James Raggi wrote:Monsters that are not unique are not mystical creatures of wonder. They are simply animals, and the typical adventuring party is more on an African safari than participating in High Adventure when they face such foes. In fact, the idea of a standardized monster list for anything other than setting an example is probably the worst thing that happened to role-playing games.
While agreeing with Dr. Raggi's diagnosis of the patient's condition, I tend to disagree with his chosen prescription. While pregenerated lists of monsters can make encounters mundane instead of mysterious, I'd like to see a bestiary that focuses heavily on the myths and lore of mysterious creatures.
Instead of attaching a bit of fluff to some stat blocks, any included statistics would be loose suggestions attached to the provided lore.
To choose an example, let's take "Goblins". They might simply prove to be scuttling wretches that haunt the darkness, tormenting travelers caught out after dark, but they might instead....
- Ride forth on moonless nights, mounted upon massive, bone-white hounds. The goblins hunt the lost souls of those who have died over the previous month, trading them to buy the midnight favors of sinister hags and demonologists.
- Abduct unwanted children, replacing them with strange, animated figures, malevolent travesties of stolen children made of braided straw and tallow. The goblins' victims suffer an agonizing transformation into goblin form, then labor for 100 years as the true goblins' thralls. By the time their servitude ends, they have become goblins in more than their likeness.
- Enchant colorful beads, spiced meats, and candied fruit, which they trade to unwitting villagers. The items enspell those who purchase them, granting them petty magical abilities at the cost of their health, sanity, or soul.
- Creep into the villages after dusk to eavesdrop at villagers' windows, chimney, and threshold, then whisper their secrets into the dreams of whomever most dislikes them. Villagers know to leave a large flagon of ale sitting near their cottages, for the nightly sneaks cannot resist drinking their fill.
Each (or all) of these descriptions might be true and would carry their own stat block implications.