3 D&D Monsters with Non-Western Roots: What the Monster Manual Gets Wrong and How to Use Them Better

Today we’re doing something a little different. I want to talk about three D&D monsters that are pulled from non-Western folklore - traditions from South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Japan - and how those original stories compare to how they show up in the Monster Manual.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that sometimes Wizards of the Coast has handled cultural material kind of stupidly. And yes, that includes some Western and European myths too. Those are valid conversations, and they matter. But it’s not what this video is about. This video is focused on a few monsters from non-Western folklore, and how D&D reshapes them.

The creatures I’ll be talking about today have an original context and meaning within that context. They weren’t just stat blocks. They reflect spiritual beliefs, cosmology, values, fears, warnings - the kind of stuff that shapes how people see the world. Real people told stories about these things for centuries, and still do today.

But the Monster Manual has them show up with a kind of fantasy shorthand - flattened into villains or gimmicks. But if you stop there, you’re leaving a ton of rich, powerful story on the table.

This isn’t a lore deep dive but just broad strokes to point out some shit. I really encourage you to do more research if anything I say resonates. This is just the jacket blurb. And yeah, you can always just not use these monsters, and that’s fine. But I think they should be used but if you are going to use them, it’s really not hard to do it respectfully with just a little intention. You’re already researching how 18th-century logging operations worked or how long a grown man who’s not an athlete can hold his breath underwater. This is no different. You’re doing the prep anyway. So your own research. Read the myths. Learn how people relate to these stories. That's where the good stuff is.

1. Yuan-ti

In Folklore:
Yuan-Ti are based on Nagas, who are sacred serpent beings in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions across South and Southeast Asia. They’re tied to rivers, fertility, the underworld, and the protection of cosmic wisdom and sacred knowledge. In some stories they are divine protectors - guarding artifacts, knowledge, temples, and in some stories, even the Buddha himself. In other stories, they are tempters or destroyers - symbolizing the duality of power and desire. They’re not inherently evil. They’re powerful and complex. 

In the Monster Manual:
You might not get the ‘not inherently evil’ bit in the Monster Manual because the Yuan-ti are slavers, cultists, and schemers. They’re humans who transformed themselves into snakes for power and now operate through cold-blooded hierarchies and mind control.

Use Them At the Table Better:
Don’t make them cartoon villains. Let the party witness a worldview. Instead of evil cultists, think spiritual extremists. Yuan-ti believe they are restoring a sacred order. They’re not trying to “win,” they’re trying to cleanse. Tell me that doesn’t make them infinitely more interesting than just mindless power-hungry creatures who want thralls just because. Play up their belief in purity of faith, divine order, reincarnation. If they’re performing a ritual, it’s because they believe it’s good for the world. 

2. Oni

In Folklore:

Oni are ogre-like demons from Japanese folklore - giant, horned, brightly colored figures that show up in everything from ancient myths to modern manga. A lot of stories have them as bringers of destruction or punishment and in the Buddhist concept of hell, this is elevated to them serving as tormentors of the damned. But just because they enact harm, that doesn’t mean they are monsters. In many traditions, they’re agents of karmic justice - punishing those who’ve done spiritual wrong. In other stories, they’re framed as protectors because their monstrous visage is meant to scare off evil spirits from Temples or sites of spiritual goodness. In many stories, they’re tragic figures, born from deep pain, isolation, or transformation. So oni aren’t just one thing. They’re layered, blurring the line between being judge, executioner, and redeemer. They are, more than anything, enforcers of consequence.

 In the Monster Manual:
Oni are huge ogres who can shapeshift, fly, and cast spells. They shapeshift into humanoids, sneak around villages, and eat children or corrupt the town from within. That’s kind of it. The folklore roots don’t really come through.

Use Them At the Table Better:
You can absolutely do more with them. Instead of just “monster in disguise,” lean into their ritual nature. Rather than a kidnapper, make the Oni a moral ledger. Someone in this village did something spiritually wrong - broke an oath, defiled a sacred space - and the Oni showed up to balance it. Maybe it eats liars. Maybe it hunts the descendants of oathbreakers. I’d recommend that the longer your players wait to uncover the truth, the more deserving the victims start to seem and the confrontation comes after the players realize what the Oni’s been judging and correcting and possibly they’re not the villain - he’s the consequence. That’s way more interesting than a shapeshifting ogre who eats children. 

3. Djinni, Efreeti, Dao, Marid

In folklore:

Djinn are powerful beings made of smokeless fire mentioned extensively in Islamic texts and pre-Islamic Arabian folklore. They’re not demons. They’re not genies in a lamp. They’re a whole people. They have cities, dynasties, beliefs, and free will. They live in ruins, deserts, crossroads, or unclean places. Some are helpful. Some are wicked. Some are deeply devout. Others are chaotic and vengeful. They are morally ambiguous and complex otherworldly being, and probably most importantly, not a dead myth - a lot of folks still recite prayers when entering a place believed to be occupied by jinn. They are not wish granters. They are something real people take seriously.

In the Monster Manual:
The Djinn are differentiated by the elements. Djinni are airy and charming; Efreeti are angry and fiery. Dao are shrewd and earthen and Marids are pompous water nobles. They rule elemental cities and grant limited wishes, usually grudgingly. 

They’re fun, but they’re mostly treated like quirky mini-bosses with good loot. The cultural roots mostly get boiled down to “big personality vibes”.

Use Them At the Table Better:
Strip away the wish-giver trope. Think less “magic lamp” and more “ancient power that remembers the birth of this kingdom 500 years ago.” Djinn aren’t here to serve the party - they’re part of the world and they’d lived long and powerful enough lives that they’ve probably made pacts and oaths, outlasted empires, helped forge treaties between planes. Give them dignity, not just vibes. Let your players bargain with a creature that probably doesn’t need them and maybe even sees them as young, small-minded and reckless.

So yeah - that’s just a handful. It’s definitely not a comprehensive list, and frankly just scratching the surface of the ones I mentioned even. Like I said, you should definitely do your own research because what I’ve shared is just a starting point.

Especially because the stories about these creatures didn’t stop hundreds of years ago.

They’re not just old myths and ancient tales - They’re part of living, breathing traditions, and still shaping how people process the world. They show up in books, movies, family stories, spiritual practices. They’re living traditions.

So if you’re going to use them in your game, take a moment to learn where these cool concepts come from and why they still matter. It makes for better storytelling, and better games.

The Monster Manual gives us hit points and stat blocks, but I really feel like the folklore and cultural significance is where the soul lives. And when you bring that into your table, even just a little, your world gets richer and deeper.

You don’t have to be an expert. I’m certainly not. You just have to be respectful in asking, “What did this story mean to the people who told it first and what does it mean to them now?” That one question will take you so far. And literally, what’s the internet and the library for if not stuff like this…

I hope this sparked something for you - a culture you want to look into, a monster you want to rework, a myth you want to dig into.

If you’re going to bring them into your game, take some time. Read up. Ask questions. Think about what they meant before they became hit points.