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Humanoid (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, humanoid is a type of creature, or "creature type
". Humanoids are any creature shaped generally like a human
(two arms, two legs, one head, or a humanlike torso, arms, and head), of Small or Medium size, with few or no supernatural or extraordinary abilities. Most humanoids can speak, and usually have well-developed societies.
Humanoids are similar in form to monstrous humanoids
and giants
, but are treated as a different type of creature. Additionally, many Fey
and Outsiders
share the humanoid form.
Prior to 3rd edition, humanoid referred exclusively to orcs
, goblinoid
s and similar creatures, while more advanced creatures such as Elves and Dwarves were referred to as demihumans, and humans were outside of both categories.
The following creatures are considered humanoids in at least one edition of Dungeons & Dragons
, or they are very humanoid-looking creatures even if they don't have the actual "humanoid" type.
and flesh
. The pandemonium is actually a mass of pale, hunchbacked
humanoids, with pointed ears, black manes and grinning faces. Their eyes are black, and shine with a maniacal gleam.
Gibberlings attack in great numbers, uttering ghastly howls, clicks, shrieks, and insane chattering noises. The screaming mob is completely disorganized in form, and random in direction. They usually carry short swords in their overly long arms. Where they get these swords is unknown, and they may instead wield crude weapons made from bone.
The horde's forward motion slows only long enough to kill anything moving, and then continues forward, their bloodlust apparently unabated. They always fight to the death. All food in their path is devoured, including the fallen among their own number, and any unfortified building or objects are generally wrecked.
It is difficult to imagine a gibberling social structure
. It can be roughly compared to the social structure of a school of piranha
in a feeding frenzy
. There is no sense, no organization, and no individuality. Though they clearly have a primitive means of communicating among themselves, they have no discernible language.
The only true hope of survival, should a herd of gibberlings be encountered, is to take strategic advantage of their fear of bright light. The gibberlings generally frequent only dense forests and subterranean passages, loathing bright light of all kinds, and are particularly afraid of fire. If found during the day gibberlings awake, but generally cower in fear at the bright light surrounding them.
In the original 2nd Edition Monster Manual
, it was left unclear how or when or even if gibberlings procreate. The mysteries of gibberling reproduction were revealed in the module "The Gates of Firestorm Peak". The module mentioned a second form called the brood gibberling, which gives birth to larva
e called gibberslugs, which writhe beneath the skin of the brood gibberling. They are injected into the flesh of anyone the brood gibberling bites, including other gibberlings. The slugs then grow steadily and consume the body of their host from the inside, eventually bursting out through the skin. A brood gibberling can actually control those it has created, leading to the development of "clans" of the monsters.
Attempts to find the gibberlings' lairs have inevitably led back to subterranean passages, where the trail is eventually lost in the deepest rock-floored recesses of the caverns. They can easily be tracked by the path of chaos and destruction they leave, and can be quickly dispatched while they lie dormant just beneath the surface of the ground. Gibberlings traveling above-ground invariably burrow into the ground to hide during the daytime, and it is at such time that they are most vulnerable. Subterranean gibberlings may burrow into the ground, or may simply lie down in a curled, fetal posture at times of rest. They awake suddenly, as a group, and burst in unison out of the ground, howling and gibbering in a most frightful way.
Gibberlings require a prodigious amount of food to support their manic nocturnal existence, stripping to the bone anyone or anything that should fall in their path. Their fur is commonly infested with lice and other pests picked up during their burrowed slumber. Their hides are vile and worthless. Gibberlings carry no treasure
or other useful items. Their swords are of the commonest variety, with no markings or decoration, and are often pitted and dull. In short, gibberlings serve no purpose and no known master, save random death in the night.
The gibberling species originates in the Far Realm
, a place of madness beyond the known planes. The brood gibberlings seem somehow connected to its energies, and in the case of Firestorm Peak, must remain within the field of corruption created by the magical "Vast Gate" within the mountain, open to the Far Realm.
magazine and were reprinted in the Fiend Folio
tome (1981). They were created by Underworld Oracle.
The gibberling appeared in the fourth edition in Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide (2008).
Although humanoid in shape, locathahs are clearly more fish than human. The average locathah stands 5 feet tall and weighs 175 pounds. Females and males look very much alike, although the former can be recognized by the two ochre stripes marking their egg sacs.
Locathah worship a deity named Eadro
.
A merfolk has the upper body, arms, and head of a fair-featured human, and instead of legs it has the scaled tail of a great fish. They are marine, but amphibious
, and prefer to avoid combat.
Merfolk worship the god Eadro
.
Mongrelfolk are excellent mimics, and can reproduce just about any sound they have ever heard.
The mongrelman is presented as a playable character race in The Complete Book of Humanoids
(1993), and is later presented as a playable character race again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers
(1995).
Mongrelfolk worship the god Meriadar
.
While in older editions of Dungeons & Dragons mongrelfolk were defined as deformed outcasts, recent sourcebooks (Races of Destiny
, Wizards of the Coast
, 2006) gave them the special ability to appear as members of any other race. As such they mix into humanoid society by impersonation rather than being outcast.
campaign setting
. The term mul is derived from "mule
" which are sterile
hybrids, and as such the word is meant to be pronounced in the same manner (rhyming with "rule" rather than "dull").
A mul is a powerful crossbreed of a human and dwarf, most often born into slavery on command of its parents' owner, as it is a naturally great warrior, bred for combat. They are also highly prized as heavy laborers, due to their ability to perform massive amounts of labor on relatively little rest. In 2nd edition, muls were explicitly sterile, but in 4th edition material, this aspect of their biology has been dropped.
A mul gets what are, perhaps, the best attributes from each of its parents. From his human parent, he receives height and agility. From his dwarven parent, the mul gets incredible strength and endurance. At maturity, a mul stands as much as 6½' tall, weighing 240-300 lbs. Each is fair skinned, though sometimes tending toward a coppery coloration. A mul's eyebrow ridges are pronounced, and the ears are usually pointed toward the back of the head; otherwise, facial features are basically human. Regardless of sex, most muls are naturally bald, but those who aren't usually shave their heads as a mark of racial unity. Since many muls are born into gladiator
ial careers, tattoos of decoration and ownership are common.
The term "mul" has been unofficially adopted into other campaign settings for rare human-dwarf crossbreeds.
role-playing game
. They are a race of magical goblins that are healed by receiving damage and are damaged by healing spells. The name is "goblin
" spelled backward, a reference to this reversal of effects. The exact connection between the nilbog and the llort, which shares its power to heal by receiving damage, is unknown.
. Orogs usually live among orcs; they are stronger, more intelligent, and more highly disciplined than typical orcs.
Variants on the orog include the neo-orog and the ogrillion. The neo-orog is a specific orc-ogre crossbreed created by the Red Wizards of Thay to be used as elite soldiers. The ogrillion is the brutish, armor-skinned offspring of a female orc and a male ogre.
In the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
, orogs were an orc tribe who became cut off from their mountain home after a great attack into the civilized world, they eventually found a way into the Underdark and hid from their Elven and human enemies. They remained in the Underdark for thousands of years, fighting deniziens of that terrible realm all the time. Eventually they became superior in strength and personality to normal mountain orcs.
Both orogs and ogrillions appear in BioWare's
Baldur's Gate
PC games.
) is a humanoid with a cat-like appearance. They typically live in warm climates, such as the Isle of Dread
.
Rakasta appear to be anthropomorphic felines. They are often armed with kasa, a set of metal war claws which are worn over the paw like a glove.
A special caste of mounted knights ride tamed saber-toothed tigers into battle. These warriors serve as the personal guards to the chief. They are able to leap from their mounts while riding and attack.
An article in Dragon
described various "tribes" of rakasta as resembling different species of feline, with the most numerous resembling the domestic cat, but others including Simbasta (lion-people), Sherkasta (tiger-people), and so on.
Originally exclusive to the Mystara
campaign setting
, rakasta were retconned into the World of Greyhawk setting when the Isle of Dread was updated for third edition. In the World of Greyhawk setting, the rakasta went extinct on the Isle of Dread some time ago.
. They resemble humanoid dinosaur
s. Their language is a combination of high-pitched sounds (outside the range of human hearing) and scents. Few other races are capable of speaking or understanding this language without magical aid, and most saurials are incapable of reproducing the common languages of other humanoid races, though they are intelligent enough to learn to understand them. One prominent saurial, Dragonbait, not only understands Common, but has learned the sign language
known as "thieves
' cant", allowing him to converse with non-saurials fluent in the cant.
There are four known species of saurial:
Saurials were introduced originally in the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
in the Serpent Kingdoms supplement book, though it has oftened been said they would be equally at home in such a place as the Talenta Plains in Eberron
. In the Forgotten Realms, Saurials dwell in the Dalelands
, in a hidden place known as the Lost Vale. They are said to have hailed from another world (possibly earth
), and were stranded in Faerûn
via the actions of the evil deity Moander
. More intelligent than lizardfolk
and inclined to be peaceful and civilized, the saurials have maintained a thriving community in near-complete isolation for nearly fifteen years. Tales of these so-called dragonfolk (though they are actually dinosaur-like) pervade many cultures, but few humans have actually seen them.
Selkies worship the god Surminare
.
form. In normal form, they resemble slender, tawny, attractive human females, generally clad in light robes and some form of white, feathered garment. In swan form, they resemble swans.
Swanmays are all originally human females who were given their form of lycanthropy
by voluntarily accepting a token, such as a feathered garment or signet ring, from a current swanmay. The true purposes of the swanmay sisterhood are not known, but they seem to be peaceful protectors of nature and, in particular, water birds. They live in small lodges on the banks of lakes in deep forests, and these can generally be recognized by the large number of swans and other water birds around them. Swanmay lodges are only lightly fortified against attacks, but contain two escape routes: a tunnel leading to the lake and a hatch onto the roof, which can be used by swanmays when in swan form. Swanmays seem to protect swans out of pity due to their similarity more than any other reason.
Swanmays are rather indistinguishable from normal humans when in normal form, but can assume the swan form at will (they have full control over their shapeshifting). Any garments they are wearing, particularly the feathered garments, become part of the plumage when they do so. Swanmays attack with whatever weapons they have when in normal form, but prefer to attack with their beaks and claws in swan form. Abhoring violence, swanmays will as soon fly away as attack. Swanmays rarely associate with other creatures, only communing regularly with feys
, sylvan elves
, and certain priests.
Many swanmays serve the goddess Fionnghuala
.
Swanmays speak Common and Sylvan.
The swanmay is presented as a playable character race in The Complete Book of Humanoids
(1993), and is later presented as a playable character race again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1995). Swanmay is a prestige class in the 3.5 Book of Exalted Deeds
.
's Three Hearts and Three Lions
, who in turn was based on swan maidens in folklore.
and are very quick and nimble in the trees.
A tasloi is 3-feet tall with green skin and gold, catlike eyes. They have a stooped posture and their knuckles drag on the ground when they walk.
Tasloi live in small groups consisting of several families. Their villages are constructed on platforms high in the jungle canopy. On the ground below the platforms they sometimes raise dire rat
s as beasts of burden and mounts.
In the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
the tasloi worship an aspect of Maglubiyet
, god of the goblins
.
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...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, humanoid is a type of creature, or "creature type
Creature Type (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, creature types are rough categories of creatures which determine the way game mechanics affect the creature. In the 3rd edition and related games, there are between thirteen and seventeen creature types. Creature type is determined by the...
". Humanoids are any creature shaped generally like a human
Human (Dungeons & Dragons)
Humans are a race available for player characters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Although short-lived by comparison, humans are the most populous of all Dungeons & Dragons races. They are renowned for their diversity and ambition, and although they lack specializations like...
(two arms, two legs, one head, or a humanlike torso, arms, and head), of Small or Medium size, with few or no supernatural or extraordinary abilities. Most humanoids can speak, and usually have well-developed societies.
Humanoids are similar in form to monstrous humanoids
Monstrous humanoid (Dungeons & Dragons)
Monstrous humanoids are a "creature type" in the 3rd and 3.5 editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Monstrous humanoids are differentiated from humanoids by their monstrous or animalistic features, and not all are technically "humanoid" in body form...
and giants
Giant (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, giant is a type of creature, or "creature type." Giants are humanoid-shaped creatures of great strength and size.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
, but are treated as a different type of creature. Additionally, many Fey
Fey (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Fey is a type of creature, or "creature type". Fey are usually humanoid in form, and are typified as having supernatural abilities and a connection to nature or to some other force or place....
and Outsiders
Outsider (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, an outsider is a type of creature, or "creature type". Outsiders are at least partially composed of the essence of a plane other than the Prime Material Plane....
share the humanoid form.
Prior to 3rd edition, humanoid referred exclusively to orcs
Orc (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.-Publication history:The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J.R.R...
, goblinoid
Goblinoid
Goblinoids are a category of humanoid legendary creatures related to the goblin. The term originated in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, in which goblins and related creatures are a staple of random encounters. Goblinoids are typically barbaric foes of the various human and...
s and similar creatures, while more advanced creatures such as Elves and Dwarves were referred to as demihumans, and humans were outside of both categories.
The following creatures are considered humanoids in at least one edition of 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...
, or they are very humanoid-looking creatures even if they don't have the actual "humanoid" type.
Catfolk
The first impression of gibberlings is of a writhing mass of furFur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
and flesh
Flesh
In vertebrate animals, flesh is the colloquial for biological tissue which consists of skeletal muscles and fat as opposed to bones, viscera and integuments. Flesh may be used as food, in which case it is called meat....
. The pandemonium is actually a mass of pale, hunchbacked
Kyphosis
Kyphosis , also called roundback or Kelso's hunchback, is a condition of over-curvature of the thoracic vertebrae...
humanoids, with pointed ears, black manes and grinning faces. Their eyes are black, and shine with a maniacal gleam.
Gibberlings attack in great numbers, uttering ghastly howls, clicks, shrieks, and insane chattering noises. The screaming mob is completely disorganized in form, and random in direction. They usually carry short swords in their overly long arms. Where they get these swords is unknown, and they may instead wield crude weapons made from bone.
The horde's forward motion slows only long enough to kill anything moving, and then continues forward, their bloodlust apparently unabated. They always fight to the death. All food in their path is devoured, including the fallen among their own number, and any unfortified building or objects are generally wrecked.
It is difficult to imagine a gibberling social structure
Social structure
Social structure is a term used in the social sciences to refer to patterned social arrangements in society that are both emergent from and determinant of the actions of the individuals. The usage of the term "social structure" has changed over time and may reflect the various levels of analysis...
. It can be roughly compared to the social structure of a school of piranha
Piranha
A piranha or piraña is a member of family Characidae in order Characiformes, an omnivorous freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers. In Venezuela, they are called caribes...
in a feeding frenzy
Feeding frenzy
In ecology, a feeding frenzy is a situation where oversaturation of a supply of food leads to rapid feeding by predatory animals. For example, a large school of fish can cause nearby sharks to enter a feeding frenzy. This can cause the sharks to go wild, biting anything that moves, including each...
. There is no sense, no organization, and no individuality. Though they clearly have a primitive means of communicating among themselves, they have no discernible language.
The only true hope of survival, should a herd of gibberlings be encountered, is to take strategic advantage of their fear of bright light. The gibberlings generally frequent only dense forests and subterranean passages, loathing bright light of all kinds, and are particularly afraid of fire. If found during the day gibberlings awake, but generally cower in fear at the bright light surrounding them.
In the original 2nd Edition 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...
, it was left unclear how or when or even if gibberlings procreate. The mysteries of gibberling reproduction were revealed in the module "The Gates of Firestorm Peak". The module mentioned a second form called the brood gibberling, which gives birth to larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e called gibberslugs, which writhe beneath the skin of the brood gibberling. They are injected into the flesh of anyone the brood gibberling bites, including other gibberlings. The slugs then grow steadily and consume the body of their host from the inside, eventually bursting out through the skin. A brood gibberling can actually control those it has created, leading to the development of "clans" of the monsters.
Attempts to find the gibberlings' lairs have inevitably led back to subterranean passages, where the trail is eventually lost in the deepest rock-floored recesses of the caverns. They can easily be tracked by the path of chaos and destruction they leave, and can be quickly dispatched while they lie dormant just beneath the surface of the ground. Gibberlings traveling above-ground invariably burrow into the ground to hide during the daytime, and it is at such time that they are most vulnerable. Subterranean gibberlings may burrow into the ground, or may simply lie down in a curled, fetal posture at times of rest. They awake suddenly, as a group, and burst in unison out of the ground, howling and gibbering in a most frightful way.
Gibberlings require a prodigious amount of food to support their manic nocturnal existence, stripping to the bone anyone or anything that should fall in their path. Their fur is commonly infested with lice and other pests picked up during their burrowed slumber. Their hides are vile and worthless. Gibberlings carry no treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
or other useful items. Their swords are of the commonest variety, with no markings or decoration, and are often pitted and dull. In short, gibberlings serve no purpose and no known master, save random death in the night.
The gibberling species originates in the Far Realm
Far Realm
The Far Realm is a plane found in various settings in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Creative origins:The Far Realm is a mix of horror, madness, and Lovecraftian geometries....
, a place of madness beyond the known planes. The brood gibberlings seem somehow connected to its energies, and in the case of Firestorm Peak, must remain within the field of corruption created by the magical "Vast Gate" within the mountain, open to the Far Realm.
Creative origins
Gibberlings first appeared in White DwarfWhite Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
magazine and were reprinted in the Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
tome (1981). They were created by Underworld Oracle.
The gibberling appeared in the fourth edition in Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide (2008).
Locathah
The locathah is a fish-like humanoid race dwelling in warm coastal waters.Although humanoid in shape, locathahs are clearly more fish than human. The average locathah stands 5 feet tall and weighs 175 pounds. Females and males look very much alike, although the former can be recognized by the two ochre stripes marking their egg sacs.
Locathah worship a deity named Eadro
Eadro
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Eadro is the deity worshipped by the locathah race and merfolk race. His sacred animal is the jellyfish...
.
Merfolk
The merfolk are a race of humanoids that live underwater.A merfolk has the upper body, arms, and head of a fair-featured human, and instead of legs it has the scaled tail of a great fish. They are marine, but amphibious
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
, and prefer to avoid combat.
Merfolk worship the god Eadro
Eadro
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Eadro is the deity worshipped by the locathah race and merfolk race. His sacred animal is the jellyfish...
.
Mongrelfolk
Mongrelfolk are humanoids that are the product of several generations of crossbreeding between numerous other humanoid races. Each mongrelfolk, or "mongrelman," has a unique appearance, taking on various features from any or all of its ancestral races.Mongrelfolk are excellent mimics, and can reproduce just about any sound they have ever heard.
The mongrelman is presented as a playable character race in The Complete Book of Humanoids
Complete Book of Humanoids
The Complete Book of Humanoids is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was written by Bill Slavicsek for TSR, in 1993....
(1993), and is later presented as a playable character race again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers
Player's Option: Skills & Powers
Player's Option: Skills & Powers is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. This 192-page book was published by TSR, Inc. in 1995. The book was designed by Douglas Niles and Dale Donovan...
(1995).
Mongrelfolk worship the god Meriadar
Meriadar
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Meriadar is a deity of patience, tolerance, meditation, and arts and crafts...
.
While in older editions of Dungeons & Dragons mongrelfolk were defined as deformed outcasts, recent sourcebooks (Races of Destiny
Races of Destiny
Races of Destiny is a supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Contents:This book deals with races that live primarily in urban settings, specifically humans, half-orcs, and a new race called the Illumian, whose most notable features are the sigils that constantly...
, Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards 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...
, 2006) gave them the special ability to appear as members of any other race. As such they mix into humanoid society by impersonation rather than being outcast.
Mul
Muls are a mixed-breed offspring of humans and dwarves in the Dark SunDark Sun
Dark Sun is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting featuring the fictional desert world of Athas. The original Dark Sun Boxed Set campaign setting was released in 1991....
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
. The term mul is derived from "mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
" which are sterile
Infertility
Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term...
hybrids, and as such the word is meant to be pronounced in the same manner (rhyming with "rule" rather than "dull").
A mul is a powerful crossbreed of a human and dwarf, most often born into slavery on command of its parents' owner, as it is a naturally great warrior, bred for combat. They are also highly prized as heavy laborers, due to their ability to perform massive amounts of labor on relatively little rest. In 2nd edition, muls were explicitly sterile, but in 4th edition material, this aspect of their biology has been dropped.
A mul gets what are, perhaps, the best attributes from each of its parents. From his human parent, he receives height and agility. From his dwarven parent, the mul gets incredible strength and endurance. At maturity, a mul stands as much as 6½' tall, weighing 240-300 lbs. Each is fair skinned, though sometimes tending toward a coppery coloration. A mul's eyebrow ridges are pronounced, and the ears are usually pointed toward the back of the head; otherwise, facial features are basically human. Regardless of sex, most muls are naturally bald, but those who aren't usually shave their heads as a mark of racial unity. Since many muls are born into gladiator
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
ial careers, tattoos of decoration and ownership are common.
The term "mul" has been unofficially adopted into other campaign settings for rare human-dwarf crossbreeds.
Nilbog
Nilbogs are a type of monster in the Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & 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...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. They are a race of magical goblins that are healed by receiving damage and are damaged by healing spells. The name is "goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
" spelled backward, a reference to this reversal of effects. The exact connection between the nilbog and the llort, which shares its power to heal by receiving damage, is unknown.
Orog
An orog is a crossbreed between a male orc and a female ogreOgre (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, ogres are a lesser race of giants, rather being simply large brutes with clubs. An aquatic subrace of ogres is known as "merrow." D&D ogres are also closely related to the race of ogre magi, a smarter race with blue skin and great magical abilities...
. Orogs usually live among orcs; they are stronger, more intelligent, and more highly disciplined than typical orcs.
Variants on the orog include the neo-orog and the ogrillion. The neo-orog is a specific orc-ogre crossbreed created by the Red Wizards of Thay to be used as elite soldiers. The ogrillion is the brutish, armor-skinned offspring of a female orc and a male ogre.
In the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
, orogs were an orc tribe who became cut off from their mountain home after a great attack into the civilized world, they eventually found a way into the Underdark and hid from their Elven and human enemies. They remained in the Underdark for thousands of years, fighting deniziens of that terrible realm all the time. Eventually they became superior in strength and personality to normal mountain orcs.
Both orogs and ogrillions appear in BioWare's
BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer founded in February 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. BioWare is currently owned by American company Electronic Arts...
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using modified Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules...
PC games.
Rakasta
The rakasta (not to be confused with a rakshasaRakshasa (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a rakshasa is a type of evil outsider that is now native to the Material Plane. They are powerful sorcerers and, although they disdain physical fighting as ignoble, can be dangerous in close combat as well.-Dungeons & Dragons :The rakshasa first...
) is a humanoid with a cat-like appearance. They typically live in warm climates, such as the Isle of Dread
Isle of Dread
The Isle of Dread is an adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The adventure, module code X1, was originally published in 1981. Written by David "Zeb" Cook, and Tom Moldvay, it is among the most widely circulated of all Dungeons & Dragons adventures due to its inclusion as part of...
.
Rakasta appear to be anthropomorphic felines. They are often armed with kasa, a set of metal war claws which are worn over the paw like a glove.
A special caste of mounted knights ride tamed saber-toothed tigers into battle. These warriors serve as the personal guards to the chief. They are able to leap from their mounts while riding and attack.
An article 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...
described various "tribes" of rakasta as resembling different species of feline, with the most numerous resembling the domestic cat, but others including Simbasta (lion-people), Sherkasta (tiger-people), and so on.
Originally exclusive to the Mystara
Mystara
Mystara is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game. Although it has officially been dropped from production by its creators, many fans continue to develop and evolve this fantasy setting jointly, continuing its original theme of group development.-Development:It...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
, rakasta were retconned into the World of Greyhawk setting when the Isle of Dread was updated for third edition. In the World of Greyhawk setting, the rakasta went extinct on the Isle of Dread some time ago.
Saurial
The saurial is a reptilian humanoidReptilian humanoid
Reptilian humanoids comprise a common motif in mythology, folklore, science fiction, fantasy, conspiracy theories, ufology, and cryptozoology.-Male:...
. They resemble humanoid dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s. Their language is a combination of high-pitched sounds (outside the range of human hearing) and scents. Few other races are capable of speaking or understanding this language without magical aid, and most saurials are incapable of reproducing the common languages of other humanoid races, though they are intelligent enough to learn to understand them. One prominent saurial, Dragonbait, not only understands Common, but has learned the sign language
Sign language
A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...
known as "thieves
Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...
' cant", allowing him to converse with non-saurials fluent in the cant.
There are four known species of saurial:
- Bladebacks: Resembling a humanoid stegosaurusStegosaurusStegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
. Bladebacks are social, straightforward, and slow to anger, often becoming village leaders. - Finheads: Has a curving crest on its head; could be either a humanoid brachiosaurusBrachiosaurusBrachiosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America. It was first described by Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in the Grand River Canyon of western Colorado, in the United States. Riggs named the dinosaur Brachiosaurus altithorax,...
, dilophosaurusDilophosaurusDilophosaurus was a theropod dinosaur from the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic Period, about 193 million years ago. The first specimens were described in 1954, but it was not until over a decade later that the genus received its current name...
, or corythosaurusCorythosaurusCorythosaurus is a genus of duck-billed dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Period, about 77-76.5 million years ago. It lived in what is now North America...
. Finheads are bright, active, curious, and emotional creatures. They are good with their hands and willing to work hard. - Flyers: Resembling a humanoid pterosaurPterosaurPterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
(very similar to the supposedly completely unrelated pterafolk). Flyers are nervous and noisy, irritable and often irritating to others. They are likely to flee from a fight if threatened. They love gossip spending time with people who will listen to them. - Hornheads: Somewhat halfway between a humanoid TriceratopsTriceratopsTriceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
and a euoplocephalusEuoplocephalusEuoplocephalus was one of the largest genera of ankylosaurian dinosaurs, at about the size of a small elephant. It is also the ankylosaurian with the best fossil record, so its extensive spiked armor, low-slung body and great club-like tail are well documented.-Description:Among the...
. Hornheads are careful, rational planners, choosing their words carefully and loathing the taking of risks. They have an interest in alchemy, engineering, and other mental pursuits. They are the largest of the saurials.
Saurials were introduced originally in the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
in the Serpent Kingdoms supplement book, though it has oftened been said they would be equally at home in such a place as the Talenta Plains in 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...
. In the Forgotten Realms, Saurials dwell in the Dalelands
Dalelands
The Dalelands is a region in the fictional setting of the Forgotten Realms, for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the setting, the Dalelands is set on the continent of Faerûn, somewhat influenced by rural England, and most famous for hosting the famous wizard and sage, Elminster...
, in a hidden place known as the Lost Vale. They are said to have hailed from another world (possibly earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
), and were stranded in Faerûn
Faerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
via the actions of the evil deity Moander
Moander
Moander is the god of rot and corruption in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.-Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition :...
. More intelligent than lizardfolk
Lizardfolk
Lizardfolk are a fictional humanoid species in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:...
and inclined to be peaceful and civilized, the saurials have maintained a thriving community in near-complete isolation for nearly fifteen years. Tales of these so-called dragonfolk (though they are actually dinosaur-like) pervade many cultures, but few humans have actually seen them.
Selkie
The selkie is a humanoid that can transform into a seal. They live in the water, but their intense curiosity towards land-dwellers leads them to explore life on the surface.Selkies worship the god Surminare
Surminare
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Surminare is the selkie deity of beauty and peace.-Publication history:...
.
Swanmay
Swanmays are a sisterhood of humanoids who can assume a swanSwan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
form. In normal form, they resemble slender, tawny, attractive human females, generally clad in light robes and some form of white, feathered garment. In swan form, they resemble swans.
Swanmays are all originally human females who were given their form of lycanthropy
Lycanthrope (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lycanthrope is a humanoid shapeshifter based on various legends of lycanthropy.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
by voluntarily accepting a token, such as a feathered garment or signet ring, from a current swanmay. The true purposes of the swanmay sisterhood are not known, but they seem to be peaceful protectors of nature and, in particular, water birds. They live in small lodges on the banks of lakes in deep forests, and these can generally be recognized by the large number of swans and other water birds around them. Swanmay lodges are only lightly fortified against attacks, but contain two escape routes: a tunnel leading to the lake and a hatch onto the roof, which can be used by swanmays when in swan form. Swanmays seem to protect swans out of pity due to their similarity more than any other reason.
Swanmays are rather indistinguishable from normal humans when in normal form, but can assume the swan form at will (they have full control over their shapeshifting). Any garments they are wearing, particularly the feathered garments, become part of the plumage when they do so. Swanmays attack with whatever weapons they have when in normal form, but prefer to attack with their beaks and claws in swan form. Abhoring violence, swanmays will as soon fly away as attack. Swanmays rarely associate with other creatures, only communing regularly with feys
Fey (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Fey is a type of creature, or "creature type". Fey are usually humanoid in form, and are typified as having supernatural abilities and a connection to nature or to some other force or place....
, sylvan elves
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
, and certain priests.
Many swanmays serve the goddess Fionnghuala
Fionnghuala
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Fionnghuala is the deity of swanmays, communications, and sorority...
.
Swanmays speak Common and Sylvan.
The swanmay is presented as a playable character race in The Complete Book of Humanoids
Complete Book of Humanoids
The Complete Book of Humanoids is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was written by Bill Slavicsek for TSR, in 1993....
(1993), and is later presented as a playable character race again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1995). Swanmay is a prestige class in the 3.5 Book of Exalted Deeds
Book of Exalted Deeds
The Book of Exalted Deeds is an optional sourcebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, providing supplementary game material for campaigns involving characters of good alignment...
.
Creative origins
Swanmays were inspired by the swanmay in Poul AndersonPoul Anderson
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories...
's Three Hearts and Three Lions
Three Hearts and Three Lions
Three Hearts and Three Lions is a 1961 fantasy novel by Poul Anderson. It is also a 1953 novella by Poul Anderson which appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction.-Plot:...
, who in turn was based on swan maidens in folklore.
Notable swanmays
In the ready-to-play online adventure "The Blasted Heath," there is a swanmay named Icara. Icara is a half pixie, half copper dragon swanmay who is three feet tall and sports a red mohawk.Tasloi
The tasloi are a humanoid race of jungle-dwellers. They live in the jungle canopyCanopy (forest)
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by plant crowns.For forests, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms .Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent...
and are very quick and nimble in the trees.
A tasloi is 3-feet tall with green skin and gold, catlike eyes. They have a stooped posture and their knuckles drag on the ground when they walk.
Tasloi live in small groups consisting of several families. Their villages are constructed on platforms high in the jungle canopy. On the ground below the platforms they sometimes raise dire rat
Dire rat
A dire rat is a fictional animal from the Dungeons & Dragons RPG. It is one of the more common dire creatures, which are all are larger, tougher, meaner versions of regular animals. They can be found on any land or underground, and are either encountered individually, or in packs of 11-20...
s as beasts of burden and mounts.
In the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
the tasloi worship an aspect of Maglubiyet
Maglubiyet
Maglubiyet is the god of goblins and hobgoblins in the fictional setting of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. He was first described in the Nonhuman Deities chapter in the first edition of Deities and Demigods, by James Ward and Robert Kuntz published by TSR, Inc. in 1980...
, god of the goblins
Goblin (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, goblins are a very common and fairly weak race of evil humanoid monsters. Goblins and Kobolds are commonly non-human monsters that low-level player characters will face in combat. In D&D, goblins aren't smaller cousins of orcs, but are a part of...
.