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T O P I C    R E V I E W
Artemas Entreri Posted - 23 Sep 2011 : 15:43:58
What do you think is the most iconic Dungeons & Dragons monster/race of all time? If your choice is not listed please let us know.
30   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
GRYPHON Posted - 31 Jul 2015 : 18:39:51
Devils and demons...
Artemas Entreri Posted - 11 Mar 2015 : 16:44:40
Since no one had voted "vampire" yet I removed that choice and replaced it with "mind flayer." Can't believe I forgot about the mind flayers when I created this poll!
Artemas Entreri Posted - 06 Mar 2015 : 01:25:03
quote:
Originally posted by genebateman


a giant crochroach whose breath drains levels.




I sure hope this is a typo, otherwise that would be a terrifying monster indeed!
genebateman Posted - 10 Jan 2014 : 01:59:20
for the lizard folk guy. the characters had to prevent a civil war.
they had the option to do nothing. if they did nothing then the fiendish lizard folk would win.
the main supply route to them would of been cut opff and they would have to fight a war with out 2 major allies
genebateman Posted - 10 Jan 2014 : 01:56:17
for an generic play it has to be a dragon
but for me i do too much of one of kind creatures
i have done a 2 headed fiendish lizard fold priest
a giant crochroach whose breath drains levels.
i hate the mundane. i try to send to least 3 creatures each level that is unique

Libelnon Posted - 09 Jan 2014 : 18:46:17
I think of Carrion Crawlers. Not sure why.
Alruane Posted - 21 Nov 2013 : 09:39:18
quote:
Originally posted by Barastir

I'm with the dragon. In my understanding, it is not the more exclusive creature of D&D, and your answer will depend on what you see as "iconic". Most creatures of D&D come from literature or mythology, and i don't think they are less important or significant in D&D because of that. And even if beholders are a creation of D&D, and considering all that was posted here in this thread, I think in games the dragon is the ultimate creature.

The goal of many adventurers is to be a dragonslayer, even if there are more dangerous creatures around. There are a lot of dragon or draconic variations, good, and evil, and in the last decades even PC have draconic races or traits available. Worlds like DragonLance were totally based in the human/dragon relations, and even atypical worlds like Dark Sun had their iconic dragons.

And dragons go well beyond the game, its worlds and its players, in general imaginary. Even for those who don't know about D&D, a dragon is a well known creature, and when you talk about Dungeons & Dragons, this will be the creature everyone will think about. Even for me, dragons are the most fascinating creatures, and since I don't like to make important encounters banal, I've decided to make my PCs enemies of the Cult of the Dragon and its minions...

See, I think beholders are VERY iconic, but maybe ORCS would be even more because they are the villains that are present in almost every game, for low, middle and even high level campaigns... Even if they were originally from Middle Earth, based on the goblins of mythology.



This entire post makes a valid point.
Barastir Posted - 20 Nov 2013 : 10:29:48
I'm with the dragon. In my understanding, it is not the more exclusive creature of D&D, and your answer will depend on what you see as "iconic". Most creatures of D&D come from literature or mythology, and i don't think they are less important or significant in D&D because of that. And even if beholders are a creation of D&D, and considering all that was posted here in this thread, I think in games the dragon is the ultimate creature.

The goal of many adventurers is to be a dragonslayer, even if there are more dangerous creatures around. There are a lot of dragon or draconic variations, good, and evil, and in the last decades even PC have draconic races or traits available. Worlds like DragonLance were totally based in the human/dragon relations, and even atypical worlds like Dark Sun had their iconic dragons.

And dragons go well beyond the game, its worlds and its players, in general imaginary. Even for those who don't know about D&D, a dragon is a well known creature, and when you talk about Dungeons & Dragons, this will be the creature everyone will think about. Even for me, dragons are the most fascinating creatures, and since I don't like to make important encounters banal, I've decided to make my PCs enemies of the Cult of the Dragon and its minions...

See, I think beholders are VERY iconic, but maybe ORCS would be even more because they are the villains that are present in almost every game, for low, middle and even high level campaigns... Even if they were originally from Middle Earth, based on the goblins of mythology.
Alruane Posted - 20 Nov 2013 : 02:37:22
quote:
Originally posted by Drustan Dwnhaedan

I voted 'dragon', but I'm starting to wish I'd voted 'beholder' instead...


I ALMOST did, I love dragons in every lore. But, Beholder got my vote.
Alruane Posted - 20 Nov 2013 : 02:36:09
quote:
Originally posted by The Arcanamach

Beholder because it was a unique DnD creation, but illithid should have been a choice too.


I was just saying they can be quite terrifying, their powers can do some real damage.
Alruane Posted - 20 Nov 2013 : 02:33:21
quote:
Originally posted by hashimashadoo

Definitely the mind flayer. No creature in DnD inspires more fear in my players than them. They'd much rather fight a CR 8 dragon than an illithid.



I agree partly with this, Beholders frighten me but Mind Flayers....they can do some gruesome things to ones character.
Drustan Dwnhaedan Posted - 20 Nov 2013 : 01:56:08
I voted 'dragon', but I'm starting to wish I'd voted 'beholder' instead...
The Arcanamach Posted - 17 Nov 2013 : 23:37:09
Beholder because it was a unique DnD creation, but illithid should have been a choice too.
hashimashadoo Posted - 17 Nov 2013 : 18:17:09
Definitely the mind flayer. No creature in DnD inspires more fear in my players than them. They'd much rather fight a CR 8 dragon than an illithid.
Alruane Posted - 17 Nov 2013 : 09:40:24
Beholders are VERY iconic for D&D, in my opinion.
LordXenophon Posted - 24 Aug 2012 : 19:41:20
Dont forget all the flying monsters I sold to the Waterdeep Air Guard.
Markustay Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 21:42:53
And vice-versa. Sometimes the monster is the treasure.

Monster-parts used to be a big part of the MM entries. Sometimes you got far more for something's snout (or eye, or liver, etc) then the treasure you found after killing it.

And thats not even including capturing monsters to sell to evil wizards, menageries, Colosseum-style combats, mage-schools and sagely academies, etc.
LordXenophon Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 21:00:25
Sometimes, the treasure can be the monster. How many times have you been bitten by a mimic or stung by a lock lurker? And I won't even go into intelligent magic items.
jazirian reborn Posted - 30 Jul 2012 : 12:41:10
The first two serious tastes at 1st edition were the old SSI modules Pools of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds.
Both had a possessed Dragon body as the final benchmark , and I guess I tend to think of the spell powered, massive beast that dominates all around it.
The lure of fame and treasure is equally iconic as well.
Alystra Illianniis Posted - 24 Jul 2012 : 00:04:05
Heh. I've used one dragon (in disguise) to hire the PC's to kill its own parent. And tricked them into trying to "rescue" that very same parent (in disguise again) from- itself. Dragons are so versitile, they don't ALWAYS have to be used as straightforward enemies. And Dennis, let's not forget there are plenty of fantasy tales where dragons are potent allies, rather than just beasts of burden or monsters to fight. Wizard in Rhyme series, anyone?(The first thing the hero does when transported to the alternate world is get into a spell-battle with a wizard, then summon a dragon by accident when trying to escape said wizard's dungeon.) Eragon? Myth Adventures(Gleep)? Guardians of the Flame series?(There were two, one they rescued from slavery, the other killed one of the group when they were trying to return home.) These are just a few examples.
LordXenophon Posted - 21 Jul 2012 : 22:43:04
That just sounds like you end your campaigns when the characters are barely starting to get powerful enough to survive a baby dragon.

Personally, I would never start a campaign without first determining who the dominant monsters are in the campaign area, where they live, what they are involved in, what would attract their attention, who they know in town, etc. This will ALWAYS involve the local dragons. Sometimes, there's even a dragon or two in town. In fact, quite a few dragons live in Waterdeep and are very active in the campaign, whether the PC's notice them or not.
Quale Posted - 20 Jul 2012 : 11:01:37
In ten years I've used a beholder I think once, a dragon maybe three times, personally it's goblin or elf.
BEAST Posted - 20 Jul 2012 : 05:22:26
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis

quote:
Originally posted by BEAST

But when conflict is personified, or rather monsterified, the classic, archetypal, oft-repeated-down-through-history method is to figure it as dragon.

Are we talking about fantasy in general or just FR? If it's just FR, then maybe that's the case. Though that's still highly debatable...

In fantasy in general, no, that's simply NOT the case. How can one personify conflict into a fire-breathing dragon if in the first place, as apparent in many fantasy novels, there's no dragon in the setting?

I said "when" it is personified/monsterified, classically it's a dragon. That simply IS the case, Dennis. As several other people lamented earlier in this same scroll, dragons seem ubiquitous in fantasy down through the ages.

Now, again, that's when it gets personified.

But there are certainly other types of fantasy that don't use dragons. In those cases, then there is no way to personify conflict as a dragon.

Even then, though, dragons are still the classic, archetypal monster used to personify conflict. Exceptional, dragonless fantasy tales don't change that.
Dennis Posted - 20 Jul 2012 : 01:54:54
quote:
Originally posted by BEAST

quote:
Originally posted by entreri3478

Also, "conflict" in storytelling has been around far longer than dragons.

Quite true.

But when conflict is personified, or rather monsterified, the classic, archetypal, oft-repeated-down-through-history method is to figure it as dragon.


Are we talking about fantasy in general or just FR? If it's just FR, then maybe that's the case. Though that's still highly debatable...

In fantasy in general, no, that's simply NOT the case. How can one personify conflict into a fire-breathing dragon if in the first place, as apparent in many fantasy novels, there's no dragon in the setting?
LordXenophon Posted - 19 Jul 2012 : 22:20:28
quote:
Originally posted by entreri3478

quote:
That reptilian, fire-breathing, gigantic form resonates with people across almost all cultures, and all time periods.


Black, green, blue, and white dragons will be offended by this statement.



All Dragons can breathe fire. Red Dragons just happen to be able to do it without a potion.
froglegg Posted - 14 Jul 2012 : 13:48:50
A dragon.


John
Ozreth Posted - 14 Jul 2012 : 10:20:34
Not sure how Kobolds and Mind Flayers didn't make the list but I went with Beholder as well : p
BEAST Posted - 13 Jul 2012 : 03:40:26
quote:
Originally posted by entreri3478

quote:
That reptilian, fire-breathing, gigantic form resonates with people across almost all cultures, and all time periods.


Black, green, blue, and white dragons will be offended by this statement.

Perhaps. But they don't resonate across the world and the ages like a flame-belcher.
Alystra Illianniis Posted - 12 Jul 2012 : 22:21:50
As would Bronze, Brass, Copper, and Silver, I'd imagine. And the entire spectrum of gem dragons, Steel, Mercury, Mist, Shadow, Deep- you get the idea..... On further speculation, although I've personally encountered or used relatively few of the mighty wyrms, they DO pretty much sum up the fantasy element of the game. Nothin says lovin like a giant, magical, destructive monster that flies, breathes some sort of nasty elemental emission, and is smarter and longer-lived than just about everything around it!
Artemas Entreri Posted - 12 Jul 2012 : 20:56:49
quote:
That reptilian, fire-breathing, gigantic form resonates with people across almost all cultures, and all time periods.


Black, green, blue, and white dragons will be offended by this statement.

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