A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes terror and fear, often in humans. Monsters usually resemble bizarre, deformed, otherworldly and/or mutated animals or entirely unique creatures of varying sizes, but may also take a human form, such as mutants, ghosts, spirits, zombies, or cannibals, among other things. They may or may not have supernatural powers, but are usually capable of killing or causing some form of destruction, threatening the social or moral order of the human world in the process.
The hippogriff or hippogryph is a legendary creature with the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a horse.
The manticore or mantichore is a legendary creature from ancient Persian mythology, similar to the Egyptian sphinx that proliferated in Western European medieval art as well. It has the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion or a tail covered in venomous spines similar to porcupine quills. There are some accounts that the spines can be launched like arrows. It eats its victims whole, using its three rows of teeth, and leaves no bones behind.
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, first published in 1977 by TSR. The Monster Manual was the first hardcover D&D book and includes monsters derived from mythology and folklore, as well as creatures created specifically for D&D. Creature descriptions include game-specific statistics, a brief description of its habits and habitats, and typically an image of the creature. Along with the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide, the Monster Manual is one of the three "core rulebooks" in most editions of the D&D game. As such, new editions of the Monster Manual have been released for each edition of D&D. Due to the level of detail and illustration included in the 1977 release, the book was cited as a pivotal example of a new style of wargame books. Future editions would draw on various sources and act as a compendium of published monsters.
Merfolk, Mercreatures, Mermen or Merpeople are legendary water-dwelling, human-like beings. They are attested in folklore and mythology throughout the ages in various parts of the world. Merfolk, Merpeople, or simply Mer refers to humanoid creatures that live in deep waters like Mermaids, Sirens, Cecaelia etc.
Fantasy Hero is a role-playing game book originally published by Hero Games in 1985 that allows gamemasters to plan and present fantasy role-playing games using the Hero System rules. Several revised editions of the book have subsequently been published.
An owlbear is a fictional creature originally created for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. An owlbear is depicted as a cross between a bear and an owl, which "hugs" like a bear and attacks with its beak. Inspired by a plastic toy made in Hong Kong, Gary Gygax created the owlbear and introduced the creature to the game in the 1975 Greyhawk supplement; the creature has since appeared in every subsequent edition of the game. Owlbears, or similar beasts, also appear in several other fantasy role-playing games, video games and other media.
Hero System Bestiary is a compilation of creatures designed for use with Hero System role-playing game rules. It is presented in the form of a bestiary and was published in 2002 for the 5th edition of the Hero System. The cover is made of thick paper and illustrated in color, while the interior consists of 239 pages illustrated in black and white. An earlier edition of The Hero System Bestiary was published in 1992 for the prior edition of the Hero System.
GURPS Witch World is a supplement published by Steve Jackson Games in 1989 for use with the GURPS {Generic Universal Role-Playing System) game rules that describes how to set a role-playing campaign in Andre Norton's Witch World.
Trolls are fictional monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.
The salamander is an amphibian of the order Urodela which, as with many real creatures, often has been ascribed fantastic and sometimes occult qualities by pre-modern authors not possessed by the real organism. The legendary salamander is often depicted as a typical salamander in shape with a lizard-like form, but is usually ascribed an affinity with fire, sometimes specifically elemental fire.
Stefano Gualeni is an Italian philosopher, professor, and game designer who has created interactive websites and video games such as Tony Tough and the Night of Roasted Moths,Gua-Le-Ni; or, The Horrendous Parade, and Something Something Soup Something.
Necromorphs are a collective of undead creatures in the science fiction horror multimedia franchise Dead Space by Electronic Arts, introduced in the 2008 comic book series of the same name. Within the series, the Necromorphs are constructed from reanimated corpses and come in multiple forms of various shapes and sizes. They are violent creatures driven to murder and infect all life within their vicinity by a signal emitted from mysterious alien artifacts known as Markers.
A legendary creature is a type of fantasy entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore, but may be featured in historical accounts before modernity.
Les Chimères or The Chimaeras is an unfinished painting executed in 1884 by the French Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau (1826–1898). It depicts a large forest scene wherein various nude women are associated with sundry figures from classical and medieval mythology—not only the titular chimeras, but also centaurs, winged creatures, fawns, minotaurs, etc. The painting is a philosophical meditation on what Moreau saw as the elemental nature of Woman, depicting the internal yearnings and dreams of women through complex mythological symbolism. Moreau abandoned the work shortly after his mother's death to work on the darker polyptych La Vie de l'Humanité, considered one of his masterpieces.
Maléfices, subtitled "The role-playing game with the scent of sulphur", was published by Jeux Descartes in 1985 as the first original French-language horror role-playing game. Three editions, 13 adventures and a bestiary have been published, and a fourth edition is being developed.
Something Something Soup Something is a free browser video game and "interactive thought experiment" developed by Stefano Gualeni and his team at the Institute of Digital Games. It was released in late 2017. In the game, the player must decide whether or not things are, in their opinion, soup. The game is inspired on the work of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and on the linguistic experiments of Eleanor Rosch and Carolyn B. Mervis.
The gargoyle is a fantasy and horror monster inspired by the appearance of bestial grotesque statues in architecture - particularly those sculpted to decorate the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris during its 19th-century reconstruction, rather than actual medieval statuary. Its name is based on the gargoyle architectural element, whose name is often incorrectly conflated with that of monstrous grotesques as a whole.
Nicky Case is a Canadian indie game developer, web designer, and critical theorist. They have developed interactive websites and online video games such as Coming Out Simulator, Explorable Explanations, We Become What We Behold and Parable of the Polygons. Case's works are characterized by their recurring goal to "help people understand complex systems", presenting dilemmas and potential resolutions in a philosophical manner. Case has also collaborated with theorists and academics such as Stefano Gualeni, Vi Hart and Bret Victor.
Touhou Kikeijuu ~ Wily Beast and Weakest Creature is the 17th main game in the Touhou Project and the 24th game overall. It was announced on ZUN's blog on April 17, 2019. A playable demo was released on May 5, at Reitaisai 16, and the full version was released at Comiket and on Steam on August 12.
