DMR2 Creature Catalog - D to E.

* indicates new to DMR2, and not in the original AC9 Creature Catalogue.

For survivals into 2e, especially when it's a common cross-system animal/monster, I'm generally only considering the Mystara and Savage Coast Monstrous Compendium supplements - and the former is more useful as its setting is broader.

Dark Wing.

Nocturnal winged humanoids. Penalised by exposure to light and continual light, but a failed Morale check results in them fighting to the death rather than fleeing.

Can carry off human-sized targets, but it takes two of them and they both need an 18+ Hit Roll. 

Their lair is a foul and unsettling place. Just the sort of environment for bringing up 2d6 (combatant) young.

Under the slight variation in name (Darkwing), they are also found in 2e. There's more information about how they fit into a local sandbox ecology, but nothing you wouldn't expect.

I can see them sharing space with a Mere-Gaunt, either as minions, scavenging rivals or complementary parts of a grimdark ecosystem. I hadn't really given them any thought until this read through and find myself appreciating them.

Their mechanics allow for reskinning as all manner of nocturnal/subterranean winged things that might carry you off.

Darkhood (Rorphyr).

With a good, monster-y sounding name, the Rorphyr is basically another undead that's a better ghost than the Ghost (whether AD&D or BECMI): a translucent hooded figure that haunts a place, can pass through solid objects and scares you.

While it's a 13 HD monster with negative AC and needing a +2 or better weapon to hit, its main attack is fear - causing you to run until exhausted, rather than blasting you with aging and energy drain. It's touch does cause damage, but - as it feeds on fear - it would rather have you alive, and it is narratively sated once everyone is unconscious (it ignores the KO'd) or has escaped the area.

The fear attack is resolved by rolling vs. INT, but you need to roll over to save as those who are the most intelligent have the most fertile minds for the terrifying visions it projects when it raises its hood or touches a victim. Compare with the DragonWarriors Nightmare.

Also compare with the DW Ghost - the Rorphyr doesn't need really need those 13 HD, except maybe to determine how it saves vs. exorcism.

Once you've experienced and recovered from the fear-effect of a particular Rorphyr, you are immune to it for 24 hours - so it's not an absolute barrier to lower level adventurers, despite it's relative strength, but it could be a significant delay and is very able to split the party.

Death Fiend (Ostego).

That 2e period of calling demons and devils fiends so as not to upset somebody or other.

Very sparse in description and mechanics and it doesn't look like it actually made into 2e for updates/elaboration: paralysing claws, save at -2 or die poison bite, infravision 60', teleport without error, darkness 10' radius. 

Fangs are described as ivory, claws as adamantine but I don't know whether this is mere metaphor.

No mention of horns, nor are they featured in the illo, though they are implied in the description of the Deep Glaurant later.

NB: Finding out that the Ostego appears in Castle Amber and the Deep Glaurant in The Five Shires helps clear up some of my confusion here.

Decapus (Land and Marine).

It's a ten-armed hairy octopus that swings through the trees. Which is pretty gonzo, I suppose. The illo makes it look like a cartoon character. 

Later reimaginings improve on this, though it has its own charm, I suppose.

Both Land and Marine Decapus have 11 Intelligence so might be able to use magic items in their possession, though the description doesn't even tell us if they speak or otherwise understand language.

Pic above reminds me of some prior monster juvenilia: a lake-dwelling octopus that, when slain, evaporates as a green cloud that would later rain down into a nearby treetop and reform to attack you again. Can't remember whether I knew about Cthulhu and its reconstitution trick at the time.

I'd been reading the name as being related to 'decapitate', because of conflating it with the Brain Collector via the Master DM monster jam, and then it turns about to be an octopus +2. The marine variant, though hairy, is pretty much an octopus.

NB: Apparently has its origin and the power to create (controversial?) illusions in B3 Palace of the Silver Princess. I should look into that then, sometime.

Deep Glaurant*.

Subterranean predators that get their name from the sound they make, like Gollum. They're 8' tall with scales, claws, horns and small wings. They glide, they swim, they are capable diggers.

They're non-mechanically stealthy - eerily silent - and can produce one round of darkness every three rounds. The darkness power, their horns and their wings mean they are sometimes mistaken for Death Fiends (see above), to which they are statistically close, but this is not pursued further and is lost in 2e, because there are no more Death Fiends.

Despite being compulsive predators, they are also specified as being intelligent (7, approx. Bugbear) enough to set rockfall traps, plan ambushes (though No. App. is 1 or 2) and use magic items and weapons (for the designated purpose or to trade with).

They are rumoured to have cities and a civilization far underground and that's as far as it goes. The disconnect between this and what is otherwise provided by description and stats is spotlit in 2e, but not otherwise developed.

Feels a bit like a stub of a monster, something that was meant to be something more. However, a perfectly serviceable dungeon threat suited for multiple terrain types.

NB: Now that I've had a chance to check GAZ 8 The Five Shires, I can see that the resemblance to Death Fiends is because Glaurants have flexible horns which fold over their ears to protect them from dust. Thus, being mistaken for something without horns - and this is the reason specified in GAZ 8, but isn't clearly described in DMR2.

Also, these flexible horns are used for feeling their surroundings, so there's a hint of antennae to make the Deep Glaurants into giant insect people if you prefer - moths or cockroaches, for instance.

Desert Ghost.

Electrical elementals (though categorised as Earth) rather than undead, the immature form is non-aggressive but will shock you via contact with metal objects - killing itself in the process.

Mature Desert Ghosts go out of their way to attack metal-bearing targets, presumably as revenge for all their little kiddies. You get a hefty shock (from 5 to 8d8, save for half) and they take a little damage also; you might also get a face-full of blinding dust/sand at the same time. You also take (significantly less) damage when you hit them with metal weapons. Electrical attacks increase their hp like-for-like, but they're vulnerable to water-based attacks.

I like this kind of elemental, especially the immature form - they're a kind of 'wonder of the world' that is incidentally dangerous, and I'd skew them in the direction of air-electricity elements rather than Earth. 

Dinosaur.

Allosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Archelon, Brontosaurus, Dimetrodon, Trachodon, Tylosaurus.

The Tylosaurus is the only one that's anything more than just stats, having an auto-bite if it hits which also penalises your attack rolls if whoever it has a hold of. It scores 7d12 damage with that bite, too, which is one of the best in the book. 

Otherwise, they're D&D dinosaurs and I don't really care - how to take something so intrinsically awesome and reduce them to this?

I know dinosaur habits and abilities would be theoretical and/or fictional, but there must be more to them than hit points, damage dice and low intelligence. They don't even get a 'fight on at 0 hp' ability, which would seem obvious considering how they are framed.

MM2 offers up that the Dimetrodon's ability to swim is questionable but likely, but otherwise there's not much significant difference between the dinosaurs across BX/BECMI and AD&D: they're just hit points with no intelligence.

Dog.

Normal, Elven and War, and there's not much between them. 

The War Dog is pretty much the same as a Wolf, but it might be armoured. It's also pretty much the same as the 1e MM War Dog.

The Elven Dog is a little more interesting; invisibility to mortals, some purple prose - disturbing, flickering verdance... similarly fluctuating green radiance - and a possible relation of Hellhounds. 

Dragon, Pocket.

Has a poisonous bite that penalises your dice rolls and can be treated by cure disease magic.

I guess it could be a pet or a familiar, if you go in for that kind of thing. Seems more of a fantasy animal than actual Dragon-kin. It does gather its own little hoard of trinkets.

More HD but fewer abilities than the 1e MM Pseudo-Dragon, which is probably its AD&D analogue.

Dragon, Sea.

Breath weapon is a 10' globe of poison, spat up to 100'. Save or die, and apparently no other damage.

It's a Sea Dragon, not much more to be said. I'd be more likely to put it in an adventure than I would almost any other Dragon.

Dragon, Undead.

I principally like this because it isn't absolute that the Undead Dragon is the one it was in life: the body of a dead dragon animated by an undead spirit. 

This is what you get for not double-checking with detect evil after you've killed Big Red (or Green or whatever). However, this could just be vague wording - the text also suggests that Undead Dragons are reaccumulating the hoard they had in life.

It keeps it's draconic HD and immunities, gains paralysing claw/bite attacks and undead immunities, but loses things like speech, intelligence, spells and flight. Again, wording is that this could be a deficiency of the animating spirit - implying that a more powerful one could reboot the whole thing.

Characteristic breath weapon is also lost, being replaced with a cloud of disease gas that causes hp=damage and infects you with rot if you fail your save. The victim's skin... rot[s] slowly, while the body gradually deteriorates - lose CON, DEX and STR until you die or get a high-level cure.

It also stinks worse that a Ghast or Troglodyte.

Dragonfly.

Magical hybrid of Dragon and dragonfly. Each one has a colour appropriate breath weapon.

If you don't want to use them as what they are, reskin - Mi-Go with various guns is easy enough.

They look more draconic in 2e and get some individual elaboration (some details of Habitat/Society and Ecology seem to be compulsory by this period).  

Also introduced is the Nymph stage of the lifecycle, which has acidic spit that destroys your equipment, whatever colour it grows up to be. I like a Voracious Larva.

Dragonne.

I didn't get a look at the 1e Monster Manual until fairly late in my pre-hiatus years, certainly after 2e Monstrous Compendia and the CC, so didn't know that the Dragonne was in one of the core/original bestiaries.

It's a Sphinx-y, Manticore-y kind of thing with a deafening/stunning roar, and related to Dragons.

I'd use the roar mechanics for something, but this could as easily be a Chimera or a Griffon or even a Legendary Lion as anything else.

Much the same creature in 1e as it is here.

Dusanu.

This is more my kettle of deadly spores: the Rot Fiend, a horrible skeletal monster (neither undead nor demonic) all covered in mould. 

It's intelligent and very cunning but otherwise just attacks with its claws and its noxious spore cloud. If you fail your poison save, you'll be infested, unable to benefit from cure wounds and have to save vs. death ray each day until you get a cure disease or are consumed utterly by the mould. You rise as a new Dusanu in d3 days.

A lot tougher than a Skeleton covered in Yellow Mould but you get the idea. Compare with the Dragon Warriors Fungus Man. 

An undefined instinct makes me feel the Dusanu would be a good accompaniment/foil to or replacement for Mind Flayers. With this sci-fi flavour and being (according to 2e) a fungal colony monster, the Dusanu is ripe for some psionics (certain moulds etc already get them). 

Note that RAW No. App. means an encounter is always with a minimum of 2.

Like.

Eagle.

Normal and Great, with the Great firmly rooted in Tolkien as they are especially likely to help Dwarfs and Halflings.

Great Eagles get +2 hp on the 1e MM version, at the cost of -2 beak damage and to hit bonus on their swoop.

Eel.

Electric, Giant and Weed, and not much difference to the 1e MM entry.

However: the CC Giant Eel is specifically a Giant Electric Eel (double damage shocks compared the smaller sort).

Furthermore, the CC Weed Eel isn't poisonous, but an entangler/constrictor - so a more dramatic, though less sudden, death. And to add spice, you need to make your Strength save on 3d8 rather than d20 or 3d6. Which I like.

Elf.

Some unsurprising variations on the Elf.

Aquatic: They live underwater and are 95% undetectable in reefs/weeds if they stay still, Halfling-like.

Apparently, they make potions of water breathing despite not needing them. It says to trade with friendly Elves, but isn't this just storing up trouble? 

Gills and webbing, rather than fish-tails and fins. 

I generally don't much like the Dave Simons illos in DMR2, because they look a bit too Marvel comics for my taste in place. However, I just looked him up (RIP) and that's exactly what he's best known for.
This Shadow Elf is one of the few I like - the weird moth-like face/helm, against the the backdrop of a full moon and an avenue of conifers. As if she just stepped out of the secret passage underneath the broken sundial.

Shadow*: While they're not quite the less monstrous Drow-analogue they're initially painted as, they are carrying out a nuclear-powered eugenics-based programme of genocide against the Orcs of Thar and other humanoids. So they're as bad as Paladins, really.

They get a whole Gazetteer supplement to themselves. Includes spells such as transmute rock to lava, which is awesome.

In the CC, we learn that take penalties in sunlight but not much else.

What Was Left Out - Death Leech

Not the one from SnarfQuest - this is basically an Undead Mimic from the Sphere of Death.

While it can appear as any form of undead monster (up to Vampire tier), it attacks in its natural (?) form, which is blob-and-tentacles. If you manage to kill it in undead form (i.e.. before it has been able to attack), it retains that form until touched, then reverts to blob and rots away.

It merits a Wrestling Rating in its statblock because it wraps you up in tentacles, immobilises you, then drains your hit points - though this seems to be straight damage, rather than a vampiric transfer.

An interesting monster, I think, that could do with some tweaking to make it more usable. 

How about upping its intelligence and giving it more control of its form, either as an undead slayer (though the enemy of your enemy is not necessarily your friend), or something conjured by necromancers as agents against rival deathmagi? 

Or maybe this is what becomes of restless dead Mimics, with the additional ability to appear as decrepit and broken objects?