Monster Types of The Realms

Monster Types of the Realms

Aberrations

ABERRATIONS are utterly alien beings. Many of them have innate Magical abilities drawn from the creature's alien mind rather than the Mystical forces of the world. The quintessential Aberrations are the Aboleth, Beholder, Illithid, and Slaadi.

Beasts

BEASTS are non-humanoid creatures that are a natural part of the world ecology. Some of them have Magical powers, but most are unintelligent and lack any society or language. Beasts include all varieties of ordinary animals, and Giant versions of animals.

Celestials

CELESTIALS are creatures native to The Upper Planes. Many of them are the servants of Deities, employed as messengers or agents in the mortal realm and throughout the Planes. Celestials are good by nature, so the exceptional Celestial who strays from a good alignment is a horrifying rarity. Celestials include Angels, The Couatl, and Pegasi.

Constructs

CONSTRUCTS are made, not born. Some are programmed by their creators to follow a simple set of instructions, while others are imbued with sentience and capable of independent thought. Golems are the most common Constructs. Many creatures native to The Outer Plane of Mechanus, such as Modrons, are Constructs shaped from the raw material of the plane by the will of more powerful creatures.

Dragons

DRAGONS are large reptilian creatures of Ancient origin and tremendous power. True Dragons, including the Good Metallic Dragons and the Evil Chromatic Dragons, are highly intelligent and have innate Magic. Also in this category are creatures distantly related to true Dragons, but less powerful, less intelligent, and less Magical, such as the Wyvern, and the Pseudodragon.

Elementals

ELEMENTALS are creatures native to The Elemental Planes. Some creatures of this type are little more than animate masses of their respective elements, including the creatures simply called ELEMENTALS. Others have biological forms infused with elemental energy. The races of Genies, including Djinni, and Efreeti, form the most important Civilizations on The Elemental Planes. Other elemental creatures include the Azer, Invisible Stalker, and the Water Weird.

Fey

FEY are Magical creatures closely tied to the forces of nature. They dwell in twilight groves and misty forests. In some worlds, they are closely tied to THE FEYWILD, also called THE PLANE OF FAERIE. Some are also found in THE OUTER PLANES, particularly THE PLANES OF ARBOREA and THE BEASTLANDS. FEY include the Dryad, Pixie, and the Satyr.

Fiends

FIENDS are creatures of wickedness that are native to THE LOWER PLANES. A few are the servants of DEITIES, but many more labor under the leadership of Archdevils and Demon Princes. Evil priests and mages sometimes summon Fiends to THE MATERIAL WORLD to do their bidding. If an Evil Celestial is a rarity, a Good Fiend is almost inconceivable. Fiends include Demons, Devils, A Hell Hound, The Rakshasa, and Yugoloths.

Giants

GIANTS tower over humans and their kind. They are Human-like in shape, though some have multiple heads like the Ettin, or deformities like the Fomorian. The six varieties of True Giant are the Hill Giant, Stone Giant, Frost Giant, Fire Giant, Cloud Giant, and Storm Giant. Besides these, creatures such as a Thull, or Trolls are Giants.

Humanoids

HUMANOIDS are the main peoples of the Realms, both civilized and savage, including Humans and a tremendous variety of other species. They have language and culture, few if any innate Magical abilities (though most Humanoids can learn Spellcasting), and a bipedal form. The most common Humanoid races are the Human, Dwarven, Elven, and Halfling races. Almost as numerous but far more savage and brutal, and almost uniformly Evil, are the races of Goblinoids (Goblin, Hobgoblin, and Bugbear). Orc, Gnolls, Lizardfolk, and Kobolds are also humanoids.

Monstrosities

MONSTROSITIES are monsters in the strictest sense-frightening creatures that are not ordinary, not truly natural, and almost never benign. Some are the results of Magical Experimentation gone awry (such as the Owlbear), and others are the product of terrible curses (including the Minotaur and The Yuan-Ti). They defy categorization, and in some sense serve as a catch-all category for creatures that don't fit into any other type.

Oozes & Molds

OOZES & MOLDS are gelatinous creatures that rarely have a fixed shape. They are mostly subterranean, dwelling in caves and dungeons and feeding on refuse, carrion, or creatures unlucky enough to get in their way. The Black Pudding, and The Gelatinous Cube are among the most recognizable Oozes.

Plants

PLANTS in this context are vegetable creatures, not ordinary flora. Most of them are ambulatory, and some are Carnivorous. The quintessential plants are the Shambling Mound, and the Treant. Fungal creatures such as the Gas Spore, and Myconids also fall into this category.

Undead

UNDEAD are once-living creatures brought to a horrifying state of Undeath through the practice of Necromantic Magic or some Unholy Curse. Undead include walking corpses, such as Vampires, and the Zombie, as well as bodiless spirits, such as a Ghost and Specter.