Why'd they change the Lamia?

[Korgoth]

This image:

http://info.lib.uh.edu/sca/digital/beast/pages.html?id=91

from Edward Topsell's "The History of Four-Footed Beasts And Serpents" is the inspiration for the AD&D Lamia. It's not ancient Greek, but early 17th century.

The same book contains AD&D's scaly bull-like Gorgon.

Fabulous book. The Su Monster is in there too.

 

[Victim]

!!

No! The furies are not succubi, nooo!

Hence the Charm gaze and seduction strategy of the old erinyes? Speaking of monsters that diverge from their mythological roots...

 

[Incenjucar]

The old Lamia were rather awesome, albeit fairly disturbing.

I remember running across an article about them in, I think, Dragon magazine, that introduced their breeding habits, and the degenerate mutant goat offspring they had if they didn't knock up or get knocked up by humans. And remember, the non-noble Lamia could do both.

This is probably why they are not in 4E.

 

[med stud]

It's weird that they use that name but the old lamia was pretty superfluos. The new one is a creature that really says "use me!"

 

[ProfessorCirno]

This member of the anime generation likes the creature but hates the name.

 

[pawsplay]

A proper 4e name would be something like Slithecreep Seductress.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

I've got no problem with the use of name "Lamia" for the 4e critter; IIRC, in Greek folklore and mythology, lamias (as opposed to Lamia) are sort-of vampiric, sort-of witchy, human-eating monsters which sometimes pose as women and marry careless men. Sounds good enough a fit to me.

 

[Shadeydm]

A proper 4e name would be something like Slithecreep Seductress.

Well played.

 

[EATherrian]

I never knew I was in the anime generation. Did I miss a memo?

The new lamia is just more interesting in play, with combat options that set her apart from other creatures and which should result in more memorable encounters.

I agree it's an interesting concept, but it's not a lamia. Even if you follow the mythological trend it's not a lamia. This is one of the changes that still irks me toward the new edition. This, the succubus/eriynes, the dryad; they are changes for the sake of change. I can't follow any logical reason to change them, so I have to create what I consider the right things whole-cloth myself.