Yoink! The only 2 monsters in MM3 I was interested in I got for FREE! Suckers!!!!!!!!

[dead]

2 old-school beasties from MM3 you can get for free here and here.

Gnoll, Flind
This monster first appeared in the 1E FF but I've never used it. Has anyone else used it? It seems a bit redundant if you ask me. If you want a Flind, just give a gnoll a pair of iron nunchukas!

Kenku
These first appeared in one of the 1E monster books, too. I've never used them either but the new illustration of them looks cool. Are kenki (plural?) based on any real-world mythology? Are they related to the Aarakocra?

 

[Krieg]

Are kenki (plural?) based on any real-world mythology?

Yep...

http://kardev.com/karasu_tengu.htm
http://www.furyu.com/archives/issue2/tengu.html
http://metropolis.japantoday.com/biginjapan/364/biginjapaninc.htm

Be sure to check out Tengu in Oriental Adventures as well.

Are they related to the Aarakocra?

Nope (unless of course you want them to be).

 

[Alzrius]

Yoink indeed. Wanna see more official monsters you can get for free? Check out my list of WotC website monsters.

 

[dead]

Yoink indeed. Wanna see more official monsters you can get for free? Check out my list of WotC website monsters.

That's one serious Yoinkfest, Alzrius! Thanks.

Hmm . . . now I just have to sift through it for the 1E and 2E *classic* beasties . . .

 

[takyris]

Y'know, I know somebody mentioned it before, but the current incarnation of the Kenku is just terrible. What happened to the not speaking? Or the alignment? Or the wings? (Uh, they did have flight in 2E, right? Or am I remembering wrong?)

I mean, it's great that they wanted to make 'em a +0 ECL class, but right now they're humans with feathers. My cute little trickster bird-people are now these nasty ugly monsters. Feh.

 

[Spatula]

Or the big-nosed disguises, or the spell casting... This new version of the kenku bears next to zero relation to the original. Which leads me to ask... why? Why not just make a new monster?

The OA tengu works pretty well, although it's 3.0 and it has some OA-specific pieces.

 

[Tonguez]

Or the big-nosed disguises, or the spell casting... This new version of the kenku bears next to zero relation to the original. Which leads me to ask... why? Why not just make a new monster?

The OA tengu works pretty well, although it's 3.0 and it has some OA-specific pieces.

Yeah this Kenku is truely pathetic, if I was to use it, it would immediately get a Feindish template or something to give it back a bit more 'cool'

 

[Piratecat]

Nope, I think you're misremembering; I believe the original version of the kenku had no wings. I'll have to go check.

I for one like the new kenku. The whole "never speaks" thing from 1e was a pain in the butt to actually play, and made for real problems if you wanted to use one as a PC race. All the DMs I know who did just ended up ignoring that little fact... and if you're going to make exceptions, why not go with something that's equally or more interesting (the mimicry)?

Of course, if you want the spell casting, take levels in sorcerer.

 

[Arnwyn]

The whole "never speaks" thing from 1e was a pain in the butt to actually play,

Quite the opposite IME.

 

[Droid101]

Kenku ... Abilities: Str 11, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 9

Scrolling down...

Kenkus as Characters ... Kenkus possess the following racial traits: +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength

Hm... something seems a little... off. They go from +4 dex, -2 Con, -2 Cha; to +2 dex, -2 str.

What's the dilly, yo?