A few weeks ago we learned the sad news that Russ Nicholson had passed. Russ was a talented illustrator whose black and white work graced early issues of White Dwarf, the 1st edition Fiend Folio, and the Warlock of Firetop Mountain Fighting Fantasy gamebook, all of which were incredibly influential on me and many fellow gamers. In recent years Russ had maintained a blog, The Gallery: Art of Russ Nicholson where he posted some of his newer and older work.
Both Grognardia and Zenopus Archives posted excellent tributes to Russ and his work. He played a significant role in the evolution of Dungeons and Dragons: his illustrations of many iconic monsters in the Fiend Folio, such as the Grell, Githyanki, or Sons of Kyuss helped popularize those creatures and continue to influence their depictions in the game today.
Personally, the Fiend Folio was my very first AD&D hardcover, even before the Monster Manual, and I spent untold hours poring over that book and drinking in his work. Russ had an uncanny ability to create evocative, detailed images that could make even the dumbest of monsters—and let’s face it, my beloved Fiend Folio has plenty of dumb monsters—seem cool.
The early issues of White Dwarf contain many great Russ illustrations that are probably unfamiliar to most American gamers, including several Fiend Factory installments that feature monsters cut from the Fiend Folio. (For my money, a few of these “director’s cut” monsters are actually stronger designs than several that actually got into the book.)
The striking cyclops illustration above appeared in White Dwarf 21 (Oct/Nov 1980) as part of the article "Fiend Factory: One Eye Canyon - Mini-Wilderness Scenario, 5th-7th Level," written by Albie Fiore—who contributed several monsters to the Fiend Folio, such as the berbalang and firenewt.
The look of this cyclops actually has a surprisingly long and interesting pedigree: some sleuths over on Dragonsoot traced this back to a couple of illustrations of “one-eyed orcs” in the UK version of Holmes Basic (1977) done by “Fangorn,” aka Chris Baker, who was also a veteran of the Fiend Folio. The illustrations then inspired a 1979 Citadel cyclops miniature from their Fiend Factory line.
It seems odd that D&D has never really had a cyclops design that has stuck, even though it is such a classic from Greek myth. It’s not for lack of trying: they are mentioned in the OD&D Monsters and Treasures book (1974) as "Super-strength Giants with poor depth perception” (21) and statted out in the OD&D Gods, Demi-gods, and Heros (1976) as having “all the powers of a Storm Giant, but they are much more intelligent” (17). (In fact, a cyclops even graces the frontispiece of GDH.)
In 1980 the Cook/Marsh Expert set and the AD&D Deities and Demigods both take very different swings: while the Expert set goes with a 13 HD giant, the DDG breaks them into lesser and greater cyclopes. Both 2e and 3e follow the DDG model in Legends and Lore (1986) and Deities and Demigods (1990). I think the problem with all of these is that they hew too closely to Greek mythology, making these monsters much too powerful and tying them too tightly to a specific milieu.
AD&D tried to address these problems by offering the “cyclopskin” in the Monster Manual II (1983), which also also appears in the 2e Monstrous Compendium Volume II. Neither version seems to have caught on, perhaps because of the lack of a strong hook: this 5 HD, 7-½ foot tall monster is basically just a tough, one-eyed brigand.
More recent iterations haven’t been done much more to distinguish themselves beyond being big and having one eye. The Pathfinder cyclops is a CR 5, 10 HD giant with an odd “Flash of Insight” special ability. The 5e cyclops is just a Huge, CR 6, 12 HD giant.
I keep coming back to the Fangorn/Russ/Fiore version as maybe offering the most distinctive take yet on the cyclops for D&D. I tried a few different conversions of their version, but none really worked: I kept ending up with just a really big, one-eyed giant. Then I realized I was making the same old mistake of trying to stick too closely to Greek myth.
Take another look at that Russ illustration: that doesn’t look like a half-divine son of Poseiden so much as a mutant from a sci-fi B movie. And with that in mind, it seemed to make more sense to recast the cyclops as an aberration than any sort of giant. This gives the cyclops more of its own niche within D&D, and is actually consistent with the D&D tradition of mining classical mythology for names and basic concepts but then veering into more generic science fantasy for specific implementation. For example, consider the D&D treatment of the hydra, gorgon, medusa, pegasus, or minotaur.
With that in mind, here’s my own take on a cyclops for 0e, 3.5e, and 5e, which leans heavily into the B movie inspiration. I would love to be able to get my mitts on some miniatures of these things. In fact, wouldn’t it be great for Otherworld Miniatures to do a whole set of Russ Nicholson-inspired figures?
The following text is Open Game Content.
Cyclops
This hulking biped looms nearly eight feet tall, its powerful arms ending in clawed hands. Its face is dominated by a single, clear sea-green eye in the center of its forehead, a wide, gaping maw, and two upswept, pointed ears. Its lumpy, weathered hide is patched with straggly clumps of greenish-black hair.
Insatiable and Unpredictable. Cyclopes are impulsive and emotional, prone to almost childlike outbursts of fury. They have a dark hunger for both humanoid flesh and strong drink.
Raiders and Plunderers. Cyclopes form small bands and haunt wild lands and caverns, occasionally raiding humanoid settlements for food, treasure, and captives. Their ferocity and strength allow them to dominate bands of weaker evil humanoids.
Unnatural Horrors. A cyclops cannot reproduce naturally with another cyclops, and must instead rely upon humanoids, giants, or others to produce new cyclopes. Cyclopes can interbreed with an appalling number of creatures; any resulting offspring not born as cyclopes are eaten.
0e
Cyclops CL 7 (600 XP)
The cyclops can immobilize an opponent within 60 feet with a glance. The target must make a saving throw or become completely immobilized for 1d6 rounds. The effect ends if the target takes damage or is shaken roughly by an ally.
HD 6; AC 4 [15]; Atk 2 claws (1d4), bite (1d8); Move 12; Save 11; AL C; Special hypnotic glance.
3.5e
Cyclops CR 3
Usually CE Medium aberration
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +3, Spot +3
Languages Common
AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 15
(+5 natural)
hp 33 (6d8+6 HD)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +6
Spd 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +6 (1d4+2), 1 bite +4 (1d8+1)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks hypnotic glance
Str 15, Dex 11, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 13
Base Atk +4; Grp +6
Feats Alertness, Iron Will, Multiattack
Skills Climb +5, Intimidate +3, Listen +3, Spot +3
Environment any
Organization solitary, gang (2-9), or tribe (10-19 plus one 11 HD leader plus 20% noncombatants)
Treasure standard
Advancement 6–10 HD (Medium); 11–14 HD (Large); 15–18 HD (Huge)
Hypnotic Glance (Su) As a standard action, a cyclops can fascinate a creature within 30 feet with a look. The target creature must succeed on a DC 14 Will save or be fascinated for 1d6 rounds. This is a mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
5e
| Medium aberration, chaotic evil | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Class 14 (natural) | |||||
| Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18) | |||||
| Speed 30 ft. | |||||
| Str | Dex | Con | Int | Wis | Cha |
| 17 (+3) | 11 (+0) | 15 (+2) | 8 (-1) | 9 (-1) | 13 (+1) |
| Saving Throws Wisdom +1 | |||||
| Skills Perception +1 | |||||
| Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11 | |||||
| Languages Common | |||||
| Challenge 3 (700 XP) | |||||
| Actions | |||||
| Multiattack. The cyclops makes 3 attacks: two with its claws, one with its bite. | |||||
| Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage. | |||||
| Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage. | |||||
| Hypnotic Glance. The cyclops targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or become charmed for 1d6 rounds. While charmed, the creature is incapacitated and has a speed of 0. Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, allows an affected creature a new saving throw. The effect ends for an affected creature if it takes any damage or if someone else uses an action to shake the creature out of its stupor. | |||||
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
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