Creature type (Dungeons & Dragons) all animal type monsters are based on real world animals. Creature entries based on mythological, fictional, or nonexistent animals are usually classified as magical beasts (see below). Besides ordinary fish, birds, reptiles and mammals, the animal type is also applied to depictions of dinosaurs, prehistoric animals, and "dire" or specially modified, often larger and scarier, versions of real world animals. Some real world animals are not given the animal type in the game. Examples include arthropods (insects, spiders, etc.) and worms, which the game classifies as "vermin" (see below) and not animals. Mollusks, such as octopuses, are often classified as
Creature template Edition game's Dungeon Master's Guide, which features tables to aid in the "random generation of creatures from the lower planes". Subsequent other First Edition handbooks, notably the Monster Manual II, as well as Dragon Magazine, featured additional early monster generation templates. Creature template In the "Dungeons & Dragons" game, a template can be applied to a creature to enhance its abilities or to even create a new type of creature. Templates can be either acquired or inherited. An acquired template can be applied to a creature at any point (assuming it meets the prerequisites for the template), while an inherited