Creature Catalog now in Dragon Magazine

[Shade]

The aranea is of course a standard MM monster now, and the Brain Collector is featured in the ELH. Some people may like to see versions of them that work better for the module, so I will keep them on alternates if you guys agree that might work.

I don't think that will work. I doubt that Dragon would accept a submission for a monster that already has 3E/3.5 stats.

Lupins may not be necessary, due to the recent Dragon article on them, so I will also put them on alternate.

Unnecessary for same reasons, especially considering how recent this article was.

IIRC, Sun Brothers are just humans, so no need to stat them (unless we would want to come up with some sort of prestige class or something?) Pagans are also humans IIRC, but there’s no way in hell that I would want to make up stats for them (after that, should we move on to stats for Christians and Buddhists? )

I really need stats for Christians in my campaigns, as my lions need adversaries.

Rakastas and Vampire Roses are in the CC, so we can have a start with those. The rest of the monsters should go into the proposal as well.

There are probably other monsters buried in the module, which I will try to find ASAP, as well as creatures mentioned in encounters and random lists, which I can put as alternates. Also, in the above thread people kept mentioning the "The Colossus" aka the "gigantic corpse golem on the front cover." And something about a "beast of Eibon"

If this article is selected, I'll really have to read through the whole module.

"The Colossus" sounds like the flesh colossus from the ELH.

 

[BOZ]

could be... in fact, off the top of my head, the illustration from the cover of this module and the illustration in ELH are conspicuously similar...

and point taken on the "unneccessary" monsters - i will still put a little note in the alternates section, to let the editors do with what they will.

 

[Shade]

Also, there's nothing stopping us from doing "lesser" versions of epic creatures...see the atropal scion in Libris Mortis, for example.

 

[BOZ]

exarctly what was on my mind, my friend.

 

[Filby]

On the "beast of Eibon", the fella was mixing up the ring of Eibon, an artifact that plays a part in the adventure, and the Beast of Averoigne. It played a part in the adventure, I don't know if it was given stats in the module (might have been left up to the DM). It came directly from "The Beast of Averoigne", a short story by Clark Ashton Smith, which you can read right here.

Since it was the setting of much of Castle Amber, we could mine some of CAS's other Averoigne-related stories for material, too, if you like. For instance, there was one story about a brutish evil satyr -- an Unseelie satyr, perhaps? And another that featured a vile amphibian hag and her huge swarms of frogs.

 

[BOZ]

OK, here are all the "age of mammals" critters i have stats for. let's narrow this list down. a lot of these animals are very similar - we don't need 5 types of bears and rhinos.

Monster Manual:

Hyaenodon - a huge canine that resembles a hyena. (5 HD)

Irish Deer - as big as a moose with enormous antlers (4 HD)

Lion, Spotted (aka cave lion) - large, fierce lions (6 HD)

Titanothere - huge, fearless herbivores that roam temperate plains in herds. Resembles a rhino with a flat shovel-like horn, charges and tramples to attack. (12 HD)

Monster Manual II:

Phororhacos - large flightless bird with a huge head and powerful beak (7 HD)

Dragon 137:

Alticamelus - relative of the camel, with a long giraffe-like neck. can bite or trample. (5 HD)

Ambelodon - a type of mastodon with shovel-like tusks, unsuitable for combat. Attacks with two stamps. Lives in swamps and rivers where vegetation is abundant. (9 HD)

Astrapotherium - rhino-sized herbivore with two dagger-like canines. Lives near water like a hippo. (3 HD)

Bear, Short-Faced (Arctodus simus) - stands twice as tall as a grizzly, due to long legs, and has a short muzzle. Continues to fight down to -9 hp (like a bear). Roams sub-glacial plains. Attacks with bite, and 2 claws can hug. (7 HD)

Bison, Giant - live in large herds in plains, and have a horn spread of 7-10 feet. Can attack with 2 horns, or trampling charge. (6 HD)

Cattle (Auroch) - wild cattle that are slightly larger and tougher than normal animals, 7' high at the shoulder. Also more fierce and agile than normal cattle. Males have 2 horns attacks and can trample on a charge. (6 HD)

Deinotherium - a distant relative of the elephant with a small proboscis and short tusks that curve downward. More like an Oliphant than a mastodon. Attacks with two tusks and 2 stamps. (10 HD)

Gigantopithecus - a huge ape taller than a gorilla that roams forests in small family bands. Attacks with bite and 2 slams, with which it can rend. (6 HD)

Glyptodon - 9-foot long ground sloth with an armadillo-like shelled appearance and a long spiked tail with which it attacks. (7 HD)

Macrauchenia - looks like a camel with an elephant's trunk. Attacks with 2 forefeet.

Moropus - looks like a horse with sort ears, but has short heavy claws with which it could dig and pull down tree limbs to feed. Could also defend itself with the claws and bite. (4 HD)

Sivatherium - relative of the giraffe that looks like a huge moose. Has two short, bony horns and two huge antlers. Can head-butt or attack with 2 hooves. (4 HD)

Sloth, Ground (essentially Megatherium)

Uintatherium - is the size of a large rhino; herbivorous but has large molar fangs. It can attack with these, or trample on a charge.

Dragon 167:

Agriotherium (savannah bear) - huge, primitive bear (slightly smaller than cave bear) with a dog-like head that roams the plains. Same attack routine as other bears. Fights until -9 hp like the short-faced bear. (8 HD)

Amphicyon (bear dog) - looks like a bear with a wolfish muzzle and canine tail. Claws and bites, but has no hug. Solitary, and attacks creatures larger than itself. (7 HD)

Anancus (pike-tusked elephant) - an elephant adapted to temperate woodlands. Has two 10-foot long tusks that it can attack with, and 2 stamps. (10 HD)

Andrewsarchus (giant long-jawed hyena) - the largest known carnivorous land mammal. Looks vaguely like a hyena with a 3-foot long skull, and a feline tail. A scavenger, but can attack with bite. (9 HD)

Camel, giant - hump-less camel that grazes on the plains. Attacks with a bite or two hooves. (7 HD)

Elephant, dwarf - island dwelling elephant that is only 3 feet tall. Attacks with tusks. (3 HD)

Hippopotamus, giant - massive hippo with huge tusks and periscoping eyes. (10 HD)

Megalania (giant plains lizard) - a giant plains lizard that resembles monitor lizards and komodo dragons, with long serrated teeth. Can knock down foes with a tail attack. (7 HD)

Metridiochoerus (giant warthog) - swine that fights with two sets of tusks. (5 HD)

Pelorovis (long-horned buffalo) - a relative of the buffalo with huge 12-foot long horns that curve out and down. It can charge to trample and knock down. (6 HD)

Sarkastodon (long-tailed bear) - looks like a bear with a long tail, fights with claws and bite. (9 HD)

 

[Gez]

About the Denizens of Castle Amber, you do remember I have a conversion of a magens handy, do you?

 

[Shade]

Hyaenodon - a huge canine that resembles a hyena. (5 HD)

Keep. No similar critters exist.

Irish Deer - as big as a moose with enormous antlers (4 HD)

Ditch. We already have the megaloceros and dire elk.

Lion, Spotted (aka cave lion) - large, fierce lions (6 HD)

Ditch. We have the dire lion and smilodon.

Titanothere - huge, fearless herbivores that roam temperate plains in herds. Resembles a rhino with a flat shovel-like horn, charges and tramples to attack. (12 HD)

Keep.

Phororhacos - large flightless bird with a huge head and powerful beak (7 HD)

Alternate. Might be too similar to axebeak and terror birds to be necessary.

Alticamelus - relative of the camel, with a long giraffe-like neck. can bite or trample. (5 HD)

Keep.

Ambelodon - a type of mastodon with shovel-like tusks, unsuitable for combat. Attacks with two stamps. Lives in swamps and rivers where vegetation is abundant. (9 HD)

Alternate.

Astrapotherium - rhino-sized herbivore with two dagger-like canines. Lives near water like a hippo. (3 HD)

Keep.

Bear, Short-Faced (Arctodus simus) - stands twice as tall as a grizzly, due to long legs, and has a short muzzle. Continues to fight down to -9 hp (like a bear). Roams sub-glacial plains. Attacks with bite, and 2 claws can hug. (7 HD)

Ditch. We've got enough dire bear variants to fill an entire article already.

Bison, Giant - live in large herds in plains, and have a horn spread of 7-10 feet. Can attack with 2 horns, or trampling charge. (6 HD)

Keep.

Cattle (Auroch) - wild cattle that are slightly larger and tougher than normal animals, 7' high at the shoulder. Also more fierce and agile than normal cattle. Males have 2 horns attacks and can trample on a charge. (6 HD)

Alternate.

Deinotherium - a distant relative of the elephant with a small proboscis and short tusks that curve downward. More like an Oliphant than a mastodon. Attacks with two tusks and 2 stamps. (10 HD)

Ditch, or alternate. We've already got dire elephant, mastodon, grizzly mastodon, and mammoth.

Gigantopithecus - a huge ape taller than a gorilla that roams forests in small family bands. Attacks with bite and 2 slams, with which it can rend. (6 HD)

Too much like dire ape?

Glyptodon - 9-foot long ground sloth with an armadillo-like shelled appearance and a long spiked tail with which it attacks. (7 HD)

This fella is in Frostburn.

Macrauchenia - looks like a camel with an elephant's trunk. Attacks with 2 forefeet.

Keep.

Moropus - looks like a horse with sort ears, but has short heavy claws with which it could dig and pull down tree limbs to feed. Could also defend itself with the claws and bite. (4 HD)

Keep.

Sivatherium - relative of the giraffe that looks like a huge moose. Has two short, bony horns and two huge antlers. Can head-butt or attack with 2 hooves. (4 HD)

Keep.

Sloth, Ground (essentially Megatherium)

Keep.

Uintatherium - is the size of a large rhino; herbivorous but has large molar fangs. It can attack with these, or trample on a charge.

Keep.

Agriotherium (savannah bear) - huge, primitive bear (slightly smaller than cave bear) with a dog-like head that roams the plains. Same attack routine as other bears. Fights until -9 hp like the short-faced bear. (8 HD)

Ditch, for same reasons as cave bear.

Amphicyon (bear dog) - looks like a bear with a wolfish muzzle and canine tail. Claws and bites, but has no hug. Solitary, and attacks creatures larger than itself. (7 HD)

Alternate.

Anancus (pike-tusked elephant) - an elephant adapted to temperate woodlands. Has two 10-foot long tusks that it can attack with, and 2 stamps. (10 HD)

Alternate or ditch, for same reasons as other elephant variants.

Andrewsarchus (giant long-jawed hyena) - the largest known carnivorous land mammal. Looks vaguely like a hyena with a 3-foot long skull, and a feline tail. A scavenger, but can attack with bite. (9 HD)

Probably unecessary if we go with hyaenodon, but maybe not.

Camel, giant - hump-less camel that grazes on the plains. Attacks with a bite or two hooves. (7 HD)

Keep, but we might want to cut one of the other camelkin.

Elephant, dwarf - island dwelling elephant that is only 3 feet tall. Attacks with tusks. (3 HD)

Alternate.

Hippopotamus, giant - massive hippo with huge tusks and periscoping eyes. (10 HD)

Keep.

Megalania (giant plains lizard) - a giant plains lizard that resembles monitor lizards and komodo dragons, with long serrated teeth. Can knock down foes with a tail attack. (7 HD)

Alternate. Several varieties of giant lizard already exist in the game.

Metridiochoerus (giant warthog) - swine that fights with two sets of tusks. (5 HD)

Too much like dire boar?

Pelorovis (long-horned buffalo) - a relative of the buffalo with huge 12-foot long horns that curve out and down. It can charge to trample and knock down. (6 HD)

Keep.

Sarkastodon (long-tailed bear) - looks like a bear with a long tail, fights with claws and bite. (9 HD)

Ditch, for same reasons as other bear variants.

 

[Filby]

Actually, the megaloceros is the Irish deer. Same goes for the phororhacos and the terror bird -- same critter.

 

[Shade]

Well, that definitely rules them out for inclusion.

For some of the critters which are essentially just variants of another creature, we could always do a sidebar. For example:

Agriotherium (savannah bear): As dire bear, except has a dog-like head. Change environment to warm plains, and give it the ferocity ability of the dire boar.