What's your favorite D&D critter that didn't make it into 3.X, 4e, and/or Pathfinder?
I'm fond of the scalamagdrion.
For straight up classic, the mind flayer for sure (though I of course still use them whenever I can in my home games). Probably one of the best D&D monsters (though some of that background started getting silly, brain tadpoles, from the future etc.)
Otherwise from Spelljammer I always liked the Witchlight marauders; kind of like a biological weapon used to waste entire planets.
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D&d another classic the beholder !
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ILLITHIDS! I like illithids.
Also, dont know if this is considered a monster, but I ADORE Modrons. THey are the cutest things ever.
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Rust monsters really sum up the D&D monster aesthetic to me. Their natural habitat is sprawling abandoned underground complexes, and their primary food source is the equipment of overconfident adventurers. They look like crosses between beetles and glyptodonts; I think they might have been created when Gary Gygax used a box of cheap plastic "dinosaur" toys as miniatures. Plus, they're kinda cute in a buggy way.
Owlbears probably take second place for many of the same reasons. When you run into either of those guys, you know what kind of game you're playing.
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Yuan-ti.
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Carrion crawler.
Illithids and the Gith
I loved the "classic" classics so I will go with chimera althpugh hydra and manticore are a close second & third.
Modrons!
Armadillephants.
And Owlephants.
Genasi
Paramentals
Shifters
Favorite? I'm not sure really. But I do miss some of the crazy "what were they thinking?" monsters. Like the Julajimus from the monster manual II.
"Villagers often tell stories of the julajimus to their children. At some point in such a tale, the main character, a child, takes in a cute animal as a pet despite repeated warnings from his or her parents that there isn't enough food or space for the creature. The story ends with the rebellious child hiding the creature, only to have it turn into a julajimus one night and eat the child alive."
It's a scary 18 foot tall baboon with the ability to polymorph into cute and cuddly animals like kittens, puppies, or rabbits.
But what am I complaining about, the Vargouille made it to pathfinder; a creepy flying head that flies around kissing people, then a day or so later said kissed person's hair falls out, their ears become wings and their head flies away a new vargouille. That's plenty weird.
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Otyughs. These living trash processors are reasonably intelligent and talk Common. They can be bribed with garbage. They are always hungry, and not necessarily malevolent. What's not to like?
Lots of good choices here! I like the Trapper and the Lurker Above, but I guess my favorite would be the Umberhulk.
I still remember the picture in the Player's Handbook of the Umberhulk that had Otto's Irresistible Dance cast on him...
I still like the displacer beast, and am going to be converting it to pathfinder soon. And it will be based more on the 2nd edition displacer beast, and not that anorexic 3rd edition one.
But out of them all, it's gotta be the gelatinous cube. I don't know why, but I have a love of the oozes, and the cubes are just to funny looking not to love.
Constructs, elementals, and oozes are some of my favorite monsters as a whole. And you can't go wrong with dragons, either.
So the gist of this thread is "our favorite monsters are exactly those monsters which were invented by D&D, and which Wizards of the Coast has judged to be so iconic as to constitute intellectual property (and thus not covered by the OGL)".
Seems reasonable ;)
I'm in love with the Deepspawn.
And i'm in love with the abilities of the Metalmaster and Zorbo, the creatures itself are boring looking.
Displacer Beasts are fun too and Beholders are cool
Umber Hulks also!
Otyughs. These living trash processors are reasonably intelligent and talk Common. They can be bribed with garbage. They are always hungry, and not necessarily malevolent. What's not to like?
True dat. They were so cool they got upgraded to the neo-otyugh.
"Hey, what to we call our new monster based on the Otyugh we have to present it to the board in five minutes."
"Screw it, just give it some hit dice and put neo in front of the name."
Well, there are otyughs, neo-otyughs, greater otyughs, lifeleech otyughs and probably one or two I've missed... =)
Umber Hulk is a strong contender for not making it into Pathfinder.
For not making it into 3.5 D&D, most have been brought in by Tome of Horrors, but Leucrotta was high (apparently only made it in Monsters of Faerûn... which this post from SKR from 2005 very helpfully explains was actually intended as a Core book). Also the draconic devils... Abishai - liked those.
The original large variety of oozes have been hit and miss occasionally as well.
Flumph. Disenchanter is a close second.
Umber Hulk is a strong contender for not making it into Pathfinder.
For not making it into 3.5 D&D, most have been brought in by Tome of Horrors, but Leucrotta was high (apparently only made it in Monsters of Faerûn... which this post from SKR from 2005 very helpfully explains was actually intended as a Core book). Also the draconic devils... Abishai - liked those.
The original large variety of oozes have been hit and miss occasionally as well.
The Leucrotta isn't from D&D its from mythology.
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Not sure exactly when the conversion happened, but I kind of preferred kobolds as canine creatures rather than reptillian.
Xorn!
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Not sure exactly when the conversion happened, but I kind of preferred kobolds as canine creatures rather than reptillian.
In original D&D, they were described as goblins, but weaker, and there were no pictures of them in any of the supplements what-so-ever.
In 1st edition, all of the pictures of them showed them with scales, horns, and rat-like tails... Here is the description form the 1st Edition Monster Manual:
The hide of kobolds runs from very dark rusty brown to a rusty black. They have no hair. Their eyes are reddish and their small horns are tan to white. They favor red or orange garb, Kobolds live up to 135 years.
(emphasis mine)
So given that, I have never understood why people recall them as ever being the least bit "dog-like"... Except maybe, maybe, their description in 2nd edition, but even that clearly states they have scales, horns, and rat-like tails...
Barely clearing 3 feet in height, kobolds have scaly hides that range from dark, rusty brown to a rusty black. They smell of damp dogs and stagnant water. Their eyes glow like a bright red spark and they have two small horns ranging from tan to white. Because of the kobolds' fondness for wearing raggedy garb of red and orange, their non-prehensile rat-like tails, and their language (which sounds like small dogs yapping), these fell creatures are often not taken seriously. This is often a fatal mistake, for what they lack in size and strength they make up in ferocity and tenacity.
(again, emphasis mine)
Here is a picture showing their "evolution" (from 1st though 3rd edition): Kobold Evolution
I now there have been many iterations of kobolds where they were dog-like and not reptilian. Everquest is the one that really pops into my mind.
I always thought the 1E Kobolds were cute. The fact that they laid eggs (!!!!) kind of laid down the groundworks for them being turned into reptillians...
I have never understood why people recall them as ever being the least bit "dog-like"...
Kobolds were described as doglike in BECMI. Even without hair, they could still have faces like dogs.
As for the original question, there can be no doubt I'll choose beholders. I think I'm the seventh one to mention them in this thread.
In 1st edition, all of the pictures of them showed them with scales, horns, and rat-like tails... Here is the description form the 1st Edition Monster Manual:The hide of kobolds runs from very dark rusty brown to a rusty black. They have no hair. Their eyes are reddish and their small horns are tan to white. They favor red or orange garb, Kobolds live up to 135 years.(emphasis mine)
So given that, I have never understood why people recall them as ever being the least bit "dog-like"... Except maybe, maybe, their description in 2nd edition, but even that clearly states they have scales, horns, and rat-like tails...
Sure, but in the pictures in the 1E Monster Manula, they also have canine muzzles and noses. They are scaly little dogmen.
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Everquest is an MMO, thus it has no relevance.You sure about that?
And how many people are actually playing it? 3?
Warcraft Kobolds are dog/mouselike as well.
Having gotten on the game at 3E, I can't vouch for anything prior to that, but I have to admit a fondness for Yuan-Ti, and have made them a major part of my homebrew world. Runners up Umber Hulks and Hook Horrors.
Really... have never been all that enthused about Illithids, and Beholders are nice on occasion but never much thought of them as one of my favorites.
However, Pathfinder then introduced the Linnorms, which have since taken my "favorite monster that I need an excuse to use" slot.