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 role-playing game, the stirge is a mosquito

Mosquito

Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...

-like 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....

 and a classic D&D monster.

Publication history

Originally presented as a more bird-like creature, the stirge may be derived from the Roman striga

Strix (mythology)

Strix was the Ancient Roman and Greek word for owl. In folklore it was considered a bird of ill omen that fed on human flesh and blood, a product of metamorphosis...

, a vampiric owl-like night bird.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

The stirge was introduced to the game in its first supplement, Greyhawk

Greyhawk (supplement)

Greyhawk is a supplementary rulebook written by Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...

(1975). It is described as a large, bird-like monster with a long proboscis which sucks blood from living creatures.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

The stirge appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is said to be found in dark, tangled forests or in subterranean lairs, and lays in wait for warm-blooded creatures.

The stirge was detailed 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...

#83 (March 1984), in the "Ecology of the Stirge".

Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the stirge, in the Dungeons & Dragons 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, 1981, 1983). The stirge was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game

Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991 boxed set)

The New Easy to Master Dungeons & Dragons Game is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1991....

set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

The stirge appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The stirge was again detailed in Dragon #239 (September 1997), in the "Ecology of the Stirge", which also introduced the desert stirge and the jungle stirge.

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

The stirge appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).

The Tome and Blood supplement introduced the stirge familiar for use as a wizard

Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)

The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...

's familiar.

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

The stirge appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003). The stirge familiar also appears in the revised Dungeon Master's Guide.

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)

The stirge appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).

Ecology

The stirge needs blood to survive. It finds victims, and then desperately latches onto them with its legs and pincer

Pincer (biology)

A pincer is the part of an arthropod that enables it to carry loads, to defend against other creatures, or to attack prey. In insects, the pincers are usually part of the creature's mandible, and often venom or acid can be injected through the pincer into an enemy during a pincer strike.Some...

s before finding a weak spot and driving its deadly proboscis

Proboscis

A proboscis is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In simpler terms, a proboscis is the straw-like mouth found in several varieties of species.-Etymology:...

in. It sucks out the blood, causing a long, painful death. If the victim dies before the Stirge's hunger is quenched, it detaches and finds a new victim. Though they grip onto their victims very excruciatingly, a good blow to one can detach it.

Typical physical characteristics

A stirge resembles a giant mosquito about the size of a housecat, being one foot long and half a foot wide and tall. It has a set of four leathery, bat-like wings with a span of two feet. It has a long, sharp proboscis, a short tail, barbed legs, and a row of short, curly hairs along the spine. Stirge coloration ranges from brown to rust-red, with the proboscis being pale pink.

Society

Stirges typically organize into colonies of two to four creatures, flocks of five to eight, or "storms" of up to fourteen creatures.

Critical reception

The stirge was ranked tenth among the ten best low-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. The authors consider the stirge "fun because they introduce the players to the power of some creatures to drain ability score points," commenting: "What's creepier than a giant mosquito that can suck a person dry? A whole flock of giant mosquitos, that's what."