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JellyPooga
2009-06-15, 01:04 PM
I was flicking through the Monster Manuals in search of decent humanoids (as in two arms, two legs, rather than type) to make skeletons out of and came across the Harssaf in MMIII...after a brief 'skele-scan' revealed that they were exactly what I was looking for (medium size, 6HD, Str and Dex bonus plus Fire subtype = excellent skeleton for disguising and putting in your retinue as a bodyguard whilst in town :smallbiggrin:), I went back and had another look and realised that IMO they're incredibly cool! Sure you have to bite those 6 racial HD and a +4 Level Adjust, but I really like their abilities; very thematic and really kinda useful. Not, of course, comparable to an equivalent ECL character without Racial HD or LA, but I like them nevertheless.

So what monsters from the deepest depths of the Monster Manuals really caught your attention, inspired your imagination and made you think "Hey! They're so badass, I've gotta use them in my next game!"

Kol Korran
2009-06-15, 01:24 PM
not entirely on subject, but i've found all kind of monsters that got my ettention, and my imagination, whihc i've tried to expand quite a bit. if you're interested, i've developed a few (all from MM1) in the link in my sig.
i would have written more, but the lack of responses to the thread led me to belive that too few were interested in this.

feel free to look though, i'd love any commentery. here or there.

Kol.

arguskos
2009-06-15, 01:24 PM
Lumi, MMIII. +2 LA and 2 HD, you get a floating head positive energy war-like people who just want to be your benevolent overlords. Further, they get some powerful defenses (immunity to negative levels/negative energy effects; immune to anything light-based).

God, I love the lumi.

yilduz
2009-06-15, 01:30 PM
If I ever play a character from the monster manual with a high LA/racial HD, it will be Hound Archon. They're a badass race.

Zeta Kai
2009-06-15, 01:56 PM
Lumi, MMIII. +2 LA and 2 HD, you get a floating head positive energy war-like people who just want to be your benevolent overlords. Further, they get some powerful defenses (immunity to negative levels/negative energy effects; immune to anything light-based).

God, I love the lumi.

Aren't they also immune to vorpal attacks, due to the lack of a neck?

Cicciograna
2009-06-15, 02:09 PM
I always liked the Tempest from MMII, because I like the idea of a multiple Elemental; again, from MMII, I think that Hellfire Wyrm is a really cool monster, asi it conjugates the cunning of the Devils and the sheer power of the Dragons :smallamused:

arguskos
2009-06-15, 02:10 PM
Aren't they also immune to vorpal attacks, due to the lack of a neck?
Hell yeah. Not like it EVER matters, but if you fight a monster with a vorpal bite, you're safe! Man lumi rock.

AslanCross
2009-06-15, 04:41 PM
If I ever play a character from the monster manual with a high LA/racial HD, it will be Hound Archon. They're a badass race.

+1. Agreed. I always thought those guys rocked.

chiasaur11
2009-06-15, 04:46 PM
Those vampire manta ray clerics from the WTF DnD article look awesome.

Evil manta rays are win.

strawberryman
2009-06-15, 04:48 PM
I have to say I love the Vivisector from MMV. They're the coolest-looking Aberrations I've seen. Plus, come on, swords for fingers.

TheCountAlucard
2009-06-15, 05:04 PM
Evil manta rays are win.They need to be voiced by Tim Curry to win.

Ah, The Little Mermaid TV series...

RS14
2009-06-15, 05:23 PM
I love the delver. I almost got the chance to use one, but the campaign ended too early.

J.Gellert
2009-06-15, 05:26 PM
I recall the "Anubites" from Sandstorm made decent (and very cool-looking) undead. Can't remember what they were called though, the egyptian style hyena-warriors.

SilverClawShift
2009-06-15, 05:35 PM
I'm the only person I know the loves the Raggamoffyn.

Come on, it's a naturally occuring contruct that forms when piles of discarded clothing have too many magical scrabs thrown out with them. They wrap up people like homeless drifters and no one's quite sure what their goals are.

I likes em.

JellyPooga
2009-06-15, 06:13 PM
I recall the "Anubites" from Sandstorm made decent (and very cool-looking) undead. Can't remember what they were called though, the egyptian style hyena-warriors.

Marruspawn. Yeah, they caught my attention too, but they seemed to be statted too good. There's no real weakness to them, which detracts from their 'cool' factor in my book, though they do score points for the 'ancient egyptian' theme (even if it is cliche'd).

nysisobli
2009-06-15, 06:17 PM
One word Boneshard skeletons.... er that's 2 words.....lol

Ixahinon
2009-06-15, 07:06 PM
Lantern Archeon

raptor1056
2009-06-15, 07:10 PM
Will o Wisps are some of my favorite forms for any wizard in a campaign tough enough to make transformation not broken. They don't hog the spotlight (you can insert your own light-based creature pun) and they have really good AC, fly, and are small enough to be really manueverable.

GolemsVoice
2009-06-15, 07:11 PM
I really can't decide, but from the top of my head, I'd say those constructs that consist of tons of discarded magic items. It's like a rubbish bin OF DOOM, coming back to haunt you for your environmental sins. And it has that nifty mummy/egyptian thing going, at least in the illustration. Though of course it can be made from anything.

Blackjackg
2009-06-15, 07:40 PM
Earth Grue, from Complete Arcane. With the Entropic template from Planar Handbook. Drove my PCs nuts with that one.

Back in 2nd ed, I made good use of Yeth Hounds.

Ixahinon
2009-06-15, 07:45 PM
Hell..if we are going back to second Edition....Quicklings.

I Fragging LOVE quicklings.

AstralFire
2009-06-15, 07:48 PM
Xeg-Yi and Xag-Ya.

Ixahinon
2009-06-15, 07:52 PM
Oh...and those creatures in second edition that looked like geographic shapes? Pyramids, Cylinders, Spheres, etc. From the plane of Nirvana or some such...those were awesome.

Blackjackg
2009-06-15, 07:55 PM
Oh...and those creatures in second edition that looked like geographic shapes? Pyramids, Cylinders, Spheres, etc. From the plane of Nirvana or some such...those were awesome.

Modrons.

(Needed extra characters to post, so I'll compose a haiku about Modrons.)

Geometric shapes
espouse rigid heirarchy.
They march through the planes.

9mm
2009-06-15, 08:17 PM
the Inevitables... the Orginial D&D terminators.

arguskos
2009-06-15, 08:45 PM
Draedens. Yeah, chew on THAT one. :smallwink:

In other, more related, news, GOGO VIVISECTORS!!! Love them.

Ethergaunts rawk in so many ways it hurts.

Where's the love for Spell Weavers? Anyone? Anyone? Bueler? Bueler?

wadledo
2009-06-15, 08:49 PM
I'm the only person I know the loves the Raggamoffyn.

Come on, it's a naturally occuring contruct that forms when piles of discarded clothing have too many magical scrabs thrown out with them. They wrap up people like homeless drifters and no one's quite sure what their goals are.

I likes em.

And the ork with a thong on his face.:smallbiggrin:

ChaosDefender24
2009-06-15, 08:57 PM
monster of legend, ekolid, rogue eilodon, angel of decay

Lappy9000
2009-06-15, 09:20 PM
I'm the only person I know the loves the Raggamoffyn.

Come on, it's a naturally occuring contruct that forms when piles of discarded clothing have too many magical scrabs thrown out with them. They wrap up people like homeless drifters and no one's quite sure what their goals are.

I likes em.Yes! Raggamoffyns are awesomesauce :smallcool:

SilverClawShift
2009-06-15, 09:28 PM
Where's the love for Spell Weavers? Anyone? Anyone? Bueler? Bueler?

Spellweavers are actually like my favorite character ever. I've been bugging my DM to let me play an outcast Spellweaving Sorcerer for YEARS....

No dice.

Eldrys
2009-06-15, 09:31 PM
If I ever play a character from the monster manual with a high LA/racial HD, it will be Hound Archon. They're a badass race.

you stole my monster!:smallbiggrin:

The Tygre
2009-06-15, 09:59 PM
I'm a soft man for Serpent People. Not Yuan-Ti or naga, but Serpent People like the ones from the Cthulhu Mythos or, especially, Freeport. Nothing in the world cannot be improved by adding Yig-worshipping Sepent People. Especially when they live next to pot growing druid hippies. Yig bless you, Green Ronin!

arguskos
2009-06-15, 10:28 PM
Spellweavers are actually like my favorite character ever. I've been bugging my DM to let me play an outcast Spellweaving Sorcerer for YEARS....

No dice.
Uh... no durr? :smalltongue: Spell Weavers are SO POWERFUL it hurts my brain. Do they even have an LA? If so, it must be insanely massive...

Foryn Gilnith
2009-06-15, 10:32 PM
The Blade Dancer, from Tome of Magic, was the only one I remember as really catching my interest. Many others were intruiging, but the fact that I don't remember their names testifies to their relative mediocrity.

SilverClawShift
2009-06-15, 10:34 PM
Uh... no durr? :smalltongue: Spell Weavers are SO POWERFUL it hurts my brain. Do they even have an LA? If so, it must be insanely massive...

We've played epic.

GIVE ME SIX HANDS DAMMIT!

afroakuma
2009-06-15, 10:37 PM
Draedens. Yeah, chew on THAT one. :smallwink:

:smalltongue:

On the obscure monsters front: you guys are weak. Sussurus? Umpleby? Adherer? Carbuncle? Decapus? K'r'r'r? Lumineaux? Demarax?

evil-frosty
2009-06-15, 10:39 PM
afro i have never heard of any of those ones. All the other ones i at least heard about. What are they exactly?

arguskos
2009-06-15, 10:41 PM
We've played epic.

GIVE ME SIX HANDS DAMMIT!
Ah, well then. That changes things.

GIVE HER SIX HANDS DAMMIT!

Also, afro: :smalltongue: yourself. Are the Outer Beings obscure enough for ya? Or the Witchlight Mauraders? Pirates of Gith? Giff? GIANT SPACE HAMSTERS?! How about Yellow/Orange/Purple Dragons? :smallbiggrin:

Course, you've got me beat for truly obscure critters. I mean, K'r'r'r? Who the hell remembers THOSE? Other than you of course.

afroakuma
2009-06-15, 10:44 PM
On the obscure monsters front: you guys are weak. Sussurus?

Reprinted in MMIII in a subpar fashion. Walking thorny honeycomb monster that emits a stupefying drone. Excellent for a random encounter and contributes to weird dungeon ecologies.


Umpleby?

Stupid, stupid monster. Yeti meets static electricity.


Adherer?

Aberration, looks like a mummy but the folds of "cloth" are superadhesive skin.


Carbuncle?

What, never played a Final Fantasy?

Little armadillo creature with a precious stone in its forehead.


Decapus?

More obscure, certainly. Ten-armed beastie capable of projecting illusions.


K'r'r'r?

Bugs... In... SPACE...


Lumineaux?

Flying... translucent... glowy... silky... Manta rays... In... SPACE...


Demarax?

Your spells - dey is crystals - I must eats dem.


Also, afro: :smalltongue: yourself. Are the Outer Beings obscure enough for ya?

Pfft. Dream on.


Or the Witchlight Mauraders?

Easy.


Pirates of Gith? Giff?

Both in the 2.5 MM. I've known about them since I was 8.


GIANT SPACE HAMSTERS?!

Boo!


How about Yellow/Orange/Purple Dragons? :smallbiggrin:

Don't try to frighten me with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader.


Course, you've got me beat for truly obscure critters. I mean, K'r'r'r? Who the hell remembers THOSE? Other than you of course.

See? I could've made that contest impossible had I wished to.

arguskos
2009-06-15, 10:57 PM
See? I could've made that contest impossible had I wished to.
Course, but I woulda figured some of it out. Cause I'm fracking DEDICATED! :smallbiggrin:

Also, K'r'r'r are awesome. Needs more of them.

Rappy
2009-06-15, 11:09 PM
afro i have never heard of any of those ones. All the other ones i at least heard about. What are they exactly?

From those I can recognize from the Tome of Horrors and other old edition tributes...

Adherers are like mummies, only not. They're sopping wet aberrations with sticky "bandage" skin-folds.

Carbuncles are tricksters that resemble armadillos with gemstones on their heads. They have telepathy.

The decapus is a freakish tentacled creature that mimics a stereotypical damsel in distress with illusions and sound mimicry to catch its prey.

I nicknamed the umpleby "Static Discharge Yeti" for a reason.

Sussurus = Oriental Adventures-flavored shambling mound; bamboo mound, if you will.

The others I'm not sure about, although I think the lumineaux was a Spelljammer creature...

As for the original question, I'd have to say that I love the Scyllan from Stormwrack. They're big, bad, and mythology-based...add in a whirlpool beside them and you have a nightmarishly good encounter. If we're including "not quite official DnD but still WotC" creatures, I'd add in the Satanic ichor from Menace Manual. Body-snatching uber-smart oozes? Excellent. :smallamused:

EDIT: Well played, Afrokuma. That's what I get for leaving my post sitting while I get dinner.

afroakuma
2009-06-15, 11:09 PM
Course, but I woulda figured some of it out. Cause I'm fracking DEDICATED! :smallbiggrin:

Also, K'r'r'r are awesome. Needs more of them.

Oh?

What about rom? Silats? The molydeus? The klurichir? Arrtuk? Anadjiin? Bastelli? Chn'thrang? Disir? Riegars? Shivaks? Sivaks? The wyndlass?

I could keep up this silliness, or go further. The Tome of Horrors will save you from some, but by no means all, of my tricks.

arguskos
2009-06-15, 11:15 PM
Oh?

What about rom? Silats? The molydeus? The klurichir? Arrtuk? Anadjiin? Bastelli? Chn'thrang? Disir? Riegars? Shivaks? Sivaks? The wyndlass?

I could keep up this silliness, or go further. The Tome of Horrors will save you from some, but by no means all, of my tricks.
Molydeus is a demon, greater than the balor too. Has a snake growing out of one shoulder.

Klurchir is a pretty neat devil I believe. His claim to fame are his vorpal tusks and his mouth... that is in his belly region.

The rest I'd need to go and research a bit. Can't do it on a whim you know. :smallwink:

Also, Tome of Horrors? I don't even know that book. I just used my google-fu, some phone calls to old friends, and some good old fashioned deductive reasoning.

Further, I never said I'd get them ALL, just some, probably many. See my dedicated efforts in the contest? Where I was damn dedicated? :smalltongue:

Ixahinon
2009-06-15, 11:19 PM
Molydeus...that brings me back.

afroakuma
2009-06-15, 11:20 PM
Klurchir is a pretty neat devil I believe. His claim to fame are his vorpal tusks and his mouth... that is in his belly region.

Demon, not devil.


The rest I'd need to go and research a bit. Can't do it on a whim you know. :smallwink:

My superior powers triumph again.


Also, Tome of Horrors? I don't even know that book. I just used my google-fu, some phone calls to old friends, and some good old fashioned deductive reasoning.

Third party with license to reprint old 1st and 2nd ed. monsters.


Further, I never said I'd get them ALL, just some, probably many. See my dedicated efforts in the contest? Where I was damn dedicated? :smalltongue:

And you received your reward. :smalltongue:

arguskos
2009-06-15, 11:27 PM
Ah, see? I was working on memory alone, and I've had a damn long day. Still, I got two right. :smallwink:

Also, that reward was totally worth the effort and the wait. Are you EVER going to post the full progression? I have ideas for a brood of baddies....

FoE
2009-06-15, 11:33 PM
:smalltongue:

On the obscure monsters front: you guys are weak. Sussurus? Umpleby? Adherer? Carbuncle? Decapus? K'r'r'r? Lumineaux? Demarax?

I actually knew of four of those from 1E before I read your second post. :smalltongue:

afroakuma
2009-06-15, 11:35 PM
I actually knew of four of those from 1E before I read your second post. :smalltongue:

Sussurus, carbuncle, adherer from Fiend Folio, decapus from Silver Princess, right?

Yora
2009-06-16, 06:37 AM
I like the Niblewright, which is an extremely fast and agile animated armor.. Fighting with two rapiers seems rather silly, but I like the concept. And of course, the illustration. ^^

I also once designed a couple of monsters and later found someone had had the exact same ideas when reading fiend folio for the first time: A fungus that infests corpses to use as its bodies and a man-like plant that consists of vines that strangles and drowns its victims.