things)
Oozes (all sorts!)

Those are your "antagonists." You also need creatures that aren't antagonists for the party to interact with -- from "seelie fey" through to exotic mounts, angels, genies, allied humanoids, and good dragons. You get more leeway here, since D&D has been kind of blah about "allied monsters" since it began, but including them as alternative treasure is not a bad place to start.

 

[Lanefan]

Keep it simple, with categories.

Kobolds (include vermin and monstrous vermin)
Goblins (include hobgoblins, bugbears, wolves, and other "wicked wildlife")
Orcs (lump together various "barbaric/evil/underdark humanoids" into this camp)
Giants (many different environments)
Undead (from skeletons to vampires to zombies to wraiths)
Faeries (Unseelie, mostly)
Demons / Devils (A quick sampling of the hundreds available should do ya fine)
"Bad Guys" (Bandits, Necromancers, Cultists and the like)
Elementals (all sorts!)
Dragons (all sorts!)
Aberrations (mind flayers, aboleths, all those tentacle slimy things)
Oozes (all sorts!)

Those are your "antagonists." You also need creatures that aren't antagonists for the party to interact with -- from "seelie fey" through to exotic mounts, angels, genies, allied humanoids, and good dragons. You get more leeway here, since D&D has been kind of blah about "allied monsters" since it began, but including them as alternative treasure is not a bad place to start.

Well put.

As for the basic races that are intended to be played as PCs (Dwarf, Elf, Human, maybe Part-Orc, Hobbit, Gnome), the write-ups for those races would be in the PH in the character-generation section, so no need to repeat 'em in the monster section. (this has always struck me as odd about the 1e MM, that it lists the kindred races as monsters and essentially repeats what's in the PH in the rolling-up chapter)

To your basic monster categories list I'd add:

Birds and Avians (from wrens to ravens to rocs)
Constructs (basic golem types, to show they exist)
Dinosaurs (optional in any campaign but essential to have in the MM)
Elementals (a basic write-up, to show they exist)
Marine Life (fish, whales, sharks, mermaids, etc.)
Normal Animals (the usual suspects; and 'wolves' would go here instead of with Goblins)

Lan-"take a walk on the wild side"-efan

 

[TheAuldGrump]

And has anyone else noticed that all of the truly dangerous "Real World" creatures begin with a "S"? Why is that?

Anywho...what do we think?
--Steel Dragons

Heh - the 'most dangerous' are Bison and Hippo... carnivores are scary, but aggressive herbivores are dangerous!

And of course mosquitoes - the spread of disease kills far more than you might expect....

The Auld Grump

 

[Anselyn]

To your basic monster categories list I'd add:

Birds and Avians (from wrens to ravens to rocs)
Constructs (basic golem types, to show they exist)
Dinosaurs (optional in any campaign but essential to have in the MM)
Elementals (a basic write-up, to show they exist)
Marine Life (fish, whales, sharks, mermaids, etc.)
Normal Animals (the usual suspects; and 'wolves' would go here instead of with Goblins)

Also, hybrids from the classical to the iconic D&Ders

Hybrids (centaur, gryphon, hippogrif, manticore, owlbear, pegasus, sphinx)