Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Leibel 06-08-04, 08:52 AM	I'm running a biblical campaign with the help of the Testament d20 setting and it has its own monster but I was wondering what creatures from the MM and MM II Would be in the ancient middle east. Keep in mind the ecology/geography of the ancient middle east was more balanced than it is today.
Chromatic King 06-08-04, 04:05 PM	Lamias, sphinx, mummy, genies(sp) and lammasu are all pretty Middle East standard. Rampager and Dune stalker also look like they belong in the desert. Pretty much anyhing with dessert in the ecology can be used in the Middle East. Demons and devils are perfect for Biblical settings as well as other outsiders. Don't forget Sun Giants.
bullfrog 06-08-04, 04:13 PM	You could also use jungle monsters. I don’t know any off the top of my head. OA my have some middle east monsters in it but I’m not sure. It is in Asia after all.
ksbsnowowl 06-08-04, 04:30 PM	Given Egypt and all its culture, you would probably find Mummies (MM), Greater Mummies (Deities and Demigods), and possibly something akin to the Jackal Lord and/or Jackalwere (Fiend Folio). You would find some types of dragons, I'm sure (Dragons are mentioned somewhere in the Bible, though it may be Revelation). A Leviathan (MMII) is also mentioned in the Good Book (Revelation). Sphinxes would do well...Anything that would fit in an Egyptian campaign would work. Something like an Ash Rat (MMII) might work. Any of the Demons/devils would work too, depending upon how spiritually-centered you want your campaign to be. Random other things from the MMII that might work: Bronze Serpent Crimson death (move it to a tomb-guardian role) Dune Stalker Effigy (or any undead, really) Brass Golem Jahi Mudmaw Neogi (maybe?) Orcwort Ragewind Raggamoffyn Rogue Eidolon (This one could be a good plot device - an insane animated idol of a false/rival god) Runic Guardian (perhaps) Create a Monster of Legend Scorpion folk Razor Boar Random creatures from the MM that might fit: Celestials/Demons/Devils Dragonne Elementals Genies Gnolls (hyena/jackal-like) Lamia Lammasu Mephits Minotaur (perhapse worshiped by a cult as an avatar of Baal) Rust Monster Salamanders Yuan-ti And for good measure some possibilities from the Fiend Folio: Blood Hawk Bloodthorn Caryatid Column Crypt Thing Death Dog Devas Devil Disenchanter Fhorge Flamesnake Indricothere Iron Cobra Living Holocaust Shadow Asp Shedu Swarms Vorr Yeah, that's all I've got...
Shemeska the Marauder 06-08-04, 05:01 PM	The Leviathan in the Bible is completely different from the critter in MMII of the same name. The creature in the Bible is, IIRC, the root of the word 'leviathan' which just means incredibly large. The creature in MMII is simply an incredibly large whale, based on the generic word and not the biblical creature.
ksbsnowowl 06-08-04, 05:39 PM	True enough. Actually, IIRC, the leviathan mentioned in the Bible is said to have a forked tongue, and I think it is generally described like a large serpent (not sure on that part, but I know the forked tongue part is true.) Perhaps use a Sea Drake from the FF; it's a gargantuan serpentine sea dragon. That could work better for a more biblical leviathan.
littlesaltz 06-08-04, 06:14 PM	Job 41 said: Job 41 1 "Can you pull in the leviathan [1] with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? ... 7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? 8 If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! 9 Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering. 10 No one is fierce enough to rouse him. Who then is able to stand against me? 11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me. 12 "I will not fail to speak of his limbs, his strength and his graceful form. 13 Who can strip off his outer coat? Who would approach him with a bridle? 14 Who dares open the doors of his mouth, ringed about with his fearsome teeth? 15 His back has [2] rows of shields tightly sealed together; 16 each is so close to the next that no air can pass between. 17 They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted. 18 His snorting throws out flashes of light; his eyes are like the rays of dawn. 19 Firebrands stream from his mouth; sparks of fire shoot out. 20 Smoke pours from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over a fire of reeds. 21 His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from his mouth. 22 Strength resides in his neck; dismay goes before him. 23 The folds of his flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable. 24 His chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone. 25 When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing. 26 The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin. 27 Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood. 28 Arrows do not make him flee; slingstones are like chaff to him. 29 A club seems to him but a piece of straw; he laughs at the rattling of the lance. 30 His undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge. 31 He makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment. 32 Behind him he leaves a glistening wake; one would think the deep had white hair. 33 Nothing on earth is his equal- a creature without fear. 34 He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud."
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht 06-08-04, 06:59 PM	Originally posted by ksbsnowowl True enough. Actually, IIRC, the leviathan mentioned in the Bible is said to have a forked tongue, and I think it is generally described like a large serpent (not sure on that part, but I know the forked tongue part is true.) The leviathan is simply an embellished crocodile.
eonblueapocalypse 06-08-04, 09:56 PM	Leviathan was a huge serpant who was said to rule the seas. In the bible he was the second brother of Lucifer the Satan (his first brother being Bealzabul). This is the reason in D&D, Stygia, the fifth layer of hell, is comprised of mostly water, and the rulers name (Levistus) is very close to "Leviathan"