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

[Aeric]

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

As one of my favorite illustrations from the original Fiend Folio, I remember distinctly that the kenku did have wings. Whether or not it could fly, however, is anybody's guess.

 

[Chimera]

I liked the Flind and the Kenku, as they were in 2e. In fact, I was just thinking of the Flind last week and wondering why they didn't make it into 3.0.

The first time I used them, I got extremely lucky with their disarming. Unfortunately for the party, they didn't have a lot of backup weapons. Lose the spiffy magic sword, fall back on the dagger. Lose the dagger...retreat???

After that encounter, it became the first priority of the spellcasters and missile weapons to take out the Flind before closing for melee.

Never got a chance to use the Kenku.

 

[Spatula]

Mind you, when I say "we already have" the tengu, I admit that "we" only includes people who have OA (and, if desired, the 3.5 update to OA and a little elbow grease).

What I don't get is why they didn't just make it an updated 3.5, non-OA-specific version of the OA tengu.

 

[Dr_Rictus]

In fact, I was just thinking of the Flind last week and wondering why they didn't make it into 3.0.

What ever for? First edition didn't really have a metaphor for describing an elite gnoll other than a new creature type. 3.0 doesn't have that problem.

Give a 1st-level gnoll fighter a flail and Improved Disarm and you've pretty much got a flind. All that "flindbar" exotic weapon jazz about a free disarm attempt on a critical threat is going to be lost on most players in the middle of a fight anyway. What players are going to remember is just "elite gnoll with a flail that disarms you."

Actually, come to think of it, if the MM3 had an entry for "flind" and all it was was an elite stat block for a gnoll fighter who specialized in disarming with a flail, I'd have been fine with that. That to me is more useful than this distinct subrace.

 

[demiurge1138]

I, personally like the new kenku, because, as previously mentioned, multiple monsters that are interpretations of the same legend bug me (the exceptions are, of course, the gorgon/catoblepas and the basilisk/cockatrice, but these were splits that happened in the myths themselves).

So the new kenku is nothing like the original. Personally, I'm not fond of the original, but I do like swarming, urban, sinister crow-men. I've already used one in my Eberron campaign. And plan to use more in the future.

Demiurge out.