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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Four Kinda Weird D&D Monsters I Used Frequently

. . . even if they're a bit odd.

There are dozens and dozens of monsters on my "use frequently" list. But these four are kind of odd standouts, to me - ones you wouldn't call "standard, common D&D monsters" but I used them often anyway.

Norkers - I love Norkers. I'm not sure what it is about armored hobgoblins with a bite attack, but ever since WG4 I've used them often. A couple Dungeon magazine adventures featuring them put them front-and-center in my early GURPS games, too, and they never left the spotlight. They've appeared in my current game, too, and I even bought like 10 norker pre-painted minis to add some fun to encountering them.

Yeah, I don't know, but I've used them often and I really like them.

Vilstrak - The first time one of these popped up for me was in a UK-series adventure I used in an AD&D game to introduce a 1st level monk. The next time I was that adventure was in GURPS, and so I converted the vilstrak to GURPS. And I kept doing so. My previous campaign group missed them, but my DF have fought "rock trolls" based on them, using some vilstrak minis I got when I cleaned some store out of their old AD&D miniatures blisters. I can't tell you quite why I like them, but I do.

Vegepygmies - I loved these guys in AD&D, and I used them there and I used them often in GURPS, too - very memorably for one group, where vegepgymies and thornies wreaked havoc on them. Killer plants are nice, but tend to be limited. Killer plant men, though, are sort of the best of both worlds!

Meazels - I've used these in GURPS and AD&D multiple times. I even drew on my love of them (and those double-creepy boogiemen from Babes in Toyland) when I wrote up the Bugbear for GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1. I always ignore the "Number Appearing: 1" because garotting murdering stealth monsters are better in groups, just like in that Russ picture from the Fiend Folio. My current DF game is without one so far, but I did use its spiritual brother, the bugbear, so that counts for me.

How about you? What somewhat unusual monsters do you break out all the time?

10 comments:

  1. I haven't used any of these critters. Maybe the norkers once, when I had hair and there was no thing as editions.

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  2. I liked driders for some reason. They were unfit so Lolth punished them by transforming them into spider-centaur. I had them working with Eclavdra and worshipping the Elder Eye. They were cool because they could walk on the ceiling and then drop down and surprise the PCs.





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    1. If I ever play in your game I'm keeping an eye on the ceiling.

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    2. and floors, and walls, and behind you.

      From his descriptions, paranoia is a survival trait in b-dog's games. :-)

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  3. Heck, I use driders from Technomancer in my DF, along with the half spiders, renamed after the Chagmat from Dragon magazine. The work cooperatively with giant spiders to weave all of those spidersilk items. The Chagmati are the silk traders in my world.

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  4. What, no mention of the best thing about norkers, the thing that draws me back to them? I'm talking about the name, of course. "Norker" is a fun word to say. I sometimes think of that "Berserker" song that the Russian guy sings in "Clerks" and substitute the phrase "the norker" for the word "berserker."

    Plus I still have a hardcover Fiend Folio and look for chances to use it.

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    1. It is fun to say "Norker" but I'm not sure that's why. Maybe I just ran enough adventures featuring them and then I got used to them. :)

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  5. The gambado--they disguise themselves as skulls and pop out of the ground. I finally got to use gambadoes in my last couple campaigns. I've put them in other campaigns but the PCs always managed to avoid them.

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    1. Heh. Those guys - "Don't mind me, I'm just a safe skull on the ground, not worth any attention . . . " Hah.

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  6. Although not too uncommon, Goblin Worg Riders (and their Worg mounts) make pretty much universal appearances in my DF games. I like switching out Coward with On the Edge, and letting the Goblins go crazy.

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