D&D General The core monster lineup across all editions

[Tonguez]

Wights are also Tolkien, though: he reinvented the word, even!

Both William Wordsworth and Washington Irving use the term Wight - so it was in use in the 1800s, before Tolkien got to it. In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: “In this by-place of nature there abode, in a remote period of American history, … a worthy wight of the name of Ichabod Crane”

 

[Mannahnin]

Both William Wordsworth and Washington Irving use the term Wight - so it was in use in the 1800s before Tolkien. In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow “In this by-place of nature there abode, in a remote period of American history, … a worthy wight of the name of Ichabod Crane”

Yes, the word wight as a synonym for man has a long history.

The usage for an undead man is what we're talking about here. Tolkien's "Barrow-wight" following older English conventions, meaning literally a man who dwells in a barrow (mound, hill, burial place).

 

[Parmandur]

Both William Wordsworth and Washington Irving use the term Wight - so it was in use in the 1800s, before Tolkien got to it. In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: “In this by-place of nature there abode, in a remote period of American history, … a worthy wight of the name of Ichabod Crane”

Actually, yes, seems I was mistaken on thst: William Morris even used Barrow-wight for an undead critter!

 

[Mannahnin]

Actually, yes, seems I was mistaken on thst: Silliam Morris even used Barrow-wight for an undead critter!

Interesting! I don't think I had seen that before. William Morris & Eirikr Magnusson using the exact term in a 1900 translation of Grettir's Saga.

https://www.sagadb.org/grettis_saga.en

 

[JEB]

Does Mythic Odysseys of Theros not count (because it’s MTG)? That book lists 4 Nymphs: Alseid, Lampad, Naiad, and Oread.

Correct, MTG doesn't count because it's an adaptation of non-D&D material (in the same category as Lankhmar, Diablo, or Gamma World).

(Also, even if it did count, Theros isn't a core rulebook, so that would still leave nymphs in the cold for the purposes of this discussion.)

 

[Parmandur]

Correct, MTG doesn't count because it's an adaptation of non-D&D material (in the same category as Lankhmar, Diablo, or Gamma World).

(Also, even if it did count, Theros isn't a core rulebook, so that would still leave nymphs in the cold for the purposes of this discussion.)

It all goes in the same compendium on Beyond, tho.

 

[JEB]

I agree that Frost seems like an equally good candidate, but rather than seeing Fire Giants as redundant with Efreet, perhaps consider that they (along with Red Dragons) support having a higher-level themed dungeon of fire/based in a volcano, perhaps?

There certainly does seem to be a bias towards fire monsters! Although it's also worth noting that we got both fire and ice dragons as core monsters in every version of the game...

 

[JEB]

FYI, I made some minor updates to the spreadsheet - two corrections (missed lizardfolks' 0e appearance and giant centipede's 5e appearance) and also added in the three generic "variable" monsters from 0e for completeness (sea monster; insect or animal, large; insect or animal, small).

 

[beta-ray]

I'd say that the answer to the last question, like so many, is very likely Tolkien.

Ah yes the typical Tolkien response

 

[Parmandur]

Ah yes the typical Tolkien response

65% of the time, it works...every time.