Most cool: The Iconic Bestiary...

[Cergorach]

Might i direct you fellow OGC junkies to the following product:
Lions Den Press: The Iconic Bestiary -- Classics of Fantasy
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2118

This 27-page pdf fills the nices of seven iconic D&D monsters that weren't in the SRD, namely:
- Ei’risai (Slaadi?)
- Lesser Ei’risai CR7
- Medial Ei’risai CR8
- Greater Ei’risai CR9
- Master Ei’risai CR10
- Ancestor Ei’risai CR13
- Evil Eye (Beholder?) CR13
- Greymalkin (Displacerbeast?) CR4
- Ophiduan (Yuanti?)
- Hominis Caste Ophiduan CR5
- Semiferum Caste Ophiduan CR3
- Anguineum Caste Ophiduan CR7
- Phrenic Scourge (Mind Flayer?) CR8
- Scavenger Worm (Carrion Crawler?) CR4
- Tunnel Brute (Umber Hulk?) CR7

The folks at Lion's Den Press have done what i and many with me have thought of doing, writing up monsters that could fill the shoes of the monsters that didn't make it into the SRD, and lets be honest, they have done a pretty nifty job to!

Everything is good all the time, all the text is OGC (except company names).

Ps. what other monsters didn't make it into the SRD (from the MM)? From the top of my head the Githyanki and Githzerai come to mind. Anyone know if anyone did a write up of monsters that fill a similar 'nice'?

 

[Krug]

Hmm you should post this in the main forum...

 

[Mouseferatu]

Hey, Cergorach. Really glad you liked the book.

I've got to say, when the idea originally struck me, the first question I had to ask myself was "Why the heck hasn't anybody done this before?" Don't get me wrong, lots of people have made replacement monsters for those left out of the SRD, but they've all been part of settings, or done one critter at a time. To the best of my knowledge, nobody's put together a product where introducing "replacement" iconics was the specific point and intent.

I'm eager to see what people (and, just perhaps, publishers) think of this when word starts spreading. (We'll be making an official announcement about the book on the Publisher's forum in a few days.)

 

[DMH]

I started this for comments there http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=183102

After reading it, I have to say it is one of the best critter books I have and will buy this year and maybe even for several years to come. The changes are clever and even the evil eye has a place on my version of the Forge (Oathbound).

Thank you for writing this, Ari.

 

[Starman]

Mouseferatu, I am getting a little annoyed here. You are putting out too many cool products too quickly for my fragile wallet to handle. I'd ask you to stop, but your stuff is too good, so please consider sending me a free copy of all the books you work on. I promise that I will no longer be upset if you do.

Starman

 

[Mouseferatu]

I started this for comments there http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=183102

After reading it, I have to say it is one of the best critter books I have and will buy this year and maybe even for several years to come. The changes are clever and even the evil eye has a place on my version of the Forge (Oathbound).

Thank you for writing this, Ari.

Wow. That's quite a compliment.

You're very welcome, and thank you in return.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Mouseferatu, I am getting a little annoyed here. You are putting out too many cool products too quickly for my fragile wallet to handle. I'd ask you to stop, but your stuff is too good, so please consider sending me a free copy of all the books you work on. I promise that I will no longer be upset if you do.

Starman

Hmm...

Well, I don't want you to be upset, but I'm not sure my partner would approve of me giving out too much free stuff.

Let me get back to you.

 

[Cergorach]

My next question is how are we going to pimp this so that everyone will end up using these critters? Have you any ideas on how to flesh out each race? Something like a 'complete guide to' or 'the ecology of'?

 

[DMH]

Step one, inform the major publishers of its existance (and occasionally pester them about it).

Step two, request that either (or both) Goodman or Mongoose to consider a Complete Guide or Slayer's Guide for one of the creatures- to test the waters. If accepted,

Step three, get someone, like Ari or Neil Spicer (Neil is just getting into d20, but has done high quality material for alternityrpg.net), to write it.

Step four, sing praises of the resulting book and this file here and other rpg sites and request for more use and more guides.

Step five, hope it snowballs into a major resource.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I've got to say, when the idea originally struck me, the first question I had to ask myself was "Why the heck hasn't anybody done this before?" Don't get me wrong, lots of people have made replacement monsters for those left out of the SRD, but they've all been part of settings, or done one critter at a time. To the best of my knowledge, nobody's put together a product where introducing "replacement" iconics was the specific point and intent.

Come on, Ari. You must know better than that.

Phil Reed's Possessors was made specifically to replace the Mind Flayer.

It was a good idea then; it's a great idea to do it all at once, though, and cover off everything.

Personally I like a template approach-- the Eye King in GR's Advanced Bestiary is pretty cool, you should check out the free PDF on their site.

Wulf