D&D General The core monster lineup across all editions

[JEB]

The other thread has moved on to analyzing 3e, so time to add another layer to the cores from post 103:

The d20 Core
The nine monsters included if you work from 3e forward, including monsters core since the 2e Monstrous Manual and 3.0 Monster Manual. Added to the other cores, that's now a total of 71 monsters. This set consists of:

Balor, marilith, hezrou, vrock; pit fiend, chain devil, ice devil; night hag, succubus.

 

[JEB]

And now it's moved on to analyzing 4e, so here's one more layer:

The GSL Core
The six monsters included if you work from the 4e Monster Manual forward, to include those core since the 3.5 Monster Manual. This brings the total (including the other cores) to 77 monsters. This set consists of:

Cyclops, death knight, githyanki, hyena, bandit, guard.

 

[Cadence]

If so, they apparently changed their mind about what counted as too "high-level" between Basic '77 and Basic '81, based on what moved into the Expert books. (I'm also kind of surprised that Medusas would be considered low-level fodder.)

Apologies if this has been said already - does the inclusion of something in B2 mean it needed to be included in Moldvay's Basic? (Are there any in B2 missing from it?) If so, that would explain the Medusa.

Edit: And now I'm wondering about B1 too?

 

[JEB]

Apologies if this has been said already - does the inclusion of something in B2 mean it needed to be included in Moldvay's Basic? (Are there any in B2 missing from it?) If so, that would explain the Medusa.

Edit: And now I'm wondering about B1 too?

For the purposes of this thread, only monsters that were in the 1977 and 1981 Basic rulebooks would count as core monsters for those versions of Basic. B1 and B2 were packed in with the Basic sets, true, but they weren't part of the actual core rules.

(Now, I did expand the definition of 0e core to include monsters from Book III of the original boxed set... but unlike B1 and B2, Book III was actually one-third of the 0e core rules.)

 

[Cadence]

For the purposes of this thread, only monsters that were in the 1977 and 1981 Basic rulebooks would count as core monsters for those versions of Basic. B1 and B2 were packed in with the Basic sets, true, but they weren't part of the actual core rules.

(Now, I did expand the definition of 0e core to include monsters from Book III of the original boxed set... but unlike B1 and B2, Book III was actually one-third of the 0e core rules.)

Right. I was addressing your remark "(I'm also kind of surprised that Medusas would be considered low-level fodder.)"

There is a Medusa in B2 iirc, and so maybe they felt they needed one in the 1981 Basic book even though it is fairly high level?

 

[JEB]

Right. I was addressing your remark "(I'm also kind of surprised that Medusas would be considered low-level fodder.)"

There is a Medusa in B2 iirc, and so maybe they felt they needed one in the 1981 Basic book even though it is fairly high level?

Oh, sorry, I misunderstood your question. Could be as simple as that, yeah!

 

[JEB]

@Cadence Jumping ahead a bit, I wonder if "we wanted it in the first adventure" is why we got monsters like spectators, flameskulls, and nothics in the 5e MM. (Not that I'm complaining.)

 

[Orius]

• Why do fire and hill giants stand above the other three classic giants? Hill giants seem like your standard mythical giant, so that's easy, but why fire? (Also, aren't they redundant with efreet?

Not really. Fire giants are Norse mythology (along with the frost giants), while efreet are Arabian mythology/folklore.

In TSR-era D&D they were very... chainmail bikini about things. Nymphs even had magical gamer girl bathwater. In contrast, 4E dryads were basically curvy ents.

Curvy ents...heh heh.

 

[Incenjucar]

Not really. Fire giants are Norse mythology (along with the frost giants), while efreet are Arabian mythology/folklore.




Curvy ents...heh heh.

They put the bow in the bow-chicka-bow-wow.

Just like Legolas.

 

[JEB]

The other thread just basically wrapped up my series of core analyses, with the 5e Monster Manual. Which means one last tiny layer to add to posts 103, 111, and 112...

The Modern Core
The two monsters included if you count monsters that carried over from the 4e Monster Vault to the 5e MM. This brings the total (including the other cores) to 79 monsters. This set consists of:

Thug, swarm of poisonous snakes.

(Not the most exciting finale, eh?)