Random OSR Thoughts & Commentary On The Fiend Folio Tome of Creatures Malevolent & Benign

 

"This tome contains alphabetical listings of monsters designed for use with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons™ game system. Each creature is described and most are illustrated for easy identification."

Eighty one saw the release of one of the best & imaginative monster books for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition. Without classic Games Workshop & White Dwarf magazine we would never have gotten the Fiend Folio. 'The Fiend Factory' column in White Dwarf lead directly to the creation of the Fiend Folio. 

All of this leads directly into the creation of the critically acclaimed U.K. series of modules. Modules that included some hardcore experiments such as TSR's U.K.1 Beyond The Crystal Cavern by 

Dave J. Browne,

 

Tom Kirby,

 

Graeme Morris

. This module indeed has all of the hallmarks of the innovative U.K. series creating a non violent approach  & using true role playing to get to a resolution of the adventure plot. This sat well with a lot of reviewers of the time including Doug Cowie of Imagine magazine;"Doug Cowie reviewed Beyond the Crystal Cave favorably for Imagine magazine.^[3] He liked the clear layout, lucid descriptions and good maps and found it a module that tries to emphasize diplomacy and intelligence over force and is "more successful than most in achieving this aim". The U.K. series would mark the beginning of the innovation that would later go on to Games Workshop & the Warhammer Fantasy rpg. 

The Fiend Folio itself is the quintessential monster book of the Advance Dungeons & Dragons era. Marking monsters that are still in use on table tops across the world. The these monsters are both iconic & a part of the Dungeons & Dragons table top landscape to this day. 

Looking over the over arching menace of the Fiend Folio we get a sense of the scope & weirdness of the book's monsters & content; 

Aarakocra • Achaierai • Adherer • Aleax • Algoid • Al-mi'raj • Apparition • Assassin bug • Astral searcher • Babbler • Bat, giant • Berbalang • Blindheim • Blood hawk • Bloodworm, giant • Bonesnapper • Booka • Bullywug • Bunyip • Carbuncle • Caryatid column • Caterwaul • Cifal • Clubnek • Coffer corpse • Crabman • Crypt thing • Dakon • Dark creeper • Dark stalker • Death dog • Death knight • Demon • Demon, Lolth • Denzelian • Devil • Devil, styx • Devil dog • Dire corby • Disenchanter • Doombat • Dragon, oriental • Dragon, li lung • Dragon, lung wang • Dragon, pan lung • Dragon, shen lung • Dragon, t'ien lung • Dragon, yu lung • Dragonfish • Dune stalker • Elemental princes of evil • Elemental, Cryonax • Elemental, Imix • Elemental, Ogrémoch • Elemental, Olhydra • Elemental, Yan-C-Bin • Elf, drow • Enveloper • Ettercap • Eye killer • Eye of fear and flame • Firedrake • Firenewt • Fire snake • Fire toad • Flail snail • Flind • Flumph • Forlarren • Frost man • Galltrit • Gambado • Garbug • Giant • Giant, fog • Giant, mountain • Giant strider • Gibberling • Githyanki • Githzerai • Goldbug • Gorbel • Gorilla bear • Grell • Grimlock • Gryph • Guardian daemon • Guardian familiar • Hellcat • Hoar fox • Hook horror • Hornet, giant • Hound of ill omen • Huecuva • Ice lizard • Imorph • Iron cobra • Jaculi • Jermlaine • Kamadan • Kelpie • Kenku • Khargra • Killmoulis • Kuo-toa • Lamia noble • Lava children • Lizard king • Magnesium spirit • Mantari • Meazel • Meenlock • Mephit • Mephit, fire • Mephit, lava • Mephit, smoke • Mephit, steam • Mezzodaemon • Mite • Necrophidius • Needleman • Nilbog • Nonafel • Norker • Nycadaemon • Ogrillon • Osquip • Pĕnanggalan • Pernicon • Phantom stalker • Poltergeist • Protein polymorph • Quaggoth • Quipper • Qullan • Retriever • Revenant • Rothé • Sandman • Scarecrow • Screaming devilkin • Shadow demon • Sheet ghoul • Sheet phantom • Shocker • Skeleton warrior • Skulk • Slaad • Slaad, blue • Slaad, death • Slaad, green • Slaad, grey • Slaad, red • Slaad, Ssendam • Slaad, Ygorl • Snyad • Spawn of Kyuss • Stunjelly • Sussurus • Svirfneblin • Symbiotic jelly • Tabaxi • Tentamort • Terithran • Thoqqua • Thork • Throat leech • Tiger fly • Tirapheg • Trilloch • Troll • Troll, giant • Troll, giant two-headed • Troll, ice • Troll, spirit • Tween • Umpleby • Urchin • Vision • Vodyanoi • Volt • Vortex • Whipweed • Witherstench • Witherweed • Xill • Xvart • Yellow musk creeper • Yellow musk zombie

This is a dungeon master's book & its monsters are the horror & menace that one finds in the dungeons & wilderness of the DM's respective worlds. This isn't a neat book but a nasty & dirty dungeon made all the more so by the iconic art work of Russ Nicholson & many others. 

The Fiend Folio is a monster book & one of the best useful for many game systems such as Gamma World second & forth edition. This ulitity goes  all of the way down to its original intent in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition adventures.  The iconic & very well received Fiend Folio is as innovative as it is today as when it first came out.