Horned Devil/Cornugon/Malebranche

[Echohawk]

I need help with the classification of the Horned Devil.

• In the original Monster Manual, the Horned Devil is listed on page 22, and is subtitled "Malebranche".
• In the Outer Planes Monstrous Compendium (MC8), a creature with similar abilities is now known as a Cornugon.
• The Cornugon is reprinted in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium, on page 21.
• In the 3rd edition Monster Manual, the Cornugon appears on page 52.
• In the v.3.5 revision of the Monster Manual, the same creature is now listed as "Horned Devil (Cornugon)".

No problem so far, we just have one creature (a Horned Devil) which has "Malebranche" and "Cornugon" as alternative names. But then...

• The 3rd Edition Monster Manual II lists "Malebranche" as a completely separate type of devil (page 69). This creature lacks the magical abilities of the Horned Devil/Cornugon, and relies on brute force for its power.

So, the question is -- is the MMII "Malebranche" related to the "Malebranche/Horned Devil" from the original MM, or is it simply an unfortunate co-incidence that it bears the same name?

 

[Filby]

Yes, it's just a coincidence. There's no connection between the cornugon and the 3E malebranche beyond the history of the name.

 

[Echohawk]

Yes, it's just a coincidence. There's no connection between the cornugon and the 3E malebranche beyond the history of the name.

Thanks. That's what I'd decided by examining the stats, but I'm glad to have independent confirmation

 

[Filby]

My pleasure.

 

[BOZ]

nice research echohawk! you weren't the first one to ask about this...

 

[Echohawk]

nice research echohawk! you weren't the first one to ask about this...

Heh heh, thanks. I'm busy building a reasonably thorough monster index at the moment, and it is amazing how many oddities there are in the different versions of monsters.

Looking at spelling alone, I've come across:

• Agathion vs. Agathinon
• Anchisaurus vs Ankisaurus
• Ankheg vs Anhkheg
• Balucitherium vs Baluchitherium
• Einheriah vs Einherjah
• Heucuva vs Huecuva
• Massopondylus vs Massospondylus
• Shikki-gaki vs Shikko-gaki
• Temnodontosaurus vs Tennodontosaurus

Still, I suppose these are the sorts of details that keep compulsive monster indexers happy

 

[Filby]

Nice job catching all of those mistakes. Just one thing, ankylosaurus and anchisaurus are different dinosaurs (used to be a big dino buff).

 

[Echohawk]

Nice job catching all of those mistakes. Just one thing, ankylosaurus and anchisaurus are different dinosaurs (used to be a big dino buff).

I know. I didn't mention the ankylosaurus above. The anchisaurus is called that in MC3, but it is spelled "ankisaurus" in the original MMII.

The ankylosaurus also appears in MC3, as well as in the original MM, the Monstrous Manual and the 3rd Edition MMII. It has the same name in all four places.

 

[Filby]

Oh... my bad, then.