Posts tagged ‘monsters’
DDOCast 645 – Ask the Devs: A New Epic Experience
Standing Stone Games developers Torc, Lynnabel & Steelstar along with Community Manager Cordovan join us on DDOCast this week for another Ask the Devs! We dive into all the changes coming in epics including itemization, destinies, leveling and monsters!
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Monster Minute: Hobgoblins
Hobgoblins in Real-World Mythology
In European mythology and folktales, hobgoblins are the troublemakers of the Seelie court. In tales, these creatures are small hairy men much like their fey cousins brownies. They are found in homes doing odd jobs or small deeds, such as ironing and dusting, while the family sleeps. The only compensation they need is a bit of food. Some stories say giving them clothing will banish them from your home. Hobgoblins are easily insulted when teased or misused and will retaliate with tricks and cause trouble.
Monster Minute: Orcs
Hi everyone, it’s been a while, but here is the latest Monster Minute. I had a hard time selecting which monster to do next. Orcs was a tough thing to talk about because in Eberron, they are more of a race than a monster. In DDO, they are considered a monster, and soon we’ll have playable Half-Orcs.
Orcs in Real-World Mythology
Much of mythology portrays orcs as rough and warlike humanoid creatures; the most famous depiction is set by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Ring series. The modern use of the word “orc” begins with Tolkien, and though he is famous for his fiction work, he was also a professor of the Anglo-Saxon, English Language and Literature at Oxford University, and had a profound love of language and philology. In his own words: “I originally took the word from Old English orc (Beowulf 112 orc-neas).” Though there are similar words in Latin, he believed that orc was “actually derived from Old English orc ‘demon’.”
Monster Minute: Marilith
Marilith – Mara and Lilith in Real-World Mythology
My research with the Marilith ended up short this week and much of my sources can’t pin point the actual creator for this D&D monster. But they do say that the Marilith was based on two mythological figures from history: Mara and Lilith.
The Mara is a demon who sent Gautama Buddah visions of beautiful women in attempts to seduce him. Most Buddhist texts and teachings acknowledge the Mara as both the personification and metaphor of unskillful emotions, and the actual son of a god doing evil in the world.
Monster Minute: Rakshasas
Rakshasa in Real-World Mythology
The Rakshasa is a demon or evil spirit in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. In the Hindu scripture, Ramayana, Rakshasas were created from Brahma’s (the hindu god of creation’s) foot. Much of legends say that Rakshasas are the reincarnations of particularly cruel and wicked humans. These man-beasts are said to feed on human flesh and have venomous fingernails. They are also known for their shape changing abilities and are cunning illusionists and sorcerers.
Monster Minute: Sahuagin
Sahuagin from Super Friends? Or from Maori?
The sahuagin are an aquatic monstrous humanoid species who’s features resemble that of a fish. They were originally created for D&D by Steve Marsh as a gamer, before he became employed by TSR. Where Steve Marsh got the idea for the sahuagin is up for debate: one source says that he got the inspiration from a Justice League or Super Friends cartoon featuring similar creatures as monsters. I did some research, and couldn’t find the exact Super Friends cartoon. The closest thing I could find (and this is why this week’s Monster Minute is late) is an old episode of Aquaman entitled “The Rampaging Reptile-Men” (Youtube Video).
Monster Minute: Golems (Proto-Warforged)
Golems in Real-World Mythology
The Hebrew word for golem literally means “pupa” or “cocoon”. The meaning of golem tends to change based on its context; in some ancient written works, golem was synonymous with “fool” or “stupid”. But in certain Bible translations, the word golem refers to an embryonic or incomplete substance. Golem was often used as a metaphor for a brainless servant or someone who is slow and lumbering. Golem comes from the root Hebrew word gelem, which means “raw material”.
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated being crafted from inanimate material. The earliest reference to a golem is in the Talmud, where it describes Adam (from Genesis) as initially created as a golem made from dust.
Monster Minute: Mind Flayers
Mind Flayers in D&D History
Illithids, more commonly known as mind flayers, are iconic to D&D and were created by Gary Gygax — who was inspired by the cover of Brian Lumley’s book, The Burrowers Beneath. The mind flayer debuted in TSR’s newsletter, The Strategic Review – Issue 1, in 1975. The monster was described as “a super-intelligent, man-shaped creature with four tentacles by its mouth which it uses to strike its prey.”
Mind flayers appeared again in AD&D first edition Monster Manual in 1977. Nearly 6 years later, they got an ecology article in Dragon magazine #78. They were officially described as an illithidae, in Dragon #150 (1989). AD&D 2nd edition saw the reprint of the mind flayer in Monsterous Compendium and then again in the Monstrous Manual. They are also found in the Complete Psionics Handbook, where it further details their use with psionics. A 2nd edition Monstrous Arcana accessory book, called The Illithiad, further details the mind flayer and introduced more illithid subtypes such as the Elder Brain and illithid-roper. The third module in the mind flayer adventure series, Dawn of the Overmind, outlines an origin story.
Monster Minute: Genies
Genies in Real-World Mythology
Genie, djinni, or jinni in Arabic culture is a supernatural being who come from another world in parallel to our own world and are one of three sentient creations of Allah (the other two being man and angels). According to the Qur’an, jinn share one thing with mankind, and which angels lack: free will. The Qur’an also says that jinn form civilizations and cultures just like humans but are made of “smokeless fire”. And much like humans, they can be good or evil.
Monster Minute: Ogres
Ogres in Real-World Mythology
In most classic works, an ogre is a large, cruel monster with hideous features. They are often described in fairy tales as humanoid monsters who feed on people. In art, they are seen as having a large head, draped in unkempt hair, and sporting a dirty beard. The images always show them looming over people ready to eat human and livestock alike.
The word ogre originates from France and hasn’t changed its meaning nor spelling since it was first written in a 12th century French poetry work called Perceval, the Story of the Grail. Literary scholars think that the word could have originated from Beowulf and the Old English word for orcs, orcnēas.
Monster Minute: Rust Monsters
Rust Monsters in D&D History
The Rust Monster was patterned after a small plastic toy found in a grab bag of toy monsters and dinosaurs sold in the 1970s & 1980s. As stated by Gary Gygax himself in Dragon Magazine #88, in an article entailed “Ecology of the Rust Monster”:
“When I picked up a bag of plastic monsters made in Hong Kong at the local dime store to add to the sand table array … there was the figurine that looked rather like a lobster with a propeller on its tail … nothing very fearsome came to mind … Then inspiration struck me. It was a rust monster.”
Monster Minute: Beholders
History of the Beholder
Unlike most D&D monsters, the Beholder was created specifically for D&D by Terry Kuntz, brother of Rob Kuntz. Both Terry and Rob are game designers and long time associates of Gary Gygax. Terry invented the Beholder in 1970 while playing in Gary’s new game, the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Later Gary elaborated on the monster for publication. The Beholder’s first official debut was in a D&D campaign supplement called Greyhawk in 1975 and was even illustrated on the cover. In this incarnation, the Beholder was described as the “Eye Tyrant – a levitating globe with ten magical eye stalks.”
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Monster Minute: Gargoyles
Gargoyles in the Real World
Gargoyles, the term originates from the French word gargouille which means “throat” or “gullet”. The word represents the sound that a gargoyle makes as it fulfills its original purpose as an ancient architectural invention: a water spout designed to pass water away from the side of a building. Ancient architects saw that water erodes the mortar between blocks of stone and devised a way of dividing the flow of water. As time passed, artists sculpted the water spouts into whimsical creatures or ugly human faces. Soon they also became non-functional ornamental figures to adorn homes and gardens. Some of the oldest gargoyles can be found on Egyptian buildings and Greek temples. The grand Temple of Zeus (built in 470-456 BC in Olympia, Greece) originally had 102 gargoyles or spouts. People of today consider the grotesque or chimera shaped statues on modern structures as gargoyles. The most famous 20th century gargoyles can be found on the Chrysler Building in New York City.
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Monster Minute: Kobolds
Kobolds in Real World Mythology
In real-world mythology, the Kobold or kolbolt is a sprite in German folklore. Belief in kobolds dates to at least the 13th century, when German peasants carved kobold effigies for their homes. They are said to be invisible or take the form of fire or mundane object. In some texts, they take the form of an animal or person. Though their favorite form is humoresque figures the size of children. Their environment often dictates their shape. For example, kobolds that live in mines or caves are ugly and hunched, while the ones who dwell in human homes often look like peasants. There is even a type of kobold that lives in the smoke pipes of steam powered sailing ships; they like to wear sailors clothing.
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