The Bestiary

From their home on the insane, constantly changing, nightmare landscape of the Abyss, armies of Demons plot a frenzy of bloodshed across the planes of the multi-verse. Held back by the most unlikely of guardians, the Lawful Evil Devils, Demons have nonetheless plagued the peripheries of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy realm since its inception in the 70’s.

Today, on the Bestiary, we are joined by Guest Star and award winning designer and illustrator Ryan Durney, who took on the unenviable task of delving deep into the Abyss when he created a deadly campaign that takes place there. Mirrors of the Abyss sends the heroes to the never-before-explored 193rd layer of the Abyss to participate in an insane and bloody game designed by the depraved and self styled Queen of Demons, Esheballa. This episode covers some of the secrets behind Esheballa, the difficulties of designing the campaign, and also some of the history and unusual trivia behind Demons in The World’s Greatest RPG.

To get a copy of Ryan’s campaign, check out Mirrors of the AbyssTo see Ryan’s other work, go to his website, or his facebook page, or his Illustrator Hire Profile.

The Slaad, or Slaadi, are one of Dungeons & Dragons proprietary monsters, yet they don’t get used nearly as often as they should be and they don’t get a lot of coverage on lore channels or features in art work… maybe that’s just as well, when you discover their mating and reproduction habits. What do the creation of the universe and the Slaadi have in common? Answer: the Big Bang.

To help us explore these horror genre frog spawn chaotic monsters and their bizarre rituals and ways of life, we are joined by the fabulous Nathanael Cole! Nathanael is the creator and proprietor of Breakfast Puppies, a geek central hub for podcasts about RPGs, Bikers, and films. He is also a game designer of some of the most outrageous games you’ll ever come across in the genre, things like Motobushido (Samurai on Motorcycles) and Hammercrawl (old school dungeon crawling done right). Nathanael not only comes with a wealth of information about his favorite creatures, the Slaad, but also has the distinction of running through our hardest gauntlet of questions yet, and coming out on top!

Guest Star: Nathanael Cole Breakfast Puppies: https://breakfastpuppies.com/Nathanael’s Games: https://nathanaelcole.com

We once had a pet Kobold. We named him Many Treasures, after the first words he spoke to us. He died on the battlefield and… well… what happened next is something you’ll have to listen to find out! Today’s monster is a crowd favorite (little pun there): the Kobold! There’s more to these little guys then you might have expected. Find out their history and legends and all about Tucker’s Kobolds. Rashern joins us with questions and to help us with the answers we make use of a neural network. Much hilarity follows.

Rashern is a Twitch streamer who plays video games for your enjoyment (okay, and also secretly his own) and you can follow his work here: https://m.twitch.tv/rashern/profile

For this episode we move away from big name monsters and into something unusual, but no less important to the history of D&D. The Water Weird is a, well, “weird” creature that has strong links to the Temple of Elemental Evil, as well as water cults throughout history. This episode, we’ll explore that occultish history and try to make sense out of what exactly the Water Weird is as well as stump Jon with some tough water trivia questions (which I swear are far more interesting than you’d think they could be).

Orcs are one of fantasy’s first non-legendary monsters. Unlike Dragons, Giants, and Trolls, the Orcs stand alone as a race not from myth but from the mind of one man: JRR Tolkein. Made famous by Lord of the Rings, Orcs have gone on to be a “must have” inclusion in almost every Fantasy RPG that’s ever been released. Today on the Bestiary, we go beyond the stat block to talk about whether Orcs are evil and how to handle this question in your game.

To lead us through this massive conversation, we are joined by filmmaker, game designer, and author Robert Kendzie, whose Dungeons & Dragons campaign, the Tomb of Haggemoth, became the inspiration for Alignment May Vary.

Robert’s website, Dire DestinyRobert’s film’s can be viewed at NoVa Motion Pictures Robert’s Very Last Book About AlignmentRobert’s Tomb of Haggemoth Campaign

Something lurks in the dark places of Dungeons & Dragons, something wet, slimy, and hungry. The Shambling Mound has been a monster in D&D for 45 years, yet is rarely seen by adventurers and scant few pages of lore have been dedicated to it. On this episode of the Bestiary, guided by the inquisitive Freya, our friend and fellow Twitch streamer, we explore not only what lore there is, but also the origins and in game uses of this fascinating and unusual monster.

Guest Star: Freya LWN

The monster this time is one that players face more often than any other. DMs across the world have had to lay numerous of these foul beasts to rest in the wake of adventurers… that monster is… the COMMONER!

Join us and special guest Ketih Ammann, author of The Monsters Know What They Are Doing, as we discuss how to use commoners in your game (that doesn’t involve them dying), the evolution of the commoner throughout D&D history, and how to use NPCs to build your world. Along the way, there may be some accidental slaughter as well. It’s hard to avoid when a commoner only has 4 hitpoints.

Keith Ammann’s The Monsters Know What They Are Doing is the perfect companion to our podcast: 500+ pages of monster tactics, psychology, and tricks for any DM to use and any reader to enjoy. Very excited to have him on the show! You can check out his work below:http://themonstersknow.com/

Other links referenced in the show:Live to Tell the Tale: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781982122690?aff=CatbusFree Swarm rules: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/260329/Swarms-Template

The Bestiary begins the new year with a wintry episode featuring the legendary Yeti! Discover their historical origins and how a myth from our world was translated into the Dungeons and Dragons universe. Possible Wampa and/or Rudolph quips will also be used.

Come with us on a journey of discovery as we explore the history, culture, and gross mouth stuff of the Beholder, Dungeons & Dragons iconic monster and mascot for the game. Find out how Beholders eat, what they eat, what happens after, and how they have babies (it’s all connected and its all gross). We are absolutely overjoyed to have been joined this episode by one of RPGs most prolific game designers, Owen KC Stephens! Check out his incredible knowledge about the Beholders, their creation, and learn his special plan about how to defeat the floating eyeballs!

Guest Star: Owen KC StephensTo see more of Owen’s work, check out his website: https://owenkcstephens.com/ For his 52-in-52 Bundle, go here: https://www.opengamingstore.com/products/52-in-52-preorder-and-bonus-megabundle

From the frying pan and into the fire! Or rather, from the Underdark into the deep dark of the waters beneath. This week we continue our Fall feature on freaky creatures with a look at the Aboleths! These horrendous monstrosities have controlled the fate of the world since before recorded history. They always have been… but are they destined to fade from the world or rise up again as its masters? Joining us in this discussion is Twitch streamer and creator of intensely hilarious cooking show Cooking with Heat, Elliface!

Guest Star: EllifaceTo see more of Elliface’s work, subscribe to her Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/elliface