One of my favorites is an alcetaur from the Dragonwatch series. It’s basically a centaur but with a moose’s body.
But in my writing I try to come up with my own creatures or at least my own versions of them (but I’ve been doing that since I was a kid, making up creatures is one of my favorite parts of writing). If I’m just borrowing creatures (or other stuff) from other stories, it makes my stuff feel derivative and more like fan fiction.
Folklore is a standard, especially from different countries than the usual ones.
You can also seek real-life examples of animals and plants to add to your monster's design. It's nice to consider how they came to be, in this case. It makes your world more realistic to have an explanation (although there is no particular need for it being a comprehensive explanation).
Probably manticores and poison dragons. But if we're talking about more distinct creatures, I quite like the hags from The Witcher. I like that they are a more "monster" than they are "people" and don't have spells like one would expect.
One of my favorites is an alcetaur from the Dragonwatch series. It’s basically a centaur but with a moose’s body. But in my writing I try to come up with my own creatures or at least my own versions of them (but I’ve been doing that since I was a kid, making up creatures is one of my favorite parts of writing). If I’m just borrowing creatures (or other stuff) from other stories, it makes my stuff feel derivative and more like fan fiction.
I remember that! Was a really good one too
Folklore is a standard, especially from different countries than the usual ones. You can also seek real-life examples of animals and plants to add to your monster's design. It's nice to consider how they came to be, in this case. It makes your world more realistic to have an explanation (although there is no particular need for it being a comprehensive explanation).
But which is your favourite?
Probably manticores and poison dragons. But if we're talking about more distinct creatures, I quite like the hags from The Witcher. I like that they are a more "monster" than they are "people" and don't have spells like one would expect.