New Creature Types and Subtypes

[Qwillion]

New creature types and sub types?

Nothing changes the mechanics of monsters more than a new creature type, it also gives you a whole new perspective on appearance, attitude, aspirations, the types of deeds a monster might perform, mythology, ecology, special attacks and special qualities. It is also a great way too get out of a rut, too often your thinking inside the box, or the confusing possibilities of say a crossbreed creature: OK is this a magical beast, a monstrous humanoid, or an aberration.

A few of my personal favorites are
Spirits from Excalibur by Sword and Sorcery; Rune Manifests from Legacy of the Dragons by Malhavoc Press; and Spontaneous Golems (constructs) from Creature Collection III by Sword and Sorcery.

For myself I have
Furies: outsiders who come to punish the breaking of a fundamental principle
Elemental Spirits: rudimentary incorporeal forces that possess elements rather than actually being them.


What are some of your favorite non-core creature types and subtypes?

 

[Shade]

I like the symbionts, introduced in the Fiend Folio, quite a bit. I'm also a huge fan of the abomination subtype in the Epic Level Handbook.

I wish they'd do more with the deathless type. I think the baelnorn and some of the other existing undead should be retconned as deathless.

I can't really think of any other new types I'd like to see, but I can definitely see the need for more subtypes.

Acid, electricity, and sonic outta be made into proper subtypes like cold and fire.

A "true" neutral subtype, for beings like rilmani that embody neutrality, like rilmani, could be introduced.

 

[BOZ]

I wish they'd do more with the deathless type. I think the baelnorn and some of the other existing undead should be retconned as deathless.

seriously. it's a cool type, but way understated. maybe we should do something ourselves rather than wait for others to get to it.

 

[Shroomy]

I like the deathless type and I'm glad it is starting to see some more usage outside of the BoED and Eberron, such as in Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, but a 3.5e baelnorn would be a very good candidate for re-typing, especially since it has basically been done in the ECS. I think we'll begin to see more of it in official supplements, much like the living construct subtype is gaining traction (the cyborgs in Return to the Temple of the Frog and the exiled modrons in Dragon 354).