The MOST AWESOME D&D Spelljammer Monsters (Appendix 1)

My scrying orb reveals that your cousin is taking a shower

Ho there, space sages! Do you like monsters? I know that you do. I am getting a tickly feeling just thinking about it. De-glaze those eyeballs, for it is time to check out a bunch of SPACE MONSTERS for your campaign!

I love AD&D 2nd Edition. And I love many of the settings: Al Qadim, Planescape, and especially Spelljammer.

As I prepare for next year's D&D Next Spelljammer campaign, I thought it would be best to look through the first of the Spelljammer Monstrous Compendiums to see which monsters should be used, and which should be avoided or used solely to trot out for the PCs to laugh at and abuse.

And so I present to you, The Most Awesome Spelljammer Monsters (from Appendix 1)

Yes that is a HIPPOMAN SCREAMING

Fractine

What is that tumbling and folding through space heading right for my ship? Why, it's a giant mirror! Hmmm, if I focus, I can see my past, my future, and my innermost weaknesses in it.

Argh! It's falling on me, passing through me, causing damage as well as a special effect, such as:

- Teleporting me in a random direction
- Sending MY MIND TO ANOTHER PLANE
- Turning me ethereal!
- Distorting my form like lengthening my limbs or flattening me out.
- Switching a part of my body with that of my friend over there! Yes, if I make an INT check I can still control that limb.

I attack it but the damage is reflected back on me!

So awesome. Once it devours enough of your hit points, it leaves. I'll probably use this as a random encounter while the heroes are flying their ship through space.

Radiant Golem

Why did that kid hand me a bar of soap?

This muscly, genitalactically-challenged fellow is 15 feet tall, 6,000 pounds. He is Neutral with good tendencies (that's a 2e thing). He has a black body and a blue aura. He can telepathically speak with most creatures.

He might punch you for 6d10. Can only be hit by +4 or higher. Oh, and he radiates a death aura. If you're within 10 yards of him for 24 hours, you lose d6 hit points permanently.

He drifts from sphere to sphere trying to find friends. He does not know about his aura, or believe that it exists. He simply assumes that living things die very quickly.

What a sad creature. He's kind of like the '80's Bill Bixby Hulk.

Argos

Dude you left it in my cavity two months ago

This blobby guy is a giant amoeba with one central eye and 100 smaller eyes and mouths. It can cling to walls or ceilings and can fly slowly. They have a few limb-like pseudopods that end in mouths,

They smell like flowers! They are 10 to 20 feet wide/tall. You can store gear in temporary body cavities (!!!!). Their digestive juices ruin these things in 2-3 weeks.

It can attack you with d3 mouths or weapons.
On a natural 20, it swallows you whole. You must cut your way out while taking damage from the digestive juices.

The eyes of an argos have special powers! It an focus d10 eyes on a target. The 100 eyes share 20 powers.

Some of the powers include blindness, heat metal, slow, and turn flesh to stone. Most of them are relatively safe, like clairvoyance and ESP.

The central eye can use one of three powers per round: Alter self, color spray or ray of enfeeblement

The argos are ravenous creatures driven by hunger. If it doesn't eat for a week, it can hibernate for up to a year by crystallizing its outer shell and forming a chrysalis (what a cool thing to stumble on).

Zodar

Snake Eyes goes to Camelot

Walking suits of armor made of star-stuff. They can speak three times in their lives.  Inside the armor is muscle fibers (ugh). Super strong and fast.

They are very powerful, and are impervious to magic!

Three times in their lives, they can cause any spell to occur by casting it. They can also cast a wish spell one time.

They may be tied to the protection and maintenance of crystal shells. Zodar are loners. I just like these guys because they are mysterious. Their secret purpose can tie into your game in any number of ways. Plus I get a kick out of the zodar waiting a really long time in the campaign and then finally speaking, only for it to be something funny or stupid.

Giant Space Hamster

I will MESS YOU UP

Behold! Bear-sized hamsters from outer space! They can store up to 200 pounds of food in their cheeks. "Food" meaning YOU!
But do not fear, compatriot. They are friendly! They live in huge hamster ranches on gnome colonies. Some gnomes have made massive colorful pipe systems for them to crawl around in (I once ran a dungeon inside a giant space hamster tube system).

Their meat is delicious! What is their meat called? Well... this is where you either love it or hate it. Space hamster meat is known as..... "spaham".

You know what else? There's an entire PAGE of racial variations! Your senses shall be reeling when you come face to face with a:

Sabre-Toothed Giant Space Hamster
Invisible Giant Space Hamster (Invisible about an hour per day, even when attacking!)
Yellow Musk Giant Space Hamster (Can emit a gas cloud that blinds)
Ethereal Giant Space Hamster (Not actually ethereal. It is translucent and its' skeleton can be seen.)
Tyrannohamsterus Rex! (No attacks! weighs 75 tons! Scares easily!)
Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen (They say he is super-smart. He can cast spells. And he HATES GNOMES)

My Shadow Pantheon game has been pushed back a couple days. That gives me more time to tinker with the dungeon, as well as to finish my notes on He Who Watches From Below. See you tomorrow, faithful reader!