Monsters that have gotten more cool/less cool over the years

[Quasqueton]

Some creatures get cooler as you learn more about them [drow]. Some creatures get less cool as you learn more about them [drow].

Some creatures get cooler as they become more common (in the metagame sense); familiarity breeds appreciation. Some creatures get less cool as they become more common; familiarity breeds contempt.

Some creatures have gone from stupid/silly to good/cool over the years. Some creatures have gone the other way.

What creatures did you think were really cool early on, but became less cool with more information or ubiquitousness?

What creatures did you think were stupid/silly early on, but became good/cool with more information or ubiquitousness?

Quasqueton

 

[diaglo]

for me i still enjoy homebrewed monsters.


but as the editions have continued.

i'd have to say elves have gotten less useful or cool.

 

[Frostmarrow]

Less cool:

Elves (alright they becomer cooler again but were seriously uncool at the end of 2nd Ed.)

Dragons (they were ultra cool in Dragonlance but nowadays we've only learned to know Ashardalon and he's not even in control of himself.)

More cool:

Yuan-Ti (Snake people are about as cool as cat people but they've been featured in cool products and they've shed skin.)

Zombies (Pretty moronic monster to begin with but since they've gotten, and I've discovered, a whole genre of movies they've grown on me.)

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I'll agree that the Yuan-Ti have seen a rise in their coolness factor.

Getting less cool:

Kobolds -- What happened to the yapping horned dog-men of old? They now no longer fit in the goblinoid hierarchy.

Hobgoblins -- On one hand, the re-inforcement of their militaristic nature makes them stand out more from orcs. On the other, the fur thing just doesn't work for me.

I'd say that the Tarrasque has gotten less cool, but I've always thought it lame.

 

[Einan]

Some creatures get cooler as you learn more about them [drow]. Some creatures get less cool as you learn more about them [drow].

Some creatures get cooler as they become more common (in the metagame sense); familiarity breeds appreciation. Some creatures get less cool as they become more common; familiarity breeds contempt.

Some creatures have gone from stupid/silly to good/cool over the years. Some creatures have gone the other way.

What creatures did you think were really cool early on, but became less cool with more information or ubiquitousness?

What creatures did you think were stupid/silly early on, but became good/cool with more information or ubiquitousness?

Quasqueton

More cool:
The Shadar-Kai. I have one in my campaign that constantly returns to plague the heroes, and they hate him with vehement passion. Which works well when you consider that he began as a throw-away NPC who just happened to kick their butts and then proceeded to become the major minion of the Big Bad Guy.

Also, chuul. Giant crabs? At least until one of them pops out of the water, paralyzes a PC and drags him under the water to watch him drown.

Less cool:
Definitely elves. Enough already.

Also drow. Does every member of this race have to be trying to make up for his evil race?

Gnomes. Either they're tinkering caricatures, or you can't figure out exactly where they fit in a fantasy world.

Dig.

 

[Gentlegamer]

Drow have definitely become "less cool" for me. Far too overexposed. Actually, I think D&D elves in general have have done the same thing.

The humanoids were in danger of the same thing, but I've customized their cultures, stats, and outlook for my campaign so that they are "fresh," at least to me and my group.

The color division of dragons was really cool, but over time has become way too familiar. These days, I prefer "random" dragons of varying characteristics and outlook.

Some of the "funky" monsters have stayed cool for me. Ex. Beholders, mind flayers

 

[GlassJaw]

More cool: grell
Less cool: hydras (the sunder rules are awful)
Not cool anymore, period, and if you use them in your game, I don't even have time for you: drow

 

[Joshua Randall]

Agree with everyone else that any coolness the drow used to possess has now been stripped completely away.

Teetering on the brink of losing their coolness due to overexposure: githyanki.

Less cool since start of 3e: half-anything templated creatures. Enough already.

Still cool: Mind flayers. Beholders. Yuan-ti (these guy were always cool -- you just might not have read enough pulp fantasy to appreciate them).

More cool: Aboleth, with the publication of Lords of Madness.

Monsters that are fundamentally the same as always, yet are getting more use in my campaigns for no clear reason: Ankhegs. Owlbears.

Whee! This is fun.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Mindflayers and beholders are awesome. Paticuarly beholders.

In my game I try very hard to keep the drow evil and mysterious but they have definitely lost something of what once made them so interesting.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Throw another drow on the barbie. If I never see or hear of them again, I won't miss them at all.

Most of the oddball stuff (beholders, for example) seems less cool now. I think 3.x did a lot to revive the cool factor for the plain vanilla stuff from prior editions -- undead, low-level humanoids, etc. -- through class levels and templates.