D&D: Five Monsters Straight Out of ‘White Dwarf’ Magazine
Back in the day, White Dwarf got its start as an RPG magazine. And today we’re taking a look back at five of its most famous monsters still around in D&D.
White Dwarf is one of the longest-running hobby magazines out there. It’s a far cry from the longest-running hobby ‘zine – that title goes to Railroader because nothing stops those model trains, nothing. But White Dwarf started back in the 80s as a humble newsletter dedicated to all manner of RPGs, be they fantasy or sci-fi. It was the home for one of the original monster factories, known then as the ‘fiend factory’, and ran a column that introduced many a fan-favorite monster to the game, which is what we’re looking at today. Here are five monsters that first appeared in White Dwarf.
Disenchanter
The Disenchanter might be one of the most feared monsters in D&D, not because it does a ton of damage, but because it eats magic items. Rust monsters will eat your plate mail, but the Disenchanter, which first appeared in White Dwarf #6, will eat your +1 sword, drink your healing potions, and whatever other hard-earned loot you have.
Githyanki
The Githyanki were famously created by Charles Stross of the Laundry Files fame. These psionic humanoids, introduced in White Dwarf #12, get their name from a George R.R. Martin story (which is a weird fantasy-sci-fi circle, but kind of beautiful), became astral pirates and raiders who rose up to overthrow a vast Mind Flayer empire and ride around on Red Dragons.
Nilbog
Nilbogs are the backward goblin pranksters that still exist in 5th Edition. They cause all manner of trouble and were also first introduced in White Dwarf #6. They love to rhyme and cause problems for adventurers, as true then as it is now.
Berbalang
Berbalangs, first introduced in White Dwarf #11, are weirder monsters. They create astral (now spectral) duplicates of themselves that rove out into the world, fighting on their behalf. These evil astral predators love to kill and then speak to the corpse to learn the things they knew in life.
Hook Horror
The Hook Horror is one of those bizarre but iconic monsters. If you’ve never fought one, consider yourself lucky – these monsters have been grappling and terrorizing adventurers since White Dwarf #12.
What’s your favorite monster out of ‘White Dwarf’? Let us know in the comments!
