Monstrous reflections

To kill time, I thought I would just throw out some views on random monsters from the Monster Manual.  Right now, my campaign is on hiatus as I reign them in and send them packing back to the monastery.  They were in Ravenloft (or a rewritten version of), which is great for Halloween season D&D.  Once it passes Thanksgiving though, I begin getting a bit more nostalgic for those early days and years of my meager experiences with the game.  And that brings me back to the ruins of the monastery from the first DMG.  The location of my first actual experience with playing D&D in 1983, and the original main goal of the party.

Not only seasonally does it feel better to depart the Gothic nature of Ravenloft, but simple practicalities are worth considering. Basically, my boys are getting older, and soon our oldest, and perhaps next oldest, will be departing the homestead for the big, wide world after all.  So best to regroup and do what I normally don't: pick them up and drop them where I want them.

Since it will take a little calculating and updating, my oldest son will be running his first game, using the classic Keep on the Borderlands.  So in the meantime, unless something juicy comes from that adventure, I'll just throw our random thoughts on this or that monster or whatever catches my eye with the minuscule amount of time I have to spare.

In this case, first up, Gray Ooze.

 

One of the many amoeba like creatures from the 1st Edition.  I always liked the artwork.  I notice that in every case, the slimes and jellies are portrayed in a dungeon-like setting.  No simple portraits.  They are put against something or another: a stair, a cave, a doorway.  I guess that's because it's easier to visualize than just a picture of a blob.  And, of course, "blob" is what I always imagined fueled at least some of the inspiration for these creatures. 

I also like the setting in this particular pic.  It evokes.  Much of the early artwork did.  Where is it coming from?  Where is it going?  What else is in the room that the viewer is standing in?  Whenever I design a dungeon, I try to have at least one stair descending next to a wall just to pay this homage.