Everyday uses for Monsters or Why Magic-Users keep dangerous monsters in their dungeons!
by Kyle KnightTo start the list:
Glue: "Using a glue made from parts of Gelatinous Cubes and Green Slimes, the Great Dragon Tribe members cement colorful bits of quartz and rough precious and semiprecious stones to the think, leathery skin around their jaws and eyes and in line along the top of their skulls. Females and whelps wear fewer and less valuable stones; warriors, chieftains, and clerics may wear stones worth several hundred gold pieces." (The Dragon's Den: Wild Dragon Den pg. 3.)
Spider Silk: Shroud Spiders (Losetrel - Gaz. 13 pg. 19 of the DMG.) (Shadow Elves: to be filled in later; but, includes: clothes, ropes, nets etc.)
Dragon Scales: Armor and Shields (various sources: The Dragon's Den: Wild Dragon Den pg. 5 talks about Dragonscale Shield covers.)
"Rope": simply listed as - "the shadow elves have built a series of rope bridges w/ very tough, fibrous fungal rope around the west and south sides of the Lake (Dragon Lake)." (Gaz. 13 pg. 17 DMG)
Lava Fish: Food source. (Gaz. 13 pg. 19 DMG.)
Kobold Flesh: part of the bait to hook Lava Fish (Gaz. 13 pg. 19 DMG: "a maggot and kobold meat bait")
Candles: (Gaz. 13 pg. 24 DMG) Candle World: "Jennafaer, the proprietess, has discovered a small colony of unique wax-secreting worms in the cavern walls close by The Waste & has single-handedly revolutionized the science of discreet lighting in the City of the Stars."
Skitterling: food source (Gaz. 13 pg. 24 DMG - The House of Hopes and Wishes)
Slug Milk: "odd luxury such as curdled slug milk" (Gaz. 13 pg. 24 DMG - Whispering Waters)
Darksnap Fungi: feed for Giant Slugs. (Monster)
Rock Rats, Snakes, Kobolds, halflings and similiar humanoids; Joints of Orcs, Hobgoblins & their brethern are also eaten by Skinwings, various fungus can also be fed to them. (Interestingly Skinwings WON'T eat fish or giant frogs & toads.)
Skinwing: hides can be used to make leather goods.
Black Pudding: Garbage Disposal Unit...after being Charmed. (Mentzer Expert Set pg. 40 of the DMG.)
Skeleton/Zombie: Uncomplaining Manual Labor Workforce. (Mentzer Expert Set pg. 40 DMG.)
Shriekers: Burglar Alarms.
Invisible Stalkers: Butlers (AC11 The Book of Marvelous Inventions, pg. 8.)
Mimic: Various uses including furniture (if properly trained). (AC11 pg. 8)
pg. 23 of the DMG Gaz. 13 has an interesting shop: Lefarel's Apparel: A fashionable clothes shop. Specializes in fine silk bridal gowns. (No listing on what kind of silk is used.) Also, Off-the-Stalk is another shop "A rough-and-ready basic clothing shop where garments of coarse silks are hung on varnished fungal stands-hence the shop's name."
Anyone else know of any off the top of their head?