Archomental
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
roleplaying game, archomentals are powerful exemplary beings of the Elemental Planes and rulers over the elementals
. Although they are not truly rulers of their planes, archomentals like to consider themselves as such and often grant themselves regal titles like Prince or Princess. They are compared in the source material to the archfiends or celestial paragons, and are considered to be the elemental equivalent of such beings.
(1981), created by Lewis Pulsipher
. Ed Greenwood
, in his review of the Fiend Folio for Dragon
magazine, considered the Elemental Princes of Evil "worthy additions to any campaign". The original first edition Manual of the Planes
(1987) first used the term "archomental" to describe the most powerful elemental creatures, "great beasts that are individually named and may stand toe-to-toe with the lesser deity-class creatures of the outer planes. The rulers of the various elemental types are called "elemental princes.""
The good archomentals first appeared, along with the evil archomentals, in the second edition book Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III (1998).
The evil archomentals appeared in the third edition in Dragon
#347 (September 2006), and the good archomentals appeared in Dragon #353 (March 2007).
Imix and Ogremoch will appear in the Monster Manual 3 (2010).
Cryonax
: Prince of Evil Cold Creatures
Imix
: Prince of Evil Fire Creatures
Ogrémoch
: Prince of Evil Earth Creatures
Olhydra
: Princess of Evil Water Creatures
Yan-C-Bin
: Prince of Evil Air Creatures
Two further archomentals, Uzrith of Earth and Alyolvoy of Water, are mentioned in "The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb" in Dungeon
#37. They are powerful and possessive evil elemental beings who created at least one of seven magical vessels called the Ships of Earth and Sea, which have the ability to move on the earth and underwater as well as on the surface of the sea. The two are fierce rivals of one another.
Ben-hadar
: Prince of Good Water Creatures
Chan
: Princess of Good Air Creatures
Entemoch and Sunnis
: Prince and Princess of Good Earth Creatures
Zaaman Rul
: Prince of Good Fire Creatures
Bwimb
: Prince of Ooze Creatures
Chlimbia
: Prince of Magma Creatures
Ehkahk
: Prince of Smoke Creatures
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game, archomentals are powerful exemplary beings of the Elemental Planes and rulers over the elementals
Elemental (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, an elemental is a type of creature. Elemental creatures are composed of one of the four classical elementals of air, earth, fire, or water.-Publication history:...
. Although they are not truly rulers of their planes, archomentals like to consider themselves as such and often grant themselves regal titles like Prince or Princess. They are compared in the source material to the archfiends or celestial paragons, and are considered to be the elemental equivalent of such beings.
Publication history
The elemental princes of evil first appeared in the first edition Fiend FolioFiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
(1981), created by Lewis Pulsipher
Lewis Pulsipher
Lewis Errol Pulsipher is a teacher, game designer, and author, whose subject is role playing games, board games, card games, and video games. He was the first person in the North Carolina community college system to teach game design classes...
. Ed Greenwood
Ed Greenwood
Ed Greenwood is a Canadian writer and editor who created the Forgotten Realms. He invented the Forgotten Realms as a child, as a fantasy world in which to set the stories he imagined, and later used this world as a campaign setting for his own personal Dungeons & Dragons playing group...
, in his review of the Fiend Folio for Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine, considered the Elemental Princes of Evil "worthy additions to any campaign". The original first edition Manual of the Planes
Manual of the Planes
The Manual of the Planes is a manual for the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe....
(1987) first used the term "archomental" to describe the most powerful elemental creatures, "great beasts that are individually named and may stand toe-to-toe with the lesser deity-class creatures of the outer planes. The rulers of the various elemental types are called "elemental princes.""
The good archomentals first appeared, along with the evil archomentals, in the second edition book Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III (1998).
The evil archomentals appeared in the third edition in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#347 (September 2006), and the good archomentals appeared in Dragon #353 (March 2007).
Imix and Ogremoch will appear in the Monster Manual 3 (2010).
Evil archomentals
The evil archomentals are collectively known as the Princes of Elemental Evil. The five most famous include:Cryonax
Cryonax
Cryonax is a wicked archomental, the Prince of Evil Cold Creatures, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. His symbol is either a blue-white circle within a square or a silver snowflake.-Publication history:...
: Prince of Evil Cold Creatures
Imix
Imix (Dungeons & Dragons)
Imix is an archomental, the Prince of Evil Fire Creatures, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. His symbol is a red diamond.-Publication history:...
: Prince of Evil Fire Creatures
Ogrémoch
Ogrémoch
Ogrémoch is an archomental in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. His symbol is an equilateral triangle with short hash marks through each side...
: Prince of Evil Earth Creatures
Olhydra
Olhydra
Olhydra is an archomental in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Her symbol is a blue-green square. It's possible that Alyolvoy, an evil archomental of water mentioned in Dungeon #37, is an alias of Olhydra.-Publication history:...
: Princess of Evil Water Creatures
Yan-C-Bin
Yan-C-Bin
Yan-C-Bin is an archomental, the Prince of Evil Aerial Creatures, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. His symbol is a silver-white circle.-Publication history:...
: Prince of Evil Air Creatures
Two further archomentals, Uzrith of Earth and Alyolvoy of Water, are mentioned in "The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb" in Dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
#37. They are powerful and possessive evil elemental beings who created at least one of seven magical vessels called the Ships of Earth and Sea, which have the ability to move on the earth and underwater as well as on the surface of the sea. The two are fierce rivals of one another.
Good archomentals
The good archomentals are collectively known as the Elemental Princes of Good. The four most famous include:Ben-hadar
Ben-hadar
Ben-hadar is an archomental in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:Ben-hadar first appeared with the good archomentals in the second edition book Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III ....
: Prince of Good Water Creatures
Chan
Chan (Dungeons & Dragons)
Chan is an archomental in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:Chan first appeared with the good archomentals in the second edition book Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III ....
: Princess of Good Air Creatures
Entemoch and Sunnis
Sunnis (Dungeons & Dragons)
Sunnis is an archomental in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:Sunnis first appeared with the good archomentals in the second edition book Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III ....
: Prince and Princess of Good Earth Creatures
Zaaman Rul
Zaaman Rul
Zaaman Rul is an archomental in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:Zaaman Rul first appeared with the good archomentals in the second edition book Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III ....
: Prince of Good Fire Creatures
Archomentals of Uncertain Alignment
Three other archomentals are mentioned in Manual of the Planes (TSR, 1987). Only their names and planes are given; it is unknown if they are evil or good.Bwimb
Bwimb
Baron Bwimb of Ooze, known as Nakimas to the Suel, was the self-proclaimed baron of the Paraelemental Plane of Ooze, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He died in circa 589 CY...
: Prince of Ooze Creatures
Chlimbia
Chlimbia
Chlimbia is an evil archomental, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:Chlimbia was first mentioned in the original Manual of the Planes by name only.Chlimbia was described in The Inner Planes ....
: Prince of Magma Creatures
Ehkahk
Ehkahk
Ehkahk is an evil archomental, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:Ehkahk was first mentioned in the original Manual of the Planes by name only.Ehkahk was described in The Inner Planes ....
: Prince of Smoke Creatures
Additional reading
- Baur, WolfgangWolfgang BaurWolfgang Baur is an American game designer, best known for his work with Dragon magazine. He designs role-playing games and also is known for his work at Wizards of the Coast.-Biography:...
. "A Gathering of Winds." Dungeon #129 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
- Cook, Monte. "Four in Darkness: A Guide to Elemental Evil." DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#285 (Paizo PublishingPaizo PublishingPaizo Publishing is an American publishing company in Redmond, Washington that specializes in game aids and adventures for "the world's oldest fantasy roleplaying game" and its flagship spin-off game and setting, Pathfinder...
, 2001).
- Cook, Monte. Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (Wizards of the CoastWizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, 2001).
- Cook, Monte, and William W. Connors. The Inner Planes (TSR, 1998).
- Grubb, Jeff, Bruce R. Cordell, and David Noonan. Manual of the PlanesManual of the PlanesThe Manual of the Planes is a manual for the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe....
(Wizards of the Coast, 2001).
- Mentzer, Frank. The Egg of the PhoenixThe Egg of the PhoenixThe Egg of the Phoenix is an adventure module published in 1982 for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Plot summary:...
(TSR, 1982).
- Mentzer, Frank, and Paul JaquaysPaul JaquaysPaul Jaquays is a game designer and artist of table-top role-playing games and video games.Some of his notable works include the Dungeons & Dragons modules "Dark Tower" and "Caverns of Thracia" for Judges Guild; development and design of conversions on games such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong for...
. Egg of the PhoenixEgg of the PhoenixEgg of the Phoenix is an adventure module published in 1987 for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Plot summary:...
(TSR, 1987).
- Mona, Erik. "The Whispering Cairn." DungeonDungeon (magazine)Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
#124, (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
- Shel, Mike. "The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb." DungeonDungeonA dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
#37. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.