Monsters
The following Labyrinth Lord monsters originated in the 1974 rule booklets.
Supplement I monsters not found in M&T are qualified with an “†”.
All Monsters (Alphabetical)
Basilisk; Black Pudding; Blink Dog†; Bugbear†; Carcass Scavenger†; Centaur; Chimera; Cockatrice; Djinni; Doppelganger†; Dragon, Black; Dragon, Blue; Dragon, Gold; Dragon, Green; Dragon, Red; Dragon, White; Dryad; Dwarf; Efreeti; Elemental: Air, Earth, Fire, Water; Elf; Gargoyle; Gelatinous Cube†; Ghoul; Giant, Cloud; Giant, Fire; Giant, Frost; Giant, Hill; Giant, Stone; Giant, Storm†; Gnoll; Gnome; Goblin; Gorgon; Gray Ooze; Green Slime; Griffon; Harpy†; Hell Hound†; Hippogriff; Hobgoblin; Hydra; Invisible Stalker; Kobold; Lycanthrope, Werebear; Lycanthrope, Wereboar; Lycanthrope, Wererat†; Lycanthrope, Weretiger; Lycanthrope, Werewolf; Manticore; Medusa; Men, Berserker; Men, Brigand; Men, Nomad; Men, Pirate; Minotaur; Mummy; Nixie; Ochre Jelly; Ogre; Orc; Owl Bear†; Pegasus; Pixie; Purple Worm; Roc, Small; Rust Monster†; Salamander†; Sea Serpent; Shadow†; Skeleton; Spectre; Stirge†; Treant; Troll; Unicorn; Vampire; Wight; Wraith; Wyvern; Yellow Mold; Zombie
0–1 HD Monsters
Dwarf; Elf; Gnome; Goblin; Hobgoblin (1+1 HD); Kobold (½ HD); Men, Berserker; Men, Brigand; Men, Nomad; Men, Pirate; Nixie; Orc; Pixie; Skeleton; Stirge†
2 HD Monsters
Dryad; Ghoul; Gnoll; Green Slime; Pegasus (2+2 HD); Yellow Mold; Shadow† (2+2 HD); Zombie
3 HD Monsters
Bugbear† (3+1 HD); Carcass Scavenger† (3+1 HD); Gray Ooze; Harpy†; Hell Hound†; Hippogriff (3+1 HD); Lycanthrope, Wererat†; Wight
4 HD Monsters
Blink Dog†; Centaur; Doppelganger†; Gargoyle; Gelatinous Cube†; Hell Hound†; Lycanthrope, Wereboar (4+1 HD); Lycanthrope, Werewolf; Medusa; Ogre (4+1 HD); Unicorn; Wraith
5 HD Monsters
Cockatrice; Mummy (5+1 HD); Hell Hound†; Hydra; Lycanthrope, Weretiger; Ochre Jelly; Owl Bear†; Rust Monster†
6 HD Monsters
Basilisk (6+1 HD); Dragon, White; Hell Hound†; Hydra; Manticore (6+1 HD); Minotaur; Spectre; Troll (6+3 HD); Lycanthrope, Werebear; Phase Tiger†; Roc, Small
7 HD Monsters
Djinni (7+1 HD); Dragon, Black; Griffon; Hell Hound†; Hydra; Vampire; Wyvern
8 HD Monsters
Dragon, Green; Elemental (staff): Air, Earth, Fire, Water; Giant, Hill; Gorgon; Hydra; Invisible Stalker; Salamander†; Treant; Vampire
9 HD Monsters
Chimera; Dragon, Blue; Giant, Stone; Hydra; Vampire
10 HD Monsters
Black Pudding; Dragon, Red; Efreeti; Giant, Frost (10+1 HD); Hydra
11 HD Monsters
Dragon, Gold; Giant, Fire (11+2 HD); Hydra
12 HD Monsters
Elemental (device): Air, Earth, Fire, Water; Giant, Cloud (12+3 HD); Hydra
15 HD Monsters
Giant, Storm†; Purple Worm
16 HD Monsters
Elemental (conjured): Air, Earth, Fire, Water
Monster Attributes
- Ferocious/strong/fast: +N to hit
- Dangerous underfoot: +N to hit vs large/giants
- Trained: +N vs 1 HD creatures
- Veteran: 1 attack/HD vs 1 HD creatures
- Disciplined: +N morale
- Mindless: never check morale
- Only magic attacks damage them
- Brute: +N damage
- Hulk: N damage dice
- Regenerate N hp/turn
- Hit from whip/sticky tongue/whatever drags enemy into melee
- Those killed by them become like them
- Those killed by them become like them, under control of killer
- Those killed by them become a different monster
- Their hits paralyze opponents for N turns
- Their hits drain N levels
- Escapist: flee in insubstantial form when apparently killed
- Call other monsters
- Turn opponent to stone on hit/look
- Fly
- Creates persistent area effects (e.g., sticky webs)
- Venomous sting/bite (save or die? save for half damage?)
- Breathe fire/acid/gas/lightning/cold/steam
- Shoot natural missiles, N per turn
- Multi-part monster, N hit dice per part
- Multiple heads, one attack per head
- Mass attack (e.g., whirlwind) blows away those of less than N HD
- Can carry massive weight
- Creates food/gold/drugs N times per day
- Create illusions
- Assume gaseous form
- Charm
- Polymorph self, possibly limited to one or two alternate forms
- Invisibility
- Cast a particular spell N times per day
- Cast spell like a level N magic-user
- If summoned/subdued/named, will serve for N days
- Hits multiply/fragment/divide it
- Squeezes through small spaces
- Moves over floors, walls, or ceilings
- Corrodes/dissolves metal/wood/flesh/whatever on contact
- Asphyxiating spores/gas N feet (save or die? save for half damage?)
- Morale never fails when defending home
- “Attach” after first hit; subsequent turns damage without a to-hit roll
- Darkvision: see in darkness but -1 in daylight
- Echolocation
- Young can be trained as mounts
- Only encountered near water/lava/whatever
- Keep pets/animal guardians
- Sometimes kept as pets
- Invulnerability exception: fire/lighting/whatever hurts them
- Sunlight/fire/beheading/whatever truly kills them
- Sensitive to cold/fire/water/whatever, takes double damage
- Sea legs -1 to hit on land
- Skittish -N morale
- Flee from mirrors/garlic/whatever
- Mirrors/garlic/whatever force them to check morale at -N
- Need regular proximity to coffin/tree/whatever
- Can’t move across water/fire/whatever
- Dispel Magic banishes them
- They carry treasure around with them
- Confuse/distract with their swarming/shrieking/whatever (-1 to hit)
- Hit causes disease (magical or non-magical)
- Undead (susceptible to Turn Undead)
- Immune to Sleep/Charm Person/Hold Person
- Hug/swallow: after hitting in one turn, it does more damage on the subsequent turn
- Final strike: delivers major attack, then dies
- Nettle: hit leaves behind irritant that causes ongoing minor damage or disadvantage until treated
- Limited teleport
- Stealthy: surprise opponents on N in 6
- Numerous minor/inconvenience attacks accrue disadvantage on opponents
- Attracted by noise/spells/cooking/whatever
- Curse
- Disguised as someone or something else
- Drowns opponents underwater or drops them from the air
- Leader type has superior abilities
- Takes no damage from fire/cold/lightning/magic/whatever
- Alert: never or rarely surprised
- Often ride special mounts
- Surrounded by aura or gas cloud that disadvantages melee opponents
- Destroys (wood/metal) weapons that strike it
- Those it kills cannot be raised from death
- N percent chance to resist magic
- Can see invisible things
- Damage it causes drops as it loses hit points
- Part of its body (tusk/horn/gland/skin/fur) has commercial value
- Dormant/non-aggressive until exposed to light/water/air/whatever
- Several of them work together to achieve a high-level spell/elemental summoning/whatever
- Confusing resemblance to another monster
- Takes only half damage from edged/piercing/blunt weapons
- Infects/burrows into/lays eggs in victim, resulting in death/whatever in N days
- Possesses the body of its victim
- Especially powerful/vulnerable at a certain time of month/year
- Blinds/deafens opponents
- Detects and pilfers certain item types (food/magic-items/whatever)
- Chance to disenchant magic items
- Cause earthquake or explosion, which may collapse cave or dungeon
- Visually or audibly loud; they never surprise
- Particular animus or fondness for another type of monster
- Attack (temporarily or permanently) reduces an ability score
Animals and Giant Animals
Although normal animals rarely attack humans without provocation, mutations that cause animal gigantism correspond with behavioral changes, like increased aggression.
HD |
Animals |
<1 |
Goat, sheep, cobra, frog |
1 |
Human, dog |
2 |
Mule, wolf, python |
3 |
Cougar, draft horse, crocodile, gorilla |
4–5 |
Tiger, bear, bison |
5–6 |
Rhinoceros, hippopotamus |
7–10 |
Orca, elephant |
15 |
Mammoth |
20 |
Tyrannosaurus rex |
36 |
Sperm whale |
Use size as a starting point for animal hit dice.
Give a giant snail the size of a mule two hit dice.
Give one the size of an elephant eight hit dice.