D&D General D&D monsters that have been changed the most over time

[Laurefindel]

I think the evolution and the changes from edition to edition keep us "older" folks more on our toes. Older is probably the wrong word, those of us that have experienced multiple editions.

the proper term is "high-level"

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Yeah I tended to peg Kobolds as Therapsids, which allows us to take the best aspects of mammals and reptiles and mash them together.

Take a look at the Porosteognathus and tell me that doesnt scream Kobold
(no floppy ears though since only mammals have external ears)

View attachment 139855

Yes exactly even better.

 

[Vaalingrade]

If D&D isn't allowed to have ridiculous outer planar beings anymore though, frankly I quit.

I never got ridiculous from modrons, but rather 'soul crushingly creepy in a Thomas the Tank Engine or Annoying Orange way.

They need less lips. And eyeballs.

 

[Voadam]

See as someone into biology/zoology, the external ears and doglike noses were much more "un-reptilian" than laying eggs or having scales was reptilian. There are mammals that lay eggs, and many reptiles that don't, and mammals with scale-like structures, but there are no reptiles with that sort of external ear (or anything even close AFAIK), and no reptiles with mammal-style noses. Nor have there ever been, that we're aware of. At best kobolds were some 50/50 mixture of characteristics.

The monotremes lay eggs but that is only the platypus and the echidnas. None of them are scaled. A very small subset of mammals.

There is the pangolin, which has fingernail type scales, but that is also a tiny subset of mammals and they do not lay eggs or have horns.

No dog has scales or lays eggs.

The vast majority of reptiles both have scales and lay eggs. There are viviparous reptiles who give live birth (boas, water snakes, about half of skinks, and the viviparous lizard among others) but egg laying is very common.

When I saw the B/X and AD&D 1e pictures and descriptions of kobolds horned lizard people comes to mind easily, adding on a few dog features. I can see someone thinking pangolin people could work too if you add on dog noses and egg laying and horns. Or dog people at base adding on horns and scales and eggs to that base.

I would say their first art and descriptions are definitely a mix of disparate dog and reptile aspects and I feel it is an effective mix for a D&D monster people.

I did not care for the pug dog people original 2e art for kobolds at all in the Monstrous Compendium I.

The later 2e Monstrous Manual art was OK, though it adds hair and I can't really make out any scales and seems more rat person than dog person.

The 3e kobold seems to take the di'Terlizzi thin spindly one and make them more explicitly reptilian and changes the color from rust to more green (which I always pictured the 1e MM black and white kobold images as being despite the description as rust color).

 

[Ruin Explorer]

When I saw the B/X and AD&D 1e pictures and descriptions of kobolds horned lizard people comes to mind easily, adding on a few dog features. I can see someone thinking pangolin people could work too if you add on dog noses and egg laying and horns. Or dog people at base adding on horns and scales and eggs to that base.

I think we can both agree that Kobolds were weird little things that read as some sort of being with mammalian and reptilian features. 3E coming down firmly on the side of reptilian then rapidly moving to draconic was a big change but for the best for kobolds in the sense of giving them a clear identity and making them ever-more-popular to the point where a kobold PC is kind of a routine thing to see these days (in general, obviously not in every group).

 

[Hexmage-EN]

Since this thread has been surprisingly kobold heavy, I thought I'd point out that Pathfinder 1E basically used the D&D 3E kobold design before shifting to a much design with a much larger head in Pathfinder 2E:

 

[Steampunkette]

The Bulette.

 

[Yora]

Looks to me like the bulette didn't change at all.

 

[Bolares]

wow, this is almost as original as Giantland's Land Shark!!!

edit: I should've waited to the end of the post to make my joke, well played Steampunkette, well played

 

[Steampunkette]

wow, this is almost as original as Giantland's Land Shark!!!

edit: I should've waited to the end of the post to make my joke, well played Steampunkette, well played

/e fancybow