Beginners' Monster List

[Kaodi]

1. Angel, Astral Deva
2. Assassin Vine
3. Basilisk
4. Centaur
5. Chimera
6. Demon, Glabrezu
7. Demon, Succubus
8. Doppelganger
9. Dragon, Red
10. Elemental
11. Gargoyle
12. Genie, Djinni
13. Genie, Efreeti
14. Ghost
15. Ghoul
16. Giant, Cloud
17. Giant, Frost
18. Giant, Hill
19. Goblin
20. Golem, Flesh
21. Golem, Stone
22. Griffon
23. Hag, Green
24. Harpy
25. Hellhound
26. Homunculus
27. Hydra
28. Invisible Stalker
29. Kraken
30. Lich
31. Lycanthrope, Werewolf
32. Medusa
33. Merfolk
34. Minotaur
35. Mummy
36. Nightmare
37. Nymph
38. Ogre
39. Orc
40. Pegasus
41. Phoenix
42. Pixie
43. Purple Worm
44. Satyr
45. Shadow
46. Sphinx
47. Skeleton
48. Treant
49. Troll
50. Unicorn
51. Vampire
52. Worg
53. Wyvern
54. Zombie

Turned out to be more than I thought...

 

[steeldragons]

Ok. After seeing the various entries and additional comments, here's where I am after some revision.

For a "Starter kit" (levels 1 to, let's say, 4) geared for new gamers, specifically the DMs in whatever the "gamemaster" manual would be:

Bolded headings would be "sections" of creatures with general lore along with specific stats for multiple creatures within that category/section/type...probably a full spread (or maybe 3 pages).


1. Animal, Avian: eagle, falcon/hawk, owl, raven, vulture
2. Animal, Herd: antelope, buffalo, camel, cattle, sheep, zebra
3. Animal, Marine: dolphin, giant squid, shark
4. Animal, Reptiles: alligator, frog/toad, lizard, snake, turtle
5. Animal, Woodland: badger, beaver, deer, ferret, fox, otter, rabbit, squirrel
6. Ant

7. Basilisk
8. Bat
9. Bear
10. Boar

11. Cat: domestic, lion, lynx, panther, sabertooth, tiger
12. Cockatrice

13. Dog: domestic, hunting, guard, wild
14. Dolphin
15. Doppleganger
16. Dragon: Gold, Red, White
17. Dwarf

18. Elemental: air (& sylph), earth (& gnome), fire (& salamander), water (& triton)
19. Elephant
20. Elf

21. Faerie: Brownie, Pixie, Redcap

22. Giant: Hill, Frost, Tree (Ents/Treants), Stone
23. Goblin: Goblin, Hobgoblin, Bugbear
24. Golem: Crystal, Flesh, Iron
25. Griffon

26. Harpy
27. Horse: draft, riding/light, war/heavy, wild
28. Human: Bandit, Barbarian/Berserker, Cultist, Nomad/Tribesman, Street Thug

29. Kobold

30. Lizardman
31. Lycanthrope: Were-bear, boar, rat, wolf

32. Manticore
33. Medusa
34. Mimic
35. Minotaur

36. Ogre
37. Ooze: Gelatinous Cube, Green Slime, Grey Ooze
38. Orc

39. Pegasus

40. Scorpion
41. Spider
42. Sylvan Creatures: Centaur, Dryad, Satyr

43. Troll

44. Umber Hulk
45. Undead: skeleton, zombie, ghoul, shadow
46. Unicorn

47. Vermin:Beetle, Centipede, Rat
48. Vermin, Monstrous: Carrion Crawler, Rust Monster, Stirge
[FONT=&quot]
49. Wolf[/FONT]
50. Wyvern

This seems, to me, to be more than enough for many many different types of adventures in a variety of environments and definitely a wide enough spread to challenge (and/or overwhelm) at all starting levels without simply having to make the encounter "10 giant rats instead of 5" for those first few starting levels.

--SD

 

[Mark CMG]

You might combine some of those under two "Insect" categories (and maybe expand a bit) including "Swarming" and "Giant."

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I am glad to see stirges getting some love - at low levels they are the critters that worry me the most. Have since first I saw them in the way back when.

The Auld Grump, and because they scare me, they also scare my players....

 

[Sincubus]

Sorry for replying so late to this thread or reviving it, but I really love this kind of posts.
-
-
I would like the MONSTER manual to be somewhat different than earlier times.
-
I would not like .... in the monster manual.
- Real life animals are for their own animal compagnion book in my opinion, this leaves more space for the real monsters.
- Humans and other non-evil playable races have no use in a monster manual, they are better off in their own manual.
- Templates can be done in their own book, not in a monster manual.
- Good creatures (like angels, archons and other such creatures) aren't really monsters to begin with they are good and should be in their own book (book of allies)
- NO DRAGONSPAWN, really the worst and cheapest creatures ever.
- My most hated other creatures are Hill Giants, Hobgoblins and Hippogriffs so they aren't in my list, also not a big fan of Half Orcs and other half stuff.
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I really hope to see the following creatures from D&D games Return
- Aboleth (can't believe nobody mentioned them)
- Basilisk
- Bat (Fire Bat + Sinister)
- Bear (Cave Bear = Same as Dire Bear + Owlbear)
- Beetle (Magical Bombardier Beetle + Deathwatch Beetle + Scarab Swarm)
- Dinosaurs:
(Deinonychus for small predator)
(Tyrannosaurus for big predator, or maybe a Carnotaurus)
(Elasmosaurus or Tylosaurus for big sea predator)
(Pachycephalosaurus for big two legged agressive herbivore, I like them better than Triceratops)
(Ankylosaurus for tank)
(Pteranodon for flying reptile)
- Beholder (+ Gauth)
- Boar (Razorback + New magical boar)
- Bulette
- Carrion Crawler (Maybe a Carrion Moth upgrade)
- Chimera
- Chokers (Stronger and Weaker version)
- Chuul
- Crocodile (Aztek Crocodile Monster + Deinosuchus)
- Cyclops (multiple versions)
- Dark Creeper + Dark Stalker
- Death Knight
- Demon (Balor, Glabrezu, Hezrou, Vrock, Marilith, Babau, Succubus, Bebilith, Yochlol, Shadow Demon)
- Devil (Hamatula, Osyluth, Imp, Barbazu, Gelugon, Pit Fiend, Cornugon, Erinyes, Kyton, Lemure)
- Destrachan
- Devourer
- Mohrg (not being a devourer)
- Displacer Beast
- Doppelganger
- Dragons (I really hate Blue and Green dragons, so I rather see: Red Dragon, White Dragon, Black Dragon, Purple Dragon, Brown Dragon)
- Drider
- Drow
- Dryad (evil version)
- Genie (Djinn, Efreet, Dao & Marid)
- Elemental (Fire, Water, Earth and Air)
- Ettercap (+ Vermin Lord)
- Ettin
- Gargoyle (+ Margoyle & Water Gargoyle)
- Ghost (Spectre, Poltergeist, Wraith & Banshee)
- Ghoul (+ Ghast & Lacedon)
- Giant (Fire Giant, Frost Giant, Stone Giant, Evil Storm Giant and maybe Death Giant)
- Gibbering Mouther
- Githyanki (I don't care for the Githzerai)
- Gnoll (use bones as tools and weapons to make them different from other feral races)
- Goblin (Bugbear, Barghest & Normal Goblins, maybe also Blue or Norker)
- Golem (Stone, Iron, Bone & Flesh, I think Bone is a much better golem choice than Clay Golem, maybe some Adamantine Golem and Coral Golem Too)
- Gorgon
- Hag (Sea Hag, Night Hag & Annis Hag)
- Harpy (+ Siren)
- Hook Horror
- Hounds (Shadow Mastiff, Hell Hound & Yeth Hound)
- Hydra (some versions)
- Lizardfolk (Kobold, Lizardman, Troglodyte, Drakkoth)
- Kuo Toa (Some versions like the Leviathan)
- Lamia (4th edition version)
- Lycanthrope (Wererat, Werewolf, Wereboar)
- Manticore
- Medusa (+ Male)
- Mind Flayer (+ Elder Brain)
- Minotaur (feral creatures, not sissy WOW race based)
- Mummy (Humanoid Mummy, Skirr and Crawling Apocalypse)
- Naga (Dark Naga & Spirit Naga)
- Nightmare
- Nightshade (Nightcrawler, Nightwing, Nightwalker)
- Ogre (+ Ogre Magi)
- Ooze (Gelatinous Cube, Bloodrot, Slithering Tracker, Green Slime & Black Pudding)
- Orc
- Otyugh
- Purple Worm
- Quickling (just as powerful as in 4th edition)
- Rakshasa (+ Noble)
- Rat (Rat King + Dire Rat)
- Roc (Roc + Phoenix + Thunderbird)
- Roper
- Sahuagin
- Salamander (+ Noble)
- Satyr
- Scorpion (Sand Walker + Hellstinger)
- Shambling Mound (+ Tendriculos)
- Skeleton (some versions, like the Boneyard and Gashadokuro)
- Snake (Giant Anaconda + Amphisbaena)
- Sphinx (not the subtypes, just one female sphinx)
- Spider (Phase Spider + Tomb Spider + Trapdoor Spider or Web Casting Spider)
- Stirge
- Treant (Dark versions like Quickwood and Hangman Treant)
- Troll (multiple versions like Frost Troll and Scrag)
- Umber Hulk
- Unicorn (Dark versions like Karkadann and Phooka)
- Vampire (Vetala + Nosferatu)
- Wight (Boneclaw abilities + insane)
- Wolf (Worg + Winter Wolf)
- Wyvern
- Yuan Ti (abomination and others)
- Zombies (some types)
- Ankheg
- Ant (Antlion + Fire Ant, I know antlions are different animals but they suit in with ants pretty well)
- Behir
- Bullywug
- Centaur (evil versions like Armanite)
- Centipede (Megapede + Some Magical Centipede)
- Cockatrice
- Couatl (evil versions)
- Duergar
- Gray Render (add in the behavior of the Rampager)
- Myconid (some variants + some other fungoids like Ascomoid, Violet Fungus, Phycomid and Phantom Fungus)
- Remorhaz
- Rust Monster
- Shark (Megalodon + Another magical Shark)
- Spriggan (redcap, one variant should be able to grow in size)
- Steel Predator (with abilities from the Metal Master)
- Tiger (Kirre + Smilodon)
- Will o Wisp
- Ape (Su Monster + Girallon)
- Cloaker
- Derro (with behavior and blindness of the Grimlock)
- Toad or and Frog (Poisonarrow Frog + Spawn Toad)
- Gremlin
- Howler (same as the 4th edition howler + features from Krenshar)
- Intellect Devourer (+ Brain Collector)
- Kraken
- Meazel (or Marrash, something with diseases)
- Mimic (Trap Mimic, Item Mimic and House Mimic)
- Rot Grubs
- Scarecrow
- Thri Kreen
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-
Some others from before 4th edition D&D:
- Aurumvorax
- Deepspawn
- Peryton
- Crimson Death
- Morkoth
- Invisible Stalker
- Wasps (Spider Eaters + Hellwasp Swarm)
- Mantis (some versions)
- Snail/Slug (Metalmaster + Flail Snail)
- Yellow Musk Creeper
- Shocker Lizards
- Crysmal
- Vargouille
- Stinger (scorpionman)
- Dragon Turtle
- Kelpie
- Vegepygmy
- Crab (Carcinos + some other magical crab)

That would make a good monster manual for me personally, these are all deserving to be called MONSTER, unlike horses, angels and humans.

 

[Mark CMG]

Any more new thoughts on this with the playtest well underway?

 

[steeldragons]

Any more new thoughts on this with the playtest well underway?

Thanks for the thread necro!

Good question. I'm curious about this too.

Not having any playtest packets, myself, how close [or far] did we get with our list?

Are the monster lists they're revealing just including everything/100's of monsters?

All comments appreciated (or new lists for anyone who wants to join in, feel free!)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I've actually been re-reading this thread recently; my kid is clearly heading toward RPG play in the near future, thanks to our Dungeon games and variants (different maps, the kid has been asking for harder levels to be added, new monsters, etc.).

Right now, I'm torn between just grabbing the BD&D PDF from RPGNow and making my own monster list instead, either for kid-slanted Dagger or C&C.

I still think the essential monster list can be very, very short and focused, as opposed to many of the more all-encompassing lists in this thread.

 

[steeldragons]

Well, I suppose the only advice is do you want to make up your own/include some new monsters (or at least those not included in the BD&D list)? If so go for it.

What would your own "very, very short and focused" list include? What would you like to have that the BD&D list doesn't?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My 2011 list from this thread still looks pretty good, two years on:

I would start with defining essential categories and filling them with the most iconic choices that non-gamers would know, weighted toward lower levels for an introductory set, but with a smattering of higher level content for games that went to the highest possible level for the set, along with presenting the all-important "run away from high level threats" lesson.

1) Evil humanoid raider (i.e. goblin, orc, ogre)
2) Dangerous normal animals (i.e. wolf, bear, snake)
3) Monstrous animals (i.e. dire rat, giant spider)
4) Folkloric monsters (i.e. chimera, hag)
5) Pop culture monsters (i.e. werewolf)
6) Undead (i.e. ghoul, skeleton, zombie)
7) Weird dungeon monsters (i.e. carrion crawler, owlbear)
8) Summoned monsters (i.e. earth elemental, a Type I demon)
9) A dragon (i.e. a red dragon)

I might add kobolds, because I love kobolds, or I might swap in some sort of frog/fish-man, because little froggy guys are hilarious (see WoW, EverQuest, the Muppet Show). But this is pretty close to perfect for me.