D&D 5E Potential Monsters in Quests from the Infinite Staircase Adventures

Cynidiceans, the werefoxes and polymars... oh my!

mxMabsqKx0ekhOTY8BpJe2ZEKePBJbiTiCd44Z8JnOLq2_WIBf72i6vZn1J--ESj4KxPnNcYGiHLXr8wFOJbRHfZLF95LBePcCrkzq1_AI80IDbfMXY_Cue9f2UGsP8F0Rur_dIze6PvZQNT4wjFoD0

Since the adventures contained in Quests from the Infinite Staircase have been revealed, I thought it might be fun to take a look at the monsters appearing in the original adventures and speculate about what new fifth edition monsters we might see in the upcoming anthology.

For each adventure, I’ve split the review into new monsters and other monsters. The former refers to creatures presented as “new monsters” at the end of the original adventure, while “other monsters” covers the rest of the creatures appearing in that adventure. In a few cases, the other monsters were also new to D&D when they were published.


B4: The Lost City (June 1982)
hf1M9YecVaST57EhBiU8_6k2GH44B5FF8yx_1JCZAbAqMZF7DvK0Bixw5tREfpN5f1HmorEsWgTr17CUw2bSD4cbneevpnb6SMWzSpKYGdxaAs8h9ri77EmJGya0q9uobhrkNGx7rF20eS3j_PcQItY

Fifth edition versions of The Lost City monsters have already appeared in Goodman Games’s licensed OAR4: The Lost City (2020). Since that is now out of print (and fetching a considerable price in online auctions), we can safely ignore OAR4 for the purpose of guessing what might be updated in Quests from the Infinite Staircase. There are four new monsters in The Lost City: the banshee, Cynidiceans, the werefox and the polymar. The adventure also features a fair number of monsters from the Basic and Expert D&D sets that haven’t yet appeared in fifth edition.

New monsters
iTK1OUCsapNKXIztHxto_dbPV-qNl8pdoRVm4hqZHUFp-cZNLGoasQlc4in-Do-4rMNKm-rjr_fRHSj0dmmXxoTygXN2x72l6-DqT-zKxXbDkO20EjiTtDXFccyp4Pgrydw7dNZEfHe3pmzBH_rYl6w

The banshee in The Lost City is not the same creature as the banshee in the Monster Manual. The fifth edition version is a spirit of a female elf and is the direct descendant of the groaning spirit in the first edition Monster Manual (1977). This banshee is a ghost-like figure that haunts families, warning of an impending death. Despite having all the characteristics typically associated with undead creatures, The Lost City is adamant that this banshee is not, in fact, an undead creature. When it was reprinted in the Creature Catalogue (1986) it remained definitely not undead and became the “lesser” banshee, presumably to differentiate it from the AD&D banshee. Given the confusing name and nature of this creature, it seems likely that it will just be replaced with an alternative monster in Quests from the Infinite Staircase.

Y9A0LyZRLm61HhFSu7kMgFe0-rpQEdXpuiEGe1U_LHss7vFDwgKTwohcXF-p0V0FECiJ52tEANre0G9eVDQRi6dNn-XdPZfc-RSxaGH8JoL3_dAW46_5l0FUBPvMGq_o-HEOm9hA4Ywm5Ao68VHoZPs

Unusual variations of humans were a popular inclusion in several early Dungeons & Dragons adventures. At least the Cynidiceans of The Lost City have some differentiating characteristics; they are humans who have lived underground so long that they have pale skin, unusually large eyes, infravision, and an aversion to sunlight. They also wear colorful masks and bright clothing. Three factions of Cynidiceans play a role in the story. The Brotherhood of Gorm are lawful male fighters who wear golden masks of Gorm, the god of war. The Magi of Usamigaras are neutral magic-users who wear the silver masks of Usamigaras, the smiling child god. The Warrior Maidens of Madarua are neutral female fighters who wear the bronze masks of Madarua, goddess of birth, death and the seasons. Both Jim Holloway’s art and the list of Cynidicean encounters give the impression that the Cynidiceans are not to be taken entirely seriously. Fifth edition doesn’t typically treat cultures as new monsters, and some aspects of the Cynidiceans might not survive a sensitivity and inclusivity review. A sidebar noting the Cynidiceans’ mutations seems a more likely approach for Quests to take than a monster entry.

jVm50fzkfxWi7dOw7JDJl7lBJAFV3AQwrQ2Pidis-XThe0feheYlvb-8MsD_3LmCfFeNL2SAtvNfT8E9uzJNo8Z18NNhZpbM6f3xL0gzxoPr1S0TpNOfoF0jkq6itAG55PTnWlniONDl1msx5tGcWBk

The werefox is listed in The Lost City as a type of lycanthrope but since it is a fox that can change into a human, rather than a human who can take the form of a fox, it is more accurately classified as a shapechanger, like the jackalwere. Lycanthropic vulpines have an inconsistent history in D&D. There is a foxwoman (a lycanthrope) in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983). She shares the werefox’s charm ability, but the AD&D version can only take female form and it has an in-between form that is a mix between fox and elf. There is also already a fifth edition version of the werefox—the redtooth werefox from Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures—but that is setting specific, so an updated version of the original seems quite possible for Quests.

v7M415aBlxjDiua9SmwHQdVM7acOp2EvxXs2HhY_xLz39iXx2eFTLEC8X-7AEjRdsfCAnE3iwvJFEFvRGPnMHp4q67lVy-A1CfSfKBTQJXzUwWcJ1yOI9CySaS59v3P6ibvGsamzYsfnbtxMJMMWh9Y

Last of the new monsters in The Lost City is the polymar, which is an underwhelming version of the mimic. Indeed, when it appeared in the second edition Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994) it was specifically referred to as a more sociable version of the mimic. While there is a small chance that we’ll see an updated version in Quests from the Infinite Staircase, substituting the adventure’s lone polymar for a mimic would make more sense.

Other monsters
Of the six adventures being updated for Quests, The Lost City is the lone import from Basic D&D instead of Advanced D&D. Nonetheless, the majority of the creatures in The Lost City can be found in the fifth edition Monster Manual, including: basilisk, black pudding, blink dog, blue dragon, carrion crawler, chimera, displacer beast, doppelganger, fire beetle (in fifth edition this is correctly referred to as “giant”), gargoyle, gelatinous cube, ghoul, giant bat, giant rat, giant scorpion, giant weasel, hellhound, hill giant, hobgoblin, hydra (although the version in The Lost City has eight heads instead of five), manticore, medusa, minotaur, mummy, ogre, owlbear (spelled “owl bear” in The Lost City), rust monster, shadow, skeleton, spectre, sprite, stirge, troll, vampire, werebear, wererat, weretiger, wolf, wight, wraith and zombie. Green slime and yellow mold can be found in the fifth edition Dungeon Master’s Guide.

JlVfFIn_jZtrkbMrSK2VZokYJiVChmy62F85AXSsvb_cxmNW5unM7xklHtGWu5ccYMboqXVCTRu-IJeRK1UQgYI72bYGjMStKF4zrKg66lOVcXVoN7DOxSACb_yVT0AIwdcz1VyWH_Yb1Yv8xnQPdMA

Basic D&D has a slightly different set of “core” monsters than AD&D. Several of the monsters The Lost City uses are from the Basic Set (1981) and didn’t make it into the fifth edition Monster Manual, but could be represented by very similar creatures that did. White apes are nocturnal apes that, like the Cynidiceans, have become pale over time. They could be replaced with fifth edition’s generic ape. Rock baboons are a larger, more intelligent version of the baboon but could be substituted with ordinary baboons. The spitting cobra, pit viper and rock python are serpents that could be replaced with fifth edition’s generic (giant) poisonous and/or constrictor snakes. A trilogy of giant lizards, the gecko, draco and tuatara could easily be substituted with fifth edition’s generic giant lizards. Giant shrews would be simple to replace with giant rats. Giant oil beetles and giant tiger beetles do not have fifth edition versions, and while they could also be replaced, it would be a pleasant surprise for some new giant beetle variations to join the Monster Manual’s lonely giant fire beetle.

rWlg24B8XCjKPXmLfyiHRFP_zG4zRgijX52lFKky2GY1MRYe3BOCZOebj38TQ3Y-_7Vg5MblYPPFDjLrYw1WfOLnyEiR0uSuPjyi7T8S6mpX_QqONxgcFUdeqs5gZTEoOzJyxMucoh2_Aoir9o6PMHQ

There are some killer bees guarding a treasure room in The Lost City. Found in the Basic Set (1981) they were renamed as giant bees in the 1983 Basic Set. Giant bees also appeared in the AD&D Monster Manual II (1983), the second edition Monstrous Manual (1993), and the third edition Monster Manual (2000). There don’t seem to be any giant bees in fifth edition yet, but there are giant wasps, a possible replacement. There is also no fifth edition giant ant to use for the driver ants, but since they appear only on a wandering monster table, that entry will probably be replaced.

The Lost City’s living iron statues are not the same as the fifth edition living iron statues in Ghosts of Saltmarsh (2019). Basic D&D has “living statue” equivalents of most of AD&D’s core golems. Golems and living statues aren’t quite the same thing, but they are pretty close, so a replacement with an iron golem in Quests is a strong possibility.

4Q_Kz8Qqw9qvFZQ00_5qR549mvIBhNWqDqO9GvtanZuHWyBXogGLffz2DbJBTte_jLxllEfTNiwtgrUu0EzBkPnCcvO_U9GKsS-iyNMrkAUIfOoPT6Up_gTkiMG0q7rVZasF-e0M6CIwn42DvmlOF1Q

This brings us to the thoul. At least one theory is that this monster is the result of a typesetting error mixing toads and ghouls in Book III of the original 1974 D&D boxed set. The first proper description of a thoul was in the Basic Set (1981), where it is described as a magical combination of a ghoul, a hobgoblin and a troll. This monster is odd enough to deserve a monster entry, but only appears on a wandering monster table in The Lost City, so would be trivial to replace in Quests.

wQ4Vq3VexX4jaG2pgrPZ_Jv-SzLOVyJyadrEYYpszb_DEzeZQHxpA-bgIMFwb0o6V1U1RA52Tx36S8LD6ERY569vyLk0_h3Gao0zyvBxxTMrI95fhdTyLMwgLWlU10VWp-t14ch5eGXD-QQVeuZDZK4

As well as monsters from the Basic Set (1981), The Lost City also used five creatures from the Expert Set (1981). The bone golem is one of several golem variants debuting in the Expert Set. It is made from the bones of dead men and sometimes has additional weapon-wielding limbs attached. The bone golem was reprinted as the skeletal golem in the Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994) and D&D has several other golems made of bones, but none in 5th edition. However, since the bone golem appears only once in the adventure, an updated monster entry seems unlikely.

The caecilia worm first appeared in Monster and Treasure Assortment: Sets 1-3 (1980), which is strange since it didn’t appear in any of the original assortment sets. Instead it seems to have been edited in to replace various other monsters specifically for the Sets 1-3 compilation. This is despite it not getting a monster entry until the following year’s Expert Set where it is described as a thirty foot long gray wormlike creature that swallows prey whole. There’s really no need for an updated version of the caecilia, which can be easily replaced with a purple worm or the young purple worm from Princes of the Apocalypse (2015).

xm6fWyaFOAYAE2X7HD3Ka3zyGbeFQrFa3yB9w2hJkeaVpY74byJyxWi-oBet_csJVntRylYqm0UgAdM2hEVU314q9rGxRNzsY3uOk4Nbqrkn6MbStZuHEnghKX5-usq6fj1Vx_mOpxm9ZNLmNeZswZ8

The devil swine is another refugee from the Expert Set (1981). A lycanthrope with human and hog forms, devil swine have a taste for human flesh and the ability to charm those they meet. Although the devil swine was reprinted as the wereswine in the second edition Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994), it faded from D&D after that. A replacement creature seems likely for the devil swine’s single The Lost City appearance in Quests.

The lesser djinni is a bit of an oddball. It seems intended to be a less powerful version of AD&D djinni, but in its initial Expert Set (1981) appearance it is described as a free-willed air elemental with a human-like appearance. The text of later descriptions amends this to be a free-willed enchanted creature from the elemental plane of Air, instead of an actual elemental. However, this fairly redundant monster is unlikely to get any sort of update in Quests.

ULAm2W2axr2ZQfMfN-c1SfGBgIL9ILEmFoWMnEYbRjiZPjdlO0hPSKPjKzIMSxRKkRPmoWvWwAc4LfzJI05G2SppLLaHibXYJF8C3TTsZQQrvayi_Fh2gBeDMkUtYSnIajTvOjjAlShe1BgTtmBpx0s

Although fifth edition doesn’t yet have a wood golem, there have been a surprising number of them in D&D history. As well as the Expert Set (1981) version, there is a wood golem in Imagine #19, another in Dragon #119, an Athasian version appears in Monstrous Compendium Dark Sun Appendix: Terrors of the Desert, and Dragon #341 has yet another. The original Expert Set version is a golem carved from wood, so essentially an animated wooden statue. The wood golems in The Lost City aren’t integral to the plot, but they did get their own illustration, which probably increases the odds of seeing an updated version in Quests.

49vXogtXMN_dTFL__HmLOiw7vrSdqeFFZ0SnedJls3fGXvmM2R2fBTJodxLEzzqXS0KI_iz_uX48tdIlybVm-YSJIEqU2EBK4IZoUkyeZKoRktYeCbfj4aWFWhIGXqRzBrF-0V_VihOeMcSjAuRSR9I

We wrap up the monsters from The Lost City with, of course, Zargon. Described as a fifteen foot tall humanoid figure with the head of a lizard, a single red eye, a single sharp horn, six taloned tentacles instead of arms and six more tentacles instead of legs. (Quite how any part of this could be considered “humanoid” is left as an exercise to the reader!) Zargon is the primary antagonist in the adventure, and although it doesn’t get a Monster Manual style write-up in The Lost City, it will almost certainly get one in Quests from the Infinite Staircase. It has to be noted that Zargon has already been mentioned several times in fifth edition. The Player’s Handbook (2014) includes Zargon as an example of a Great Old One who might act as a warlock’s patron, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes (2018) lists Zargon in the sidebar on Elder Evils, and Monstrous Compendium Volume One: Spelljammer Creatures (2022) includes Zargon on a list of Great Old Ones who might be a benefactor of an arcane lich. The promotional video for Quests confirms an Elder Evil stat block. The coming of Zargon has been heralded!

So what’s the verdict for The Lost City?​
  • A near certainty for a full update: Zargon.​
  • Quite likely to get a full update: werefox.​
  • Likely to be updated but not get a full write-up: Cynidiceans.​
  • Might get an update: wood golem.​
  • Small possibility of an update: banshee, bone golem, caecilia worm, devil swine, giant oil beetle, giant tiger beetle, polymar, thoul.​
  • Unlikely to be updated: driver ants, giant draco lizards, giant gecko, giant shrew, giant tuatara, killer bees, lesser djinni, living iron statue, pit viper, rock baboon, rock python, spitting cobra, white ape.​

In the next installment, we will be turning our attention to UK4: When a Star Falls

What do you think of the monsters in The Lost City?
Do you have any fond memories of encounters with these monsters?
Do you have a favorite creature you’d like to see updated for fifth edition?
 

log in or register to remove this ad


log in or register to remove this ad

Echohawk

Shirokinukatsukami fan
S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (June 1982)
uUCaBydAtZ4Zp6nHRLEgp2-qdCcW8GNYGVMQeYw1i1PRmgHjEe00DpO0zey7Ljb3LMDmo-SAQKOFQZFA5snWTfxryko9pU7iAtagBIK-x5rek7PViOKBocPVET0ewLxYVsadjMqBPz0Pw0-ZTMsv030
CFdR62UVmS1IYXyTjd1AQ3OjihxnNa4VqMIA5bDYZCyHXrlcRrDmgtF57lIHS7168RtdBc4gBzuMQN2Ic9NRfIi4z4Q-Wnn2dI4npDaM6jUwAnFymjQwAEWapD5Ll0slmLOS6kg-h-3eRHMu11eBb3Y

The penultimate adventure in Quests from the Infinite Staircase is The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. This was published as an adventure plus a 32-page Monsters and Magical Items booklet. The first 18 pages of that booklet are dedicated to new monsters, with 37 new stat blocks, the highest for any first edition product outside of the Monster Manuals and the Fiend Folio. All of these monsters would later be reprinted in full in the Monster Manual II.

New monsters
There are a lot of new monsters to review here! The bar-lgura, behir, chasme, dao, demi-lich, dretch, formorian and marid can now be found in the fifth edition Monster Manual, although some spellings (barlgura, fomorian) have evolved.

bNcLR6HmUYVTmWtnJ6nZojICyEw1S5QfwbA1K4FQqDELpTGZM9zweZk945-G0ovuFRM_9_D2ZA7d3DJk4Q_uz7d4hzki5mr43m2O_JdlRsQMbOoyAcSKh7NcBJ-hKVyZAOk5yu3o-40kN-rbGemECnI

The bodak was updated for fifth edition in Volo’s Guide to Monsters (2016). Rutterkin appeared in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes (2018). Derro, Baphomet, Fraz-Urb-luu and Graz’zt appeared in Out of the Abyss (2015). All of these were reprinted in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse (2022). Kostchtchie has a stat block in Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus but didn’t make the jump to Monsters of the Multiverse. Of all of these monsters, only the bodak actually appears in the adventure, so it seems unlikely that we’ll see reprints of the others in Quests from the Infinite Staircase. Don’t forget though, that we already have derro on the likely reprint list based on their presence in When a Star Falls.

DikE3M5FZ7fxcsry3XW8wUPW7QwHjqKxxRcIwjp7rX8UJ6DiOV6aFQuKtYj_RHyDFoschLSpD27A_kNp9Sbk8ZT5mYzti0BElG0D5tzLiAhH00bat4EKnqqb0RW_-ENgmegbRwSfXuaEjhldMV4dxno

The normal bat had appeared previously in the D&D Basic Set (1981) but The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth was its AD&D debut, along with the mobat. The mobat is essentially a huge bat with a screech. The fifth edition Monster Manual already has bats, swarms of bats and giant bats, and in the preview adventure Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth the mobats have been replaced by a cloaker, so they are clearly not getting an update. Also not being updated are the cave cricket (“use the giant frog stat block”), cave moray (“use the giant poisonous snake stat block”), or the gorgimera (the Rainbow Cavern is now instead inhabited by a behir).

M7HfyfsMW7tKJ2vaWz2H--KEkiNtZtudPhWCRCpimsnB4Z-r5HDphOiPKrttR9WNLyoMMGwOnA79Be7tgVMRRQsMLkNVv2Vw26xnABJeV1lBpwIb26ivJ-tFQZmpCfFZ6WRubdrpvApmK3qLc_JE8Xo
nlfPN2jgWlIlo5kI-IPDGjgSCjACoEFbQXhAWvgbfVqfTg67Dps1bsJDEfYiiehhOAR1TlNC3O2VCi05pVIy250JSsgxHn72r_Emzr66xeBZ1aBjuzXVsw6tIfmHd5838qenFKhkWlZBzTm9PCgYpls

On the other hand, we know for sure that the pech will be updated in Quests from the Infinite Staircase since the updated stat block is already available on D&D Beyond. Pech are bipedal diggers from the elemental Plane of Earth who have stone-shaping powers. Pech made it into second edition in the Monstrous Manual (1993) but you could easily have missed their third edition appearances in the Kenzer & Co. licensed adventure Midnight’s Terror (2001) as an outsider, or as a fey creature in Dungeon #151 (2007). Fourth edition mentions pech as potential elemental companions in Player’s Options: Heroes of the Elemental Chaos (2012).

n3k1BmEFOoL3obJ7oE1T-mZ4L5OOcG6FM71rWEAEl-IWu9Z1tn5-W1U_eI1EORL-z7vIsQmfVEIfHTpgjnWVB0prATYml1SoLcamWixW-_KOSFqax6KrZ54CWV28K_TKQReakhpj1ci0CukZnv0tpM4

Alu-demons are, according to The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, rumored to be the offspring of succubi and humans. The Monster Manual II (1983) dropped the rumor caveat and made their geneology authoritative. Alu-demons became alu-fiends in the second edition Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix (1991), but in third edition they were replaced by a more generic half-fiend template. The original alu-demons were exclusively female thanks to their succubus ancestry, whereas half-fiends could be any gender. Alu-demons are unlikely to be updated in Quests simply because they do not feature in the adventure, but only in the Monsters and Magical Items booklet.

Gy-Jh1hbQSAYrFHG3B7J5FIIzgZdvl75doKxq_rfWY9Vx57tcrRQdHKd2RYpNzxZoREWhXClFhoUTSBQ5SaG3CDtRZ1NeFoa8YoJO0v4bphDCGgrjZpwnqk2xtS8SSZM_dkfR4e9tU4I4p-I7qJZqg8

The cooshee is a large dog, typically found in the company of elves. A cooshee is slightly faster than an ordinary dog, and typically attempts to knock over human-sized opponents. It is able to move silently and has coloration that enables it to hide effectively in brush and woodlands. Cooshees do not associate or cross-breed with other types of dog. Although cooshees were updated for second edition in Tales of the Lance (1992) and third edition in Races of the Wild (2005), a fifth edition update seems unlikely. Their only appearance in The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth is as part of an elven warband, and they could easily be replaced by an ordinary dog. That said, there was a version of the cooshee in the D&D Next Bestiary for S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (2013).

U-a1L5axOlEyols0a1fD9QKRYv7RfESeYUEMgs9O23u5iHi-j8ILQ_yyqCWrRmSiUDuAWg_6vn6MWA2ohDBEZ4NQkijkOFI6sppVMLZ9ZAxUAQaWgArRg41F6mHge_1_GsFuwKWbqZCipdglf8sklfQ

A crystal ooze is essentially an aquatic gray ooze. It hides in water and then flows over a target, secreting a paralytic poison before it consumes the unfortunate victim. Like its gray ooze relative, it has some psionic abilities, but these are not spelled out in The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. This ooze was updated in the second edition Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989). A fifth edition version seems unlikely, since this creature does not appear in the adventure. However, like the cooshee, the crystal ooze did appear in the D&D Next Bestiary for S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (2013).

Kv7AdxpmV4rs4kBdDDCHiDe36YCJF-aplRWnKQ3xdSmjiIYh8RhzS5uFG1WT-ZhtD_UhhlWuKBQaaVaC3NkgjRkPbCUtQLD-DqXhPtvAv3JXv5UJ2bgz8pjZjfzUC22ruosdNi18vPYCw_mcYu8mB0M

The brown pudding, dun pudding and white pudding are unlikely to be updated for the same reason—they appear only in the Monsters and Magical Items booklet. Each of the three is a variation on the black pudding. The brown variety is found in marshes, has a tougher skin, but a less effective dissolving attack. The dun pudding is desert-dwelling and can consume silicates, while the white pudding lives in snowy climes and can survive on ice or snow. All three of these pudding variants were updated for second edition in Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989).

qxy2eMhiqtBoxaMeiK1snMOEAfClRK5Be5cW_wE-uS0bbTzaNJn0PclN0x8GAEGcag_gsul_AiO_b9a0xr8fm7HLhZTGWqNXe8JgPSZD5vlVewKLQ_rDF94GI2UMfMF0DHwJcX_fp6zyl8D0E_HaHwY

A monster much more likely to appear in Quests from the Infinite Staircase is the dracolisk, since there is one living in the Great Cavern in The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. A dracolisk is the six-legged offspring of a black dragon and a basilisk and has the breath weapon and gaze attack of both parents. A second edition version of the dracolisk appeared in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), a third edition version in Expedition to the Ruins of Castle Greyhawk (2007), and a D&D Next version in Bestiary for S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (2013).

G4621tpErnDQYFjd7FzQaNWIrSbGSAaTxfyeVlxgJmn3OwD7rhRoWO3EiG7OM4-0-cL7_RWnZ5LAyiTgOyk09TFirHPOW9GT52rWlgiLvyYTHfJBB8gFUbZjRRgZ383KxrkSHRrW6LsBl3WPrDGTvqk

The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth introduces two marine trolls, also known as scrags. Both the smaller fresh water scrag and the larger, more intelligent salt water scrag only regenerate when immersed in water. Although scrags appeared in the second edition Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989) and were mentioned as a variant in the third edition Monster Manual (2000) they do not appear in the original adventure and are thus not likely to be updated.

P3HJOywkSiKHcEz1Q2iTF0Px87JDDtjtyYnq3z9UX5qx7Ec1msFODWg3nKnYCugNn1E6fmbnal9zgIbQVaIKeaLP4QT1T8wRA-BJwWoodZBjWrJgk_3f7ozegV4HWlIpyXCZz4Sb2Bgaul18KddtRZU

The marlgoyle, or as it was later renamed in the Monster Manual II (1983), the margoyle, is a slightly more powerful gargoyle. It was updated in the second edition Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), but the entry for marlgoyle in the D&D Next Bestiary for S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (2013) simply says “Use Gargoyle (above)”, so a fifth edition version seems very unlikely.

caV0laSD8j-RKnXWS70trd5zQUcY4iNUh-m3qZ7gJZ6jUawxlKeUBlpJek-cQtwAWDukCy9v5tygCAMgUd60nJT4RkMSqweg1toAI9_zfHu_3ziYVl8qdINMiC8h_Dl_w2AlYILIeeoiFvrTy3Xaowc

Olive slime and the related slime creature are monsters that appear only in the Monsters and Magical Items booklet, and are thus unlikely to be updated. This is a pity, because the olive slime is one of the more interesting ooze variants. Related to green slime, olive slime drops onto victims, secretes a numbing poison, spreads over the target’s body and inserts tendrils to drain bodily fluids. Over the course of a few minutes, the slime takes control of the victim’s mind, and then gradually converts them into a slime creature which lives in a symbiotic relationship with the slime. The olive slime also appeared in the second edition Greyhawk Ruins (1990) and a third edition version can be found in Dungeon #132 (2006).

zUQZtqf-LR93BRIPGkY0SysDnyA8K5pYH8IXNaBCHHolI95fty9VN11DDb5WtMePmzUY3Sl13NoaGKV0Z-ScyzErPOUgj15yvvqvpyFHLSDlmhZfNkDiMe65vINrCBNp8jwk7_FurwdA_2cPxfmyZMY

Valley elves are a reclusive, xenophobic branch of elves found in Oerth’s Valley of the Mage. Apart from their cultural differences, and some minor physical variations (they are thinner and have sharper features) there is little to distinguish valley elves from other elves. They did get second and third edition updates in the Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Appendix (1990) and Living Greyhawk Journal #2 (2000), but a fifth edition version seems unlikely.

V7WBak2v4a9DM5FZQbfCZuUGv8Wfp_lXKcgeuZL5J3cOQCsdHegnD4vOk9APZqvuc_w8TT8xDvEiBDz7IWke8Pt1CCWysNo5HloB7PTh0ZrcFDQ1yBuOIIvlMVsimKYYQWM8EWBO6JXtimUd1aQIuHQ

A wolfwere is a reverse werewolf, in that it is a shape-changing wolf able to take humanoid form. Wolfweres can sing a song that induces lethargy in those that hear it, so many take a human form with musical skills, such as bards or minstrels. The wolfwere had a second edition version in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989) as well as a more powerful Ravenloft version known as a greater wolfwere, which debuted in Feast of Goblyns (1990). There was a D&D Next wolfwere in Bestiary for S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (2013) and even a semi-official fifth edition version in Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villainy (2021). Another version in Quests from the Infinite Staircase seems unlikely given that wolfweres appear only on the random encounter tables in The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.

nZMuR7WMMg4MhgpaHZP6gvw2vF7cQJ3qq6PHwWwK0znZy_uqc3reXDkty6KgUONTZ0sOv62H8Iw_LJS6C-ZA_syBl_7OfocBcIcZkkgCRTZJ8hT5jqdpahOhmnoHmoFyozO4OE0QrOkBIV04apK3Y3Y

Perhaps the most unusual new monsters introduced in The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth are the xag-ya and the xeg-yi. These two monsters are silvery or black spheres with tentacle appendages. They are creatures originating in the Positive and Negative energy planes respectively and possess energy surge or chilling attacks. If both creatures are in one place at the same time, they move into each other and an explosion results. As odd as they are, the xag-ya and xeg-yi have appeared in (nearly) every edition, getting a second edition update in the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III (1998), and a third edition update in the Manual of the Planes (2001). Third edition made them types of energons and introduced several additional varieties: spiritovores (in 2002’s Bastion of Souls), xag-az (on the WotC website in 2002), xac-yel, xac-yij, xap-yaup, xong-yong, and xor-yost (all from 2004’s Planar Handbook). Fourth edition only has a xeg-yi in the conversion notes for the last third edition Exemplars of Evil (2007). Both monsters appear in the D&D Next Bestiary for S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (2013). Since the xag-ya and xeg-yi put in an appearance at the end of the original The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, they are strong candidates for an update in Quests.

Other monsters
Despite having an extensive booklet of new monsters, The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth also uses a large number of creatures from other sources. Fortunately most of them have already appeared in fifth edition in some form. Creatures that can be found in the Monster Manual include: animated armor, brown bear, centaur, clay golem, cockatrice, gas spore, giant badger, giant eagle, hill giant, minotaur, ogre, pony, roper, shambling mound, shrieker, stirge, stone giant, stone golem, troll, umber hulk, wolf, wyvern, and xorn. The original adventure also includes piercers, but those no longer live in the caverns’ underground lake, at least in the Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth preview on D&D Beyond. Green slime can be found in the fifth edition Dungeon Master’s Guide.

_GCD2FK09eODe60eOkYwaAPTT_y8OuJc6jwBDnT5ehHznsiGI7kSBieIIWBmmDwWzxMuTge35IRKfaZGU6KwzX4kgqEY8QZ8ImtkA8g1REwOYrEfjkN94LN_bXG03x8xvdniGXm9Sqagzii0bvxD73w

For some reason, The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth includes a lot of slight variations of standard monsters. Hippogriffs are in the fifth edition Monster Manual, but in addition to adult hippogriffs and untamed hippogriffs (which are really just hippogriffs) Tsojcanth also has fledgling hippogriffs and tamed hippogriffs. These will likely be dealt with by noting any minor stats variations in the adventure text. Similarly, the mighty hill giant will either be replaced by an ordinary hill giant or have any changes noted in the text. The gray-furred giant snake will likely be replaced with a giant poisonous snake, and the adventure’s sub-adult blue dragon will probably become a young blue dragon. The huge subterranean lizard is likely to be replaced by the giant subterranean lizard from Tales from the Yawning Portal (2017), especially if that gets reprinted in Quests, which is possible due to its appearance in When a Star Falls. The mountain horse will most likely be replaced with a riding horse, while the light warhorse and medium warhorse are probably covered by the Monster Manual’s standard warhorse. The minotaurs in Tsojcanth are riding bulls, which don’t have fifth edition statistics, but there are oxen in Volo's Guide to Monsters (2016) and Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse (2022).

0B0uQNuj7El_Jwq7o9Vv12a-EGefHCBII_HyJ0xZ5jir17UqMOJbPNWiWRRJ6Q-VntSxpREku2mdQeIRWfKDiGEQqqxV6B4jTiSSsBeeXqdjiKB1aAEjUP1W7blKdIUQVxCXiRI_ewl5dg1yI_Nz9Sk

It isn’t just monsters that have many variations. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth has stat blocks for scores of humanoids, particularly in the section detailing potential wilderness encounters. There are human border patrols, a gnoll raiding band, mountain tribesmen, a goblin band, a mountain dwarf band, a hobgoblin war party and an elven warder band. The pre-caverns part of the adventure also includes a reclusive band of gnomes living in a vale. It seems quite likely that this early portion of the adventure will be substantially reworked in Quests from the Infinite Staircase, and NPC stat blocks used for any humanoid encounters that remain.

c-VxvJD128lGShKio5IhT-f-Sz1CrVC0z80phHCWHjNt8GO1TZ1V4NLMa_YDQd9qiVyOfJ9UERl0Dic4L-1gXb1PFR3_TH7iERef7tdCHt_NTjr3H7wI_yk9knZkGV1JkBCA1oyVMFVG0_tst_PHjOU

Other monsters lurking in the Lost Caverns include a trapper and a lurker above, both of which we covered previously when looking at Pharaoh. The giant snapping turtle that used to live in the underground lake has been replaced by four chuuls in the Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth preview. The troglodytes living in the Greater Caverns include a leader, a champion and ordinary troglodytes of different genders. It seems likely that Quests from the Infinite Staircase will simplify these to be ordinary troglodytes, but a reprint of the troglodyte champion of Laogzed from Out of the Abyss (2015) is a possibility.

0Sdd0EocXUv5h0zmKKqGEJgbHmrHJly8MIA1nCwM_5kbJnyUG2g51n4kZVkz6z_L4ojTXSCe0Um_MEaM3HgPLzpSMANonLkcfHq_IeYftsAW2XqyZyblndCCT1L60dEa9mFkcRUrm2G8qOypd06162M

The mighty hill giant mentioned earlier has a rhinoceros beetle as a pet. This giant insect debuted in Supplement II: Blackmoor (1975). It would be very easy to replace it with fifth edition’s existing giant fire beetle, but since The Lost City featured other giant beetles, perhaps Quests will see fit to update some of them. Lacedons are aquatic ghasts (or sometimes ghouls) coincidentally also first mentioned in Blackmoor. They have appeared in every edition, including fifth edition’s Tales from the Yawning Portal (2017), but in Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth they are simply referred to as aquatic ghasts with a swim speed.

-xefJAx_QPwL8g67RwD35VooqCdXlE0vyIBMn6ZjeTuiHwvuZ6pP51jNg__PMj3mntwgBlkfQxixPhiv0aR4X-QubFoFa-Gb0S91rgtj3r7lnQLDIzicmxvAN5PKnv6EZ3v-OzG5JFsYaxEo7Eckwt0

We wrap up this review of the monsters in The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth with none other than Drelnza, the vampiric warrior-maid who serves as the antagonist of the adventure. Drelnza is the daughter of Iggwilv, who is better known as Tasha in fifth edition. Despite the fact that Drelnza is (presumably) defeated by the heroes in Tsojcanth, it is surprising that she has received so little attention in subsequent D&D lore. There was a 25-year gap between The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and Drelnza’s next appearance in the adventure Iggwilv’s Legacy in Dungeon #151 (2007), and that is essentially a third edition update of The Lost Caverns. Drelnza gets a half-page of stats and description in Tsojcanth and will almost certainly be getting an update in Quests from the Infinite Staircase.

So what’s the verdict for The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth?​
  • Definitely updated: pech.​
  • A near certainty for a full update: Drelnza.​
  • Very likely to get a full update: dracolisk.​
  • Quite likely to get a full update: xag-ya, xeg-yi.​
  • Likely reprints: derro, troglodyte champion.​
  • Small possibility of an update: cooshee, crystal ooze, giant rhinoceros beetle.​
  • Small possibility of a reprint: bodak.​
  • Unlikely to be reprinted: Baphomet, Fraz-urb-luu, Graz’zt, Kostchtchie, rutterkin.​
  • Unlikely to be updated: alu-demon, bull, fledgling hippogriff, gray-furred giant snake, huge subterranean lizard, light warhorse, marine troll, marlgoyle, medium warhorse, mighty hill giant, mountain horse, olive slime, slime creature, sub-adult blue dragon, tamed hippogriff, valley elf, wolfwere.​
  • Not being updated: cave moray, giant cave cricket, gorgimera, lacedon, mobat.​
In the final installment of this series, we will be turning our attention to S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks

What do you think of the monsters in The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth?
Do you have any fond memories of encounters with these monsters?
Do you have a favorite creature you’d like to see updated for fifth edition?
 


Another factor is, will there be stat-ajusted versions of creatures to make them fit with the level range? Such as weak Dao in Tsojcanth, or strong vegepigmies in Barrier Peaks?
 



Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero
Boy, the minimals were perhaps the worst 1E monsters. There are definitely sillier monsters, but "it's a rhino, but small" manages to be both silly and boring. Instead of letting the minimal get back into print back in the day, the real answer should have been "you know, I just don't have a good monster idea for this one; maybe someone else can come up with something."
 

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero
While I own and very much enjoy the book, it's in a weird "semi-official" status. Most notably, it's not on D&D Beyond, so you can't access the monsters from there when running a game. Yeah, you can always have a second tab open, but it's a bit inconvenient. I'd very much like to see gibberlings updated 100% officially and accessible on D&DB. (and the same goes for other creatures in that book, like the tasloi).
D&D Beyond has a bunch of stuff they've weirdly dropped the ball on, sometimes for years, but getting all of the Extra Life books that WotC has produced onto DDB seems like it should be a much higher priority than it clearly is.
 

Boy, the minimals were perhaps the worst 1E monsters. There are definitely sillier monsters, but "it's a rhino, but small" manages to be both silly and boring. Instead of letting the minimal get back into print back in the day, the real answer should have been "you know, I just don't have a good monster idea for this one; maybe someone else can come up with something."
But so cute. Ranger wants a mini elephant as an animal companion.
 


Voidrunner's Codex

Remove ads

Voidrunner's Codex

Remove ads

Top