This is reserved for a running list.

Cool                             Dreck                        Meh
Algoid                             Adherer                      Aarakocra
                                                                Achaierai
                                                                Aleax
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:50, Tue 16 Apr.

Aarakocra

The aarakocra are a race of intelligent avian humanoids. Their society
consists of small tribes of about 11-30; each tribe has a hunting
territory of about 10,000 square miles. The bird-men live on high
peaks in the mountains, where they can soar all day on the winds and
the thermals.

If more details about the monster are needed for a full and fair evaluation, let me know.

https://archive.org/details/ts...lio/page/n5/mode/2up

I wish they looked more like Hawkman from the comics . . . I like the idea, I'm not sure about the execution.  On first thought, a rare bit of ambivalence from me.

I'm going to go with irrelevant here, nice bit of window dressing or, if you're in deep roleplay and want a break from the ordinary...otherwise, pretty lame.

I know some people really love them, and they have been a player character option since 2nd edition or so, but to me, bird people are weird. I imagine their 'villages' are absolutely littered with newspapers all over the floors, and that is just disgusting. But I love the fact they can't tell the difference between wild and domestic animals and that they won't enter buildings at all, much less go underground. I wonder how many people playing them keep those traits?

Because of those two quirks, I'd say they barely squeak (chirp?) their way into the Cool column, since it can lead to good RP and encounters.

(Also, you might want to consider adding a third column for 'Meh', along with the Cool and Dreck ones, since quite a few of these are not good enough or bad enough to merit otherwise.)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Fri 01 Mar.

I love the idea of a Meh list and have added it and put Aarakocra.  If you think I've mistabulated the vote on this or any, let me know.

Thanks for the link, Bronn!  I'm glad it's the second post, too; that'll make it easier for everyone.

Next up:

ACHAIERAI

Though the foul motives which caused these loathsome birds to be
first summoned from the infernal regions are now lost from memory,
remnants of the original achaierai flock still stalk the earth, haunting
shadowy places and underground passages. In form they consist of a
huge spherical head-body, with a powerful beak and feathery crest,
atop four long legs ending in strong claws. Man-sized opponents
cannot usually attack the soft body but can only reach the hard,
metallic legs. Likewise it will not usually be able to reach a victim
with its beak and will therefore fight with two claws, doing 1-8 hit
points of damage each.

I spoke first last time and don't want to hog, so I'll let someone else venture first.

Another Meh for me. I mean, it's a good monster but nothing sets it apart from any other demon chicken one might find in the dark corridors of Athania's many ruins...

You've heard of the chicken running around with it's head cut off?  This is its head!

(Pause for laughter)

(Pausing . . . )

The only saving grace for me is that it might in some way be related to Baba Yaga's Hut -- but the description doesn't even give us that.

As a one-off monster it's . . . interesting?  Different?  But why?

My vote is for dreck, so we'll need to see what the others think.

I was going to say dreck, but when you two said "demon chicken" and "Baba Yaga's Hut", that was more than enough to move it to the meh column for me.

Hmmm, while it says it travels in packs usually, consider a lone Achaierai. I'm having visuals of adventurers taking three legs from it, but then dying from the poison insanity cloud. The legs cannot grow back, but now you have a slow Achaierai crawling about with one leg terrorizing the countryside. And since it does not say the cloud is only useable once, maybe that becomes its primary attack form now.

Also, I want a scenario where piggy orcs steal their eggs, and the angry bird Achaierai propel themselves at the orc's village to destroy it.

And they have average intelligence, and are chaotic/evil? I could see one controlling a tribe of small humanoids, perhaps worshipped as a god and using a pair of ogres as intermediaries/'priests'. The PCs arrive, and the legs are protected by a small horde of goblins flocked all around and under its legs and body. And all the better if the PCs magic missile it, but its magic resistance fizzles them away. But on the other hand, maybe it squishes some of its followers as it strides about the battlefield. Maybe the PCs can kill it and as it dies it crushes some of those below.

Hmm. And maybe it had previously completely lost a leg, and the humanoid built it a pegleg- but covered in thorns and spikes.

It does not say, but if they were summoned from the infernal planes, I assume holy water could hurt them? But with that tenuous infernal connection perhaps a diabolist or demonologist might play a part in a scenario with them. A worshipper of an evil bird-god might look upon them as an avatar or messenger, and the Achaierai could play along with the belief.

IDK- I think this whole discussion has changed me completely from dreck to 'cool'. ^_^;
This message was last edited by the player at 17:07, Sat 02 Mar.

That's quite a 180, Moon. :)

I'm just stuck on (1) it looks stupid and (2) why would such a thing exist?

The voting booth will remain open until Darius weighs in.

In reply to Moon (msg # 10):

Remind me if we have Moon DM that we need to invest heavily in potions and have three clerics.

It does look stupid, yes.

Why would it exist? Well, it originates from the infernal realms, and is chaotic/evil, so presumably spontaneously created from the chaos rather than some product of evolution or magic experiment, then bred true. Now it is a horrific demon bird-giraffe, eating whatever unfortunate tree-dweller it can find. ;)

I tried running two adventures online. Yes, being a part of the local church is a very good idea. ^_^

The ACHAIERAI exemplifies most of the FF monsters. It’s interesting but very niche. If you are adventuring on the Planes of Hell, they are common. But in your average forest or anywhere else on the material plane, just not something you’d see.

So, meh, as a general vote, but cool in its niche environment- if you are running a nether planes campaign with demons, devils, hellhounds. These are the random scavengers you’d find out in the middle of nowhere with a mid to high level planar traveling party.

Well put!

Next up: The Adherer (I put two paragraphs to give a bit more info).


Who wants first stab? (Pun intended).

Interesting monster but still falls into the 'meh' category for me. OK, let's disarm the party and make them improvise. They burn the damn thing and head back to town to get new weapons. Fills me with inspiration and heroic poetry...


Meh.

Give it a different appearance and I would call it cool- I love the part about them rolling in dirt, sticks, and leaves to camouflage themselves, and also like the part about cooperating with spiders. But as it is?

Dreck, and I'm not going to talk myself up from this.

It goes back to that pet peeve I mentioned before- it looks like a mummy, you expect a mummy, you go to face it like a mummy, and it is literally nothing at all like a mummy, other than being vulnerable to fire. Now I am just frustrated by the encounter, and will be just as frustrated in the future every time I encounter mummies then as well, since I'm just wondering how the next thing that is supposed to be a mummy will also be something completely off.

Dreck.