What D&D monster has changed the most over the years?

[Hussar]

How about the Death Knight?

Now there's a creature that's gone through a whole boatload of revamping.

In the Least Changed category, I'd go with beholders. They haven't really changed too much over the years.

 

[pawsplay]

But don't forget that due to a similar art order error, the Prince of Demons himself (themselves?), Demogorgon, briefly had hyena heads in 3.x in the BoVD. Heresy I know, but I thought it looked cool.

Actually, that was a deliberate design change, because someone became briefly convinced that baboon heads could not possibly be scary.

 

[pawsplay]

For least-changed, I'm doing with skeletons. Other than gaining some resistance to piercing weapons in 3e, they have remained essentially as they were.

 

[falcarrion]

I would have to say it's the DM. that monster changes all the time.

 

[pemerton]

Green slime - it went from a monster, to a subcategory under ooze, to a hazard (did it make it into 4e?).

In 4e it is a monster under the ooze category.

For least-changed, I'm doing with skeletons. Other than gaining some resistance to piercing weapons in 3e, they have remained essentially as they were.

In AD&D (1st ed, at least) they took half damage from edged weapons. Did this apply to spear? I always assumed yes, but you've made me wonder.

Anyway, my vote for most changed is probably dragons. With the archons, angels and lamias I tend to see this as just a new monster with a recycled name. And, at least for me, Nycademons just aren't central enough to the D&D play experience for the changes to register. But dragons are still the same monster, playing much the same role in the game, but mechanically completely transformed from what they once were.

As for a monster which has changed the least - gnolls, trolls and hobgoblins are pretty similar now to how they were back in Moldvay Basic. Gelatinous cubes and many of the other oozes, too.

 

[pawsplay]

Yeah, trolls have varied little, apart from differences in how their hit points are calculated and how their regeneration is handled. They are one of the minority of creatures who even have the same attack routine in BECMI as in AD&D.