Inktober Monstrosities: N for Norker

Another old obscurity, the norker is a small goblinoid, said to be a distant cousin of the hobgoblin. They have thick hide, though its form and nature varies a bit depending on which source you look at. Regardless, this thick hide means the norker will eschew armor.

Inktober Monstrosities: M for Moon Dog

In real life, a moon dog is a rare bright spot on the halo of the moon, caused by the refraction of moonlight by ice crystals in clouds.

In D&D they are strange, benevolent dog, with dark shaggy fur, opposable thumbs on their forepaws, and the ability to travel on either two or four. Kind and intelligent, these dogs are truly any good man's best friend.

Inktober Monstrosities: L for Locathah

The Locathah is a real classic of D&D beast, dating all the way back to 1975.

Described as a race of  aquatic humanoids, that live in nomadic, civilized societies, roaming shallow warm waters, hunting and gathering food.

The Locathah is the D&D creature that most closely resembles the iconic Gill Man, best known as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and given a new renaissance in Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water.

Game stats here.

Inktober Monstrosities: K for Kappa

The Kappa is a strange being from Japanese folklore. A type of spirit, demon, or imp they inhabit lakes and rivers. They are about the size of a child, roughly human in appearance, with scaly  greenish skin, webbed and clawed hands and feet and a turtle shell on its back. They are said to be fond of cucumbers and sumo wrestling, as well as looking up women's kimonos.

The most peculiar trait of the Kappa is the indentation at the top of their skull. This is filled with water from the body of water where the Kappa resides, and should it ever be emptied or dried out, the kappa will loose its power, and might even die.

Click for game stats.

Inktober Monstrosities: J for Jermaline

These diminutive tricksters first appeared in the original Fiend Folio, and have made frequent reappearances throughout the history of the game since, despite their innate ability for subterfuge.

Game stats, here.

Inktober Monstrosities: I for Ibrandlin

You'll be forgiven if you've never heard about the Ibrandlin, but as it turned out, finding a good monster for the letter i turned out to be quite a challenge (especially once it turned out that my original choice, the ixitxachiitl, actually had been covered in the Rage of Demons adventure).

The ibrandlin originally appeared in the first Ruins of the Undermountain boxed set in 1991, and then again for 3rd edition in the Monsters of Faerun book. In appearance they are said to look like fire lizards with long, thick tails, or wingless red dragons. Apparently they are bred as temple guardians by the priests of Ibrandul, a Forgotten Realms god of caverns, dragons and the Underdark.

Game stats here, as always.

Inktober Monstrosities: H for Hippocamp

The Hippocamp, or Hippocampus (not to be confused with the latin name for the common sea horse, or the part of the brain integral to navigation and memory) is a classic, both in real world mythology and in the world of D&D.

Half horse with webbed hooves, half fish, the hippocamp is obviously the result of someone taking the description of a common sea horse a tad too litteraly. They are part of both Etruscan, Phoenician and Greek mythology, among other things described as the horses of Poseidon, god of the sea. They are a common motif on fountains and heraldic designs throughout the world.

Game stats here.