too many monsters in the world?

[Imp]

Happily in a fantasy game you are free to have multiple worlds! Room for everyone.

I also make some (sometimes relatively "common" even) monsters into uniques. My world has The Medusa, for example.

 

[rossik]

thanks for the replies

i also think that its kind of annoying (sp?) to have too many variations of the same, and even some "opposite" (not for all):

i can have "good" and "bad" dragons, or the same for giants and so on..

but i dont like "good" drow, "good" orcs/goblins/hob, etc..

dont know, maybe its more acceptable to believe that theres a "bad" species of a "good one, than the opposite.

am i in disbelief of goodnes?

 

[Turanil]

I dont like "good" drow, "good" orcs/goblins/hob, etc..

Bah, once you've killed them, you generally don't see the difference between a (dead) good and a (dead) evil orc/drow/whatever.

 

[Jhaelen]

I enjoy picking a common theme for my campaign setting and only use monsters that fit the theme. I first did this for my 2E Darksun campaign.

My current campaign is set in an arctic climate, so all creatures from warm climates will never be encountered and creatures from temperate climates are uncommon. Almost all encounters are set in the wilderness, so underground monsters are rarely encountered. Except for one area outsiders are also almost never encountered (unless summoned).

These measures gives me a nice subset of a couple of hundred monsters which is still more than enough to avoid repeating myself. Using templates and advanced/classed monsters will also go a long way.

 

[Jhaelen]

i also think that its kind of annoying (sp?) to have too many variations of the same, and even some "opposite" (not for all)

I think that's been mostly a problem in older editions.
In 3E they've been trying very hard to create new monsters that don't compete with a niche of an established monster.

Again the solution is simple: If you think two creatures are too similar, decide on one and use it exclusively.

I think it really improves a campaign if you focus on a smaller subset of monsters. I'd also recommend selecting a dozen or so monsters and develop some detailed background for them and/or give them some distinctive features. These are the ones you will use for recurring encounters. These are what will make your setting unique and instantly recognizable.

 

[Rechan]

Also, a nice thing to keep in mind is checks and balances.

Let's say you have a legion of hobgoblins in Area X. They are hyper-vigilant about patrolling their areas, and nip any monsters in the bud. If the PCs sweep in and wipe out the hobgoblins, then whatever the Hobs have been keeping at bay start to crop up.

Another idea is "This monster is extinct/on ice". Take for example... carrion crawlers and chuuls. These things may have died out long ago. However, there are eggs buried in sealed caves that, when re-opened, cause them to re-emerge in this one area. (Think: Alien).

 

[Jaeger]

A Fantasy game does not need to be monster and magic based to be Fantasy.

In fact I find what I call: "Monster Of The Week" syndrome, to be a detriment to unique campaigns. And really suck the fantastic elements out of an encounter with a monster, by making the fantastic commonplace.

In my campaigns the PC party may only run into a bonafide monster once, or at most twice in an entire campaign. And my games are very low magic (Mages/Witches get burned at the stake if they get caught.)

IMHO Meeting up with a monster is supposed to be a Big Deal. And when monsters are encountered everywhere you go, it's like running into a deer on a nature hike.

Nice to see, but there supposed to be there.

.

 

[jokamachi]

There are only five monsters.

 

[the Jester]

Heh. Earth has over 350,000 species of beetles alone. Only 4000 species of mammals, though.

Mind you, beetles don't generally attack a town and take a princess hostage.

They do in my campaign!

 

[LostSoul]

I also think there is too many monsters IF they are too be seen as regular species from the campaign world's ecology.

Yeah, I take that view as well. A lot of the monsters in the MM are unique creatures.