In the Dungeons & Dragons

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, the cockatrice is a small avian magical beast

Magical beast (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, magical beast is a type of creature, or "creature type". Magical beasts are similar to animals in many ways, but usually have a higher intelligence, and possess supernatural or extraordinary abilities....

. Any creature that a cockatrice bites can be permanently turned to stone.

A cockatrice is not particularly intelligent, and is always neutral in alignment.

Publication history

The cockatrice is based on medieval alchemical folklore, which believed they came from a snake or a toad hatching a rooster's egg. The cockatrice is sometimes called a basilisk in ancient mythos.

The cockatrice first appeared in the original Dungeons & Dragons set

Dungeons & Dragons (1974)

The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson was published by TSR, Inc. in 1974. It initially included the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...

 (1974). Cockatrices also appeared in the supplement Eldritch Wizardry

Eldritch Wizardry

Eldritch Wizardry is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game.-Contents:...

(1976).

The cockatrice appeared in the D&D Basic Set

Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set

The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...

(1977), D&D Expert Set

Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set

The Expert Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-1981 printing:The D&D Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay...

(1981, 1983), D&D Companion Rules

Dungeons & Dragons Companion Set

The Companion Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1984 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-Publication history:...

(1984), and Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia

Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia

The Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia was published by TSR, Inc. in 1991, as a continuation of the basic edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which ran concurrently with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Its product designation was TSR 1071...

(1991).

The cockatrice appeared in first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual

Monster Manual

The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...

(1977). The creature was expanded on 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...

#95 (March 1985).

The cockatrice appeared in second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The cockatrice appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000), and the version 3.5 Monster Manual (2003).

The cockatrice appeared in the fourth edition Monster Manual 2 (2009).

Physical description

A cockatrice has the head and body of a rooster, bat wings, and the long tail of a lizard.

Pyrolisk

The pyrolisk is a similar creature, though instead of petrification, it can cause other creatures to burst into flame.

Cockatrices in Eberron

In the Eberron

Eberron

Eberron is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, set in a period after a vast destructive war on the continent of Khorvaire...

 campaign setting, the cockatrice is the heraldic beast of the dragonmarked House Sivis.

Additional reading

• Ward, Kyla. "The Petit Tarrasque and Other Monsters." Dragon #329 (Paizo Publishing
  Paizo Publishing
  Paizo 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...
  
  , 2005).