D&D: Five Classic ‘Dungeon Monsters’ That Can Only Exist Because Of Dungeons
One of the funniest things about D&D is just how many monsters evolved specifically to kill adventurers in dungeons.
If you’ve played D&D for more than just a session or two, you know just how deep the rabbit hole goes. And, just like someone discovering the subreddit for a specific hobby and getting way too into, say, drinking water, a big part of the fun of a deep rabbit hole is considering the implications.
In D&D, a lot of the classic “Dungeon Monsters” – these are monsters that typically appear in dank caverns and catacombs and such – have deep lore implications for the world. And because of the implication, we can infer that a bunch of these monsters adapted, specifically, to preying on adventurers in dungeons. So much so that adventurers are their primary source of sustenance, and the dungeon is their natural habitat.
Gelatinous Cube
Let’s start with one of the most iconic examples of this. Gelatinous cubes exist as living dungeon cleaning systems. And you only need to look at the shape of them to know that this species’ whole evolution was shaped by the perfectly square corridors of dungeons. Because these “quivering masses of acidic goo” are always cubed. They aren’t “acid slimes” or “corrosive oozes,” they’re gelatinous cubes.
Even if “a wizard did it” the offspring of the original gelatinous cubes have evolved over the centuries. Because dungeons are a thriving ecosystem for those who can prey on unsuspecting adventurers successfully.
Cloaker
Cloakers are a perfect example of this. These strange aberrations were first introduced to D&D as creatures that were disguised as old leather cloaks hanging on the wall. A fact that remains true to this day – a cloaker looks like a flying leather cloak with a terrible, manta-ray-like face on one side. They fly, feed on fear, emit eerie moans, and can create illusions.
But their resting state is still “looking like an old leather cloak.” They even attach themselves to adventurers, cloak style, though it’s typically to suffocate their prey. It’s up to the DM if they can ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ a slain adventurer for a bit, but I know I would.
Otyugh
Otyughs are another staple “dungeon monster” from D&D. They live in filth. In refuse. In fact, the original Otyughs were inspired by the Dionaga from Star Wars, which you might better know as the trash compactor monster that lives on the Death Star.
Otyughs evolved to eat the cast-off refuse that comes from an active dungeon. And sure, you can also find them on occasion in well-traveled caves or sewer systems – because sewers are also basically a dungeon in D&D. If you’ve ever had an adventure down there, you know well how dungeonlike they are.
Piercer
And then there are Piercers. These monsters resemble stalactites and cling to the ceiling of caverns and other stony surfaces sitting motionless until a hapless creature walks beneath them. Usually carrying a torch.
Then they drop down upon them and pierce them. Usually they exist as colonies, because an individual piercer, if it doesn’t kill its prey, is extremely vulnerable because they are quite slow on the ground and have to crawl bback up to the ceiling to make a proper attack again. Without dungeons and adventurers curious enough to get themselves killed regularly, this species could hardly reproduce sustainably.
Mimic
If ever there was a monster that evolved specifically to feed on adventurers, it’s the Mimic. These monsters appear most often as treasure chests. Though that’s hardly the only shape they can take, it still is true that most look like chests.
And the fact that they are still around instead of having been systematically wiped out shows the success of that reproduction strategy. They can reliably feed on adventurers who stumble into trying to open them for the loot. It happens to even the most seasoned of adventurers or most powerful of mages.
Happy Adventuring!
