Monster Manual: Pegasus to Rust Monster

Alright, it finally arrived! Yes, my long-delayed mail package was delivered directly by FedEx this morning. So I now have the Monster Manual, an extra (complete) package of character sheets, Dragon #276, and Polyhedron #144. Unfortunately, they didn't have Into the Dragon's Lair, so I'll have to work with a PDF of that until I can find a copy. Still, it's good to finally get my stuff. I've already ordered the November package, and hopefully it won't take as long to get here.

Anyway, we move on to the 'P' monsters, starting with the Pegasus. A classic Greek mythology staple and a 1974 original, the pegasus is a Large Magical Beast with 4 HD and a CR of 3. They're always chaotic good, and they can advance to 8 HD. That's about all to them, though, so--

Wait, what? Spell-like abilities? For a pegasus? Since when?

Oh, okay...pegasi can use detect good and detect evil at will in a 60' radius. That was unexpected. And they can be trained as mounts by a talented trainer (DC 22 for a young one, DC 29 for an adult). Nice.

Moving on, the Phantom Fungus is our next contestant. And it looks like it's a new creature, as I can't find a reference to it in either first or second edition AD&D. So, this is a Medium-size Plant with 2 HD and a CR of 3. And this is a plant that has a natural improved invisibility power; you can only see it when it's dead. It even stays invisible when it's attacking. It only has a bite attack, but still, not being able to see it makes for a fun little challenge. They're found underground, and specimens can get up to Large size with 6 HD.

Ah, the Phase Spider. This one first appeared in Greyhawk. They were also nasty opponents in the first Baldur's Gate video game. The phase spider is a Large Magical Beast with 5 HD and a CR of 5. Their bite is poisonous, of course, and they can shift themselves to the Ethereal plane when they find prey, only to jump out and ambush the victim. They can get up to 15 HD and Huge size. I always liked these spiders as a DM, not so much as a player.

The Phasm looks new as well; it's a Medium-sized Shapechanger with 15 HD and a CR of 7. Not that tough, then. It looks like someone spilled a lava lamp. But they can assume pretty much any shape, living or inanimate. They like to hang out with doppelgangers, since they have similar abilities and interests. They are telepathic, are immune to a bunch of magical attacks, and can sense creatures through ground contact. They can advance to Gargantuan size and all the way up to 42 HD, too. I suppose they would be interesting creatures to use; I'll have to try them out to see.

Next are the Planetouched, specifically the Aasimar and the Tiefling. Hmm...I've seen plenty of these in various games like Neverwinter Nights 2 and some Baldur's Gate series mods. But I never saw them in play at the table. To the surprise of no one sitting at my desk, these are Planescape additions. Aasimar first appeared in the second Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix; Tieflings in the first one. From what I understand, they became very popular in later editions, maybe even core races; I don't know for sure. But they are Medium-size Outsiders with 1 HD and a 1/2 CR. Aasimar are usually good; tieflings are usually evil. And they advance by character class, naturally. They also have some small amount of resistance to certain attack types; both have 5 resistance to cold and electricity. Aasimar also have acid resistance, while tieflings resist fire. An aasimar's favored class is paladin, and tiefling favor rogue. No surprise there.

Ah, the Pseudodragon. This miniature red dragon is a Tiny Dragon with 2 HD and a CR of 1. They originally appeared in the first Monster Manual, and are known for being a possible special familiar for 1st edition magic-users. There is no such possibility listed here, but they can choose to be companions to humanoids they end up liking for some reason. And they have a poisonous sting, can see invisible creatures and objects, are telepathic, are immune to sleep and paralysis, and have spell resistance of 19. So they're not as impressive as real dragons, but still. Oh, and they can advance to 4 HD but are still tiny.

Every time I see a Purple Worm, I instantly start singing Prince's Purple Rain and substituting 'worm' in. I don't know why. These are from the original boxed set. They are Gargantuan Beasts with 16 HD and a CR of 12. They have a poison sting, can swallow smaller creatures whole, have a nasty 2d8+12 damage bite, and sense objects by ground movement. Oh, and they can grow to 45 HD and Colossal size if you want a real challenge. Classic critters; love them.

No 'Q' monsters, since the Quasit appeared in the Demon section, so we move on to the Rakshasa. This monster from Indian mythology first appeared all the way back in The Strategic Review #5 in 1975. Here it is a Medium-sized Outsider (Lawful, Evil) with 7 HD and a CR of 9. Rakshasa look like humanoid tigers, and they are nasty customers, having plenty of special abilities to help them tear their victims to pieces. First, they continuously detect thoughts as an 18th-level sorcerer, and cast other spells equivalent to a 7th-level sorcerer, including cleric spells of 1st level as arcane spells. They can also shapeshift into whatever humanoid form they want, and stay there as long as they want to. They're also immune to any spell or spell-like ability other than 9th-level spells. Yes, your delayed blast fireball and creeping doom spells will have about as much effect on a rakshasa as flinging a skipping stone at them. They also have damage reduction of 20/+3, although they do have one unavoidable weakness: a blessed crossbow bolt instantly kills them on a hit. So even an advanced one of 14 HD will be vulnerable to that attack. Good luck.

The Rast is another Planescape creature from the third Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix. Skip really like Planescape, didn't he? Anyway, this is a Medium-sized Fire Outsider with 4 HD and a CR of 5. They look like...I don't know. It's got sort of a spider's body with ten to fifteen spindly claws sticking out of it, and its head is mostly mouth and fangs. They are neutral, and not too bright (Int 3), but they have a serious hunger for blood. They can paralyze victims with their gaze, and drain blood with their bite, draining 1 temporary Con point per round. They have the fire subtype as well. They can advance to 12 HD and Large size. Oh, and they can cast fly as well, so they can't be escaped easily. They can swarm in groups of 3-6, so they're like deadlier stirges.

The Ravid is, and stop me if you've heard this one before, another Planescape monster. In fact, it was on the very next page after the Rast in the third MC. It's a Medium-sized Outsider with 3 HD and a CR of 5. It looks like a snake with a dragon's head and...yep, just one clawed arm coming up out of its back. They fly at 60 feet per round with perfect maneuverability, and although they are neutral in alignment, they are very much a positive energy creature, and exude positive energy constantly. They can make a touch attack with their claw or tail to infuse a target with positive energy (doing damage to undead), but their more impressive power is their ability to animate objects due to their constant emanation of positive energy. And these objects will act to defend the ravid on their own, so you'll need to review the Animated Object entry way back at the beginning of the book. The ravid isn't smart enough to command an object, or even choose which object it animates; it just happens outside of the ravid's control. They can advance to 9 HD and Large size, but they still aren't combat monsters; the animated object does most of the fighting for them.

Ah, the Remorhaz. This arctic bug-worm made its debut in Dragon Magazine #2 back in 1976, and was a charter member of the Monster Manual club the following year. They live in any cold region, and they are Huge Magical Beasts with 7 HD and a CR of 7. They are another swallowing beast, able to eat four halflings at a time or two ogres. When they get angry, their backs turn into griddles, heating to the point that touching their bodies means taking 10d10 of fire damage and melting weapons (magical ones get a saving throw). And they like to burrow like ankhegs, so they are good at sneaking up on prey under the ice. Oh, and they can advance to 21 HD and Gargantuan size.

It's interesting to note that the ankheg, which debuted one issue earlier, and the remorhaz are both burrowing monsters. I don't know if it's at all significant, but I did notice it.

Ah, the Roc. From Arabian myth, the roc is a Gargantuan Beast with 18 HD and a CR of 9. They are the biggest eagles you'll ever see, and they can snatch creatures from Small to Huge size by diving at them and grappling. They will pick up dolphins and small whales if they are over the ocean, and elephants if they're over the grasslands. And if you're lucky, you'll run into a Colossal one with up to 54 HD.

The Roper is another classic, first appearing in The Strategic Review #2. It's a Large Magical Beast with 10 HD and a CR of 10. It looks like a natural stalagmite in a cave, but it will animate and lash out with its ropy strands, which will grapple and weaken their victims. The strands are adhesive, so they will stick to their prey and allow the roper to drag the victim to its maw, sapping their strength while it does so. But fortunately, they are vulnerable to fire, so that will help. Specimens of 30 HD and Huge size have been seen on occasion.

And finally, the Rust Monster. A Greyhawk monster, this Medium-sized Aberration has 5 HD and a CR of 3. Everyone knows what a rust monster is; those who grew up with the Mentzer Basic Set remember this little fellow quite well. He doesn't do much in the way of damage, but his feelers will turn any metallic object into a pile of rust which Rusty will happily mow down. Their tough hides give them a decent AC of 18, but they aren't really combat monsters; they're annoying as hell. And they can advance to 15 HD and Large size if you're lucky.

So, that gets us to the 'S' section, which I'll get to next time. We're getting there, although 'S' is the second-biggest section after the 'D's. 15 more monsters were reviewed, bringing us to 308.

And now, I'm going to look at my brand-new copy of the Monster Manual, which just happens to also be a 1st printing. All three of my core books are 1st printings, so I guess that's something. Too bad I'll be needing the extensive errata for all three, though. Ah, well. It's still awesome.