If DnD took place in the 17th-18th centuries, what would the monsters be?

[Vitruviansquid]

I'm currently writing an RPG system that takes the spirit of DnD and puts it into a setting around age of muskets and powdered wigs. Basically, think of how it would look if Dungeons and Dragons was rolled forward by three or four hundred years. Now, I was wondering, what kind of monster manual would this game have?

For inspiration, here are the classes that the protagonists will be:

Cuirassier (Physical Power) - Big guys in bullet-proof plate armor, probably holding a cannon with a sword-sized bayonet on it. They represent musket age militaries taken to the nth degree.

Rake (Physical Power) - Dapper "gentlemen" who use derringer pistols, sword canes, and other small and concealable weapons. They're like the "rogues" of the setting, but with a more (faux)-aristocratic bent.

Inquisitor (Social Power) - Sinister holy men whose powers are based on sermons of salvation and damnation. They're based on the negative aspects of religion, the persecutions and witch hunts, as much as the positive sides, offering a more anti-hero vibe than other classes.

Rhetorician (Social Power) - Political thinkers and speakers taken to the nth degree, Rhetoricians use word magic based on political discourse and debate. In DnD 4e terms, they would be the controller class.

Naturalist (Scientific Power) - Mixing the most sublime elemental magic with technological know-how, Naturalists can blast enemies with steam, lightning, and other unconventional weapons. Imagine if Benjamin Franklin didn't only experiment with electricity, but could shoot thunderbolts out of his hand and developed a weaponized lightning gun.

Polymath (Scientific Power) - Representing the... shadier side of the "sciences," Polymaths play more of a support role of buffing/debuffing with their powers of alchemy, astrology, and other pseudo-sciences.

[Lycan 01]

Werewolves, vampires, and other typical mythological creatures were still pretty "common" in those times...


Springheel Jack and the Jersey Devil had a few sightings around those times, I think.

Bigfoot/Sasquach was sighted in the Americas, and there was actually a cited report of an angry mob in the Florida colony getting butchered in the woods by a man-like creature they set out to hunt down.

Mad Science brings about lots of bad things. Dr. Jeckle & Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, and Frankenstein being good literary examples...

Pirates of the Carribean had some monsters in it.

[Croverus]

And you could always borrow monsters from Call of Cythulu.

[Thurbane]

The d20 Past supplement might offer some handy advice.

[Skeppio]

Animated Steam Train
Dapper Golem
British Elemental
Tea Ooze

...Man, I've been playing too much Henry Hatsworth.

[PId6]

First of all, that sounds really really awesome!

For enemies in general though, I feel like 17th-18th century settings would best be represented by humanoid enemies. It's hard for me to have enough suspension of disbelief when imagining dragons and trolls alongside steam engines and natural philosophers, but I can easily see campaigns involving dark cults summoning demons, corrupt clergymen laying plots, great emperors calling armadas. Since by that time Europe itself was thoroughly explored and there weren't many true wildernesses left, it's hard to imagine any giant creatures lurking in the countryside.

On the other hand, that period in time was also very much about exploration and trade, and there were many frontier places where such beasts could still lurk. I'd imagine your typical fantasy creatures would have no trouble fitting in those unexplored places. Things like great birds, elementals and trolls living in vast wildernesses, giant dire animals roaming alongside lizardfolk in distant jungles, sphinxes and dragons hiding amidst the dunes of great deserts. It reminds me somewhat of Eberron, where few monsters can be found roaming in civilized nations, but are easily found by explorers in far off lands like Xen'drik.

In actual civilized lands with muskets and steam engines and natural philosophers, you could have much more subtle and insidious monsters. Things like vampires, lycanthropes, hags, shapeshifters, and possession demons; things that can hide among the populace and appear as humanoids. Thus, the setting lends itself for various play-styles; more political or investigatory games would base themselves more heavily in cities and civilized nations where danger comes from other humanoids or humanoid-appearing creatures, while the kick-in-the-door style games happen more often in the exploration setting, with the PCs exploring far off lands seeking excitement, glory and gold.

[Ormur]

The 17th century was the hight of witch hunting so witches, devils, familiars and other such mythological evil creatures are still present. You might want to tone down the exotic and Greek inspired monsters and use more folklore and religion monsters. Sea monsters could also be prominent since this was the age of sail.

Humans and monsters that appear human like werewolves would seem to fit that period better, maybe just because the world was better explored by then. Vampires are arguably much more at home in such a setting than in a medieval D&D setting. When going further into the 18th century and the enlightenment I have trouble thinking of appropriate monsters since it's all about rationality and 19th century romanticism was still in the future but mythological creatures have been invented right up to the present. Ghosts are still appropriate, I guess. Perhaps parties of explorers meeting strange mythycal creatures in far away places while mapping the earth and watching eclipses. The 18th century sees the beginning of scientific expeditions.

I can foresee all sorts of hilarity with aristocratic scientists battling dinosaurs and hostile native magicians in-between teatimes on their way to determining the length of the equator.

[Serpentine]

Fairies were still very much a part of popular belief around those times. Definitely look into those. Pixies, boggarts, gnomes, fairy rings and mounds, that sort of thing. And witches, of course, and ghosts. Actually, there's lots of really great ghost stories from that sort of time. Like child-ghosts, who died before they were Christened, who haunt dark laneways waiting for a name... And the Headless Horseman, stuff like that.
Then, as mentioned, there's the stuff from journeys to far off lands. Geese that hatch from barnacles, sea serpents, unicorns that "aren't as lovely as reported", that sort of thing. Maybe - with this being a fantasy thing and all - some horrors of evolution. Not sure exactly what that means, but it sounds kinda cool.

[hamishspence]

Some D&D monsters are actually better suited to this era than the medieval/early Renaissance of most D&D.

Flesh Golems, for example (Frankenstein's monster)

Heroes of Horror also mentions that the "suave vampire" is more appropriate to more modern times- Varney, Lord Ruthven, Carmilla, and so on.

[Serpentine]

Oh, also, feeding into the Frankenstien thing, grave robbing and weird experiments. Necromancy with a different taste, perhaps. Probably also worth looking at Edgar Allen Poe. I may be getting a bit late there, but still worth a look.
edit: Oh! And feeding in turn into the "mysterious things on the edge of exploration", monsters being brought back for show (and, perhaps, escaped?), a la King Kong and the like. Creatures were being caught and collected all over the place... With that in mind, maybe look at international beasties like the Yowie and Bunyip, and the South American bloodsucker whose name escapes me right now but I'll think of at the exact moment someone else posts it.

[Killer Angel]

Some D&D monsters are actually better suited to this era than the medieval/early Renaissance of most D&D.

Flesh Golems, for example (Frankenstein's monster)

Not counting Vampires (Stoker's dracula) and Ghosts (haunted houses), etc.
But these were already mentioned.

When going further into the 18th century and the enlightenment I have trouble thinking of appropriate monsters since it's all about rationality and 19th century romanticism was still in the future but mythological creatures have been invented right up to the present.

Since by that time Europe itself was thoroughly explored and there weren't many true wildernesses left, it's hard to imagine any giant creatures lurking in the countryside.

Then go to Africa. King Salomon's mines, Nile river's springs, etc.

[Serpentine]

Why not counting them?

[hamishspence]

and the South American bloodsucker whose name escapes me right now but I'll think of at the exact moment someone else posts it.

The Chupacabra. It was statted out in Dragon magazine.

[Serpentine]

Seems it was further from my conciousness than I thought. Oh well, there you go.

[Killer Angel]

Why not counting them?

It's hard to have a body count if you slay a bunch of ghosts...

[Serpentine]

O...kay Still don't see why you wouldn't count them, and what a body count has to do with anything aside from the punnage.
Really, you've just baffled me.

[RdMarquis]

Interesting. It'll be nice to see how this turns out. Is the Rhetorician anything like the Mediator class in Final Fantasy Tactics? Because it would be very cool to convince a weakened enemy to join your team.

Anyway, as for an enemy suggestion, have you considered humans that are based on the national armies and such of the time?

Towards the end of the late 18th century, the earliest of several organizations characterized by mastery of the martial arts and religious principles rebelled against the Qing Government of China. For example, the White Lotus Society and the Eight Trigrams, which were Buddhist sects.

Later organizations (1800's) believed that through a combination of meditation and religious techniques could protect them from firearms.

Try writing up some enemies that actually have spells or skills that afford this type of protection.

[Serpentine]

Oh (again), Napoleon with dragons. It's been done. Might wanna look into it, maybe they have other monsters. Forget the name of the book, Lindameer or something. Someone will tell you. I ought to read it...

[hamishspence]

Temaraire series. It's quite good.

The Midshipman Blithe series is similar, but the world is not Earth, and the dragons are sea dragons, with the ships being built around the bodies of the dragons.

[Serpentine]

See? Tolja someone would tell you.
By the bye, that could make a moderately large difference to our advice: will this be set on Earth, with all its history and exploration dates and the like, or an alternate world inspired by that particular point in Earth's history, or moved up from "medieval Europeanish" to "pre-Industrial Europeanish/Earthish"?

[Shademan]

goblins from the free republic of evil, offcourse. armed with fancy uniforms, muskets and cannons. led by a ogre officer with a biiiig mustache

[Killer Angel]

O...kay Still don't see why you wouldn't count them, and what a body count has to do with anything aside from the punnage.
Really, you've just baffled me.

Ah, I see... i think it's a case of misunderstanding, and it's my fault.
I translate literally an italian expression, where "not counting" can mean also "not forgetting that we must count..."

When I read your question "Why not counting them?", I thought you were ironic, hence my jocking answer on counting something not countable.

Hope this helps.

[Serpentine]

When Italians say "don't count", they mean "don't forget to count". Gotcha
Just to be safe, I'll assume that any time an Italian says something, they mean the opposite.

So... I guess Albis is both extremely male and extremely female.

[Killer Angel]

When Italians say "don't count", they mean "don't forget to count". Gotcha
Just to be safe, I'll assume that any time an Italian says something, they mean the opposite.

I didn't say "means always", I said "can mean also".
it should be clear when someone use a meaning instead of the other, given the contest, the way of speaking, the
Meh, internet don't help.

So... I guess Albis is both extremely male and extremely female.

well, you're neither naga, nor yuan-ti...

[Serpentine]

Hey, I'm Australian, we say it like it is
Big-butt.

[stenver]

Aliens, UFO, Creatures living in another galaxy, Outer spacers, Species living in another solar system and of course, someone who doesnt live on earth.

[Serpentine]

Soooo... Extraterrestrials, then.
Dunno if that was really a thing around 1600-1800...

[Asheram]

You might want to look into the X-crawl setting.
It's far away from perfect, but it gives a look into "modern" history with monsters.

[paddyfool]

So, monsters from the Age of Reason and/or Age of Enlightenment. Here's a few ideas:

Archeology took off during the Enlightenment, so if you want a dungeon crawl with more of the greek- or egyptian- (or any other specific ancient culture) inspired monsters, it's a pretty easy shoehorn if you say "some archeologists have disappeared while exploring the Pyramid of ...", or similar). If you want them digging around under a city... well, London didn't have proper sewers until the 19th century (although that didn't stop the author of "Lempriere's Dictionary" from imagining some cabal of villains with artificially extended lives meeting in secret locations under London), but Rome's sewers date back to 800 BC, and they had a pretty complete system from 100 AD onwards, so there's lots of time for monsters to have made their home in there. Then you've got locations like the Paris catacombs etc. (imagine the fun you could have with this and spells along the "Raise Dead" line).

The Enlightenment was also, obviously, a time of revolution. So you've got lots of political schenanigens you can involve, and can freely introduce fantasy elements to (what if the French Royal Family were actually shapeshifted [monster X] or possessed by [monster Y], and the revolution was being orchestrated by their ancient enemies, [monster Z]? (Insert vampires/doppelgangers/dragons/whatever as you prefer).

And then, of course, there's the clockwork-esque early Steampunkery you could stick in, which is always fun.

[Eldan]

Actually, the first thing I thought of was the La Bête du Gévaudan. There's also several movies based on it. At least one is quite silly with Kung-fu fighting indians.