D&D Basic Monsters: Orc
The orc is perhaps the most iconic of all the fantasy humanoid races in D&D, and while they can trace their origins back to old English and Anglo-Saxon sources, the orc as it is known in D&D and other role playing games, definitively take their inspiration from the orcs of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Their appearance seems to vary quite a bit for source to source. One aspect that seems to vary a lot, is how porcine they are in appearance. The original Monster Manual merely states that they have pink snouts, and the second edition Monstrous Manual even notes that comparison with pigs are exaggerated and perhaps unfair.
In the D&D Basic bestiary however, they're described as having "stooped postures, piggish faces, and prominent teeth that resemble tusks", so the one depicted here gets to look quite the pig.
D&D Basic Monsters: Lizardfolk
Lizardfolk do not directly figure in classical myths and folklore, but reptilian humanoids are abundant in mythology, folk lore, scinece fiction, ufology and cryptozoology. They're very often depicted as some sort of hybrid between reptiles and mammals, especially female speciments, who are frequently featured with a (rather prominent) pair of mammary glands, otherwise absent in reptiles....
D&D Basic Monsters: Hobgoblin
Next out, the Hobgoblin in one of the staple humanoid monster races of D&D tracing its roots back to the early beginnings. Larger than goblins and more organised than orcs they're often organised in well formed armies or serve as body guards.
In the original Monster Manual they were given quite an oriental look, with armour and gear that were somewhat remenicent of the Mongol warriors of Ghengis Khan or even the japanese samurai, while this one has gear more resembling a legionnaire of the late Roman Empire.
In folklore the heobgoblin was a smaller creature living on farms and houses (hob possibly meaning house or home, so a "house-goblin") playing tricks on the inhabitants, a bit like a mischievous brownie or sprite. In Shakespeare, the character of Puck from "A Midsummernight's Dream" is said to be a hobgobli.
D&D Basic Monsters: Gnoll
First out of the larger humanoid races - the Gnoll.
The Gnoll is one of the iconoc humanoid races of D&D, easily recognised by their hyena-like head. They're often implicated with demoic worship, especially the demon lord Yeenoghu. Bothe gnolls and Yeenoghu trace their origins way back, both appearing in the original Monster Manual).
Tracing the roots of the Gnoll is somewhat difficult. Though the idea of a creature with a human body and head of a hyena might bring the Egyptian god Anubis to mind (with his human body and jacal head), there is little to link the gnolls to Egypitan mythology. Herodotous speak of dog-headed men living somewhere in the western parts of Africa, though he was probably referring to baboons.
The name (originaly spelled gnoles) seems to come from a short story by fantasy writer Lord Dunsany from 1912, who describe them as a bunch of loutish fellows, living in tall houses at the edege of the world. There is nothing in Dunsany's story to link their appearance to hyenas.
So in the end, the gnoll is probably a hybrid of some ancient elements, some newer elements and some original ideas from mr. Gygax and mr. Arneson.
D&D Basic Monsters: Giant Wasp
In the real world insects are limited to what size they can achieve by the way they breathe - through tubes in their exoskeleton. To reach gigantic size, the oxygen levels in the atmosphere needs to be a lot higher than what it is today. The largest insects that lived, the Meganeuropsis, or Giant Dragonfly, lived during an age when there was more than twice as much oxygen in the air than today, and even it only reached a body length of 40 centimeters.
The design here is largely based on a real world beast called the king of wasps.
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D&D Basic Monsters: Cockatrice
The cockatrice is described as a hideous hybrid of a lizard, a bird and a bat. It appears in the original Monster Manual, and is probably most known for its ability to turn its victims to stone.
It is a classical monster with roots from the medieval, or even earlier. It was sometimes describes as a dragon with a roosters head, and it was believed that the cockatrice was the product of a roosters egg hatching. The line between the cockatrice and the basilisk was sometimes blurred, but apparently the latter is rarely depicted with wings.
In legends the cockatrice was best known for its ability to kill people, either by its breath, its touch or sometimes by its gaze. For some reason it was thought that the weasel (and possibly also the mongoose) were the only animals immune to the cockatrice's glance. In D&D it's always been the touch from the beak that has been the source of the cockatrice's greatest threat, not killing outright, but turning the victim to stone.
Back in the early days this transformation was permanent (or at least until reversed by the appropriate spell), but in newer editions the petrification process has become harder, requiring more than one failed save, and in 5th edition the duration is limited to 24 hours.
Of course, no one seems to have given much consideration to the cockatrice's diet - unless it consists of rocks (a petravore ?), turning any potential source of food into stone by touching it with your beak must be a major disadvantage when eating....
D&D Basic Monsters: Goblin Acolyte
Maglubiyet is the primary goblinoid deiety, and according to the 1st edition Legends and Lore, Maglubiyet's clergy wear conical hats and green-grey scale mail. Being a lowly acolyte, this guy's had to settle for just the fancy hat.
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