Monster Files
Contents
Overview
Summary
The monsters in Elder Tale Online differ somewhat per server, but many of their categories can be found on each. This page serves as a list of what players can run into, and in most situations - are free to run and use for plots. If you're looking to use one of the really powerful ones, or rare ones, contact admin ahead of time so we can discuss some finer details.
Intelligence and Behavior
Monsters, on average, are like forces of nature. They have one defining personality trait that drives their actions, and this trait is usually a primal urge. However, there are a rare few monster categories that show some measure of sentience.
Historically in Elder Tale Online, 'monster sentience' is considered to scale like what one would expect of a very dumb Person of the Land. What's more, the above guiding principle remains, making their behavior typically predictable and singular.
Named Monsters
There are chances to find so-called 'Named Monsters' or 'Elite Monsters' out in the world. This is an excepted game fact, and these monsters have historically served to provide players with more of a challenge and rarer 'loot'.
Monster Drops
Monsters generally drop items (and on rare occasions, currency) based on their difficulty rating. Raid bosses in Elder Tale Online are generally scaled at such a difficulty that each person is going to come out well rewarded for the time they have sunk into things. In general, drops are not 'coded' to automatically go to someone, and fall to the floor automatically to be picked up. There is no autoloot system, or other division-of-loot quality-of-life features that OOC players may be familiar with.
Amorphous Monsters
Summary
Amorphous beings are ones without real form. Morphable to an extent - though not at the level of the idea of a Doppelganger or Shapeshifter. They tend to be more resistant to physical attacks due to the pliable nature of their bodies.
Types
Slimes
There’s little to say about slimes outside of what is typical. They are made of bodies that have a firmer outside, and a squishy inside. They each carry a ‘core’ that is the center of their being. As long as the core remains, the Slime remains alive. They absorb things into their bodies, and depending on their type, they can devour and dissolve a great variety of beings, objects, etc.
They range widely from simple physical jump attacks to being able to use special skills and magic. Usually, if they are capable of casting magic, this is decided by their color and general looks. Their various species are generally driven by the things they eat or mate with. As such, slimes in a lava region is likely to hold a fire aspect and look like a lava rock in theme - where-as slimes living around towns may look like cats (Tabby Slimes).
The most common slime is the base pink slime, also sometimes referred to as Poring.
Solo, these slimes are not particularly dangerous, depending on the type of slime. But in large groups, or extremely high-level slimes, can present a very real danger. Yet, somehow, they always end up looking cute.
Aesthetic Reference: Slime Rancher
Flans
Flans are not usually confused for slimes. While they carry similar properties to slimes, in that they are partially see-through - they are always elemental in nature. They are all resistant to physical attacks, and specifically, are magic casters. Their demeanor is always that of a monstrous grimace, as opposed to the cuteness of a slime.
Flans are usually found in sewers or places that are rich in magical workings, such as old Alv ruins, or dungeons. They are rarely if ever, found in big cities due to the protections and common adventuring parties sent out into the sewers to ensure things remain clean.
Aesthetic Reference: Final Fantasy 11, 14
Aquatic Monsters
Summary
All Aquatic creatures are capable of existing underwater indefinitely - and almost all of them are of the water affinity. The water is their domain, and without exception - their stats are raised by being within lakes and ocean. The vast majority of them are considered non-sentient.
Many of them were held at bay by the Undine before the coming of the Leviathans. Now, many of these species swarm their former cities - and there’s even talk of some of these creatures performing some kind of ritual-like behavior for the Leviathans themselves.
Types
Mermen
Mermen, also known as Sahuagin, are known to be an amphibious bipedal species that has a large range of sizes. From the more frogman like subspecies known for their water-border huts and madman-like battle-cries to the tall lamprey-like siren-song Naiads, to the Ogre Sahuagin.
These beings are armed with the many harpoon-like weapons they’ve found within the confines of the fallen Undine settlements, and capable of wielding magics such as cutting water blades. Their danger generally scales quickly with the size of their army and the size-class of the Mermen.
Cetus
Sea Monsters of enormous size, well beyond what one would expect from a mere Dire Monster. They come in enormous variation, some sea-bound, others who are capable of wandering the land. The danger level of most Cetus require at minimum a raid of some sorts, depending on the level of the sea monster. Many adventurers refer to these beings as Kaiju.
Dire Monsters
Summary
Dire Beasts are, in essence, more dangerous versions of Beasts, including many that originally went extinct due to the initial Monster Invasion. Dire Beasts is a misnomer however, as the system purely identifies them as Monsters. It is purely for aesthetic reasons that Adventurers and People of the Land refer to them as such.
It’s not uncommon for Dire Beasts to carry mutations, such as Dire Equine having the Unicorn subtype, or the ‘Brood Queen’ amongst Dire Spiders.
Dire monsters are most compatible with Were Fangs.
Common Creatures
Common Dire Monsters are:
- Dire Wolves
- Dire Spiders
- Dire Bears
- Dire Equine (Ex: Nightmares)
Dragon Monsters
Summary
Draconic Beings tend to have special abilities or unique skills, and all-around high stats to the point that it takes an exceptional person to solo one. There’s a legend of Wyvern Riders from before written times, but no Person of the Land, Hero, nor Adventurer has managed to tame such creatures as long as time can remember. In general, it is considered that these beings, each and everyone, have such a nice animal-like stubborn free spirit that they refuse to be tamed or even make deals with people that would put them in a situation that would go against their nature.
As far as the civilized regions know, none of these creatures hold any sentience of any sort, nor are they able to speak.
In general, Draconics have a themed affinity, though not always elemental in nature. Fire, Lightning, Ice and Acid are the more common ones; but it is possible to find crystal dragons or mist dragons.
Types
Wyverns
Wyverns are the most ‘common’ of the Draconic monsters. They have two hind legs, and use the center half of their powerful wings for quadrupedal movement when on land. They come in a variety of sizes, from the more common truck sized Young Wyverns to the rare jumbo-jet sized Elder Wyverns. They tend to feature a stinger for a tail, and their wing-gusts can easily send lightweights flying. They, however, lack a dragon’s breath attacks and instead have to rely on direct magic casting.
Wyverns are rarely found alone. They tend to move in packs of three, which makes them that much more dangerous. There’s a saying that a Lone Wyvern is the most dangerous of Wyverns, because that just means you don’t know where its partners are.
Dragons
Dragons are oft considered one of the most powerful monsters in Elder Tale Online. These four-legged massive beings, winged beasts have armored hide, dragon’s breath, and a series of unique skills - such as aura fear effects, or extreme elemental condition auras - that often make them impossible to fight for anything short of an army led by multiple heroes, or a well equipped raid group with a plan.
They're sometimes compared to magpies in how they hoard items, building massive lair-like nests where they make their home. Though it changes for every dragon what they hoard. Non-sentient monsters are oft cowed into submission within their domain.
Old dragons tend to attune to the region they call their lair - creating such sights as sand or lava dragons. This, however, creates more dangerous dragons, like armor over their standard form.
Dire Flora
Grotesque Monsters
Summary
Grotesques are powerful monsters with the largest range to them. From the smaller Goblins and other mutant-like humanoids to the enormous fat Devourers, these Grotesques often create their own tribal societies with their own languages. They tend to be of low intelligence in and off of themselves, except for some of their exceptional leaders - such as Orc Warlords, Goblin Shamans, etc. Grotesques are all considered ugly by almost all races. They, in fact, spread filth everywhere they go and find cities and regular domicile living to be alien and vile. They find pleasure in darker matters, such as torture. They do not reason in the ways of a normal human being and are driven by a primal and destructive need to give rise to such emotion.
Types
Goblinoid
Goblinoids come in various shapes and sizes and live in massive communities in mountain caves and ruined cities. They generally can’t stand the sunlight and will do their best to avoid stepping out in it unless the situation calls for extreme measures.
It’s not uncommon to find small scout groups of goblins, or smaller warbands trying to take over a small settlement. As such, adventurers are commonly highly familiar with these beings. But few understand the fear they put into the hearts of the People of the Land. Where the other grotesques, thrive on instilling terror, Goblinoids /revel/ in it.
Orcoid
From the ‘smaller’ pig-like Orcs, to the enormous Ogres and Trolls, Orcoids live in communities that roam the lands. These communities are often smaller than the Goblinoids, and have a stricter order to them. The Orcoids often actually wield weapons and armor; be it stolen from People of the Land or Adventurers.
Unlike the more hive-like Goblinoids, which send small scouting parties and rarely are seen overland in large armies, Orcoids will wage all-out-war against the People of the Land.
Devourers
Devourers, also known as Horrors, are beings that look so grotesque they can’t be considered something one would find in the real world. They are enormously fat, and often pocked with warts. Bile leaks from them wherever they go. They are disease carriers of the highest order, are rarely seen living alongside any other kind of monster, and rarely in a community larger than ten. On their own, however, they are considered the most dangerous of all Grotesques. It takes a well-equipped party to take down even a singular Devourer due to the enormous amount of Debuffs they tend to apply. What’s more, to be ingested by a Devourer is said to have long-lasting effects on Adventurers. Even People of the Land who managed to not be killed- freed from these enormous beings’ stomachs by a Hero or the like- are never again the same.
It is said that the land where a Devourer is killed becomes cursed.
Leviathan Monsters
Machine Monsters
Summary
Machine type monsters come in two types, one common; one rare. They tend to be resistant to magic, status effects and are highly adaptive. The types are too disparate to summarize beyond this.
Types
Machina
Not much is known about the Machina. It is said that Machina were sent by the Alv before their arrival - rumor of their presence during the Alv extermination. Others say that these have nothing to do with the monstrous machina that exist now, and were merely summons. Whatever the case may be, the system qualifies them as Monsters.
Machina are humanoids with various mechanical parts to them. They are rarely seen alone, usually traveling in groups or two or three, and are considered extremely dangerous. They have the ability to form weapons across their body, and even capable of flight. The main danger of the Machina is their ability to adapt. When prepared, a magic can be absorbed and analyzed by a Machina, and then be permanently used by its compatriots.
There is no known ‘home’ to Machina, but the Gnomes speak of seeing them within their caves during the time of the monster uprising - and that being the reason for the loss of so many of their people.
Machina are sentient, and their methods and reasons are unknown. But many consider that, with their ability to absorb magics as they do, their intent is to absorb knowledge.
In theme, their transformed weapons are generally announced with German keywords, and their way of speaking contains no inflection. From those who have survived encounters with Machina, terms such as ‘Einweig’ to create one-way barriers, and the keyword ‘Lösen’ prepending their calls.
Elemental Machines
Elemental Machines seem very unlike the Machina. The Elemental Machines tend to be found in ancient Ruins across Yamato. Their workings tend to be complex, and no copies have been produced by People of the Land or Adventurers. It is clear however that they were created for a purpose - one that they will continue to fulfill for as long as it takes to complete it, before turning off. Many of them are incredibly powerful, and are even capable of using magic of the highest order - but only those of Water, Wind, Fire, and Earth. Their shells are made out of a magical metal that is tough to beat regardless of the weapon used.
In general, Elemental Machines are only ever found solo, as a boss to a dungeon guarding treasure. But it’s not unheard of to find an Elemental Machine smithing away at a massive forge, slowly building on projects that have long since been finished - ever building and crafting until disturbed.
They are generally about twelve feet tall and come in various designs and colors. But they generally follow the line of a heavy carapace, and either humanoid design or quadruped design.
They are not known to be sentient, though they are capable of speech. Often, this comes in the form of warnings about one’s intrusion, and the ensuing battle that undoubtedly will proceed from there.
Spirit Monsters
Summary
Spirits come in various shapes and sizes. From the mischievous Wisps to the dangerous Poltergeists. Spirits should not be mistaken for the Undead, which are in a category of their own. They are generally resistant to physical attacks to an extent.
Spirits are not compatible with Were Fangs creation.
Types
Binders
Binders typically come in two subtypes, Living Armor, and Poltergeists. Binder Spirits are considered Invisible until they permanently take possession of an Object, or Demense. Once their Object they’ve come to possess is destroyed, or their Core is destroyed within a Demense, they continue to be able to move at will; commonly using physical attacks of various sorts.
Binders are the most physically vulnerable of the Spirit types - as resistant as that which they’ve decided to possess.
The will of Binders is generally impossible to comprehend, and generally, it is considered that these kinds of beings simply ‘are’.
Brights
Brights are visible Spirits that do not possess anything or anyone - such as Wisps and Ghosts. They generally are found in places of nature, and can even be benign at times. They tend to use magic, rather than physical attacks, as they are unable to interact to any great extent with the physical. As such, physical attacks are considered weak against them - unlike magic.
They are considered fae-like and are sometimes even able to communicate with those around them through simplistic and child-like words and express their emotions with the color of their bodies. Though the latter changes in meaning for every bright.
Undead Monsters
Summary
The undead come in various shapes and sizes, but almost exclusively are based on fallen Monsters, Beasts, or People of the Land. They are generally resistant to magic and various effects and are hardier than their living counterparts, but less powerful in physical strength or magical aptitude.
Undead do not have ‘societies’ and generally do not ‘roam’ - and remain in the dungeons, ruins, and battlefields where they were born. Few understand the requirements of forming undead - but the most common answer is that this is the works of Liches.
Undead are not compatible with Were Fang creation.
Types
Bones
Bones are the most common types of Undead. They are the well known Skeleton versions of fallen warriors, beasts, or even monsters. They lack muscle, and as such carry less strength to everything they do. However, they are difficult to destroy, as the magic that binds them creates a powerful bond amongst their parts. But, enough physical trauma often destroys them handily. They are rarely dangerous solo, unless their monstrous counterpart is something like a Wyvern, in which case they could very well inherit a set of their Unique Skills or Magics; which makes them even more difficult than their living counterpart to deal with due to their various resistances. Generally, they are considered to lose any sign of sentience when turned into a Bone type undead.
Eaters
Ghouls
Ghouls and Zombies, considered the same for Elder Tale Online, are typically stronger than Bones, but also slower and lack the innate toughness of Bones. They are often found right alongside Bones. They are often disease carriers, but there is no known instance of anything alike to a ‘Zombie Virus’. This has caused Adventurers to coin them as Ghouls.
For all intents and purposes, the shift in stats is the only thing that sets them apart from Bones - aside from the fact that Ghouls are known to eat the remains of their victims.
Vampires
Vampires are often Sentient, and the Lich subtype falls under this category. These creatures are often created by powerful magics, and it is generally considered that the only viable path to these sorts of undead states is to already be a sentient creature. The mechanics behind all of this is as poorly understood as those of Ghouls and Skeletons. What is however known, is that whatever goes into making a Lich or Vampire, it causes incredibly powerful beings with multiple Unique Skills, such as increases in magic power, or auras of obedience that pull even the most strong-willed creatures beneath their thumb.
Humanoid Monsters
Summary
There are various Humanoid monsters that do not fall under the other categories. Beings such as Living Elementals, Gnolls, Kenku, Kobolds, Gargoyles, Lizardfolk etc. They tend to be on the smarter side of things, some even showing intelligence. All of them are living in a ways, and even have their own small societies - often referred to as Tribes. They tend to be extremely isolationist and hostile towards anyone and anything entering their domain.
Types
Living Elementals
Living Elementals are the most unusual of the humanoid types. They tend to live in very small, almost hermit-like communities. They're often compared to Spirits in the way they behave, often an expression of their natural forms. They tend to attack by growing parts of themselves, or expressing their element through magic. They range from 'humanoid looking walking blobs of water' to 'human-looking person with raging fire for hair'. They do not share any languages with the People of the Land, and are extremely dangerous and hostile.
Others
All others fall under the summary, as they are too varied. In general, their communities are small and isolated - but very teritorial.
Note
If considering a Humanoid Monster not on this list for Were Fang genes, throw staff a quick query.