In theDungeons & Dragonsfantasy role-playing game, the termmonster refers to a variety of creatures, some adapted from folklore and legends and others invented specifically for the game. Included are traditionalmonsters such asdragons, supernatural creatures such as ghosts, and mundane or fantastic animals.^[1] A defining feature of the game^[2]: 5 is that monsters are typically obstacles that players must overcome to progress through the game.^[3] Beginning with thefirst edition in 1974, a catalog of game monsters (bestiary) was included along with other game manuals, first calledMonsters & Treasure and now called theMonster Manual. As an essential part ofDungeons & Dragons, many of its monsters have become iconic and recognizable even outsideD&D, becoming influential invideo games,fiction, andpopular culture.^[4]

While many "bizarre and grotesque creatures" are original creations ofDungeons & Dragons,^[2]: 5 the inspiration for others includesmythology, medievalbestiaries,science-fiction,fantasy literature, andfilm.^[4] Mauricio Rangel Jiménez goes so far to say that a basic knowledge of mythology, religion and fantasy is required to keep pace with the game,^[5] although the "creatures were unbound by time or place" of their original sources and co-creatorGary Gygax "made them coexist in a single aggregate world".^[6] With regard to pre-modern sources, scholar Laurent Di Filippo remarked that game creators often do not rely directly on original texts. Rather the material undergoes "cultural processes of transmission which go from medieval sources to the productions of contemporary cultural industries [...]. These transformations may be the result of translations or adaptations. This process of continuous evolution which involves both permanence and change is called "work on myth [Arbeit am Mythos]" by the German philosopherHans Blumenberg."^[3][7]

Because of their broad, inclusive background,D&D monsters have been called apastiche of sources.^[1] In some cases, this has resulted in legal battles, such as when names taken from the works ofJ. R. R. Tolkien had to be changed due tocopyright disputes.^[4]

In game books, monsters are typically presented with illustrations,game statistics,^[7] and a detailed description. Monsters may be adapted to fit the needs of the game's writers and publishers, such as by describing combat abilities that may have been absent or only implied by an original source. Artistic renderings of various creatures have been a central tool for immersion in the game from the point of its creation.^{[2]: 5, 19–28}

The monsters ofDungeons & Dragons have significantly influenced modern fantasy fiction, ranging from licensed fiction to how monsters are portrayed in fantasy fiction generally. The scope of this influence has been compared to the works ofJ. R. R. Tolkien.^[4] In a 2005 interview, authorChina Miéville stated,

"I use AD&D-type fascination with teratology in a lot of my books, and I have the original Monster Manual, and the Monster Manual 2, and the Fiend Folio. I still collect role-playing game bestiaries, because I find that kind of fascination with the creation of the monstrous tremendously inspiring."^[8]

References and homages toDungeons & Dragons monsters can be found in works such asAdventure Time, and the game's monsters have inspired tributes that both celebrate and mock various creatures. A 2013io9 retrospective detailed memorable monsters,^[9] and in 2018SyFy Wire published a list of "The 9 Scariest, Most Unforgettable Monsters From Dungeons & Dragons",^[10] and in the same yearScreen Rant published a list of the game's "10 Most Powerful (And 10 Weakest) Monsters, Ranked".^[11] Other writers have highlighted the game's more odd or eccentric creations, such asGeek.com's list of "The most underrated monsters of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons",^[12]The Escapist's list of "The Dumbest Dungeons & Dragons Monsters Ever (And How To Use Them)",^[13] andCracked.com's "15 Idiotic Dungeons and Dragons Monsters".^[14]D&D's monsters have also been licensed as toys, like inLJN's action figures, and even candy.^{[2]: 158, 161, 163}

The number and variety of different monsters contributes to keeping the game interesting and forces players to think about employing diverse strategies.^{[15][16]: XIV–XI}

The monsters ofDungeons & Dragons have receivedcriticism from multiple sources. In addition to other game elements, the presence of magical or demonic monsters has provokedmoral panics among religious conservatives.^[17] The game's emphasis on slaying monsters has also elicited negative commentary. As monsters have traditionally been defined by the number of "experience points" they award when killed, the game has been said to promote a "sociopathic" violence where thedungeon master "merely referees one imagined slaughter after another."^[18] Nicholas J. Mizer, in contrast, suggested that experience through combat was an in-game variation onThorstein Veblen'stheory that application of the "predatory spirit" of humans to warfare could lead to high standing in society.^[19]

Some female monsters, such as thenymph andsuccubus, were seen by Philip J. Clements as an instance of the sexist tropes the game draws on which presented female sexuality as inherently dangerous.^[20]

Many kinds of monsters can be classified into typologies based on their common characteristics, and various books and game guides have been produced focusing on specific kinds of monsters.^{[21]: 134 [22][23]} Such groupings includehumanoids, monstrosities, dragons,giants,undead, aberrations, fiends, celestials,fey,elementals,constructs,oozes andplants; and beasts.^{[16]: V–VII} There is some flexibility within these groupings. For example, many kinds of creatures can become undead or can be used to form magical constructs.

The 3rd edition of the game also used a broader type named "outsiders", encompassing any creature from theOuter Planes^[24] orInner Planes.^[25]

TheMonster Manual (1977) was the initial monster book for thefirst edition of theAdvancedDungeons & Dragons game, published byTSR, Inc. in 1977.Gary Gygax wrote much of the work himself, having included and expanded most of the monsters from the previousD&D supplements. Also included are monsters originally printed inThe Strategic Review, as well as some originally found in early issues ofThe Dragon and other early game materials. This book expanded on the original monster format by including the stat lines on the same page as the monsters' descriptions and introducing more stats, expanding the length of most monster descriptions, and featuring illustrations for most of the monsters.^[26] The book contains a treasure chart and an index of major listings.^[26]

TheFiend Folio: Tome of Creatures Malevolent and Benign was the second monster book for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, published in 1981. TheFiend Folio consisted mostly of monsters submitted toWhite Dwarf's "Fiend Factory" column. The monsters in this book are presented in the same format as those in the previousMonster Manual work, and most featured illustrations of the monsters^[46]

Monster Manual II was the third and final monster book for the first edition ofAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons, published in 1983, and has the largest page count of the three. As with theMonster Manual, this book was written primarily byGary Gygax. This book contains a number of monsters that previously appeared in limited circulation and a large amount of its contents was entirely new at publication. The monsters in this book are presented in the same format as theMonster Manual andFiend Folio.^[54]

This section has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) This articledescribes a work or element of fiction in a primarilyin-universe style. Pleasehelp rewrite it toexplain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective.(May 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This articlemay contain an excessive amount of intricatedetail that may interest only a particular audience. Please help byspinning off orrelocating any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be againstWikipedia's inclusion policy.(May 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Fiend is a term used in theDungeons & Dragonsfantasyrole-playing game to refer to any malicious otherworldly creatures within theDungeons & Dragons universe. These include various races of demons anddevils that are of anevilalignment and hail from theLower Planes. All fiends are extraplanaroutsiders. Fiends have been considered among "D&D's most classic monsters".^[56]

Demons are achaotic evil race native to theAbyss; they are rapacious, cruel and arbitrary. They are also portrayed as more widespread than other races of fiends, as the Abyss and its population are both theoretically infinite in size. The dominant race of demons is the tanar'ri (/təˈnɑːri/). "True" tanar'ri such as the balors (originally calledBalrogs) and the six-armed serpentine mariliths push other weaker tanar'ri around and organise them into makeshift armies for battle.Demon lords and demon princes such asOrcus,Demogorgon, Juiblex, Zuggtmoy, Graz'zt,^[57] and countless others are said to rule over the demons of their individual layers of the Abyss, as much as the chaotic demons can be ruled over.

Thedevils, of which the ruling type are called baatezu (/beɪˈɑːtɛzuː/),^[58] arelawful evil natives of theNine Hells of Baator; they are said to subjugate the weak and rule tyrannically over their domains. Pit fiends are the most powerful baatezu, though even the strongest pit fiends are surpassed by theLords of the Nine, or Archdevils, whose ranks includeBaalzebul,Mephistopheles, andAsmodeus. Unlike the demons, the devils are described as arranged in a strict hierarchy. Like the demons, the devils are scheming backstabbers; while a demon only keeps its words when it is convenient for it, a devil keeps its word all too well—they are said to be used to exploiting repressive bureaucratic machinations to the fullest and thus always know all ways around the letter of a contract to begin with. The tanar'ri and the baatezu hold an eternal enmity for one another and wage theBlood War against one another.

The yugoloths (calleddaemons in 1st editionD&D) areneutral evil natives of the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna and theGray Wastes of Hades; they are neutral to the affairs of the other fiendish races, interfering only when they see a situation that may be profitable or a potential for the advancement of their own schemes. The yugoloths are portrayed as manipulative, secretive, and mercenary by nature, often acting as soldiers for deities in their own private wars, or even at times aiding both sides of the Blood War. In 4th Edition, the yugoloths are considered to be demons, and their previously standard naming convention of "loth" is replaced by "demon" (Ex. the Mezzoloth is the 4e Mezzodemon). In fifth edition, yugoloths are listed as neutral evil fiends under their original names.

The demodands are race of evil fiends that live on the plane ofCarceri (Tarterus in 1st editionD&D). Demodands were introduced in the 1st edition supplementMonster Manual II, renamed asgehreleths in the 2nd editionMonstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix, and reintroduced as demodands in the 3rd edition sourcebookFiend Folio. In 1st editionD&D, the three types of demodands from weakest to strongest were tarry, slime, and shaggy. In 2nd and 3rd editions, the three types are farastu, kelubar, and shator.

Thehordlings are fiends that form the hordes of theGray Waste of Hades. They first appeared in the 1st edition supplementMonster Manual II. Hordlings wander the Gray Waste preying upon everything they come across, even other hordlings. Hordlings vary greatly in appearance. It is said that hordlings evolved from larvae whose hatred was so unique, their souls became individual. The hordlings can be summoned using an artifact known as theBringer of Doom, which was created around the time of theInvoked Devastation ofGreyhawk. Hordlings are the most common inhabitants of the Gray Waste. They also occasionally roam the other Lower Planes as well.

The kythons (not to be confused with kytons, which are chain devilsBaatezu) are distinct from the other fiends in that they did not originate on any of the lower planes. When a group of fiends (the Galchutt, from Monte Cook'sChaositech andPtolus) were trapped on theMaterial Plane, they tried creating more of their own kind through magical means. The results were eyeless reptilian creatures with insectoid traits and neutral evil traits. As the kythons matured, they took on varied forms. None of them were loyal to the fiends that created them. Because kythons originated on the Material Plane instead of theAbyss (or another lower plane), they are also called earth-bound demons. Kythons are only interested in eating and breeding. They have spread rapidly across theMaterial Plane. The current hierarchy of kythons, from the weakest to the strongest is: broodlings, juveniles, adults, impalers, slaymasters, and slaughterkings. Eventually, with more time, kythons will grow into newer and more powerful forms. Kythons closely resemblexenomorphs. They were originally created forMonte Cook's Ptolus campaign, based on some gaming miniatures he had bought, and were added by him to theBook of Vile Darkness absent the context of the Galchutt, who did not appear until later on inChaositech.

Cook originally planned on perhaps renaming them so their name was not quite so similar to kytons, or chain devils, as well as other episodes of Cook's Ptolus campaign to see how they were originally used.^[59]

Night hags are fiends from the Gray Wastes of Hades that traffic in the souls of mortals in 3rd edition sources. In 5th edition they come from theFeywild and are exiled to theGray Wastes of Hades.^[60][61]

Rakshasas are fiends (often tiger-headed) that may have originated onAcheron according to 3rd edition sources. In 5th edition they originated in theNine Hells.^[62]

In the 4th edition game, Slaadi are chaotic evil and originate out of the Elemental Chaos. This is markedly different from the portrayal of Slaadi in all prior editions of the game, when they were chaotic neutral natives of Limbo and thus not fiends.

Thecambions (whose name comes from a different kind of mythological, demonic creature) are simply half-fiends;hybrids of fiends and non-fiendish creatures, often humans or other humanoids. Cambions are typically created through fiends raping mortals or seducing them aftershape-shifting, although some of the most depraved beings actually participate willingly. Those cambions that actually survive birth typically look like grotesque, hellish variants of their mortal progenitors, having wings, claws, fangs and often many other features that reveal their fiendish origins. Cambions are usually outcast, being feared and hated in mortal societies for their fiendish origins and being derided by pure-blooded fiends for their impure heritage. A variant of cambion called durzagon is described in 3.5 edition of theMonster Manual II and is the hybrid of a devil and an unsuspectingduergar. The fiendish creatures are simply fiendish versions of other species in Dungeons & Dragons. They typically look like fearsome travesties of beings from theMaterial Plane. Most fiendish species are divided into a number of variants, usually in ahierarchy of increasing power and cunning.

The hecatoncheires in the game is based on thecreature with the same name fromGreek mythology.^[11] Like their counterparts, D&D's hecatoncheires were presented as giants with one-hundred arms and fifty heads in early editions. They also had the ability to throw a whole "barrage of boulders" at their enemies.^[63] In later editions their description was changed to "abominations that are formed from the fusion of one-hundred beings."^[11] In another version they were reduced in power, appearing as "a mere four-armed giant".^[63] They were considered among the deadliest monsters ofD&D by several reviewers.^[11][63][64] Marley King fromScreen Rant recommended the hecatoncheires for Dungeons Masters to pit against high-level parties as a monster that is not "too cliché". He commented that - aside from the monster's many attacks, and high perception - it was given "incredible martial prowess" in the game, hearkening back to the importance ofskill in battle in the culture it was taken from.^[65] Nicholas Montegriffo fromThe Gamer called them "worthy foes for epic heroes" and found the down-scaling of offensively usable arms sad.^[63]

The Blood War concept was introduced as part of the new background for the outer planes in 1991'sMonstrous Compendium Volume Outer Planes Appendix. The conflict is depicted as a bitter war of annihilation between the baatezu race and the tanar'ri; an absolute, all encompassing, and virtually eternal struggle.^[66] Trenton Webb ofArcane magazine wrote, "the fate of all the planes hangs on its outcome".^[67] The Blood War was thoroughly detailed in various books throughout thePlanescape setting, particularly the 1996 boxed setHellbound: The Blood War.^[68] The 4th edition of D&D'sManual of the Planes updated the Blood War into a smoldering cold war that was formerly an all-out war.^{[citation needed]}

The Blood War has been given various causes across different game books.Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss attributes it to an offshoot of the primordial battles between law and chaos, continued out of violent and sadistic stubbornness.^[69][70]Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells depictsAsmodeus as a formerly angelic being tasked with fighting an eternal war against the demons. When he and his followers take on demonic traits to better combat their foes, these angels, now deemed devils, are either exiled to or granted (depending on perspective) their own plane, where they fight the Blood War without disturbing the primordial lords of order. This is depicted as possibly being self-serving historical revisionism.^[70] TheGuide to Hell instead portrays the Blood War as a distraction by Asmodeus to hide his true goal of usurping divine power and reshaping the multiverse.^[71] Later official materials claim Asmodeus possesses a piece of the pure elemental chaosTharizdun used to create the Abyss. The demons are drawn to this and seek to reclaim it.^[71]

ComicBook.com contributor Christian Hoffer considered "Blood War between demons and devils" one "of the great conflicts that make up the D&D multiverse",^[72] whileBleeding Cool editor Gavin Sheehan called it "one of the most glorified battles in all of D&D" and praised the in-depth look into its cause and background given byKen Burns inMordenkainen's Tome of Foes.^[73]Black Gate reviewer Andrew Zimmerman Jones described it as the "eternal" conflict "for who gets claim on being more evil" and praised the Blood War as a background for adventures putting the player characters between the fronts.^[74]

The inclusion of demons and devils proved controversial among critics ofDungeons & Dragons.^[75][76]TSR eliminated most references tooccult symbols, demons, and devils from the second edition of the game. When the creatures were reintroduced after a few year in theMonstrous Compendium supplementMC8: The Outer Planes, the terms "baatezu", "tanar'ri", "yugoloth", and "gehreleth" were introduced and were used exclusively in place of the terms "devil", "demon", "daemon", and "demodand", respectively, but without changing the creatures fundamentally.^{[68][77][2]: 223}

Following a more relaxed attitude towards the hobby,Wizards of the Coast reinserted many of these excised references in the third edition of the game. They kept intact the terms they had been replaced with, using both when applicable to appeal both to older players and those who played in subsequent editions of the game. While the 1st edition ofAD&D used the term "Daemon", all subsequent editions beginning with 2nd edition have used the term "yugoloth" for the same creatures.

Fiends were considered among the "standard repertoire of 'Monsters'" in the game by Fabian Perlini-Pfister.^{[78][note 1]}Black Gate reviewer Andrew Zimmerman Jones positively contrasted the extended description provided inMordenkainen's Tome of Foes (2018) as compared to earlier material: "It's easy to treat demons and devils as villains just there to be killed, but after reading this chapter [on the Blood War], you'll be more inclined to treat them as unique creatures, with their own goals and motivations."^[74]

The tarrasque is a gigantic lizard-like creature which exists only to eat, kill, and destroy, "the most dreaded monster native to thePrime Material plane".^[79] The tarrasque was introduced in 1983 in theMonster Manual II, in the first edition ofAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons.^[54] It is very loosely based upon the French legend of thetarasque.^[47]

It is very large, 50 feet (15 meters) tall and 70 feet (21 meters) long, and has aTyrannosaurus rex–like form, although it is much more broad and muscular, with a differently shaped head, and with larger and more developed front arms. It has brown skin, with scabs and warts and bits of encrusted dung all over it which are grey in color. Protecting its back and tail is a thick, glossy caramel-colored shell or carapace. It has spikes coming from its chin, the sides of the mouth, the underside of its neck, the elbows of its front arms, and its shell. The creature also has two horns projecting forwards from the top of its head.

The tarrasque's skin is very hard and thick, and provides excellent armor. It is immune or resistant to most offensive magic, and regenerates damage quickly.

The second edition of the game included rules for extracting treasure from the creature's carcass. In theSpelljammer series, the accessoryPractical Planetology suggests the tarrasques originate from the planet Falx. Several hundred tarrasques live there,^[80] where they feed upon the native Imbul, a lizard-like creature.^[81] In the 4th edition of the game, the tarrasque is listed as an "abomination" and classed as a "Gargantuan elemental magical beast"—a living engine of death and destruction created by a primordial race for use as a weapon against the gods.

The tarrasque has been called "a creature that embodies wanton destruction"^[82] and "singularly deadly"^[83] and been compared to akaiju.^[16]: 221 It was ranked No. 2 on the list of the ten best high-level monsters inDungeons and Dragons 4th Edition For Dummies.^[82] Rob Bricken fromio9 named the tarrasque as the 10th most memorable D&D monster.^[43]Screen Rant compiled a list of the game's "10 Most Powerful (And 10 Weakest) Monsters, Ranked" in 2018, calling this one of the strongest, saying "There are a lot of giant monsters that roam the variousDungeons & Dragons worlds, but none is more feared than the Tarrasque. This creature is an engine of destruction and it can crush entire cities in a single rampage."^[11]Backstab reviewer Michaël Croitoriu highlights the tarrasque among the monsters rated upwards from 2nd to 3rd edition, and wishes good luck to the adventurers having the temerity to attack it.^[84]

• Bestiary
• Dungeons & Dragons controversies
• List of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition monsters
• List of species in fantasy fiction

• Jacobs, James,Erik Mona, andEd Stark.Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (Wizards of the Coast, 2006).
• Larme, John.Dangerous Games? Censorship and "Child Protection"[1] (2000).
• McComb, Colin.Faces of Evil: The Fiends (TSR, 1997).ISBN 0-7869-0684-7
• McComb, Colin,Dale Donovan, andMonte Cook.Planes of Conflict (TSR, 1995).ISBN 0-7869-0309-0
• McComb, Colin,Dori Jean Hein, andWolfgang Baur.Planes of Law (TSR, 1995).ISBN 0-7869-0093-8
• Doug Stewart, ed. (June 1993).Monstrous Manual.TSR, Inc.ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
• Wyatt, James, andRob Heinsoo.Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn (Wizards of the Coast, 2001).
• Wyatt, James,Ari Marmell, andC.A. Suleiman.Heroes of Horror (Wizards of the Coast, 2005).
• Bryant, Levi R. (October 2012)."Substantial Powers, Active Affects: The Intentionality of Objects".Deleuze Studies.6 (4):529–543.doi:10.3366/dls.2012.0081. RetrievedFebruary 16, 2022.

• Dungeons & Dragons monsters
• Monsters in popular culture

• CS1 French-language sources (fr)
• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
• Webarchive template wayback links
• CS1 maint: location missing publisher
• CS1 German-language sources (de)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles that need to differentiate between fact and fiction from May 2023
• All articles that need to differentiate between fact and fiction
• Wikipedia articles that are excessively detailed from May 2023
• All articles that are excessively detailed
• Wikipedia articles with style issues from May 2023
• All articles with style issues
• Articles with multiple maintenance issues
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from April 2018