More Fear and Death

Last month, I shared some illustrations from the AD&D Monster Manual to draw attention to how many of them depicted scenes in which a monster menaced, injured, or even killed an adventurer. There were so many illustrations of this sort that I couldn't include them all – and that's a shame. With that in mind, here are a few more of my favorites.

I wanted to start with this page of the MM, since three out of the four monster illustrations on it show off their dangers. I've always been particularly fond of the gas spore piece, though the giant gar is far more terrifying.

Speaking of terrifying fish, how about this giant pike? Did Gary Gygax like to fish?  I can't help but wonder if his experiences with carnivorous fish might have influenced his decision to include them in the Monster Manual. Treants are not monsters that, in my experience, get much respect. Part of it, I imagine, is that they're Chaotic Good in alignment and few players ever worry about running afoul of them. Still, as this illustration shows, they're not to be trifled with (having upwards of 12 Hit Dice will do that). Here's a jackalwere (presumably) killing an adventurer. This piece is one of the most immediately gruesome in the whole book. Here's another favorite. I absolutely love Tom Wham's take on the illithid using his mind blast to attack a trio of rather hapless adventurers. I also dig the funky, abstract art he's got on the wall of his lair, with what appears to be an incense brazier alight beneath it. Who knew mind flayers were so chic? I'll conclude this post with another piece that's long fascinated me: Dave Trampier's depiction of a bugbear giving a fighter a whack in the face with a mace or some similar bludgeoning weapon. That's going to leave a mark!