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View Full Version : Bug Report: Ok, I mean insects as monsters... :)


Gix
April 2nd, 2018, 15:16
Several questions:

I've been thinking up some encounters of the exoskeletal kind. However, not sure how to categorize them so looking for some feedback. Also not sure what is out there already.

1. What would giant insects be in the MM? Beasts?
2. What about sentient insects? Certainly not humanoid...
3. Other than generic "Giant Centipede" or the like (surprised there isn't a giant ant already) where it is a larger, but still small compared to a human, what insects are out there in the monster manual?

PS - part of the reason for #3 is I'm really not sure where to begin looking in terms of classification.
Zacchaeus
April 2nd, 2018, 16:16
Insects are beasts. Open the MM and in the Library click on NPCs. Then select NPCs - Class Index and you'll get a list. You can also see what an NPC category is by opening up the individual NPC (such as Giant Centipede) and you'll see the creature type in the line immediately following the title.
epithet
April 2nd, 2018, 18:21
While your standard giant insect is a beast, some of the more interesting "bugs" aren't. Ankheg and carrion crawlers are monstrosities, for example, while chul are aberrations.
Gix
April 2nd, 2018, 20:06
While your standard giant insect is a beast, some of the more interesting "bugs" aren't. Ankheg and carrion crawlers are monstrosities, for example, while chul are aberrations.

Which brings up another thing I don’t get, the difference between monstrosities and aberrations.
Zacchaeus
April 2nd, 2018, 21:06
Aberrations are sort of alien type beings, whilst Monstrosities are not really natural things. Sometimes the latter are magically created or are cursed in some way.
LordEntrails
April 2nd, 2018, 23:08
I think of Monstrosities are creatures that have been altered or created by magic. Where Aberrations are things that might come from another plane or corrupted by energies from another plane etc.

You can read other opinions here; https://www.google.com/search?q=monstrosity+vs+aberration&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS784US785&oq=monstrosity+vs+a&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57.12499j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Gix
April 6th, 2018, 19:04
So it seems there isn't a category for "Big scary dangerous creature that would seem unnatural to those of us on earth but are a known 'normal' creature that lives in the far reaches of the wilderness"
LordEntrails
April 6th, 2018, 21:53
So it seems there isn't a category for "Big scary dangerous creature that would seem unnatural to those of us on earth but are a known 'normal' creature that lives in the far reaches of the wilderness"
Sounds like Monstrous to me :)

Same with those things that lurk under your bed or in the closet!