Can You Identify All of These D&D Monsters From a DM Description?

Amanda Monell

Image: Danielle Donders/Moment/Getty Images

About This Quiz

With the versatility of a Swiss Army knife, the world of Dungeons & Dragons can offer almost anything the imagination creates. How is this possible? For one thing, unlike many games, a majority of the play doesn't require too much equipment on the player's side. A character sheet, pen or pencil and some dice are the only things you need to get into it. With this minimalistic approach, players can create an environment where monsters thrive and their characters can slay them in all sorts of ways. Of course, this isn't all just willy nilly carnage; the DM leads the group by creating the world and all the creatures in it. 

If you have a good DM, you'll forget that you're sitting in a group of people rolling dice and the mountain of munchies won't be on your mind. You'll be immersed in their world, throwing your character into pits of baddies, and on a good day, you'll be getting a lot of sweet loot and experience. On a bad day ... let's not go there. 

One of the tools that the DM uses is the "Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manual," a tome that houses hundreds of baddies for players to battle. So, do you think you can match wits with a DM description of a beastie? Take this quiz to find out!

As you trek into the seedy underbelly of the Underdark, you hear a ticking sound. As you turn around you're faced with a massive half-spider, half-drow creature. What is it?

Driders have a tragic origin story. Lolth, the Spider Queen and goddess of many drow, saw potential in the drow that would later become the drider. She tested their strength and devotion and when they didn't succeed, she transformed them into a drow spider hybrid to remind her followers of her power.

You've fallen behind your party and are trying to catch up to them when you see something that looks like a black leathery stingray flying above you. Which monster is it?

Just like any other predator animal, cloakers are hunters of opportunity. They will often be found floating around the Underdark preying on the sick, wounded or creatures left behind.

As you're getting ready to make camp, you and your party are greeted by a group of creatures with the head and torso of a human and the body of a horse. Who are you going to be talking to?

Centaurs are usually found dwelling in forests, where they live in nomadic tribes. When the tribes migrate it could be decades before they return to their former homes, and when they do it could lead to conflict between them and the current residents of the area.

After walking around a haunted ruin for a bit, you stumble upon a skeletal creature with pins of light for eyes and wearing out-of-date clothing. What character are you about to fight?

If you are ever unfortunate enough to have to fight a lich in their lairs, you're going to have more than one baddie on your case. As a level 17 caster, the lich can take a lair action, which can include summoning the spirits that have died at the hands of this undead creature.

On a fact-finding mission, your party visits the Upper Planes, where you feel dwarfed because some of the inhabitants look like beautiful statues. What character is it?

When an Empyrean feels any kind of emotion, they have the ability to manifest it. If they're happy, animals can be seen frolicking around and near them, the sun is shining down on them and all is well.

When you approach Great Aunt Wormweather's hut, you're surprised to see that she is a withered creature with dead animal parts in her hair and on her clothes. What kind of creature is she?

Hags are considered a medium-sized fey, but they are fascinated with all things dark. And just like any group of friends, these creatures tend to stay in contact with one another sharing information and at times getting together, forming covens.

You're getting ready to meet up with your next battle when you hear hooves behind you. As you turn around, you come eye to eye with a horse with a mane and tail made of fire. What kind of mount is it?

If you've ever wondered how that demon riding a nightmare randomly appeared, wonder no more. Nightmares have the ability to transport their riders to and from the Material Plane from the Ethereal Plane, making them appear practically anywhere.

While refilling your canteen for your next day's journey in the forest, you hear a sweet feminine giggle and when you look to the trees, you see a shy female peering at you with wooden skin. What creature is she?

If your character is ever awarded the chance to see a dryad, take it as a compliment. Dryads are notoriously reclusive fey who only come close to adventurers if they find them attractive. Of course, this is probably to charm them, so it could be a bad thing, too.

While on your way to your next destination, you come across a creature who you swore you killed. It has green rubbery skin and massive claws. What creature is it?

Trolls can be nasty creatures for the newer adventurer to mid-level adventurer because of their regenerative powers. Unless you use a fire or acid attack, the troll's body regenerates 10 hit points per turn and any body parts lost can be reattached after the fight.

You and your party are freezing in the mountains and are attempting to find shelter in a nearby town. As you make your way there, you notice a creature with an elk's head eating the corpse of a villager. What is this nasty creature?

Wendigos can be rather nasty creatures to come across. These undead love to play with their prey and one of their spells is dream haunting, which can turn parties into one if not cured.

While walking past a church, one of the stone statues perched on the rooftop swoops down and starts to attack you. What guardians are we thinking about?

In reality, gargoyles are usually found perched on rooftops, protecting their home. In Dungeons & Dragons, gargoyles are cruel creatures who not only hide among the statues on rooftops and attack unsuspecting creatures, but they also are recruited and inspired by evil masters.

As you hike up into the mountains with your party, you're surprised as one of your comrades is turned to stone. You're then face to face with a multi-limbed lizard. What is it?

If you ever come across a basilisk, the best route to take is to run. A gaze from this beast can start the process of turning the character to stone. To make matters worse, in order to sucessfully not become encased in stone, multiple saving rolls need to be made per round.

You've been given the task of slaying a barbed devil. As you and your party fret, you are approached by a winged creature with greenish skin. What are they?

Out of all the angels, a planetar could be one of the most feared. These celestials are tasked with enforcing their god's will from a swarm of locusts to droughts. However, if they come across a group of adventurers or are tasked with helping adventurers, planetars love kicking a little fiend butt.

As you're fighting a group of baddies, you swear you could see a floating brain with a beak and barbed tentacles out of the corner of your eye. What is this bizarre-looking creature?

When it comes to classifying creatures, grells often use three definitions: edible, inedible and great eaters (someone who preys on grells). If you ever see one of these guys hanging in the background, the fight isn't over. They're waiting on you to dispose of the bigger monsters before striking.

Hooray! You've finally reached the vault with some sweet loot inside. Boo, there's a large cat with six limbs and two tentacles blocking your path. What creature is this?

Displacement beasts use a rather ingenious method of fighting. By using their tentacles, they can make themselves appear closer or farther away from their prey. They are highly intelligent as well; they'll only work as a pet to an evil character if they feel it suits their best interests.

As you're walking through a swamp, you witness a plantlike creature eating a hapless adventurer. What monster is this?

Even though there are three different types of blight (needle, vine and twig), they all are sprouted from the same tree, the Gulthias tree. The Gulthias tree got its name from a legend; it is believed that a vampire's blood got infused with the tree, giving these malevolent plants their appetites.

While trekking through a forest with your party, you hear the rustling of leaves. As you look to investigate, you see that a tree has sprouted legs and is quietly watching you. What is it?

There are two types of creature that can detect when a tree has the potential of becoming a treant. The first is the druids and the second is another treant. When the treant realizes that there is one of these infant treants nearby, they will defend it mercilessly.

You're arriving at a new town and need directions to the nearest tavern. The only creature around is a humanoid who has the head and talons of a raven. What kind of creature is this?

When it comes to communicating with a kenku, it can be a lesson in patience. They are experts in mimicry and tend to use the sounds of an environment or creature as a method of communication. For example if it wanted to go to a church, it may use the sound of a bell to communicate it.

As your ship sails by some jagged cliffs, you hear a beautifully performed song. As you adjust your telescope, you see a few naked humanoids with the torso and head of a human and the wings and legs of a vulture. Who are these lovely ladies?

Upon hearing a song, an elvish lady searched for the source of the music. She found a beautiful male elf, who ran off the moment she saw him. After praying for guidance, a goddess took pity on her and gave her a song to entice him, which failed and after cursing the gods, she became the first harpy.

You find yourself in a cave filled with various trophies. A few minutes pass and it is then when you realize that you're being watched by a creature with one massive eye gaping maw and eye stalks. What kind of monster is it?

Even though there are several different types of beholder, they all share one thing in common: they all believe that they are a superior race to all and that other races don't like them because they are brilliant.

A village has given you the task of killing a humanoid who feeds on blood and can only go out at night. What creature is it?

If you're ever wondering whether you're dealing with a vampire or not, check out the environment. There is an increase in the rat, bat and wolf populations and when you get within 500 feet of the vampire's lair, a thick fog is noticeable.

When you start to approach a fire giant's lair, you're greeted by a fire-breathing dog with bright red eyes. What type of pup is it?

Just like a wolf, hell hounds tend to hunt in packs where they pick off the weakest prey. If they are in the service of another evil creature, they are great at killing and keeping guard. However, if the owner doesn't let the hound hunt, it will turn on or abandon its master.

Holy cow! Your party just came upon a treasure chest! As you get closer, you realize that it is surrounded by sticky slime. You can't move and now the treasure chest has teeth and eyes. What is it?

In addition to treasure chests, mimics can be in the form of a door or any other inanimate object. They're usually found in dungeons where the prey is rich in adventurers who want to make a quick buck.

As you're traveling to a nearby town, you notice that one of your party members is acting strangely. You confront them and find out that they've been replaced with one of these creatures. What is it?

If you ever wonder how long a doppelganger has been tracking your party, all you have to do is watch it. If the doppelganger has had their captive for a while, then they would know some of their mannerisms and habits.

You're foraging through a swamp for a potion ingredient when you spot a moving mass of rotting vines and vegetation. What type of plant is it?

When it comes to dealing with shambling mounds, you should treat them like any other kind of weed. Instead of just killing the surface, you need to kill the roots as well. If they aren't taken care of, the roots will simply start to grow another body.

You're wandering through a valley when a member of your party trips and falls on untied shoes. After a good laugh, a tiny creature with butterfly wings wearing acorns flutters into view. What fey is it?

With their tallest heights being a little over a foot, it may be hard to notice a pixie. Luckily they tend to gauge who they interact with by playing harmless pranks. If you take it with a good nature, then you'll get a chance to meet them.

After a vote, your party decides to trek through a graveyard at night, where you encounter a pack of undead creatures wearing scraps of clothing and eating corpses. What creature are they?

Unlike zombies, ghouls feast on corpses that have been dead for a while. It is only when there aren't any corpses available that they feed off the creatures of the living, and their skin doesn't rot or age.

You and your party pass out at the local inn in the Underdark. However, when you wake up you're surrounded by creatures with a head shaped like an octopus complete with four tentacles. What villain is this?

Mind flayers (also known as illithids) are intergalactic tyrants that have taken up residence in the Underdark. If you encounter a single mind flayer, it would be considered lucky because they live by communicating to an elder brain. Single mind flayers are considered outcasts.

As a reward for defeating an evil wizard, your party loots a magic looking lamp. After rubbing it, a blue creature wearing airy robes appears with a grin. What kind of creature is it?

Out of all the genies, the djinni is the only creature that looks favorably upon adventurers. They may grant a wish or two in exchange for gifts, but if there is one thing they dislike is being bound into servitude to others.

When you arrive at a door, the rogue in your party botches their detect traps roll and you all end up in a pit trap where an ooze disguised as a wall attacks you. What ooze is it?

If you ever find yourself in a pit trap with a gray ooze, we hope that all your weaponry and armor is magical because the gray ooze can eat through common metal items two inches thick in a single round.

Just as you're about to go to bed for the night in a dark forest, you hear a deafening screech fill the night's sky. As you investigate, you see a creature with an owl's head and a bear's body eating some dinner. What creature is this?

Even with their ill dispositions and stubborn nature, with a little persistence an owlbear can be tamed to be a mount or guardian. At one time there were owlbear races and there were two different bets going on: one to see if the owlbear would rebel against its owner and one for winning the race.

When you first started to play, you often encountered these baddies, who would often hunt in packs wear next to nothing. What low-level baddie is it?

Whenever you start a lower level campaign, goblins are a great baddie to battle. Even though they are incredibly malevolent and travel in packs, they have only seven hit points, which makes them a weaker monster.

While hiking through a jungle, you are taken by humanoids with a lizard's head. Which creature is this?

If you ever get into contact with lizardfolk, you better not use magic because leaders of their tribes fear it. On top of which, if you get too close, a hunting party may be sent out to hunt you down to become the main dish in a feast.

The townsfolk of a village has hired you and your party to hunt down a creature who is hunting down residents and killing them for revenge. What undead is it?

In general, revenants are created when a soul returns to its body to claim revenge upon those who killed them. They do this by hunting down each of those who have wronged them one by one.

You're fighting an undead who glows white hot and usually has an army of zombies to battle. What creature is it?

Wights are unique in that they willingly chose to live in the state that they're in. As they met their demise, these mortals had bad intentions in their hearts and prayed to whatever demon lords they worshiped to become immortal to help further their evil designs.

Looking at a ball of light while in the woods, you're filled with hope as you are led further away from your party into a pit trap. What evil creature is it?

The Will-o'-Wisp is one of the most puzzling creatures to come across. While they project hope while they lead adventurers into traps, it is actually misery that they seek. They tend to lurk wherever the adventurer is led, fasting on the misery and pain when the adventurer meets its maker.

When you come into a town you meet a rich merchant who is up to no good. Upon investigation, you find that this merchant resembles a mix between a human and a tiger. What fiend is this?

If you ever see a rakshasa in its true form, you should consider yourself lucky (or unlucky), because these creatures love to feast on humanoid flesh. They will fight to keep their identities secret. However, if they are found out they fight to the death so they don't get sent back to the Nine Hells.

As you venture into a town, you're approached by a panicked priest gesturing to a humanoid creature that looks like a distorted human, who is crushing the town! What construct are you battling?

Even though most golems are neutrally aligned, if you ever wanted a golem with good intentions, a clay golem is the best way to go. These constructs are usually crafted by priests with great faith. Unfortunately, when the clay vessel cracks, the golem could end up destroying the priest it served.

As you wake up from a fitful sleep to set off on a new adventure, you feel like something's watching you. When the mage in your group takes a see invisible potion, they say they see an invisible outline. What creature is it?

Usually when an invisible stalker is brought onto the material plane, its summoner will often command it to retrieve objects for them. If these commands are anything other than a object retrieval, the stalker will disappear.

You're tracking a lamia and come across these creatures that look like they're half Jackal and half human. What are they?

Jackalweres are usually in the service of lamias, and they capture hapless adventurers to lead them into a life of slavery. Just like werewolves, they can take three different shapes; a jackal, a hybrid and a human.

About HowStuffWorks Play

How much do you know about dinosaurs? What is an octane rating? And how do you use a proper noun? Lucky for you, HowStuffWorks Play is here to help. Our award-winning website offers reliable, easy-to-understand explanations about how the world works. From fun quizzes that bring joy to your day, to compelling photography and fascinating lists, HowStuffWorks Play offers something for everyone. Sometimes we explain how stuff works, other times, we ask you, but we’re always exploring in the name of fun! Because learning is fun, so stick with us!

Explore More Quizzes