I need your help - to decide on a "basic" monster list

[The Sigil]

Hey, all...

I have been inspired of late to work up a "sequel" to my Basic Player's Guide - a Basic GMs Guide (I won't provide a pluggy link, because I am providing this information as context for my question, not as a plug) - and need some help. I need to find 25-ish "iconic" monsters from the Fantasy SRD that would be useful to a "basic" role-playing game, which I intend to include in the Basic GM's Guide.

Some limitations:
1 - Special Powers need to be fairly simple to adjudicate.
2 - Nothing over CR 6 (the Basic Player's Guide only handles characters up to 4th level, so including higher-powered foes puts PCs in over their heads).
3 - No templates (too much bother for a beginning GM).
4 - As much as possible, I would like a good cross-section of foes... a few undead, a couple of dragons, a couple aberrations, etc.

Here is what I came up with off the top of my head:

1 - Orcs
2 - Goblins
3 - Kobolds
4 - Hobgoblins
5 - Gnolls
6 - Bugbears
(that should take care of the humanoids)
7 - Skeletons
8 - Zombies
9 - Ghouls
10 - Shadows
(that gives me some low-powered undead)
11 - Minotaur
12 - Griffon
13 - Hippogriff
14 - Hell Hound
15 - Ogre
(for magical/mythological beasts and giants)
...

But what else do YOU see as "classic" fantasy monsters I ought to try to include? I won't guarantee that all suggestions make it in, I just want to try to find a starting point.

Example of something considered but excluded: Trolls (regeneration is a bit complex for a new GM to adjudicate)

Help me out here, please?

--The Sigil

 

[francisca]

I'd cut the humanoids down to about 3. Maybe Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bugbears.

Then add: Giant Spiders, Lizardmen, wolves, giant rats,fire beetles, Dire Wolves.

edit: would the basilisk be too complicated?

Last edit : Consider the Blink Dog and Giant Eagle as well.

 

[iwatt]

Troll

 

[Sammael]

I'd give a humanoid creature example for each alignment: LE (kobolds), NE (goblins), CE (orcs). Other than that, I think gelatinous cube deserves to make the list, as does a displacer beast (as an example of how to adjudicate a magical displacement effect).

 

[iwatt]

Other than that, I think gelatinous cube deserves to make the list, as does a displacer beast (as an example of how to adjudicate a magical displacement effect).

This is a good idea. Use monsters to showcase important special abilities.

Shadows: Incorporeal

Trolls: Regeneration

Goblins: Cleave

Displacer Beast/Blink Dogs: Miss chance.

Werewolf: Damage Reduction

Bear, Brown: Improved Grapple

Wolf, Dire: Trip

________: Spell Resistance

 

[DMH]

I would use gricks for damage resistance and provide a sample aberration. Other aberrations- choker and rust monster.

The most complex creature I suggest is the chaos beast.

Elementals are going to be a problem because of their typically high CR. Are you sure you want to limit it to the SRD? Atlas and FFG both have great weak elementals in the PFB and Elemental Lore.

 

[pogre]

Dragons - yes, I know they're tough and beyond almost every basic game - but it's what really excites young people in particular. Ask any child under 10 what they hope to fight on the adventure - that's going to be the answer. I am assuming you are trying to capture the excitement of the game and do a little rules training, as opposed to a rules training bootcamp.

Mummy - classic underground nemesis!

I would not limit the humanoids myself as I think they make for fun and interesting opponents, although I certainly see the other point of view as well.

 

[Phaedrus]

I think you need all the mythical creatures that everyone knows about:
vampires, dragons, mummies, ghouls, werewolves, zombies... all the standard archetypes. D&D-only creations will require more homework, as the new DM won't already be familiar with them.

 

[mmadsen]

If you want iconic fantasy creatures, I think you need to include dragons, unicorns, and fairies (pixies).

If you want useful stats, I think you should include not just the Goblin-as-War1 stats, but Goblin Scout (Rog1), Goblin Wolfrider (Ftr1), Hobgoblin Soldier (Ftr1), Hobgoblin Sergeant (Ftr3), Hobgoblin Captain (Ftr6), etc.

 

[Conaill]

I'd rather narrow down the options somehwat. Don't have goblins and kobolds. Don't have orcs and hobgoblins. Don't have ghouls, ghasts and zombies.

Sure, all of these may have somewhat unique characteristics in D&D, but they do fill similar monster niches. And to someone unfamiliar with D&D, they won't necessarily seem all that distinct.

Personally, I would much prefer to focus on intelligent opponents, a decent selection of animals, plus perhaps 10 or so "monsters", rather than trying to cover the entire D&D menagerie...