Volo's Guide to Monsters Art spoiled via extra life

[Belac93]

Extra life has released art for 4 monsters from Volo's Guide to Monsters. I recognize one of them, but I'm wondering if anyone knows what the other three are?

http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o710/Belac93/VoloPreview1_zpsxegdqv2n.jpg Don't really have much of an idea what this is. I'm assuming it's an aberration, and it doesn't look too menacing.
http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o710/Belac93/VoloPreview2_zpsewouxbak.jpg?1474132194562&1474132199476 Maybe we'll be getting some Kura-tar monsters? Probably a celestial.
http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o710/Belac93/VoloPreview3_zpscmsjwg5z.jpg?t=1474045285This one I know. The Flail snail, one of the sillier D&D monsters.
http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o710/Belac93/VoloPreview4_zpsss1gqqwt.jpg This looks really cool, and I hope it ends up being a player option (but probably not). Maybe a Dalkyr? But I think those are Eberron.

[DracoKnight]

The only one I know is the flail snail, lol. The image for the second one is broken, btw; I can't see what it is.

[Belac93]

The only one I know is the flail snail, lol. The image for the second one is broken, btw; I can't see what it is.

Fixed that. Should work now.

[Georlik]

http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o710/Belac93/VoloPreview2_zpsewouxbak.jpg~original
Have you never heard of it? I suggest you watch The Twelve Kingdoms. Bear through the first episodes and you are in for a ride.

[Occasional Sage]

Number two looks like a ki-rin.

The beholder thing rings distant bells waaaay back in my head as some kind of aquatic variant?

EDIT: A quick image google of the classical ki-rin (http://fairyroom.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/fairyroom_Kirin_by_ChrisHerself.jpeg).

[Degwerks]

If the first one is a Beholder relative, it could be Eye of the Deep, an aquatic breed.

[JellyPooga]

http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o710/Belac93/VoloPreview1_zpsxegdqv2n.jpg

I'm hoping it's a tiny Aberration that you can take as a familiar :smallredface:

[Millstone85]

I think I found the beholder relative.http://i.imgur.com/Sx1OILK.png

The Death Kiss, or "bleeder," is a fearsome predator found in caverns or ruins. Its spherical body resembles that of the dreaded beholder, but the "eyestalks" of this creature are bloodsucking tentacles, its "eyes" are hook-toothed orifices. They favor a diet of humans and horses, but will attack anything that has blood. An older name for these creatures is eye of terror.

[DracoKnight]

I think I found the beholder relative.http://i.imgur.com/Sx1OILK.png

The Death Kiss, or "bleeder," is a fearsome predator found in caverns or ruins. Its spherical body resembles that of the dreaded beholder, but the "eyestalks" of this creature are bloodsucking tentacles, its "eyes" are hook-toothed orifices. They favor a diet of humans and horses, but will attack anything that has blood. An older name for these creatures is eye of terror.

I think you found it as well...and if that's what it is then that's terrifying. :smalleek:

[JellyPooga]

I think you found it as well...and if that's what it is then that's terrifying. :smalleek:

I still want one as a familar.

[Millstone85]

Regarding the humanoid with tentacle arms, it reminds me about what the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide has to say about the archipelago of Purple Rocks.We left on good terms, and it wasn't until we were well away that we realized we all shared a strange apprehension. We had not seen much of women while we were on the island, which was to be expected since Northlanders typically house guests well away from the homes, farms, and forges that are the Northlander women's domain. But we also neither saw nor heard any children or young men, and never once did we see any old men or women. Indeed, I hesitate to say that any man among the Northlanders we met had a single gray hair on his head or in his beard. This strange fact, and the Rocklanders' weird custom of giving any human figure in their art the arms of their totem- a many-tentacled squid- makes me leery of a return.

[Aembrosia]

http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o710/Belac93/VoloPreview4_zpsss1gqqwt.jpg This looks really cool, and I hope it ends up being a player option (but probably not). Maybe a Dalkyr? But I think those are Eberron.

Kraken Society cultist pleeeaase

[Gastronomie]

Twelve Kingdoms is a masterpiece. Okay, I actually prefer the original novel to the anime adaptation, but I doubt the novel is translated into other languages.

The Beholder cousin's eyes look pretty cute.

[TripleD]

That Beholder kin...

I realize it's a terrifying bloodsucking aberration. But that art! It looks like it wants a hug so badly! I imagine it twiddling its tentacles together as it goes "I hope wizard-sempai notices me today".

[Belac93]

I hope they make the beholder creature available as a warlock minion.

[Regitnui]

As one of the local Eberron lorekeepers, I can confirm that Mr. Tentacle Arm is not a Daelkyr. Daelkyr generally look like androgynous humanoids, barring any cosmetic modifications they choose to make to themselves. That's too masculine and the armour too inorganic to be a daelkyr. I think we're looking at a tsochar host (the tsochar are bundles of tentacles that possess humanoids) or a warped human. Psuedonatural template?

Now I want an Eberron book... *sighs*

[Herobizkit]

The last guy with tentacle arms could be a Yuan-Ti (snake-person). It's another of WotC's protected IP's and the name was thrown around a bunch during the fund-raiser.

I'm so happy they're bringing back the Flail Snail. We need us an Al'mi-raj next. And a Crysmal, maybe.

And Grippli.

Dang it.

[JellyPooga]

The last guy with tentacle arms could be a Yuan-Ti (snake-person).

Hmm...it doesn't look like a Yuan-Ti to me, but maybe they're introducing a new iteration of them. It looks to me as if those tentacles have been grafted on somehow, which suggests a creation of one of the Aberrant races, perhaps an Illithid or Aboleth thrall of some description?

[HammeredWharf]

The first one strongly reminds me of this older monster:
http://www.thedawgsdish.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/sad-pug.jpg

[Herobizkit]

Hmm...it doesn't look like a Yuan-Ti to me, but maybe they're introducing a new iteration of them. It looks to me as if those tentacles have been grafted on somehow, which suggests a creation of one of the Aberrant races, perhaps an Illithid or Aboleth thrall of some description?The coloration of the 'tentacles' suggested snake-like protrusions,even if they don't end in snake-heads. IIRC, there were all sorts of mutant Yuan-ti variants that only featured one or two snake traits on their person.

Also, his armor suggests something one might see in Maztica, the D&D Aztec-like setting, and Yuan-Ti featured prominently there. Also also, during the fundraiser, Stan! confirmed that the Tabaxi was one of the four playable races from the new Volo guide, and they were ALSO featured in Maztica. :)

Still speculation, but I think I'm close enough. ^_^

[Clistenes]

Tentacle Guy could be a Daelkyr Half-Blood (http://eberronunlimited.wikidot.com/daelkyr-half-blood). They look like human beings with symbiotes attached, some of which may look like tentacles.

Of course this guy has far too many tentacles for a Daelkyr Half-Blood, but hey, they may have changed the species this way in 5th edition.

Another option: This could be a human infected/possessed by a Tsochari (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050408a&page=6). Tsochari look like bundles of long tentacle-looking worms knotted into a bigger monster. They infect humanoids and use them as flesh suits, puppeteering them from the inside, but they can sprout their tentacles from the inside during combat.

[Asmotherion]

I'm hoping it's a tiny Aberration that you can take as a familiar :smallredface:

It's actually cute. Would be the perfect familiar for an Old One Warlock with Pact of the Chain too...

also, the second one looks like some kind of Half Dragon Unicorn... In any case it's definitelly has a Dragonic Connection, (I think)

The Humanoid with tentacles now... Seems like some cousin to the Illithid... Berhaps a distant relative or prototype of the parasite that manifests as arm tentacles... If I remember my lore correctly, Illithids are said to come from the far future... so this may be a contemporary equivalent...?

[DragonSorcererX]

also, the second one looks like some kind of Half Dragon Unicorn... In any case it's definitelly has a Dragonic Connection, (I think)

More Draconic Creatures plz! I hope to see more of those awesome looking Drakes from HotQ, they are RAD!

[Belac93]

Stan! confirmed that the Tabaxi was one of the four playable races from the new Volo guide, and they were ALSO featured in Maztica. :)

Has it been confirmed that there are only going to be 4 races in it? Goblins, Orcs, and Firblogs were on the page, and Tritons and Tabaxi got mentioned online somewhere. I don't think they ever said how many races there would be, just that it would be more than 3.

[Dalebert]

I'm surprised folks didn't immediately recognize the kirin (ki-rin ?) from the 2e Monster Manual. I thought it was a unicorn from Japanese lore that flew and lived in the clouds. They were also spellcasters, specifically 18th level magic-users so could cast 9th level spells! In 2e, that's even more terrifying than it sounds now. But they were lawful good so they probably wouldn't just murder-hobo you unless you deserved it.

[EvilAnagram]

That Death Kiss is so shy! I want one!

[Quintessence]

I'm surprised folks didn't immediately recognize the kirin (ki-rin ?) from the 2e Monster Manual. I thought it was a unicorn from Japanese lore that flew and lived in the clouds. They were also spellcasters, specifically 18th level magic-users so could cast 9th level spells! In 2e, that's even more terrifying than it sounds now. But they were lawful good so they probably wouldn't just murder-hobo you unless you deserved it.

They should only murder-hobo the murder-hobos now.

[Kornaki]

They should only murder-hobo the murder-hobos now.

Making them the perfect encounter for any dungeons and dragons group.

[DragonSorcererX]

Making them the perfect encounter for any dungeons and dragons group.

Who said Lawful Good people aren't murder hobos, the Lawful Good alignment can be like this:

Lawful - Screw your laws, the laws of my organization/faith/country are the truest and most righteous laws.

Good - Evildoers, I will kill you all!

Remember, the non-homebrew D&D Camapaign Settings are the worlds where the alignments themselves are cosmic forces and the evil aligned goblin/commoner/any low-level mook must be treated as an evil outsider and eliminated as such, just take a look at some 3.0/3.5 spells...

[arrowed]

Alignments are somewhat softer in 5e, I've observed. There are spells like Protection from Good and Evil, but they defend against types rather than alignments as I remember. Actually the only spell I can think of that targets via alignment is Glyph of Warding. Even the Paladin's powers detect types rather than alignments.
Also, I imagine some people would say redemption is better than execution where possible. Every evil humanoid you kill is just another fiend added to the lower planes...

[DracoKnight]

Has it been confirmed that there are only going to be 4 races in it? Goblins, Orcs, and Firblogs were on the page, and Tritons and Tabaxi got mentioned online somewhere. I don't think they ever said how many races there would be, just that it would be more than 3.

Someone tweeted Perkins asking if there were official Catfolk, and he said to wait for Volo's Guide.

[Princess]

Good to know Kirin are in there - maybe this is a sign they'll actually do something new with the other 90% of the FR planet. And hopefully it will be better written than the Edition of Death FR stuff was. If they stay true to the real-world mythology (Fun fact: The real-world equivalent is the mascot for a beer company), it'll be a benevolent celestial or fey that burns (fire or possibly radiant) antagonists and knows a bunch of things. They're similar to D&D's pre-established Unicorns and Coatls in being goodly, bizarre animals.

One I'd wager is an aberration variant being revitalized, as there were several beholder spin-offs back in the day that could get a fresh re-thinking, but the last one looks incredibly Eberronian. I hope it has a lower CR than the Kirin so we can cleanse it from this land.

[Tallis]

I seem to remember the males of the medusa race back in one of the OD&D source books. That last picture could be one...

[Regitnui]

Remember, the non-homebrew D&D Camapaign Settings are the worlds where the alignments themselves are cosmic forces and the evil aligned goblin/commoner/any low-level mook must be treated as an evil outsider and eliminated as such, just take a look at some 3.0/3.5 spells...

I agree with your Lawful Good murderhobo justification, but Eberron would like to take issue with the "cosmic force alignment". No gods, no alignment-specific afterlife, and no fixed alignment for monsters. Want a Chaotic Good drow ranger? Eberron's the only setting where they aren't angst-ridden violations of intellectual property. Of course, they'd likely be scarred white with scorpion venom and living in the jungle, but they aren't acting as a My Species Doth Protest Too Much either. Their entire tribe can be Chaotic Good and hunt alongside panthers and displacer beasts.

[DragonSorcererX]

I agree with your Lawful Good murderhobo justification, but Eberron would like to take issue with the "cosmic force alignment". No gods, no alignment-specific afterlife, and no fixed alignment for monsters. Want a Chaotic Good drow ranger? Eberron's the only setting where they aren't angst-ridden violations of intellectual property. Of course, they'd likely be scarred white with scorpion venom and living in the jungle, but they aren't acting as a My Species Doth Protest Too Much either. Their entire tribe can be Chaotic Good and hunt alongside panthers and displacer beasts.

In Eberron its even easier, there is no deity to restrain your acts and take your power away, so you just need to scream "I AM THE LAW!" and "Judge Dredd" everything that would be "Lawful Good accepted" to kill in other non-homebrew D&D Campaign Settings.

[DracoKnight]

http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o710/Belac93/VoloPreview4_zpsss1gqqwt.jpg This looks really cool, and I hope it ends up being a player option (but probably not). Maybe a Dalkyr? But I think those are Eberron.

The D&D website has it listed as a pit master (http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/volos-guide-to-monsters).

[Gastronomie]

The D&D website has it listed as a pit master (http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/volos-guide-to-monsters).That sneek peek is quite promising. "Roleplaying a Giant"? Hell yes, these sorts of monsters' personality trait tables are quite exactly what we needed. Sure, some DMs already give personalities to monsters, but many don't, or do it only vaguely. This sort of stuff will both be fun to read and helpful for DMs.