D&D Monsters: Couatls

The couatl has its basis in Mesoamerican mythology, although it's arguable how much it resembles the original. The name is apparently inspired by that of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl the "feathered serpent". In reality, coatl simply means "snake" so it doesn't refer to any specific mythic creature taken on its own. Having said that, snakes were important to the Mesoamerican people, and associated with many of their gods. In particular, several of them were feathered, magically merging the features of a flying creature with one that crawls along the ground. They seem to have been regarded as divine beings, which fits with the original 1E description of their habitat and relationship with humans.

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1E

As originally seen, the couatl has a head and body that closely resemble those of a regular snake. While the presence of an extra set of teeth between the fangs is unusual, in other respects, the arrangement of the teeth resembles those of snakes such as cobras, kraits, and mambas, rather than say, rattlesnakes or boomslangs. While the head is at least partially covered with scales like that of a normal snake, the couatl's body is feathered, with longer feathers along the back and what appear to be softer, downy, ones on the underside. 

D&D Monsters: Beholders

The beholder is, perhaps, the single most iconic monster in D&D - the one creature that, more than any other, says "this is D&D" rather than some other fantasy setting. That's largely due to its unique appearance, which is quite unlike anything that exists in myth or legend or, indeed, in prior fiction. It was created, not by Gygax, but by one of the players in his original campaign, first appearing in a supplement for 0E, and has successfully stood the test of time ever since.

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1E

As originally shown, the beholder is a spherical creature covered in irregular, flat, "chitinous" plates. A wide mouth occupies much of the lower half and is lined with small pointed teeth similar to those of reptiles. There is a single large lidless eye above the mouth and ten much smaller eyestalks arranged in a ring around the upper surface. The latter are protected by segmented chitin and have also have lidless eyes, similar to those of a snail or slug, although the eyestalks presumably aren't retractable. Severing the eyestalks doesn't otherwise hurt the creature, which suggests that it's able to shut off the blood supply to a severed stalk - or perhaps that it doesn't have blood. There are no other visible features, such as nostrils.

DW Monsters: Cybermen

Mk V

The Cybermen are surely second only to the Daleks as iconic Doctor Who monsters. It also seems to me that they are most significant such race that could be described as “humanoid”, and so are arguably overdue for an appearance here in my list of key races in that category.

This one, by the way, is going to be a long post. There’s a lot to cover!

Note: Since I started this series of posts, Cubicle 7 have announced a 5E version of their existing Doctor Who RPG. I'll continue posting my 5E interpretation of stats here, at least for the time being. Although it's likely they'll be very different from the "official" versions, not least because there will presumably be some difference in the fine details of the systems, these posts do at least include my reasoning.

Appearances

The Cybermen have the distinction of being the first “monster” other than the Daleks to appear in more than one story. They are also the oldest of the races in my pick of the top seven humanoid monsters, dating back all the way to the First Doctor’s era and his final story The Tenth Planet. Frequently re-invented since that first appearance, they appear no less than four times in the Second Doctor’s era (whereas the Daleks only appear twice). The Third Doctor is the only classic-era Doctor not to have a TV story featuring them, with Doctors Four to Seven having one major Cyberman story each, not counting their brief appearance in The Five Doctors. Skipping the Eighth and Ninth Doctors because of their short runs, every modern Doctor from Ten onwards has faced them. In total, that’s 23 stories featuring Cybermen as more than brief clips or mentions.

D&D Monsters: Otyughs

There has been some speculation that the otyugh is based on the tentacled monster in the trash compactor in the first Star Wars film (referred to in the tie-in material as a "dianoga"). Certainly, there is a resemblance, especially given that we don't see the whole creature in the film; based on that alone, the rest of the body could look like almost anything. On the other hand, the film only came out a few months before the otyugh made its debut so it would have to have been a very last-minute addition to the 1E Monster Manual if that really was the source. More likely, it's a coincidence, leaving the D&D monster as an original creation.

D&D Monsters: Ropers

The roper is another of the "does what it says on the tin" monsters that are original to D&D. Alongside such creatures as trappers and piercers, it's clearly intended to disguise itself as part of the background and attack unexpectedly but does have a more distinctive look and an unusual method of attack that make it more memorable than they are, with the result that it consistently appears in the core Monster Manual books of each edition.

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1E

In the original Monster Manual, the roper is a tapered pillar-like creature with a single large eye above the mouth near the top of the body - there are no apparent nostrils or ears. The eye has an odd brow-like structure that seems to partially cover the upper surface; this might be a ridge to protect it from falling debris, since it lives in caves and there's plausibly a lid that flips down from it as well. The mouth opens horizontally and has pointed isodont teeth in both jaws, although it seems unlikely that the creature has much of an internal skeleton to attach them to. The base is limbless and flat to the ground, while a vertically arranged row of three apparent tentacles arise from each side.

DW Monsters: Autons

It’s arguably a bit of a stretch to describe the autons as a “humanoid race”, but nonetheless, they are the fifth race I’m going to describe here.

Appearances

The autons make their debut in the first Third Doctor story, Spearhead from Space, making them the third race to appear in my list from that era (which is itself the only era to appear on the list more than once). They reappear only once more in the classic series, in Terror of the Autons at the start of the next season, and twice in the modern series, most notably in the Ninth Doctor’s debut story, Rose.

Outside of the TV series, they featured in a three-part straight-to-video series in the 1990s which, as with Sontarans and Zygons, indicates a certain degree of popularity. That, of course, existed outside the Doctor Who license since autons, like many other original races, have separate copyright status. But in material officially licensed by the BBC, they have so far appeared in three novels, two with the Sixth Doctor, and one with the Tenth. In the audios, they have faced the Doctor only once to date, but they have appeared in a Torchwood audio and a four-part box set featuring UNIT that, in some respects, updates Spearhead from Space for the 2010s. And, as one might expect, there are also a parade of shorter appearances in comics and short stories.

Description and Biology

The autons are not organic creatures, but plastic objects animated by the Nestene Consciousness. The Nestene themselves are alien but are less frequently faced as direct opponents than the autons proper (typically only at the end of an auton story, if then). So I will be dealing with them later.

It’s possible to classify the autons into three basic types. The standard version are the animated plastic mannequins, often in the form of shop window dummies; these are the main focus in the two classic era stories, and in Rose. They are, in effect, the Nestene’s foot soldiers, although presumably, they use other forms when invading planets that aren’t Earth. Secondly, there are more sophisticated plastic humanoids designed to duplicate specific people and used to infiltrate human society and lay the groundwork for a full-scale invasion. Finally, there are animated objects such as dolls, telephone cords, and wheelie bins – I’m going to exclude these from the post since they vary too much and animated objects often already exist with descriptions in RPGs.

The mannequins and animated objects possess only a very small part of the Nestene Consciousness, so far as one can tell, and simply stop working when the animating Nestene dies or is driven off. This is not, however, true of the auton ‘duplicates’ used for infiltration, which are evidently capable of independent existence without the presence of a Nestene; they are entirely controlled by it while it is present, but once the link is severed, they are able to continue as separate entities, sometimes unaware of what they really are.

Game Attributes

There is little evidence that autons are significantly stronger than humans and the ‘dummy’ autons are probably less agile – although effective enough at shooting, which is a more overriding consideration in most systems. Where they excel is their physical resilience, since they don’t tire and have no blood or vital organs that can be injured by bullets or sharp stabbing weapons. Weapons that bludgeon or slice are a different matter since the plastic they are usually made of does not seem to be exceptionally tough. But even then, losing a limb is no problem to an auton beyond the mere physical inconvenience of not being able to use it. It’s worth noting that, in some systems (especially some older ones), this could make an auton an unusually effective opponent. Since they don’t seem to be so on the show, this may require some adjustment to counteract the advantages they would gain. Being mass-produced, it is unlikely that the mannequin-style autons show much variation in their physical statistics, although the duplicates will necessarily be less consistent in form.

Auton duplicates seem to be capable of some independent thought, animated by a larger portion of the Nestene Consciousness and, in some cases, being able to survive as discrete beings after its departure. Thus, they can be given their own mental statistics, although there is little to argue that these would be any better than those of humans. Depending on how the attributes are used in different systems, they might even be lower. There’s a case to be made that they aren’t very charismatic, but they do seem to be at least reasonably good at deceiving humans into thinking they’re just behaving strangely, something that could be directly tied to charisma (or equivalent) in some systems.

The mannequin autons are a different matter. They seem to be directly controlled by the Nestene, so that most of what they do would be directed by its mental statistics, rather than their own. In D&D terms, for example, they are essentially ‘plastic golems’ and can be treated in a similar manner. They have essentially no intelligence of their own although, again, how different systems may handle that is likely to vary. For the same reason, while the Nestenes themselves may be different, independent autons do not necessarily have any particular alignment.

Special Abilities

In some episodes, we see auton duplicates controlling other autons, primarily the non-humanoid ‘animated object’ sort. However, this can probably best be described as the Nestene channelling their own powers through the perceptions of the duplicate. That is to say, it’s an ability of the Nestene, not of the autons.

Other than that, we are left with the concealed guns that the mannequin autons, and some auton duplicates, hide within their wrists. These are regular blasters, powered from some kind of internal energy cell, and seem to be short-range. Not all autons have them – or, if they do, they don’t use them in some circumstances when they’d logically be useful – but they seem reasonably common among the mannequins, and less so for the duplicates. So, for these purposes, I will assume that the typical mannequin has one and the typical duplicate does not.

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5E - Auton Mannequin

Medium construct, unaligned

Armour Class: 12 (plastic body)

Hit Points: 34 (4d8+16)

Speed: 20 ft.

STR 12 (+1)	DEX 10 (+0)	CON 18 (+4)
INT 3 (-4)	WIS 8 (-1)	CHA 1 (-5)

Combat Skills: Melee Attack +3, Missile Attack +2

Damage Resistances: Lightning, piercing, psychic

Damage Immunities: Poison

Condition Immunities: Charmed, exhaustion, paralysed, poisoned, stunned

Senses: Passive Perception 9

Wrist Gun. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 2d6 fire damage.

Challenge: ½ (100 XP)

5E - Auton Duplicate

Medium construct, neutral

Armour Class: 10 (natural)

Hit Points: 43 (5d8+20)

Speed: 30 ft.

STR 12 (+1)	DEX 10 (+0)	CON 18 (+4)
INT 10 (+0)	WIS 10 (+0)	CHA 8 (-1)

Skills: Deception +1

Combat Skills: Melee Attack +1, Missile Attack +2

Damage Resistances: Lightning, piercing

Damage Immunities: Poison

Condition Immunities: Exhaustion, paralysed, poisoned

Senses: Passive Perception 10

Wrist Gun. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 2d6 fire damage.

Challenge: ¼ (50 XP)

 

BRP - Auton Mannequin

STR 1D6+9 (12-13)	CON 1D6+15 (18-19)	SIZ 1D6+9 (12-13)
POW 2D6 (7)	DEX 1D6+6 (9-10)
Hit Points: 16	Move: 8
Base SR: 5	Damage Bonus: +1D4

Armour: 3-point plastic body

Combat Skills: Brawl 50%, Energy Pistol 60%

Plastic Construct: The auton does not need to breathe, eat, or sleep and is immune to disease and poison. If using hit locations, each location must be destroyed separately. If the head is destroyed, the auton cannot sense its surroundings, and ceases to function.

BRP - Auton Duplicate

STR 2D6+6 (13)	CON 2D6+12 (19)	SIZ 2D6+6 (13)
INT 2D6+6 (13)	POW 3D6 (10-11)
DEX 3D6 (10-11)	CHA 2D6 (7)
Hit Points: 16	Move: 10
Base SR: 5	Damage Bonus: +1D4

Armour: 1-point plastic body

Skills: Fast Talk 30%, Persuade 40%

Combat Skills: Brawl 25%, Energy Pistol 50%

Plastic Construct: The auton does not need to breathe, eat, or sleep and is immune to disease and poison. If using hit locations, each location must be destroyed separately. If the head is destroyed, the auton cannot sense its surroundings, and ceases to function.

GURPS - Auton Mannequin

ST 12	DX 10	IQ 4	HT 12
Thrust: 1d-1		Swing: 1d+2
Speed: 6		Move: 4

Advantages: Damage Resistance +2, Doesn't Breathe, Doesn't Eat or Drink, Doesn't Sleep, Injury Tolerance (homogenous, no blood), Innate Attack (burning, 2d), Very Fit

Disadvantages: Automaton, Cannot Speak, Unhealing (total)

Skills: Beam Weapons (pistol)/TL8-13, Brawling-12

GURPS - Auton Duplicate

ST 12	DX 10	IQ 10	HT 12
Thrust: 1d-1		Swing: 1d+2
Speed: 6		Move: 6

Advantages: Doesn't Breathe, Doesn't Eat or Drink, Doesn't Sleep, Injury Tolerance (homogenous, no blood), Very Fit

Disadvantages: Unhealing (total)

Skills: Acting-10, Beam Weapons (pistol)/TL8-11, Brawling-11

Savage Worlds - Auton Mannequin

Agility: d6	Smarts: d4	Spirit: d10
Strength: d8	Vigour: d12

Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d6

Edges: Armour +2, Construct, No Vital Organs

Hindrances: Mute

Animated Object: When not being controlled by a Nestene, an auton mannequin is inert and incapable of taking any action.

Pace: 4                  Parry: 4                Toughness: 10 (2)                   Size: 0

Savage Worlds - Auton Duplicate

Agility: d6	Smarts: d6	Spirit: d8
Strength: d8	Vigour: d12

Skills: Persuasion d6, Shooting d4

Edges: Construct, No Vital Organs

Pace: 6                  Parry: 2                Toughness: 8                   Size: 0

STA - Auton Mannequin

Control: 9	Fitness: 11	Presence: 7
Daring: 11	Insight: 4	Reason: 4
Command: 0	Security: 2	Science: 0
Conn: 0	Engineering: 0	Medicine: 0
Stress: 13	Resistance: 2

Traits: Wrist Gun: The auton has a type 1 phaser built into their wrist. Machine 2.

STA - Auton Duplicate

Control: 9	Fitness: 11	Presence: 9
Daring: 10	Insight: 7	Reason: 9
Command: 2	Security: 1	Science: 0
Conn: 0	Engineering: 0	Medicine: 0
Stress: 12	Resistance: 1

Traits: Machine 1.

D&D Monsters: Mind Flayers

The mind flayer is a creature original to D&D and, like many of Gygax's early creations has a "does what it says on the tin" style name. To my mind, it's one of the better such names - although almost anything is better than, say, "lurker above". The look of the creature is obviously reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu, and Gygax stated that it was inspired by the cover of a book by Brian Lumley that does, indeed, feature a being from the Mythos. But, as it happens, it isn't the Big C himself that's on the cover, but a chthonian, a creature with a similar name, to be sure, but actually rather different. Still, it has tentacles and this, seemingly, was enough.

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1E

The mind flayer goes through relatively little change in physical appearance through the various editions of the game, to the extent that the few changes that are apparent could easily be put down to variations between individuals of the same species. Even the clothing doesn't change much, with the race clearly having a preference for robes and insisting on a skull motif somewhere on their belt.