12 new monster images revealed from Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes!

I am no good at posting pictures, so you have to go to https://www.sageadvice.eu/2018/05/09/new-monsters-images-revealed-from-mordenkainens-tome-of-foes/.

Pictures include:

Giff
Eidolon (assumed no caption)
wintery Eladrin
Eladrin design shot
I have no idea, but ugly
The scariest looking Abashai I have ever seen--looks like it deserves a high CR
Abashai group shot
I have no idea, but ugly
Marut--Not your Dad's Marut, but seriously after looking at this, why would you want your Dad's Marut?
Marut design
Something big and scary (maybe a death giant?)
Another Giff
female Drow (matriarch?)

The last is definitely the Drow Matron Mother, they showed that art during the one-on-one battles on Twitch.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

There's a place for silly, strange, and awkward in D&D. I always felt that Spelljammer turned it up to 11, to its detriment.

For the Giff, it's like the designers said:

"What's the most ridiculous anthropomorphic race we haven't tried yet?"

"Weasels!"

"Already have kenku for the rogue angle. Try again."

"Platypuses!"

"Too hard to pronounce. Next!"

"Hippos!"

"Not bad ... what's their angle?"

"Napoleonic naval officers with a gun fetish!"

"Name?"

"And we'll call them Giff, 'cause it sounds like Gith which are cool."

"Wait ... hard G or soft G?"

"Doesn't matter!"

"Love it, go with it! Now, how do we make Dark Sun halflings different ..."

 

[silentdante]

holy , i want to play a bipedal hippo PC!!!! the giff look awesome, are they an old D&D thing i just dont remember?

EDIT: ah read the thread and lots of info on them, thanks everyone. i have a feeling this is going to be a great book.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

"Platypuses!"

"Too hard to pronounce. Next!"

I feel if there's another Platypus like creatures that has flesh unlike the Thought Eater (a Skeletal Platypus with psionics that isn't undead) then they should probably have the habit of casually using a certain word that begins with "C" that is considered really offensive in North America, merely impolite in the UK and used in Australia to describe just about anyone.

 

[dungeonguru]

It's possible to run horrific and serious Spelljammer campaigns - I have done so myself, and some of the last supplements produced for the setting leaned more in that direction. But to me Spelljammer overall emphansizes the sense of wonder and amazement and possibility of D&D, without the kind of jaded cynicism that led to stuff like Planescape and Dark Sun. Planescape itself is more or less a 90s style gritty reboot of Spelljammer anyway, in a sense.

Spelljammer was always easy to steer into macabre and horrific. The neogi and illithid are literally the most Cthulhu themed monsters that had awesome lore added to them with Spelljammer. It was always easy to spin tales about elder gods wandering the phlogiston between the spheres with both races as their agents.

I disagree with planescape being a gritty reboot though. There was too much tongue in cheek written in randomly (as though the whole series had been infiltrated by a Xaositect editor, berk). The best thing about Planescape was the artwork of Tony DiTerlizzi but most of the 2e Planescape boxes were very much worth the investment.

 

[Henry]

My Giff! They’re bringing back my Giff! YYYEEESSS!

No one talk smack about my Blunderbuss-wielding, hippo-looking 19th century British army officers! I love those guys!

I am SO running a 5th edition Spelljammer convention game next year with Giff and Hadozee PCs now...

 

[DaishoChikara]

Hmm, that statue is very familiar... I hope it doesn't bear a grudge! ;-)

 

[Demetrios1453]

Hmm, that statue is very familiar... I hope it doesn't bear a grudge! ;-)

Well, it's been 40 years since those adventurers were seen taking out its eye gem, and now suddenly it's mobile and looking displeased. I don't think the news will be good here...

 

[Schmoe]

I absolutely love that image of the Nightwalker. So cool.

Giff are fun, but they always remind me of the Umpani from Wizardry 7, which I believe were first. One are hippos, the others are rhinos, but otherwise pretty much the same.

 

[Connorsrpg]

Got to say, not really digging new look for maruts or rutterkin and don't care for giff. But that is cool. Does not mean I don't want the book or that it sucks. I have previous pics for the first 2 to go on and I can go on ignoring the Spelljammer stuff as I always have.

I dig some of the other pics - especially the abishai! They could come in very handy for one of my current campaigns.

 

[Xavian Starsider]

a certain word that begins with "C" that is considered really offensive in North America, merely impolite in the UK and used in Australia to describe just about anyone.

Colonials?

Just kidding. I know the word you are hinting at and wish I didn't. D&D has no need of it.

 

[Connorsrpg]

I'm Australian, and don't get the reference I think I can guess, but I don't 'get it'.

 

[Yaarel]

Spelljammer and its giff are a goofy farce, a surreal satire. Any attempt to make to be serious about them, just makes them more ‘narm’.

 

[MonkeezOnFire]

I'm not really familiar with Spelljammer, but reading the descriptions here I'm reminded of the recent Guardians of the Galaxy movies where the tone is overall light hearted, but the plots can get pretty serious and the stakes are pretty high. Would that be a close comparison? Because if so, count me in.

 

[Ilbranteloth]

Yours is not an uncommon opinion, and I think that's unfortunate. I totally get it not being your thing, and that's fine.

But to my mind one of the real strengths of Spelljammer is it's refusal to take itself too seriously. It's a setting that recognizes the inherent goofiness of D&D, embraces it, and doubles down on it.

It's possible to run horrific and serious Spelljammer campaigns - I have done so myself, and some of the last supplements produced for the setting leaned more in that direction. But to me Spelljammer overall emphansizes the sense of wonder and amazement and possibility of D&D, without the kind of jaded cynicism that led to stuff like Planescape and Dark Sun. Planescape itself is more or less a 90s style gritty reboot of Spelljammer anyway, in a sense.

To each their own. But I don't see how a hippo dude is any sillier than Slight Elf Variation #2387 (this time, with even pointier ears!) or cat people or turtle people or pick your staple.

It's all make believe, people.

I was never a big fan either, in part because most of the time when publishers try to be funny and clever, it doesn't really hold up. If you ignore what the folks at TSR thought was funny (and isn't) and take it in your own direction, I could see it being more interesting. Of course, now it would be easy to do a mashup of Firefly with Guardians of the Galaxy and Cthulhu and come up with something pretty interesting.

 

[SuperSam888]

I'm really digging the Giff and the Abashai.

I'd love to see Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes include some decent Player Options like Giff, Githyanki, Githzerai, Duergar, Eladrin, and Genasi as playable races, Artificer and Mystic as Classes, and more goodies for player options (feats, spells, etc.). Maybe even a subclass or two? I know this is supposed to be primarily lore and monsters but I would love more player options sprinkled throughout. At the very least give me playable Giff and Duergar.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[SuperSam888]

Volo's got Neogi, Mordenkainen's got Giff, it's nice to see several Spelljammer races making appearances. I can only hope the compendium gets Giant Space Hamsters and says they can be familiars.

I want a Giant Space Hamster...

 

[Azzy]

I'm really digging the Giff and the Abashai.

I'd love to see Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes include some decent Player Options like Giff, Githyanki, Githzerai, Duergar, Eladrin, and Genasi as playable races, Artificer and Mystic as Classes, and more goodies for player options (feats, spells, etc.). Maybe even a subclass or two? I know this is supposed to be primarily lore and monsters but I would love more player options sprinkled throughout. At the very least give me playable Giff and Duergar.

Sorry for the rant.

There are already playable Duergar. I think they're n SCAG.

 

[Parmandur]

There are already playable Duergar. I think they're n SCAG.

Duergar, Eladris, Shadar Kai, Githyanki and Githzeri and Deep Gnomes at least are definitely in MToF, for the first time or as reprints. Hoping for more, bit we'll see soon enough.

 

[Jhaelen]

I don't mind the space hippos; very likely because of the Wizardry computer game, given that I never cared for Spelljammer.

Or this 3E devil that always looked to me like it was into Disney cosplay.

That image always reminded me of the killer clown

in the Spawn movie...

But it's really all great art! I particularly like the new and enhanced Rutterkin. It almost looks like it's growing a beholder from it's hand...

 

[Xavian Starsider]

I don't mind the space hippos; very likely because of the Wizardry computer game, given that I never cared for Spelljammer.
That image always reminded me of the killer clown

in the Spawn movie...

But it's really all great art! I particularly like the new and enhanced Rutterkin. It almost looks like it's growing a beholder from it's hand...

Also a fair comparison but the thing that always stood out to me with the Paeliryon was its liberal use of lipstick, rouge and eyeshadow.