Episodes
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Today’s Bestiary is a very unusual one. We go beyond the planes, beyond the very pages of the Monster Manual itself, to study a creature even Wizards of the Coast cannot explain. This is a new aberration, something that comes from the limbo between planes. And it hungers…. The Antling (or anti-material creature) is not...
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Sqwuak? Sqwuarooo? Skreeee? Rooooar? Does a Griffon sound more like an eagle or a lion (or, in the case of the Glam Griffon, David Bowie)? This question and others are raised on today’s deep dive into the Griffon. Learn why Griffons historically love horse meat, how much their eggs go for on the black market,...
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This month’s episode of The Bestiary is an unusual one, as we finally leave behind the borders of Faerun and explore Keith Baker’s world of Eberron! Leading us on this journey is Alex Schmidt, designer of the card game Red Rising. He opens our eyes to the possibility that the Radiant Idol, angels fallen and...
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The Tarrasque is consistently presented as one of D&D’s biggest, baddest monsters. But is this beast more than just a bunch of hit points? The Bestiary team thinks so! Join us as we discuss the real-world origins of the Tarrasque as well as how this beast adds up to more than hit points. Joining us...
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Snakes and people… how does that ever happen in nature? Turns out, even Wizards of the Coast can’t agree on how the Yuan Ti were created. In this episode of the Bestiary we look at three different versions of Yuan Ti history, as well as the race’s controversial background. And joining us for that is...
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No creature inspires as much existential dread as the conqueror of death, the wizard mad with power: The Lich. These penultimate undead have been the primary villains of D&D campaigns across history, with two of their number (Vecna and Acererak) gaining fame in the multiverse and (in the case of Acererak and his legendary Tomb...
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Goblins are full of hijinx and helplessness, at least according to the popular view of them. Today’s episode of the Bestiary delves deeper, tracing back goblins to the days when they used to attack in the hundreds and examining how they are one of the most ubiquitous beasts in mythology and modern gaming. And maybe,...
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Mysterious and beautiful, these female personifications of nature are inspired by the Greek mythologies. Today on the Bestiary, we explore the Dryad, their uses in the D&D game, some of their problematic history as objects of the male gaze, and how to to play up their mystique and use their charm to great effect. Here...
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“Hey, Zach, what monster do you want to do?”“Hey, Jon, how about that one that looks like a floating brain with a bunch of tentacles?”“Those aren’t all tentacles. Some of them are spiky penises.”“Even better.” Okay, so the conversation didn’t go exactly like that, but it’s not far off. Zach Barcus is one of the...
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In the early days of Dungeons & Dragons lore, there was rumor of a vast subterranean empire filled with creatures too horrible and strange to imagine. Drifting through these tales were many inconsistencies and legends, but one detail always stood true: just as elves lurked on the surface, there were elves of a darker nature...
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From their home on the insane, constantly changing, nightmare landscape of the Abyss, armies of Demons plot a frenzy of bloodshed across the planes of the multi-verse. Held back by the most unlikely of guardians, the Lawful Evil Devils, Demons have nonetheless plagued the peripheries of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy realm since its inception...
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The Slaad, or Slaadi, are one of Dungeons & Dragons proprietary monsters, yet they don’t get used nearly as often as they should be and they don’t get a lot of coverage on lore channels or features in art work… maybe that’s just as well, when you discover their mating and reproduction habits. What do...
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We once had a pet Kobold. We named him Many Treasures, after the first words he spoke to us. He died on the battlefield and… well… what happened next is something you’ll have to listen to find out! Today’s monster is a crowd favorite (little pun there): the Kobold! There’s more to these little guys...
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For this episode we move away from big name monsters and into something unusual, but no less important to the history of D&D. The Water Weird is a, well, “weird” creature that has strong links to the Temple of Elemental Evil, as well as water cults throughout history. This episode, we’ll explore that occultish history...
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Orcs are one of fantasy’s first non-legendary monsters. Unlike Dragons, Giants, and Trolls, the Orcs stand alone as a race not from myth but from the mind of one man: JRR Tolkein. Made famous by Lord of the Rings, Orcs have gone on to be a “must have” inclusion in almost every Fantasy RPG that’s...
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Something lurks in the dark places of Dungeons & Dragons, something wet, slimy, and hungry. The Shambling Mound has been a monster in D&D for 45 years, yet is rarely seen by adventurers and scant few pages of lore have been dedicated to it. On this episode of the Bestiary, guided by the inquisitive Freya,...
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The monster this time is one that players face more often than any other. DMs across the world have had to lay numerous of these foul beasts to rest in the wake of adventurers… that monster is… the COMMONER! Join us and special guest Ketih Ammann, author of The Monsters Know What They Are Doing,...
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The Bestiary begins the new year with a wintry episode featuring the legendary Yeti! Discover their historical origins and how a myth from our world was translated into the Dungeons and Dragons universe. Possible Wampa and/or Rudolph quips will also be used.
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Come with us on a journey of discovery as we explore the history, culture, and gross mouth stuff of the Beholder, Dungeons & Dragons iconic monster and mascot for the game. Find out how Beholders eat, what they eat, what happens after, and how they have babies (it’s all connected and its all gross). We...
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From the frying pan and into the fire! Or rather, from the Underdark into the deep dark of the waters beneath. This week we continue our Fall feature on freaky creatures with a look at the Aboleths! These horrendous monstrosities have controlled the fate of the world since before recorded history. They always have been…...
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