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Return to AD&D Central BROWSE MY MONSTROUS ARCANA ITEMS CURRENTLY IN STOCK   I, Tyrant
"Q: 'What is the best way to kill a beholder?' A: Hire someone far stronger than you to do it. First off, let me say that Wizards of the Coast should let TSR continue with these Monstrous Arcana books. If you are a fan of the 'Dragon Ecologies' in Dragon Magazine as I am, the Monstrous Arcana series are for you. This book covers the beholder race, also known as 'eye tyrants.' The best way to imagine what a beholder looks like is to imagine a baloon. Now, put a single eye in the center of the balloon. Put a mouth full of sharp teeth below that eye. Put a ring of tentacles on the top, each ending in a single eye. Voila! Eye tyrant. While the Monstrous Manual has information on these beings, the Monstrous Arcana expands on so much more so. This book gives a complete ecology of the beholder race, including religion, social interaction, eating habits, anatomy, genetic deviations, alliances and hatreds. Diagrams include a typical beholder lair and disection. Each eye of the beholder has its own power, a ray of magic, each of which is categorized here. New beholder weapons and vehicles (!) are in here to, including mouth tools (they have no hands) and the bizarre eyedozer. Game stats cover the different variation of the beholders (including the three undead types)..." ...an anonymous Amazon review 1996 ... 96 pages ... TSR 9521 ... ISBN 0786904046  The Sea Devils
"The Sea Devils is a comprehensive look at sahuagin physiology, psychology, history and society. Each subject is covered in just the right amount of detail with plenty of useful tidbits and interesting facts that ought to be useful in any campaign based in a coastal area and especially those that revolve around maritime pursuits. Rules for sahuagin weaponry and combat are included as is a sample sahuagin village. Although there are several references to information given in the 'Of Ships and the Sea' supplement, The Sea Devils appears to be capable of standing alone and does have a section that gives handy rules for underwater campaigning. The book includes a poster that shows the relative appearances and sizes of various members of the sahuagin race and other creatures of the sea. The material itself rates four stars, at least. The text could use with slightly better organization, some of the details are scattered through the text rather than being collected under a single heading and way too much space is spent on fake NPC sages mysteriously commenting on various sahuagin theories and facts rather than just presenting the material in a more straightforward manner. The biggest drawback to this product, however, is that it is terribly overpriced for the volume of information it contains. After reading through the first dozen pages or so, one realizes that there is a terrific number of really big illustrations, sidebars full of pseudo-NPC drivel, redundant information and filler like 'sahuagin often use poison in combat, but that will be covered in chapter 7.' The margins are wide, the type is large and there is a disconcerting amount of just plain blank space, sometimes right in the middle of the page. The format resembles something you might expect from someone assigned to write a 20-page essay, but stuck with only 12 pages of material. The supplement checks in at 96 pages, but any competent editor could reduce the page count by a half, if not more. The Sea Devils contains very useful gaming material, but nobody should be paying full price for a half-empty book. It is highly recommended, but only if you can get it at a discount." ...an anonymous Amazon review 1997 ... 96 pages ... TSR 9539 ... ISBN 078690643X  The Illithiad
"The Illithiad is a visually stunning tome that details important information on mind flayers, their mental powers, and their dire plans to control the multiverse. This "complete book of illithids" covers: * The anatomy and physiology of the mind flayer. * The terrible truth about the mind flayers life cycle. * Illithid-kin, undead mind flayers, and new 'flayer-kin monsters. * A balanced look at illithid psionic powers. * Illithid origins, history, theology, psychology, and society. * A detailed description of a typical mind flayer community. * Unique mind flayer psionic abilities and items. The Illithiad is the third volume in the popular MONSTROUS ARCANA game accessory series and is indispensable to DMs who want to add these terrifying creatures to their campaigns. The Illithiad supports the mind flayer adventure trilogy: A Darkness Gathering, Masters of Eternal Night, and Dawn of the Overmind." 1998 ... Bruce R. Cordell ... 96 pages ... TSR 9569 ... ISBN 0786912065  Eye of Pain
"Inside the woods near Burke's Crossing lurks a very real danger. It began as a sense of unease, a feeling of being watched. But now people are disappearing. The lumberjacks who have stayed in the little village talk of ghosts and other superstitions. Or at least they did - until a mysterious statue appeared in a clearing near the logging camp. As if matters weren't strange enough, two mages have arrived and begun hiring armed guards to escort them into these very same woods. Is there a connection, or is it just coincidence? Either way, be prepared! You never know what's out there waiting...and watching." 1996 ... 32 pages ... TSR 9522 ... ISBN 0786904054  Eye of Doom
"After hiring a group of brave adventures to help him "acquire" a beholder specimen, the mage Velinax disappears! Rumors blame an insidious thieves' guild called the Unblinking Eye for this turn of events. Why would the Unblinking Eye wish to "take care" of the mage? Why does the guild want to speak to anyone involved with Welinax? Finally, what dark goal does the guild truly intend to accomplish? Finding out the answers to these questions will lead doughty adventurers straight through the shadows of a crafty thieves' guild and onto the threshold of an even deeper and more dangerous darkness." 1996 ... 32 pages ... TSR 9530 ... ISBN 0786904275  Eye to Eye
"Deep below the surface lies an ancient beholder city called Ilth K'hinax. In times past, hundreds of beholders called it home - until simmering rivalries within their society exploded into warfare. The few survivors fled, leaving the city deserted for hundreds of years. However, the story of Ilth K'hinax's glory was passed down from one generation of beholders to the next. Now, after countless years of self-imposed exile, the beholders are back! After securing the city, the hive mother of Ilth K'hinax implemented a plan to wipe out all the beings living above it. Unfortunately for the beholders, several facets of the hive mother's plan have been revealed through the exploits of a part of adventurers. Now, this group of heroes must meet eye to eye with Ilth K'hinax's newest occupants in an effort to stop the hive mother's pernicious plan!" 1996 ... 64 pages ... TSR 9536 ... ISBN 078690450X  Evil Tide
"Evil Tide is the first installment of an adventure trilogy linked to the Sea Devil and Of Ships and the Sea supplements and is set on a small fishing island that has recently been beset with sahuagin attacks. The related supplements are not really required, but there are numerous references to game mechanics, equipment, spells and magic items that were introduced in those works. Some of the material is reprinted or summarized, some of it isn't. The scenario is for mid-level PCs, but the plotting of the first installment of the Sea Devil trilogy is right out of DM 101 class. PCs travel to a remote island populated by a cast of stock NPCs (crusty old salts abound), encounter evil marauders playing havoc with the local economy and get hired by the local powers that be to do something about the problem. There is the usual missing persons story, unsurprisingly related to the recent excavation of several mysterious artifacts which are apparently linked to the evil doers search for a powerful and mysterious magic item. There are no surprises whatsoever for any but the most novice players and DMs. The meat of the scenario is the exploration of a series of underwater caves. The cave maps fail to capture the three-dimensionality of the underwater setting and the inhabitants and their reasons for being there are none too remarkable either. The underwater environment is a novel setting for anyone that missed U3 or The Murky Deep, however, and the challenges presented by the alien environment livens up a pretty flat storyline. A conveniently local wizard NPC can supply the magical means for an expedition beneath the waves if the PCs are lacking in this area. Evil Tide pretty much serves to set up the rest of the trilogy. It covers quite a bit of ground, but not a lot in depth with the exception of the island and fishing town which are sufficiently detailed to serve as a permanent campaign addition if so desired. While having to face sahuagin in an underwater environment is likely to make for a pretty difficult scenario, the overall blandness of the plot doesn't spark much interest in the events of the rest of the trilogy." ...an anonymous Amazon review 1997 ... 32 pages ... TSR 9542 ... ISBN 0786906782  Night of the Shark
"I picked up a copy of this late and was not able to get hold of the first or last modules in this 3-part series. With a small amount of tinkering and imagination it makes a fantastic conclusion to the U1-3 Saltmarsh series. After the PC's have successfully mapped the Sahuagin lair in U3, start this module. The PC's ship is sunk by vengeful Sahuagin and they left for dead. But a ghostly ship with a strange secret and grizzly cargo turns up at the last minute to save the day... Maybe..." ...review on Amazon by "dan_dan_the_garbage_man" 1997 ... 32 pages ... TSR 9550 ... ISBN 0786907185  Sea of Blood
"The deep sea holds many perils - some known, some secret, some merely hungry...and some evil. Those who live on dry land speak in whispers of the dreadful City of Abiding Hunger, where sea devils cavort in the court of their king, awful rites pay homage to a brutal shark god, and desperate refugees from above the waves dream of the sun they will never see again.... In Sea of Blood, adventurers attempt to overcome the mortal threats contained in the City of Abiding Hunger and the Throne of Teeth before finally coming face to face with their true enemy - the Deep Mother. Sea of Blood can be played as a stand-alone adventure, or it can serve as the finale of the sahuagin adventure trilogy that started with Evil Tide and continued in Night of the Shark." 1997 ... 64 pages ... TSR 9560 ... ISBN 078690772X  A Darkness Gathering
"Something is very wrong in Stormport: Corruption runs rampant among city officials, more and more people turn up missing every day, dark prophesies of Change convert new believers, and rumors persist of a demonic beast with a taste for human flesh that stalks the alleyways. Worse yet, spring is overdue; winter refuses to relinquish its icy grip. Only one vile force could cause such chaos: The Illithids have risen up once again, ready to enslave the surface races. Now, as never before, the world needs great heroes, mighty adventurers who will challenge the illithids' dark agendas. A Darkness Gathering is the first of an adventure trilogy (continuing with Masters of Eternal Night and concluding in Dawn of the Overmind) that pits brave adventurers against the brain-eating mind flayers. Dungeon Masters can run each individual adventure of the trilogy seperately, or they can be linked together to form a seamless, epic-length adventure." 1998 ... Bruce R. Cordell ... 32 pages ... TSR 9570 ... ISBN 0786912081  Masters of Eternal Night
"In Masters of Eternal Night, adventurers travel across a frozen landscape to stop the deadly mind flayers in their quest to extinguish the sun. Deep in the secret heart of a snow-covered crater, the player characters must unearth an ancient alien object. Only with its powers can the PCs hope to end the illithids' bid for ultimate domination." 1998 ... Bruce R. Cordell ... 32 pages ... TSR 9571 ... ISBN 0786912537  Dawn of the Overmind
"The illithids once ruled a mighty empire that strecthed across many worlds. These foul creatures enslaved or destroyed whole races in their quest for ultimate power - until a rebellion spread like fire on dry plains. The mind flayer empire toppled, and the multiverse was freed from eternal servitude. Now, a hundred suns burn toward extinction, their light stolen by the flayers to reinvent the past. If the PCs do not stop the new dawn, the Dawn of the Overmind, the illithids will rule once again! Following the clues left by their benefactor, the adventurers journey over a vast world of ancient ruins. Buried deeply within these ruins lies an artifact of ancient illithid manufacture. This item is all that stand between the illithids and their nefarious goal: complete and utter domination. Dawn of the Overmind is the third adventure in a trilogy (originating with A Darkness Gathering and continuing in Masters of Eternal Night). It can be played alone or linked with the other two parts of the trilogy to form an epic-length adventure. The illithid trilogy supports The Illithiad, a MONSTROUS ARCANA, supplement that contains invaluable information on every facet of illithid life, psychology, technology, and ability." 1998 ... Bruce R. Cordell ... 64 pages ... TSR 9572 ... ISBN 0786912111
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