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

[Staffan]

Erik, the Ethergaunt's look screamed out to me! Reminded me of the Invid Inorganics (semi-obscure ref. #77.) Loved the blog bits about their creation. For what its worth, you hit the mark regarding its Gith-iconic-ness!

I don't think the ethergaunts have anywhere near Gith iconic-ness, and likely never will. This is due mainly because the lowest level ethergaunt is a 9th level wizard with Int 23 and a totally alien mind, and is CR 9. This means they're very hard for the DM to use. Having the mastermind BBEG have Int 23 is one thing, having the bread & butter opposition have it is a completely different story. Githyanki, on the other hand, are just a little smarter than humans, and gain most of their power from class levels. This means they're appropriate opponents for a much wider range of PCs.

 

[CRGreathouse]

I think that kobolds have improved greatly since the dark days of the dog-men -- they always looked silly to me, and now they're interesting.

Drow were never that interesting to me, but they're become much worse with overexposure.

The big uncool thing about 3e dragons is that foolish designers gave them massive spellcasting ability, which totally dominates their stats - they end up as Wizards in dragon form, not primordial beasts.

What? Picking a true dragon at random from the 3.5 MM (juvenile red, CR 10), let's compare the spellcasting to melee prowess.
bite +24 (2d6+9), 2 claws +22 (1d8+4), 2 wings +22 (1d6+4), tail slap +22 (1d8+13)
Spells as a 3rd-level sorcerer (2d4+2 damage from magic missile)

A silver dragon can cast 8th-level spells when it becomes a wyrm (CR 24). Sure, it's possible that the dragon will cast a spell or two during combat, but it isn't likely -- their other abilities are much better, in general, than their spells. (This doesn't even get into their pathetic caster level and lowish save DCs.)

 

[Hand of Evil]

More Cool if possible:
Mindflayers
Beholders
Undead

Less Cool:
Drow - I like them, I really do, but it is all in the how they are presented in game.
Half-Templates - I just dislike them

 

[Evilhalfling]

Blasphemer!!!!

Krenshar r0x0rz my b0x0rz.

Right now krenshar are ripping apart the dragonslayers in my pbp
okay so they are modified krenshar.

yup drow are out- havent used them in 3.x - beyond mere hints in the last game of a previous campaign.

Aboleths are less cool they hit a peak in issue 121# Dragon
Half - anything including orcs, demons, dragons etc less cool

zombies & skeletons more cool
humanoids w/class levels more cool - 7th lvl gnoll charrioteers RulZ

Gaints less cool - To Big, To much

Dragons and Mindflayers are still the top of the pack. I love the multitude of dragon CRs -
although they should always be challanging.

 

[Evilhalfling]

A silver dragon can cast 8th-level spells when it becomes a wyrm (CR 24). Sure, it's possible that the dragon will cast a spell or two during combat, but it isn't likely -- their other abilities are much better, in general, than their spells. (This doesn't even get into their pathetic caster level and lowish save DCs.)

No it actually insures that not dropping a dispel magic on the dragon is a bad Idea.
most dragons will have shield, mage armour, mirror image .... of course the dragons practiced spell caster feat makes dispels more difficult.

 

[The_Gneech]

Also, I'm surprised nobody's said this yet--

More Cool: Humans

I'll second this, and third it as well. Yay, humans!

-TG

 

[Simplicity]

Less cool: the fiendish/half-fiend template, and the half-dragon template. We got a lot of these early on and they are wearing out their welcome.

Even half-fiend love-children?

 

[Joshua Randall]

Humans are definitely more cool. Every time I make a PC and want to take a non-human race, I have to think about not having the extra feat. The extra skill point is just gravy.

I also have to second (third?) the vote for manticores as more cool. I've used these guys a ton and it's always a good time... for me, not for the players! Bwahahah.

Also More Cool: minotaurs. I don't know why as they are basically the same as always. Maybe it's the rockin' illustration?

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

Less Cool: another vote for elves in general and drow in particular

Never Been Cool: gnomes

More Cool: aboleth, githyanki & githzerai, ixitxachitl (of course!), yugoloths, yuan-ti


Cheers


Richard

 

[Desdichado]

The old illustration of the Displacer beast was of a wonderfully weird monster with gorgeous pelt. the new one is this emaciated thing that doesnt have enough skin to skin. The displacement ability is still a cool thing.

Wonderfully weird? You mean a panther with extra legs and a few tentacles? That wasn't weird, that was corny.

And it's pelt? Huh? A monster is cool because you can make a rug out of it? That's not a monster, that's an animal. The emaciated, alien displacer beast; now that's a monster...