10 Weird Classic RPG Monsters

In the early days of role-playing games, many classic, iconic monsters were created that have become defining creatures in every edition of the game since then.

These are not those monsters.

This book features 10 weird, unusual, and in some cases, horrifying monsters from monster books you may have played with or flipped through back in the 80s, such as the Giant Portuguese Man of War, Boggle, Bowler, Executioner’s Hood, Retch Plant, Carbuncle, Sheet Phantom, and Mujina. These aren't just updated stat blocks. Each monster is paired with adventure ideas designed to turn an obscure creature into the centerpiece of an unforgettable session. For each monster you get

• A stat block compatible with 5.5 edition D&D (2024)

• A description of each monster

• Three adventure hooks to give you ideas to get you started with adventures featuring some of the weirdest, forgotten monsters originally published between 1977 and 1984.

Plus, you six hand-drawn colored-pencil monster illustrations by myself and my kid. They’re not professional drawings, but we had a blast creating them between gaming sessions. It also allowed me to make this product pay-what-you-want, since all I spent on this project was time. This fan work is published under the Wizards of the Coast SRD 5.2 Creative Commons license and is a tribute to some of the wonderfully strange monsters that captured my imagination as a teenager. I hope they inspire a new generation of Dungeon Masters to give them a place at their tables.