More flumphs than you can shake a flindbar at: Let's Read the Tome of Horrors!

[Rockphed]

The that monstrous crab the crab that got advanced and then had a few templates added to it to make the PPDC(Paragon Pseudonatural Advanced Monstrous Crab).

[Thane of Fife]

Crabman
But not all is well with the crabmen; they are also a conundrum...

Even counting the potential for predators of unwary young that stray away from the community, numbers of a species like that should mean that the crabmen could easily dominate every other coastal species by sheer biomass alone.

The 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual explains the crabman reproductive cycle as:

[The eggs] are laid in the ocean, where they hatch into clear, soft-shelled, crablike larvae. In six months they molt, develop a stronger shell, and begin to dwell on land. The eggs and larvae are delicious, and predators greatly reduce their numbers before they reach adulthood.

I suppose crabmen aren't very protective parents.

But yeah, I've always kind of liked crabmen, and I'm not sure why. Never actually used them in a game, though.

[Eldan]

You could also take some inspiration from that Futurama episode where it was Zoidberg's mating season: the parents die after reproducing, so there is little social care, and culture is maintained by non-breeding adults.

[Rappy]

The 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual explains the crabman reproductive cycle as:


I suppose crabmen aren't very protective parents.

But yeah, I've always kind of liked crabmen, and I'm not sure why. Never actually used them in a game, though.

Yeah, this was a post written before I got my hands on a copy of the Monstrous Manual. Later ones should reference it more. Anyway, new post time, as an apology for having to wait so long for the last one.

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Crystalline Horror
As a strange humanoid-shaped lump of crystal, one wouldn't expect that much of the crystalline horror. Of course...well...we all know what happens when one assumes in an RPG. This CR 5 Aberration is one of those "monsters of indeterminate origin", with the "sages" one keeps hearing about in the Tome of Horrors speculating what spawned the horrors but unable to reach a consensus toward any particular theory. The horrors are atypical melee brutes, but share some typical melee brute traits; damage reduction, energy resistance (in this case, cold resistance), claws that create copiously bleeding wounds, and above-average Strength. What makes them unique, however, is the two abilities tied to their crystalline bodies. For one thing, the crystalline horror can expel a 40-foot long blast of razor-sharp crystal shards from its body to bombard attackers at a range. For another, it can gather and unleash a radiant light that deals copious amounts of damage to the undead.

The second ability is what makes them truly curious; crystalline horrors are listed as Neutral Evil, so they aren't exactly the monstrous equivalent of Clerics or Paladins, so why the undead-smiting? Perhaps the crystalline horrors were created eons ago to wipe out an undead plague or something, but slowly succumbed to maddening anger and violence as time passed and their goals always seemed to slip farther and farther out of their grasp.



Crypt Thing
Here we have a CR 5 Undead that bucks the trend of its kin. The crypt thing isn't evil like so many undead are labeled as, instead being a paragon of total neutrality. They are stalwart sentinels of burial areas, with strong damage reduction that can only be surpassed by magic that deals blunt force trauma and a +4 resistance to attempts at turning by a Cleric. They are also unique in that they do not openly attempt to attack their foes. A crypt thing's modus operandi is to attempt to use their powerful magic to teleport an intruder away from the tomb, essentially nullifying the danger unless the assailant is foolhardy enough to attempt another raid. This teleportation is particularly nasty, in that it is random in what direction and how far away it teleports the target, and can actually be used to teleport a creature into mid-air, causing them to fall painfully back to earth. If the opposition returns or is resistant to the crypt thing's magic, it will then and only then resort to brute force with its skeletal claws.

The entry also contains stats for the spell that raises the crypt things, as well as the more powerful crypt guardian. Crypt guardians are less forgiving than the crypt things; if an enemy doesn't subject to its teleportation-based "keep away" sign, a crypt guardian has the ability to induce a powerful paralysis that can last for over a week. Not only that, but the paralyzed victims are turned invisible as a further insult to injury and to prevent anyone from finding them (for good or ill)!

Both the crypt thing and crypt guardian are interesting undead in that they are stone walls rather than vicious monsters, guardians rather than butchers. I like them. I like them a lot.



Daemon, Cacodaemon
The first of the daemons, the rather ugly cacodaemon resembles a vaguely humanoid beast made out of slick, hardened oil. They are CR 12 Outsiders that form the backbone of the forces that police the daemon-controlled realms of Hades, Gehenna, and Tarterus (as if Cerberus guarding Hades wasn't enough). The cacodaemons are truly juggernauts, with strong damage reduction, Spell Resistance 22, resistance to most energy types, immunity to being poisoned or injured by acid, and sporting both wickedly sharp rending claws and a powerful longsword. Of course, this assumes you even get to the cacodaemon. This is a tall order, considering they have an aura of both crippling fear and blinding darkness, the ability to sense your magic and read your thoughts, capability of seeing invisible beings, teleportation and telekinesis, summoning of reinforcement daemons, and the power to shapeshift into any small or medium-size outsider, be it daemon, demon, devil, angel, archon, guardinal, tiefling, aasimar...whatever, it doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's the right size. The result is that the cacodaemon is likely to find you long before you find it, and it's packing enough heat to tear you apart.



Daemon, Charon
The legendary boatman of the River Styx, Charon is a skeletal figure whose skull-adorned skiff sails through the kindgoms of the demons, devils, and daemons alike in order to ferry the dead across. This CR 23 Outsider's rather less appealed about the idea of ferrying living souls into the dark realms of shadow. While formidable and admittedly creepy, though, Charon isn't an unfair daemon. He'll let you pass to the Lower Realms on his boat for the modest fee 1,000 gold pieces, 500 platinums, or a shiny magical item. And if you insist on not paying the toll fee, he can and will unleash an epic-level can of whoopass on you. Charon can control the fetid waters of the River Styx as if they were an extension of his own body, paralyze with his magic staff, induce fear with his burning eyes, and summon both the Charonodaemons and the various daemons of the deep waters of the Styx. This isn't even counting his numerous spell-like abilities that run the gamut from walls of burning flame and symbols that induce deep pain to massive auras of shadow and desecration of the land.

He's also effectively immortal too, did I mention that? Yes, to kill Charon truly and utterly, you must fight him five times, once on each of the Lower Realm Planes. This is obviously a rather tall order. Charon is thus either an expensive but valuable ally or an indomitable enemy, depending on how well off your pockets are. And this isn't even counting Cerberus guarding the gateway to Hades itself, or the even more terrifying and uber-CR'd nightmares we'll meet later...



Daemon, Charonodaemon
Charonodaemons are CR 9 Outsiders that resemble their master, Charon. They aren't as charitable, however. Not by a longshot. While the Great Boatman himself is willing to let you go to the other side for the right price, the vicious Charonodaemons will take your offerings, only to backstab you and attempt to murder you and dump your body in the cold abyss of the River Styx. This is accomplished with spell-like abilities, a fear gaze, water daemons, and a non-magical quarterstaff; in other words, the Charonodaemons (logically) have lesser versions of the powers of their master. While not the most interesting daemons, I do like these critters due to the fact that they present an intriguing sort of mimic-based predation that adds some flavor to the ecology of the Lower Planes.



Daemon, Derghodaemon
The CR 10 derghodaemons resemble an obese humanoid bred with an oversized cockroach, and are just as unpleasant as their smaller "cousins". They are the physically overpowering but mentally deficient grunts of the daemons, relegated to little more than cannon fodder in the various wars and power struggles that rock the Lower Planes. They are loaded up with damage reduction, energy resistance, Spell Resistance 20, and rending claws to augment their physical prowess; they can also sacrifice a few claw attacks to tri-wield their weapon of choice, the longsword. Derghodaemons have a few spell-like abilities based on combat control such as darkness production and sleep or fear induction as well as a confusion-generating thrumming attack produced by their mandibles and the standard daemon-summoning abilities, but they pale in the supernatural powers department compared to other daemons, thus reinforcing their brute role. They do at least have one interesting quirk; derghodaemons can rotate their head 360 degrees, allowing them to both see all around them and pull of creepy Exorcist-style moments to freak out adventurers.



Daemon, Hydrodaemon

The giant, frog-like hydrodaemons are vicious predators of the River Styx, CR 7 brutes that are one of the few creatures that dwells in the fetid river of darkness. They are also incredibly plain. Other than a few unique SLAs such as water elemental summoning and water creation, as well as a sleep-inducing venomous spittle, the hydrodaemon pretty much follows the standard "daemon package". Eh.



Daemon, the Oinodaemon
The mighty Oinodaemon, Anthraxus, is the ruler of all the daemon planes. His body resembles that of a massively-horned and painfully diseased satyr, pustules and skin rot flaking at his skin and fur. In his decayed hands is a powerful staff adorned with skulls, reeking of fear and unholy power, capable of wrenching the will from the minds of others or granting their darkest wishes. He is a CR 37 terror that is nigh-immortal, omniscient, and imposingly frightening. Spells tied to death and decay, ranging all the way up to epic level spells, course through his rotting body, and his gaze produces a paralytic effect so powerful that only the Oinodaemon himself or a wishing spell can break free of it. He grants his Clerics the power of death and decay as well, fueling his power upon the face of the earth.

In shorter terms, Anthraxus is one of the most brutal entities we will meet in the Tome of Horrors. He is a truly horrendous epic level challenge who has enough abilities to rival even the demon lords and Dukes of Hell, and he is not to be taken lightly. He is obviously a titanic challenge that works either as an unseen enemy or a grand finale of a campaign.



Daemon, Piscodaemon
Freakish lobster-octopus-shark hybrids slither through the daemon planes, the CR 10 piscodaemons act as violent bullies of the weaker daemons, most likely as some sort of stress relief for the fact that they are slaves of the crafty arcanadaemons (arcanadaemons have their 3E stats in the infamous Monster Manual II under the name of arcanaloth). In addition to the standard daemon package of spell-like abilities, piscodaemons have 360 degree vision due to their rotating stalk-eyes, venomous bites, and vorpal pincers that can cut up an unwary foe before they can say "off with my head!" Of course, alas, piscodaemons are still daemons, so...they aren't that interesting on their own. That's the big problem with most of the daemons in the Tome of Horrors; they are all so co-dependent on each other that they are rather bland when they stand alone. Of course, this also gives an excuse to forge a complex ecology of the daemonkind if you're into that sorta thing.

[Eldan]

Now I'm confused. They took Anthraxus, made him a daemon and named him ruler of the daemons? Huh.

[The Tygre]

Now I'm confused. They took Anthraxus, made him a daemon and named him ruler of the daemons? Huh.

He was always a daemon. Daemon = Yugoloth, sort of. If I recall correctly, he was the Oinodaemon for a while before the current one slithered up to his ear, whispered -something-, and Anthraxus got up and left. Can't even remember the current guy's name. Not anything nearly as epic as 'Anthraxus'.

[Eldan]

Well, yes... I know who he is. It's just strange that they made him leader agian. The new Oinoloth is Mydianchlarus.

Still, he technically counts as an altraloth. Well, so's Charon, and he's included as well.

[Mulletmanalive]

I'm rather enjoying this series. Thank you.

Necromancer were notable for two things: almost too literally keeping to the original Fiend Folio creatures [and ending up with stupid critters like their Bunyip which was more like a Selkie in the original's stats] and for having their named creatures being somehow smaller than life and a bit meh. The Slaad lords and Demon Princes they introduced were really lame compared to Fiendish Codex or whatnot.

I look forward to your comments on my favourite critters from the book; the Flail Snail [which i think they did really well] and the Skulleton. My actual favourite critter from back in the day was the Meezle, which has been cut for some reason, despite keeping so much crap.

[Rappy]

Well, yes... I know who he is. It's just strange that they made him leader agian. The new Oinoloth is Mydianchlarus. Still, he technically counts as an altraloth. Well, so's Charon, and he's included as well.

I think it's best noted that Necromancer Games's slogan is "Third Edition rules, First Edition feel". Hence Anthraxus still being in power.

Necromancer were notable for two things: almost too literally keeping to the original Fiend Folio creatures [and ending up with stupid critters like their Bunyip which was more like a Selkie in the original's stats] and for having their named creatures being somehow smaller than life and a bit meh. The Slaad lords and Demon Princes they introduced were really lame compared to Fiendish Codex or whatnot.

It'll become apparent all too fast that save-or-die powers are something I feel might have been best altered.

----------------------------------

Dakon
CR 1 sapient gorillas that are Lawful Neutral. I can't help but wonder if what spawned the dakon was its creator looking at DC Comics and their long-running smart ape legions and going "I'm gonna make this a D&D monster!" There's not much worthy of note about the dakon beyond the fact that they only trust humans and other dakons, and no other race; why is this? Is it meant to be an allusion to Tarzanesque "ape lords"? Is it because they're only interested in anthropologically similar kin to stimulate their intellectual facilities? If it's the latter, why not one of the other copious sapient primates, including those in this very title? Why humans?



Dark Creeper and Dark Stalker
Collectively known as the Darklings, the dark creeper and dark stalker are more or less an entire race of underground bandits. The halfling-sized dark creepers are the followers and masters of stealth, while the more humanesque dark stalkers are the leaders and masters of poison; this, however, is where the difference ends. Both have caricatured noses and facial features, both are pale gray color, both smell of dung and rotten meat, both wear stereotypical "Arabian bandit" clothing that provide extra defense for some reason, both can create intense darkness around themselves, both explode in a blinding light when they die (!), and both can sense magic and see in even supernatural darkness. Other than their uncomfortable Middle Eastern stereotype vibe, I actually rather like the creeper and stalker. They are a species shrouded in mystery, their cities literally so due to their massive clouds of darkness. Nobody knows what their motivations are or what their lives are like, leaving you free to speculate and craft at your own leisure. They are also Chaotic Neutral rather than Chaotic Evil, so they could always be skewn to be the Robin Hoods of the caverns adventurers so often plunder. And seriously, what's up with the exploding?



Darnoc
The darnoc is a form of undead that is, more or less, an homage to the works of Dante Alighieri. It is a spirit that was filled with great greed in its life, and is punished by the gods to suffer for that greed in death by tediously repeating their greed in ways such as eternally counting the same pile of coins or (if you want to go straight back to the Inferno) toiling under the literal weight of their avarice. They are also understandably grumpy, a darnoc distracted from its toils will fly into a rage and use its vicious arsenal of powers against the offender.

In addition to an aura of fear, the darnoc's vicious claws carry a curse that forcefully prevents wounds from them from healing and a magical symbol that reduces the weak-minded to petty bickering amongst each other. This coin-counting corpse also has the power to become an intangible spirit, using its incorporeality to its advantage. Oh, and it creates spawn. What sense that makes, I don't know, since being able to create undead slaves seems to be the antithesis of "robbed of greed and pleasure".

In any case, sans the spawning ability, the darnoc's a fairly solid and interesting undead. I can easily imagine it being an interesting major adversary in a campaign (even if it is only CR 6...it can always be powered up) as the spirit of a local tyrant or a kind but hoarding merchant that needs to be re-killed to seek freedom of the afterlife. It would also be a perfect resident of the Fourth Circle of Hell in a campaign thematically centered around the Divine Comedy.



Death Dog
A CR 2 Magical Beast that is more or less a two-headed disease-bearing hellhound. Not that interesting, really, since it's so vaguely defined. The only thing I can think of to flavor it up would be stacking the Gigantean and Relentless templates atop it to recreate Orthrus.



Death Worm
An oversized expy of the Mongolian Death Worm (who I won't explain too much, just Google it), the ferocious death worm is a CR 6 cattle-sized Magical Beast that burrows beneath the desert sands. It has a deadly maw that oozes corrosive saliva and can be used to alternatively fire either a blast of acid or a lightning bolt (!) to assault a foe. It's interesting, but I prefer the smaller Menace Manual version.



Decapus
Here we have yet another Aberration with a human-level intelligence that is relegated to the role of "solitary thing that hunts people". Sigh. In this case, the CR 3 decapus is a furry cephalopod (!) of temperate forests and cavern regions (!!) that is "quite fond of human, elf, and halfling flesh" (!!!). Yes, folks, we have an honest-to-goodness tree octopus here. How can you not give such a creature some sort of quirky culture? It's practically asking for it when you've given it human-level intellect! Alas, the only info on their social lives we get is that they only gather together to mate and that a starving female will cannibalize her own young. Meh.

Anyway, the decapus brachiates like some sort of hairy squid-monkey, using their tentacles to grapple and constrict creatures moving below its branches. It can also mimic sounds and create illusions, which nets the decapus the trickster award for this round. If there was ever an Ecology of the Decapus put out in any of the long history of Dragon magazine, 3E or not, let me know; I'd really like to see if they actually gave any more thought into these creatures.

[Rappy]

Demiurge
In an odd coincidence, the demiurge is an incorporeal undead that is a spirit of wrath. Funny that wrath and greed-based undead are this close together in a book of over 400 monsters. Then again, wrathfullness is one of the most common undead stereotypes, so your mileage may vary. Anyway...this CR 6 baddie has a chilling touch, a paralytic spell, and an instakill ability. Ahh, instakill abilities, how we totally did not miss thee. It's also treated as a physical creature when hit with weapons forged with cold iron...huh.

I'm not sure what to make of the demiurge, to be honest. It has nothing to do with its name (which refers to a deity that has a major role in crafting the universe in its mythos), it has a "Will save or you DIE!!" power (an all too common type of thing in the Tome of Horrors, and one of its few major drawbacks for going for its motto of "Third Edition rules, First Edition feel"), and its incorporeality is negated by cold iron in spite of it having no connection to the fey (this isn't explained anywhere). I guess it could be an interesting one-shot encounter, but it's a rather bland creature overall.



Demodand, Shaggy
The strongest of the children of chaos is the shaggy demodand, a CR 15 pile of fat and malice. These 550-pound bruisers wield heavy morningstars that they can imbue with the very essence of chaos and aren't afraid to use them. In addition to this and copious damage reduction and spell resistance, they have a plethora of spell-like abilities that are designed minimize an opponent's combat capabilities (with spells such as See Invisibility, Fog Cloud, Mass Charm Monster, and Ray of Enfeeblement, amongst others) and the power to summon hordes of the lesser demodands to their aide.

There's something I really like about the demodands. Maybe it's that they are truly an image of a powerful fiend, morbidly obese and wallowing in their wealth and power. Maybe it's that they vaguely resemble frogs, and I like frogs. Maybe it's the fact that something as fat as the shaggy demodand can actually fly at a decent speed and maneuverability, which conjures up all sorts of hilarious imagery. I don't know what it is, but I'd prefer the demodands over their neighbors, the daemons, on any average day.



Demodand, Slime
The CR 13 slime demodand is a masochistic blob with acidic slime. Its hobbies are releasing a foul stench, coating people in acid to torture them, engaging in political power plays in Tarterus, using nearly the same spell-like abilities as the shaggy demodand, and self-mutilation. Why self-mutilation, you might ask? Well, to put it simply, the slime and tarry demodands alike can undergo an excruciating process to liquefy themselves completely into slime or tar respectively. Why would they do such a terrible thing? Well, to put it simply, doing so creates a sort of "Make a Monster" kit. This slime/tar can be utilized to create more of their kind later; alas, there are no rules for these slime/tar jars in the Tome of Horrors.



Demodand, Tarry
The lowest of the low when it comes to demodands, the CR 10 tarry demodands are the whipping boys of the big bloated bufonids above them in status. They are relegated to menial labor and cannon fodder positions in the power plays of the shaggy and slime demodands, sent out to battle daemons, demons, and devils alike to attempt to carve out more territory for the demodand breed. The tarrys are violent and unpredictable as well, unleashing the frustrations of their lot in life in the form of a Barbarian-esque rage and pummeling the crap out of foes while holding them tight with their adhesive tar-laden hands. The tarry demodands, like their kin, are interesting, even if only for an introspective of just what makes evil tick.

[Eldan]

And I still think Demodand is one of the most stupid names ever.

[The Tygre]

And I still think Demodand is one of the most stupid names ever.

What about Gehreleth?

[Eldan]

Slightly better. Not as grating to me, and it least it sounds slightly alien.

My explanation (which could be the official one, I forgot) was that Baatezu, Tanar'ri, Gehreleth and Yugoloth were just the words in the fiends own respective languages.

[Coidzor]

Where's it come from anyway? They ever admit to that? Eeeeewww... Vancian Influence.

[The Dark Fiddler]

And I still think Demodand is one of the most stupid names ever.

If I were a Demoman Demodand....

[The Tygre]

Where's it come from anyway? They ever admit to that? Eeeeewww... Vancian Influence.

Now, now... You can't knock -everything- from Jack Vance. Just because his spellcasting system is more or less a coelocanth these days doesn't mean his other stuff isn't valid.

[Coidzor]

Now, now... You can't knock -everything- from Jack Vance. Just because his spellcasting system is more or less a coelocanth these days doesn't mean his other stuff isn't valid.

It... It doesn't? I'm just... the covers... and 1950s Science Fiction...

I just... I just get so scared sometimes....

[The Tygre]

It... It doesn't? I'm just... the covers... and 1950s Science Fiction...

I just... I just get so scared sometimes....

It's alright.

It's called pulp.

Our protagonists are manly men, even the wizards.

Harem girls are plentiful... and firm if you know where to squeeze.

And every villain is an evil sorcerer with a pseudonatural balor.

You may have heard of us.

[Mulletmanalive]

Given that Vance's characters would have actually bought the ability to memorise spells individually as Feats and the lowest level effect in the books is a 5th level spell at CL 20, it's not really Vance's problem.

The main issue with the system as written is the scaling caster level piece of the puzzle and the fact that the casters actually try to rely on their spells rather than having them sitting around like nukes in the closet like the dudes in the book. Hell, most powerful characters in Dying Earth have like 6 spells...

Now stop ragging on Vance! As an aside, my impression of 1950s Sci-fi is more Asimov's bizarre assumptions about aliens, his somewhat boring stories about travel and the nifty ones about robots.

[Rappy]

Diger
This may be one of the most absurd and unusual oozes I've ever seen. The CR 2 diger is literally a transparent ball of slime, that has a fake gemstone "skull" to attract adventurers (because we all know adventurers are a good dietary regiment), and filled with helium it can fart out to fly for limited periods of time. I don't think they could pay me to make up a monster quite this off-beat. Like most oozes, a diger engages in combat by enveloping an opponent with its acidic body; it does, however, have one other ace up its sleeve in the form of an anesthetic chemical it can inject to paralyze a target that is being digested. Pretty nasty, if not so effective against stronger targets.

Seriously, though, I had a hard time trying to figure out how to place the diger in any kind of ecology. The I remembered that they are indeed gemstone-eating monsters out there, like the xorn. What if the digers aren't just adventurer-eaters, but the xorn/other gem-eaters/things that like shiny objects version of a pitcher plant? It merely lies in wait, hiding in plain side, its shiny-sparkly fake jewel glittering in the otherwise shadowy depths.



Dire Corby
The CR 1 Monstrous Humanoid known as the dire corby looks at first like the underground anthro-bird equivalent of orcs; they're zerg rushers, they have nasty dispositions, they have no real special powers to speak of, and they like killing stuff (especially bats, which they find a delicacy). I say nay to this! They're giant anthropomorphic crows, it's hard not to work with that! You can enhance their flavor immensely by plugging in corvid traits, such as an obsession with collecting shiny things (perhaps why an adventuring party would enter their cavernous lairs?) and clever ways of problem solving. Perhaps mesh them in with other underground wildlife and hazards. Adventurers too well-armored to be pecked open? Flush them into an area with piercers or darkmantles. Wizard in the ranks? Thrum 'em up in a swarm of giant cave crickets. Dire corbies may be relatively "stupid" by sapient standards, but they are three times as smart as actual crows, and should act just as cunning as their animalian kin.

As an aside, the dire corby will be getting an entire ecology and more in the upcoming Pathfinder book Misfit Monsters Redeemed (which should be interesting), as will...



Disenchanter
...This fellow! While I can see the dire corby easily being made into an interesting and threatening creature, the disenchanter will be a tough sell, even from Paizo's "Monsters Revisited" line. The disenchanter resembles a sparkly, blue-furred macrauchenia. I'll let that sink in for a moment.

...

...Okay, everyone done laughing? Good? Good. The disenchanter is actually a fairly scary prospect when you get past its (mutable, of course) appearance. It's the wizarding equivalent of a rust monster; it not only has the ability to sniff out magic, but it can drain a magic item of its supernatural abilities! This means that the disenchanter is a very, very unpleasant creature to cross paths with, especially considering it's only a CR 3 Magical Beast. Low level hell indeed...



Dracolisk
Finally, we've reached the creature I alluded to waaaay back in the greater basilisk entry! Meet the mighty dracolisk, a CR 9 Dragon that is the result of a dragon and basilisk getting to know each other a little too well. The result is a horrifying monster that can both incinerate/freeze/melt/zap/toxic gas you with its breath weapon and petrify you with its basiliskine eyes! This creature is so over the top deadly that it becomes innately awesome. And, really, who hasn't thought about having a half-dragon basilisk at least once? And I imagine such a beast would have an interesting ecology as well...not that I can think of one right now.

[Rappy]

Dragon, Cloud
The graceful cloud dragon is a lithe, crocodile-headed true dragon whose form trails mist as it soars through the sky. Its scales start out a pale blue with reddish tinge, but slowly transforms to a burning orange and finally a radiant gold as it matures. Cloud dragons are one of the most intelligent of the dragons, can transform into mist, create water, have a breath weapon that acts like a focused hurricane rather than a burning/freezing/zapping/acidic/whatever blast, and have a set of spell-like abilities that include mist and fog-related spells, lightning, and weather control. They are also applicable at a large range of levels, with challenge ratings that escalate from the CR 3 wyrmling to the great wyrms at CR 25. Cloud dragons are reclusive and standoffish, but not necessarily a villain; they are more like the cranky old people wanting the adventurers to get off their lawn than the crops-ravaging, princess-eating beast.

While there isn't much fluff on them in the Tome of Horrors, looking at a copy of ye olde 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual, there are a few heres and theres that are of interest. Cloud dragons live in magical islands made in the clouds, where they keep their treasures and young...now there's an adventure hook if there ever was one. They're also kind of jerkish, looking down on creatures that cannot naturally fly and waging turf wars against the silver dragons (which, suffice to say, they usually lose; cloud dragons may be smarter, but silver dragons are stronger, have both paralytic and cold-damage breath weapons, and can produce gravity manipulating hackery when they are at their full growth progression). They also have a diet that consists of...rain water, hailstones, and silver. Yeah, I'm not sure what to say about that.



Dragon, Faerie
Imagine all of those annoying feykind and their tricksy ways, condensed into a cute little dragon with butterfly wings. Now, imagine no more, for that is exactly what the faerie dragon is. These jackass relatives of the pseudodragons spend their whole lives honing their magic (individuals having a 35% chance of being a Druid, the rest being Sorcerers) for the sole purpose of aggravating humanoids entering their realm; indeed, it is stated that some spend months simply to plan a single practical joke. This is added to by a breath weapon that produces euphoric gas (yes, they have literal happy gas) and the ability to become invisible at will. Also, interestingly enough, they have the ability to communicate telepathically at a range of 2 miles; I've never seen a creature with a telepathy range that large...I wonder what's up with that. Thankfully, the TOH didn't reprint the Monstrous Manual's comment that a faerie dragon's voice sounds like "the tinkling of tiny silver bells", which would have cemented their low likability; I mean, really, you're a dragon, not a cartoon chipmunk! All in all, a fun creature, but one whose usefulness depends on how much you're willing to bend its fluff into something more usable (or how comedy-oriented/whimsical your campaign is). A final side note: in addition to their absurd telepathy range, they also have a fairly large number of hit dice (2, upgradeable up to 6) for such a tiny creature; then again, I guess it's the least they could do to make these CR 2 trickster terrors a bit more dragony.



Dragon, Mist
Why this creature exists, I'm not sure, because the mist dragon is more or less a cloud dragon with the Water subtype instead of the Air subtype. Okay, it's a little weaker (it caps out at a Challenge Rating of 23) and breathes a cone of blindingly hot (literally!) fog instead of a wind blast, but its mist transformation, water creation, and spell-like abilities aren't really that different at all. This creature probably would have been better served as a variant of cloud dragon rather than an entire entry of its own.



Dragon Horse
This entry is also annoying, but for a completely different reason. The dragon horse, a CR 9 Magical Beast whose form is that of a supernatural flying horse with draconic features, is mentioned as "being related to the noble ki-rin". This would be fine, but...there are no stats for the ki-rin presented in this title at all! And it's not like this is a monster you can easily pop open your Monster Manual and find; no, it's a creature that you'd have to trawl through the various Asia-themed supplements (Oriental Adventures or third party) to find! There's no real excuse I can think of for them to update the dragon horse and not the ki-rin...but I digress. Anyway, as I noted, the dragon horse is not a creature of the Dragon type like the past three critters in this post, nor is it even related to true dragons, but it is tangentially part of the Dracy Bunch by virtue of the ki-rin. They have a triple-use breath weapon that can either deal cold damage, blast out a gust of wind, or create fog, and they can both transport to different planes and fly. And if that didn't make them odd enough, they are built up as these ultimate paragons of virtue, disdaining material possessions and being of a "free spirit". Oh, and they can auto-detect anyone's alignment, mental defenses or no. Wee.

[Thane of Fife]

Looking at my Monstrous Manual, I think the major differences between Mist Dragons and Cloud Dragons is in their habitats and spell-like abilities. Given that they both seem to be Oriental-style dragons rather than western ones, I'd be inclined to use them more like wizards than traditional dragons.

You know, there's a famine, and the PCs need to talk to the mighty Cloud Dragon to get him to bring rain. But they can't fly, so they have to go to the mist dragon that lives by the river and hope that he'll take them to the cloud dragon.

So first they have to gather gifts so that the mist dragon will talk to them, then they need to do him a favor so that he'll agree to their request. They need more gifts so that the Cloud Dragon will talk to them, and then they find out that he's causing the famine because his daughter was kidnapped or something, so they have to rescue her.... You get the idea.

Incidentally, I love how in 2e, cloud dragons have a Jump speed. Why??

[Volthawk]

It's odd Faerie Dragons are in there. They're already in 3.5, in the Draconomicon.

Oh right, these ones are Open Game Content...

[Rappy]

Dragonfish
This creature is, sadly, of no relation to the real-world dragonfish; instead, it is, strangely enough, nearly identical to a real-life fish known as the stargazer. Like the stargazer, the dragonfish is a bottom-dweller with upward-facing eyes and venomous spines. Unlike the stargazer, the dragonfish is a freshwater creature and a CR 2 Magical Beast...for...some reason. Like the bonesnapper, there's no real reason for this creature to be classed as a Magical Beast rather than an Animal, and the only thing keeping it from being called a "dire stargazer" or something is its 2E legacy name...still, said legacy didn't stop the potential of it being a mere animal. Indeed, the 2E dragonfish was listed in the Fish section of the Monstrous Manual, alongside gars, sharks, electric and true eels, and other denizens of the deep. As an aside, I'm kinda disappointed that the gars were left behind, but the Tome of Horror updated the barracuda, electric eel, giant and cold-weather piranhas (!), and the giant tiger barb (!!).



Dragonfly, Giant
Now that's more like it! An honest to goodness classic "big bug" Vermin, the bane of low-level adventurers (in this case, the giant dragonfly has a Challenge Rating of 4). The book doesn't say much about the giant dragonfly. They are large (for a dragonfly, at least; about 5 feet long) insectile predators that attack animals and giant vermin. That's...pretty much it. Oh, and it is also stated that their shimmering exoskeleton is worth 1,500 gold pieces. Considering how many dragonflies swarm together here during the spring, the marshes of a realm with giant dragonflies must be swarming with adventurers during that time of year, too!



Dragonnel
Dragonnels are a CR 6 Magical Beast that are either a relative of the dragons or a dragon-pteranodon hybrid; our good sage friends aren't sure on that matter. Similarly, it is "thought" that dragonnels can speak Common...what, did no one ever think to ask one? Anyway, dragonnels are mountain-dwelling aerial predators with rudimentary intelligence, using their sapience to outcompete predatory animals such as their presumed pterosaurian kin, and are also used as mounts by "evil races" (why "evil" races? Are "good" races too uppity to have the dragony thing as their sky-steeds?). Eggs of these ferocious pack hunters are worth 4,500 gold pieces a pop, and chicks are worth 9 grand each! Forget dragonfly hides, stealing the babies of a sapient species is where it's at! :P



Drake (Fire, Ice, and Salt)
Fire drakes: they're drakes that are attuned to fire. Simple, huh? ...Okay, I'll tell you more than that. Fire drakes are essentially small, dim-witted red dragons with flammable blood. Handily enough, this burning blood can be used as makeshift molotov cocktails (!) or to create a temporarily flaming weapon. These wary predators dwell deep in the caverns of volcanic regions and guard their territory ferociously. They are presumably based on J.R.R. Tolkien's firedrakes, although it is possible that the original creators went back to old European dragon lore as well.

Ice drakes, on the other hand...yeah. I'm pretty sure these are based off of Tolkien's cold-drakes (although it could just be a coincidence in terminology). Cold drakes and fire drakes alike have a Challenge Rating of 4, but the ice drakes replace physical strength with magical aptitude. These crafty frost dragons can either induce fear in their enemies or put them to sleep in addition to their chilly breath weapon.

Finally, you have the midnight blue-scaled salt drake. These are both the most original and the most powerful of the drakes, an imposing CR 9 predator that dwells in the great expanses of the arid plains and salt flats. They are powerful in both melee and ranged combat, with powerful claws and teeth and a breath weapon that both flays the flesh with salt and grit as well as leech moisture from the body as Constitution damage (if you have a copy of Sandstorm and want to be particularly mean, you could replace Constitution damage with Desiccation damage). They also have a nice ltitle hook, in that it's stated that gnolls, goblins, and hobgoblins are known to use these mighty beasts as war mounts. I don't know about you, but the idea of dragon-riding goblins is terrifying!

[The Tygre]

It's odd Faerie Dragons are in there. They're already in 3.5, in the Draconomicon.

Oh right, these ones are Open Game Content...

Well, that and ToH was printed out before the Draconomicon.

[tbarrie]

Darnoc
The darnoc is a form of undead that is, more or less, an homage to the works of Dante Alighieri. It is a spirit that was filled with great greed in its life, and is punished by the gods to suffer for that greed in death by tediously repeating their greed in ways such as eternally counting the same pile of coins or (if you want to go straight back to the Inferno) toiling under the literal weight of their avarice. They are also understandably grumpy, a darnoc distracted from its toils will fly into a rage and use its vicious arsenal of powers against the offender.

I can't help wondering who Conrad was. TSR's accountant back in the day?

[Volthawk]

Well, that and ToH was printed out before the Draconomicon.

Oh, right. I didn't know that.

[Rappy]

I can't help wondering who Conrad was. TSR's accountant back in the day?

Who knows? Except the creators of the monster, obviously...

---------------------------------

Draug
It's a ghost pirate, whooo. This CR 4 Undead is based on the sea-bound version of the Norse draugr, but for whatever reason was changed to be an undead pirate rather than an undead Viking...I can only imagine why... They wield cutlasses and have a fancy pirate ship that is immune to fire, stays afloat in any weather (which is a good idea, considering this draug has the ability to conjure storms), and fly. Presumably the flight is based around the Flying Dutchman, which makes me wonder why they didn't just give it a Dutch name rather than a Norse one. I'd rather use the draugr from Frost and Fur, it's a better deal than this one.



Drelb
Drelbs are CR 5 Outsiders that are meant solely to piss off Clerics; they resemble wraiths, but are not undead, and can warp its appearance to appear to be turned as an undead when it's actually standing still (and thus beating those that run after it over the head with its powers). Drelbs have a chilling touch that startles those that feel it and the ability to imitate any psionic power used within 30 feet of it....for...some reason. Meh.



Dust Digger
These giant CR 4 starfish-like Aberrations slowly crawl their way beneath the sand, creating pits that draw prey in to be grappled and swallowed whole. And...what makes this any more viable than an advanced giant ant lion, exactly?



Eblis
CR 3 Magical Beasts. Giant EEEEBUL storks. Can cast spells. You do the math.



Eel, Giant Moray
One of those few creatures in the Tome of Horrors that makes me really question it, the giant moray eel breaks the mold of most giant animals by being of the Magical Beast type. Alas, like the bonesnapper, it has no real reason for this distinction; it has a disease-ridden bite, low intellect, and nothing that really makes this CR 4 beast stand out as deserving to be a Magical Beast rather than stuffed in the animal appendix of the book.



Elemental, Psionic
We have stats ranging from CR 2 to CR 14 of the mighty psionic elementals, living masses of psychic energy. They have a veritable Swiss Army Knife of psionic powers, ranging from mere detection powers to mind crush powers in the larger specimen, and actually have the ability to warp reality to deflect one attack or spell per round. These enigmatic creatures have little fluff and can thus be adjusted to fit into any campaign that allows psionics.



Elemental, Time
Forget what I said about the psionic elementlas; these are truly mighty. The common, noble, and royal time elementals (with Challenge Ratings of 8, 14, and 17, respectively) are only titled so as to differentiate them due to the lack of major size differences that most elementals have; indeed, if these titles have any actual meaning, it's unknown, because our dear sage friends in the fluff have essentially thrown up their hands and said "Hey...we dunno". While just as enigmatic as psionic elementals, these spatial paragons are much, much more dangerous. Their attacks don't heal naturally due to the cell death their touch causes, they can magically age a creature up to an entire age category (for instance, making a teenager into an adult) once per day, have constant foresight that aids them in combat, the ability to stop time or have up to four of itself at once due to time hackery, are immune to time-related magic, and can remove a creature from existence for up to half an hour. I can't help but think that Gary Gygax invented the time elemental for the pure purpose of waving it in the face of spellcasters that overuse time-related spells.



Elemental Dragon
Elemental dragons are...well...elementals shaped like dragons. Why? Who knows. The four elemental dragons are found on their corresponding planes and are all designated Always Evil. Why? Again, who knows, most elementals aren't keen on the whole "fight of Good vs. Evil" thing. In any case, in addition to all four species having "superheated [element here]" breath weapons, air dragons have a cyclone buffet can control wind and weather, earth dragons can meld into stone and appear to be a mere statue (as well as absorbing the bones of those they kill; this has no mechanical benefit for the earth elemental dragon, it's simply a "no easy resurrection for you!" clause), fire dragons have a super-hot aura and can create a literal rain of fire, and water dragons can capsize boats, control water, and douse flames. The elemental air and water dragons are both CR 18, the elemental earth dragon is CR 20, and the elemental fire dragon is CR 22. These are...eh. They really need a better fluff job than "these creatures are mean because they look like dragons...for...some reason".



Executioner's Hood
In the grand tradition of "things that look like stuff you wouldn't expect to kill you", the executioner's hood (a CR 2 Aberration) is a living executioner's hood. Surprised at that revelation, aren't you? Oh, but it gets weirder... While you'd expect a creature that looks like a hood to engulf and try to strangle its opponent, would you expect it to be weak to alcohol? Yes, alcohol. Wine, brandy, ale...all of it is listed as dealing 1 point of damage per quart poured on the executioner's hood. Oh, Dungeons and Dragons, how I love your wackiness...

[Eldan]

"Quick! He's being strangled by his hood! Douse him with Brandy!"

I can so see my old gnomish archivist saying that.

[Rappy]

Eye Killer
A snake-tailed bat with vestigial wings and eyes that have an Insta-Kill Death Ray. It's a CR 4 Magical Beast, and kills creatures for the fun of it in spite of having animal intellect. It's also vulnerable to bright lights, allowing you some modicum of protection against them...unless it's an umbral eye killer. In that case, you're pretty much dead in the water; the umbrals can release overwhleming darkness from their bodie so that, while you cannot fend them off, they can crawl through the darkness with ease and pick you off. Fun.



Eye of the Deep
Say hello to the Eye of the Deep, one of the only beholders that has managed to escape the clutches of Wizards of the Coast and enter the realm of Open Game Content. Like the beholder, the Eye of the Deep is a scaly ball with a single large eye and toothy maw in the front, and is of the Aberration type. Unlike the beholder, the Eye has Fabian hair behind two crab-like (rather than "human eyes on snail stalks") eye stalks, and has two imposing crab claws that actually allows it to manipulate objects (!). On one hand, the big eye has a stunning blast, the right eyestalk has hold monster, and the left eyestalk has hold person....as well as the ability to create illusions when the two eyestalks' powers combine, for some reason...which is rather tame compared to the all-out heavy artillery of the bog standard beholder. On the other....well...crab claws! The greatest flaw of the Eye of the Deep is that it will only be encountered in deep-water adventures; Eyes that end up beached have to either crawl their way back into the ocean or die in 2d4 minutes. On the other hand, you could always give it one of the templates out there that grant amphibiousness.... Of course, I'm the same DM that would also be malicious enough to say that giving medusas the Gaze to Ray feat is a good idea, so take that as you will.



False Spider
This heading dictates two giant Vermin: the CR 1 Pedipalp (giant whip-scorpion, also known as the vinegaroon) and CR 3 Solifugid (giant solifugid, AKA the camel spider, sun spider, etc.). Both of these creatures have an improved grab/constricting mandibles combo, which is rather uneventful. Thankfully, there is a CR 2 variant of the former creature that grants a cloud of poisonous fumes, which is a bit more imposing. Sure, it's not the caustic vinegar blast that actual vinegaroons have, but at least it's something.



Fen Witch
The fen witch resembles a frog-handed hag that has had way too many sweets. Like most hags, she is a lower-level Monstrous Humanoid (CR 5, to be precise); unlike most hags, however, she is extremely reclusive and disdains anything and anyone that enters her swamp. Trespassers beware, as the fen witch can read your mind (if you're within 60 feet of her and fail a DC 15 Will save, that is) and then kill you by twisting your truename (again, if you fail a DC 15 Will save). On top of that, she's so hideous that her visage actually deals 1d8 points of Strength damage! This is a rather nasty monster encounter, I'll give them that...



Fire Lizard
About as close as you'll get to a mythological salamander in standard Dungeons and Dragons tomes (although definitely oversized for the job). This CR 8 (!) Magical Beast is said to resemble a wingless red dragon, although the art makes it look like a fire-breathing tuatara...so...yeah. Fire lizards breathe fire. Obviously, right? Well, I just figured I'd tell you that, as it's the only special ability it really has.



Fire Nymph
This CR 4 Fey is a nymph...with fire hair...that casts fire spells...and has intense body heat...and lives on the Plane of Fire. *Shrugs* Your guess on this one is as good as mine.