Monstrous Manual 2e — Need a monster? Look inside, where more than new peices of full color art show what the monsters really look. The first edition Monster Manual notably monstroys topless portrayals of some of its female monsters, including the succubusType V demonslamiaand sylph.
Monsters and Treasureone of the included booklets. It would also mean they would only need to purchase core volumes and appendix volumes for the campaigns they wanted, rather than getting a mix of monsters in books. The cover of the original printing was illustrated by David C. This Monster Manual is notable for its descriptions of where the monsters might be found in the Eberron and Forgotten Realms campaign settings. They contain mostly updated monsters from the sourcebooks of earlier editions, though some monsters have almost no overlap with those of their first edition namesakes.
Retrieved December 24, Future editions would draw on various sources and act as a compendium of published monsters.
TSR Wizards of the Coast. The Monster Manual v 3. They included updated reprints of loose leaf Monstrous Compendium Appendices and new volumes. Dragondown Grotto Red Hand of Doom. Schwalb add, Rodney Thompsonand Wil Upchurch. Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design. Retrieved August 11, As it was a frequently used game aid this was a serious concern. If not, the brownies will unite and drive the intruder out.
They make ef ficient use of leftovers too small for humans to notice. Their hides range from light yellow to yellow brown and their thick coarse hair varies in color from brown to brick red. Though vaguely humanoid in appearance, bugbears seem to contain the blood of some large carnivore.
Their eyes recall those of some savage bestal animal, being greenish white with red pupils, while their ears are wedge shaped, rising from the top oftheir heads. Bugbears have a nose much like that of a bear with the same fine sense of smell. Their tough leathery hide and long sharp nails also look something like those of a bear, but are far more dexterous. Bug- bear eyesight extends somewhat into the infrared, giving them infravision out to 60 feet, The bugbear language isa foul sounding mixture of gestures, grunts, and snarls which leads many to underestimate the intelli: fence ofthese creatures, In addition, most bugbears can speak the language of goblins and hobgoblins.
A bugbear attack will be tactically sound, if not brilliant. IFthey think they are outnumbered or overmatched, bugbears will retreat, prefer- ring to live to fight another day. These individuals have between 22 and Each chief will also have a sub-chief who is iden tical to the leaders described above.
Ina lair, half of the bugbears will be females and young who will not fight except ina life or death situation. If they are forced into combat, the females attack as hobgoblins and the young as obolds.. It may be several square miles in the wilderness, or a narrow, more restricted area in an underground region. Intruders are considered a valuable source of food and trea- sure, and bugbears rarely negotiate.
The monster is accompanied by a rank, fetid odor which often gives warning of its approach. Combat: The carrion crawler can move along walls, ceilings land passages very quickly, using its many clawed feet for trac tion.
They kill paralyzed creatures with their bite Which inflicts points of damage. The monster will always at- tack with all ofits tentacles. When Seeking out prey they rely primarily on their keen senses of sight and smell, Clever travelers have been known to fool an ap- proaching carrion cravler with a sight and smell illusion, thus fining time to make good their escape. HabitauSociety: Carrion crawlers are much-feared denizens of the underground world.
They live in airs, venturing out in search, of carrion or food every few days. Some underground inhabit- ants such as goblins and trolls will make use of carrion crawlers, by leaving the bodies of dead foes out in designated areas.
This, keeps the creatures at a good distance from their own homes and. If2 crawlers have made a kill or covered carrion, they will often fight over the food, sometimes kalling one another in the process. Several days after mat- ing. When she has found or killed an adequate food supply, she lays about egas among the carrion. Females die a few weeks after laying their eggs, exhausted by the effort. Grubs have been known to consume fone another in feeding frenzies, and are a favorite food of adult carrion crawlers.
Few of the grubs reach maturity, bt those who cdo have eaten voraciously and will achieve their full size in asin- gle year, When they reach maturity, the mating cycle begins again.
The car- rion crawler is driven by two urges: food and reproduction. It has absolutely no interest in the collection of treasure. Inthe long run, this has a benefi- cial effect on the prey, strengthening its gene pool. Its most terifying features are its large bloodshot eyes, from which emanate a deadly ray. Its long, snakey tal is swift and strong, and can move with blinding speed. The head of the catoblepas is perched upon a long, weak neck, and would be much like that of a w: hog except that the catoblepas is usher.
The gaze of the catoblepas emanates a deathray, with a 60 yard range. Any crea ture meeting its gaze dies without a saving throw. Ifa party i sur. More often than not i is surrounded by 4 tall stand of reeds or other marsh plants. It takes almost nine years for the offspring to reach youthful matu- rity and an adult female will bear but one child every 10 or 12 years.
Since itis semi-inteligent, it will treat partes of humans with respect, preferring to size them up First, Asa rule, itwill not attack unles itis hunting or feels that its mate or offspringis threatened. Mie Muga! Its fur is sand colored and itis covered with dark spots.
I0 vs 2 50 A skilled hunter endowed with natural camouflage. They are famed, for their tremendous bursts of speed, and can run at triple speed. If both forepaws hit during an attack the cheetah is able to rake for points of damage with each ofits rear claws.
Cheetahs are territo- rial, but may live alone, in paies and in groups. The female raises a litter of young alone. It climbs, swims, and stalks superbly. Its color varies from buff to tawny, andits spots are rosette shaped. Leopards prefer to leap on their prey, imposing a -3 on the sur- prise rolls of their victims. Leopards can spring upward 20 or ahead 25'.
If they strike successfully with both forepaws, they rake with their rear claws for points each Leopards are solitary, inhabiting warm deserts, forest, plains, and mountains. They hunt both day and night preying on ani- mals up tothe size of large antelopes, They swim and climb well, land will often sit in treetops sunning themselves, Leopards will, also drag their prey to safety in the treetops to devour in peace.
The males are distinguished by their Flowing manes, Both male and female lions are fierce fighters. Lions hunt in prides, with females doing most ofthe actual hunting. They live and hunt in prides, and are tremely territorial. A pride usually consists of males and females. Lions frequently kill animals the size of zebras oF gi- raffes.
Lionesses will cooperate when hunting, deiving their prey into an ambush. Cubs are unable to fight Lions are poor climbers and dislike swimming. Lions flourish only when the supply of game is adequate.
Except for their size, males and females are difficult to tell apart. They can spring upward 15' or ahead 20' to at- tack or retreat. If they score hits with both oftheir Forepaws, they will rake with their back ones for points of damage each. They are solitary, with males and fe- males each maintaining separate territories.
Their favorite prey are deer. The female rears cubs alone, which remain with her for years. They can communicate in their own language with others ofits kind, which greatly increases its chances of survival. Tigers have reddish-orange fur and dark vertical stripes.
Tigers ae nocturnal, sl tary, graceful climbers and swimmers who are capable of sus- tained high speed. These animals rarely fight among themselves, but will protec their territories ferociously. They are also the most unpredictable and dangerous ofthe reat cats, not hesitat- ing to attack men, Their favorite prey includes cattle, wild pigs sand deer.
Females raise their cubsalone. The cubs remain with their mother for several years. Feared by men, tigers are hunted aggressively, and are threat- ened by the destruction of forests. They are similar to normal tigers but are found only during the Pleistocene epoch. It combines many of the characteristics of a spider and a lobster. Because of these limbs, the fisher has no difficulty in moving up and down vertical walls. The most unusual feature of, the eave fisher is its long snout, which can fea strong, adhesive filament.
The monster can also use its adhesive to anchor itself in place on walls and ledges. Combat: The cave fisher has two ways of hunting. Its preferred method isto string its long filament inthe vicinity ofits lair. The filaments are thin and strong, making them exceedingly difficult todetect or cut. A detect snares and pits spell will reveal a strand. Ever opportunistic, they are constantly trying to vary their diet by trapping a careless adventurer, foolish goblin, or orc pro- vided that they think that they ean get away with it.
Once the victim is trapped in the filament, the eave fisher draws its prey in, reeling its filament in lke a fish. It will spend one round drawing its filament in and then shoot i a the prey, strik- ing as a6 Hit Die monster. No more than four cave fishers will be found in one. Their filaments are always strung before their lar, and they attempt to kill anything they trap, often storing food for future Their teritories are very small, and never larger than about feet 10 either side ofthe lai.
Still, they are cun- hing, anda group of the monsters might rel in thei filaments and, attempt an ambush if they thought they could get away with it.
IF hhunting in one area becomes scarce, the cave fisher will simply. Find a new area to hunt, where the small game is more plentiful and careless Like all predators, the cave Fisher i interested in survival. Females lay eggsin the vicinity ofthe lait, which they protect from predators.
The young, scatter when the eggs hatch, seeking lairs oftheir own. Ecology: The cave fisher preys primarily on small flying game, and in the subterranean world this frequently means a diet of bats. It is not the top predator in its ecological niche, and has learned caution in dealing with other monsters. The cave fisher i, sufficiently intelligent to know the dangers of preying on large well-organized groups, who might grow tired of its depredations and hunt ito extinction.
The filaments are wound onto reels, and then specially treated to dilute the adhesive, The resulting Strands are made into ropes, while the diluted adhesive is turned, into a special solution, which when applied to gloves and boots, greatly increases traction for climbing. The remainder of the band will be leaders using medium shields and medium horse lances.
Centaurs make 3 attacks each round in melee: once with their weapons and twice with their hooves. HabitavSociety: Centaurs are sociable creatures, taking great pleasure in the society of others oftheir kind. The size ofthe tribe varies, it range from families to upwards of 20 families. Depending upon the climate, thelair may contain huts or lean-tos to shelter the individual families.
In dangerous, monster infested areas, centaurs wll sometimes plant a thick barrier of tough thorn bushes around, their lair and even set traps and snares. In the open area, away from the trees, are hearths for cooking and warmth. If encoun- teredin thei air, there wll be additional males, females equal to twice the number of males, and young. The Females 3 Hit, Dice and the young Hit Dice will fight only with their hooves, and only ina lfe or death situation.
Each tribe will have a priest who is treated asa leader but has the spell abilities of a 3rd level druid. The elves are paid from the group treasury, which comes from the booty of slain monsters. Centaurs are also not above sharing a territory with elves, The attitude ofa centaur toward stranger in its territory will vary with the visitor.
Monsters willbe dealt with in a manner according to the threat they repre sent to the welfare and survival of the tribe. Were a giant oF dragon to enter the territory, the centaurs would pull up stakes, and relocate, while trolls and ores and thei like willbe killed. Most male centaurs have a small coin supply, while the tribe has a treasury which may well include some magi- Calitems.
Leaders will have twice the normal individual treasure. This treasure is used to buy food for the group. They are also extremely protective oftheir females and young. Centaurs are basically pastoral, but will react, with violence if their lifestyle and survival is threatened.
The race seems to have an innate knowledge of hhow to achieve this precious balance. If forced to chop down a tee, a centaur will plant another to replace it. The gant centipede i 20 called because its over 1" long. The body ofthe cenipede i plated with chitinous shells and it moves with a slight undulating motion.
De to ts own smal sive, the pant centipede sles key to resist at- tacke and receives a- penalty tall ts saving throws. When more than one Centipede s encountered, the monsters wil ight independently, even to the point of fighting among themseives over fallen victims HabiterSocety; The centipede behaves lke most ther insects, roving from place to place in search of food.
I sno longer clase anirtant but satire! The chimera has the hindquarters ofa large, black goat land the forequarters of a huge, tawny lion. Its body has brownish-black wings like those of a dragon. The goat head is pitch black, with glowing amber eyes and long ochre horns. AS a rule, however, it will only pause to communicate with those creatures who are more powerful than itself.
The monster prefers to surprise its victims, often swooping down upon them from the sky. It can at- tack 6 times each round, clawing with its forelegs, goring with its two horns, and biting with its lion and dragon heads.
If it desires to do so, the dragon head can loose a stream of flame some 5 yards long in lieu of biting. The dragon's fire causes points damage, although a saving throw versus breath weapon Will cut the damage in half. The chimera will always attempt to breathe fits opponents are in range. HabitatSociety: The chimera, being a hybrid, combines the preferences ofthe lion, the goat, and the dragon in itshabitat, ety and ecology. The dragon and lion, parts seem to war with one another, for some chimerae are Find out where stockpiles of gold iver, and platinum coins are ke.
Ecology: Black dragons can eat almost anything, although they prefer to dine primarily on ish, mollusks, and other aquatic creatures.
They are fond of ele, expecaly the giant varieties. However, the dragons often conceal themselves, burrowing into the sand so only part of ther heads ae exposed. Blue dragon love to scar inthe hot desert air usally Alyinginthe dayne when temperatures are the highest.
Often blue dragons wil attack from directly tbove or will burrow beneath the ands until opponents come within fet. Old: ventrilaquism oncea day.
Venerable: control winds once 2 day. Great wy: ullucnatory tera onee a day. HabitavSodety: Blue dragons ate found in deserts: aid, windswept plains; and hot, humid badlands. They enjoy the bleak terain because there are few obstaces—only an occasional rock outcropping or dune — to interrupt the view of thelr terttories.
However, when a family isen- Countered the male dragon will atack ferociously, protecting his Property—hismateand young. Blue dragons lar n vast underground caverns in which they store their teeasure. Their color isa brassy, mottled brown.
As the dragon gets older, the scales become more brassy, util, they seach a warm, burnished appearance. Combate Brass dragons would rather talk than fight.
Brass dragons often use control temperature to create heat to discomfort their opponents. Creatures caught in the heat take damage, save vs. Mature adult: contol temperature 3 times a day in 10 eadius per age level.
Groat tayrm: Summon dint once a week. The dragon usually aks the finn to preform some service. They fove intense dey eat and spend most of thei time basking inthe sun. They usually are on good terms with neighboring brats dragons and sphinves. Ecology: Like other dragons, brass dragons can, and will, cat almost nythingifthe need arises In practice, however they eat very litle. They Sreableto get nourishment from morning dew, a are commodity in their habitat, and have been sen carefully liting i off plants wit thei long, tongues.
When confronted with ineligent opponents bronze Gragons use their ESP ability to lar thei opponents intentions. Against boats or ships they "Hommon a storm or ise their tail slap to smash the vessels halls.
Creatures caught in the gar must ave vs. Creatures caught in the lightning take damage, save vs. Each change in Form lasts until the dragon chooses a diferent form.
Adu: ESP theee times a day. Old: weather summoning once a day. They especialy price of shack meat. Combat Copper dragon ike to taunt and annoy their opponents, hop ing they will give up or become angry and act foolishly. I there are no Such places around a dragon's Ii, the dragon will create them ahead of time tsing stone shape, move earth and wall of stone.
Juvenile: tone shape twice a hay, Adult: forgot once a day. Mature adul: rok to mu once 3 day. Great yr: wall of stone once a day.
Hatchlings are light gray n color and darken s they ae. HabitavSocety: Fire lizards prefer subterancan Iais but come out very fortnight to hunt iesh game. Prey ishauledback tothe aie For ale surely meal the debris forme the treasure trove. Hathlings immediately leave to hunt on their own.
Shiny objects attract fre lizards: gems and metals form the Dull of treasure found in their den. Ecology: Fie lizardsare peshaps an ancestral dragon type or ofshoot of common ancestor, Real dragons avoid thee alse dragons which grow to be years old.
Fire lizard eggs are worth 5, gp, hatchlings 7, gp. The gant lizard in fles points of damage each ound thereater. Gant lizard are lazy, hers and tend to attack anything edible that wanders by. Their lais may be home toa wide range of lizards, from eggs to century-old adults. They are adept al ar bushes; others are-S on ther surprise vol. An attack rll of 20 means the lard has trapped its victim within saws and can automaticaly inlic points of damage each round thereafter until the victim escapes or dies.
The victim's unable to attack the folowing ound. Minotau Heards tare found in tropical hills and mountains near copper and red dragons. These lizards never leave thee caves voluntarily. Other species have tonguss up to 20 fet long. Their tails average 3 to feet long and are not prehensile. Males are nearly impossible to distinguish from females without close inspection.
Lizard man. They oceasion- ally take prisoners as slaves, for food, or to sacrifice in obscure tribal rites. Ifa lizard king is present, ashaman of 7 Hit Dice will always be present, and all pa- trol leaders from each tribe i. A tribe rarely numbers more than in- dividuals, including females and hatchlings. Lizard men are omnivorous, but are likely to prefer human flesh to other foods. Ecology: Lizard men have few natural enemies.
They prey on human, demihuman, or humanoid settlements if these are nearby, Lizard man eggs are bitter and inedible, a is thir flesh, but their kin is sometimes worked as scale armor Armor Class 6. Lizard men produce no art, artifacts, or trade goods. These lizard men, se clubs treat as morning stars, points damage , and the leaders may use captured swords or other weaponry. The chance of these advanced lizard men havinga lizard king is doubled, i.
Ifthe attack roll is 5 or more greater than the score needed to hit, the lizard king inflicts double damage with a minimum of 15 points A lizard king usually demands two humans each week. If no humans are available, demihumans and other humanoids will be sought. Lycanthrope, General Lycanthropes are humans who can transform themselves to re- semble normal animals or monsters.
Any hu- manoid creature injured by a lyeanthrope but not actually killed and presumably eaten has a chance to contract Iycan- thropy. If the character makes a successful saving throw vs. Otherwise, the change takes place and the spel has no effect, Cure disease spells and other powers have no effect against this affliction.
True lycanthropes have complete control over their physical states; they are not affected by darkness, phases of the moon, or any of the other situations which traditionally affect infected lycanthropes.
In the lycanthrope form, the monster can be struck only by silver or magical weapons. Wounds from any other source heal too quickly to cause actual damage. In determining the damage and attacks of an unknown ly- ccanthropic species use the imitated creature asa guide.
Lycan- thropes usually do at least as much damage as a normal creature of that type. They may have additional attacks or damage as well, HabitatSociety: True lycanthropes can change shape at will, regardless ofthe time of day or phase of the moon.
Infected ly- canthropes are usually humanoid during the day. When dark- ress falls on a night of a full moon, or the night directly preceding or following a full moon, the infected lyeanthrope changes shape against his will and is overcome by bloodlust.
During this time, an infected PC is beyond the player's con- trol; the DM takes over the character. The characters Strength increases temporarily to His Armor Class, number of at- tacks, movement, and immunities are identical to those of the type of Iycanthrope that wounded him. The character wants conly to hunt and kill, and usually selects either personal friends or enemies as his victims the werecreature makes no distinetion between friends and enemies; all that matters is the strength of the love—or hate—binding them.
Some lycanthropes have the ability to sum- mon such creatures, Ecology: Lycanthropes fit a variety of roles, depending on the type of creature they become, There are five major species of lycanthropes: these are covered on the following pages.
They aze the best known good-aligned Iycan- thropes. The ursine form most often resembles a brown bear. Tn human form they are large, tout, well-muscled, and hairy. Combat: Inhuman form, the werebear uses available weapons, preferring axes, spears, and knives, since these have practical ap- plications suitable for woodland life. If attacked in daylight, the werebear usually remains human unless death is likely.
The shapechange renders the werebear helpless for around. In ursine form, the werebear attacks with two swiping claws and a bite. If both claws hit, during the next round the werebear can hug for an additional points of damage.
But for Ravenloft DMs who've been struggling on without the compendiums, this re-issue is an essential purchase which offers both core reference material and an inspirational glimpse of the Demiplane's dark heart.
Creatures from the TSR magazines, Forgotten Realms , Birthright , Ravenloft , Dark Sun , Al-Quadim and Greyhawk can be found giving referees access to monsters with abilities that otherwise might not have been thought of.
Well, TSR has released such a stupefying amount of products to date that every referee should have a decent supply of challenging monsters available for them to use. If you don't, then have a flick through this for a few new ideas, but think twice before you buy it.
0コメント