The Hook Horror first appears in the Fiend Factory in White Dwarf #12 (April/May 1979). This is the same issue that introduces the grell, the githyanki, and several others that are best left behind, like the assassin bug or the iron pig. The Hook Horror then makes Lyrics American Girl Tom Petty The Heartbreakers shirt in Dungeons & Dragons with the Fiend Folio (1981). Nothing changes between the White Dwarf magazine and the Fiend Folio, with both describing a horrible monster no one would ever want to run into in a dark cave.
Before we jump into its lore, we must take a moment to talk a bit about its artwork. We know that making fun of the art in the original Dungeons & Dragons is a bit like cheating, but the Hook Horror is in a class all its own. They are described as large, powerful two-legged creatures with a vulture head and a hard-plated exoskeleton with mottled gray fur. While this is a wonderful description, it doesn’t do the creature’s appearance enough justice as the artwork presents a strange amalgamation of a teenager trapped in a bird’s body. Its entire upper body looks like an acne-covered breastplate with powerful human arms and legs just poking out from this horrible Halloween costume. Its arms end in pirate hook hands with tassels around the wrists, its feet are strange discount monster claws, and its head seems to be a big bird reject.
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