Oblivion online is a series I have recently found on royal road that decided to take the standard of a VR game and flip it on it's head. Not the genre, although he is avoiding the trapped in the game trope with something more reasonable. I assume author is male, but maybe I should make no assumptions. It's safer and no one gets hurt.

What I mean is, it's not all being an adventurer, you aren't picking between elves, dwarves and such. They chose to roll out monster races.

Now let's just there as a topic, in their story they DID leave room in the comments for other people o put forth monsters. While I'm not entirely certain why, this alone leaves so much room. A lot of them seem to require some specific body type perhaps or physiological arrangement, cause all of them seemed to be bipedal and have two arms. I want to say there was the possibility of a naga, but if not, I want to add it right now.

Lamia, naga, whatever you wanna call it, I wanna say there is a Medusa but don't quote me. But that's just a first monster. There were goblins, trolls, kobolds, gnolls. It had about ten or so choices in the poll, and that's not bad. I mean sure you definitely gotta weed out some of them that already have some sort of trope going. Which ultimately is why, despite how much I enjoy re:monster, I am glad they didn't go goblin route. Goblins have potential I admit, and a large possible variety of evolution I suppose, but the start is a difficult climb.

But moving on, let's just list some more possible player character available monsters;

One which was added later as a possibility due to certain mechanics in a later chapter which I will refrain from mentioning has wings and is in dnd Pathfinder.

Onto others... Well... I mean you could arguably utilize demons like from project emerilia. Though that's so far off from expected VR game litrpgs and demons are merely a race. But I digress, if you give access to monsters as a race for players, demons is an option. Perhaps starting as imps, which is basically a demon goblin... But still is an option.

Another race could be something like a merfolk. Very few games seem to want to go for an aquatic race on account of player separation. I understand that, but it doesn't mean I agree. If players can get water breathing equipment fishmen can get some blasted airdrinking equipment. How hard would that be to tweak the concept of an enchantment for God's sake.

You have harpies, that could be an option, possibly angels, snakefolk, I'd also hazard to say something with a lot more weaknesses but also more strengths. Why should we rely on "classic" monsters. Why not a gorilla mole? Big as hell, blind as fuck, digs like a goddamn dozer. Claws that could make a knight in shining armor turn his greaves yellow. I kinda would enjoy a queztlcoatl variant creature. But, I mean, I always enjoyed the pokémon representation found in Rayquaza, and flying snakes, as much as some snakes need too tot be able to fly, I think a floaty Gardner snake would be adorable with it's beady eyes and flickering tongue. Even as a pet or a summon. But then you can go all coatlamia and suddenly you have winged snake folk. That just sounds badass.

In theory there could also be driders, but I dunno. Part of me says I'd rather something else. Like a spider crossed with a lizard or a wombat. Don't ask why a wombat, my brain was really trying for like... Koala or maybe even a squirrel, but it just kinda screamed, SPIDER WOMBAT! and I had to let it do it's thing. No we aren't gonna bring up spider monkeys. That's a terrible pun and you should feel ashamed for giving in to the temptation to even THINK of such a creature. Now if you had said a whino monkey you would have me intrigued.

Rhino app just sounds like a raid boss. Make it an obsidian rhino ape and now you need rest scrolls out the ass. But a rhino monkey? My God it's a charging, swinging, horned ball of fuck you up with a gutcheck tackle and it's gonna be heavy as hell for a little two foot ball of looks like rock.

One thing that bothers me slightly is how it's always mushrooms in caves. Mushrooms creatures. Other plants besides moss and mushrooms can survive in a cave. They just end up really pale and stunted growth. And that's when you toss Mana crystals that give off light into a cavern with water pools. Then you get really pale plant monsters that have no problem spitting acid or coughing a poisonous pollen into your face if you get too close to their crystals. I mean, these crystals keep them alive. "Touch not the crystals of light, else ye be coughing your lungs out and shitting your spleen from a toxic cave Daisy pollen!" Talk about allergies. Yeesh.

Speaking of environment enemies, where are the sky beasts? All up in the mountains? There wouldn't be enough territory. I want some sort of wind eagle king to just be flying over the level five hunting grounds for noobs, and it can magically solidify clouds and uses them as a perch. There is no such thing as a sunny day when it can magically make everything overcast.

Or oceans. They often just have the big ass buggaboo thing that swallows a player whole. *Looking at Jake's and daxter and the lurker shark* that's some shit. I get we should stay in a boundary, but that shit was mild nightmare fuel.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

'SNAP'

"AUGHHHHHH! THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED TO GEORGE!?"

YEAH NO. spore did this shit too. "I'mma go for a swim"

'Hatches out of an egg' what the fuck just ate me?

You technically have extraplanar beasts you can call upon. never call upon a shoggoth. The answer is no you stupid twat

You can, probably, use a mindflayer for a character. Or make it a pirate simulator and call them Davy Jones. "I'm sorry doctor, he seems to have... A terrible case of squid face" it could work... Until you started getting those weirdo players who were all about siphoning information. Or just.... Tentacles.

You never see a crabman race. Is that because they have claws instead? I mean... You could probably figure out SOMETHING. A symbiotic relationship character. Woah. That just makes me think that a character is a swarm of krill. HIVE MIND CHARACTER. Who needs thumbs when you are a swarm of magical things. *Gives thumbs up*

Dragon men, technically lightside, flower person? I think dryads are all female despite all plants being two genders. But let's not go there.

Treants would be cool. And you could subspecies as a type of tree. Or maybe that would be your class?

I am the WILLOW TREE! "I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair back and forth" you deal 7D4 damage too everything within range of your voice. Oh and 2 damage to those in range of your Willow whips.

The mighty redwood treant. Sits on Giants because they sit on his brethren at their campsites. WHOSE TALL NOW!?

the pine treant. Listen... We get it. He's a bit of a prick. Give him a little bit of warmth and he can become the light of your life. And everyone in visual range.

Birch treant. Based on research, which means I got curious and googled birch trees, these guys are even more flammable than other trees but with their peeling bark they make great scribes, they are also less likely to bring fire into the library. Just know if it DOES happen, that library is GONE. Ain't no coming back from that.

Ever imagine a fruit treant? How awkward would it be to ask a person for a bite of their fruit?

OH! PALM TREANT. He's a crack shot with a coconut. Even in spite of his very tropically laid back attitude.

Mahogany! Nevermind they went extinct. But they did make nice cupboards. They weren't Carpenters.

If you think you hear of a mangrove treant in the area... Just leave. It can stomp a mudhole in your ass a hundred times and still have more feet to go untouched.

I think that's about it for now. My phone is slowing down as I type.

Writing will definitely be uhh... Sporadic. And I dunno what could be in the next "chapter" but it will be something. Assumably.