Huge and hungry monsters lurk beneath the surfaceĬan attack twice, once as a man and once as a horseĬan be ridden by maiden-warriors and will obey them Reptilian bipedal beast, Chaotic in alignmentįour types described: Werewolf, wereboar, weretiger (all Neutral/Chaos), and werebear (Law/Neutral) White, black, green, blue, red, and golden dragons are described (Golden dragons are Lawful in alignment) Smaller relatives of dragons with poisonous sting in tail
Huge, lion-bodied monstrosities with a tail full of spikes that can be firedĬan gore with goat's head, tear with lion fangs, and dragon's head can bite or breathe fire Human-type monster with the lower body of a snake, turns those who look at it to stoneīull-like monsters with a breath capable of turning creatures to stone Has the power of turning to stone by touch and glance Have no corporeal body and drain life energy levelsĪ less powerful but more mobile basilisk, turns opponents to stone by touch Includes hill, stone, frost, fire, and cloud giantsĪcts under the instructions of their motivator, be it Magic-User or Cleric (Chaos) Thin and rubbery, loathsome creatures able to regenerate Tribal creatures that live in caves or villagesĪ cross between gnomes and trolls, otherwise similar to hobgoblins Small monsters first described in the fantasy appendix of the original Chainmail set Also featured are descriptions of humans (bandits, brigands, berserkers, dervishes, nomads, buccaneers, cavemen, and mermen), horses, insects, and other small and large animals. Most of the monsters on this book did not feature an illustration. Pages 5-20 followed with descriptions of each of the monsters, typically consisting of one or more paragraphs. This booklet contained an index on pages 3-4 featuring stats only for how many creatures of each type appeared per encounter, armor class, how many inches the creature could move on its turn, hit dice, % in lair, and treasure.
The booklet "Monsters & Treasure" from this box contained some of the first descriptions of the game's most iconic monsters. Tolkien-universe creatures, although after legal hassles they were changed to "halflings" and " treants", respectively. The set initially referred to some of the creatures in the game as "hobbits" and "ents" after J.R.R. The "Monsters & Treasure" booklet contains some of the first depictions of the game's most iconic monsters, many of which were adapted from mythology and various literary works. The "Men & Magic" booklet recommends using miniatures only "if the players have them available and so desire", although they were not required and cardboard counters were given as an alternative. In addition, the rules presumed ownership of Outdoor Survival, an Avalon Hill board game for outdoor exploration and adventure.
An optional combat system is included within the rules that later developed into the sole combat system of later versions of the game. The rules assume that players have owned and have played the miniatures wargame Chainmail and that they have used its measurement and combat systems. This set features only a handful of the elements for which the game is known today: just three character classes (fighting-man, magic-user, and cleric) four races (human, dwarf, elf, hobbit) and only three alignments (lawful, neutral, and chaotic). The set also included brief guidelines on using monsters as player characters. Movement rates and areas are given in inches, like that of the miniatures rules of from which the system descended. The set also includes rules for wilderness travel by land and sea, hiring specialists and men-at-arms, building fortifications and setting up baronies. This set introduced concepts which would become standard, including abilities (such as strength, intelligence, and dexterity) character classes ( fighting-man, magic-user, cleric) and levels races ( human, dwarf, elf, halfling) armor class monsters and treasure subterranean dungeons of halls, rooms, and doors replete with tricks and traps and magic items, such as intelligent swords. The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set was the first modern tabletop role-playing game, a fantasy system with a medieval European flavor.