Another Creature Catalog query for Dragon? (Pt 2)

[Aspect of BOZ]

i'm pretty sure you're "safe" with all of those.

 

[Shade]

Dragon Magazine had a peluda? I wrote one up a few years ago, without knowing there'd been another conversion (they're native to a French folktale, I believe). Also, for some reason, I called it the "pedula". Serves me right for working from memory. My version can be found here, and might be a good launching point for that conversion if it gets accepted.

Sure 'nuff. The article it is from has other draconic creatures based on various real-world mythos. I had a tough time picking and choosing from it.

As for my offering up lambs of obscurity to the slaughter of conversion (great metaphor, eh?), I'm not exactly the most qualified here. I got into D&D via 3rd Edition, so all my exposure to previous editions has been retroactive. I have no idea if the creatures I'll be offering are actually one-hit wonders, or if there's another source I've missed.

That is a paragon metaphor, my friend.

I believe all your choices are truly "one hit wonders".

Murdrakus (Dragon 270): Creations of the Boneheart of Iuz, the murdrakus is a two headed draconic creature ninety feet long. It breathes lines of fire, and is so hot that merely touching the creature deals fire damage. Its tail can sever limbs on a successful critical hit. It regenerates rapidly, but can be permanently slain with fire and negative energy. (I have a feeling James Jacobs might like this one, because he wrote it back in the waning days of 2e).

You might be surprised. None of the other JJ creations we've offered to convert have got past the submission stage (but at least the draknor got that far and is still swimming in the Limbo of a possible CC inclusion).

 

[Alzrius]

I'm glad BOZ sent out those invitations, because I might have missed this thread completely otherwise.

Most of my older D&D books are in the attic, so I can't reference them directly. That said, here's some nominations that I'm pulling completely out of memory.

Wyrd - I think this was the creature's name. It was that elf-like creature, that might have been undead, from the D&D Creature Catalog, that hurled energy spheres. There was also a Greater Wyrd as well.

Decapus - Also from the CC, this funny little guy was an arboreal octopus that had ten tentacles, and dropped onto you from above. I love this guy, and think he'd be great fun to have back.

Gray Philosopher - Another CC critter, this undead sat and did nothing while the malevolent thoughts he conjured up attacked adventurers as small ghost-like creatures.

Birch Spirit - From White Dwarf #28, these are the souls of murdered dryads, which now live in birch trees and spectrally reach into a humanoid's heart to kill it.

Black Unicorn - Also from WD #28, these are good unicorns superior to the normal breed, and live in mountainous forested regions.

The last two were added mostly because I needed five, but I think the first three are things I'd really love to see in Dragon.

 

[demiurge1138]

The problem with the black unicorn is that it already exists in 3e. Sort of. Rather than being superior unicorns (which could be done nowadays with advancement or the celestial creature template), they're evil unicorns corrupted by Xvim. They're in Monsters of Faerun.

Demiurge out.

 

[Echohawk]

Wyrd - I think this was the creature's name. It was that elf-like creature, that might have been undead, from the D&D Creature Catalog, that hurled energy spheres. There was also a Greater Wyrd as well.

The Wyrd was reprinted in the Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix. (But it is still a cool creature.)

Decapus - Also from the CC, this funny little guy was an arboreal octopus that had ten tentacles, and dropped onto you from above. I love this guy, and think he'd be great fun to have back.

I like this one too, but it has probably appeared in print too many times to make the cut. The Decapus originally appeared in Palace of the Silver Princess (B3), and then again later in the Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix after the Creature Catalog. There are also 3.X versions in our Creature Catalog, over on the Vaults of Pandius and in the Tome of Horrors (and ToH revised). I think that makes the Decapus an ideal creature for a Dragon query, but not this one.

Gray Philosopher - Another CC critter, this undead sat and did nothing while the malevolent thoughts he conjured up attacked adventurers as small ghost-like creatures.

This one too was eventually reprinted in the Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix.

Birch Spirit - From White Dwarf #28, these are the souls of murdered dryads, which now live in birch trees and spectrally reach into a humanoid's heart to kill it.

Okay, this would definitely get my vote. I have a thing for heart-themed undead.

Black Unicorn - Also from WD #28, these are good unicorns superior to the normal breed, and live in mountainous forested regions.

This is another one that seems to have appeared in print a few times (Dragon #190, Spellbound: Thay, Rashemen & Aglarond, Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three and as demiurge1138 points out, in Monsters of Faerûn), although I'm not sure if the Faerûnian version is quite the same as the one from WD.

 

[Aspect of BOZ]

There are also 3.X versions in our Creature Catalog, over on the Vaults of Pandius and in the Tome of Horrors (and ToH revised). I think that makes the Decapus an ideal creature for a Dragon query, but not this one.

i'm not too concerned about appearances on websites (be they the Creature Catalog, Vaults of Pandius, or otherwise), though i suppose for the purposes of this particular query i'll overrule anything that appeared in the Tome of Horrors.

i'll also say no to the black unicorn for the reasons presented.

i'll also nix the wyrd, particularly because we're considering it for a different query.

the gray philosopher, i'll consider keeping, although the reapperance in the Mystara MC leans heavily towards me saying no - don't want to shoot down all of Al's ideas.

as for the birch spirit, not sure how much access paizo has to the old WD stuff (depends on if WotC owns the copyrights to that or not), but we can give it a try and see what happens.


Edit: better yet, we'll just do the conversion of the gray philosopher in the Mystara thread. anyone know where, if anywhere, it appeared before the AC9 Creature Catalog?

 

[Shade]

Edit: better yet, we'll just do the conversion of the gray philosopher in the Mystara thread. anyone know where, if anywhere, it appeared before the AC9 Creature Catalog?

Dungeon #15.

 

[Mortis]

Edit: better yet, we'll just do the conversion of the gray philosopher in the Mystara thread. anyone know where, if anywhere, it appeared before the AC9 Creature Catalog?

Alzrius could take a look here until we get around to converting it.

i'll also nix the wyrd, particularly because we're considering it for a different query.

In that case Lesser Wyrd and Greater Wyrd.

Regards
Mortis

 

[Knightfall]

OK, was that a TSR module? i'm not immediately familiar with it.

Yep, see here...

ST1 Up the Garden Path
http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/modpages/st.html

If all else fails then check Acaeum.com.

KF72

p.s. Doh! Should have read the whole thread first.

 

[Alzrius]

Bleh, the problem with most "one-print wonders" is that they tend to be somewhat lame; if they were cool, they'd have been reprinted sometime in the game's thirty-year history (though if they're more recent, that's less true).

Since most of mine got shut down, what about the Firelich (Spelljammer MC I, IIRC), or the Juniper (Immortals boxed set for Original D&D)?