(Click for unreasonably large size)
I crammed pretty much every MM1 creature on one image.
Every monster has a level band, showing the level range between the highest and lowest version of the monster. Monsters are divided up according to their most common location: the planes, the wilderness, civilization, the sea, exotic lands, and the dungeon.
Although it’s not necessarily the best way to make encounters, you could cross-index the level and location of your party and see at a glance all the monsters they’re likely to encounter.
Assumptions:
For level band purposes, I’m ignoring minions, which I believe are game constructs for representing monsters of significantly lower level.
I’ve made a lot of judgment calls. Some creatures with planar origins are common in the natural world, but I only drew them once. I tried to rely on flavor text. A lot of undead can be found anywhere; I’ve somewhat arbitrarily split them between the wilderness and dungeon, depending on whether I associate them with crypts.
I didn’t plot monsters constructed by wizards, such as battlebriar, boneclaw, colossus, eidolon, flameskull, golem, guardian, helmed horror, homunculus, and zombie. I did include skeletons, which tend to outlast their creators.
I’ve also identified some monsters as “exotic”: creatures likely to be found on lost continents, distant deserts, and frozen wastes, not the magical Europe that most D&D campaigns start in. Culturally imperialist distinction? Perhaps.
I’ve generally anchored monster names at the bottom of the level bands because I think that the low-level versions usually represent the bulk of the species, and the high-level versions are usually leaders or champions.
This entry was posted on Monday, June 6th, 2011 at 9:58 am and is filed under 4e D&D, advice/tools, game design, RPG Hub. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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The is quite amazing. Brilliantly done!
That is quite amazing, even. Sheesh.
Nicely done. Totally retweeting this.
[…] went through the Monster Manual 1 and crammed a picture of every monster into one illustration. Full-size version at blogofholding.com It could theoretically be used to create on-the-fly encounters (cross-index the character level […]
That is outstandingly awesome!
Sir, you are INSANE.
Whoa. That’s impressive.
Let me fix that for you Adrian:
Sir, you are INSANE. I applaud you.
😛
-Nunya
oh my god! This is wonderful! How long did it take? any chance you’ll be doing a version with wizard constructed monsters ? Those are pretty common encounters, at least the zombie and golems…
Thanks guys!
I was thinking that maybe I should add the handful of constructed monsters, maybe in a secret wizard lair in the dungeon, and look into making it available on a print on demand poster or something.
Other editions/books are possible. It’s pretty fun to doodle monsters while watching TV.
I’m stunned. Well done. You make me want to be a better nerd.
[…] from Blog of Holding posted an amazing graphic depicting all the monsters in MM1 by level and environment. We can’t imagine how much time […]
Wow!
People might call you crazy for doing this, but like any quixotic undertaking it is totally worth it!
I salute you.
[…] a picture of every creature in the Monster Manual 1, where they live, and their level range No Prep, No Problem Problem Players in Public (and Private) Games Map of the Lost Islands Directed Plots, Undirected Narrative, and Stuff That Just Happens […]
[…] Drawing every creature in the Monster Manual made me realize how many silly-looking and/or undifferentiated monsters there are. Sometimes the same basic monster concept seems to pop up all over the place. That's fine for time-tested concepts like "badass skeleton man with glowing eyes" (flameskull, lich, deathpriest hierophant, skeleton, skull lord, wight) and "bondage chick with creepy eyes" (marilith, succubus, doppelganger, drow, eladrin, shadar kai, vampire), but who asked for all these […]
This is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Bravo.
[…] I drew a poster on which I illustrated the wandering monster tables from D&D (not unlike my picture of all the 4e monsters, but larger and more elaborate). It sold out, and Bruce Cordell bought the last […]
[…] we know from this infographic, planes have levels. For instance, the feywild is approximately level 7 through […]
[…] from Blog of Holding posted an amazing graphic depicting all the monsters in MM1 by level and environment. We can’t imagine how much time […]
WOW DUDE DATS FRICKEN SHAMAZING!!!!