#Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix

[oldschoolfrp]

"High above the mountains and rocky hills of most lands flies a sharp-eyed monster known as the peryton. Intelligent, patient, and malevolent, it waits for prey whose heart it might pluck out." (AD&D 2e Monstrous Compendium 11: Forgotten Realms Appendix, TSR, 1991 -- Looks like this one is by Mark Nelson.) Though the peryton was first described in the 1950s, most early illustrations depict a noble-looking creature that could have stepped out of medieval heraldry. This one appears much more dangerous, a viciously fanged diving raptor. The 2e text finally mentions the peryton's human shadow, shown in the 1e Monster Manual but not described there.

[baldursgateconceptart]

Copper Automaton

Art for Monstrous Compendium Al-Qadim Appendix

*Artist Unknown* If you know comment below

[vintagerpg]

The first Monstrous Compendium binder was pretty much full-to-brimming with the pages from the first three volumes, so in 1990, a second binder was released, confusingly called Volume Two despite Volume Two already existing. More confusing: the back cover text mentions Krynn but the word (or logo) Dragonlance is nowhere to be seen. I suppose it might have been on the cheap cardboard sleeve the binder came in, but I’ve long since had that fall to pieces.

Anywho, this is indeed the Dragonlance appendix, as the logo is atop every page. It also refer to itself inside as Monstrous Compendium 4, which is correct. Unlike Volume Three, which feels only vaguely like a collection of monsters pulled from the Forgotten Realms, this batch of beasts definitely feels primarily specialized for Dragonlance. There’s all the draconians, the death knight, the dream creatures, the demi-human variants, fucking kender ugh, the wyndlass, the walrus people. There are others that are generic, but seem well-suited to Krynn, like the skeleton warrior and the fetch.

Mark Nelson and his zipatone are probably responsible for me liking a lot more of these monsters than I might otherwise. He’s the only credited artist, but some of the illustrations look like the stock stuff Elmore drew up. The dwarf for sure. Maybe the draconians? Hard to tell. A pretty muscular Easley cover here, too. Can’t go wrong with a red dragon, that’s a great death knight and the generic quality of the draconian is countered by his thuggish look. Good stuff.

[dragonagitator]

Remember how I semi-joked that I felt like I needed to spend three years doing a lit review before I could properly write my Gale Dekarios / Modern Girl in Faerun BG3 fanfic?

My "need to read" list thus far:

Netheril: Empire of Magic (accessory) (1996 / before -339 DR) - Netherese magic

Elminster series: Elminster: The Making of a Mage (novel) (1994 / 212-241 DR) - Elminster personal history

Elminster series: Elminster in Myth Drannor (novel) (1997 / 240-261 DR) - Elminster personal history

Elminster series: The Temptation of Elminster (novel) (1998 / 759-767 DR) - Elminster personal history

"A Question of Balance" in Dungeon magazine 14 (1988 / 1300s DR) - story of Simon Weems being transported from Earth to Faerun

The Knights of Myth Drannor trilogy: Swords of Eveningstar (novel) (2006 / 1348 DR) - Elminster personal history

The Knights of Myth Drannor trilogy: Swords of Dragonfire (novel) (2007 / 1348 DR) - Elminster personal history

The Knights of Myth Drannor trilogy: The Sword Never Sleeps (novel) (2008 / 1348 DR) - Elminster personal history

The Magister (sourcebook) (1988 / 1354-1357 DR) - "written by" Elminster, so Elminster's writing style / voice

Shandril's Saga: Spellfire (novel) (1988 / 1357 DR) - Elminster personal history

Shandril's Saga: Crown of Fire (novel) (1994 / 1357 DR) - Elminster personal history

Old Empires (sourcebook) (1990 / 1357 DR) - general history, history of humans kidnapped from Earth

The Shadow of the Avatar trilogy: Shadows of Doom (novel) (1995 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra), Elminster personal history

The Shadow of the Avatar trilogy: Cloak of Shadows (novel) (1995 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra), Elminster personal history

The Shadow of the Avatar trilogy: All Shadows Fled (novel) (1995 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

Hall of Heroes (accessory) (1989 / 1358 DR) - Elminster stats

The Avatar series: Shadowdale (novel) (1989 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

Shadowdale (adventure) (1989 / 1358 DR) - corresponds to novel by same title

The Avatar series: Tantras (novel) (1989 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

Tantras (adventure) (1989 / 1358 DR) - corresponds to novel by same title

The Avatar series: Waterdeep (novel) (1989 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

Waterdeep (adventure) (1989 / 1358 DR) - corresponds to novel by same title

The Grand Tour (comic) (1996 / 1360s DR) - story of adventurers from Earth touring Faerun

Volo's Guide to Waterdeep (accessory) (1993 / 1363-1367 DR) - Waterdeep history

Stormlight (novel) (1996 / 1365 DR) - Elminster personal history

Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast (accessory) (1994 / 1366-1367 DR) - general history

The Avatar series: Prince of Lies (novel) (1993 / 1368 DR) - aftermath of Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

City of Splendors (boxed set) (1994 / 1368 DR) - Waterdeep history

Guide to Hell (accessory) (1999 / 1368 DR) - Avernus

A Guide to the Astral Plane (accessory) (1996 / 1368 DR) - githyanki

Baldur's Gate (novel) (1999 / 1368 DR) - novelization of BG1

Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (novel) (2001 / 1368 DR) - novelization of BG2

On Hallowed Ground (accessory) (1996 / 1368? DR) - gods of Forgotten Realms setting

Monstrous Compendium: Outer Planes Appendix (accessory) (1991 / 1368? DR) - githyanki

Silverfall: Stories of the Seven Sisters (anthology) (1999 / 1369 DR) - Elminster personal history

Volo's Guide to All Things Magical (accessory) (1996 / 1369 DR) - how magic works in Forgotten Realms setting

Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (novel) (2001 / 1369 DR) - Elminster personal history

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (novel) (2000 / 1369 DR) - novelization of BG2

Faiths & Avatars (accessory) (1996 / 1370 DR) - gods of Forgotten Realms setting

Powers & Pantheons (accessory) (1997 / 1370 DR) - gods of Forgotten Realms setting

Demihuman Deities (accessory) (1998 / 1371 DR) - gods of Forgotten Realms setting

The City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel (novel) (2005 / 1370-1371 DR) - Waterdeep history

Sea of Fallen Stars (sourcebook) (1999 / 1371 DR) - Chessentan history

The Avatar series: Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad (novel) (1998 / 1371 DR) - aftermath of Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition (accessory) (2001 / 1372 DR) - general history, Chessentan history

Magic of Faerûn (accessory) (2001 / 1372 DR) - how magic works in Forgotten Realms setting

Races of Faerûn (accessory) (2003 / 1372 DR) - general history, history of humans kidnapped from Earth

City of Splendors: Waterdeep (accessory) (2005 / 1372 DR) - Waterdeep history

Lords of Darkness (accessory) (2001 / 1372 DR) - general history

Faiths and Pantheons (accessory) (2002 / 1372 DR) - gods of Forgotten Realms setting

Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (accessory) (2006 / 1372? DR) - infernal contracts?

Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (accessory) (2006 / 1372? DR) - Avernus

Expanded Psionics Handbook (accessory) (2004 / 1372? DR) - githyanki

Elminster series: Elminster In Hell (novel) (2001 / 1372 DR) - Elminster personal history

Elminster series: Elminster's Daughter (novel) (2004 / 1373 DR) - Elminster personal history

Lost Empires of Faerûn (accessory) (2005 / 1374 DR) - Netherese magic, general history

Power of Faerûn (accessory) (2006 / 1374 DR) - general history

The Grand History of the Realms (sourcebook) (2007 / 1385 DR) - general history

The Sundering series: The Companions (novel) (2013 / 1462-1484 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra)

The Sundering series: The Adversary (novel) (2013 / 1478-1486 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra)

Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide (campaign setting) (2008 / 1479 DR) - general history, Chessentan history

"Backdrop: Chessenta" in Dungeon magazine 178 (2010 / 1479 DR) - Chessentan history

The Plane Above (accessory) (2010 / 1479 DR) - githyanki

Elminster series: Elminster Must Die (novel) (2010 / 1479 DR) - Elminster's personal history

Elminster series: Bury Elminster Deep (novel) (2011 / 1479 DR) - Elminster's personal history

Elminster series: Elminster Enraged (novel) (2012 / 1479 DR) - Elminster's personal history

The Rise of Tiamat (adventure) (2014 / 1480s DR) - Waterdeep history

The Sundering series: The Godborn (novel) (2013 / 1450 DR & 1484 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra)

Storm King's Thunder (adventure) (2016 / after 1485 DR) - Waterdeep history

The Reaver (novel) (2014 / 1486 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra)

The Sundering series: The Sentinel (novel) (2014 / 1486 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra)

The Sundering series / Elminster series: The Herald (novel) (2014 / 1487 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra), Elminster's personal history

Elminster series: Spellstorm (novel) (2015 / 1488 DR) - Elminster's personal history

Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (sourcebook) (2015 / 1489 DR) - current setting guide

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (sourcebook) (2018 / 1490? DR) - Zariel & Mephistopheles, githyanki

Death Masks (novel) (2016 / 1491 DR) - Waterdeep history

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus (adventure) (2019 / 1492 DR) - immediately precedes BG3, info on Avernus and infernal contracts

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (adventure) (2018 / 1492 DR) - immediately follows BG3, Waterdeep current events

Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (adventure) (2018 / 1492 DR) - follows Dragon Heist, Waterdeep current events

Damnit, Gale. All I wanted to do was write smut about my author self-insert fucking a hot wizard but somehow I ended up with homework.

Am I missing anything critical relating to the events of BG3 and permanently solving each companion's major problems?

[thecreaturecodex]

Cantobele

Image by Bob Maurras, © TSR, Inc.

[Another Ed Greenwood critter from the first “Creature Catalogue” feature. Ed Greenwood wrote a lot of monsters in the 1e era, and I kind of get why relatively few of them went onto be D&D staples (the exception is the dark naga, incidentally). Most of them are terrible glass cannons, with powerful abilities but very low Hit Dice. Like the cantobele here, which in 1e has 8 attacks a round but 2-4 HD! So it’s either going to annihilate an entire low level party, or be taken out in a round by a high level one. My version brings the HD up to match the damage output, and ends up being a pretty robust foe. There is a 2e version, in the Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix. It has the same balance problem but, unusually, says that the male bears the young. That inspired the marsupial/seahorse reproductive system mentioned in my flavor text.]

Cantobele CR 10 NE Magical Beast This creature is slung low to the ground, with six muscular legs ending in clawed paws. Its tail is broad and ends in a brush. Its head is like that of a hyena, except that it has two tusk-like fangs in its upper jaw, and a coarse mane of hair runs along its crown and neck.

Cantobeles are so named for their chiming, sing-song voices. They are excellent vocal mimics, using a combination of mind-reading, mimicry and magical charm to lure creatures to their deaths. The claws on all six of their legs are small but deadly sharp, and they pounce on befuddled prey and tear them to pieces. Any survivors are knocked prone and killed while on the ground. Cantobeles are comfortable moving in three dimensions, and often attack from higher ground such as up trees or cliffs.

Cantobeles are most comfortable in snowy forests such as the taiga. They are impervious to the cold, and can call down magical clouds of hail to obscure vision and dissuade pursuers if they are outmatched. Most cantobeles are solitary, but they do come together to mate. The mated couple will associate until the birth of the (usually single) young, which is reared by the male in a pouch somewhat like that of a kangaroo. Male cantobeles can lactate, and feed their young on milk and blood until the infant is strong enough for solid food.

With their hyena like aspect and magical luring voices, cantobeles are believed to be kin to leucrottas. The two species rarely if ever interact in the wild, but when they do, the stronger cantobeles tend to kill and eat the leucrottas. Unlike leucrottas, cantobeles have little patience for long-term manipulations and do not seek to rule tribes of humanoids.

Cantobele                CR 10 XP 9,600 NE Large magical beast Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +17, snow sight Aura detect thoughts (60 ft., Will DC 19) Defense AC 22, touch 13, flat-footed 19 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +9 natural) hp 136 (13d10+75) Fort +13, Ref +12, Will +9 Immune cold Offense Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. Melee bite +16 (1d8+4), 4 claws +16 (1d4+4), tail slap +14 (1d6+2 plus trip) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks detect thoughts (DC 19), lure, pounce, rake (2 claws +16, 1d4+4) Spell-like Abilities CL 13th, concentration +16 Constant—tongues 3/day—empowered ice storm, misdirection (DC 15) Statistics Str 18, Dex 19, Con 20, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 17 Base Atk +13; CMB +19 (+21 trip); CMD 33 (43 vs. trip) Feats Combat Expertise, Empower SLA (ice storm), Improved Trip, Iron Will, Multiattack, Nimble Moves, Skill Focus (Bluff) Skills Bluff +20, Climb +30, Perception +17, Stealth +14; Racial Modifiers +16 Climb Languages Common, Infernal, tongues SQ expert climber, sound mimicry (bells, voices) Ecology Environment cold and temperate forests Organization solitary or pair Treasure standard Special Abilities Aura of Detect Thoughts (Su) A cantobele can read the minds of all creatures within 60 feet, as per a detect thoughts spell, if the creature fails a DC 19 Will save. Expert Climber (Ex) A cantobele can scale sheer surfaces and ceilings as if under a spider climb effect. It gains a +16 racial bonus to Climb checks, instead of the +8 usually afforded by a Climb speed. Lure (Su) At any point that a cantobele’s targets are unaware of it (for example, if the cantobele is hiding or concealed in darkness), the cantobele can call out to the targets, who must be in line of sight and within 60 feet. When the cantobele calls out, the targets must make a DC 16 Will save or fall under the effects of a suggestion to approach the sound of the cantobele's voice. This effect functions identically to a mass suggestion spell with a caster level equal to the cantobele's Hit Dice. A creature that saves cannot be affected again by the same cantobele's lure for 24 hours. The lure is a language-dependent effect, and if the cantobele uses the victim's name during the lure, the victim takes a –4 penalty on its saving throw. This is a sonic mind-affecting charm effect. The save DC is Charisma-based. Rake (Ex) A cantobele may use its rake attack against prone enemies in an adjacent square, in addition to when charging or grappling. Snow Sight (Ex) A cantobele’s vision is not obscured by mundane or magical snow, fog or other weather.

[prince-atom]

The Type VI demon (one of whom is named Balor) from the Monster Manual (1977).

The balor, a true tanar’ri, in MC8 Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix (1991).

The balor in the 3.5 Monster Manual (2003).

The words “tanar’ri” and “baatezu” appeared as early as the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix to refer to demons and devils, respectively, because TSR had pledged to remove references to demons and devils with 2E after the Satanic Panic.  They also changed the daemons into yugoloths.  All of this terminology was maintained throughout the 90s, including the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendices and the Monstrous Manual.  When Wizards published the Monster Manual in 2000, demons and devils got their names back, while yugoloths stayed yugoloths.  The alternate names were referenced in (I believe) the Monsters of Faerun book with the tanar’ruk (demon orcs) and fey’ri (devil elves) detailed there.

The Forgotten Realms wiki usually has 2E entries for monsters.  I don’t know why they’re still using tanar’ri and baatezu for 3E and 4E stuff, unless they think it’s a Realms specific set of terms.

So, let's go over everything Wizards of the Coast is trying to do this coming year.

>Erasing everything that made DnD fun

>Sanitizing everything to appease a minority of leftist puritans

>Making anyone who wants to play DnD pay microtransactions

>Making anyone who makes anything based off of DnD pay royalties to Wizards of the Coast

I hope the company fucking crashes and burns, Hasbro failed to claim TSR as their own now we just need it all to crash and burn so TSR can make a big comeback.

[ddocentral]

MC3 Forgotten Realms Appendix: 1989 and 1991 FR Monstrous Compendium covers side-by-side

MC3 Forgotten Realms Appendix: 1989 and 1991 FR Monstrous Compendium covers side-by-side

[kayawagner]

FMA1 Fires of Zatal (2e)

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

This first game adventure for the Maztica campaign setting comes from the conclusion to the Maztica novel trilogy. The fate of the Maztica hangs in the balance as gods struggle for mastery of a shattered island. A few heroes must penetrate the great volcano, Zatal, to break the power of the god of war.

"On the Night of Wailing, when the creatures of Viperhand come to life, when the great Maztican gods Qotal and Zaltec battled, the great Cloak of One Plume - a magical item of great power and a token of great authority - was believed lost forever.

Such was not the case.

Rumors fly that the Cloak was rescued that night, and hidden away in a safe location. Now a petty noble of New Amn plans to recover it, and is looking for brave young souls who can bring it back to him. But other players are invovled in the chase, trying to recover the lost Cloak.

Fires of Zatal spans the great continent of Mazticafrom the new colony of Helmsport to the Valley of Nexal, at the foot of Mt. Zatal itself. It is the first adventure for the new Maztica campaign setting in the Realms; DMs wishing to run this need theMaztica Campaign Boxed Set. This module serves as an introduction to this new world of adventure, a land of wise and savage empires and growing, monstrous threats.

Welcome to Maztica. This is not the Realms you're familiar with!"

Product History

FMA1: "Fires of Zatal" (1991), by Jeff Grubb & Tim Beach, is the first Maztica adventure. It was published in August 1991.

About the Module Code. This module code is listed as "FMA-1". The use of a dash is quite unusual. Its only D&D predecessor was XL-1: "Quest for the Heartstone" (1984), though TSR used the dashes somewhat more regularly in their Star Frontiers and Marvel Super Heroes lines. FMA2: "Endless Armies" (1991) would match this usage.

Origins (I): Return to Maztica. The Maztica Campaign Set (1991) introduced a new subsetting for adventure in the Forgotten Realms. TSR quickly followed that up with an adventure.

Origins (II): After the Novels. Maztica was introduced through a trilogy of novels that brought adventurers from the Heartlands to the New World: Ironhelm (1990), Viperhand (1990), and Feathered Dragon (1991). The Maztica Campaign Set correctly noted "The land of Maztica, introduced in the Maztica trilogy of FORGOTTEN REALMS® novels, undergoes convulsive forces in the telling of those tales — forces that change the world, for good or for ill, in many significant directions. Therefore, the choice of timing is very significant regarding the setting of the game." It opted to place itself "after its most cataclysmic moments".

"Fires of Zatal" doubles down on this idea. Its whole plot in based on the search for a magic item originally thought lost in the climactic battle of the novels. It also visits the Nexal Valley, one of the places most affected by the "Night of Wailing". The Maztica line was never deep enough to support a true metaplot, but this is the closest approximation, as the story continues on from the events of the Maztica trilogy.

Adventure Tropes. Appropriately, this first Maztican adventure is an introductory adventure for low-level characters. The actual plot is quite simplistic. It's a macguffin quest. However, much of the adventure is spent on travels through wilderness and cities, complete with both random and set encounters. The volcano crawl that ends things is relatively brief.

Exploring the Realms. Maztica is an immense land, so the geographic descriptions of Maztica Campaign Set were all pretty big picture. "Fires of Zatal" makes up for that with maps and important site listings in Helmsport-Ulatos (in Payit) and the cities of Azatl, Nexal, and Tezat (in the Nexal Valley). There are also plenty of ideas for wilderness travel between these locales.

Monsters of Note. Tim Beach was the Maztican monster master, having previously created most or all of the New World critters in the Maztica Campaign Set. He adds to that in this volume with a Maztican dragon (the Tlalocoatl) and two more Maztican peoples: the gator-men Ahuizotl and the jaguar-men Tabaxi.

Surprisingly, the tabaxi originated in the Fiend Folio (1981), the creation of none of than Lawrence Schick. However those cat-people have been reinvented for their usage here. They've also proven long-lived, recently appearing in Volo's Guide to Monsters (2016).

Future History. Monster master Tim Beach says that he had "a full list for a Maztica [Monstrous Compendium] at one time". He would have included all his original monsters plus "stats for some variants that I would have seen as semi-iconic for the setting, such as the winged bu[l]lette". Alas, it never came to be, as the Maztica line was shortlived.

About the Creators. Though a busy creator at TSR, Jeff Grubb would go on to author FMA2: "Endless Armies". These were just two of a half dozen books he wrote for 1991 release. Meanwhile, Tim Beach was just starting his career at TSR in 1991 by designing monsters for Maztica Campaign Set, FMA1: "Fires of Zatal", and MC11: "Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix" (1991). He'd return to Maztica with some of the companies for FR15: "Gold & Glory" (1992).

About the Product Historian

The history of this product was researched and written by Shannon Appelcline, the editor-in-chief of RPGnet and the author of Designers & Dragons - a history of the roleplaying industry told one company at a time. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to shannon.appelcline@gmail.com.

Price: $4.99 FMA1 Fires of Zatal (2e) published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com

[oldschoolfrp]

In Faerun you can be stalked by the physical manifestation of collective existential dread: "Feyrs (pronounced 'fears') are created from the remnants of ordinary nightmares, mixed with residual magical energies, and unknowingly brought to life by the strong emotions of a large group of people. The raw materials for such creatures may be found in any urban settlement, and when there is additional tension in the air, the feyrs stalk at night." (Tom Baxa from the AD&D 2e Monstrous Compendium 11: Forgotten Realms Appendix, TSR, 1991) Jeff Easley's interpretation of a feyr appears on the cover.

[vintagerpg]

This is the second Monstrous Compendium Appendix for Forgotten Realms (1991). It’s much better! Like the first, Tom Baxa and Mark Nelson provide the interior illustrations; this time they’re joined by Valerie Valusek, who was one of the primary artists for FR supplements at the time. There’s even an uncredited Tim Bradstreet in there (the deep dragon). The mix of monsters is more exciting and weirder too. We get the fachan (a one-armed, one-legged, one-eyed goblin), the very FR feyr, the undead inquisitors, dark naga, Jorge Luis Borges’ peryton, the gloopy skuz and the creepy scorpion folk. Oh, and the dino-people, saurials. Its a good selection that better represents the monsters of the Realms, I think

The Easley cover is pretty good, too, depicting a peryton, a feyr and a saurial. Enjoy that the feyr is acting as an armrest.

[vintagerpg]

Volume Three of the Monstrous Compendium (1989) is dedicated to Monsters from the Forgotten Realms. It’s the first to be referred to as an Appendix, which to me implies it should be filed at the back of the main work, but in fact, you can file the individual pages into the alphabetical arrangement of Volumes One and Two without issue. So that’s what I did. This is not true of any further Compendiums to my knowledge.

Three has one of my favorite Easley covers of the run. I don’t think that is a particularly good rendering of a thri-kreen, and I’m neutral on the revenant. That cloaker is tops, though, and the color scheme of the grouping is really nice. Inside is where I first made the acquaintance of Tom Baxa. It took me a while to really GET his artwork. I don’t think the juxtaposition of Mark Nelson, with his welcoming use of zipatone, did Baxa any favors.

These days, I blame my ambivalence to Baxa here on the monster selection. It ain’t great. A lot of these don’t feel particularly “of the Realms” to me. Dinosaurs? For real? Some, like the dracolich, sure. But there is an odd prevalence of critters that are just slightly monstrous animals. There is also, ironically, a concentration of monsters that previously appeared in the Fiend Folio, a book Ed Greenwood reviewed for Dragon Magazine and hated.

Anyway, not my most referenced of the appendices.

[oldschoolfrp]

The stingtails of Anauroch are the larger cousins of the laertis, lizard men who eat the internal organs of humans and camels, leaving the rest for vulutres (Brom, one of the divider card pages in the AD&D 2e Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix, MC11, TSR, 1991; also used as cover of Ed Greenwood's 1991 supplement Anauroch)

[oldschoolfrp]

Characters trying to be extra: bard with triple-bell clarinet and hornhead saurial spellcaster with runes carved into its neck plate  (Clyde Caldwell, AD&D 2nd ed Monstrous Compendium: Forgotten Realms Appendix, TSR, 1991)

[oldschoolfrp]

Peryton, feyr, and hornhead saurial  (Jeff Easley, AD&D 2nd ed Monstrous Compendium: Forgotten Realms Appendix, TSR, 1991)  This was the 11th Compendium for 2e, and the 2nd for the Forgotten Realms.

[oldschoolfrp]

A is for axe beak, related to the prehistoric terror birds of our world and roughly comparable to an oversize cassowary or secretary bird.  (Dave Trampier, AD&D Monster Manual, TSR, 1977)  The original description merely listed the creature’s stats as something to fight.  The 2nd ed Monstrous Compendium: Forgotten Realms Appendix noted their use as “guards, hunters, and mounts”, and priced eggs and hatchlings at 50-80 gp, and the long plumes at 2 gp each.  The 3rd ed Arms & Equipment Guide describes their use as mounts, valuing eggs at 20 gp, chicks at 40 gp, and noting that professional trainers charge 50 gp to raise and train an axe beak for the saddle.

[oldschoolfrp]

A spectator is a 4 foot diameter beholderkin with 4 eyestalks that may be found guarding locations or treasures  (D&D 2nd ed Monstrous Compendium Three:  Forgotten Realms Appendix, TSR, 1989; interior art by Mark Nelson and Thomas Baxa; guessing Nelson for this one since Baxa usually signed his illustrations)