Monster Hunters Association

The Monster Hunters Association is an organization of wizardly monster hunters hailing from an unknown world of Dungeons & Dragons. Inspired by the fact that so many monsters created during the days of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons are explicitly capable of being used as components in the creation of magical items, TSR introduced the MHA in issue #227 of Dragon Magazine, as a new style to handle their "Ecology of the X" article series. The MHA would appear in multiple issues, even receiving character writeups in Dragon #282, but ironically would not appear in any future Ecology article, although they were brought back as part of some short framing fluff for the final Paizo-published Ecology article; "Ecology of the Tarrasque" in Dragon #359.

Guild Directives

The Monster Hunters Association is a for-profit monster-hunting guild which seeks to study and hunt various kinds of magical creature to profit from the use of monster components in the crafting of magical items. Originally, the MHA is a wizards and experts exclusive guild, due to founder Dreelix's antipathy towards fighters and other warriors, but after a hydra hunt is only won through the practical skills and knowledge of the warrior-woman Rhionda, she is formally sworn in. There is a subtle internal split in the members between those who only care about the profit to be made and those who legitimately enjoy studying and learning about the various weird and wonderful creatures of their world.

Members

President Dreelix

Founder of the Monster Hunters' Association, Dreelix originally sought to become a fighter as a youth, but washed out of every academy he tried joining. He finally found his calling when a kindly wizard took him on as a favor to Dreelix's mother (who was, shall we say, somewhat generous with favors herself). Amazingly, Dreelix turned out to be a natural wizard, and quickly honed his skills, something that bolstered his confidence and gave him something to cling to.

At heart, Dreelix is a petty, sad little man who never quite recovered from not being as important as he'd like to be. His two most distinctive personality traits are his haughtiness and his impatience. He clings to any sense of importance he can give himself; he openly looks down on fighters and non-mages as inferiors, respects yet resents sorcerers for "having it easy", and lords his membership in the Association over other wizards. He carries the gavel which symbolizes his authority everywhere he goes, and rumor has it he even takes it to bed with him.

There is nothing Dreelix loves so much as being the center of attention, except maybe hearing himself talk. Nothing infuriates him so much as people not recognizing his obvious importance.

Of all the Association, Dreelix best exemplifies the seedy, mercenary aspect of their mission statement. He's only interested in doing the things they do for the sake of power and profit. As such, he is the most willing to prey on anything that isn't human, having led missions against nymphs and pseudodragons, and once speculating aloud about the possible uses of a dead gnome. Combined with his short attention span, Dreelix tends to spend most of the Association's meetings daydreaming during "the boring bits" - which tend to be those bits in which they discuss what their latest target is actually capable of in terms of offense, defense and utility. This has come back to bite him more than once.

Dreelix is a human man in his forties with thinning dark hair, darkly colored beady eyes, and a short-bearded face that is usually twisted into an expression of what he thinks is regal haughtiness. Short and somewhat stocky in build, Dreelix attempts to compensate by looking down his nose at other people.

Buntleby of the Western Grove

An easy-going, approachable, cheerful wizard, little is known of Buntleby's past. He inherited a small patch of land known as the Western Grove, and converted it into an osquip farm - he finds the mutant rodents quite fascinating, and his treatise on the creatures, whom he was studying to possibly unlock the reasons why multi-limbed entities such as centaurs and dragons can be possible, earned him admission into the Association in the first place. He even has an osquip familiar named Ozzie.

Buntleby makes new friends easily, having no apparent prejudices against age, race or adventuring class. He used to be an adventurer with Rhionda, but gave that up for an unknown reason. With a finely-tuned sense of right and wrong, Buntleby is definitely one of the most moral members of the Association (Neutral Good aligned, in fact), and is usually the first to stand up when he feels they are crossing the proverbial line. He is more than willing to stand up to even his friends and allies when he feels he has a just cause, and fortunately he's intelligent and reasonable.

But he's not a stuffed shirt. Buntleby has a mischievous streak and a sarcastic side, and whilst he genuinely enjoys learning about the strange creatures that the Association hunts after, he won't object to doing his bit in slaying them as well... so long as they're going after real beasts, and not intelligent, benevolent beings like nymphs and pseudodragons.

His closest friendships in the Association are with his former adventuring partner Rhionda, his mentor and sponsor Spontayne, and the sage Willowquisp. He absolutely disdains Dreelix, seeing the man as a pompous, overbearing blowhard with a grossly overdeveloped sense of self-importance. His sarcastic and mischievous streak tends to surface most strongly in response to Dreelix's antics.

A fairly good-looking man, Buntleby's natural hair color is light brown, but since being shaved by a band of jermlaine (unusually, Buntleby showed mercy on them and chose to let them go free once the rest of the Association rescued him) and being told by a nymph named Azurielle that she thought he looked good bald, he chose to go shaven-headed, at least for some time. He typically wears simple wizard's roes in blue, tan or gray, and carries a dagger for self-defense.

Treasurer Grindle the Coin-Counter

One of the founding members of the Monster Hunter's Association, Grindle's nickname is earned by his surprising aptitude for keeping track of money; he always knows exactly how much a magical item is worth, how much a member owes in guild dues, and when they need to pay up - and he is very quick to slap on a 10% late fee when payments aren't made on time.

Grindle is a huge man, 300 pounds of bulk, but carried in a build fit for a bouncer. Perhaps because of this, despite having no formal fighter or monk training, Grindle is more likely to wade into battle swinging his fists than stand on the back row and hurl spells. He's also as slobby as he is fat; if he weren't already nicknamed for his greed, he'd be nicknamed for his gluttony or poor hygiene. His robes are stained thoroughly with food smears and sweat, and he rarely if ever changes them, resulting in a distinctively noxious aroma.

Unfortunately(?), Grindle is an easygoing fellow with a good-sense of self-worth, so he doesn't let himself worry about what others might think of him. Insults wash over him like water off of a duck's back, and he's never been seen getting angry at anyone.

This might be why Grindle is one of the few people who seem to actually like Dreelix. Such is the Coin-Counter's loyalty that Dreelix has even trusted Grindle with the command word to Dreelix's flying carpet, something that the jealous president covetuously guards. That said, whilst Grindle is loyal enough to Dreelix to follow him on some of Dreelix's more amoral missions, he isn't a blind follower; he voted against Dreelix in the wake of the hydra incident to allow Rhionda to join the Association.

Founding Member Zantoullios the Gangly

One of the three wizards who founded the Monster Hunter's Association, alongside Dreelix and Grindle, Zantoullios is definitely the most moral of the three. He earns his nickname because of his looks; tall yet thin, he looks almost like a human scarecrow, with a prominent Adam's-apple that bobs up and down his throat when he swallows - which he does constantly, when he's nervous. Somewhat timid, highly disorganized and a bit absent-minded, Zantoullios is a natural bumbler - especially around pretty ladies. His usual attire of simple gray robes and sandals are typically covered in soot stains, charred ash, powder burns, or worse.

Despite his fumbling, which has seen him banned from demonstrating his latest experiments in the meeting hall, Zantoullios is a legitimately skilled artificer, especially when it comes to the field of the alchemist. He has a particular knack for finding uses for all sorts of monster bodyparts - his research into the usefulness of the troglodyte bladder is universally praised - and is one of the most skilled crafters of enchanted goods in the Association. His one major flaw, aside from a tendency to scorch or explode himself by not taking proper precautions, is his recurring issue with crafting healing potions.

See, Zantoullios is convinced that troll blood can be used to make a more powerful version of this ubiquitous tonic, even going so far as to keep a "pet" troll named Chauncy in his lab under heavy enchantments, but he can't seem to get the portion right. As such, as healing potions tend to result in the imbiber gaining trollish features, such as an oversized nose, a sickly green tinge to the skin, and a profusion of warts. He has a particular rivalry for/enmity with Old Gumphrey, as the elder sage is a superior alchemist.

Despite all this, Zantoullios is primarily good-hearted by nature. He's just very easy to talk into going along into almost anything, which is probably one of the reasons why Dreelix invited him into the Association in the first place. Still, he tends to get grumpy when things don't work out as planned, and has the good graces to look embarrassed when caught doing something that he shouldn't.

Secretary Lady Ablasta

The first female wizard to join the Association, Lady Ablasta is pretty much your stereotypical prim, proper, self-righteous, nosey old bitch of a spinster. The first new member to join the Association after it was formally founded, her keen intellect, love of details and naturally nosy nature saw her swiftly promoted to the role of secretary.

In her early 60s, Ablasta is a prim-looking, scrawny woman whose blonde hair is swiftly turning gray, with a thin face usually pinched in a sour expression of disdain. A dark naga once scornfully described her as looking like a rather scrawny plucked chicken that's been sucking a lemon. She favors "uppercrust" sorts of clothing; long dresses and blouses with puffy sleeves and a high neckline, paired with pointy-toed boots adorned with obsequious buttons.

Nobody's sure if she's an actual aristocrat, or if she's just putting on airs, the Association calls her "Lady Ablasta" to keep the peace. Which is well-warranted, because she has a wicked temper, and when pushed beyond the limits of her exasperation, will become a one-woman blasting machine, venting her fury with indiscriminately explosive discharges of spells and wands, which she keeps strapped to her forearm under the puffy sleeves of her blouses. And once she's done, she casually returns to her prim and proper ways as if nothing happened.

Ablasta is more than a little vain, and spitefully envious of other women - she is particularly appalled at "sharing" the association with Rhionda, who is not only a "mere" fighter, but also a young and quite good-looking woman. She's also notably hostile towards children, and keeps at least one Wand of Fear that she uses exclusively to terrorize the neighborhood kids. Everybody knows that she uses her Arcane Eye spell to routinely spy upon her neighbors to fuel her sense of superiority and self-righteousness, though she flatly denies the truth if confronted on it.

Snooty and elitist, Ablasta clings to the sense of superiority that her "senior membership" grants her, generally ignoring the younger members of the Association. She respects Dreelix's leadership skills, and Grindle's financial acumen, but she also finds fault with the former and loathes the latter's poor hygiene. The only one of the three founders that she feels no positive emotion for is Zantoullios, whom she disdains as a bumbling oaf. The rest of the Association privately mock and scorn her behind her back.

Spontayne the Studious

A tall, thin, brooding man in his mid-to-late forties, with a frequent scowl framled by a thick black mustache, Spontayne is very much a loner; were it not for the Monster Hunters Association, he'd probably be one of those wizards who lock themselves in a tower for months on end with their nose buried in a pile of musty old tomes. Even today, it's a mystery to the Association why he joined them; he's the strongest mage in the entire Association, clearly outmatching the others, he says little at their meetings, he does little when he accompanies them on a hunt, and he has the worst attendance record of them all - he doesn't even seem to like most of them, with a particular distaste for Dreelix (Spontayne has little patience for ignorance, pettiness or stupidity, and is quick to air his views when confronted with someone exhibiting these qualities).

The only exceptions to his dislike are his student, Buntleby, whom he sponsored for membership in the association, and Willowquisp. It's possible he originally joined only out of curiosity, or for the money - but since studying with Willowquisp, Spontayne has developed an appreciation for learning about the strange creatures that abound in the D&D world, and that's what keeps him returning. It's certainly caused him to begin developing a collection of zoological works that might even come close to rivaling Willowquisp's own.

Willowquip the Zoophile

A friendly, amicable sort who loves his work, Willowquisp was the original "hunter for knowledge" to join the Association. Whilst he accepts that the profits of their work help keep their group sustained, he bemoans the official focus on them. He feels affronted that most of the other Hunters would rather focus on how to kill a beast and what to do with its dead body afterwards, when they could be discussing and exploring such fascinating topics as mating rituals, life cycles, ecological niches, migration patterns, embryonic development, mutational trends, and so forth.

Sadly, even with Spontayne and Buntleby's interest in his fields, they are more pragmatic than the research-obsessed Willowquip. So, he reluctantly goes along with doing what the rest of the Association wants, often having to yank the conversation back in meetings after Dreelix wanders off on a tangent, and invariably sulking or getting grumpy after he realizes they've stopped listening to him ramble. Though he reluctantly goes along on hunts, it's purely in a support role; he has no spellcasting or combat skills himself (and is classed as an Expert in his statblock), so even if he didn't have moral objections, he wouldn't be much help.

As much as he tends to run his mouth when excited, Willowquip's knowledge equals his passion - especially when it comes to some of the goofier monsters. He maintains regular communications with fellow biologists, making the hub of a veritable information network. If he doesn't know something about a monster, he probably knows somebody who does. He naturally gets on best with Spontayne and Buntleby, and finds Dreelix exasperating.

Willowquisp is a jovial human man in his late fifties, with a face creased by smile lines and a head of tousled, thinning gray hair that he seldom combs.

Unfortunately, in the modern day, his title "The Zoophile" would translate to "someone who wants to have sexual relations with animals". Ew.

Old Gumphrey the Alchemist

The eldest of the Association at 87, Gumphrey is the true master alchemist and artificer of the Association, with even Zantoullios conceding the man's superiority. He's certainly a far better potion-brewer than Zantoullios may ever be.

Truth be told, Old Gumphrey is probably the most ignored member of the Association. Though he has plenty of wisdom tucked away in his head, he's rarely consulted, perhaps in part because his hearing tends to fail him. Another reason may be his blatant indifference to all of Dreelix's posturing and pompousness. So, Gumphrey tends to just ignore whatever's happening with the "young'uns" until they actually slap down some dripping, gooey monster bits in front of him. Then he gets to work with a vengeance, eager to turn these raw materials into powerful new magical items.

Rhionda the Swordmistress

The newest and youngest member of the Monster Hunters Association, its second female and its first ever warrior recruit, Rhionda was originally a member of the same adventurer band as Buntleby, before he joined the Association. When the Association decided to try hunting a hydra, only to fail disastrously, Buntleby turned to his old friend, who he knew had a long and successful career as a hunter of such beasts. True enough, with Rhionda's skill (and, perhaps, her looks; she's quite an attractive young woman, even when clad in tight-fitting leather armor) she impressed both Grindle and Zantoullios that they sided with Buntleby in the vote to admit her.

Despite her youth, Rhionda is a seasoned veteran with a long career of successful kills; this hard-won bevvy of experience has given her a sense of accomplishment, and the confidence to assert her own views to others. She cares little of what others think of her, because she has the utmost faith in her abilities. True, she is occasionally impulsive, almost to the point of recklessness, but she always takes on only those challenges that she honestly thinks sh can handle. Whilst usually pleasant-spoken, she is not afraid to turn a wickedly sharp tongue against those she dislikes.

Whilst most of the Association has an affably neutral sort of opinion of her, Rhionda's truest friend is her old partner, Buntleby. She's also made an enemy of Dreelix, since she makes her disdain for him plain to see and he dislikes having a fighter in the Association, and of Lady Ablasta, who resents having a younger, more beautiful woman around.

Monsters Hunted

• Osquip (Dragon #227)
• Nymph (Dragon #240)
• Shambling Mound (Dragon Annual 2, 1997)
• Flumph (Dragon #246)
• Flail Snail (Dragon #258)
• Dark Naga (Dragon #261
• Jermlaine (Dragon #262)
• Pseudodragon (Dragon #269)
• Gorbel (Dragon #270)
• Hydra (Dragon #272)
• Purple Worm (Dragon #282)
• Tarrasque - technically (Dragon #363)