D&D iconic monsters

[Bloodstone Press]

Beholder.
Carrion Crawler.
Mind Flayer.
Rust Monster.
Tarrasque.

To me those are the only truely iconic, because the majority of others are taken from real world mythology (Dragons, for example) or other books (Orc's being pretty much a creation of JRRT).

The tarrasque is taken from European mythology.

 

[Melan]

The tarrasque is taken from European mythology.

True, but it is substantially changed and thus we could argue that it is original. Coincidentally, the Gorgon and the Catoblepas are not: both are found in mediaeval bestiaries.

 

[DragonLancer]

The tarrasque is taken from European mythology.

Yes, you are correct. But it is nothing like the mythological version and I feel that out of all the monsters, it deserves to be an Iconic one.

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

Hehe, sounds like a challenge to all those adventure publishers out here, hehe.

Let it never be said that Behemoth3 walked away from a challenge! Each one of our Masters and Minions series of monster modules focuses on one iconic monster from the SRD. The stirge, minotaur, and remorhaz Horde Books will be released at Gen Con, with the otyugh, mummy, and troglodyte coming in December.

We've tried to go beyond the standard Guide To.../Ecology of... approach by making each iconic monster the centerpiece of a Horde of new creatures -- i.e., its masters and minions. These added monsters are designed to extend the possibilities of the icon by giving concrete examples of its life cycle (the remorla is a larval remorhaz), rounding out its threat potential (the ashmalkin are stirge-riding fey that can use ranged and alchemical weapons), and fleshing out its society (the minotrice is the female minotaur, subservient to the male despite being a better hunter in many ways).

Apart from being included in the SRD, our basic criterion for choosing iconic monsters was that they'd been part of D&D since the original Monster Manual (although I think we'll make an exception for the tarrasque). We haven't shied away from ancient and legendary monsters, especially if the Trampier MM illustration was the first image that came to mind when we thought of a mummy or a minotaur.

It's interesting to see other gamers' lists of iconics - many of these are certain to show up on our release schedule sooner or later!

It's also fun to trace the origins of these monsters; anyone know whether the stirge has a basis in mythology or if it sprung full-blown from Gary's godlike forehead? Although the Trampier remorhaz and ankheg illustrations are the most famous, their original images in Dragon #2 and #5 are by Erol Otus (the latter is particularly revelatory in showing the influence of psychedelic poster art/Munsch-like art nouveau on Otus's style); the author of the Dragon articles is uncredited, but it's probably Otus as well since Gary thanks him for "preliminary work" on these creatures in the MM. There, Gary also credits Ernie for the water weird and Terry Kuntz for the prototypical beholder. Some of the underwater creatures also appear to be Steve Marsh's from the Blackmoor supplement, but I haven't yet tracked down which ones.

Ultimately, of course, the best definition of the iconic D&D monsters are those which most inspired awe, respect, and maybe even fear in the hearts of D&D fanatics! I think it'll be quickly obvious to anyone who picks up the Masters and Minions books that my co-authors and I have felt that awe as deeply as anyone. If I can help rekindle some of these feelings for monsters that have become stale, overlooked, or taken for granted, I'll be one step closer to repaying the debt that my imagination owes to the original and still-greatest roleplaying game.