Dungeons and Dragons is a game that dates back as far as the mid-1970s and is still going strong to this day. As the game has evolved, it has seen a wide range of gameplay adjustments and overhauls. It is currently in its fifth edition better known as 5e. However, as the game has been around for decades, it's no surprise that everything from the game's past lore hasn't made its way into the current edition.
This can most notably be seen with monsters as, despite several expansions adding more and more monsters to 5e, there are still countless monsters from past editions that still haven't been added. But these ten monsters from past D&D editions have more than earned their spots in 5e.
10 Gibberlings
Despite appearing in every other edition in D&D's history, Gibberling's have yet to make their way into 5e. Gibberlings are a species of nocturnal humanoids that possess many animalistic traits. They also bear a decent resemblance to the description of Morlocks from H.G. Wells' acclaimed novel The Time Machine.
As such, Gibberlings are covered in pale or dark grey fur while brandishing sharp teeth and claws. Known to hunt in large packs, their name derives from the loud screeching howls they make known as gibbering. Those beady red eyes and gnashing teeth are more than enough to challenge an average adventuring party.
9 Aurumvoraxes
A monster that dates back to the earliest days of D&D, the Aurumvorax appeared from first edition to third edition. A beastly foe, this creature's defining trait was its ability to eat and digest gold! While the animal is comprised of things that are cute in our world, the creature itself is anything but.
These monsters possess an appearance similar to that of a massive cat/badger/dog hybrid. The only difference is that they have eight legs and a thirst for blood. Its fur takes on a gold-like sheen from all of the precious metals it has eaten.
8 White Slaads
While the frog-like Slaads are part of D&D's 5e, the most powerful version of their kind, the White Slaad, has yet to appear. The normal ones look more like the creature on the left while the rarer White Slaads appear as the one on the right.
Over time, Slaads can become immensely powerful Slaads and wield the power of chaos itself. They also obtain an acidic touch and the ability to innately split themselves into numerous duplicates. Rather than simply splitting organically, the copies of a White Slaad are versions of itself pulled from different periods in time!
7 Weresharks
Though lycanthropes such as werewolves, werebears, and wererats are currently present in D&D 5e, there are numerous forms of lycanthrope from past editions that are still absent. One of the most notable of these absent lycanthropes is the Wereshark.
Appearing from first edition to third edition, Weresharks possessed many traits associated with other Lycanthropes. However, they were notably amphibious and able to assume the form of a shark at will. The one above appears in Razor Coast from Frog God Games.
6 Platinum Dragons
Few monsters are as synonymous with Dungeons & Dragons as dragons themselves. While there is a wide range of both chromatic and metallic dragons currently in 5e, the strongest form of metallic dragons, the platinum dragon, has yet to make an appearance.
Traditionally good-aligned, their absence is quite strange as the iconic god of metallic dragons, Bahamut, is said to take the form of a platinum dragon. With so much lore expansion around gods and the far corners of the world in 5e, it's a mystery why Platinum Dragons are not more expounded upon.
5 A Corruptor Of Fate
D&D is filled with a variety of powerful fiendish foes such as devils and demons. Despite this, one of the most dangerous fiends from third edition, the Corruptor of Fate, is currently exclusive to that edition.
Murderous beings fueled by an unending well of hatred, a Corruptor of Fate had the ability to twist and curse a creature's luck with potent Jinxes. No creature in D&D history is as adept at spreading bad luck as a Corruptor of Fate. Except maybe the Bard in any given adventuring party.
4 The Krinth
There are plenty of humanoid species both pleasant and hostile in D&D. Even goblins walk the line between monster and cultural species in terms of intelligence. But the Krinth are a militant species of humanoid creatures that hail from the nightmarish Plane of Shadow.
Wielding the darkness and shadow of their home plane, the vast majority of the Krinth serve as soldiers. Like Kobolds, they can be potent combatants in large groups. Perhaps their absence is due to 5e not having a heavy focus on Shadowfell (so far).
3 Hive Mothers
Beholders are among some of the most iconic species of monsters in D&D history. Though they have appeared in each edition to date, one of the most deadly types of Beholder is absent from 5e.
Appearing in the second edition, Hive Mothers are a rare species of Beholder that is capable of magically dominating and controlling other forms of beholders! This meant that in order for a party to deal with a Hive Mother, they'd also likely need to deal with several other types of Beholders under its control. It would be a curious thing to see a Hive Mother and an Illithid battle over Beholder supremacy.
2 Brain Golems
There are currently several forms of golems within D&D 5e that each provides their own distinct flavor. However, one golem variation that is currently absent from 5e is Brain Golems. The creation of Mind Flayers, these creatures are made entirely of brain tissue and can be found within the service of an Elder Brain or a group of Mind Flayers.
They would often be created as an extension of an Elder Brain like most parts of Illithid society. They are made up of part of a given brain then return to its original whole once its purpose has been fulfilled.
1 Ethereal Filchers
Ethereal Filchers are monsters that are perhaps the biggest interplanar nuisances in the entire multiverse. Monstrous creatures with numerous long arms, an Etheral Filcher is capable of traveling to and from the ethereal plane.
It actively tries to steal valuables then quickly escapes to the ethereal plane with any loot it has stolen. Even seasoned adventurers can be caught off-guard by the grotesque, spindly creature. However, its predilection toward looting and leaving makes it more of a huge annoyance rather than a deadly threat.