A Bestiary

Herein I read the monster manual entries from OD&D in order and try to parse them into groupings and categories that let me use them at the table.Every attempt to read OD&D is some sort of bizarre self mortification ritual. It's not the text itself, it's the grappling with it that's important.This post is a quasi-continuation of my quickly-abandoned Domesday Book project. It is heavily inspired by Idraluna Archive's OD&D SOP and Gearing's &&Monsters. Normal MenBandits: Almost nobody, except for certain heathen kingdoms of Faraway, has a standing regular army. Rather, local kings will raise their banners and give out spears at the Weapontake, transforming Serfs and Peasants into Soldiers. When the war is over, Soldiers that have not won battle spoils (or won too many battle spoils) or who have no home to return to are transformed into Bandits. Bandit leaders carry ragged banners to kingdoms that no longer exist. Berserkers: Berserkers are Men troubled by dragondreams, which are sent…