This post continues my quick round-up of what's in every Dungeons & Dragons product I've covered so far, and my ideas for incorporating it all into a single campaign. Today I'm covering the second booklet of the original D&D boxed set, Monsters & Treasure.
This book lists all of the monsters and magic items in the original game. Obviously, everything listed here is appearing in D&D for the first time. I'll make a note of the things that were already included in Chainmail.
Monsters That Get Stats For the First Time
- Man, Bandit
- Man, Berserker
- Man, Brigand
- Man, Dervish
- Man, Nomad
- Man, Buccaneer
- Man, Pirate
- Man, Caveman
- Man, Merman
- Goblin (in Chainmail)
- Kobold (in Chainmail)
- Orc (in Chainmail)
- Hobgoblin
- Gnoll
- Ogre (in Chainmail)
- Troll (in Chainmail)
- Hill Giant
- Stone Giant (There is a giant in Chainmail, and it fits the Stone Giant better than the others)
- Frost Giant
- Fire Giant
- Cloud Giant
- Skeleton
- Zombie
- Ghoul (in Chainmail)
- Wight (in Chainmail)
- Wraith (in Chainmail)
- Mummy
- Spectre
- Vampire
- Cockatrice (in Chainmail)
- Basilisk (in Chainmail)
- Medusa
- Gorgon
- Manticora
- Hydra
- Chimera (in Chainmail as a general category rather than a specific monster)
- Wyvern (in Chainmail)
- White Dragon (in Chainmail)
- Black Dragon (in Chainmail)
- Green Dragon (in Chainmail)
- Blue Dragon (in Chainmail)
- Red Dragon (in Chainmail)
- Golden Dragon
- Balrog (in Chainmail)
- Gargoyle
- Lycanthrope, Werewolf (in Chainmail)
- Lycanthrope, Wereboar
- Lycanthrope, Weretiger
- Lycanthrope, Werebear (in Chainmail)
- Purple Worm (in Chainmail)
- Sea Monster (doesn't really get stats, but does get its own description)
- Minotaur
- Centaur
- Unicorn
- Nixie
- Pixie (in Chainmail)
- Dryad
- Gnome (in Chainmail)
- Dwarf (in Chainmail)
- Elf (in Chainmail)
- Ent (in Chainmail)
- Pegasus
- Hippogriff (in Chainmail)
- Roc (in Chainmail)
- Griffon (in Chainmail)
- Invisible Stalker
- Air Elemental (in Chainmail)
- Earth Elemental (in Chainmail)
- Fire Elemental (in Chainmail)
- Water Elemental (in Chainmail)
- Djinn (in Chainmail)
- Efreet (in Chainmail)
- Ochre Jelly
- Black (or Grey) Pudding
- Green Slime
- Grey Ooze
- Yellow Mold
- Light Horse
- Medium Horse
- Heavy Horse
- Draft Horse
- Mule
- Insects or Small Animals (a general category)
- Large Insects or Animals (another general category)
Monsters That Get Mentioned But Don't Get Stats
- Wolf
- Centipede
- Snake
- Spider
- Giant Ant
- Tyrannosaurus Rex
- Apt (from Barsoom, setting of the John Carter novels)
- Banth (from Barsoom)
- Thoat (from Barsoom)
- Titan
- Cyclops
- Juggernaut
- Living Statue
- Salamander
- Gelatinous Cube
- Robot
- Golem
- Android
- Dragon Turtle (shown in an illustration)
Magic Swords
Magic swords were in Chainmail, with bonuses ranging from +1 to +3.
- Swords +1 to +3
- Sword +1, +2 vs. Lycanthropes
- Sword +1, +2 vs. Magic-Users and Enchanted Monsters
- Sword +1, Locating Objects Ability
- Sword +1, +3 vs. Trolls
- Sword +1, +3 vs. Clerics
- Sword, Flaming
- Sword +1, Wishes Included
- Sword +1, +3 vs. Dragons
- Sword +2, Charm Person Ability
- Sword, One Life Energy Draining Ability (catchy name)
- Cursed Sword -2
Magic Armor
- Shields +1 to +3
- Armor +1 to +3 (+1 armor was in Chainmail)
Miscellaneous Magic Weapons
- Magic Arrows (in Chainmail)
- Dagger +1 vs. Man-Sized Opponents, +2 vs. Goblins and Kobolds
- Dagger +2 vs. Man-Sized Opponents, +3 vs. Orcs, Goblins and Kobolds
- Magic Bow
- Axe +1
- Mace +2
- War Hammer +1 to +3 (+3 will return if thrown)
- Spear +1 to +3
Potions
- Growth
- Dimenuation (eventually becomes Diminution)
- Giant Strength
- Invisibility
- Gaseous Form
- Polymorph Self
- Speed
- Levitation
- Flying
- ESP
- Delusion
- Healing
- Longevity
- Clairvoyance
- Clairaudience
- Animal Control
- Undead Control
- Plant Control
- Human Control
- Giant Control
- Dragon Control
- Poison
- Invulnerability
- Fire Resistance
- Treasure Finding
- Heroism
Scrolls
- Scrolls with 1-3 spells, or with 7
- Cursed Scroll
- Protection from Lycanthropes
- Protection from Undead
- Protection from Elementals
- Protection from Magic
Rings
- Invisibility
- Mammal Control
- Human Control
- Weakness
- Protection
- Three Wishes
- Delusion
- Water Walking
- Fire Resistance
- Protection, 5' radius
- Regeneration
- Djinn Summoning
- Telekinesis
- X-Ray Vision
- Spell Turning
- Spell Storing
- Many Wishes (4-24)
Wands
- Metal Detection
- Enemy Detection
- Magic Detection
- Secret Door and Trap Detection
- Illusion
- Fear
- Cold
- Paralyzation
- Fire Balls
- Lightning Bolts
- Polymorph
- Negation
Staves
- Healing
- Commanding
- Snake Staff
- Striking
- Withering
- Power
- Wizardry
Miscellaneous Magic
- Crystal Ball
- Crystal Ball with Clairaudience
- Crystal Ball with ESP
- Amulet vs. Crystal Balls and ESP
- Scarab of Protection from Evil High Priests
- Bag of Holding
- Censor of Controlling Air Elementals
- Stone of Controlling Earth Elementals
- Brazier of Commanding Fire Elementals
- Bowl of Commanding Water Elementals
- Efreet Bottle
- Displacer Cloak
- Elven Cloak and Boots
- Boots of Speed
- Boots of Levitation
- Boots of Traveling and Leaping
- Broom of Flying
- Helm of Reading Magic and Languages
- Helm of Telepathy
- Helm of Teleportation
- Helm of Chaos (or Helm of Law)
- Flying Carpet
- Drums of Panic
- Horn of Blasting
- Gauntlets of Ogre Power
- Girdle of Giant Strength
- Mirror of Life Trapping
Artifacts
- Teleportation Machine
- Fighter's Crown, Orb and Sceptre
- Magic-User's Crown, Orb and Sceptre
- Cleric's Crown, Orb and Sceptre
- Stone Crystalization Projector
Rules Introduced
- Saving throws for the destruction of magic items
Details and conjecture relevant to the Ultimate Sandbox
- The rules state that all men and monsters in the dungeon can see in the dark, except for the PCs. This makes little sense as a general rule, so I'm narrowing it down to mythic "megadungeons" such as Castles Greyhawk and Blackmoor. It's possible those dungeons have sentience or magic working against the PCs.
- If the monster lineup is anything to go by, there are a lot of lawless bands roaming around the default D&D campaign setting: bandits, brigands, pirates, etc.
- Berserkers roam around in bands up to 300 strong, and so are probably a people or a culture rather than a "character class".
- Dervishes are nomadic residents of the desert or steppes, and a are fanatical religious zealots.
- Nomads are raiders that also hail from the desert or the steppes.
- The presence of cavemen implies that evolution has worked similarly in the D&D world to the way it did in our world (although there are other possible explanations, of course).
- Goblins hate dwarves, as noted in Chainmail.
- Orcs are split into tribes that all hate each other, although no specific tribes are given. I'll be using those from Chainmail.
- Goblins, kobolds, hobgoblins, and gnolls when in their lairs are ruled over by a "king". Pretty much every leader of a goblinoid tribe, no matter how minor, considers itself a king.
- Gnolls are said to be a hybrid of gnomes and trolls. This is a strange fit with the hyena-headed gnolls of later editions.
- Ghouls are subject to damage from normal missiles, whereas they were immune in Chainmail. Perhaps those in Chainmail are deliberately created by dark magic, rather than whatever creates the ghouls that roam dungeons, and are thus a little stronger.
- The existence of mummies as a widespread monster implies the existence of an ancient, widespread civilisation that practiced embalming.
- Crosses affect Vampires, and are thus a powerful symbol of Law. They might even represent a specific god.
- The Nazgul are now said to be spectres, whereas in Chainmail they were said to be wraiths.
- The chimera is now a specific monster, rather than a category including a whole range of monsters as it was in Chainmail. In the game world I'll say that scholars used the term as a category, but the name eventually stuck to the specific monster until the former meaning fell out of use.
- Dragon's age really quickly in this version of D&D compared to later editions. This suggests that dragons have waned in recent years. But perhaps the greater dragons still slumber, and will eventually reawaken...
- It's specifically said that purple worms lurk everywhere, just beneath the surface. It's a sobering thought.
- Lycanthropy can be passed on via being clawed or bitten, but lycanthropes also travel around in family packs with two adults and a number of children. I figure the "disease" is also passed on to offspring, which has resulted in these lycanthropes becoming distinct species.
- Elves are said to have the ability to move silently, and are also "nearly invisible in their grey-green cloaks". This suggests to me that pretty much all elves are equipped with elven boots and cloaks. I'm fine with this, though I'm reluctant to let PC elves begin with them at 1st level - I figure that these cloaks and boots are for those elves operating out of the elven homeland, and that wandering adventurer types generally don't get issued them. Could they possibly be part of a military uniform?
- Elves are split into two types, those that live in the woods and those that live in remote meadows. There are also the "fairies" of Chainmail, which were lumped into the elf category.
- Elves get a bonus when using magic weapons, which to me suggests that the making of magic weapons was originally an elvish craft.
- Hippogriffs hate pegasi.
- The City of Brass is the fabled home of the efreet.
- Barsoom is referenced, the setting of the John Carter novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The original Greyhawk campaign featured adventures in this setting, so I should make it somehow accessible.
- Mention is made of a living statue that was made of iron, impervious to all weapons save two special ones he guarded, had a fiery breath, a poison sword, and a whip of cockatrice feathers that turned victims to stone. This is a reference to the iron golem of Castle Maure, which I believe is a part of the module Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure.
- The majority of the human-types encountered will have slaves, so there should be a roaring slave trade going.
- All magic swords are intelligent. Eventually this will become a rarity, which needs an explanation. I'm going with the idea that these swords were forged in antiquity, and are losing their sentience and power over time.
- The artifacts named are given no abilities, and no background. I'll have to keep an eye out to see if they pop up again, otherwise I'll need to make some things up.
- Electrum is said to be optionally either half or double the value of gold. I'll go with it being a rarer coin, with there being some dispute as to its actual value.
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