D&D General What is the Quintissential D&D Mascot Monster?

[beta-ray]

An umber hulk busting through a wall to surprise player characters would be a great dynamic image.

Oh yeah!

 

[Umbran]

The rust monster is worse because it might eat all your magic weapons and armor. A fate worse than death according to many players.

I don't have magic weapons or armor.

 

[MNblockhead]

I also vote for beholder.

Tempted to say illithid (mind flayer), but as other have said, it is a specific feel and cthulhu vibes that doesn't make for the best branding to be the mascot for the game.

A red dragon is a good choice, even if not unique to D&D, "dragon" is in the name, the logo is a dragon, and off all the dragons, it never feels out of place and instantly just works as a mascot for D&D.

The displacer beast and mimic are great choices that feel unique to D&D but I don't think they have much recognition outside of those who are already fans. Now, I get that the beholder may not be any more recognizable to non-fans, but it just sticks out as something different. I thought it worked very well on the cover of the 2014 Monster Manual.

I know that the OP isn't asking this in terms of what should be on the 2024/5 monster manual, but if I had to guess, I'm almost certain that a dragon will be on the cover of the new MM. If there are multiple monster, and I assume that there will be, it will be the biggest bad in the background. The covers of the PHB and DMG both show creatures at multiple tiers, and I could see a similar cover for the MM where you have some lower level monsters in the foreground, mid-tier monsters in the middle and an ancient red dragon in the background over seeing all of them. The PHB and the DMG both have a dragon that figures as the most powerful creature amoung the characters depicted. A gold dragon on the PHB, a dracolich on the DMG. So I am guessing an ancient red on the MM.

 

[aco175]

Everyone knows this monster.

 

[Older Beholder]

I wouldn't be mad if it was the Gelatinous Cube either.

It’s the jelly cubes for me.

 

[Aldarc]

Beholder or Owl Bear

 

[Cadence]

It’s the jelly cubes for me.

That would be a really sad end for Uni to put on a cover!

 

[Meech17]

The d20 should be the mascot, or MT Dew...

These would be the Mascot Heroes..

The Mascot villain would be the calendar.

My initial thought in the MM thread was Beholder. I love beholders and they feel very D&D to me. However I think Mimics have a little more broad appeal. They've leaked out into the general fantasy zeitgeist more than most D&D monsters, I think.

Kobolds are up there for me personally too.. But they seem to be stuck playing second fiddle to Goblins.

 

[Jolly Ruby]

The owlbear and the beholder. Both are originally from D&D, well known enough to be recognizable by most players and some non-players, and not widespread enough to be just "generic fantasy".

Others that almost hit that bar for me are the displacer beast (it's not originally D&D) and the mimic (it's "generic fantasy" at this point).

EDIT: Tiamat is also a good candidate, it's unique, very recognizable even for non-players, its five headed dragon form is originally D&D's, it's not "generic fantasy". I just wouldn't keep her as a mascot.

 

[R_J_K75]

These would be the Mascot Heroes..

The Mascot villain would be the calendar.

My initial thought in the MM thread was Beholder. I love beholders and they feel very D&D to me. However I think Mimics have a little more broad appeal. They've leaked out into the general fantasy zeitgeist more than most D&D monsters, I think.

Kobolds are up there for me personally too.. But they seem to be stuck playing second fiddle to Goblins.

I've not been impressed with the current artwork. I'm not bashing it, just not for me. I think it's a Star Wars thing. When you were a kid and episode 4-6 came out, they were great, The rest weren't good because the expectation couldn't be lived up to us as a kid.