What do your monsters look like?
Feb 8, 2022 13:09:02 GMT -5
The Semi-Retired Gamer, hengest, and 1 more like this
Post by arjen on Feb 8, 2022 13:09:02 GMT -5
With the little descriptions and sparse illustrations in chainmail and the 3LBB I imagine that how monsters looked like differed a lot between tables and probably even at tables. I say, I imagine, as I started with the red box basic D&D in the late 80s and by then monsters like orcs, goblins and kobold such had already permeated media and kind of settled on the most common 80s D&D representation and games inspired by D&D, I remember playing the Heroquest boardgame around that time.
When I run od&d I try to step away from the more 'established' D&D and Games Workshop representation of common monsters, just to also accentuate the fact we are playing d&d from before everything got codified and fantasy got defined by D&D.
Here are some of my representations of common monsters and races (and how they relate):
- Elves are "of Chaos", coming from the fairy realms, even though in the mortal plane they can often be found aligning with the forces of Law. Even elven areas and kingdoms in the mortal realms are mainly border areas between the mortal and the fairy realm. Most elves encountered in the mortal realm have human ancestors somewhere down the line, descendants of, or themselves abducted human children changed and infused by the Chaos of the Fairy Realm. Almost all elves that are PC's are have this "blood"-tie to the mortal realm and their adventuring days are regarded a "puberty" driven phase by other elves. Elves can look like the Tolkien like elves (these are the most likely to be accepted in the mortal/human settlements) but can also have more alien features like the Brian Froud and Rodney Matthews representations.
- Orcs are corrupted beings (humans, elves), changed by old magic to make them into easily manipulated and controlled tools for unscrupulous rulers, tyrants, anti-heroes and such. Though not necessarily "of Chaos" they are often found fighting in the side of Chaos, led by their evil masters, in the mortal realms. Rumors has it that in mythical battles in the fairy realms they have fought on the side of the more extremely devoted and less conscientious expedition of Law. Orcs looks like lanky stooped humanoids with long, sinewy limbs, skin color between pure white to pitch black and crude, often animalistic, maybe porcine, facial features. "Locally sourced" orcs look more as corrupted, stunted, versions of the local (human, elf) populace. A tribal and tribal based animosity to 'others' have been in-printed in them in order to make them more easily manipulated by their overlords.
- Dwarves are as "grounded" a creature originally also 'of Chaos" can be. Their tie to the mortal worlds are through the foundations of the mortal world that seep into the Fairy/Chaos realm and anchor these worlds. As such, when found in the mortal realms, they are found close to these roots and foundation, deep under the ground or in mountains and rocky hills, mining, building, smelting and blacksmithing and shaping. They are naturally resistant to arcane magic both advantageous and harmful, although they can shape and capture their own magic in the form of runes and crafted items.
- Goblins are unseelie fae, living underground and miners, like the dwarves. They are definitely "of Chaos", mining and extracting Chaos and Magic/Fae energy from the earth and stone. As such, and with such a different disposition towards Chaos and competing for the same spaces they are always at war with the Dwarves. Goblins are smaller than elves or orcs and less stocky than dwarves, their shape and facial features are very diverse with over and /or undersized limbs and/or animalistic limbs and facial features. The magic energy they find they use in rituals and hexes, creating more of their kind and/or stealing the babes of others and transforming them into their own kind.
-Gnomes are related to dwarves but live closer to humans in the mortal realms. Even with underground realms (in woods and hills) they have a connection with the animals and plants on the surface, something their Dwarf cousins don't have. As industrious as Dwarves, Gnomes spend their time doing smaller chores; mending, animal husbandry, tinkering, cobbling. More magically inclined than Dwarves they use their magic to stay mostly hidden from the people of the Mortal Realms, suing illusions, misdirection and invisibility.
-Kobolds are relatives of Gnomes and can look like them at a distance; they tend to wear the same type of clothes as Gnomes, complete with conical hat, but the colors they use are grey and drab. Kobolds are scavengers, thieves, traders, scalpers and hoarders. Where a Gnome might find a broken down windmill and spend time repairing it and making it operational, kobolds with dismantle it and strip it of everything useful and of value and cart it away. Kobold make their homes most often in abandoned mines and dwellings, diligently stripping away and scraping off everything with worth. Their competition for the same resources bring Gnomes and Kobolds in continuous conflict. Kobolds look like grey-skinned, wrinkled Gnomes with white eyes, gnarly strong claw like fingers and sharp teeth (so they don't need tools for all the stripping and scraping).
I also used the pumpkin headed bugbears/buggaboo's as magically created creatures in my game, as well as pure white-skinned deep elves (think Hellboy 2)
When I run od&d I try to step away from the more 'established' D&D and Games Workshop representation of common monsters, just to also accentuate the fact we are playing d&d from before everything got codified and fantasy got defined by D&D.
Here are some of my representations of common monsters and races (and how they relate):
- Elves are "of Chaos", coming from the fairy realms, even though in the mortal plane they can often be found aligning with the forces of Law. Even elven areas and kingdoms in the mortal realms are mainly border areas between the mortal and the fairy realm. Most elves encountered in the mortal realm have human ancestors somewhere down the line, descendants of, or themselves abducted human children changed and infused by the Chaos of the Fairy Realm. Almost all elves that are PC's are have this "blood"-tie to the mortal realm and their adventuring days are regarded a "puberty" driven phase by other elves. Elves can look like the Tolkien like elves (these are the most likely to be accepted in the mortal/human settlements) but can also have more alien features like the Brian Froud and Rodney Matthews representations.
- Orcs are corrupted beings (humans, elves), changed by old magic to make them into easily manipulated and controlled tools for unscrupulous rulers, tyrants, anti-heroes and such. Though not necessarily "of Chaos" they are often found fighting in the side of Chaos, led by their evil masters, in the mortal realms. Rumors has it that in mythical battles in the fairy realms they have fought on the side of the more extremely devoted and less conscientious expedition of Law. Orcs looks like lanky stooped humanoids with long, sinewy limbs, skin color between pure white to pitch black and crude, often animalistic, maybe porcine, facial features. "Locally sourced" orcs look more as corrupted, stunted, versions of the local (human, elf) populace. A tribal and tribal based animosity to 'others' have been in-printed in them in order to make them more easily manipulated by their overlords.
- Dwarves are as "grounded" a creature originally also 'of Chaos" can be. Their tie to the mortal worlds are through the foundations of the mortal world that seep into the Fairy/Chaos realm and anchor these worlds. As such, when found in the mortal realms, they are found close to these roots and foundation, deep under the ground or in mountains and rocky hills, mining, building, smelting and blacksmithing and shaping. They are naturally resistant to arcane magic both advantageous and harmful, although they can shape and capture their own magic in the form of runes and crafted items.
- Goblins are unseelie fae, living underground and miners, like the dwarves. They are definitely "of Chaos", mining and extracting Chaos and Magic/Fae energy from the earth and stone. As such, and with such a different disposition towards Chaos and competing for the same spaces they are always at war with the Dwarves. Goblins are smaller than elves or orcs and less stocky than dwarves, their shape and facial features are very diverse with over and /or undersized limbs and/or animalistic limbs and facial features. The magic energy they find they use in rituals and hexes, creating more of their kind and/or stealing the babes of others and transforming them into their own kind.
-Gnomes are related to dwarves but live closer to humans in the mortal realms. Even with underground realms (in woods and hills) they have a connection with the animals and plants on the surface, something their Dwarf cousins don't have. As industrious as Dwarves, Gnomes spend their time doing smaller chores; mending, animal husbandry, tinkering, cobbling. More magically inclined than Dwarves they use their magic to stay mostly hidden from the people of the Mortal Realms, suing illusions, misdirection and invisibility.
-Kobolds are relatives of Gnomes and can look like them at a distance; they tend to wear the same type of clothes as Gnomes, complete with conical hat, but the colors they use are grey and drab. Kobolds are scavengers, thieves, traders, scalpers and hoarders. Where a Gnome might find a broken down windmill and spend time repairing it and making it operational, kobolds with dismantle it and strip it of everything useful and of value and cart it away. Kobold make their homes most often in abandoned mines and dwellings, diligently stripping away and scraping off everything with worth. Their competition for the same resources bring Gnomes and Kobolds in continuous conflict. Kobolds look like grey-skinned, wrinkled Gnomes with white eyes, gnarly strong claw like fingers and sharp teeth (so they don't need tools for all the stripping and scraping).
I also used the pumpkin headed bugbears/buggaboo's as magically created creatures in my game, as well as pure white-skinned deep elves (think Hellboy 2)
