Creature Catalog

2019-07-23T06:38:10Z

2001:14BB:490:9A71:4D91:BFF7:6C4A:3FE1: /* Creature Catalog VI */

'''Creature Catalog''' was an article series in [[Dragon Magazine]] that served as a spiritual successor to the earlier [[Fiend Factory]] from [[White Dwarf]]. As its name implies, Creature Catalog was an article series that featured fan-submitted monsters, presenting them for the enjoyment of the D&D community. Only six Creature Catalogs were ever published, sadly; the first three for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition, and a short-lived revival trinity for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]] (3.5). A tiny handful of the monsters from the original trinity went on to become official monsters in subsequent editions, whilst the "revival" articles tended to feature fan updates of forgotten monsters from AD&D.

==Creature Catalog I==
Featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #89, this Creature Catalog was for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st Edition. It featured the following monsters:
* [[Amitok]]: A savage [[Cryonax]]-worshipping subrace of [[goblinoid]]s native to the artic.
* Killer Beetle: A giant beetle with psionic abilities and tentacles that favors sapient victims.
* Birchir: A giant lungfish-like marsh fish big enough to swallow humanoids whole, with a particular taste for [[lizardfolk]].
* Bohun Tree: A killer tree with toxic fruit that attacks by flinging needle-like thorns or lashing out with tentacle-like roots.
* Calygraunt: A magic item-hunting [[fey]] creature that esentially resembles a 4ft tall [[rabbitfolk|humanoid jackalope]].
* Cantobele: A six-legged sabertoothed cat that uses an imitation of a woman's voice to lure humanoid prey.
* Corkie: A giant rodent most distintive for its horns and its poisonous bite.
* Duleep: Deadly electricity-producing amorphous creatrues that resemble thick gray sheets of dusty cobwebs capable of crawling along.
* Explodestool: A mushroom that blows up when touched. What did you think it was?
* Fachan: A bizarre humanoid monster resembling an [[ogre]] with one eye, one arm, and one leg. This is an actual folklore beastie, and even made it into [[Pathfinder]], but that doesn't make it any less stupid.
* Flailtail: A freshwater ray with a club-like tail it uses to stun prey whilst it disguises itself as a giant bed of lilypads or pond scum.
* Ghuuna: A [[gnoll]] [[therianthrope]] with the ability to transform into a hyaenodon.
* Glasspane Horror: A strange [[elemental]] that normally disguises itself as an iron-hard sheet of glass, but can transform into a glassy humanoid warrior or a sheet of sparkling glass dust, often enticed to serve as a guardian by [[mage]]s in exchange for the crushed gemstones it feeds upon.
* Giant Horseshoe Crab: Exactly what it says on the tin. An odd relative of the common [[Giant Crab]].
* Ihagnim: A weird and predatory [[slime]] native to the [[Astral Plane]].
* Millikan: A bizarre tentacled abomination oft-mistaken for a tree stump... until it starts spewing fire at you!
* Dark Naga: A new (at the time) [[naga]] strain, classified here as a malicious [[fey]] with the head of a human and the body of a snake.
* Peltast: A strange symbiotic [[slime]] that disguises itself as a leather clothing or accoutrement; it feeds on the "wearer's" blood, but takes only a small amount (1HP per day), and in return it will purify any poison they suffer, grant them slight magic resistance, and can even give them emergency resuccitation once per day.
* Giant Pitcher Plant: You really need the explanation for what this is?
* Seastar: It's a starfish, just using a slightly more obscure name. Except because it's in D&D, it's capable of preying on human flesh and even being trained into a deadly aquatic guardian.
* Scallion: A predatory oceanic fish of gargantuan proportion. Most iconic for the female, whose young live inside her stomach-womb and do the attacking for her when she hunts food.
* Giant Shrike: A sized up version of what is commonly known as the Butcherbird. It's a real thing. Look it up.
* Sind: Also known as "marshwiggles", a swamp-dwelling humanoid race with subtle frog-like features and a [[halfling]] like disposition.
* Star Leviathan: A massive whale-like creature native to the [[Astral Plane]].
* Utukku: Fiends native to Tarterus (what later became [[Carceri]] in [[Planescape]]), resembling a scakly-skinned, reptilian humanoid with the head of a lion that has porcupine quilles for a mane.
* Giant Venus Flytrap: Again, you need this spelled out?
* Vurgen: A gigantic version of the famous gulper eel.
* Killer Whale: An orca. That's it.
* Wind Steed: A species of wind-walking flying wingless horses, also known as [[Asperii]]. These got into 2nd edition and became associated with the [[Forgotten Realms]].

==Creature Catalog II==
Featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #94, this Creature Catalog was for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st Edition. It featured the following monsters:
* Belabra: A strange land-dwelling octopus-like hunting creature, vaguely akin to a wickedly-jawed, feral-minded [[flumph]].
* Giant Betta: A giant version of the betta fish, more famously called the Siamese Fighting Fish.
* Bhaergala: Also known as the "Gunniwolf", a vaguely lupine-yet-feline predator that specializes in hunting humanoid prey with its power of speech and its ability to reflect enemy magic.
* Phase Dragon: A forgotten [[dragonet]] species that is able to partially shift into the [[Ethereal Plane]], similar to the more famous Phase Spider.
* Ekrat: An annoying species of wingless [[fairy]] that feeds on paper and ink - especially those used to create magical grimoires, enchanted books, and spell scrolls.
* Fireball Fly: A giant fly that explodes in a burst of fire when slain.
* Firestar: A Strange elemental being, similar to a [[Will-o-Wisp]], but benign in nature.
* Flamewing: A species of predatory bat that can cover itself in a fiery aura to protect itself.
* [[Hurgeon]]: A reclusive species of peaceful humanoid hedgehogs.
* Giant Lightning Bug: A giant firefly with the ability to launch electrical sparks at creatures that irritate them.
* [[Lillend]]: A [[celestial]] that resembles an [[angel]]-winged [[lamia]].
* Orgautha: A gargantuan land-dwelling leech with a mouth at either end of its body.
* Rekeihs: A bizarre, vaguely octopus-like wandering carnivorous plant.
* Rummele: A celestial dog native to the Chaotic Good/Chaotic Neutral corner of the [[Great Wheel]]. It has the power to transform into a humanoid shape.
* [[Urisk]]: A race of humanoid goats.
* Viltch: A [[fiend]]ish race from [[Pandemonium]] that exists only to destroy things, looking a dirty baboon with two arms and one leg.
* Great Wyrm: A flightless, six-legged but intelligent branch of the [[dragon]] family tree.
* Xaver: A [[Gotcha Monster]] that disguises itselef as a sword so it can eat all your metal.

==Creature Catalog III==
Featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #101, this Creature Catalog was for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st Edition. It featured the following monsters:
* Alcor: A strain of [[lizardfolk]] adapted to frigid climates, which uses its long, flat tail as a snowboard.
* Avari: Fiends native to the, quote, "Middle Lower Planes" that resemble humanoid bats.
* Automaton: A variant [[golem]] distinguished by being specifically built to be mobile without needing magic to make it flex.
* Bogeyman: A malicious [[fey]] that feeds on the fear and terror of children.
* Burbur: An inoffensive wormlike critter that eats all manner of deadly species of [[slime]], mold and moss, including the legendarily deadly Green Slime.
* Creeping Pit: An [[Astral Plane]] monster that manifests in the [[Material Plane]] as a cartoon-style hole that moves about, trying to suck creatures into the Astral Plane.
* Dracones: A giant snake that has become the host for a spirit of a dead master warrior by inhabiting its toom.
* Forchoreae: A celestial deer native to the Happy Hunting Grounds, which later became the [[Beastlands]].
* Gargorian: A four-armed [[gargoyle]] with a flailing tail.
* Gu'armori: A powerful suit of animated armor that requires the combined efforts of a [[wizard]] and a [[cleric]] to create.
* [[Hamadryad]]: A more powerful version of the [[dryad]].
* Hawkdragon: A [[dragonet]] with hawk-like features and a stinking breath weapon.
* Lhiannan Shee: A female [[vampire]] [[fey]] with a pechant for preying on [[bard]]s. Actually a real mythical monsters.
* Mantimere: A crossbreed between a [[manticore]] and a [[chimera]].
* Metal Mimic: A more powerful [[mimic]] that can mimic metal.
* Orpsu: A blood-sucking gliding nocturnal predator.
* Pilfer Vine: Semi-sentient plants that love bright shiny items, and so they'll knick yours if you get too close.
* Righteous Clay: A malicious earth [[elemental]] consisting of a mass of animate clay that steals souls.
* [[Sea Giant]]: Not to be confused with the [[Mystara]]n monster from [[Creature Crucible|PC3: The Sea People]], this is basically a giant [[merfolk]].
* Tener: A giant, bipedal, humanoid spider native to [[Pandemonium]], [[Limbo]] and the [[Abyss]].
* Thendar: Strange humanoid sages of great magical power who inhabit the [[Astral Plane]].
* Tundra Beast: Essentialy a polar bear that inhabits subarctic and northern temperate plains, disguising itself as part of the vegetation.
* Wind Thrower: A strange [[dwarf]] subrace with the ability to manipulate the wind to their defense.
* Yale: A stag-sized boar with long, curling, cow-like horns.

==Creature Catalog IV==
Featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #339, this Creature Catalog was for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]]. Uniquely, this article was devoted ''entirely'' to 3.5 conversions of forgotten or obscure AD&D monsters from the [[Greyhawk]], [[Mystara]] and [[Ravenloft]] settings. It featured the following monsters:
* [[Animus]]: A powerful, [[lich]]-like undead being created by the church of [[Hextor]]. Native to [[Greyhawk]].
* [[Blindheim]]: A vaguely humanoid frog with large eyes that can produce potent beam attacks. Native to [[Greyhawk]].
* [[Carrionette]]: A murderously self-aware marionette puppet that wants to become a real person - and is willing to swap bodies with a living victim to get it. Native to [[Ravenloft]].
* Death's Head Tree: A blood-drinking tree that bears "fruit" in the shape of severed humanoid heads that wail, groan, and bite. Native to [[Ravenloft]].
* [[Greyhawk]] [[Dragon]]: A unique species of steel-colored, shapeshifting [[dragon]] native to [[Greyhawk]] with a particular fascination for the humanoid life.
* [[Dusanu]]: A necrotic fungus that colonizes corpses and animates them to spread, causing it to be mistaken for a [[skeleton]]. Native to [[Mystara]].
* [[Goblyn]]: Monstrous, [[goblin]]-like warped humans best known for their love of chewing faces off. Native to [[Ravenloft]].
* Maggot Golem: A [[golem]] made up of an enormous mass of mobile maggots. Yes, this is real, and it's just as gross as it sounds. Native to [[Ravenloft]].
* Suel Lich: A [[lich]]-like [[undead]] creature that normally exists as a [[wraith]], but can possess humanoid bodies to interact with the physical world. Said bodies rapidly become useless. Native to [[Greyhawk]].
* [[Nagpa]]: A fallen [[wizard]] cursed to spend eternity in the form of a hideous, foul-smelling, flightless humanoid vulture. Native to [[Mystara]].
* [[Phanaton]]: Weirdly adorable flying raccoon-monkeys. Native to [[Mystara]].
* [[Xvart]]: Blue-skinned, pathetic little humanoids too wimpy even to be accepted as [[goblinoids]]. Native to [[Greyhawk]].

==Creature Catalog V==
Featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #343, this Creature Catalog was for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]]. It featured the following monsters:
* [[Chupacabra]]: A fuzzy, ape-like, blood-sucking humanoid monster.
* [[Arcane Dragon]]s: Two dragon species particularly renowned for their mastery of magic; the ''Hex Dragon'' and the ''Tome Dragon''.
* Rune Golem: A weak but quick [[golem]] found in Nordic or similarly [[druid]]ic regions, made of hardwood, ivory and bone engraved with magical sigils.
* Gray Shiver: A spider that has gained sapience, a small array of magical power, and a huge ego as a result of taking up residence inside the deserted skull of a destroyed [[lich]].
* Hellchain Weaver: A [[fiend]] of uncertain connection to both [[Kyton]]s and [[Lolth]] that resembles a giant spider made from woven chains, with metal spikes for toes and fangs.
* Living Wall: A nightmarish undead comprised of a mass of undead corpses mashed together into a solid wall. A classic monster from the [[Ravenloft]] setting.
* Malfera: A hideous fiend from the [[Demiplane of Nightmares]]. A classic monster from the [[Mystara]] setting.
* [[Norker]]: A tough-skinned, savage [[goblinoid]] subspecies.
* Nuckalavee: A repulsive monster from Irish folklore that resembles a mutated, aquatic [[centaur]] whose translucent skin makes it look like it's been flayed.
* Warturtle: A giant and aggressive turtle often trained as a beast of war by amphibious or aquatic races, such as [[lizardfolk]] and [[sahuagin]].
* White Hart: A magical white-furred deer native to [[fey]]-touched forests that is capable of traveling between planes.

==Creature Catalog VI==
Featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #355, this Creature Catalog was for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]]. It featured the following monsters:
* Black Beast of Bedlam: A shifting, chaotic, amorphous monster spawned from the madness of deities.
* [[Cave Fisher]]: A classic [[dungeon]] and [[Underdark]]-dwelling predatory insect.
* Giant Dragonfly: ...You reallyneed this explained?
* Dungeon Phantom: A unique strain of ghost created when a thrill-seeking veteran adventurer gets careless and dies in a dungeon.
* Rot Giant: A strain of giants afflicted with a horrible disfiguring plague by [[Incabulos]].
* Cannon Golem: A golem with an integrated cannon. What more do you want?
* Maedar: The rare male counterpart to the [[Medusa]], another classic monster.
* [[Obliviax]]: A strange species of moss that steals memories. Another classic monster.
* Scarecrow: A variant [[golem]] based on an animated scarecrow. Actually goes back quite a ways in D&D, and is particularly associated with [[Ravenloft]].
* Seedroach: A magically engineered plant that produces mobile seeds that look vaguely like cockroaches; these bite humanoids and turn them into adult seedroach trees. Kill them with fire.
* Giant Slug: A classic D&D monster stemming from pulp fantasy; an enormous slug that spits acid.
* Spring-Heeled Jack: A murderous urban [[fey]] with a vaguely [[devil]]ish mien.

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