Awesome Dad Draws Awesome D&D Monster ABC

Check out this amazing D&D monster-themed ABC made by Imgur user "ungodlywarlock"! It's wonderful!

P. S. I used the "owlbear" page for this post's image, but the "mimic" page nearly took pride of place.

Beyond the Wall: Free Bestiary Available!

The ever amazing Colin Chapman has produced What Lies Beyond, a free, extended bestiary for the Beyond the Wall neoclone. The supplement has a nice selection of mundane and exotic beasts (e.g., the grindylow depicted above in one of my favorite Brian Froud images) as well as a template system for making unique undead (similar to the template systems already introduced in the BtW corebook for making unique demons, dragons, and goblins). Check it out!

P. S. I will be getting back to the BtW village blogtest soon. This week, however, I am up to my neck in packing for the move to a new home several blocks away. It's hard to believe just how many books my family owns—and how many boxes it takes to pack those books away!

RIP, Ray Harryhausen

My favorite of Ray's many amazing monsters (although Medusa from Clash of the Titans runs a very close second). A giant has passed today.

Wild Men, I Think I Love You

The April 2013 issue of National Geographic contains a fascinating photo-essay by Rachel Shea entitled "Europe's Wild Men." The article briefly discusses a number of folkloristic traditions in which men dress up as monstrous, half-human beings for ritual purposes. That's all fine and dandy, but what really rocks about the piece are the photos (taken by Charles Fréger) that accompany it. Each image depicts a "wild man" from a different region. The picture at this beginning of this post is my favorite: although it looks like Chewbacca with a bad case of megacephaly, it's actually a Bulgarian kuker, a kind of folk exorcist who protects villagers from evil spirits. There are some other great images: the South Tyrolian Schanppviecher, the German Strohmann (mislabeled on the website as an Italian boes), the Scots burryman, and more—all great nightmare fuel, and all wonderful inspirations for new monsters. Check it out!

Monsters Barbarized: The Decapus

[This post was inspired by the "Weekly Monster Challenge" on the Lords of Lemuria forum.]

I don't remember many details from Jean Wells's Palace of the Silver Princess (BD&D Module B3), but I've never forgotten the image to the left: Erol Otus's amazing depiction of the hideous decapus.  This foul beast may have begun its existence in the Principalities of Glantri, but it seems perfectly suited to life in the Jungles of Qo and Qush.  In those trackless wastes, the wild decapus swings through the trees, using its uncanny powers of illusion and ventriloquism to trick its prey.  To see through the decapus's deceptions, a hero has to pass a Mind test with a difficulty modifier of "hard" (-2).  At the GM's discretion, heroes may add relevant careers to this roll.  (Appropriate boons may allow the hero to roll a bonus die on the test as well.)  If the decapus's illusion remains unbroken, it has the advantage of surprise and gains a "free" round of attacks.