Monsters that can hide in a modern day city

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I guess that a crocotta survives by being taken as a dog?

That's what I'm going with. In northern Wisconsin, everyone will look at it and say "mutt," not "evil hyena-thing." It's all about expectations. (Plus, this is a relatively small one, not the massive ones of legends. It's either young or just malnourished.)

 

[amerigoV]

Zombies and Ghouls, especially if they own an NFL franchise

 

[Celebrim]

Short Answer: You need to play Chill.

Longer Answer: Black Tamanous (Cannibal Spirits), Mean Old Neighbor Ladies, Brain Worms, Ccoa (Ruin Spirits), Doll Masters, Hook Thaggis, Oanaqui, Rakshasa, any number of ghostly creatures, hags, vampires, and shape shifters.

Any number of urban fairy folk, machine spirits, entropy spirits, gremlins and the like. What do you think causes blue screens of death anyway? You didn't misplace your keys, something hid them. And your battery won't start because something ate it.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A medusa could live a very nice life as an eccentric, reclusive sculptor...

 

[Jack Daniel]

Mermaid + long dress or blanket + wheelchair.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Mermaid + long dress or blanket + wheelchair.

I've seen that movie ...

 

[TheAuldGrump]

See Return to Oz for how an elemental might hide in a city.

Golems, including animated stone lions outside of public libraries.

Goblins or orcs in the subway.

Does the city have an underground like Seattle or Chicago - where large areas have been buried and a new city built over the old?

All sorts of odd things may find work as taxi drivers.

Selkies working the boats and ferries in the harbor.

The Auld Grump

 

[Eric Tolle]

I don't think the unintelligent monsters would last very long in the city very long without being discovered- especially creatures like slimes or lurkers above.

I would vote for creatures that can at least part of the time appear human, such as kitsune, tanuki, obakenekko, tengu, raksasha and the like.

Also some park areas may be able to support dryads, and aquatic areas possibly niads...though the water quality may lead to problems.

 

[Starfox]

The classic solution for an intelligent monster is to have cultists that provide for its needs. This would work very well for creatures like beholders and mind flayers.

Obvious and glamorous monsters, like griffons and hippogriffs, would make excellent secret status symbols for the very rich.