D&D Basic Monsters: Skeleton

The skeleton is one of the most iconic fantasy creatures, and it's been with D&D since the earliest of days. The imagery of skeletons have been part of human culture for as long as we know, and its association with death is a natural one. They've also been an important part of popular culture the last century, and the animated skeletons of Dungeons and Dragons probably owe a lot to Ray Harryhausen's fantastic stop motion animated skeletal warriors from the 1963 movie "Jason and the Argonauts".

D&D Basic Monsters: Giant Wolf Spider

Giant Spiders are a common reoccurring threat in fantasy literature, featuring quite often in the works of Tolkien, including the spiders in Mirkwood from the Hobbit, Shelob from Lord of the Rings and the fearsome Ungoliant described in The Silmarillion.

As such there is no surprise these creatures always have been an integral part of Dungeons and Dragons, appearing in many shapes and sizes from the earliest editions.

Wolf Spiders are hunting spiders, rather than webbing spiders, so quite why the posses web sense and web walk abilities are a bit of a mystery....

D&D Basic Monsters: Blink Dog

The next monster up is the Blink Dog - the first (lawful) good creature covered here, and as such probably more likely to be encountered as an ally than an enemy. The Blink Dog has been with D&D since it's early days, but unlike a lot of other monsters, the Blink Dog seems to be an original creation for the game, having no basis in mythology or folklore.

For some reason Blink Dogs have always been the sworn enemy of Displacer Beasts.

D&D Basic Monsters: Giant Centipede

As with a lot of giant animals and insects, the giant centipede has real lift counterparts - like the Arthropleura, huge millipedes that could grow to about 9 feet in length. In D&D terms they're also quite ancient, appearing in the original Monster Manual - though the ones described there are no more than a foot in length.