D&D 5E Tons of monster books out there, but what monsters aren't in 5e?

[Sacrosanct]

As the title says, it seems everyone and their grandma's dog has put out a 5e monster book. Lots of options. But what monsters are you a fan of from previous editions that still haven't shown up with 5e versions that you'd like to see?

 

[RoughCoronet0]

As far as from official D&D books, I miss the Dragonspawn/Spawn of Tiamat and the Linnorm as different Draconic options for creatures. There are also a ton of celestials that I would like to see brought over to 5e like the Archons and Guardinals and even some of the Celestial Paragons to mirror the Arch-Devils and Arch-Demons in strength and abilities. I’d also like to see some of the more strange and unique creatures return like Astral Stalkers and the other types of Inevitables.

 

[JustinCase]

Spell weavers.

And ethereal filchers, although the boggle (VGtM) has a similar trick.

 

[Corinnguard]

I think the Archons and Guardinals in 5e can be found in the Expanded Monster Manuals on the DMsGuild website.

 

[Aran]

I haven't seen the Wemic other than fan write-ups.

 

[Yora]

Not up to date with all the recent books, but I think these haven't been done yet.

Avolakia
Beast of Malar
Bebilith
Destrachan
Morgh
Shocker Lizard
Thought Eater
Yrthak

 

[Weiley31]

The Ragewalker. Which is angry Berserker fey that command Living Spells.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I imagine a lot of Dark Sun monsters might make this list

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Spell weavers.

And ethereal filchers, although the boggle (VGtM) has a similar trick.

@dave2008 did a spell weaver on this forum.

 

[JEB]

Quoting myself from my Quaint and curious monsters of forgotten core thread...

Some random former core monsters that have stuck with me:

Floating eye (1E Monster Manual)
These are (probably) based on Namor's hypno-fish from some old Marvel comics, and I suspect that's where my affection for these oddballs came from.

Wereshark (D&D Rules Cyclopedia)
They seem like the logical oceanic counterpart of werewolves, but they haven't made an appearance since 3e. I could easily see sahuagin weresharks being a thing...

Crypt thing (Monstrous Manual)
The idea of a neutral, rather than evil, undead guardian has an unexplainable appeal to me. I updated them for one of my 5E games, as the guardian of an ancient tower that rose from the ocean. When the party caused the tower to collapse for good, I had it teleport itself so it could intercept them while they fled...

Deepspawn (Monstrous Manual)
A monster which completely justifies the classic, randomly generated dungeon crawl. What's not to like?

Brown dragon (Monstrous Manual)
I was disappointed these flightless desert dragons didn't make a comeback in Fizban's. It never came up in our last campaign, but I assumed rogue brown dragons lived in the deserts near our setting's dragon-ruled kingdom of Vemurion.

Eyewing (Monstrous Manual)
Another monster likely among old favorites because it reminds me of a monster from other media: the fire eye from Castlevania III.

Wemic (Monstrous Manual)
A player in my first D&D campaign created a wemic PC, so there's some nostalgia wrapped up in this choice. They've consistently been one of my top picks for a 5E return, as a monster or as a PC option.

Primordial naga (4E Monster Manual)
Most of 4E's monsters left me cold, due to the lack of lore, but the concept and mechanics won me over on this one, with all those different elemental attacks. A 5E return as a mythic monster would be neat.

More random former core monsters that come to mind:

Achaierai (3.0/3.5 Monster Manual)
I don't know why I like a monster that's basically an evil giant bird head on stilts, but I do. If we get more adventures set in the Lower Planes, I hope it makes at least a cameo.

Fremlin (Monstrous Manual)
Tiny winged gremlin relatives with a side of ugly cute. And also a PC option in 2E! Suppose you could reskin the new Fairy for that purpose in 5E.

Immolith (4E Monster Manual)
What happens when a bunch of demons come back wrong. A nice use of 4E's demon lore, tapping into that elemental origin. I still think it could be easily fit into 5E.

Masher (1E Monster Manual)
Another forgotten aquatic monster. Objectively, nothing too special, but I guess I liked their name more than anything else.

Mudman (MC Vol. 2, Monstrous Manual)
A simple monster concept - magically animated mud creatures - that I'm surprised hasn't returned in some form in 5E.

Nixie (Original boxed set, Basic 1977, D&D Rules Cyclopedia, 1E Monster Manual, Monstrous Manual, 3.0/3.5 Monster Manual)
Not a monster I have a strong personal attachment to, but considering how the nixie was core in nearly every edition, and it's a simple concept (sea fairy), it's surprising they haven't made a comeback.

Nuckalavee (D&D Rules Cyclopedia)
A really bizarre creature that seems like it would be a great fey foe in 5E. (There is an unofficial version in 5E thanks to the Tome of Horrors.)

Yrthak (3.0/3.5 Monster Manual)
One of the more interesting niche-filling monsters from 3E to me, probably because it seems very kaiju.