Stirges, minotaurs, and remorhaz: published appearances?

[Tav_Behemoth]

Here's some from Behemoth3!

Horde Book 1: A Swarm of Stirges by Tavis Allison (Behemoth3, 2004)
- contains stirge NPCs, rules for stirge swarms, a stirge-riding PC race & advancement table, monsters representing other stages in remorhaz life-cycle (blood bloat), and a template for undead stirge victims (hollow husks)

Horde Book 2: Maze of the Minotaur by Brian Stith (Behemoth3, 2004)
- contains minotaur PC race & bull lord advancement tables, minotaur NPCs, and related monsters (minotrice, tauron, minotrice maze mage)

Horde Book 3: Rage of the Remorhaz by Nat Sims (Behemoth3, 2004)
- contains remorhaz NPCs, a remorhaz-riding PC race & advancement table, & monsters representing other stages in remorhaz life-cycle (remorla, haz moth, ice queen)

I also alphabetized the directory, sortof. Keep them coming!

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

Two more articles courtesy of the Dragon Magazine index:
http://www.hanshortes.com/dmindex/topic/monsterschron.html

“The Ecology of the Remorhaz” (Dragon Magazine issue 114, p. 36)
“The Ecology of the Minotaur” (Dragon Magazine issue 116, p. 32)

Anyone know if these are by Greenwood?

 

[jshelky]

Stirges
There are Stirges in the attic in "The Secrets of Saltmarsh"

Minotaurs
Kaz the Minotaur (Dragonlance Saga)

Slayers guide to Minotaurs (Mongoose Publishing)
Gods (AEG) there's an evil Minotaur Diety

 

[Kormydigar]

I need help for a directory of every published appearance of three iconic D&D monsters--the stirge, minotaur, and remorhaz--that I'm compiling for Behemoth3's Masters and Minions series.

Here's the directory so far:

Minotaur: Sourcebook​

Horde Book 2: Maze of the Minotaur by Brian Stith (Behemoth3, 2004)
- contains minotaur PC race & bull lord advancement tables, minotaur NPCs, and related monsters (minotrice, tauron, minotrice maze mage)
~ contributed by Tav_Behemoth

Taladas
- Dragonlance supplement
~ contributed by countgray and Dave Speredelozzi

Minotaur: Fiction​

Land of the Minotaurs
- Dragonlance novel
~ contributed by countgray

Condemnation by Richard Baker, Book 3 in the War of the Spider Queen series
- A group of minotaurs, driven on by demons, attacks the party in some Underdark tunnels
~ contributed by ScotMartin

Minotaur: Encounters in adventures​

Keep on the Borderlands by E. Gary Gygax (module B2, TSR)
- For people who grew up with the blue-box Basic Set that included B2, this was the primal minotaur encounter; memorable and deadly!
~ contributed by Tav_Behemoth

Lost Caverns of Tsojanth by Gary Gygax (module S4, TSR)
~ contributed by Kormydigar

The Ghost Tower of Inverness (module C2, TSR)
- Wandering monster in a maze (naturally); also inhabiting a lair in the maze
~ contributed by Steve Jung

Pharaoh (module I3, TSR)
- Trapped inside a crystal ball
~ contributed by Steve Jung

Remorhaz: Article in magazine​

"Creature Features" (illustration by Erol Otus, author uncredited) in Dragon Magazine #5 (TSR)
- The original appearance of the remorhaz: still melts your weapons, doesn't swallow you whole.
~ contributed by Tav_Behemoth

Remorhaz: Sourcebook​

Horde Book 3: Rage of the Remorhaz by Nat Sims (Behemoth3, 2004)
- contains remorhaz NPCs, a remorhaz-riding PC race & advancement table, & monsters representing other stages in remorhaz life-cycle (remorla, haz moth, ice queen)
~ contributed by Tav_Behemoth

Remorhaz: Encounters in adventures​

Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl by E. Gary Gygax (module G2, #9017; TSR, 1978)
- Believed to have a picture of a remorhaz swallowing a halfling!
~ contributed by frankthedm

Stirge: Magazine article​

"Ecology of the Stirge" by Ed Greenwood in Dragon #83 (TSR)
- An excellent example of taking a closer look at an omnipresent but under-rated monster
~ contributed by Tav_Behemoth

Stirge: Fiction​

Extinction by Lisa Smedman, Book 4 in the War of the Spider Queen series
- A group of stirges attack the character Hallistra early in the story
~ contributed by ScotMartin

Stirge: Sourcebook​

Horde Book 1: A Swarm of Stirges by Tavis Allison (Behemoth3, 2004)
- contains stirge NPCs, rules for stirge swarms, a stirge-riding PC race & advancement table, monsters representing other stages in remorhaz life-cycle (blood bloat), and a template for undead stirge victims (hollow husks)
~ contributed by Tav_Behemoth

Stirge: Encounters in adventures​

B3: Palace of the Silver Princess by Tom Moldvay and Jean Wells
- A classic high-fantasy original D&D adventure
~ contributed by Rokonin

Keep on the Borderlands by E. Gary Gygax (module B2, TSR)
~ contributed by francisca

Dungeon Crawl Classics #2 by Goodman Games
~ contributed by francisca

The Secret of Bone Hill (module L1, TSR)
~ contributed by Vascant

World of Whitethorn 1A: The Hamlet of Thumble by Ed Cha (Open World Press, 2003)
~ contributed by Ed Cha

Ashtar's Temple (Dungeon Magazine Issue 81, Paizo Press)
- 1st-level adventure
~ contributed by Sir Whiskers

Crucible of Freya (Necromancer Games)
~ contributed by Dave Speredelozzi

Forge of Fury (Wizards of the Coast)
- second in the original Adventure Path series
~ contributed by Dave Speredelozzi, Saeviomagy, and shilsen

To Find a King (module C4, TSR)
- Wandering monster (outdoors)
~ contributed by Steve Jung

Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth by E. Gary Gygax (module S4, TSR)
- Encounter area 2, the streaked cave has 20 stirges.
~ contributed by spunky_mutters

Directory Guidelines​

The directory can include: modules and adventures that include the monster; articles in magazines; mentions in D&D fiction (from licensed novels to Story Hours); illustrations; and whatever else pops up! The only limitation is that there should be some direct link to gaming (rather than just mythology & so forth); without that, the minotaur directory would get completely out of hand.

All tips are welcome! Even if it's just a misty memory like "Isn't there a minotaur in the Giants series somewhere," that's a good start for someone to track it down.

Revised format:

- which monster and how it was used
- basic publication info for the source
- notes and comments
​

I took out the where-to-buy info for now because it's mostly redundant: Dragon articles are available in the Dragon Magazine Archive CD set at Amazon, TSR modules are available in PDF form at RPG Now (and Palace of the Silver Princess is free!)

I'm planning to publish these monster-directories as part of the online and PDF editions of the Masters and Minions Horde Book devoted to that monster. (Especially for the minotaur, there won't be enough room in the print edition!). I hope to acknowledge everyone who helped compile the directory; put a note in your post or drop me an e-mail if you'd like to be thanked using your real name instead of your nick, or if you don't want to be mentioned at all.

Let the monster hunt begin!

I got a few more.
Stirge: Module B4 The Lost City by Tom Moldvay, in room 3 on tier 2

Stirge: Module X8 Drums on Fire Mountain by Grame Morris and Tom Kirby, in areas K26 ( over a hundred here!) and K 30.

Minotaur: Module X5 Temple of Death by David Cook, as a random encounter.

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

Well done, y'all! Just updated directory.

Interesting to see that the mintotaurs seem to get used more in fiction & sourcebooks, while the stirges crop up in more modules; maybe because they're better suited to low-level parties?

 

[Patman21967]

Stirges and Minotaurs

Weellll

Stirges:
Necromancer Games Rappan Athuk series
lots and lots of Striges

and for the lover of the truly obscure...if anyone else has this you deserve a big ol' kick in the butt, for being so old...

International Dungeon Designs
" Escape from the Minotaur's Lair "
Copyright 1981
writer: Laurence D. Swanson

it is a 3x8" booklet, that if you give me your physical address, I will photocopy and send to you...

 

[Steve Jung]

/snip/
The Ghost Tower of Inverness (module C2, TSR)
- Wandering monster in a maze (naturally); also inhabiting a lair in the maze
~ contributed by Steve Jung

Pharaoh (module I3, TSR)
- Trapped inside a crystal ball
~ contributed by Steve Jung
/snip/

Since you're putting this in a published work, I want to correct you. The modules are crossed. The maze minotaurs are in Pharaoh and the crystal ball minotaur is in Ghost Tower. Good hunting.

 

[Wycen]

Yes, stirges or some form of them appear in a few Necromancer Game products.

I think Rappan Athuk 1 and/or Tomb of Abysthor have stirges or perhaps a demonic stirge variant, (one of them does, I just can't remember which).

Which brings up I think maybe that demonic variant is also in Tome of Horrors 1.

Also, in Rappan Athuk 2, you have Phase Minotaurs, a variant monster.

 

[Tharen the Damned]

Remorhaz & Minotaurs

There is a rampaging Remorhaz in the Adventure: A Paladin in Hell by Monte Cook for the AD&D 2nd ed.

Kaz the Mínotaur features first in the Dragonlance novel The Legend of Huma (the prequel to Kaz the Minotaur) by Richard Knaak.

If I remember correctly there was a D&D basic Solo Adventure which featured a labyrinth with lots of Minotaurs.

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

International Dungeon Designs
" Escape from the Minotaur's Lair "
Copyright 1981
writer: Laurence D. Swanson

it is a 3x8" booklet, that if you give me your physical address, I will photocopy and send to you...

I'd love a copy - that's the kind of thing my old-school, completist-collector side eats right up, and if anyone can track down Mr. Swanson, I'll pay him cover price x 23 years of inflation to make up for the unauthorized reproduction of his adventure!

Unfortunately, I don't have AIM installed to contact you, Patman: would you send me an email (click on my name in my sig for mailto and I'll reply with my address?

Directory update coming soon...