|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 19, 2020 13:58:16 GMT -6
Where we finally determine which 1e monster book is the best.
Each poll will be up for a day or so (depending on how busy I am).
BONUS BATTLE:
Which monster is the best?
Skeleton
Quasit
Purple Worm
Owlbear
FIGHT!
GET YOUR VOTES IN NOW!
And if you feel so inclined, explain why the monster you chose is the bestest.
Current Total Scores
MM 157
FF 76
MM2 39
Results of Z
Zombie 6
Zombie, Yellow Musk 0
Zombie, Juju 1
Results of Y
Yeti 4
Yellow Musk Creeper 3
Yuan Ti 7
Results of X
Xorn 2
Xvart 8
Xeg-Yi 1
Results of W
Water Weird 5
Whipweed 3
Wolf-In-Sheep's-Clothing 2
Results of V
Vampire 5
Volt 1
Vegepygmy 3
Results of U
Umber Hulk 9
Umpleby 2
Ustilagor 0
Results of T
Troll 8
Tween 1
Tarrasque 1
(this bonus round is not included in the totals)
Results of T Round 1
Troglodyte 1
Troll 6
Troll, Two-Headed 1
Tween 1
Results of S: Final
Skeleton 10
Shadow Demon 1
Solar 0
(these 2 bonus rounds are not included in the totals)
Results of S Round 2
Sahuagin 1
Skeleton 5
Stirge 4
Results of S Round 1
Sahuagin 3
Shambling Mound 2
Skeleton 4
Giant Spider 1
Stirge 4
Results of R
Roper 7
Revenant 2
Rat 1
Results of Q
Quasit 10
Qullan 3
Quickling 2
Results of P
Purple Worm 12
Penanggalan 3
Para-Elemental 0
Results of O
The Owlbear gobbles up the Ogrillon & Oliphant in one big gulp, they never had a chance.
Owlbear 10
Ogrillon 0
Oliphant 0
Results of N
Naga 5
Nilbog 5
Nereid 1
Results of M
Mind Flayer 5
Mephit 2
Myconid 3
Results of L
Lich 5
Lamia Noble 1
Lycanthrope; Wereshark 2
Results of K
Kobolds and krakens combined couldn't withstand the might of the sea mother's fanatics.
Kobold 4
Kuo Toa 8
Kraken 2
Results of J
The Jackalwere mauled the jermlaine and jann to death who hardly put up any resistance.
Jackalwere 8
Jermlaine 1
Jann 1
Results of I
The iron cobra was no match for the intellect devourer, the MM2 was too scared to even fight.
Intellect Devourer 6
Iron Cobra 1
The hounds of hell were unleashed, the hook horrors fought valiantly, and the hordlings couldn't help the MM2 crawl out of its hole.
Results of H
Hell Hound 8
Hook Horror 6
Hordling 1
Results of G
The gelatinous cube enveloped the githyanki and gibbering mouther leaving behind a trail of slime and bones.
Gelatinous Cube 5
Githyanki 1
Gibbering Mouther 1
Results of F
Frog, Giant 5
Flail Snail 5
Froghemoth 3
Results of E
Efreeti 4
Elf, Drow 3
Executioner’s Hood 0
Results of D
Demogorgon 5
Death Knight 5
Demilich 1
Results of C
Cockatrice 5
Caryatid Column 8
Cave Fisher 1
Results of B
Beholder 3
Bullywug 1
Behir 1
Results of A
And MM2 takes the early lead.
Aerial Servant 1
Aarakocra 2
Aboleth 4
|
|
flightcommander
Level 6 Magician
"I become drunk as circumstances dictate."
Posts: 387
|
Post by flightcommander on Dec 19, 2020 21:10:38 GMT -6
This is a fun idea!
|
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 20, 2020 16:38:47 GMT -6
Results of A
Aerial Servant 1
Aarakocra 2
Aboleth 4
And MM2 takes the early lead.
Next up
Beholder v Bullywug v Behir FIGHT
|
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 20, 2020 16:45:40 GMT -6
I have to agree with Aboleth. When I got the MM2 I was literally shaking with excitement (back then we were lucky to get a new hardcover once every couple of years - so it was a big deal), and the Aboleth was a banger of monster to kick off the first entry.
|
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 22, 2020 9:28:48 GMT -6
So the letter D is going to be hard to choose from, there are so many cool monsters in each book under that letter. Which 3 should we pick from?
|
|
|
|
Post by geoffrey on Dec 22, 2020 10:28:28 GMT -6
The Monster Manual is indispensable for OD&D campaigns.
The Fiend Folio is indispensable for AD&D campaigns.
The Monster Manual II is, um... Well.
|
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 22, 2020 12:48:22 GMT -6
The Monster Manual II is, um... Well. ...Awesome! There, I finished your sentence for you.  |
|
|
|
Post by jeffb on Dec 22, 2020 13:50:47 GMT -6
The thing with the MM2, and FF to a lesser extent is that they are full of monsters from modules. The Aboleth for example. Drow.
I would suggest using monsters unique to the FF and MM2 going forward.
|
|
|
|
Post by geoffrey on Dec 22, 2020 14:23:41 GMT -6
So the letter D is going to be hard to choose from, there are so many cool monsters in each book under that letter. Which 3 should we pick from? I would pick a dragon from each volume. |
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 22, 2020 14:44:04 GMT -6
The thing with the MM2, and FF to a lesser extent is that they are full of monsters from modules. The Aboleth for example. Drow. I would suggest using monsters unique to the FF and MM2 going forward. Will take into consideration. There may be some cases where the choices are too meager. |
|
|
|
Post by Zenopus on Dec 22, 2020 15:11:31 GMT -6
I wouldn't limit it that way. Most of the Monster Manual monsters were previously published, too, either in OD&D, the Strategic Review or The Dragon.
How about polls for the "D" monsters in each book, with the winners competing?
|
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 23, 2020 12:54:23 GMT -6
I wouldn't limit it that way. Most of the Monster Manual monsters were previously published, too, either in OD&D, the Strategic Review or The Dragon. How about polls for the "D" monsters in each book, with the winners competing? Good point. I don't want to complicate this anymore than it is. It's meant as a fun little holiday break activity. |
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 23, 2020 12:54:54 GMT -6
The thing with the MM2, and FF to a lesser extent is that they are full of monsters from modules. The Aboleth for example. Drow. I would suggest using monsters unique to the FF and MM2 going forward. By this criteria almost all of the Monster Manual monsters would be disqualified. |
|
|
|
Post by Zenopus on Dec 23, 2020 14:17:38 GMT -6
As an aside, one reason I find the Monster Manual II to be a lot less inspiring is the lack of adventurers.
While the Monster Manual and Fiend Folio each have over 40 illustrations of adventurers facing off against, meeting their doom, or otherwise interacting with monsters, in the MMII I count a grand total of 4 of these type of pictures. Instead, it's page after page of monster portraits, often even without the interesting backgrounds/scenery found in the earlier books. It's a shame because Holloway - who did the most illustrations in the MMII - is actually quite good at humorously depicting adventurers in peril.
|
|
|
|
Post by jeffb on Dec 23, 2020 15:07:54 GMT -6
The thing with the MM2, and FF to a lesser extent is that they are full of monsters from modules. The Aboleth for example. Drow. I would suggest using monsters unique to the FF and MM2 going forward. By this criteria almost all of the Monster Manual monsters would be disqualified. All the MM monsters came from modules? Of course the MM content came from SOMEWHERE previously, but it is their first representation in an AD&D monster book...... and that is what this "fight" is about, no? |
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 23, 2020 16:56:40 GMT -6
Of course the MM content came from SOMEWHERE previously, but it is their first representation in an AD&D monster book...... and that is what this "fight" is about, no? The criteria you suggested was "I would suggest using monsters unique to the FF and MM2 going forward." |
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 23, 2020 16:59:10 GMT -6
As an aside, one reason I find the Monster Manual II to be a lot less inspiring is the lack of adventurers. While the Monster Manual and Fiend Folio each have over 40 illustrations of adventurers facing off against, meeting their doom, or otherwise interacting with monsters, in the MMII I count a grand total of 4 of these type of pictures. Instead, it's page after page of monster portraits, often even without the interesting backgrounds/scenery found in the earlier books. It's a shame because Holloway - who did the most illustrations in the MMII - is actually quite good at humorously depicting adventurers in peril. That is a pretty astute observation I hadn't thought a lot about before. The Fiend Folio has some of the BEST illustrations of adventurers encountering beasties in all of old school D&D. Thank you for ruining the MM2 for me. |
|
|
|
Post by jeffb on Dec 23, 2020 17:27:56 GMT -6
Of course the MM content came from SOMEWHERE previously, but it is their first representation in an AD&D monster book...... and that is what this "fight" is about, no? The criteria you suggested was "I would suggest using monsters unique to the FF and MM2 going forward." I didn't realize I needed to add a qualifier of "AD&D" since we are discussing AD&D monster books. Facts are, many of the best monsters of the FF & MM2 are monsters that previously saw light in prior AD&D products. Not the case with the MM. So yes, monsters that are unique to those books..i.e.not produced in previous AD&D products. But it was just a suggestion-If you don't like it, that's fine. But cherrypicking the best of FF & MM2 seems unfair to the MM which had to stand on it own merits and not loaded with fan favorites from best selling adventures. |
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 23, 2020 17:35:48 GMT -6
But it was just a suggestion-If you don't like it, that's fine. But cherrypicking the best of FF & MM2 seems unfair to the MM which had to stand on it own merits and not loaded with fan favorites from best selling adventures. The MM got to be the first of these to cherry pick from all the mythologies of the world. The greatest hits of all of mankind's thousands of years of coming up with cool stuff! |
|
|
|
Post by jeffb on Dec 23, 2020 17:50:23 GMT -6
But it was just a suggestion-If you don't like it, that's fine. But cherrypicking the best of FF & MM2 seems unfair to the MM which had to stand on it own merits and not loaded with fan favorites from best selling adventures. The MM got to be the first of these to cherry pick from all the mythologies of the world. The greatest hits of all of mankind's thousands of years of coming up with cool stuff! Then it obviously is the clear winner, and no need to have a "fight", correct?  |
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 23, 2020 17:59:20 GMT -6
Then it obviously is the clear winner, and no need to have a "fight", correct?  |
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 23, 2020 18:43:06 GMT -6
Ok, D was hard to choose from. I considered the idea of just choosing Dragons (like geoffrey suggested), but what FF or MM2 dragons can even come close to the coolness of a Red Dragon or Tiamat? Then I thought of running a poll (Zenopus' idea), but a poll for a poll seemed too much bother.
To make it fair I chose just the coolest D monsters IMHO.
You are welcome to suggest E monsters for the next one.
|
|
|
|
Post by davidbrodeur on Dec 23, 2020 21:03:46 GMT -6
This one was difficult. Demogorgon is my favorite demon and have been since many years. However the Death Knight is a monster I always put in my campaign, they are awesome. I had to vote for it.
|
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 23, 2020 21:54:32 GMT -6
This one was difficult. Demogorgon is my favorite demon and have been since many years. Your favorite and many others! He's so popular I heard they made a hit show referencing him. Stranger something-or-other. I respect your choice of the Death Knight, pretty cool monster to beat. |
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 24, 2020 15:27:44 GMT -6
Merry Christmas ODD74 folks!
I'll be spending the next couple days with the family, so likely will not be posting again here until the weekend.
Cheers.
|
|
|
|
Post by Desparil on Dec 24, 2020 17:27:13 GMT -6
Merry Christmas! BTW, I missed the first couple of days, but if you want to tabulate late votes I would put in 1 for Beholder and 1 for Aboleth.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2020 17:55:10 GMT -6
Merry Christmas! As well the list of the chosen monster is fearsome and more so than a list from just one of the manuals.  |
|
|
|
Post by Vile Traveller on Dec 24, 2020 18:50:44 GMT -6
Frohe Weihnachten, dear friends!
|
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Dec 27, 2020 15:06:42 GMT -6
Monster Manual II had terrible choices for "E"! And it shows in the results. I considered Elfen Cat, I don't know if that would have faired any better. The one I really wanted to do was Valley Elf, at the time MM2 came out Valley Girls were a thing and so we had a lot of laughs poking fun at Valley Elves, like totally gag me with a spoon, bag your face with an Executioner's hood. youtu.be/Qb21lsCQ3EMAnd Dragon magazine had a parody song "Valley Elf" in one of their stupid April Fool's issues (always hated those) "Valley Elf, He’s a Valley Elf, Valley Elf, He’s a Valley Elf . . . Valley Elf So cool, so fair, With chartreuse hair, So young, secure --" annarchive.com/files/Drmg072.pdfSo, anyways, I couldn't bring myself to put Valley Elf in the poll. |
|
|
|
Post by scottenkainen on Dec 27, 2020 15:13:31 GMT -6
I'm late to the party, but my votes would have been:
A- Aboleth
B- Behir
C- Caryatid Column
D- Death Knight
E- Efreeti
|
|
