Met	16	+3
Dex	14	+2
Bra	18	+4
Wts	12	+1
Cha	10	--
Per	14	+2

----

Comments and questions are welcome.

Met	13	+1
Dex	17	+3
Bwn	17	+3
Wts	5	-3
Cha	5	-3
Per	16	+3

Fairies are kind of a strange monster in D&D. Not a threat in the physical way most monsters are, and yet the fae are usually quite powerful. A party that messes with fairies are in for a very rough time crossing the forest. 


I tend to use magic in my games as sparingly as possible, to keep the low fantasy tone and keep magic fantastical. Fairies and the Fae kind of fit into a special niche though, if done properly they can stay low fantasy but still inject some weird folksy type magic into a setting. Kinda like Baba Yaga type witches, moss dwarves and the like. Hedge magic.



Anyways- here is the stats for pixies in my game, I guess they are pretty much fairies.

Met	7	-2
Dex	17	+3
Bra	10	--
Wts	14	+2
Cha	14	+2
Per	14	+2

The Ettercap is one of my favourite monsters. I love the idea of a spider -man that can control lesser spiders. The Ettercap makes a great mini-mastermind type villain in my opinion. A great controller behind attacks or a lair full of spiders. I let my Ettercaps use scavenged weapons and equipment, like rusty swords and broken armour. I also think they should be devious trap makers.

An Ettercap lair would have:
- pit traps that drop into spider nests,
- falling nets/ webs,
- deadfall traps,
- snares,
- spider ambush holes,
- sticky tripwires,
- ankle traps (full of spiders),
- falling egg bombs full of spider swarms,


"At the end of the horrible gauntlet a grotesque half-man-half-spider thing is brandishing a rusty longsword and wearing a tattered cape. At it's feet the bound village girl struggles weakly on a primitive altar. The walls are painted with horrifying images of eight legged deamons. As you charge towards the altar three giant spiders drop down from the ceiling... "



---
I'd really like to add some more substantial posts but I've been feeling under the weather.

Comments and Questions are welcome.

Met	7	-2
Dex	10	--
Bra	7	-2
Wts	7	-2
Cha	10	--
Per	10	--

Met	7	-2
Dex	18	+4
Bra	10	-
Int	12	+1
Cha	7	-2
Per	15	+2

I picture them a lot like they are depicted here, except mine are lanky and less chunky. Green warty hides, tall and lanky, big tusks. They live in huge Trollhalls that are tunnelled into hillsides. They are skilled at working iron, often serving as the armorers for nearby humanoid tribes. Trolls are cunning and cruel but are not unreasonable and they enjoy talking to their prey. Adventurers can often stall by simply striking up a conversation, and may even be able to convince the Troll to let them go, if it would benefit the troll. Trolls use huge iron clubs in combat, they strike at a victim's legs and pelvis, trying to cripple their prey. It is said that trolls eat their prey slowly, trying to keep their victims able to speak as long as possible.

Met	11	-
Dex	13	+1
Bra	18	+4
Int	13	+1
Wis	8	-1
Cha	9	-1
Per	13	+1

  To spice up encounters with humanoid enemies roll a d20 on this chart once for each group encountered. Apply the result to one random member of the enemy group, the idea is that maybe in a group of 3 bandits maybe one has slightly more armor or one out of 5 goblins is already wounded.. Not every creature needs a complicated backstory but this way some of the rank and file grunts will seem a little more "alive" and unique.

1. Scared and grizzled- has a few extra hit points.
2. Wearing superstitious charms- has a slight bonus to save against wisdom related effects.
3. Extra big and muscled- has a slight bonus to damage.
4. Is wearing a few extra bits of armor- +1 to AC.
5. Better stance and technique- has an additional attack.
6. Craven- will immediately attempt to surrender if takes damage.
7. Mocking- hurls insults during battle.
8. Avenger- determine another random member of the enemy group. If that character is slain the enemy with the avenger quirk will attack the killer with a berserk frenzy.
9. Wealthy- has slightly more coin or treasure than is typical.
10. Wielding better quality weapon- has slight bonus to hit.
11. Fearless- has bonus to morale.
12. Alert- has slight bonus to perception and detection.
13. Small build- has a few less hit points.
14.  Attractive- is particularly good looking, handsome/pretty (or at least clean and noble in stature).
15.  Wearing less armor- -1 to AC.
16. Fearsome- looks particularly badass.
17.  Wounded- already has a significant wound, significantly fewer hit points.
18.  Has an interesting weapon- the weapon is unusual or at least different from others in the group.
19.  Tattooed- has some prominent tattoos.
20.  Has a musical instrument- will play it during battle for morale or to try to signal nearby allies. 

 Comments and questions are welcome, or maybe come up with extra entries on the list. Cheers!

More thoughts on the bestiary from the Moldvay Basic set:

Bat:
Comes in two flavours:
Normal- regular bats who fly around characters and cause confusion, they are very likely to flee unless they are summoned or controlled.
Giant- they do 1-4 dmg and only have 2 HD so they aren't too giant really but i guess alot bigger than a regular bat. There is a chance they are Giant Vampire bats and thus suck blood and can cause vampirism, a neat little touch.

I'm going to try to use normal bats more often. Even if they can't actually attack I think they work really well as a "dressing", it makes alot of sense for them to be in a dungeon anyway.

Bear:
The bears in the basic set are on par with the weakest dragons, I think that says alot right there. All bears have a "hug" ability that causes 2d8 extra damage if both paw attacks hit the same target, it is this ability that really makes bears lethal.

Black- the regular bear, not too threatening but a good companion for a druid. Also perfect for being a campsite invader, punish the players for not storing their food properly.

Grizzly- Now we are talking, these guys are scary. Although I might use the polar bear stats for a papa or mama grizzly.

Polar- The main reason characters should avoid cold regions.

Cave- These 15ft tall killing machines are coming for your blood- really- "If hungry, they will follow a track of blood until they have eaten." so you better not walk around with unbandaged wounds in bear country.

Beetle:
Although I think fire beetles are lame, oil beetles and especially tiger beetles are pretty cool. I think they are an interesting alternative to some of the more conventional fantasy dungeon monsters.

Berserker:
I never really liked these dudes until quite recently, they have a really cool description in the 5th ed playtest that changed the way I think of them.  So barbaric Germanic tribesmen they are! Picts and such. Great for populating the wilderness as "wildlings" and giving PC barbarians a place to come from.

Boar:
Another useful if not terribly exciting addition. Great for hunting and eating at feasts. You can use these same stats for a deer buck if you want.


Bugbear:
I hate the name, I hate the concept. My goblins aren't hairy so they sure as hell won't have giant hairy cousins. In a game where an Owl Bear is a owl-bear hybrid animal bugbears just cause confusion. I don't use bugbears, they don't exist in my gameworld.


Carrion Crawler:
A really cool concept. I would leave as is. I love creatures like the crawler and gelatinous cube because of their role as waste disposal in the dungeon environment.

-More to come. Cheers! 

As a young kid, before I could even read I was pouring over the pages of the Moldvay basic set just devouring the pictures with my imagination (particularly page B20- lol). I spent many hours running around my local park pretending to fight white apes and carrion crawlers.

Anyways, I thought I would share some of my thoughts on the monsters of the basic set.


Acolyte:
These dudes are pretty cool. There is alot of roleplaying potential here.  I think it really comes down to what the clerics are up to and what alignment they are. So here goes:

 1d6 for alignment
1-2 Lawful   - Jolly friar-tuck types or deadly serious witch hunters.
3-4 Neutral  - Pagan druids.
5-6 Chaotic  - Hardcore super-evil raiders or more moderate hedonistic types.

1d6 for current mission
1- On a pilgrimage to or from a shrine.
2- Escorting a valuable relic.
3- Seeking new converts.
4- Itching to battle nonbelievers.
5- Fleeing persecution.
6- Searching for the "Chosen One".

Ape, White:
White Apes are a very useful creature for the DM in terms of utility. These nocturnal albino apes certainly appear fearsome but they are just animals of neutral alignment and low intelligence. They are also specifically stated to eat fruits and vegetables, so it seems they are unlikely to cause trouble if left alone. That said, I think White Apes make excellent minions for sinister powers, there could be a dark force corrupting the usually peaceful Apes and using them for evil.  How much more badass is the evil warlock with the pet ape?

1d6 for reaction to party*
1- Loud display meant to threaten and scare off intruders.
2- The apes bring forth offerings of fruit.
3- The apes try to barter and trade with the party through gesture.
4- An ape guide will join the party but will not travel further than a day from the ape lair. The guide is very helpful and will point out dangers and shortcuts.
5- The apes are curious but standoffish, several will watch the party from a distance for an hour or two.
6- The alpha of the group (male or female) takes an interest in the member of the party with the highest charisma score.
*The apes will not normally attack unless provoked.

Bandit:
Another good entry. I try to portray a human-centric world for my players, and having human opponents goes a long way toward that goal. Bandits are good and simple- classic villains, but they can range from neutral robbers to super EVIL murder-you-and-burn-your-house types. As a bonus they get a cool character class NPC to lead them.

1d6 for Bandit group:
1- The Wolfpack- This group of chaotic brigands are mean and have excessively bad hygiene. They favor ambush tactics and many use crossbows. Although they act tough the Wolfpack tends to retreat if their prey fights back. The Wolfpack is led by "Blackwolf" a veteran one eyed thief.
2- The Forestmen- This jolly group of neutral bandits is always looking for a good time. They are fond of music and wine and tend to be well liked by the common villagers. They are all excellent woodsmen and archers but their leader "Sparrow" is particularly skilled and renown.
3-  The Ragged Men- The Ragged Men are all deserters. They are neutral and not truly evil but they are incredibly desperate and defiant against authority. The horrors of war have broken these men and they refuse to bow to a lord ever again. Although the Ragged men don't have a formal leader most turn to "Old Rob" for guidance. Old Rob is a skilled halberdier and the oldest member of the group.
4- The Red Gents- These chaotic men are totally evil and totally loyal to their leader "Annika". Annika is an evil sorceress and she uses her bandit minions to further her selfish agenda. Annika uses her magical talents and great beauty to keep the bandits in line.
5- The Luckless Fellows- A small band of vicious thugs. The Fellows are the worst of the worst and cause misery and suffering just for sport. Their current leader "Maul" is a cruel bastard who is always thinking up new ways to torture captives.
6- The Maiden Slayers- This chaotic band of lazy drunks can't do anything right. Although they are certainly evil and cruel the Slayers lack the necessary skill and discipline required of bandits. The majority of their raids and ambushes end in embarrassing failure. The leader of the Slayers is a foolish man named "Tall Paul" who only has the job because nobody else wanted it.

- A decent start. Cheers!

Humanity has been crafting guardian totems since the dawn of time, creating more and more elaborate constructions as the ages moved on. The wooden totem poles in small villages eventually gave way to exquisitely sculpted stone guardians standing atop city walls or massive cathedrals. Each gargoyle is chiseled from stone to be a unique structural feature. The particular form of a gargoyle is entirely dependent on the sculptor and the desires of the patron who commissioned the work. Many different styles of gargoyle have been fashionable throughout history, but most often they incorporate both bestial and humanoid features. 
Gargoyles were meant to be mere decorative fixtures with the superstitious secondary function of warding away evil spirits. As the study of magic developed and the Animator school emerged, guardian statues began to serve more practical uses.

In times of trouble Animators would turn to the city gargoyles for a quick and ready supply of guardian constructs. These strange half-stone monsters are similar to living statues and golems- they are brought to life by Animators infusing anima into sculpted stone. Far more sophisticated than simple animated objects gargoyles tend to have more developed and unique personalities. It is believed that decades of lurking high up on city structures instils a special kind of animating spirit into these constructs. The subconscious fears and dreams of the citizens far below seeps up through the stone, so that an animator simply needs to expend a small spark of anima to 'wake up' these watchful but slumbering guardians. The cumulative imagination of the citizens quite literally inform the personality and behavior of a gargoyle once it is 'awakened'.

 Gargoyles are usually winged but that is not always the case, although non-winged gargoyles would have a considerably more difficult time traversing the city and tend to be even more territorial in defending their ledge or perch than their aerial cousins. Winged gargoyles are unsurprisingly stiff and clumsy fliers, but it is quite miraculous that they are capable of flight at all. Scholars believe the same telekinetic energy that allows animated objects to move  is used by gargoyles to somehow change their gravity. In effect gargoyles are able to 'fall' in the direction of their choosing- laterally or even vertically upwards, this control is far from perfect however and is constantly in conflict with the real forces of gravity acting upon their cumbersome stone bodies.  

 
Unlike standard animated objects, awakened gargoyles require a degree of mobility and flexibility not normally found in stone. The stoneflesh spell makes this mobility possible, allowing stone to flex and bend without breaking- although superficial cracking will be visible around joints. Gargoyles are notoriously easy to 'awaken' - even tiny amounts of anima being sufficient. The stoneflesh spell is a much more difficult spell to use and expends a considerable amount of arcane energy to maintain. This combination of factors means many supposedly inanimate gargoyles in a city could in fact be fully aware but trapped and unable to move. Frustration after years of imprisonment may explain why there are many known instances of gargoyles acting with violence and hostility. Gargoyles are notoriously difficult to command and prefer to be left to their own devices, very often going rogue and ignoring the orders of their "master".
   

The first rule of Animating magic is Function Follows Form.  Judging by this law we can see that the personality and behavior of a gargoyle depends largely on it's outward appearance. Therefore a sinister and cruel looking gargoyle will usually act accordingly.  Gargoyles do all seem to have a wide territorial streak, jealously guarding their particular ledge and generally being protective of the structure they inhabit. Some gargoyles enjoy their role as city guardians and have been known to help or rescue citizens in distress. More malevolent gargoyles view the city inhabitants as vermin and inflict casual acts of violence against them.

Gargoyles are fascinating and unique creatures which are very reflective of the society that creates them.

 A malignant evil lurks in the deep black depths of the ocean. In the sunless trenches and vast sea caverns an ancient power waits and plots.

To further their goals in the world above the waves the Deep Masters have created a wide variety of servitor creatures. Using foul and ancient magics too vile to describe the Deep Masters have crossbred and spliced together creatures which have no natural right to exist.

The Deep Masters are in fact responsible for most of the horrific beasts which lurk in the oceans of the world. Creatures like the Kraken are failed experiments which have been turned loose to breed in the wild.  In ancient times the Deep Masters decided they needed to make a race of warrior creatures to carry out their evil and genocidal agendas. And so the Crabmen were created, a totally loyal and brutally effective race/army.  Their natural armor and weapons designed to make them the perfect tool to enforce the will of the Deep Masters.


To help with the task of directing Crabmen forces and other lesser creatures the Deep Masters decided to create a class of leader creatures.

These leader creatures are often created using humans which are recovered during Crabmen raids, which are then spliced with various sea dwelling creatures.  The resulting abominations are horrific mockeries of the humanoid form which sprout tentacles, claws, scales, gills, fins and bulging eyes in truly unsettling combinations.  Each of these creatures are unique and shares a deep telepathic bond with the Deep Master who created them.

 These leader creatures are far less suitable for combat then the Crabmen but will often supervise them on their raids. These agents travel far abroad  to further the interests of their Deep Master overlords, using powerful but subtle magic to blend in and influence events in the surface world.





-The big reveal about who the Deep Masters are is coming in part 3. 
(It's not really that big a secret though, I bet most people could guess it.)
And yes this is how Mindflayers work in my campaign world, they have a heavy nautical theme and I've dropped the whole alien brain stealing thing.

The vast oceans of the world are full of peril and doom. The beasts of the dark depths are fearsome indeed- dread Leviathans, hulking Kraken and monstrous Serpents all feature prominently in the mythology and legends of the seas.

One legend is feared above all others and only talked about in hushed whispers - the terrifying Crabmen.  Crabmen are so greatly feared because they rise from the waves on dark nights and travel up to several miles inland to attack villages and farms along the coast. Crabmen are hulking ogre sized monstrosities which are covered in spikes and thick black shells, they are impervious to pain and have no concept of fear. Crabmen use no tools or weapons- their claws can easily rend an armored knight apart in a single swipe. When Crabmen attack they do so with surprising speed and stealth- although they are quite large their scuttling gait is swift and silent. Although they are known to have a clicking speech they rarely talk amongst themselves and never do so during a raid, instead instinctively acting with supreme co-ordination in battle.




Very few survivors live to report Crabmen attacks, raids are usually on defenseless villages and they will greatly outnumber their victims. Several dozen Crabmen will attack isolated farmsteads and several hundred will attack small villages.  One of the most frightening aspects of a Crabman raid is that they seek out live prisoners and little else- leaving behind both livestock and valuables.

Merfolk say that the Crabmen have been a threat to their communities since the dawn of civilization. Through the ages Merfolk have been fighting a constant war against the genocidal Crabmen and Merfolk blame Crabmen for the decline of their species.


Attacks by Crabmen on humans are unprovoked, brutal, and thankfully rare. Sages believe that Crabmen raids are slowly but surely increasing in both frequency and boldness. Some sages claim that Crabmen are pawns of an insidious evil race and are merely the vanguard troops of a much greater threat to humanity.

More on Crabmen and their Evil Overlords next time...

The Shadows where the Mewlips dwell
Are dark and wet as ink,
And slow and softly rings their bell,
As in the slime you sink.

You sink into the slime, who dare
To knock upon their door,
While down the grinning gargoyles stare
And noisome waters pour.

Beside the rotting river-strand
The drooping willows weep,
And gloomily the gorcrows stand
Croaking in their sleep.

Over the Merlock Mountains a long and weary way,
In a mouldy valley where the trees are grey,
By a dark pool´s borders without wind or tide,
Moonless and sunless, the Mewlips hide.

The cellars where the Mewlips sit
Are deep and dank and cold
With single sickly candle lit;
And there they count their gold.

Their walls are wet, their ceilings drip;
Their feet upon the floor
Go softly with a squish-flap-flip,
As they sidle to the door.

They peep out slyly; through a crack
Their feeling fingers creep,
And when they´ve finished, in a sack
Your bones they take to keep.

Beyond the Merlock Mountains, a long and lonely road,
Through the spider-shadows and the marsh of Tode,
And through the wood of hanging trees and gallows-weed,
You go to find the Mewlips - and the Mewlips feed.
-The Mewlips by Tolkien 

In the dark lonely places of the world things lurk. Dark things, evil things, HUNGRY things. No one really knows what the Dwellers are, but they seem to be horrid mockeries of the human form. Not much is known about these elusive cannibals, except that they crave hot blood and cold flesh. Dwellers are thankfully very rare, or at least very rarely encountered. Although Dwellers are usually solitary creatures they on rare occasions will band together in a small group. Physically weak but devilishly cunning Dwellers use traps or tricks to disadvantage or separate their prey, attacking when the victim is injured, asleep, alone- or preferably all three.

I mentioned the Cookie Golem in an earlier post. Although the Cookie Golem is one of the easiest constructs to build, their creation is not taken lightly, even foolhardy young Mages think twice before creating the dreaded Cookie Golem.  Cookie Golems are never loyal to any master and are fiercely independent as soon as they emerge from the oven, in fact most Cookie Golems attempt to kill their creator imediately. Fast ,deadly, and smart all Cookie Golems are expert escape artists. It is rumoured that escaped Cookie Golems form communites out in the wilderness.

A Cookie Golem if eaten alive gives some kind of really cool bonus... I donno, too sleepy.

Night gang.

Edit - So my intention with the Cookie Golem was to have a little creature that nearly any Animator could make, and there would be some kind of pretty good bonus for eating one, (I`m not sure what exactly, maybe fully heal the eater.)  On the flip side though Cookie Golems are tough little customers and don`t appreciate their master wanting to eat them.