On the left are Yagnoloths, the cunning but slothful contract-making noble class of the yugoloths. 10-15 ft (3-4.5 m), telepathic, can shock or drain life with its touch, teleport, and can use magic to turn invisible or try to magically manipulate you with mental suggestions. I wonder if they actually wear thier ledgers like that, or they just had to come up with SOME way of censoring. What, couldn't use the angle or the giant arm like other editions?

On the right, the Cloud Giant Smiling one! 23-25 ft (7-7.6 m) tall giants in the sky! The weather bends to thier whim, they're natural shapeshifters, and they have all sorts of magic for illusions and fog clouds and invisibility! Even a bit of weak mind manipulation, though they prefer to just use thier amazing persuasion, deception, and slight of hand skills. These ones LIVE for the drama, wearing masks with triumphant smirk on one side for mischief they cause and a grimace on the other because Storm Giants are higher ranked than them. They're tricksters, they value craftiness, and they'll eagerly do things others would think beneath them.

On the left, the Chitine! 4ft (1.2 m) failed drow experiments who rebelled and escaped! You might see that art and think they're venomous, but they aren't. I guess the one in the picture was deep-throating thier knife for the fun of it, since the only thing they got from there is webbing. They don't have enough to launch it like giant spiders, but can still use it for building webs and such like normal spiders. So binding webs are still on the table.

As for the right...look. They're literally the same thing, just different rank with a little more experience. The captain is often the child of the consort, and often become a consort themselves. Anyway, they're drow, cursed elves. 4′7″-5′5″ (1.5-1.7 m) range, generally very evil due to thier goddess personally hunting and killing any good ones and spending thousands of years actively corrupting the rest. Still, exceptions do exist. They're clever warriors with magic who are expected to protect the house. The left one guards a priestess, the right guards her house. They have magic too! Magical darkness, levitation, and stronger ones have teleportation, invisibility, and mage hand..

On the left is the inquisition! Drow are cursed elves, 4′7″-5′5″ (1.5-1.7 m) range, and sadistic and evil. I don't need the "not all drow" disclaimer here, by definition these are the people dedicated to capture and torture. They have mind reading, mind manipulation, and can always tell if you're lying. They have the fun job of deciding if you're being too much of a treacherous liar...in a religion where the goddess demands treachery and lies. They're here to capture people who're going to far with it and might hurt the city. But hey, you're unlikely to find someone better in restraint and pain play! It's not like they're ALWAYS on the clock!

On the right is the Yuan-ti Broodguard! Also known as "histachii," meaning "egg-watcher." These guard eggs and train the young to use thier powers. They're the rough height of the humans they were created from. They instinctively obey yuan-ti and dislike non-reptilian creatures. Still, if you're after a snake-human hybrid, here you go!

On the left, the Giff are 8 ft (2.4 m) tall hippofolk with surprising dexterity and grace. And of course are good at knocking people over, as if you needed me to say that. While they do love a good tussle, they're surprisingly calm overall. They always keep thier word, they love travelling and explosions, and despite the outfit they actually don't want to be an empire. They believe everything has a place and theirs is to follow orders, which is why they work as mercenaries. They don't even care about money. Thier ideal setup is just being given food, thier own room, and clear instructions in line with their interests (explosives, tussling, travelling).

Shadar Kai are shadow elves, normal human height. They specialize in teleportation and invisibility, with casters throwing in confusion and fear and illusion. Be careful though, as any trained in combat start making non-elves slower and worse while within 10 feet. From depression, from the sound of it. Their angst attaches to you like a parasite, slowing you down. Good if you enjoy concepts like-

On the left, the Ulitharid! They're a person-sized rare form of illithid. These are the elite, the mindflayers that can become elder brains one day. They see near everyone else as a lesser, HOWEVER. They're nearly as strong as an orc, have miles of telepathy range, and can grapple with those tentacles. They have the psychic power to read or control minds, levitate, drop your intelligence to that of an animal, or stun you! Plus unbelievably high confidence!

On the right, the Nabassu! 7 ft (2.1 m) stealthy soul-eating demons. They're constantly shrouded in shadow and telepathic! Also raises the creatures it kills as ghouls. Probably a hate-fuck, as they hate creatures from our world. They blame us for the other demons not liking them, because they have to spend time on the material plane spreading the terror of the abyss. Instead of the fact that obviously demons don't like them, they eat demon souls!

On the left, a warrior Gnoll! They're the forward guard and hunters. These are 7- 7.5 ft (2.1-2.3 m) hyena people with a dominance-focused culture! They might have a bit of instinctive bloodlust and drive to hunt, but they're passionate, big on family, and super loyal! And of course it bears mentioning that hyenas have a pseudopenis. Yeah, the females have dick-sized complex clits and fused labia. Animal genitalia be wild.

On the right, Sea Spawn! Many beings of the sea, from the mighty kraken to the humble sea hag, can turn humanoids into this. Sometimes to ensure service, sometimes as a general curse. So they're anywhere from the size of an orc to a gnome, and have aquatic features like tentacles or venomous quills! They do have to touch seawater for a minute a day though, so you're going to at least be near a beach.

This should be a good one, they both had a 63.9% smash rate during the qualifiers!

On the left, the Firenewt! These are human-sized amphibious elementals who adore steam and hot water. So you find them in hotsprings and such, they need that hot water or they become super sluggish after a while. They can also breathe fire and tame giant elemental dino things called striders! Most are just normal people, but occasionally you'll find a militaristic cultist, so just avoid those.

On the right, the frost salamander! Ice elementals that slip into our world sometimes to hunt and eat anything warm. Huge size, so somewhere in the 16-32 ft (4.9-9.8 m) range. They like burrowing into the ice to form massive caverns, rolling in ice (scratches their back), and eating sources of heat (from people to fire). Only surprising bit is that their intelligence is on par with the average orc, letting them catch people off guard with their wit!

SEA ELF

VS ASTRAL ELF

First, Sea elf, one of my favorite elves! They're amphibious, human-sized, observant, can talk to sea animals, and are actually really friendly. They don't understand why land elves are constantly arguing about who's best and hierarchies and such. They live in the sea, where more friends is always important to defend against krakens and such. And despite this artwork, GENERALLY they tend to be much heavier than other elves and have deeper voices.

On the other hand, Astral Elf, human sized elves that went to the astral plane to be closer to thier gods. A land where nobody ages, so they're ancient and melancholy and broody and bored. They can teleport, see in the dark, create dancing lights, and are quite perceptive! Thankfully some stave off apathetic depression and existential dread. They do this by going super hard into a passion! So some of them are just super big into mapping the universe, or mastering all the arts, meditation, etc.

On the left, the Skulk! Typical human height range, these creatures are only visible by viewing thier reflection, being a child, or lighting a candle made from the fat of an unknown corpse. They're basically travelers who became so lost in the shadowfell even THEY don't remember who they were. They vaguely resemble whoever summoned them and tend to imitate people they've killed, sometimes creating ghost towns of skulks following actions whose meanings they don't quite remember. But hey, they're much of the fun and flavor of a spooky ghost with an actual corporeal body! A little weak, but more dexterous than a high-wire acrobat!

On the right, the Mother Elder Brain! 10 ft (3 m) and just as smart as you might expect from such a creature. It has telepathy with a range of miles, grappling tentacles, can hold you in place with sheer willpower, can read your mind, share your senses, and even modify memories! They're the advisers and leaders of the Mindflayers, and growing smarter over time as the consume the colony's dead. Self serving generally, but does have the collective knowledge and experience of every mind flayer to ever live in that colony to draw upon!

On the left is the Nilbog! it's a goblin, around that 3-4 ft (0.9-1.2 m) tall range. Happy, mirthful, great sense of humor, it has mage hand and can even magically make you laugh, because that's a god. Don't try to hurt it, it'll just heal from the pain and charm you into singing its praises. When a god of subjugation killed most goblinoid gods, the god of Mischief simply broke itself into pieces and ran. The goblins wiped their name from history and memory so they could never be found, and are occasionally possessed to run rampant. So what you're fucking is a nameless mischief god who escaped death to constant mess with thier would-be killer in the funniest way possible: infinite trickster mode goblins.

On the right is a gnomish snake robot! Medium size, so somewhere in the 4-8 ft (1.2-2.4 m) range, and can understand/follow orders. They're typically filled with potions that confuse, paralyze, or poison people. Can be filled with anything though! And like all the clockworks, they're often modded by thier owner. voice boxes, waterproofing, enhancements to durability or speed, suction, self repairing, you name it!

On the left is the Tlinalli, scorpionfolk! 6 ft (1.8 m) tall, 14 ft (4.3 m) long, these are simple survivalist hunters. Thier favorite weapons are chains to restrain with, they're venomous AND poisonous, and they love hunting/fighting. While these deterministic pessimists may have a complex nomadic culture filled with divination rituals, as individuals they're fairly straightforward. Hunt things, respect other skilled hunters and fighters, survive until they're not supposed to.

On the right is the Babau! 6‒7 ft (1.8‒2.1 m), causes fear and heats metal with magic, and can sap your strength with a look! They're cautious, deceptive, clever, patient, sadistic, and the result of the Archdevil Glasya wounding the Demon Lord Graz'zt. They're recruiters for the blood war, because they're good at the job...because the ones who aren't are sent to war for failing quota.

Hobgoblin Iron Shadows are human-sized martial artists, assassins, and spies! They can teleport, use magic to charm and create illusions, and like to wear masks while on missions. Also known for incredible agility, loyalty, and stamina! Nice and straightforward with this one.

On the right is the Yuan-ti Anathema. The 25 ft (7.6 m) many-headed snake that is the pinnacle of Yuan-ti kind. They magically terrify everything around them, turn into a snake, transform people into animals, magically restrain, physically restrain with thier massive body, and manipulate your mind and fears. They've as intelligent, charasmatic, and observant as they are strong. Which is a hell of a thing to say about a creature that could overpower an elephant. They're viewed as fledgling gods and are aggressive/ambitious as they attempt to close the gap to a proper god.

On the left, the Frost Giant! Particularly the Everlasting One. These are 22 ft (6.7 m) tall giants of the frozen north! They are a pile of Norse stereotypes, loving fighting and wrestling and boasting. But they do have a softer side with ice sculptures and carving and epic poetry! These in particular eat a troll and gain powers!...but if they ever stop pleasing the troll god that sent it, they start regenerating from wounds wrong. Extra fingers, limbs, heads, etc.

On the right, Deathlock Wight! When a person REALLY betrays their contract for power, and just keeps backstabbing even when given a second chance, they get reduced to this undead creature. Still more clever than the average person, still got their old memories, but with their flesh and most of their magic stripped away. Still has the ability to magically restrain and terrify though! But be careful, as they crave to consume the essence of life...

On the left is the Narzugon, the Hell Knight! 6 ft (1.8 m) telepathic knights who can cause magical fear! They also hate! Like, everything. Themselves, you, thier boss, existence, etc. They're the damned souls of normal knights who woke up in hell, bound to a new service. The few devils allowed to keep thier memories and old self, if only to be haunted by the knowledge that the cause they thought was righteous was not. So uh. They're cool af, but going to have some baggage.

On the right, the Deathlock! This is what happens when you try to betray a pact for magical power with an evil creature! You get turned into an undead, still sentient and magical but with the chain tightened on your freedom. Though ones that prove themselves are usually given thier freedom back, so these aren't just controlled. They've got the same spells they had in life and often more. Stuff like Evard's black tentacles, hypnotic pattern, telekinesis, invisibility, and some can even magically restrain or force you asleep!

On the left, the Stone Giant Dreamwalker! 18 ft (5.5 m) tall artists devoted to thier craft and known for thier wisdom, but these are special! You see, to a stone giant anything aboveground is "the land of dreams." These are ones who brave and embrace this "hallucination", but thanks to latent magic the world starts changing around them like it's actually a lucid dream. They turn things to stone, magically charm people, random errant thoughts make favorite objects become part of them. They think they're in a dream world without consequence, so they act on errant emotion and whim.

On the right are Quicklings, the speedsters of the fey realm! 2 ft (61 cm) creatures, they essentially experience the world in slow motion. They move and think so fast they look like a blur, and just cannot stop moving in some way. They're like if the flash was also extremely ADHD and a bit of a dick. Like they don't kill people or whatever, but they do mess with people to instigate fights and drama out of boredom. I don't think I need to explain how "vibrating so fast they're a living blur" could be a benefit.

On the left is the Arachnomancer! They're drow, cursed elves, 4′7″-5′5″ (1.5-1.7 m) range, generally very evil due to thier goddess personally hunting and killing any good ones and spending thousands of years actively corrupting the rest. Still, exceptions do exist. These can turn into a spider the size of a horse, shoot binding webs, cast spells like fly/invisibility/mage hand, have a paralyzing venom, and speak to spiders! Also those aren't goggles, they're just a little bit spider :3

On the right is the Mindwitness, the 6 ft (1.8 m) mindflayer version of the beholder. Mindflayers will seriously try to put thier tadpoles in ANYTHING they can get to hold still long enough. They're got telepathy, grappling tentacles, and importantly thier eye rays have lost the deadlier options! They can stun you, scare you, paralyze or restrain you, but unlike most beholders thesecan't turn you to stone or vaporize you. They've also become completely submissive, psychicly imprinting on others and matching thier morals. So if one is free of the colony it'll ally with anything from flumphs to demons, they don't have to be evil. They're just always really chilled out and subserviant.

On the left, Siege Ogres! About 10 ft (3 m) tall, ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, and they basically only care about 3 things: Eating, smashing (destruction), and smashing (fuckin). While most ogres are notoriously dumb, THESE are smart and patient enough to build tools and work well with others! Armor, chains, rides for their friends, battering rams, or giant crossbows! Some even strap small catapults on their back to launch goblins at people!

On the right is the Orthon, also known as the "rage devil". Basically 8-9 ft (2.4-2.7 m) devil-demon hybrid mercenaries that live to fight. They can restrain, paralyze, temporarily blind, and turn invisible! Just note, the armor stays on. That's not an option, it's literally bolted into thier flesh, it's what suppresses their demonic mindless bloodlust. Also why they're always looking to get their blood pumping, the adrenaline of battle keeps their mind off their pain, giving them childlike glee. That said, they're fairly reasonable and known for trying to give their foe a fighting chance before battle.