Monster Manual, "A"

Okay, so there are no chapters in the Monster Manual; it's just a long alphabetical list of monsters. So, I'm going to break this up by a rough number of pages. Judging by how long the entries are, I can do quite a few pages at a time, and I'm going to plan to do the Dragons as one entry all on their own. They are on page 61, and the monsters start on page 15, so it's roughly 15 pages per section at the beginning. I can handle that.

We begin with the aboleth. These creatures made their debut all the way back in 1981's module I1, Dwellers in the Forbidden City. They are a huge aquatic Aberration that live in subterranean seas, with plenty of hit points, tentacles that change the target's skin to a slimy membrane, and psionics to boot. Well, that's something. With a CR of 7, they are a mid-level monster, and they definitely have a Lovecraftian vibe going. Their 'psionics' are just a few mental illusion powers, really, and they use them as a 16th-level sorcerer would. They can also enslave creatures mentally, and underwater they can spew out a cloud of mucus that takes a victim's ability to breathe air away (so they have to remain underwater). Nasty. They normally have 8 hit dice, but they can advance up to 24 (and become Gargantuan in the process).

Next is the achaierai. This one made its debut in the Fiend Folio, also back in 1981. It's a large Outsider from the plane of Acheron (which is somehow related to Hell, since these are lawful evil critters). They have a CR of 5 and a tough shell (AC 20); they can be found anywhere, since they would have to be summoned by a spellcaster, and they are tough fighters with a claw attack (2d6+4 damage) and a bite (4d6+2). They also have spell resistance of 19 and can release a toxic black cloud that does 2d6 damage to any creature near the achaierai, as well as forcing a DC 15 Fortitude save or be insane for 3 hours. They can advance to up to 18 hit dice, growing to Huge size.

The allip is...new, I think. It's possible that it's a renamed creature, but as far as I can tell this is its debut. It's an incorporeal, medium-sized Undead. So, it has no Str or Con score. It does have 4 hit dice, though, and a CR of 3. Their touch permanently drains Wisdom, requiring a restoration spell to get it back. Their babbling can hypnotize creatures within 60 feet, and anyone who makes the mistake of trying to target an allip mentally is going to fry its own brain and take Wisdom damage. They can advance up to 12 HD. Definitely an interesting creature, one that will certainly cause problems for players who don't know anything about it or assume it's just a shadow or wraith.

Ooh, animated objects get an entry. And it's a lengthy one; there are seven different stat blocks for these, one for each size from Tiny to Colossal. Their CRs range from 1/2 for Tiny up to 10 for Colossal. The artwork is reminiscent of the Disney Beauty and the Beast movie, except Lumière looks rather psychotic. Tiny objects have only 1/2 a d10 for their hit points, while Colossal ones go up to 32 HD and have a +25 attack bonus. Since these objects can be literally anything, their special attacks and special qualities will vary depending on what the object actually is. Some have a faster ground speed due to having wheels; some can trample opponents, or blind them (such as bedsheets or tapestries); ropes can constrict opponents, and so on.

The ankheg (which is now spelled differently; the original was the anhkheg) first appeared all the way back in Dragon Magazine #5 (1977) before officially appearing in the 1st edition Monster Manual later that year. Here they are large Beasts with 3 hit dice and an AC of 18. Their CR is 3, and they still have a nasty acid attack, either from biting or spitting. Their bite does 2d6+7 damage, and they carry a 21 Str around with them. They live in temperate and warm plains and forests, as well as underground. They can advance up to 9 HD and grow to huge size. I always liked ankhegs; they were fun opponents in the Baldur's Gate computer game.

Well, now. My favorite campaign setting is getting some love; next up is the aranea, a creature that first appeared in the classic X1 Isle of Dread module, set in the Mystara campaign setting. Hell, yes. These are intelligent, shapechanging spiders with magical ability (as in, they are natural sorcerers). And rather than the HD advancement of the other monsters we've seen so far, these guys advance by character class. Which means they could be more powerful sorcerers, or some other kind of class. They have 3 HD, a poisonous bite, can cast web six times a day, and can shapeshift into an alternate Small or Medium humanoid (fixed at birth, so unchangeable later on) or a spider-humanoid hybrid. They get the racial traits of their humanoid form (an aranea that turns into a gnome gets the standard gnome abilities from the Player's Handbook, but can't use the poison or webs. The hybrid can use both. I really like this monster being here, and I will definitely be using it.

Next up is another new creature, the arrowhawk, Outsiders which comes in three varieties: Juvenile (3 HD, CR 3), Adult (7 HD, CR 5) and Elder (15 HD, CR 8). They are great flyers (60 ft. speed with perfect maneuverability), and their attack is an electricity ray at range, and a bite close up. They have fire and cold resistance 20, meaning they ignore the first 20 points of damage from any cold or fire attack. That's handy. They are really agile (Dex 21) and intelligent (Int 10, Wis 13). The elders even have Knowledge (Plane of Air) in their skill list, and don't try to trick them (Sense Motive +19). Damn, they look like demonic X-wings.

Another new creature, the assassin vine. With a CR of 3, these semi-mobile Large Plants are found in temperate and warm forests as well as in underground settings. They have 4 HD and a Str of 20, and they can entangle and constrict their prey, doing 1d6+7 damage per round. They're also immune to electricity, and have cold and fire resistance 20. And they can grow to utterly massive size, all the way to Colossal with over 33 HD. Yikes. Oh, and their fruit makes a strong wine. That's nice to know.

And yet another new monster, the athach. This is a Huge Aberration; I thought from the art it would be a Monstrous Humanoid or more likely a Giant, but no. They almost qualify as giants, having 14 HD and a 20 AC, using clubs and thrown rocks as their favored weapons; they might be (hill) giants. Anyway, the 'aberration' part obviously comes from the extra arm they have growing out of their chests; they get all the 'Multi' feats mentioned in the introduction. Their CR is 7, and they're found in temperate and warm hills and mountains, as well as underground. They can advance to a full 28 HD, still at Huge size, and their common alignment is chaotic evil. Seriously, these are just mutated hill giants, admit it.

The last 'A' monster is the azer. These fellows first appeared in the Monster Manual II back in 1983. They're basically dwarves from the Elemental Plane of Fire. They're immune to fire but take double damage from cold unless they make a saving throw. They have 2 HD as a base, and a CR of 2. They are strictly lawful neutral, and they advance in their chosen character class. They are so hot that if they attack you unarmed, they do an additional point of fire damage with every successful attack.

I'm going to keep a running total of the monsters, including the different sizes (so the animated object entry counts as seven). I want to see if that boast of 'over 500' is accurate. For the 'A' section, we have a total of 18 main stat blocks, from Aboleth to Azer. We move on to the 'B' section, but my plan to do 15 pages at a time is going to have to be put on hold; this is a long enough post right now.