MONSTERS

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Goblins have flat faces, broad noses, pointed ears, wide mouths, and small, sharp fangs. Their foreheads slope back, and their eyes are usually dull and glazed, varying in color from red to yellow. They walk upright but their arms hand down almost to their knees. Goblins skin color ranges from yellow through any shade of orange to a deep red; usually all members of a single tribe are the same color. They wear clothing of dark leather, tending towards drab, soiled-looking colors.

Being bullied by bigger, stronger creatures has taught goblins to exploit what few advantages they have: sheer numbers and malicious ingenuity. The concept of a fair fight in their society. They favor ambushes, overwhelming odds, dirty tricks, and any other edge they can devise. Goblins have a poor grasp of strategy and are cowardly by nature, tend to flee the field if a battle turns against them. With proper supervision, though, they can implement reasonably complex plans, and in such circumstances, their numbers can be a deadly advantage.

Goblins are tribal. Their leaders are generally the biggest, strongest and sometimes even the smartest around. They have almost no concept of privacy, living and sleeping in large common areas; only the leaders live separately. Goblins usually survive by raiding and stealing (preferably from those cannot defend themselves easily), sneaking into lairs, villages and even towns by night to take what they can. They are not above waylaying travelers on the road or in the forests and stripping them of all possessions; up to and including the clothes on their back. Goblins sometimes capture slaves to perform hard labor in the tribes lair or camp.

These creatures live wherever they can, from dank caves to dismal ruins and their lairs are always smelly and filthy due to an utter lack of sanitation. Goblins often settle near civilized areas to raid for food, livestock, tools, weapons and supplies. Once a tribe has despoiled an locale, it simply packs up and moves on to the next convienient area. The chief goblin deity is Maglubiyet, who urges his worshipers to expand their numbers and overwhelm their competitors.

This big, bipedal creature is about one and a half times as tall as a human but very thin. It has long ungainly arms and legs. The legs end in great, three-toed feet, the arms in wide, powerful hands with sharpened claws. The hide is rubbery, and its hair is thick and ropy, and seems to writhe with its own energy

Trolls are horrid carnivores found in all climes, from artic wastelands to tropical jungles. Most creatures avoid these beasts, who know no fear and attack unceasingly when hungry.

Trolls walk upright but hunched forward with sagging shoulders. Their gait is uneven, and when they run, their arms dangle and drag along the ground. For all it seeming awkwardness, trolls are very agile.

A typical adult troll stands 9 feet tall and weighs 500 pounds. Females are slightly larger than males. A troll's rubbery hid is moss green, mottled green and gray, or putrid gray. The hair is usually greenish black or iron gray.

Trolls have no fear of death: They launch themselves into combat without hesitation, flailing wildly at the closest opponent. Even when confronted with fire, one of the few things that can truly kill them, they try to get around the flames and attack.

In our version of Trolls, there are only 2 things that can truly kill them, Fire or Acid. A troll who is 'killed' in a conventional manner will be heal at an astonishing rate and be back in the battle within a half hour and on loosing any limb, etc, will have it regenerate within half that time. Also, any piece that is hacked off from the troll will undergo a form of metamorphosis and regenerate into another troll, though at only the size of the original hacked off piece. However, if left alone, it will grow to the size of the "original" in a few hours.

Hobgoblin's hair color ranges from dark reddish-brown to dark grey. They have dark orange or red-orange skin. Large makes have blue or red noses. Hobgoblins' eyes are yellowish to dark brown, while their teeth are yellow. Their garments tend to be brightly colored, often blood red with black-tinted leather. Their weaponry is kept polished and in good repair.

Most hobgoblins encountered outside their homes are warriors. These creatures have a strong grasp of strategy and tactics and are capable of carrying out sophisticated battle plans. Under the leadership of a skilled strategist or tactician, their discipline can prove a deciding factor. Hobgoblins hate elves and attack them first, in preference to other opponents.

Hobgoblins are a military breed: They live for war and believe strongly in strength and martial prowess as the most desirable qualities for individuals and leaders alike. A hobgoblin leader is likely to be the biggest and strongest in the group, maintaining authority by enforcing strict discipline. Hobgoblins are often leaders among tribes of goblins and orcs, whom they bully and treat like inferiors. Hobgoblin mercenaries sometimes enter the service of evil humanoids.

This humanoid is slender, has jet black skin and white hair. Also known as Dark Elves, Drow are a depraved and evil subterranean offshoot of Elves. White is the most common hair color among Drow, but almost any pale shade is possible. Drow tend to be thinner than any other sorts of Elves, and their eyes are often a vivid red. Their society is matriarchal and rigidly controlled by the priesthood.

The Drow's patron deity is the spider goddess Lolth. Female Drow favor the clerical classes rather than wizard. Drow usually coat their arrows with a potent venom. Drow are proficient with the hand crossbow, rapier, short and long sword. They are also proficient in Common, Elven and Undercommon.

This hulking brute appears to be at least 9 feet tall. It has a thick hide covered in dark, warty bumps, it wears smelly skins and its hair is long, unkempt and greasy. Ogres are big, ugly, greedy creatures that live by raiding and scavenging. They join other monsters to prey on the weak and associate freely with ogre mages and trolls.

Lazy and bad-tempered, ogres solve problems by smashing them; what they can't smash, they either ignore or flee. Dwelling in tribal groups, ogres occupy and convenient location and eat nearly anything can catch, steal or slay. Ogres sometimes accept mercenary service with other humanoids, including humans.

Adult ogres stand 9 to 10 feet tall and weigh 600 to 650 pounds. Their skin color ranges from dull yellow to dull brown. Their clothing consists of poorly cured furs and hides, which adds to their natural repellent odor.

Ogres favor overwhelming odds, sneak attacks, and ambushes over a fair fight. They are intelligent enough to fire ranged weapons first to soften up their foes before closing, but ogre gangs and bands fight as unorganized individuals.