Sunday 10 January 2010

Jharat Part 4: Monsters of Jharat

Although many disasters befell humanity during the cataclysm, the biggest and most obvious was the sudden invasion of huge numbers of monsters. Many, perhaps half, emerged through the elemental windows in the hive cities. The monsters that emerged from the elemental windows were connected to the respective element somehow, but were not always elementals. These monsters with affinity to an element formed the elemental factions - broad alliances within each element.

Note that the connection between an element and a monster may be obvious (such as in actual elementals) or else can be quite tenuous (aquatic or cold-using monsters in the water faction, flying or lightning-using monsters in the air faction, burrowing or cave-dwelling monsters in the earth faction and fire-breathing or fire-using monsters in the fire faction). Occasionally (such as with the thoqqua or the remorhaz) a creature has connections with two or more elements in which case a decision is made for one element or another.
The elemental factions are not usually opposed to each other, though rivalries can emerge. Rather it is simply that creatures with the affinity for the same element are more likely to co-operate or at least fight along side each other.


This list is by no means complete, but includes the most notable creatures of each faction. Many of them are twisted and evil versions of normally neutral creatures. 



Air Faction (includes electricity/lightning-using monsters)
Air Elemental (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Blue Dragon (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Cloud Giant (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Belker (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Behir (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Roc (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Arrowhawk (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Demon, Vrock (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Giant Owl (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Harpy (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Griffon (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Invisible Stalker (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Manticore (3rd Ed Monster Manual)
Air Mephit (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Dust Mephit (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Shocker Lizard (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Hieracosphinx (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Will-O'-Wisp (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Wyvern (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Yrthak (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)

Air Genasi (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) (alignment any evil)
Fog Giant (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) (alignment NE)
Peryton (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun)
Pterafolk (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun)
Breathdrinker (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2)
Cloud Ray (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Air Weird (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Marrash (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2)
Mooncalf (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2)
Ragewind (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2)
Windghost (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment LE)


Water Faction (includes cold-affinity monsters)
Water Elemental (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
White Dragon (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Frost Giant (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Aboleth (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Sahuagin (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Dragon Turtle (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Kraken (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Tojanida (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Frost Worm (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Lacedon (Ghoul) (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Demon, Hezrou (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Sea Hag (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Cryohydra (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Kuo-Toa (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Locathah (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Water Mephit (3rd Ed Monster Manual (alignment NE)
Ice Mephit (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Water Naga (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Sea Lion (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Skum (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Winter Wolf (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Water Genasi (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) (alignment any evil)
Aballin (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) (alignment NE)
Bullywug (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) 
Ice Serpent (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) (alignment NE)
Shalarin (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) (alignment NE)
Siv (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun)
Water Weird (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Frost Salamander (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) 
Immoth (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2)
Ixitxachitl (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) 
Kopru (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2)
Leviathan (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Megalodon  (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Morkoth (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2)
Mudmaw (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Ocean Strider (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment CE)
Sirine (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment CE)


Earth Faction (includes Acid-affinity monsters)
Earth Elemental (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Black Dragon (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Stone Giant (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Ankheg (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Gorgon (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Xorn (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Rust Monster (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Medusa (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Basilisk (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Bulette (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Cockatrice (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Delver (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Dwarf, Derro (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Dwarf, Duergar (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Gargoyle (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Stone Golem (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Earth Mephit (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Salt Mephit (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Purple Worm (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Troglodyte (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Umber Hulk (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Earth Genasi (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) (alignment any evil)
Dragon, Deep (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun)
Groundling (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun)
Phaerlin Giant (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun)
Dune Stalker (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2)
Earth Weird (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Galeb Duhr (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Grave Crawler (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Juggernaut (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Stone Spike (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)


Fire Faction (includes metal-affinity monsters)
Fire Elemental (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Red Dragon (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Fire Giant (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Rast (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Azer (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment LE)
Hellhound (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Efreeti (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Salamander (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Pyrohydra (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Demon, Balor (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Iron Golem (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Magmin (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment CE)
Pyrohydra (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Fire Mephit (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Magma Mephit (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Nightmare (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1)
Remorhaz (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Shield Guardian (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Thoqqua (3rd Ed Monster Manual 1) (alignment NE)
Fire Genasi (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) (alignment any evil)
Firenewt (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) 
Giant Strider (3rd Ed Monsters of Faerun) (alignment NE)
Ash Rat (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Automaton (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Bladeling (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Bronze Serpent (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Chain Golem (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Clockwork Horror (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) 
Effigy (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Fire Weird (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Fire Bat (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Brass Golem (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2) (alignment NE)
Hellfire Wyrm (3rd Ed Monster Manual 2)


Monsters outside the Elemental factions
Most species of monsters do not actually fit into the elemental factions in any clear way. They have appeared in Jharat at the same time as the elemental factions emerged from the elemental windows in each hive city. The non-faction monsters emerged from smaller, less obvious portals.  Goblins, minotaurs, green dragons, displacer beasts and the like have all appeared on Jharat during the Summoning. 


Designer Notes:
The monsters listed in the elemental faction lists are only the start of what I could have put on the lists. My current sources of monsters includes:


From Wizards of the Coast (official 3rd Ed D&D products)
Monster Manual 1, 2, 3 & 4
Monsters of Faerun
Fiend Folio
Epic Level Handbook
Savage Species (mainly templates)
Underdark
Serpent Kingdoms
Unapproachable East
Dragon Magazine while it was printing 3.X Edition stuff


D20/OGL products from other companies:
Liber Bestarius by Eden Studios
Tome of Horrors 1, 2 & 3 by Necromancer Games
Creature Collection 1 & 2 by Swords & Sorcery Studios
various sourcebooks by Alderac Entertainment Group



As with other aspects of Jharat, the aim is to be as inclusive as possible, at least on a global scale. You don't have to include everything (at last count 2500+ monsters) in your campaign, but you can assume that it's out there somewhere in Jharat. 
At one point I was converting ideas of monsters from other game systems to AD&D for Jharat, but there are so many different monsters already in 3rd Ed stats that I let that idea go. Nonetheless, I did do the stats for the monsters from DOOM and a few from Warhammer Fantasy. Ever wanted to pit your PCs against a horde of skaven and rat-ogres? You can in my campaign. However, I understand that Games Workshop are a lot more twitchy about IP than WOTC, so I'm not going to put the stats up here. 


The idea of using the elements was a mixture of both Greyhawk's Temple of Elemental Evil and Dragonlance's 5 Dragon Armies. It also fitted in with the idea of the elemental windows in the hive cities normally providing fresh air, stone, heat and fresh water suddenly becoming the gateways of the invading armies. 
The idea of associating cold with water, lightning with air, metal with fire and acid with earth was a bit of a compromise. I had initially intended to have acid with water and metal with earth, but a combination of black dragons and the efreet living in a city of brass changed my mind. There was also the idea that both lighting and fire are very volatile and destructive forces, and it would be better to split them up.