Creature Catalog now in Dragon Magazine

[Gez]

Another theme proposal, which would feature both conversions and all-news: Monsters from the Netherplanes, based on the Gord the Rogue novels.
Here's a site as exhaustive as possible.

I propose:

• Dreggal, a race of lower planer creatures, some reside in Hades. They are warty, pocked, spidery spiky-headed creatures, with metallic voices. They are used as scouts by Infestix.
• Abat-dolor, an independent race of demons of which Graz'zt is a member. They are ebon-hued, six-fingered, seven to eight feet tall humanoids. They are more human and more civilized than most demons; yet they are reputed to be the most vicious of all demons. They are broken into the nine clans of pain, each of which has their own lord, with Elazalag serving as their overlord. They are independent of all other demon lords. The soldiers wear polished red bronze plate armor. They are armed with swords, spears, and light crossbows.
• Ahazu-demon, squarish, lank, long-armed greater demons that are affiliated with Demogorgon.
• Hippokeres, demon horses with eight thick legs and a rhinoceros horn. They are wild, but the smaller ones are tamed and ridden by the Abat-dolor.
• Vargrineen, another type of Abysmal steed used by the Abat-dolor.
• Dumaldun, disgusting natives of Tartarus that appear variously like orangutans, mandrils, gibbons, and apes, but with bristle covered bodies, opossum-like heads, sharp nails and fangs. They are seven to nine feet tall and can fly or bound or run on all fours like a dog. They throw frozen-acid javelins, and they have an innate cloudkill ability. They are more powerful than a rutterkin and a dretch put together.
• Maelvis. (Chris Siren claims they're in the AD&D Monster Manual 2, but I haven't found them. They'll probably have to be a full-fledged creation. Gygax himself doesn't want to say what they are.)

Other demons that could be created from: Boorixtroi, Cataboligne, Clobdroo, Dusins, Kerzow, Maluachau, Nikomars, Scurda, Ssilhex, Thang, Voord, Yatish.

 

[BOZ]

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110310

Another theme proposal, which would feature both conversions and all-news: Monsters from the Netherplanes, based on the Gord the Rogue novels.

that's not a bad idea, but does WotC own that stuff? And if not, do you think they would print an article based on it?

OK, anyone want to give some input on which fey we would be using? http://www.enworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1901210&postcount=65


And, now is a good as time as any to start working on these critters:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1902285&postcount=171

OK, as for old skool early AD&D prehistoric monsters, we had (most of whom are in the CC):
Axe beak
Baluchitherium
Bear, Cave
Board, wild, giant (Elothere)
Hyaenodon
Irish Deer
Lion, Spotted
Mammoth
Mastodon (in MM3)
Rhino, Wooly
Titanothere
Crocodile, giant
Dimetrodon
Megatherium
Phororhacos

I'm sure some, or even most of these guys have appeared in books recently (Frostburn? Don't have it yet unfortunately). The idea is to whittle out anything with a very similar ecological function, appearance, and abilities.

Also, a number of prehistoric beasties have been in Dragon mag. I'm not sure which of these are dinosaurs and which are animals, but I think I have it mostly nailed down. Some of these articles, 137 & 167 for example, are strictly mammals, which is good. I'll need to go back and look, but I'm sure some of you megafauna experts know better than I do.

You know, looking back over these articles, especially #137 & 167, I'm wondering if we shouldn't just narrow it down to Cenozoic animals - that is, animals that existed between the ages of dinosaurs and humans. That would make it both more cohesive, and I think, interesting to me.

112 - Marine chelonian, crocodilian, cynodont, dicynodont, ichthyosaur, labyrinthodont, plesiosaur, rhynchosaur
137 - Alticamelus, ambelodon, arsinotherium, astrapotherium, short-faced bear, giant bison, cattle (auroch), deinotherium, gigantopithecus, glyptodon, macrauchenia, moropus, sivatherium, ground sloth, uintatherium
167 - Agriotherium, amphycion, anancus, andrewsarchus, giant camel, dwarf elephant, eucladoceros, giant hippopotmaus, megalania, metridiochoerus, pelorovis, sarkastodon
176 - Giant opabinia, electric agnath, eurypterid, armored predatory fish, eogyrinus, eryops, cyclotosaurus, cacops, giant platyhystrix, estemennosuchus, early therapsids, giant therapsid, erythrosuchus

and this thread adds a whole bunch more. The idea is to get rid of what we're not using, and see what we can use of what's left. For this article, it would be ONLY animals that scientists believe existed - not anything completely invented.

maybe an even better way to go about this is to determine what prehistoric animals have already been done, and then look for types that haven't been?

 

[Knightfall]

i do, but the question is where?

I've got all 5 Dragon Annuals handy. What do you want to know? Plus, I figured I'd point out the following post:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1904350&postcount=43

Erik asked me which "Classic" monsters I'd like to see redone as a Creature Catalog article. Somehow, I have a feeling that he's already working on getting Greyhawk inspired articles.

Cheers!

KF72

 

[Knightfall]

hey, i'll defintely take a CBP monster.


Edit: weren't the brownie and one other fey recently converted on the Wotc site?

Brownie: Yes. The article is called The Silent Manse.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/al/20041006a

The other is the Boggart.

And, now is a good as time as any to start working on these critters:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1902285&postcount=171

{snip}

I'm sure some, or even most of these guys have appeared in books recently (Frostburn? Don't have it yet unfortunately). The idea is to whittle out anything with a very similar ecological function, appearance, and abilities.

{snip}

maybe an even better way to go about this is to determine what prehistoric animals have already been done, and then look for types that haven't been?

I just updated that list with the more current prehistorics, BTW. About to do so for th ToH and ToH II. (Note: FYI... the Bonesnapper is not a prehistoric critter, it's a Greyhawk critter.)

KF72

 

[Knightfall]

How about this?

The Creatures of Chanak (from the old 2e Creative Campaigning DMs Sourcebook)
Eldred (large, blue-skinned elves)
Urik-Aa (civilized high orcs)
Klorthak (red-skinned, four-armed humanoids)
Shamki (small race of lizardfolk, scholarly)
Tlesh (bipedal wolves, nomadic raiders)
- There are sea tlesh too.
Drogg (predatory reptile the size of a coyote)
Shioka (large aquatic animal, gigantic sharks, three dorsal fins)
Marjag (intelligent lionlike predator)
Risik (ancient ones, disembodied nerves in a tank)

Of course, this submission would go best with a revision of Chanak as a demiplane.

Cheers!

KF72

 

[Gez]

that's not a bad idea, but does WotC own that stuff? And if not, do you think they would print an article based on it?

That's what EGG seemed to think, since he talked about the current creative team, and I suppose they would if the monsters are interesting enough.

OK, as for old skool early AD&D prehistoric monsters, we had (most of whom are in the CC):
Axe beak
Baluchitherium

The Axe beak is in the Arms & Equipment Guide (there are a few critters in it, the aforementionned Axe Beak, but also a "climbdog" and the hippocampus, as mounts, and the majestic zarathan).
The Baluchitherium is in the Fiend Folio, under his alias an an Indricothere.

 

[dhaga]

Response to faerie query. I vote for the following 10 to be included: Atomie, Booka, Dobie, Ekrat, Flitterling, Frost, Quickling, Squeaker, Stwinger, Urisk

4 selected as "backups": Bramble, Killmoulis, Faerie Fiddler, Asrai

Oh, and I checked for a conversion of the Gith Pirates, and I don't have one. I converted the Ancient Mariners...

 

[BOZ]

thanks dhaga.

Hmm, forgot that the axe beak was in the A&EG. Probably because I have always felt that was a stupid book to put that creature in, but I digress.

It looks like Gez is right about the indricothere/baluchitherium: http://www.kokogiak.com/megafauna/strange.asp

Is the dire rhinoceros from Fiend Folio the same as a wooly rhinoceros?

Megatherium is in the Fiend Folio, Mastodon is in MM3, Smilodon is in Frostburn (Mammoth too?).

So yeah, I’m really thinking that this article will be based on Cenozoic creatures, and that leaves us with these from the 1E AD&D books:

Bear, Cave
Boar, wild, giant (Elothere)
Hyaenodon
Irish Deer
Lion, Spotted
Titanothere
Phororhacos

Plus, those from the old “Age of Mammals” articles (137 & 167).

 

[Shade]

The dire rhino is the wooly rhino. The mammoth is indeed in Frostburn.

Isn't the dire bear essentially the cave bear, and the dire boar the giant boar?

 

[BOZ]

yeah, essentially... i don't like it, but that's probably how it should be.