Friday, November 30, 2018

"Scientific" Random Monster Generator (With Examples!)

After reading some of Throne of Salt's mini-bestiary entries, I decided to make some of my own from prefixes and suffixes used to give animals their scientific names. At some point that turned into using Meandering Banter's HTML table creator to make an auto-rolling table of all the prefixes and suffixes I could find on Wikipedia.

Click below to get a name and tiny description.




This isn't intended to be used at the table, just to make something interesting.

NOW IT IS TIME FOR EXAMPLES

Deinopelta (Terrible Shield)

"An awful weight, a horrible speed. But only forwards. To retreat is to die." 
Their dozen-legged children hold on to the bulls as they crash through the trees. No one has ever seen one walk backwards.

Stegoornis (Roof Bird)

"A wandering sunset. Hide from the shade."
The Stegoornis' wide wings are used to blot out the sun above their targets, blinding and confusing them before the strike.

Brontonax (Thunder King)

"Lightning does not kill. It only carries."
A sky-romantic, dragged above in return for their prayers. Too far gone to speak with, but to distracted by their love to attack.


6 comments:

  1. Not what I was expecting when I read the title, but this is a very cool idea!

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    Replies
    1. I dunno, like a neural network to generate monsters or something 0.o (which if I can find the time maybe I should do...)

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    2. Janelle Shane built one of those: http://aiweirdness.com/post/172170729017/dungeons-and-dragons-creatures-generated-by

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    3. Oh nice, I was aware of that blog but hadn't seen that post! I've been meaning to contact her and ask her about her models. I have some machine learning experience but could definitely use advice.

      In any case that's kind of a tangent, but this is a really cool idea as well, one of those ones that seems obvious in retrospect but I never would have thought of it.

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    4. And Coins and Scrolls statted 50 of them out, if you find it interesting. https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/03/osr-monster-manuels-1d50-discount.html

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