Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Volume One by David Zeb Cook Monstrous Compendium: Volume One by David Zeb Cook. I had someone drop me an e-mail requesting a quick overview of the various editions of D&D. In the context of the Reactions to OD&D essays, I thought it might be a useful reference for people who are a little less familiar with the history of the game. If you want more details on the history of D&D, the "Editions of Dungeons & Dragons" article at Wikipedia is a pretty solid resource. If you want an exhaustive detailing of every single change made between each printing of the early rulebooks, then the Acaeum is an excellent resource. The only important thing you need to remember here is that D&D split into two separate games in 1977: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Dungeons & Dragons (with the latter often being referred to as Basic D&D or BD&D). The terms used below are not official, but they are the most commonly used nomenclature in the fan community. With the exception of the Rules Cyclopedia , all of these games were sold as boxed sets. OD&D (Original Dungeons & Dragons, White Box): The original edition of the game designed by and , first published in 1974 as a boxed set comprising three volumes -- Men & Magic , Monsters & Treasure , and Underworld & Wilderness Adventures . These books would receive various errata in subsequent printings (with the most notable change being the purging of references to Tolkien's works following a lawsuit from the Tolkien Estate), but remained substantially unaltered. Holmes Edition (1977): Published as the Basic Set in 1977. Eric Holmes is credited as having "edited" the book, but it's actually a complete re- design and re-edit of the original game. Moldvay Edition (1981): A completely revised Basic Rulebook and a brand new Expert Rulebook published in 1981. is credited for "editing" the Basic Set . David Cook and Steven Marsh are credited for "editing" the Expert Set . (I'm not clear on why Tom Moldvay is usually the only guy who gets credit for this version of the game. But he is.) BECMI (1983 - 1985): Comprising the Basic Rules , Expert Rules Companion Rules , Master Rules , and Immortal Rules . (With the exception of the Expert Rules , these boxed sets each contained two volumes -- one for players and one for the DM. The first two sets are, once again, completely revised.) These sets are variously credited as being "edited", "compiled", or simply "by" Frank Mentzer. Rules Cyclopedia (1991): A single-volume hardback which collected the BECMI rules with minimal alteration (basically just applying errata). However, the Rules Cyclopedia lacked the rules for Immortals (which were published separately as the ruleset). In addition to these rules, a total of five different Basic Sets were produced between 1991 and 1999 under the names The Dungeons & Dragons Game or The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game . These all differed from each other in various ways, but all of them were designed to serve as "teasers" or "primers" for the Rules Cyclopedia edition of the game. So if you're considering distinct iterations of the rules, they can be ignored. All of these editions were published as three separate core rulebooks: A Player's Handbook , a 's Guide , and a (the last of these under various titles, as described below). AD&D 1st Edition (1977 - 1979): Designed by Gary Gygax. The original Monster Manual was published in 1977, followed by the Player's Handbook in 1978 and the Dungeon Master's Guide in 1979. These books were re-issued with new covers in 1983 (which are easily recognizable due to their orange spines), but were not revised. Also referred to as AD&D1. (1985): TSR officially identified Unearthed Arcana as a core rulebook. Since it included not only expansions but also alterations in the game, it is sometimes referred to as the Edition 1.5. AD&D 2nd Edition (1989): The 2nd Edition was published in 1989 as the Player's Handbook , Dungeon Master's Guide , and Monstrous Compendium . The re-design is primarily credited to David "Zeb" Cook. In 1993 the Monstrous Compendium was replaced with the Monstrous Manual . In 1995, these books were re-issued with new covers and a new layout (but no meaningful change to the rules). Also referred to as AD&D2. Player's Options (1995): Also referred to as Edition 2.5. Three optional core rulebooks known as the Player's Options released in 1995: Combat & Tactics , Skills & Powers , and Spells & Magic . There was also the DM's Option: High Level Campaigns . D&D 3rd Edition (2000): Released as the Player's Handbook , Dungeon Master's Guide , and Monster Manual . This edition was designed by , , and . Also referred to as D&D3 or 3rd Edition. D&D 3.5 (2003): Revised versions of the 3rd Edition core rulebooks. The revision team was Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, and Skip Williams. So, if you count the Unearthed Arcana and Player's Options as distinct edition, then there have been 10 editions of D&D: OD&D (1974) Holmes D&D (1977) Moldvay D&D (1981) BECMI / Rules Cyclopedia (1983) AD&D 1st Edition (1977) AD&D 1st Edition + Unearthed Arcana (1985) AD&D 2nd Edition (1989) AD&D 2nd Edition + Player's Options (1995) D&D 3rd Edition (2000) D&D 3.5 (2003) . A gelatinous cube is a fictional monster from the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It is described as a ten-foot cube of transparent gelatinous ooze, which is able to absorb and digest organic matter. Contents. Creative origins. Oozes are relatively common antagonists in fantasy fiction; in addition to the oozes of Dungeons & Dragons , examples include the monster from the film The Blob , [1] slime in Dragon Quest , and flan in Final Fantasy . These fictional oozes may have been inspired by microscopic organisms such as amoebae, which, like oozes, can consume organic matter by engulfing it (phagocytosis). [2] The gelatinous cube is an invention of Gary Gygax, rather than being lifted from outside sources and adapted to a roleplaying setting, as were many mythological monsters like the minotaur and dryad, [1] all of which appeared in the 1974 Monsters & Treasure book of the original boxed set. Being a cube that is a perfect ten feet on each side, it is specifically and perfectly "adapted" to its native environment, the standard, by dungeon corridors which were ubiquitous in the earliest Dungeons & Dragons modules. [1] Publication history. The gelatinous cube first appeared in the original Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), [3] and its first supplement, (1975). [4] The gelatinous cube appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983). The gelatinous cube also appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991). [5] The gelatinous cube appeared in first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual (1977). [6] The creature was further developed in Dragon #124 (August 1987). [7] Published first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventures which included gelatinous cubes as adversaries that the player characters encounter included "The Ruins of Andril", published in Dragon #81. [8] The gelatinous cube appeared in second edition in Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), [9] and the Monstrous Manual (1993) under the "ooze/slime/jelly" heading. [10] Under the ooze entry, the gelatinous cube appears in the third edition Monster Manual (2000), [11] the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003), [12] the fourth edition Monster Manual (2008), [13] the (2010), [14] and the fifth edition Monster Manual (2014). [15] Other publishers. The gelatinous cube is fully detailed in Publishing's book Dungeon Denizens Revisited (2009), on pages 16–21. [16] Ecology. A gelatinous cube looks like a transparent ooze of mindless, gelatinous matter in the shape of a cube. The cube's transparency coupled with a dimly-lit dungeon gives it the element of surprise to engulf unsuspecting beings, and only an alert adventurer will notice the cube. The cube slides through dungeon corridors, being able to mold its body to flow around objects and fit through narrow passages and then returning to its original shape once enough space is available. A cube will absorb everything in its path, with its acidic digestive juices dissolving everything organic and secreting non-digestible matter in its wake. David M. Ewalt, in his book Of Dice and Men , describes the gelatinous cube as "a dungeon scavenger, a living mound of transparent jelly", [17] The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters called it a "dungeon clean up crew", well adapted to this unique fictious ecosystem. [1] Reception. Tyler Linn of Cracked.com identified the gelatinous cube as one of "15 Idiotic Dungeons and Dragons Monsters" in 2009, stating: "Unless an encounter plays out exactly like the steamroller scene in Austin Powers , we fail to see how the Gelatinous Cube ever kills anybody who's not either glued to the floor or fast asleep. In fact, we're pretty sure the Dungeon Master's Guide reads: The first player to ask "Can't I just get out of the way?" automatically defeats the Gelatinous Cube ." [18] Rob Bricken from io9 named the gelatinous cube as the 5th most memorable D&D monster. [19] Chris Sims of the on-line magazine Comics Alliance stated of the gelatinous cube that "there can be no question of what is the greatest monster" in D&D , calling the gelatinous cube "amazing". [20] The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters called the gelatinous cube one of the "iconic monsters" of the D&D game. [21] In other media. The gelatinous cube appeared in the television series Adventure Time by Pendleton Ward. [21] References. ↑ 1.01.11.21.3 ↑ ↑Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons (3-Volume Set) (TSR, 1974) ↑Gygax, Gary and Robert Kuntz. Supplement I: Greyhawk (TSR, 1975) ↑Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, , and Dori Watry. Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, 1991) ↑Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977) ↑Greenwood, Ed. "The Ecology of the Gelatinous Cube." Dragon Magazine #124 (TSR, 1987) ↑ The Ruins of Andril: An AD&D adventure for 4-8 characters, levels 8-11, Dragon, p.41–56. January 1984. (Temporary fix for >, please update to use > and similar templates.) ↑Cook, David "Zeb", et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One (TSR, 1989) ↑Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1994) ↑Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. Monster Manual (, 2000) ↑Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2003) ↑Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2008) ↑Thompson, Rodney, Bonner Logan, and Sernett, Matthew. Monster Vault (Wizards of the Coast, 2010) ↑Mearls, Mike, Crawford, Jeremy, and Perkins, Christopher. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2014) ↑ Clinton Boomer, , Joshua J. Frost, Nicolas Logue, Robert McCreary, Jason Nelson, Richard Pett, Sean K Reynolds, James L. Sutter, and Greg A. Vaughan. Dungeon Denizens Revisited (Paizo, 2009) ↑ ↑15 Idiotic Dungeons and Dragons Monsters ↑ The 10 Most Memorable Dungeons & Dragons Monsters, , p.. September 16, 2013. (Temporary fix for >, please update to use > and similar templates.) ↑ Ask Chris #125: The Greatest Monsters in 'Dungeons & Dragons', , p.. October 19, 2012. (Temporary fix for >, please update to use > and similar templates.) ↑ 21.021.1. Cite error: tag defined in has no name attribute. Cite error: tag defined in has no name attribute. Cite error: tag defined in has no name attribute. Cite error: tag defined in has no name attribute. Genie. In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, genies are outsiders composed in part of the element of their native Elemental Planes. Contents. Publication history. Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976) Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988) The djinn and efreet appeared in first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual (1977). [2] The word "genie" was not yet used to classify them, although it is mentioned under each race's entry that they are each other's enemies. The dao , the jann and the marid first appeared in Dragon #66 (October 1982). "Featured Creatures" was an ongoing series of articles where Gary Gygax released information on official creatures before their release in the upcoming Monster Manual II . [3] The dao and marid then appeared in the adventure module The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (1982), and the dao, jann, and marid appeared in the original Monster Manual II (1983). The Pasha of the Efreet, Vizier of the Fire Sultan appeared in the adventure module Pharaoh (1982), and appeared with Aeraldoth, Vizier to the Caliph of the Djinn in Oasis of the White Palm (1983). Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999) The djinn appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977), and appeared with the efreet in the D&D Expert Set (1981, 1983), the Companion Rules set (1984), and the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991). Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999) The dao, the djinn, and the efreeti appeared in second edition in Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), [4] and the jann and the marid appeared in Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), all under the "genie" heading. All five of these genie types appeared in the Monstrous Manual (1993). [5] The noble dao , the Great Khan of the dao , the noble djinni , the Great Caliph of the djinn , the noble efreeti , the Sultan of the efreet , the noble marid , the Great Padisha of the marids , the architect/builder tasked genie , the artist tasked genie , the guardian tasked genie , the herdsman tasked genie , the slayer tasked genie , the warmonger tasked genie , and the winemaker tasked genie appeared for the Al-Qadim setting in the Monstrous Compendium Al-Qadim Appendix (1992). [6] The dao, djinni, efreeti, janni, and marid appeared under the genie of Zakhara heading in the boxed set (1992). The deceiver tasked genie and the oathbinder tasked genie appeared in Assassin Mountain (1993), [7] and the administrator tasked genie and the harim servant tasked genie appeared in City of Delights (1993), [8] and the messenger tasked genie and the miner tasked genie appeared in Secrets of the Lamp (1993); these six tasked genie types appeared in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One (1994). [9] Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007) The djinni and the efreeti appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000), [10] and appear with the janni in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003). The dao and the marid appear in the third edition (2001). [11] The djinni, efreeti, and janni appear as player character races in (2003). The janni appears again as a player character race in the (2004). The qorrashi appears in (2004). [12] The khayal appears in Tome of Magic (2006). [13] Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-) The djinn appeared in the fourth edition in Monster Manual 2 (2009). Description. Genies appear as humanoids with bodies that have external physical characteristics that evoke their elemental nature, though some varieties are capable of shape-shifting into another form. They form their own distinctive societies in their native planes. Because they have powerful supernatural or magical abilities, genies are sometimes called upon or summoned by spellcasters to grant wishes or perform services for them. The individual varieties have differing attitudes towards humanoid races native to the Material Plane. MC7 Monstrous Compendium Appendix. MC7 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix is a collection of monsters for the Spelljammer Campaign Setting. The product consists of 32 loose sheets and four dividers designed to be put into the existing Monstrous Compendium binders. It was published by TSR Inc. in 1990. Contents. Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix [ edit | edit source ] Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix is the first collection of monsters for the Spelljammer Campaign Setting. The monsters in Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix are the work of twenty one different designers. Stone golem. 2nd Edition Statistics [4] [5] Alignment. 1st Edition Statistics [6] Alignment. General Information [4] Vision. Language(s) Favored climate. Favored terrain. Appearance. Average height. Standard 9 ft (2.7 m) Greater [3] 18 ft (5.4 m) Average weight. Standard 2,000 lb (900 kg) Greater [3] 32,000 lb (14,500 kg) Contents. Description [ edit | edit source ] These constructs were generally made with a bipedal, humanoid shape, [6] but stylized to suit their creator. [4] Appearing as merely beautiful statues until commanded by their master to move and act. [1] They were almost never outfitted with any sort of weaponry or armor. [4] The average stone golem was about 9 ft (2.7 m) tall and weighed approximately 2,000 lb (910,000 g). [4] [3] Behavior [ edit | edit source ] Stone golems were emotionless constructs who could not be reasoned with, [4] always dutifully obedient to whoever constructed them, and could be given simple commands. They could even be commanded to fall into a dormant state, then come to life and attack other creatures when hostile actions are detected. [6] Abilities [ edit | edit source ] Like any golem, these constructs possessed an immunity to magic and could not be harmed by normal weaponry. Only weapons with an enchantment of +2 or greater were capable of harming them, though this could be bypassed by use of the spell flesh to stone . [4] [7] Being constructs made entirely of stone, these golems could be slowed down by the spell transmute rock to mud and repaired by use of its counterpart transmute mud to rock . [4] [7] The strength of these golems was twice that of any flesh golem. Due to the spell being used in their construction, a stone golem was capable of casting slow at any creature within 1 foot (0.3 meters) of it. [4] [6] Combat [ edit | edit source ] Stone golems always fought with their brute strength and fists. They would never wield weapons, even if ordered to. [4] Variants [ edit | edit source ] A rare variety of stone golems that could be found in the Hordelands. These golems were created by wu jen and given a mind of their own. They were adept at implementing martial arts maneuvers like throws during combat. [8] Ecology [ edit | edit source ] Like any construct, stone golems could be found anywhere across the Realms regardless of climate or terrain. [4] Creation [ edit | edit source ] In older ages the cost of materials needed to construct a stone golem was around 60,000 gp, and the process took about two months. Skilled laborers, such as stone masons and dwarves, were often hired to carve the golem from its single block of hard stone. [4] Construction of these constructs could only be undertaken by magic-users of a 16 th level or higher and required use of the spells geas , polymorph any object , slow and wish . [4] [6] These spells could be cast by the user themselves or by means of an enchanted item, such as a scroll or wand. [4] Alternatively, the construction of a stone golem could be undertaken by any individual that owned a manual of golems [9] or the Tome of the Unicorn . [10] Usage [ edit | edit source ] Stone golems were typically used to guard locations or valuable items. [4] They were often used as divine agents of the gods Clangeddin Silverbeard, Geb, Segojan Earthcaller, and the Red Knight. Those that served the latter goddess had the form of chess pieces. [11]