Fiend Folio

[Erik Mona]

good luck with that. although i'd say the flumph is more likely, since the xvart will probably be seen as "just another humanoid" and get skipped.

Since my desire to use xvarts in a Living Greyhawk adventure caused a political row that went all the way to the disapproving director of RPG R&D, I strongly doubt there is widespread support for the xvart in the halls of Wizards of the Coast. "They're just another goblin," was basically the gist. Also, "Isn't xvart a coded racist word?" was a popular one at the time.

Of course, these are some of the same folks who used flinds, orogs, and ogrillons as examples of the exact type of monsters that would NOT be allowed to appear in third edition and then blithely let them all trickle back into the game within a year or two, so I suppose anything is possible.

--Erik

 

[Mouseferatu]

Also, "Isn't xvart a coded racist word?" was a popular one at the time.

...

Wait, what?

 

[Henry]

Shadow Demon and Qullan both rock. You lost me on the Living Wall though.

The in-joke here is that Plane Sailing is actually the "N. White" who originally created those monsters for Fiend Factory back in the (1970's, was it?)

Stunjellies and Shadow Demons were always two of my favorites. That Shadow Demon has a lot of cult cred with old-school gamers, being so prominent in the old 1980's cartoon.

 

[Evilhalfling]

Bullywogs
Catyrid Columns
the jaguar with snakes in its back - that needs republished too.

hmm most of my other favs are published
skeleton warrior, death knight, drow
githzari, githyanki, qullans - even if renamed
Iron cobra (now usable),

 

[Erik Mona]

...

Wait, what?

Xvart is basically svart, which I believe is literally the word black in some Scandinavian language. Or something. It's sort of a cousin's uncle's roommate story and no one could really explain it coherently, but it was just sort of "understood" that there were possibly racist connotations about this creature. Again, or something.

I seem to remember encountering this sentiment at least a time or two elsewhere on the internet, so I should point out I'm not suggesting that the association was unique to WotC.

And they let us use the monster, so reason and nostalgia won out in the end.

Also I think someone pointed out they were used extensively in Baldur's Gate or something, and that sort of sealed the deal.

--Erik

 

[Wolv0rine]

My god, the thread's gotten this far an NO love for the poor Al-mir'aj. Poor little bunny unicorns...

But yeah... Shadow Demons, Sandmen, Flinds, Kenku (real Kenku, not those freaky things they handed us in 3.5 and called Kenku).. love those, man.

 

[Staffan]

Xvart is basically svart, which I believe is literally the word black in some Scandinavian language.

Swedish.

Also, "duergar" is just a funny spelling of "dvärgar", which is Swedish for "dwarfs". So in Swedish, you'd be talking about duergar who's a special kind of dvärgar...

Oh, and the Swedish word for "dragon" is "drake", which causes problems when "drake" is introduced as a creature that's similar to, but distinct from, "dragon".

 

[crash_beedo]

Pennangalan and Nycodaemon, please.

 

[qstor]

Since my desire to use xvarts in a Living Greyhawk adventure caused a political row that went all the way to the disapproving director of RPG R&D, I strongly doubt there is widespread support for the xvart in the halls of Wizards of the Coast.

SKR used them in "Dragonscales at Morningtide" I don't think I saw them in another LG module. I think they're cool.

Mike

 

[BOZ]

Also, "Isn't xvart a coded racist word?" was a popular one at the time.

that's just bizarre.

Of course, these are some of the same folks who used flinds, orogs, and ogrillons as examples of the exact type of monsters that would NOT be allowed to appear in third edition and then blithely let them all trickle back into the game within a year or two, so I suppose anything is possible.

heh, indeed! but yeah, that's my fervent hope.

you'll note that both 2E and 3E started off with the expressed desire of simplying the game and making it easier to play... and eventually scope creep bloated them both out to all hell. 4E will be no different - everything they try to eliminate will find its way back, in some form.