Non-Generic Monsters you love

[Yora]

While doing some "research" for my own campaigns, I noticed how many fantasy and even science fiction monsters are always the same thing. Sometimes with a different name, but an ogre is still a troll, a genlock is a goblin, and a balor is a balrog.
And having searched through monster lists for all kinds of RPGs and video games, 80% is always the same. Which we all already knew, but the amount of unique creatures for a specific setting appears to be much lower than I would have anticipated.

So I am calling on you to share creatures you like from any sources, that are not orcs, goblins, ghouls, zombies, and evil wolves with a new color. :smallbiggrin:

Aboleth: (Dungeons & Dragons) The lovecraftian influence is strong here, but still it's a unique creature created for Dungeons & Dragons, that somehow has remained so and to my knowledge never has appeared anywhere else. Aboleths are six meter long fish with three eyes lined up in a vertical row on its head and with four long tentacles in place of front fins. But most important is their extremely high intelligence and perfect memory. Not only do they have all the knowledge their parents had, they can also gain new knowledge by eating the brains of people it kills. Also, they have very strong psychic powers which allow them to bend the minds of others to their will and create many kinds of illusions. In addition, they secrete a substance into the water that turn air-breathing creatures into aquatic ones that can serve the aboleth as slaves. And for long term use, they turn their slaves permanently into fish people. Living in deep trenches of the oceans and in flooded caves that connect to the oceans, they are rarely encountered on land, but very great danger to anyone who explores these hidden places. [1] (http://www.iwozhere.com/SRD/images/MM35_PG8.jpg), [2] (http://images.wikia.com/forgottenrealms/images/5/5e/Aboleth_hidden.jpg)

Beholder: (Dungeons & Dragons) While there have been some tentative attemps at rip-offs, they usually are very obviously that, which makes these monsters unique creatures to Dungeons & Dragons. Giant floating heads with one big eye and ten stalks ending in smaller eyes instead of hair. And all the eyes can shot magic beams, except for the big one, which disables all magic it looks at. To make things worse, they are all completely insane. D&D produced dozens if not hundreds of extremely stupid monsters during the 80s and 90s (and may never have really stopped) and the Beholder really isn't that much different from them. But somehow it managed to establish itself as one big badass monster. [1] (http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationscreatures/games/dnd/beholder.jpg)

Illithid: (Dungeons & Dragons) And the third in the trinity of weird but awesome alien monsters from beneath the earth in Dungeons & Dragons. Humanoid monsters with squids for heads, most well known for their ability to mind control almost anything and for eating brains of enemies they stunned with their psychic powers. And on top of that, they are all so super smart, that it appears that all of their weird race are wizards. And as an added bonus, they reproduce by placing a larva into the brains of humanoid slaves, which then first eats away the brain and replaces it, and then turns all the other organs into that of an illithid, really leaving only the skeleton. [1] (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/attachments/requests-341/101455d1304177451-mind-flayer-mindflayer-3-.jpg)

Gunship & Strider Synth: (Half-Life 2) Somehow this game came out so far back that when I played it I had only read that there are helicopters that look very organic, without ever having seen one. And no kidding. These don't look organic, they appear to be giant cybrog-seals with a propeller! Maybe cyborgs, maybe more like flesh-golems, but I really consider them creatures and not machines. They are really tough, equipped with a heavy machine gun, and even can deflect missiles. Which are about the only thing to really damage them. And they are also quite smart and never make it easy to hide from them and catching them by suprise.[1] (http://www.thewall.de/content/_media/half-life_2:entities:npc_combinegunship:gunship.jpg) [2] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvHxrQTODZc#t=40s) Later on you also meet the striders, which appear to have the same kind of skin, but are more like giant crabs with three ten meter tall legs. With which they can stab people on the ground and get almost anywhere. And they also have the same heavy machine gun, plus a weird energy weapon that can blast away houses. [3] (http://images.wikia.com/half-life/en/images/f/fd/Strider_crouched.jpg)

Charr: (Guild Wars) The Charr are actually not terrible creative when you see their appearance. "A hybrid between a minotaur and a lion" is a pretty accurate description. But I think they are not just cat-people or minotaurs with fangs. In the games, they fill the role that usually falls to orcs, those savage brutes from the north that invade and destroy human cities. But they are much larger and more like powerful animals, but also have their villages, temples, and shamans, which I think is quite neat. Again, not terrible creative, but it is something different than orcs. [1] (http://wiki.guildwars.com/images/c/c8/%22Charr_Group%22_concept_art_2.jpg)

[An Enemy Spy]

Flood Pure Forms: Shapeshifting nightmares made of pieces of recycled corpses with no faces.

[Radar]

In an old RPG called Wizardry 7 (there were 8 games in the series and numerous other available in Japan only for some reason) you could encouter many weird creatures, with things as generic as oversized insects, flying jellyfishes, butterflies or man-eating plants, but there was something quite interesting as well: a creature aply named Crawling Waste - it was literally a pile of garbrage sitting in a corner long enough to become alive. Sure, there are many ooze-like monsters in dozens of fantasy settings, but a pile of waste trying to eat you was a new one for me.

[Mercenary Pen]

In an old RPG called Wizardry 7 (there were 8 games in the series and numerous other available in Japan only for some reason) you could encouter many weird creatures, with things as generic as oversized insects, flying jellyfishes, butterflies or man-eating plants, but there was something quite interesting as well: a creature aply named Crawling Waste - it was literally a pile of garbrage sitting in a corner long enough to become alive. Sure, there are many ooze-like monsters in dozens of fantasy settings, but a pile of waste trying to eat you was a new one for me.

Pokemon has done this one since... (check out Trubbish (http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/568.shtml) and Garbodor (http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/569.shtml))

[Scowling Dragon]

The horror of.... The Gazebo!

[Giggling Ghast]

I quite like the Varterral from Dragon Age, in part because it's a construct of elven make, but also because I don't rightly know how to describe it. Is it a reptile? Is it a spider? Is it a golem? I can't tell, but I do know that it's rather funky-looking.

http://images.wikia.com/dragonage/images/4/4d/VarterralDAII2.png

[Dumbledore lives]

Morrowind had some very unique creatures, sure there were the standard rats and skeletons and stuff, but you also had the Netches, giant jellyfish things which just kind of hung out. They were completely non-hostile, though when you first saw one you had no idea of that, and the male and females looked completely different. Here's a picture of a bull netch (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c389/Janx_14/Morrowind%20Creature/morrowind_small_netchbull-1.png).

Then there was the whole variety of things which were mouths on legs, or teeth on things, honestly Morrowind was one of the first games to make me think I was in a completely different universe, just because of how weird and foreign the monsters looked. Even the friendly ones were terrifying. Then there was stupid Oblivion with it's run of the mill monsters everywhere. Oh well, I've still got the memories of the strangest monsters this side of 2003.

[Logic]

I always thought that the Charr from Guild Wars were basically Gnoll/Minotaur Hybrids. Not exactly unique, throwing two monsters together, but an interesting concept with what they did.

I've always been under the impression that the Illithid was inspired by Cthulu. However, I still don't think there are that many "copies" of Mind Flayers out there.

The Xenomorphs from the Alien series was fairly original in 1979. We all know what has happened since then.

Monster the GM Made Up Himself from Munchkin is pretty original.

[Ravens_cry]

Owl bears. They're big with massive claws that could swipe your head clean off your shoulders and a beak that could decapitate a man in one bite.
Inevitables. Personifications of an implacable universe.
Chilling.
Kobolds. I have but rarely seen art that didn't make me want to pick these up and give them a hug.

[Logic]

Owl bears. They're big with massive claws that could swipe your head clean off your shoulders and a beak that could decapitate a man in one bite.
Inevitables. Personifications of an implacable universe.
Chilling.
Kobolds. I have but rarely seen art that didn't make me want to pick these up and give them a hug.Crap. I meant to mention Owlbears, but forgot!

[Nekura]

From the computer game Quest for Glory the Cheetaur. Kind of like a centaur only instead of a horse the bottom part is a panther and instead of the human part it is an anthro panther.

[Lord Loss]

Chaurus and Falmer from Skyrim are pretty damn cool, I love them in all their creepy, freaky glory.

Necromorphs were a really neat twist on the undead. They're gross out horror done right, IMO. They don't just scare you with blood, they disgust you in both appearance and in concept, fridge horror and gore porn combined perfectly. Scared me so much I never finished Dead Space :p

Big Daddies. Not just their cool appearance and cute-yet-creepy relationship with little sisters, but the whole process of being turned into one/the way they're formed sort of squicks me out but in a good way.

[Rake21]

The Thing
John Carpenter's interpretation of the Thing was incredible. It has no real form, instead perverting every species it's ever come in contact with in order to survive and kill.

It's smart, predatory, and infinatly adaptable.

The Moorwen

Has anyone else seen "Outlander"? It's actually the perfect example of taking a silly as **** concept and actually doing something good with it. Vikings teaming up with a space marine to fight an alien monstrosity. It's a lot better than it sounds.:smallbiggrin:

Anyways, the Moorwen. It's design is really sleek, almost cat-like. The monster is incredibly powerful and about the size of a small elephant, but it relies on an adaptive camoflage to stalk it's prey. Then it reveals itself with some bioluminesence before it tears you apart.

Here's a picture:
http://www.explore-science-fiction-movies.com/images/lethal-types-of-aliens-moorwen.jpg

I kind of like it.

[Yora]

I always thought that the Charr from Guild Wars were basically Gnoll/Minotaur Hybrids. Not exactly unique, throwing two monsters together, but an interesting concept with what they did.
I once attempted to stat them for D&D:
1. Take a minotaur.
2. Remove immunity to mazes.
3. Done.

Falmers are cool, but I think they are lesser versions of the Snorks from Stalker (http://blog.woxcomputer.hu/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stalker_snork.jpg). They are much more degenerate and feral and all that jumping in your face makes them a lot more unpleasant. :smallbiggrin:

Bring the hate, but more than Big Daddies I like Big Sisters. Based on the System Shock games and Bioshock 1, I had actually assumed there is only a single Big Sister that you encounter at many occasions throughout the game. That would have been even a lot cooler. But even so, they are still really cool and lots of fun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwiQN1MybtI).
They are very strong, they are very agile, they are extremely fast, they are extremely tough, scream a lot, jump in your face, stab you with a huge spike on their wrist, have telekinesis, and shot fire from their brain!
And in the end, you have your little girl done one of the suits whoop ass like there's no tomorrow.

[Inglenook]

Ditto on John Carpenter's The Thing. The monster still gives me the willies all these years later.

In a similar vein, the monster from Splinter. Moderately gruesome picture here (http://media.sfx.co.uk/files/splinter400.jpg). It's a needle-like parasite that slowly overtakes the host's nervous system, causing the host to lose control of their body while remaining aware of what's happening. Severed areas (and infected corpses) are still "alive" and continue to move of their own accord.

The worst part is the way it moves—spasmodically twisting limbs and bending joints in ways that they shouldn't bend, accompanied by the snapping of tendons and bones. :smalleek:

[Logic]

I once attempted to stat them for D&D:
1. Take a minotaur.
2. Remove immunity to mazes.
3. ?????
4: Profit!

Fixed that for you.

[Yora]

Does anyone know of a setting that has a rich fictional wildlife?

Avatar has all it's antelope-dogs, platypus-bears, monkey-birds, and who knows else, but that's really the only one that comes to my mind.

[Fragenstein]

The old-school Hidden Horror from Magic the Gathering. It was a tough monster with a cheap mana cost. Another creature has to be sacrificed for it to be put into play, however.

So, conceptually, it hides within a lesser monster and bursts out onto the battlefield in a shower of blood. That plus some of the best artwork in the game made it a personal favorite.

http://bidwicket.com/Item/C/Collectible_Card_Games/Magic_the_Gathering/Singles/Weatherlight/34133_1M_Hidden_Horror.JPEG

[Logic]

Does anyone know of a setting that has a rich fictional wildlife?

Avatar has all it's antelope-dogs, platypus-bears, monkey-birds, and who knows else, but that's really the only one that comes to my mind.

There are plenty of fictional animals in Star Wars. Nerf have got to be the best Space-cowscattle ever.

[Serpentine]

I think Animorphs is probably up there.
There's the Andalites, which are sort of like centaurs if they were part blue deer instead of horse, had a massive bladed tail, had extra eyeballs on stalks, and had no mouth. They were militarised herbivores who ate through their hooves.
The yeerks are possibly somewhat less original - literal brain slugs, squishy little things that squeeze through a person's ear canal and take over their bodies.
There's the taxxons, gigantic voracious (and cannibalistic) millipedes.
There's the peaceful-but-scary-looking hork-bajir, sort of birdy-lizardy bipeds covered in spikes and horns and blades (designed for cutting bark, but co-opted for war).
...and that's not even getting into all the horrifying creatures Visser Three morphs into at various times.

What was that incredibly mediocre horror-scifi that came out a few years ago, with the brain-snatching aliens with the big ships and stuff? I remember quite liking the monsters in that.

[thubby]

the various void-critters from league of legends are pretty cool.

[Gadora]

Does anyone know of a setting that has a rich fictional wildlife?

Avatar has all it's antelope-dogs, platypus-bears, monkey-birds, and who knows else, but that's really the only one that comes to my mind.

Well, the Stormlight Archives spring to mind. Most of the critters are hexapod crustaceans. The world does appear to grow more "normal" the further in you go from the coast, even going so far in there as to have such exotic things as horses and grass that doesn't retract into the ground. (Most of the single book that's out is set in the coastal area, so I think this counts.)

[Marillion]

For sheer nightmare power, you don't get much better than The Pale Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VEp1qeITow&t=2m30s) from Pan's Labyrinth and Mr. Fingers (http://www.goblinscomic.com/04292011/) from Goblins.

[irenicObserver]

The folklore of different cultures contain many varied and unique monsters that can invoke passion and wonder. The folklore of japan was one I studied a few years ago. Each and every monster was unique and I'm surprised to not see it included in more of their fantasy works. You can see learn about them A-Z here (http://www.obakemono.com/introduction.php).The SCP Foundation came up with some rather interesting things that go bump in the night:
Invisible stalkers that kill your sleep before eating you when you collapse from exhaustion.
A perception reading monster that can hide in everyone's blind spots torturing it's target by sneaking in the corners of their eyes
Bubble bath jellyfish that clean you by using your dead skin to make coral homes in the tub. Before they move onto your flesh and bone when you're all clean.
Things of that nature.
I also enjoyed Pterry's Dromes, the dream spinning scavengers from fairyland.

[Yora]

For sheer nightmare power, you don't get much better than The Pale Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VEp1qeITow&t=2m30s) from Pan's Labyrinth and Mr. Fingers (http://www.goblinscomic.com/04292011/) from Goblins.
What about Koh the Face Stealer (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/Dinoman42/koh.jpg) from Avatar.
Wong Shi Tong (http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgsv8suOrH1qdqxfb.png) also is really cool. He may just be a giant owl, but a badass giant owl who keeps all the knowledge in the world and dispises people.

And since we're at it, that giant mole hound thingy beast (http://mimg.ugo.com/201008/55761/cuts/shirshu_480x360.jpg). It has no eyes, senses by smell, and has a paralyzing tongue. And is also damn fast.

[factotum]

I quite liked the opponents in the latest Penny Arcade game--they range from animated evil portraits to fashionably-dressed wolfmen and giant skulls; there's very little you ever fight in there that you could genuinely say "Same old, same old!".

Another vote to Morrowind as well...it's the only RPG I can think of in the last decade that really made you feel like you were walking through an utterly alien environment. Even the *dead* monsters were awesome--there was a crab shell so enormous they built the "posh" quarter of a major town inside it!

[grimbold]

Pokemon has done this one since... (check out Trubbish (http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/568.shtml) and Garbodor (http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/569.shtml))

why must pokemon ruin my childhood like this?

[shadow_archmagi]

I'm particularly fond of the Weretable. Weretables are a lot like normal coffee tables, but with sharper edges, so that when you stumble into one at night and bang your shin against it, you get infected with tablecanthropy.

It's spread mostly by burglars, who don't realize they're infected, so they transform while in the home of another, and then the original residents stumble into them in the darkness.

[irenicObserver]

why must pokemon ruin my childhood like this?

Aren't you a little old for your childhood to still be ruined?

[Serpentine]

Yes. Yes he is. The bastard.

[JoeMac307]

I like Dire Wraiths (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dire_Wraith). I'm pretty sure that at the time they were created, they were the only shape-shifting, matriarchial alien sorcerers that looked like giant red slugs / reptilian humanoids around.

[DigoDragon]

Wispmothers from Skyrim, and their attendant wisps. Those things give me the heebilie-jeebilies.

[JustSomeGuy]

MitD from someplace or other, i forget

[Tergon]

The Weeping Angels.
Doctor Who
I mean c'mon. Quantum-locked abstract beings that cease to exist the moment they're not being observed, cannot be destroyed by any known physical means because they'll regenerate from the power of the universe itself, and as soon as you look away they can move at super-speeds to either kill you with a single blow or send you to a distant point of space and time to feed from the potential energy left by the you-shaped hole in the universe. But mostly it's the creep factor. You defeat them by looking at them and not looking away, which is simultaneously the easiest and hardest thing to do ever. And if you happen to look into their eyes while you do it, you're still screwed.


The Leviathans
Supernatural
They've been criticised for being fairly lame as monsters on this show go. Basically they're Shapeshifters only much harder to kill. But it's the concept behind them that really makes me love the idea of the Leviathans. The first living things created by God, who realised shortly afterwards that they were far too powerful to be allowed to go free. But, unwilling to kill them, he locked them away in Purgatory for eternity. They've been around since the first moments of Creation and are stronger than anything short of God and Death, and now they're loose. And instead of going on a bloody rampage of destruction like most monsters, or single-mindedly pursuing their objective like Angels and Demons, they're content to build up a literal empire and then take over the world without anyone even noticing. They're terrifyingly intelligent, as one would expect of such ancient beings, and when they meet someone they're actually fairly talkative and polite - because they know that they are so far beyond anything else in existence, they don't need to stomp around being scary. They're a monster so powerful, so intelligent, and so awful, that they can afford to sit down and have a chat with you before eating you alive - because even if you run, they have all the time in the world to catch you later, and in the meantime they're quite cheerfully taking over the rest of the world all around you.



The Rats
James Herbert's Rats series
Nothing here aside from what it says on the tin. A breed of black rats caused by mutated species crossing with existing ones. They grow to the size of small dogs, they breed at an incredible rate, they're considerably smarter than their non-mutant cousins, and they're goddamn hungry. Any fear they have of humans fades as their numbers grow, and suddenly with London full of literally tens of thousands of ravenous giant rats, they start coming out. Homeless and elderly folks go first, then vulnerable kids, and then the onslaught just starts for any human they can find. Unstoppable, relentless, and even if you kill one rat that only means that the next twenty fix their attention on you. Terrifying, but also awesome.

[JetThomasBoat]

I'm particularly fond of the Weretable. Weretables are a lot like normal coffee tables, but with sharper edges, so that when you stumble into one at night and bang your shin against it, you get infected with tablecanthropy.

It's spread mostly by burglars, who don't realize they're infected, so they transform while in the home of another, and then the original residents stumble into them in the darkness.

This is really funny.

I'm going to put in Lavos from Chrono Trigger. I know the whole evil from beyond the stars is a fairly common theme in some RPGs, but I think Lavos is pretty unique in that it's like a big ol' porcupine! :P

EDITED: In before someone says Daleks.

[JustSomeGuy]

Audrey II from Little shop of Horrors; a sentient (and manipulative), moving vampiric space plant.

[irenicObserver]

Borgs, Vice-Versa, The Yaksha and Samson. All are symbtiotic hats; Borgs are froglike aliens with wings that have extendable combat tentacles in the form of auger drills coming out the feather tips. Vice-Versa is a living weapon hat that grows two huge beefy arms for all kind of slamming and punching fun. The Yaksha and Samson are both shapeshifters with immense amounts of utility. Samson resembles eyes and a maw in the back of your head using your hair as tendrils.

[The Succubus]

The Rats
James Herbert's Rats series
Nothing here aside from what it says on the tin. A breed of black rats caused by mutated species crossing with existing ones. They grow to the size of small dogs, they breed at an incredible rate, they're considerably smarter than their non-mutant cousins, and they're goddamn hungry. Any fear they have of humans fades as their numbers grow, and suddenly with London full of literally tens of thousands of ravenous giant rats, they start coming out. Homeless and elderly folks go first, then vulnerable kids, and then the onslaught just starts for any human they can find. Unstoppable, relentless, and even if you kill one rat that only means that the next twenty fix their attention on you. Terrifying, but also awesome.

Not entirely correct. I'll spoiler this next bit because people really should read this awesome trilogy:

You forgot the obese two headed rat that guides the swarm. Largely furless but grotesquely large, these rats serve as a omni-mind guided by the strong and powerful of the black rats. The lesser rats are subserviant, bringing it the severed heads of their human victims to devour the brain matter inside.

In Domain, following a nuclear holocaust, the mutant rats get really ugly....

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Gunship & Strider Synth: (Half-Life 2)

Technically, striders are nothing new. Many science fiction novels had a 3 legged semi living or mechanical walker. They just reimaged it a bit. But in terms of dungeons and dragons? Sure.


The Weeping Angels.
Doctor Who

Technically wouldn't the weeping angels be a form of gargoyle for all tense and purposes?

EDIT: What about the aliens from district 9?

[Tergon]

Only in that they are made of stone and look like decorative statues. But they're explicitly explained as a species unlike anything in the universe, and they're also much more intelligent than gargoyles generally are portrayed. Plus they're pretty much unkillable.

There's similarities, but nothing more than saying a Vampire is kind of like a Werewolf.

[Serpentine]

Technically wouldn't the weeping angels be a form of gargoyle for all tense and purposes?Not at all. Literally the only thing they have in common is that they look like stone statues. Especially not at all when you consider that the original gargoyle was a water-spewing dragon-thing (fun fact: if the "gargoyle" isn't connected with water, it's a grotesque, not a gargoyle).
(also it's "all intents and purposes")

[Fragenstein]

Not at all. Literally the only thing they have in common is that they look like stone statues. Especially not at all when you consider that the original gargoyle was a water-spewing dragon-thing (fun fact: if the "gargoyle" isn't connected with water, it's a grotesque, not a gargoyle).
(also it's "all intents and purposes")

I've always enjoyed 'All Intensive Purposes', even if it's nonsense. Plus I actually knew the bit about grotesques, but only because of that one scene in Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

[Lord Tyger]

From Bas-Lag...

The Slake Moth. It devours your psyche. It doesn't matter what you are- human, vampire, bird-person, sentient parasitic hand, it's implied that even the demons in the setting are afraid. It's wings bear hypnotic patterns, unless looked at in a mirror (but two mirrors? Back to hypnosis.) Also, it brings an entire city to its knees with nightmares just to make them more tasty when it feeds.

The Weaver- the hyperdimensional spider god, who has decided the entire world is its web, and acts to beautify- according to some wildly alien definitions of beauty. At one point it decided that the world would be better if everyone in a certain room was missing one ear. So it cut them off.

The Handlingers- those sentient parasitic hands from earlier. Crawl under your clothes and possess you. The left hands are the noble case and give the commands, while the right hands imbue their hosts with flight and the ability to breathe fire.

The Anophelii- mosquito people. The males look fairly human, but the women have wings and can extend a proboscis from their mouths to drain their victims of blood. The women are also frenzied and unable to reason except just after they've gorged themselves on blood.

[Yora]

Technically, striders are nothing new. Many science fiction novels had a 3 legged semi living or mechanical walker. They just reimaged it a bit. But in terms of dungeons and dragons? Sure.

Tripods are vehicles. In HL2, they are creatures.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Not at all. Literally the only thing they have in common is that they look like stone statues. Especially not at all when you consider that the original gargoyle was a water-spewing dragon-thing (fun fact: if the "gargoyle" isn't connected with water, it's a grotesque, not a gargoyle).
(also it's "all intents and purposes")

I sit corrected!

Still, I could see where they took the idea of gargoyles/grotesques and made them something awsome.

[Thinker]

There's similarities, but nothing more than saying a Vampire is kind of like a Werewolf.

Aren't those both just some sort of dracula?

[Yora]

Dracula is a single character.

[Thinker]

Dracula is a single character.

It was a joke.

[AgentofHellfire]

The Erasers from the Maximum Ride Trilogy (I ignore everything after III), are quite cool. They're sort of like taking an entirely new spin on werewolves.

In fact, pretty much everything Itex made in the series is pretty awesome, when you take into account their ability to be modified, and most importantly how their "soulessness" actually means something.

[Fiery Diamond]

I'm particularly fond of the Weretable. Weretables are a lot like normal coffee tables, but with sharper edges, so that when you stumble into one at night and bang your shin against it, you get infected with tablecanthropy.

It's spread mostly by burglars, who don't realize they're infected, so they transform while in the home of another, and then the original residents stumble into them in the darkness.

This is awesome. Where did this come from?


The Rats
James Herbert's Rats series
Nothing here aside from what it says on the tin. A breed of black rats caused by mutated species crossing with existing ones. They grow to the size of small dogs, they breed at an incredible rate, they're considerably smarter than their non-mutant cousins, and they're goddamn hungry. Any fear they have of humans fades as their numbers grow, and suddenly with London full of literally tens of thousands of ravenous giant rats, they start coming out. Homeless and elderly folks go first, then vulnerable kids, and then the onslaught just starts for any human they can find. Unstoppable, relentless, and even if you kill one rat that only means that the next twenty fix their attention on you. Terrifying, but also awesome.

This reminds me: I saw a paper ad for a sequel movie to the killer shrews movie. The tagline was "Only one man remembers how to tame them ... or die trying."

I facepalmed so hard and couldn't stop laughing for a while. Fortunately, my laughs were quiet, as the ad was taped to the window at my workplace.

[pita]

I love the Catoblepas. Long-necked-death-vision-warthog-camel. It lives in swamps.

[Aedilred]

EDITED: In before someone says Daleks.
Indeed. They traumatised an entire generation of children, after all.

I'll also go ahead and mention the Velociraptors from Jurassic Park. Obviously they're based on real creatures (although not Velociraptors, which were different) but the profile that "raptors" now enjoy and the fear they inspire is pretty much entirely down to the way they were presented in that film.

[KnightOfV]

I've recently become a huge fan of THE FEY. Sidhe courts that cannot lie, but will make bargains, can use glamours and charms to enchant, and generally use mortals as their playthings makes for all types of interesting stories and adventures. Elves as long-lived pointy eared magic humans are boring. Dark elves are tiresome and overdone. Elves as immortal capricious, prideful creatures that drag children off in the night, go from hostile to friendly and back because of a song, or a lie, and place no value on mortal life are interesting! Celtic folktales are full of awesome ideas. Pan's Labrynth is excellent in depicting them, as are the Dresden Files books. Also the MtG Lorewyn block. I honestly wish the Fey would get used more in books and media.

[Tergon]

I've recently become a huge fan of THE FEY. Sidhe courts that cannot lie, but will make bargains, can use glamours and charms to enchant, and generally use mortals as their playthings makes for all types of interesting stories and adventures. Elves as long-lived pointy eared magic humans are boring. Dark elves are tiresome and overdone. Elves as immortal capricious, prideful creatures that drag children off in the night, go from hostile to friendly and back because of a song, or a lie, and place no value on mortal life are interesting! Celtic folktales are full of awesome ideas. Pan's Labrynth is excellent in depicting them, as are the Dresden Files books. Also the MtG Lorewyn block. I honestly wish the Fey would get used more in books and media.

See also: Hellboy 2. As much maligned as that movie is (and as justified as it may or may not be, depending on your opinion), they actually did their homework on the Fey Folk.

[Baxxie]

Grass. The deadliest monster ever to be in an RPG, featured in Ultima.

[KnightOfV]

See also: Hellboy 2. As much maligned as that movie is (and as justified as it may or may not be, depending on your opinion), they actually did their homework on the Fey Folk.

Huh. I guess I will actually have to check that out, thanks.

[Yora]

Grass. The deadliest monster ever to be in an RPG, featured in Ultima.
Have you seen the movie?

Now that I think of it, I like the Angels and Evas from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Yes, they are giant monster robots, but they do have unique appearances and background. But the best of it is the mystery of their nature which slowly gets somewhat unraveled and is basically the entire plot of the series.

But this one here from the reboot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8HqgM1qcdo) is cool to watch without any context. :smallbiggrin:

[Eldest]

That giant Turtle... island... thing from Avatar. Also, I like the Little Folk from the Dresden Files.

[Serpentine]

I've been reading some Lovecraft for the first time ever (up to about the 6th story of 60-odd in the Collected Stories), and his creations have gotta be in there.

[Avilan the Grey]

From Dresden:
His portrayal of the Fair Folk is really unique and good.

Other:
The Xenomorphs when Alien first came out.
The Leviathans from Codex Alera (basically looks like a cross big big BIG sea turtles with no shells, and carnevourus as short-necked Plesiousaurs, which according to WoG they evolved from). The smallest specimen are 40 feet long, the biggest destroy armadas.

[Baxxie]

Have you seen the movie?

Now that I think of it, I like the Angels and Evas from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Yes, they are giant monster robots, but they do have unique appearances and background. But the best of it is the mystery of their nature which slowly gets somewhat unraveled and is basically the entire plot of the series.

But this one here from the reboot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8HqgM1qcdo) is cool to watch without any context. :smallbiggrin:

Uh, the movie?

[Yora]

there is at least one grass-apocalypse short film on youtube. I think finish or dutch.

[Baxxie]

there is at least one grass-apocalypse short film on youtube. I think finish or dutch.

Oh, wow. That sounds amazing, lol. I'll see if I can find it.

[Kris Strife]

Since no one else has mentioned him, Classic Godzilla. :smalltongue:

[Kitten Champion]

I love the variety of interesting youkai from Japanese folklore, and similar ideas.

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/147/8/8/the_demon_parade_by_sanpincha-d51aiw5.jpg

Modern interpretations of western myths/folklore focus on making their monsters rational in design -- like they could exist with a bit of fleshing out. The alien monster takes the magic out of the equation entirely and moves into speculation.

Personally, I prefer the whimsical lack of reasoned limitations.

[McStabbington]

I'm particularly fond of the Weretable. Weretables are a lot like normal coffee tables, but with sharper edges, so that when you stumble into one at night and bang your shin against it, you get infected with tablecanthropy.

It's spread mostly by burglars, who don't realize they're infected, so they transform while in the home of another, and then the original residents stumble into them in the darkness.

I read this 20 minutes ago and I still can't stop giggling. Well done.

[Urpriest]

I think Animorphs is probably up there.
There's the Andalites, which are sort of like centaurs if they were part blue deer instead of horse, had a massive bladed tail, had extra eyeballs on stalks, and had no mouth. They were militarised herbivores who ate through their hooves.
The yeerks are possibly somewhat less original - literal brain slugs, squishy little things that squeeze through a person's ear canal and take over their bodies.
There's the taxxons, gigantic voracious (and cannibalistic) millipedes.
There's the peaceful-but-scary-looking hork-bajir, sort of birdy-lizardy bipeds covered in spikes and horns and blades (designed for cutting bark, but co-opted for war).
...and that's not even getting into all the horrifying creatures Visser Three morphs into at various times.

What was that incredibly mediocre horror-scifi that came out a few years ago, with the brain-snatching aliens with the big ships and stuff? I remember quite liking the monsters in that.

I was just about to post the Animorphs, but you beat me to them. Missing are the tiny guys whose names I forget, the absurdly evil folks who really just don't understand that humans don't like pain, the absurdly good dog-android fellows, the Elimnist, whose name I remember partially because he's a gamer who became a god.

[JCarter426]

Kobolds. I have but rarely seen art that didn't make me want to pick these up and give them a hug.
Kobolds are generic. It's just their D&D portrayal that isn't typical.

[Serpentine]

Missing are the tiny guys whose names I forget,Forget their name. Man those things were annoying.

the absurdly evil folks who really just don't understand that humans don't like pain,Howlers, you mean? Those guys were pretty cool. I like the way they were defeated :smallbiggrin:

the absurdly good dog-android fellows, the Elimnist, whose name I remember partially because he's a gamer who became a god.Ellimist. Did we ever find out what he actually originally looked like? Apparently the only reason he appeared mostly humanish to the Animorphs was because that's what they would relate to.
There's his counterpart, too, of course: Crayak.

edit: Here's (http://ferahgo-the-assassin.deviantart.com/art/Animorphs-The-Ellimist-166879103) one Ellimist interpretation.

[Inglenook]

That picture's pretty close to how the Ellimist's original form was described: four wings, four eyes, quills instead of hair, talons, etc. The only thing missing are the "pods".

And of course by the end he was a planet-sized mishmash of spaceship and animal. And then falling into a black hole turned him into a god.

I love the Ellimist. :smallbiggrin:

[Feytalist]

I can add the sandworms of Dune to the list. Not the only "monster popping up from under the sand" or even the most unique, but I do like the fact that they were given a whole descriptive ecology and life cycle, and purpose, as it were. Also the fact that you could ride them if you were skilled, brave and suicidal enough.

Also I'm just now reminded of that old CGI short film Rockfish. Has anyone seen that? That was cool.