Umber hulk
Encyclopedia
An umber hulk is a fictional creature in the Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game. They are large, bipedal, insectoid aberrations
with an ape
-like build. The creature has the ability to confuse any creature that sees all four of its eyes at once. They are often found in the Underdark
, where they are sometimes captured and enslaved by other races, such as illithid
s. Despite their bestial appearance, umber hulks possess a significant intelligence and language of their own.
(1975). It is described as a human-shaped creature with gaping maws flanked by pairs of exceedingly sharp mandibles.
(1977), where it is described as a subterranean predator with iron-like claws that enable it to burrow through solid stone, and it eyes cause a dangerous confusion in opponents.
The vodyanoi, an aquatic relative of the umber hulk, was introduced in the Fiend Folio
(1981) The marine variety of the vodyanoi appeared in Dragon
#68 (December 1982).
", known as a hulker. The hulker first appeared in Creature Catalogue (1986), and then appeared in the module City of the Gods (1987) for the Blackmoor
setting, and later in the revised Creature Catalog (1993).
The umber hulk was detailed in Dragon #152 (December 1989), in the "Ecology of the Umber Hulk".
The undead hulk for the Spelljammer
campaign setting
appeared in Dragon #184 (August 1992).
The saltwater vodyanoi appeared in Dungeon
#79 (March 2000).
Savage Species (2003) presented the umber hulk as a player character race.
The dark umber hulk was introduced in the Tome of Magic (2006). The psi-hulk appeared in Expedition to Undermountain for the Forgotten Realms
(2007).
and as such is not released under its Open Gaming License
.
campaign setting, the starfaring race of neogi were seldom seen without at least one umber hulk slave, the enslavement of which was considered a rite of passage in their savage society.
n water spirit) are freshwater aquatic versions of the umber hulk. They lack the confusion ability of umber hulks, but can summon electric eels once per day. Saltwater vodyanoi twice the size of their freshwater brethren are rumored to exist.
In 3rd edition, the vodyanoi is a completely different monster. It has nothing to do with the umber hulk, being different looking and a fey
-type. It is found in Frostburn
.
writer Cienna Madrid described the Umber Hulk as one of D&D's "ghastly fiends".
In a Maximum PC
magazine review of Neverwinter Nights
, knowing what an Umber Hulk is was one way to identify if a person was a "geek".
The umber hulk was ranked seventh among the ten best mid-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. The authors contend that the umber hulk "is an iconic Dungeons & Dragons monster" that was "invented specifically for the game, something that doesn't really stem from real-world myth or legend" and that "the umber hulk teaches players a set of rules and tactics to overcome a monster that is dangerous to even look at".
" episode of the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles television series, character John Henry is playing D&D, and kills an umber hulk with a vorpal long sword by rolling a 20.
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...
roleplaying game. They are large, bipedal, insectoid aberrations
Aberration (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, aberration is a type of creature, or "creature type". Aberrations generally all have bizarre anatomies, strange abilities, alien mindsets, or any combination thereof....
with an ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
-like build. The creature has the ability to confuse any creature that sees all four of its eyes at once. They are often found in the Underdark
Underdark
The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
, where they are sometimes captured and enslaved by other races, such as illithid
Illithid
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, illithids are monstrous humanoid aberrations with psionic powers. In a typical Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, they live in the moist caverns and cities of the enormous Underdark...
s. Despite their bestial appearance, umber hulks possess a significant intelligence and language of their own.
Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
The umber hulk was introduced to the game in its first supplement, GreyhawkGreyhawk (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 human-shaped creature with gaping maws flanked by pairs of exceedingly sharp mandibles.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The umber hulk appears in the first edition Monster ManualMonster 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), where it is described as a subterranean predator with iron-like claws that enable it to burrow through solid stone, and it eyes cause a dangerous confusion in opponents.
The vodyanoi, an aquatic relative of the umber hulk, was introduced 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...
(1981) The marine variety of the vodyanoi appeared 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...
#68 (December 1982).
Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the umber hulk, although in this edition it was a "hook beastHook horror
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, a hook horror is a bipedal, subterranean monster that looks like a vulture-like humanoid with bony hooks in place of hands.-Publication history:...
", known as a hulker. The hulker first appeared in Creature Catalogue (1986), and then appeared in the module City of the Gods (1987) for the Blackmoor
Blackmoor
Blackmoor is a fantasy role-playing game campaign setting generally associated with the game Dungeons & Dragons. It originally evolved in the early 1970s as the personal setting of Dave Arneson, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, first as a setting for Arneson's miniature wargames, then as an...
setting, and later in the revised Creature Catalog (1993).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The umber hulk and vodyanoi appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).The umber hulk was detailed in Dragon #152 (December 1989), in the "Ecology of the Umber Hulk".
The undead hulk for the Spelljammer
Spelljammer
Spelljammer is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastical outer space environment....
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...
appeared in Dragon #184 (August 1992).
The saltwater vodyanoi appeared in Dungeon
Dungeon (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...
#79 (March 2000).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
The umber hulk appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).Savage Species (2003) presented the umber hulk as a player character race.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
The umber hulk appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003), along with the truly horrid umber hulk.The dark umber hulk was introduced in the Tome of Magic (2006). The psi-hulk appeared in Expedition to Undermountain for 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...
(2007).
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008)
The umber hulk appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), along with the shadow hulk.Licensing
The umber hulk is considered a "Product Identity" by Wizards of the CoastWizards 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...
and as such is not released under its Open Gaming License
Open Gaming License
The Open Game License may be used by game developers to grant permission to modify, copy, and redistribute some of the content designed for their games, notably game mechanics.-Language of the licence:The OGL describes two forms of content:...
.
Umber hulks in Spelljammer
In the SpelljammerSpelljammer
Spelljammer is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastical outer space environment....
campaign setting, the starfaring race of neogi were seldom seen without at least one umber hulk slave, the enslavement of which was considered a rite of passage in their savage society.
Vodyanoi
The vodyanoi (named for a RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n water spirit) are freshwater aquatic versions of the umber hulk. They lack the confusion ability of umber hulks, but can summon electric eels once per day. Saltwater vodyanoi twice the size of their freshwater brethren are rumored to exist.
In 3rd edition, the vodyanoi is a completely different monster. It has nothing to do with the umber hulk, being different looking and a 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....
-type. It is found in Frostburn
Frostburn
Frostburn is a supplemental book to the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Frostburn provides rules for adventuring in a cold environment as well as an environment known as frostfell, which is a sort of arctic environment with extreme cold.The book contains...
.
Reception
The StrangerThe Stranger (newspaper)
The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
writer Cienna Madrid described the Umber Hulk as one of D&D's "ghastly fiends".
In a Maximum PC
Maximum PC
Maximum PC, formerly known as boot, is an American magazine and web site published by Future US. It focuses on cutting-edge PC hardware, with an emphasis on product reviews, step-by-step tutorials, and in-depth technical briefs...
magazine review of Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights , produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames , is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on third edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules. It was originally to be published by Interplay Entertainment, but the publisher's financial...
, knowing what an Umber Hulk is was one way to identify if a person was a "geek".
The umber hulk was ranked seventh among the ten best mid-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. The authors contend that the umber hulk "is an iconic Dungeons & Dragons monster" that was "invented specifically for the game, something that doesn't really stem from real-world myth or legend" and that "the umber hulk teaches players a set of rules and tactics to overcome a monster that is dangerous to even look at".
In other media
In the "Born to RunBorn to Run (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
"Born to Run" is the twenty-second episode of the second season of the American television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and the thirty-first episode of the series. It was written by executive producer Josh Friedman and directed by Jeffrey Hunt. The episode was first broadcast on...
" episode of the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles television series, character John Henry is playing D&D, and kills an umber hulk with a vorpal long sword by rolling a 20.