Savage Coast Monsters
Strange folk and cursed beasts of a wild frontier coast, where a red curse grants gifts and twists bodies. 74 monsters, grouped by the book they come from.
- Monstrous Compendium Savage Coast Appendix (Online Exclusive) (68)
- Monstrous Compendium, 1997 Annual, Volume 4 (4)
- Monstrous Compendium, 1996 Annual, Volume 3 (1)
- Other sources (1)
Monstrous Compendium Savage Coast Appendix (Online Exclusive)
- Arashaeem Undead araneas who tried and failed to become liches, the arashaeem spin paralytic webs, cast as 9th-level mages and guard their kin's secret even beyond death.
- Batracine A bulldog-headed river frog that snatches birds from midair with a sticky tongue and a mighty leap, prized as a loyal pet and hunted for blood that wards off magical sleep.
- Bilge Vermin Cat-sized, curse-warped rats of the frontier coast that eat ten times their weight daily, sink through walls to reach the larder, and spread plague with every bite.
- Caniquine Half hound and half horse, the caniquine is a loyal, playful mount with a dog's bite and a horse's kick, though some carry a crimson curse that only a costly red metal can hold at bay.
- Cinnavixen A swift, laughing red fox prized for its pelt and above all for its knack for sniffing out the curse-warding red metal, though its bite will not stop bleeding.
- Crimson Dragon [Savage Coast] A swaggering, near-black offshoot of the red dragon that toys with adventurers for sport, breathes a blast that ruins curse-warding metal, and gains new curse-born gifts each time it does.
- Curse-Cult Lich A champion of the curse-gifted orders who brewed its way into undeath, this battle-hungry lich warps victims with a single touch and hides its soul in crimson steel.
- Curse-Gift Leech A banished tanar'ri shrunk to a slug-like husk, the curse-gift leech poses as a fine crimson steel weapon, fuses with whoever picks it up and feeds on the curse-born gifts of the dead.
- Curse-Gift Troll Gilled river and sea trolls twisted by the red mineral muck of the frontier coast, each bearing a curse-born gift and the grotesque deformity that comes with it.
- Cursed One A translucent red specter risen from a victim of the frontier coast's crimson curse, endlessly hunting the warding metal that might have saved it and draining it from the living.
- Deathmare The vengeful ghost of an abused horse, posing as a gentle black mount by the roadside, that carries anyone foolish enough to ride it straight to their death.
- Ee'aar Proud, winged elves of cold mountain aeries who dance through aerial combat with dazzling agility but go mad when caged and fall burning when their wings catch fire.
- Enduk Winged minotaurs of a frontier coast, devout and family-minded, who swing bastard swords one-handed and dive from the sky to reclaim a homeland stolen by treacherous manscorpions.
- Fachan [Savage Coast] A one-legged, one-armed, one-eyed ogre-born brute that bounds across rough country, hears riders miles away, and swings two-handed weapons with a single mighty fist.
- Feliquine A lion-fronted, horse-backed predator of the frontier steppes that hunts in prides, kicks like a stallion, and bonds only with the cat-folk beast riders who earn its trust.
- Forest Ray A ton-and-a-half manta that glides between tree trunks, the forest ray buries itself in the leaf litter, swallows passersby whole, and stings anything that tries to fight it from behind.
- Frelôn A dragon-headed wasp bred by dragons to exterminate spider-folk, the frelôn now hunts every humanoid race, planting eggs in victims who forget they were ever stung.
- Ghriest A broad-winged sky hunter that will suffocate if it ever lands, the ghriest dives on prey with an impaling beak and spits a gout of flame once a day.
- Goatman Sure-footed goat-headed thieves of the high crags, goatmen strike from behind with deadly backstabs and butt careless travelers clean off cliff edges.
- Golem [Savage Coast] The frontier coast breeds strange golems: glass spiders guarding mountain tombs, gem-hungry crystal shapeshifters, crimson steel brutes that mock their foes, and rolling fortress juggernauts.
- Greater Shedu [Savage Coast] The one greater shedu of a frontier coast is really a god's avatar, a diamond-crowned guardian of the winged bull-folk and the sworn foe of the utukku.
- Grudgling Cat-bodied, human-faced pets bred by a mad cat-folk wizard, grudglings totter about on two legs pretending to be people, then bolt at the first sign of trouble.
- Heraldic Servant I Four divine gifts bound into noble coats of arms: a charging aurochs, a crushing bear, a venomous giant bee and a spellcasting dolphin, each lending its powers to its bearer.
- Heraldic Servant II A fire-breathing dragon, a dive-bombing eagle, a magic-proof griffon and a sky-galloping horse, each a living emblem that grants its noble bearer a share of its might.
- Heraldic Servant III A stalking lion, an undying phoenix, a mace-swinging ram and a spell-crowing rooster, four living emblems that lend noble bearers courage, fire and protection.
- Heraldic Servant IV A shapeshifting sea horse, a roaring sea lion, a glass-antlered stag and an enthralling black swan, heraldic servants that fight for their noble houses or charm their foes.
- Heraldic Servant V An invisible tracking hound, an evasive tyger, a dispelling unicorn and a venom-tailed wyvern, the final heraldic servants offer stealth, purity and poison to the houses that carry them.
- Heroic Spirit The restless ghost of a hero who died mid-deed, riding inside a timid mortal and hurling that host into battle with superhuman flair until its unfinished business is done.
- Highland Manscorpion Cultured, treacherous scorpion-folk with translucent bodies hidden under paint and grimacing masks, cursed to burn and die in sunlight.
- Inquisitor Fiend A half-shadow, bat-winged fiend that feeds on the paranoia of zealous inquisitors, stoking heresy hunts and snatching victims into a mind-bending lair hidden behind a moving shadow.
- Jorri A playful, salty-tongued otterlike sea creature that rides storm surf for fun, warns ships off the rocks, and latches on with an unshakable bite when it must fight.
- Juhrion A hairless, red-skinned bear twisted by a curse-born gift, whose claws spread redrot and who hunts curse-gifted folk in a jealous frenzy.
- Kla'a-tah A gem-encrusted guardian turtle of the deep sea that watches over the turtle-folk, snapping sea gluttons in half and shrugging off magic inside its shell.
- Lizard Kin [Savage Coast] Bred by wizards as slave soldiers and then let go, four reptilian peoples now share the frontier coast: tiny tunnel-builders, savage gator men, steady woodland folk and winged mercenaries.
- Lupasus A great winged wolf of the northern steppes, bred in many coats and prized as a mount, though it serves only the dog-folk knights who earn its friendship by living with its pack.
- Lyra Bird [Savage Coast] A jewel-bright, hummingbird-sized songbird bred by wizards to eat curse-drawn parasites, whose song halts brawls and whose death brings a curse on its killer.
- Malfera An elephant-faced horror summoned from the dimension where bad dreams are bred, it crushes victims against an acid-slimed chest of tentacles and eats only their hearts.
- Manscorpion Spawn A mighty manscorpion slain by the sun's curse and risen as a charred, vengeful undead whose sting kills outright, and which re-forms from its own ashes each night.
- Marine Cat Sleek, bright-eyed ship's cats said to carry good fortune, marine cats rule the decks, hunt the holds, and have an uncanny knack for exposing anyone who is somewhere they should not be.
- Mountain Brownies Hand-sized, teddy-bear-like ice dwellers of the high peaks who live ten times faster than humans, carve glittering ice villages, and sometimes ride along with adventurers as lucky charms.
- Naâruk [Golem] A lifelike ten-foot bronze winged bull that guards the temples of the winged bull-folk and carries their holy warriors, melded inside it, across great distances to battle.
- Neshezu Orc-faced, poison-wielding ape pirates of the forest canopy, neshezues swing between treetop villages, ambush travelers with nets and pistols, and fear their poisoner wives.
- Nikt'oo Enormous, leathery turtle-like amphibians that turtle-folk ride and load like barges, nikt'oos can swim for days, rarely bite, and sometimes cost a careless foe a hand.
- Nosferatu [Savage Coast] Blood-drinking undead who walk in daylight, mingle easily with the living and keep their old skills, nosferatu can be monsters, schemers or tragic, even compassionate, victims.
- Omm-wa Gentle, manatee-like water-people who farm underwater fields, write in pebbles and knotted beads, and follow a matriarchy whose males die gladly defending the herd.
- Omshirim A mage-bred quicksilver predator that poses as a glittering vein of precious ore, then leaps out to wrap and suffocate anyone greedy enough to come close.
- Parasite [Savage Coast] The frontier coast breeds parasites tied to its crimson curse: ticks that smother curse-born gifts, moths that turn blasting powder into bombs, and wine maggots favored by poisoners.
- Plant [Savage Coast] Along the frontier coast grow sleep-pollen lotuses, mouthed seaweeds, red-dust fungi, gift-boosting orchids and a holy rose that holds back the region's crimson curse.
- Red Hawk Dragon [Savage Coast] A feathered, beaked cross between red dragon and roc that lives in proud mountain flocks, carries prey off in its talons, and answers any insult as a community.
- Red Zombie Crimson-skinned undead with glowing eyes and mouths, driven to hunt down and devour anyone carrying the curse-warding red metal that killed them.
- Shadow Symbiont Living scarves, cloaks, gloves and boots from the Plane of Shadows that grant real power to adventurers, at the steady price of the wearer's experience, and sometimes the wearer.
- Shimmerfish Cruel, glowing cousins of the dolphin that paint images of sunken gold under the waves to lure sailors overboard, then devour them slowly for the fun of it.
- Skinwing A scaly, furless bat-lizard ridden by orcs, whose flocks rake prey from above and can snatch smaller victims into the sky.
- Spider-spy A magically bred surveillance spider that strings nearly invisible web lines across square miles of land, reading the mood, race and even thoughts of anything that brushes against them.
- Succulus A boarlike beast whose touch crumbles crimson steel and curse-warding red metal into edible dust, making it the terror of every armored traveler on the frontier coast.
- Swampmare A green, tapirlike swamp beast that serves the gator men as a war mount and can turn itself into a cypress tree to hide, rest or even feed on sunlight.
- Temple Critter Foot-tall stone or clay constructs that skitter through temple shadows as spies and watchdogs, shrieking alarms and attacking with startling fury on command.
- Trosip Harmless-looking dust bunnies that creep onto sleepers for warmth and smother them, trosips are why every frontier-coast home, however poor, is kept spotless.
- Tyminid A vicious winged wolverine of the high peaks, the tyminid plunges onto prey from above, blinds foes with a nauseating musk and holds grudges for years.
- Utukku A lion-headed, quill-maned fiend of the prison plane that visits the mortal world for one year each century, spreading misery with lightning, fear and disease.
- Vermilion Pudding A glowing red mass of flesh-eating redrot bacteria, bound into one hungry body by a curse, whose touch doubles in damage every round until it is destroyed.
- Vermin Juggernaut A giant, hairless, bipedal bilge vermin bred by ancient wizards as a pest hunter, the vermin juggernaut now roams the steppes eating everything, screeching foes senseless and never retreating.
- Vulturehound A shaggy cross between wild dog and vulture that flaps up onto its hind legs to rake with its talons, hunts in baying packs, and carries blood that can cure redrot.
- Wallara Tall, spindly lizard folk with swirling rainbow skin, the wallaras are a dragon-descended race that can blink 120 feet in an instant and fade invisibly into any surroundings.
- Wallaran Spirit Totem animals of the dream realm, kangaroo, koala and kookaburra among them, who guide the peaceful wallaras with riddles and visions and bend dream reality around anyone foolish enough to fight them.
- Wurmling A colossal, cunning worm that never forgets anything, the wurmling sits at the center of crime syndicates and assassin networks, ruling through blackmail, bribery and an army of guards.
- Wynzet An adorable, fluffy forest critter that loves to be petted, until it decides you are harming its woods and leaps for your throat with a deadly bite.
- Yeshom A pool of living black tar that was once a spider-mage, the yeshom swallows victims into a pocket dimension, steals their knowledge, and kills them beyond any resurrection.
Monstrous Compendium, 1997 Annual, Volume 4
- Clockwork Swordsman A dashing wind-up duelist built as a wizard's bodyguard, all quips and flourishes, secretly aching for a soul and quietly hating the master who made it.
- Echyan A nearly invisible, glass-skinned sea worm whose sucker mouth latches on to drain blood and flesh, and which can swallow a man whole on a lucky strike.
- Sea Glutton A dragon-headed sea serpent of sailors' nightmares that swallows swimmers whole, crushes them in its coils and can grind a ship to splinters in minutes.
- Sea Hermit A friendly recluse in a gorgeous seashell tower invites travelers to spend the night, but its true form is a giant crab-sage from the deep that harvests memories from captives.
Monstrous Compendium, 1996 Annual, Volume 3
- Aranea [Savage Coast] Shapeshifting spider-mages who pass as humans, elves and goblins, araneas hide their true nature at all costs and quietly rule a magocracy of their own.
Other sources
- Dragon Overview [Savage Coast] On the frontier coast dragons are rare, theatrical and locked in an ancient feud with the spider-folk, a war that helped forge the crimson curse itself.