Monster Manual Monsters

**Monster Manual Monsters** are the monsters and other creatures listed by Gary Gygax in the first edition of the *Monster Manual*. This provides a basic list of many of the standard fantastic beasts --though there are some notable absences.

**Anhkheg** A chitinous creature that burrows through the earth like an earthworm

**Ant, giant**

**Ape** Described are the gorilla, and carnivorous ape

**Axe beak** Prehistoric carnivorous flightless birds, very fast runners that hunt aggressively

**Baboon**

**Badger**

**Baluchitherium** Prehistoric ancestor of the rhinoceros, a huge herbivore

**Barracuda**

**Basilisk** Reptilian monster whose gaze can turn creatures to stone

**Bear** Described are the black, brown, and cave bear

**Beaver, giant**

**Beetle, giant** Described are the bombardier, boring, fire, rhinoceros, stag, and water beetle

**Beholder** Hateful, aggressive, avaricious spherical monster that is most frequently found underground

**Black pudding** A scavengers that can flow through narrow openings and lives underground

**Blink dog** Lawful good creatures as intelligent as normal humans, with a limited form of teleportation

**Boar** Described are the wild boar, giant boar, and warthog

**Brain mole** Small mole-like mammals that can psionically "burrow" into another creature's mind

**Brownie** Distant relatives of halflings that dwell in quiet, pastoral areas

**Buffalo**

**Bugbear** Larger cousins of goblins

**Bulette** Landshark burrows underground and feeds on humans, horses, and halflings

**Bull**

**Camel, wild**

**Carrion crawler** Worm-like cephalopod that scavenges in subterranean areas

**Catoblepas** Loathsome creature whose gaze causes death

**Cattle, wild**

**Centaur** Dwells in secluded pastures far from human habitation

**Centipede, giant**

**Cerebral parasite** Tiny creatures that drain psionic abilities

**Chimera** Three-headed creature can bite with its lion head, gore with its goat head, and breathe fire with its dragon head

**Cockatrice** Rooster-like creature whose touch turns flesh to stone

**Couatl** Winged, feathered serpents with great intelligence and powers

**Crab, giant**

**Crayfish, giant**

**Crocodile** Described are the normal and giant crocodile

**Demon --**

* **Demogorgon (Prince of Demons)**
* **Juiblex (The Faceless Lord)**
* **Manes (Sub-Demon)** Dead which go to the layers of the Abyss become manes
* **Orcus (Prince of the Undead)**
* **Succubus** Female demons whose kiss drains energy levels
* **Type I (Vrock)** Resembles a cross between a human and a vulture
* **Type II (Hezrou)** Looks somewhat like a gross toad with arms in place of forelegs
* **Type III (Glabrezu)** 9-foot-tall demon with a ghastly appearance
* **Type IV (Nalfeshnee, etc.)** Demons that combine the worst features of an ape and a boar
* **Type V (Marilith, etc.)** Female demons with a multi-armed torso atop the body of a great snake
* **Type VI (Balor, etc.)** This demon's favored weapon is a large sword and a whip with many "tails", which is employed to drag an opponent into the flames which the demons are able to create around themselves
* **Yeenoghu (Demon Lord of Gnolls)**

**Devil**

* **Asmodeus (Arch-devil)**
* **Baalzebul (Arch-devil)**
* **Barbed (Lesser devil)** Excellent guards, with horny, barbed hands and horrid tails
* **Bone (Lesser devil)** Particularly malicious devils that have a great bone hook they employ to snare and wound opponents
* **Dispater (Arch-devil)**
* **Erinyes (Lesser devil)** Female devils that are commonly sent forth to garner more souls
* **Geryon (Arch-devil)**
* **Horned (Malebranche) (Greater devil)** Hate anything stronger than themselves, and carry a two-tined fork or a barbed whip
* **Ice (Greater devil)** Greater devils that attack and torment victims with their claws, mandibles, and tails
* **Lemure** The form in which the dead which inhabit the Nine Hells are put in
* **Pit Fiend (Greater devil)** Devils of great power that possess a terrible strength and the most evil nature

**Dinosaur** Described are anatosaurus (trachodon), ankylosaurus, antrodemus (allosaurus), apatosaurus (brontosaurus), archelon ischyras, brachiosaurus, camarasaurus, ceratosaurus, cetiosaurus, dinichtys, diplodocus, elasmosaurus, gorgosaurus, iguanodon, lambeosaurus, megalosaurus, monoclonius, mosasaurus, paleoscincus, pentaceratops, plateosaurus, plesiosaurus, pteranodon, stegosaurus, styracosaurus, teratosaurus, triceratops, and tyrannosaurus rex

**Displacer beast** Vaguely puma-like beast always appears to be three feet away from its actual position

**Djinni** Chaotic good creatures from the aerial plane with magical properties

**Dog** Described here are the war dog and wild dog

**Dolphin** Very intelligent creatures of lawful good alignmen

**Doppleganger** Bipedal creatures able to shape themselves into the likeness of any humanoid creature they observe

* **Blue Dragon (Draco Electricus)** |Lawful evil dragons that discharge a bolt of lightning
* **Brass Dragon (Draco Impudentus Gallus)** Chaotic good dragons that can breathe a cone of sleep gas or a billowing cloud of fear-causing gas
* **Bronze Dragon (Draco Gerus Bronzo)** Lawful good dragons that breathe a bolt of lightning or a repulsion gas cloud
* **Chromatic Dragon (Tiamat)** |Ruler of the first plane of the  Nine Hells where she spawns all of evil dragonkind
* **Copper Dragon (Draco Comes Stabuli)** Chaotic good dragons that breathe a discharge of acid or a cloud of gas that slows creatures
* **Gold Dragon (Draco Orientalus Sino Dux)** Lawful good dragons that breathe fire or chlorine gas
* **White Dragon (Draco Rigidus Frigidus)** |Chaotic evil dragons that breathe a cone of cold

**Dragonne** Cross between a brass dragon and giant lion, roar causes weakness

**Dragon turtle** Gigantic water creatures found in very large rivers and lakes, can belch forth a cloud of scalding steam

**Dryad** Beautiful, alluring tree sprites, only found near their oak trees

**Dwarf** Rocky hill-dwellers that band together in clans

**Eagle, giant** Intelligent creatures found on great bluffs, cliffs, mesas, or mountain crags to rest on

**Ear seeker** Small insectoids found in wood that live by eating dead cellulose, leave eggs in creatures head which hatch and larvae eat the host from the inside out

**Eel** Described are the electric, giant, and weed eel

**Efreet**

**Elemental** Described are the air, earth, fire, and water elemental

**Elephant** Described are the (Asiatic) elephant, and the loxodont (African Elephant)

**Elf**

**Ettin** Giant-like creatures with two heads

**Eye, floating** Salt water fish with transparent bodies that hypnotize with their single eye

**Eye of the deep** Beholder-like monster that dwells at the great depths of the ocean, attacks with lobster claws

**Flightless bird** Includes ostrich, emu, and rhea

**Frog, giant** Described are the  giant frog, killer frog, and poisonous frog

**Fungi, violet** The branches of this fungus cause flesh to rot

**Gar, giant**

**Gargoyle** Ferocious predators of a magical nature, found among ruins and attack anything they can detect

**Gas spore** Strongly resemble beholders, and explode violently when struck

**Gelatinous cube** Cubic scavengers cleanse living organism and carrion from the floor and walls of underground passageways

**Ghast** Indistinguishable from ghouls except for their carrion stench which causes retching and nausea

**Ghost** Spirits of evil humans who were so awful that they have been rewarded (or cursed) with undead status

**Ghoul** Undead creatures, once human, who feed on corpses

**Giant** Described are the cloud giant, fire giant, frost giant, hill giant, stone giant, and storm giant

**Gnoll** Resemble hyenas and live in rapacious bands

**Gnome** Smaller beings that live in clans

**Goat, giant**

**Goblin** Have a tribal society and dwell in dismal surroundings

**Golem** Described are the clay, flesh, iron, and stone golem

**Gorgon** Bull-like creatures covered in thick metal scales that breathe a cloud of noxious vapors which turn any creature to stone

**Gray ooze** Slimy horror which inhabits subterranean places that closely resembles wet stone or sedimentary cave formations

**Green slime** Strange plant growths that feed on animal, vegetable, and metallic substances

**Griffon** Aggressive carnivores whose favorite prey is horses, seek cliffs and rocky habitats in which to build their nests

**Groaning spirit (Banshee)** Spirit of an evil female elf whose keening wail causes hearers to die on the spot

**Halfling** Hard-working, orderly and peaceful citizens of burrows

**Harpy** Have the bodies of vultures but the upper torsos and heads of women, their sweet-sounding calls cause creatures to approach the harpy who then tortures and devours them

**Hell hound** Not from the material plane, breathes out scorching fire.

**Herd animal** Includes musk oxen, reindeer, giraffe, antelopes

**Hippocampus** Prized marine steed, has the upper body of a horse and the long rear body of a great fish

**Hippogriff** Nests on rocky crags, fierce fighters and omnivores

**Hippopotamus**

**Hobgoblin** Tribal lawful evil creatures found nearly anywhere

**Homunculus** Creature created and animated through a special magical alchemical process to serve a magic-user

**Horse** Described are the draft, heavy, light, medium, pony, and wild horse

**Hydra** Multi-headed reptilian monsters found in marshes, swamps, and subterranean lairs

**Hyena** Described are the hyena and giant hyena (hyaenodon)

**Imp** Common on the planes of Acheron and  Hell, a minor devil created to spread evil as a familiar to a lawful evil magic-user or cleric

**Intellect devourer** Dwells deep beneath the ground, subsists on the psychic energy of their prey

**Invisible stalker** Creature from the elemental plane of air conjured to track a target

**Irish deer** Moose-sized creatures of the Pleistocene epoch

**Ixitxachitl** Intelligent rays dwelling in shallow tropical seas with evil disposition and clerica nature

**Jackal**

**Jackalwere** Malign foe of humankind, a jackal able to assume the form of a man, gaze puts creatures to sleep

**Jaguar**

**Ki-rin** Race of lawful good aerial creatures that will aid humans if the need to combat evil is great

**Kobold** Tribal creatures with war bands, found in dank, dark places

**Lamia** Upper torso, arms, and head of a human female, lower body of a beast, whose touch drains a creature's wisdom

**Lammasu** Lawful good dwellers of warm regions, who aid and protect lawful good persons

**Lamprey** Described are the normal and giant lamprey

**Larva** The most selfishly evil of all souls who sink to lower planes after death, and dwell in the gloom of Hades

**Leech, giant**

**Leopard**

**Leprechaun** Small creatures of magical talent and mischievous nature that dwell in fair, green lands with lush hills and dales

**Leucrotta** Weird creature that haunts deserted and desolated places, so ugly that other creatures cannot bear the sight of it

**Lich** Created with the use of powerful and arcane magic, formerly ultra powerful magic-users now non-human and non-living

**Lion** Described are the lion, mountain lion, and spotted lion

**Lizard** Described are the fire, giant, minotaur, and subterranean lizard

**Lizard man** Semi-aquatic, dwelling underwater, omnivorous but prefer human flesh

**Locathah** Humanoid aquatic nomads, hunting and gathering food from bountiful warm waters

**Lurker above** Carnivorous subterranean creature that can disguise itself as part of the ceiling

**Lycanthrope** Described are the werebear, wereboar, wererat, weretiger and werewolf.

**Lynx, giant** Very intelligent and speak their own language

**Mammoth**

**Manticore** Has a lion body, bat wings, and a human head, attacks by loosing a volley of iron spikes from its tail

**Masher** Worm-like fish move along coral reefs, defends itself with poisoned spines

**Mastodon**

**Medusa** Hateful humanoid creatures that try to beguile humans to look into their eyes, causing them to turn to stone

**Men** Described are the bandit (brigand), berserker, buccaneer (pirate), caveman (tribesman), dervish (nomad), merchant, pilgrim

**Merman** Found in the seas and oceans and have regular undersea communities

**Mimic** Subterranean creatures that are able to perfectly mimic stone and wood

**Mind flayer** Evil subterranean creature that considers humanity as cattle to feed upon, draws forth brains with its tentacles

**Minotaur** Cruel man-eaters, typically found in labyrinthe places in the wilderness and underground

**Mold** Described are the brown mold and yellow mold

**Morkoth** Dim, shadowy monster, "wraith of the deep," lairs in a series of spiraling tunnels

**Mule**

**Mummy** Undead humans that retain a semblance of life and seek to destroy living things.

**Naga** Described are the guardian, spirit, and water naga

**Neo-otyugh** Larger, more intelligent species of otyugh

**Night hag** Rule the convoluted planes of  Hades, form larvae (see above) from evil persons they slay, and sell to demons and devils.

**Nightmare** "Demon horse" or "hell horse" from the lower plans, ridden primarily by powerful demons and devils, night hags, vampires, and liches

**Nixie** Water sprites that inhabit lakes and dwell in living seaweed

**Nymph** Beautiful, ever-young women that inhabit lovely wilderness places, and can cast druidic spells

**Ochre jelly** Form of giant amoeba that seeps about in dungeons, hunting for flesh to devour

**Octopus, giant**

**Ogre** Ugly-tempered and voracious creatures sometimes found as mercenaries

**Ogre mage (Japanese ogre)**

**Orc** Fiercely competitive bullies, tribal creatures often living underground

**Otter, giant**

**Otyugh** Weird omnivorous scavengers whose diet consists of dung, offal, and carrion, always found underground.

**Owl, giant** Very intelligent nocturnal predators will sometimes befriend other creatures

**Owlbear** Horrible creatures that inhabit tangled forest regions, attacks with great claws and snapping beak

**Pegasus** Chaotic good intelligent winged horses that make the swiftest of steeds

**Peryton** Omnivorous creatures of the weirdest appearance, having the lower bodies of birds and the upper bodies of stags

**Piercer** Inhabit caves and caverns and are indistinguishable from stalactites clinging to cave roofs, drop down on opponents to kill them

**Pike, giant**

**Pixie** Idyllic woodland dwellers that are naturally invisible, carry slim swords and war arrows that puts an opponent to sleep

**Porcupine, giant**

**Portuguese man-o-war, giant**

**Pseudo-dragon** These highly sought after creatures can deliver a vicious bite with their small jaws, but also have a flexible sting-equipped tail

**Purple worm** 50-foot-long (15 m) burrowing worms constantly in search of food, can swallow human-sized creatures whole

**Quasit** Common on the planes of Pandemonium and the Abyss, a minor demon created to spread evil as a familiar to a chaotic evil magic-user or cleric

**Rakshasa** Evil spirits encased in flesh, first known in India, fond of a diet of human meat and masters of illusion

**Ram, giant**

**Rat, giant (Sumatran)**

**Ray** Described are the manta ray, pungi ray, and stingray

**Remorhaz** Polar worms, huge aggressive predators

**Rhinoceros** Described are the rhinoceros and wooly rhinoceros

**Roc** Huge eagle-like birds that inhabit the highest mountains, and prey upon large creatures such as cattle, horses, and elephants

**Roper** Subterranean cavern dwellers that stand upright to resemble pillars or stalagmites, can draw prey into their toothy maws with strands of strong, sticky rope-like excretions

**Rot grub** Found in heaps of offal or dung, will viciously burrow into living flesh until they reach the heart and kill their host

**Rust monster** Subterranean inhabitants that eat ferrous metals such as iron, steel, and steel alloys

**Sahuagin** "Seadevils" dwell in warm salt water depths, predatory in the extreme and kill for sport and pleasure as well as food

**Salamander** Evil creatures of the elemental plane of fire that prefer temperatures of 300 degrees and upwards

**Satyr** Sylvan woodland inhabitants primarily interested in sport such as frolicking, piping, chasing wood nymphs

**Scorpion, giant**

**Sea hag** Inhabit thickly vegetated shallows, they hate beauty and are so ghastly in appearance to make other creatures weak with fright

**Sea horse, giant**

**Sea lion** Fearsome carnivores that inhabit coastal marine waters, whose top halves resemble lions and bottom halves resemble sea creatures

**Shadow** Horrible undead creatures that drain strength merely by touching an opponent.

**Shambling mound** Apparent heaps of rotting vegetation shamblers are intelligent forms of vegetable life that suffocate prey in their slime

**Shark** Described are the shark and giant shark (megalodon)

**Shedu** Lawful good creatures that travel around the world seeking to help allied creatures when in need

**Shrieker** Mindless ambulatory fungus that emit a piercing shriek when any light source or movement comes nearby

**Skeleton** Magically animated, undead monsters enchanted by powerful magic-users or clerics of evil alignment

**Skunk, giant**

**Slithering tracker** Transparent and almost impossible to discover, attacks when prey is asleep by drawing all the plasma from its body

**Slug, giant**

**Snake, giant** Described are the  amphisbaena, constrictor, poisonous snake, sea snake, and spitting snake

**Spectre** Powerful undead humans that haunt the most desolate of places, tombs and dungeons, and drain the life energy of opponents

**Sphinx** Described are the androsphinx, criosphinx, gynosphinx, and hieracosphinx

**Spider** Described are the giant, huge, large,  phase spider, and giant water spider

**Sprite** Dwell in meadows and wooded glens, shy and reclusive, armed with arrows that put creatures to sleep

**Squid, giant**

**Stag** Described are the stag and giant stag

**Stirge** Found in dark, tangled forests or in subterranean lairs, and lay in wait for warm-blooded creatures to drink their blood

**Strangle weed** Intelligent kelp found in relatively warm sea water, crushes victims with its fronds

**Su-monster** Inhabits forsaken wilderness areas, has a prehensile tail to swing from limb from limb, has psionic attack

**Sylph** Beautiful winged creatures similar to nymphs that dwell in aerial places

**Thought eater** Dwellers in the ether attracted by the use of psionics, that can absorb psionic or spell energy

**Tick, giant**

**Tiger** Described are the tiger and sabre-tooth tiger (smilodon)

**Titan** Dwell on a plane somewhere above the material plane, chaotic good beings that resemble 18-foot-tall (5.5 m) humans

**Titanothere**

**Toad, giant** Described are the giant toad, ice toad, and poisonous toad

**Trapper** Clever monsters that can shape their flat bodies to appear as part of a stone floor

**Treant** Combines features of both humans and trees, dwell in forests and are indistinguishable from trees, can cause trees to come to life and move

**Triton** Rumored to be from the elemental plane of water, sea dwellers with the upper bodies of humans and the lower bodies of fish

**Troglodyte** Reptilian humanoids that dwell in subterranean places, loathe humans and slaughter all they encounter

**Troll** Horrid carnivores that know no fear and are able to regenerate damage taken

**Turtle, giant** Described are the giant sea turtle and giant snapping turtle

**Umber hulk** Subterranean predators with iron-like claws that enable them to burrow through solid stone, and their eyes cause a dangerous confusion in opponents

**Unicorn** Dwelling in temperate woodlands, these chaotic good creatures shun contact with nearly all creatures

**Vampire** Chaotic evil, night-prowling creatures and their powerful negative force drains life energy from victims

**Wasp, giant**

**Water weird** Originating from the elemental place of water, attacks all living things, feeding from their essences

**Weasel, giant**

**Whale**

**Wight** Undead humans that inhabit barrow mounds or catacombs, evil and hateful, seeking to destroy all life they encounter

**Will-o-(the)-wisp** Commonly haunt deserted bogs, fens, swamps and the like, feeds upon the life force of dying beings

**Wind walker** Creatures from the elemental plane of air that attack by wind force

**Wolf** Described are the wolf, dire wolf (worg), and winter wolf

**Wolverine** Described are the wolverine, and giant wolverine

**Wraith** Undead, similar to wights, with a chilling touch that drains life energy

**Wyvern** Distantly related to dragons, stupid but very aggressive, can lash with sting-equipped tail

**Xorn** From the elemental plane of earth, feed on certain rare minerals, snacks upon copper and silver

**Yeti** Inhabits regions of icy cold, very fond of human flesh

 **Zombie**