A complete(?) list of monsters from the DA modules can be found in
this thread.
Starting in random order, I would like to talk about Garls.
Garl
Garls first appeared in the TSR UK module, CM6 Where Chaos Reigns (1985). They also appeared in AC9 Creature Catalogue (1986) and in the revised DMR1 Creature Catalog (1993). Curiously, they did not appear in the AD&D Mystara Monstrous Compendium which updated many other creatures from the BECMI series to the AD&D 2nd Edition rules.
For Blackmoor, Garls made their first and only appearance in DA3 City of the Gods. Garls are basically Giant Neanderthals standing up to 10' tall with massive strength.
The DA modules were in my opinion a great achievement that fully took Dave Arneson's Blackmoor into a campaign setting for the D&D framework. Dave Ritchie deserves credit for accomplishing this, working with the manuscripts provided to him by Arneson. We may never know exactly where Arneson's vision ended and Ritchie's began. There is no reason to think that Garls existed in Arneson's campaign. However, to me they feel very Arnesonian. I think of them as something out of a Frazetta painting. We know that the original Blackmoor contained many prehistoric and gigantic creatures.
Garls are said to be found in the mountains and remote areas of Blackmoor. In my campaign, they are remnants of the
Burrower Wars, along with other Cave Man type humanoids, surviving from a forgotten age. During the Burrower Wars, many such humanoids were corrupted by creatures similar to the Egg of Coot and became servants of Chaos. While Garls are not inherently evil, some still show signs of that corruption lingering, centuries later.
I made use of the Garls in my sourcebook,
CBI-3 Bleakwood.
Has anyone else used Garls in your campaigns?
-Havard
