The Monster Overhaul has reached another milestone. 17/20 chapters are complete and 10/20 chapters have art completed or in progress.
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| Iguanamouth |
What is the Monster Overhaul? It's a ludicrously ambitious 200-entry bestiary designed for at-the-table utility. Every entry is unique, with extra useful tools like generic dungeons, name tables, detailed random encounter tables, interesting twists, or variant forms. You can read more about it here:
- The Initial Plan
- What To Include in the Monster Overhaul?
- Limes and the Art of Categorization (includes WIP tables and monster suggestions in the comments).
The 3 chapters in orange are still in progress. Entries may change (and
will almost certainly be renamed). The Summer chapter is almost finished
and will be up on Patreon in a few days.
The current pagecount, including a few WIP pages, is 250. I'm expecting it to easily cross the 300 mark by the time the appendices and indices and other miscellaneous tools are done.
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| Robin Carpenter |
What's next?
- Finish all 200 entries.
- Do an editing pass, focusing on numerical consistency. Some of the values (particularly treasure values) are placeholders.
- Sort out the Phylogenetic Tree (the HD(NA) bit), the tactics section, and the alternative sorting methods.
- More editing and testing.
- Even more editing and testing.
- [???]
- Crowdfunding?
Art is going fairly well. I still need to get ahold of a few more artists, but I'm please to announce that Iguanamouth is now on board and working away. Scott Wegener may also do a map or two, to complement the maps by Dyson Logos. Stay tuned.
All completed chapters are available on Patreon. I sometimes post WIP tables and tools on twitter, mostly to instantly locate spelling errors. It's funny how hitting the "publish" button does that.
Questions? Worried I've missed your favouirte monster? Ask away.
| People | Sci-Fi | Dungeon | Dragon | Primeval | |
| Lucas Roussel | Frenden | Robin Carpenter |
Logan | ||
| 1 | Adventurer | Alien Invader | Giant Spider | Kobold | Flying Lizard |
| 2 | Barbarian | Alien Visitor | Goblin | Wyvern | Herd Lizard |
| 3 | Cultist | Alpha Brain | Lich | Young Dragon | Swift Lizard |
| 4 | Knight | Doppleganger | Mimic | Ancient Dragon | Thunder Lizard |
| 5 | Mercenary | Giant Insect | Monstrous Vermin | Zombie Dragon | Tyrant Lizard |
| 6 | Peasant | Perfect Predator | Mummy | Pseudodragon | Cave People |
| 7 | Pilgrim | Robot Hound | Myconid | Beithir | Colossal Ape |
| 8 | Merchant | Robot Servant | Ooze | Ground Sloth | |
| 9 | Townsfolk | Robot Titan | Orc | Predatory Plant | |
| 10 | Wizard | Veggie-Mite | Skeleton | Troglodyte |
|
| Elemental | Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | |
| Ashlyn Rudolph |
Luka Rejec |
||||
| 1 | Elemental | Centaur | Chaos Frog |
Dark Fair | Biscuit Golem |
| 2 | Elemental Spirit | Druid | Firebird |
Dullahan | Blizard Eel |
| 3 | Elemental Tyrant | Flower Nymph | Froghemoth |
Harvest Avatar | Grey Horse |
| 4 | Firebat | Hatchling | Mandrake |
Iron Fulmination | Ice Hag |
| 5 | Gargoyle | Hateful Goose | Pyromancer |
Leafling | Kamaitachi |
| 6 | Grue | Raincloud | Raijū | Murderous Crows | Nuckelavee |
| 7 | Living Gem | Satyr | Skeeter |
Polevik | Remorhaz |
| 8 | Sandwalker | Shambling Mound | Sun Dog |
Scarecrow | Snow Fungus |
| 9 | Spitling | Sigbin | Thriae |
Shofar Ram | Snow Golem |
| 10 | Will-o-the-Wisp | Wicker Walker | Tunnel Hulk |
Tempest Hag | Tortoise Tsar |
| Hot Plains | Hostile Forests | Mysterious Mountains | Thinking Beasts | Heraldic Beasts | |
| Logan | Nadhir | Lucas Roussel |
Iguanamouth | ||
| 1 | Baboon | Bear | Alicanto | Harpy | Basilisk |
| 2 | Crocodile | Boar | Alpine Specter | Kappa | Catoblepas |
| 3 | Elephant | Dryad | Ape | Lamia | Chimera |
| 4 | Flightless Bird | Fairy | Couatl | Lammasu | Cockatrice |
| 5 | Hive Insects | Giant Snake | Giant | Manticore | Griffon |
| 6 | Hippopotamus | Tiger | Noble Giant | Medusa | Hydra |
| 7 | Hyena | Treeant | Kirin | Minotaur | Owlbear |
| 8 | Jinn | Troll | Panther | Naga | Questing Beast |
| 9 | Lion | Unicorn | Roperite | Peryton | Strong Toad |
| 10 | Rhinoceros | Wolf | Telluric Goat | Sphinx | Wurm |
| Dark and Malign | A Wizard Did It | Water | Strange Water | Divine | |
| Robin Carpenter | |||||
| 1 | Ghost | Aboleth | Giant Crab | Tardigrade | Angel |
| 2 | Ghoul | Animated Item | Kraken | Rotifer | Beast of Creation |
| 3 | Hag | Elsewhere Creature | Merfolk | Not Another Phylum | Cherub |
| 4 | Ogre | Eye Tyrant | Pirate | Trilobite | Demigod |
| 5 | Vampire | Golem | Remora | Devil | |
| 6 | Werewolf | Homunculus | Sea Hag | Dybuk | |
| 7 | Wight | Mind Eater | Sea Serpent | Hell Hound | |
| 8 | Zombie | Mutant | Seal | Imp | |
| 9 | Banshee | Rust Monster | Shark | Scapegoat | |
| 10 | Mothman | Shivered Beast | Whale | Visionary |
These lists are inspired! Really looking forward to this book
ReplyDeleteYou left out my favorite monster, the hateful goose! Oh wait, there it is. My bad.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely morning in the village. You encounter [rolls] a Hateful Goose.
DeleteI like where this is headed. I just wonder why Carbuncle isn’t on the Heraldic Beasts lists vs the Strong Toad.
ReplyDeleteA fair point. I fee like a Strong Toad has more D&D-type combat interest and utility interest compared to the Carbuncle. The Carbuncle is just a valuable item with legs (more or less). A Strong Toad is a problem; a knot of Strong Toads is a very big problem. They can push or pull; the PCs can (if they pick up a Strong Toad) push or pull enemies, at least until the Strong Toad escapes.
DeleteThe downside is that it's not particularly heraldic.
The Alicanto also fills the "associated with valuables / leads to treasure" creature niche in a more interesting way.
Have you heard of the nine sons of the dragon from Chinese mythology? It's a weirdo collection of half-dragon critters, each with their own special powers and interests.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite of the lot is the Pixiu. He's a symbol of wealth because he eats coins and other treasure, and then never lets them go. And the reason he can't let go of any of his treasure is because he has no butthole, the result of divine punishment for dropping a hot stinkload right in the middle of the heavenly courts.
I'd like to put forth the request for redcaps :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite underappreciated mythical creature is the amphithere (especially the feathered variety), and it'd help round out the Dragon category if that's still unfinished.
ReplyDeleteAh, wait, you have Couatl in there already. I missed that somehow.
DeleteHow can I apply for an illustrator's position? It's been ages since I did any fantasy illustration and I'd gladly return to the trade. I'll happily roam the attic boxes during the weekend to put together some sort of a portfolio, would I be interested in it? And if so, where should I send it?
ReplyDeleteSure, toss a portfolio link here or on this post: https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2020/03/open-call-for-illustrators-monster.html
DeleteThough I am fairly picky.
Ok, it turns out I have only three things to show that are fairly relevant. But so be it, if you won't like these three, another twenty wouldn't change your mind: https://www.deviantart.com/aandred
DeleteIf you'd like to have a look at stuff that isn't really relevant, but shows my competence and range as an artist, here's some portraits, a digital painting and a comic I drew a hundred years ago: https://www.facebook.com/KBpogodzinach
...and here's my main focus nowadays, calligraphy and medieval-style miniatures: https://www.instagram.com/kamil.bachminski/
Lovely work! Very much looking forward to this project.
ReplyDeleteI've got some suggestions for Strange Water if you haven't filled it out already. Seems like a non-traditional adventuring environment for a book that's attempting to be as broadly usable as possible, but it sounds like a really interesting category!
- Electric Eel
- Stomatopod
- Predatory Gastropod (with options that emulate the classic Flail Snail, or this video for inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVWQCd5j_ec)
Could also expand the definition to enlarged parasites of colossal creatures:
- Giant Parasite (fleas, tapeworms etc.)
- Giant Immune System (white blood cells etc.)
Absolutely! I think Electric Eel (or possibly Elemental Eel) is a strong contender. Mantis shrimps are in for sure. Predatory Gastropods (or equivalent name) are also on the list.
DeleteGiant Fleas/Amoebas/White Blood Cells are covered by other entries, I think.
I really want to include a "Not Another Phylum" arthropod generator.