Fiend Folio Review T-Z

Really this should have been finished a long while ago, but better late than never. Seeing the estimable Marsworms post her Part 15 (almost two months ago now -_-) reminded me I need to get this wrapped up.

Tabaxi

★★★☆☆

WHAT is that illustration, I want to shoot it with a hunting rifle. Much like with the Kenku, it is interesting to see the roots of what later becomes an extremely popular player character choice. This ancestral tabaxi is much wilder. I like the bit about them disguising scent with aromatic herbs. The tool use and innate weapon comprehension thing is weird. The cat behaviors could be played up more and them hunting in "prides" is silly. Learn about any cat other than lions people.

Tentamort

★★★★★

I must admit to a weakness for weird dungeon ecology creatures, especially one's with a name as excellent as 'tentamort'. The creature hits the sweet spot between too mundane and too weird. Defeating one would require some cunning and observation. My one qualm would be that it's liquid digestion needle attack is extremely lethal to a healing magic-less party, but that's an easy fix.

Terithran

★☆☆☆☆

The illustration is uninspiring unfortunately, and the entry's not great either, lacking a distinctive theme, aesthetic, or gimmick. I do enjoy the idea of an otherworldly creature just being pissed about wizard magic causing weird weather in their home plane and marching off to fuck the wizard up, but it is poorly implemented. The terithran is just some guy with miscellaneous spell powers who randomly appears to attack the magic-users of the party. There's nothing to really build it into a more interesting encounter.

Thoqqua

★★★☆☆

Larval rock-worm that melts its way through the earth and will set you on fire and melt your stuff if it attacks is pretty good, unfortunately there's no clear reason why it would attack besides "because." Once again we have an example of a monster who you can only interact with through combat. At least the khargra (which is of a similar type to this burrowing worm) had its affinity for metals and gems. Nonetheless I could imagine using the thoqqua as is, so it gets three stars instead of two. 

Thork

★★★★★

Giant metal bird which spews super heated steam. Hell yes. Another entry that hits the line perfectly between naturalistic and weird. It feels akin to the best of medieval and ancient bestiary entries. I can see myself using the thork as a piece of weird-wildlife for populating some jungle river basin, or island. As well, the description of its behavior if it is attacked (and the incentive to do so, owing to its valuable copper plumage) is well written in terms of utility in the moment; sucking up water in preparation for its attack and whatnot.

Throat Leech

★★★★☆

Feels more like an environmental hazard than a proper monster, that said it's gross and nasty and creates a fun problem to solve.

Tiger Fly

★★★☆☆

Baffling illustration. Not really sure what the theme is supposed to be here. I do love parasitic wasps though and the egg laying is deliciously gruesome.

Tirapheg

★★☆☆☆

Why's it got three legs, three arms (two nothing but spikes) three heads and a mouth in its belly? Why's it got two tentacles above its mouth? Who knows! It likes eating decaying flesh though and makes exclusionary copies of itself in a fight. Another entry which doesn't really have a readily comprehensible theme. Maybe it was pulled from some sci-fi novel? As an encounter its gimmicks are neat enough but there's nothing here that would let me plug it into a wider game world.

Trilloch

★☆☆☆☆

It's a life-draining energy blob which you can't interact with except for the spell 'dispel magic' and can't even detect without the spell 'detect magic.' Boo.

Giant Troll

★☆☆☆☆

It's just a big troll. Good illustration though, I like it's crude poleaxe.

Giant Two-Headed Troll

★☆☆☆☆

Again, it's just a big troll, but with two heads now. You already have a two headed giant, you literally mention the ettin in the description. At least make the heads argue. A missed opportunity all around. If you treat trolls as a sort of walking cancer you could have it be some horrible conglomerate of two trolls that regrew together and hate each other or something.

Ice Troll

★★★☆☆

Much better. Excellent illustration here, a nice enough variation on troll's normal regeneration gimmick although you lose a lot of the meat horror. Not stellar but I could see myself turning it into something fun.

Spirit Troll

★☆☆☆☆

It's a magic invisible fog troll which is a "perverted crossbreed of a troll and invisible stalker" yadda yadda. Does not bring anything interesting to the table.

Tween

★☆☆☆☆

Awful name. One of the worst kinds of monsters are the ones you can't hurt except with very specific spells/items. Kind of a neat idea, what with having a host and boosting their luck by seeing slightly into the future but at the cost of fucking over everyone else's luck around you, but seems like it would be frustrating in play and there's just no meat to it, evocatively speaking.

Umpleby

★★★★★

Hell yeah, weird seal guys. Actually, upon rereading this entry I can find no mention of the umpleby being aquatic. It just seems like they should be. Their hair nets are weird and go well with their electrocution attack (entangle then zap) and the dynamic of them forcibly joining a party as demanding henchmen is fun.

Urchin

★★★☆☆

Did the authors think regular sea urchins can shoot their spines like a crossbow bolt? Mildly baffling, would be like making an entry for dogs and then saying they have detachable tails that they can regrow. That said, I'm weirdly infatuated with these things (also the concept of sea urchins being able to infest land as well as sea is terrifying).

Vision

★☆☆☆☆

Doesn't even have a form. Vaguely attacks with illusions that you can throw off with a roll. Extremely boring.

Vodyanoi

★★☆☆☆

Points off already for stealing the name of an excellent Slavic mythological creature and using it merely for a 'close aquatic relatives of the umber hulk'. Basically just a big underwater brute that rips up your boat and tries to eat you. I do like the hint at a salt-water species twice as large and more ferocious, that's nice. 

Volt

★★★★★

Funky little thing, feels like a Vancian monster. Has a nice lil gimmick (blood drain plus electric whip tail) and design. Could see these guys flying around in a wizard's lair after having broken out of their big glass holding jars. Maybe their from a strange moon.

Vortex

★☆☆☆☆

It's a whirlwind. Basically just an air elemental. Eh.

Whipweed

★★★☆☆

A murderous plantanimal. It's okay, not super exciting. Could put it in some murderous wizard garden or some such.

Witherstench

★★☆☆☆

Evil skunk. Its stench isn't even as bad as a normal skunk, it wears off when the creature leaves. Good name though.

Witherweed

★★★★☆

Really more of an environmental hazard than a monster, but a good one nonetheless. The toxic smoke is an excellent counter to a typical strategy and makes it a potential asset for players who can think up ways to exploit the weed's effects. Honestly I don't know why it has an attack, mechanically speaking, it would work just fine if grabbing at it poisoned you.

Xill

★★☆☆☆

More parasitism baby. Good visual design, okay motivations, weird mechanical gimmick. Decently evocative. Could use some more elements to make encountering them interesting. 

Xvart

★☆☆☆☆

Boring humanoid made to fill a mechanical niche between goblins and kobolds that did not need filling.

Yellow Musk Creeper

★★★★★

Stellar. Stupendous. A weird fucking flower that makes zombies to propagate itself. It's weird, it's ecological, it's got a sick visual design going. It could be encountered in the wild or in a wizards fucked up garden. Could be weaponized by players. Maybe some prince is cultivating a garden of yellow musk creepers in order to unleash a terrible apocalypse.

Zombie, Yellow Musk

★★★★★

See above.

And that's a (belated) wrap!