Slaad
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Slaad | |
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Outsider | |
Alignment | Chaotic neutral |
The slaad (pluralized as slaadi, or as slaads in the 4th edition) is a fictional monster in the
Publication history
Development and licensing
The slaadi were created by Charles Stross and published in the TSR UK book, Fiend Folio Tome of Creatures Malevolent and Benign (1981). Stross said of their creation:
Well, the fact that I was running a fever when I came up with the Slaadi is probably not going to surprise anyone—think of 'em as my independent exploration of Lovecraftiana. (I didn't discover H. P. Lovecraft until a couple of years later.)... Think "Lovecraft mythos", as invented by someone who hasn't read Lovecraft (or heard of him). The Slaadi were going to be basically representatives of, and devotees of, total chaos—with an added warped sense of humour.[1]
For much of their existence, the slaadi were the subject of jokes by D&D players due to their distinctly frog-like appearance, which was emphasized in early artistic depictions of the monsters. With the advent of the Planescape campaign setting, TSR, Inc. made an effort to create a more fearsome image of the slaadi, with their toad qualities toned down in favor of showing more frightening aspects depicting them as beings of pure chaos. This Planescape envisioning of the slaadi carried forth into the 3rd Edition of the D&D game and has persisted ever since.[2]
Because they were created by a D&D player (and their copyrights transferred to TSR and, subsequently,
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988)
The blue slaad, death slaad (the lesser masters), the green slaad, the grey slaad (the executioners), and the red slaad appear in the first edition Fiend Folio (1981), along with Ssendam, Lord of the Insane, and Ygorl, Lord of Entropy.[4] Ed Greenwood, in his review of the Fiend Folio for Dragon magazine, considered the slaad "worthy additions to any campaign".[5]
The slaadi and their role in the planes are detailed in this edition's Manual of the Planes (1987).[6]
Another slaad lord, Wartle, appeared in the adventure anthology, Tales of the Outer Planes (1988).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999)
The blue slaad, death slaad, the gray slaad, the green slaad, and the red slaad appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix (1991),[7] and are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).[8] The same set of slaadi appear for the Planescape campaign setting in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994).[9]
Ygorl and Ssendam appear in Dragon #221 (September 1995) in the "Dragon's Bestiary" column; the same article also introduced two new slaad lords: Chourst, Lord of Randomness, and Rennbuu, Lord of Colors.[10]
The baby red slaad and the young red slaad appear in Dungeon #77 (November 1999).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002)
The blue slaad, death slaad, the gray slaad, the green slaad, and the red slaad appear in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).[11]
The slaadi and their role in the planes are detailed in this edition's Manual of the Planes (2001).[12] The black slaad and the white slaad appeared in the Epic Level Handbook (2002).
The gormeel appeared in Dragon #306 (April 2003).[13]
The mud slaad appears in the Fiend Folio (2003) for this edition.[14]
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007)
The blue slaad, death slaad, the gray slaad, the green slaad, and the red slaad appear in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).
Another new slaad lord, Bazim-Gorag the Firebringer, first appeared in Dungeon #101 (August 2003). Bazim-Gorag later appeared in the Forgotten Realms book, Champions of Ruin (2005).[15]
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–2014)
The slaadi, pluralised as slaads, appear in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).
Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (2014–present)
The slaadi appear in this edition of the Monster Manual, with additional lore about the reproduction of slaadi. It also includes information concerning The Spawning Stone that was created by Primus, which ultimately led to the creation of the slaadi.[18]
Cultural impact
Charles Stross, creator of the slaadi, used the creatures in his 2007 novel
The word "slaad" has been used to describe frog-like monsters in the comic Yamara[20] and the webcomic Shadowgirls, which uses the word "slaad" to describe a race of monsters.[21]
In Rich Burlew's
Slaadi have appeared in 3rd-party game sourcebooks such as the Tome of Horrors from
Depiction
In the D&D game slaadi are native to the
In the various D&D products in which they are presented, slaadi are described as frog or toad-like humanoids. Within that rough characterization they have a wide range of forms depending on subtype, and often corresponding to their rank in society. Size also varies between the different subtypes, from human sized to several feet taller than human sized.
GameSpy author Allan Rausch described the slaadi as "remorseless reptilian killing machines". They might have become "popular creatures among players", but "For many years, slaad were a joke -- because of their artwork", which showed them as "six-foot tall carnivorous frogs". With the Planescape setting they "were reinterpreted artistically to be less frog-like and much more fearsome", a development continued into the 3rd edition of the game.[25]
Society
In various editions of D&D the slaadi have been depicted as having a complex social system bound up in the relationship and reproductive cycles of the various subtypes. Some subtypes dominate others, though as slaadi are creatures of chaos, such domination occurs not through a regimented hierarchy, but by brute force. In earlier D&D editions a symbol of power was embedded in each slaad's forehead, and non-magical tattoos on the forehead represented achievements and status.[26] The latter physical characteristics do not appear in 3rd and later editions of D&D. In earlier editions of D&D the slaad were divided only into red, blue, green, gray and death subtypes. 3rd Edition D&D added the mud, and epic level white and black subtypes. In all editions the slaad have been dominated by the Slaad Lords, Ssendam and Ygorl.
Red and blue slaadi reproduce by infecting living hosts. The red do so by implanting eggs beneath their victim's skin which grow into a baby blue slaad that eats the host from within. The blue infect the host with a
The Spawning Stone is the primordial home of the slaadi, located in "a realm of their greatest dominion", and drifting about Limbo. The passage of the stone generates currents in the raw chaos-stuff of the plane, and slaadi are able to follow these currents "upstream" to the Stone's location. In the mating season, each race of slaad converges on the Spawning Stone, wresting the Stone away from the previous group, so that they may fertilize each other's internal egg sacs, and carry away the seed-like fertilized eggs for later implantation into host bodies. Sometimes, however, young slaadi are produced right there at the stone because the slaadi implant each other in their mating frenzy. Thus, dead adult slaadi routinely float about the stone until destroyed by the chaos of Limbo. True slaadi are described as beings of ultimate chaos who have no set form. Only the Slaad Lords
In 5e, the Spawning Stone was revealed to be created by the
Slaad Lords
Slaad Lords are the de facto rulers of the Slaadi race. True to their chaotic nature, they often do not appear anything like other Slaadi. Known slaad lords include Ygorl, Lord of Entropy;
- Chourst the Unpredictable is the slaad Lord of Randomness. Chourst appeared in second edition in githzeraito pieces, and the next he may stop suddenly to sniff a pretty flower that caught his fancy.
- Ssendam is the Slaad Lord of Insanity. Ssendam was created by Charles Stross, and first appeared in the first edition Fiend Folio (1981).[33] Ssendam appears as a gigantic golden amoeba with a humanoid brain as a nucleus. Ssendam has been described alternatively as male and female in different sources.
- Ygorl is the Slaad Lord of Entropy.Limbo. He is said to have created the Spawning Stone that is the focus of the slaad race, forcing them to take froglike forms rather than their original, purely chaotic shapes.
Famous Slaadi
Forgotten Realms, The Erevis Cale trilogy
In
Xanxost
Xanxost is a blue slaad with a penchant for exploring the planes, explaining their secrets to everyone interested, and eating whatever he can catch, particularly
In Faces of Evil he is one of the 'authors' of the section on
Zgotar
Zgotar, a death slaad, appears in Scott Bennie's "Threshold of Evil" adventure in Dungeon Magazine #10. The primary villain of that adventure, Azurax Silverhawk, has been officially placed in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.[37] However, Zgotar also appeared in Castle Greyhawk (1987) in an adventure scenario also written by Scott Bennie. In addition, Azurax is called a "plane-wandering archmage"[37] and Old Empires said he has only recently purchased his property in the Hills of Maerth.
Reception
Ed Greenwood considered the slaadi "worthy additions to any campaign".[38]
GameSpy author Allan Rausch described the slaadi as "remorseless reptilian killing machines", but "For many years, slaad were a joke -- because of their artwork", which showed them as "six-foot tall carnivorous frogs". With the Planescape setting they "were reinterpreted artistically to be less frog-like and much more fearsome".[25]
Shannon Applecline considered the slaad one of the game's especially notable monsters.[39]
In other media
- The slaad lord Ygorl appeared as the final boss in the video game Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, where he was voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan.[40][41] In the game, Ygorl was depicted as humanoid in appearance but was covered in tough chitinous armor and had many claw-like mandibles extending from the back of his head.
- Slaadi appear as enemies in the MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Online, and also in Neverwinter.
See also
- Bullywug, a frog-like D&D race
References
- ^ "Charles Stross Interview". www.sevendead.com/. SevenDead.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-08. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
- ^ Rausch, Allen. [1] -The History of Dungeons & Dragons, Part V, GameSpy.com, August 19, 2004. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". D20srd.org. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
- ^ Turnbull, Don, ed. Fiend Folio (TSR, 1981)
- ^ Greenwood, Ed (November 1981). "Flat taste didn't go away". Dragon (review) (55). TSR: 6–7, 9.
- ^ Grubb, Jeff. Manual of the Planes (TSR, 1987)
- ^ LaFountain, J. Paul. Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix. (TSR, 1991)
- ^ Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1993)
- ^ Varney, Allen, ed. Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (TSR, 1994)
- ^ a b Bonny, Edward. "The Dragon's Bestiary: Lords of Chaos." Dragon #221 (TSR, 1995)
- ^ Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
- , 2001)
- Paizo Publishing, 2003)
- ^ Cagle, Eric, Jesse Decker, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Matt Sernett, Chris Thomasson, and James Wyatt. Fiend Folio (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)
- ^ Boyd, Eric L, Jeff Crook, and Wil Upchurch. Champions of Ruin (Wizards of the Coast, 2005)
- ^ Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2008)
- ISBN 978-0470292907.
- ^ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2014)
- ISBN 978-0-441-01498-9.
- ISBN 1556342926.
- ISBN 978-0983216117.
- ISBN 978-0976658054.
- ISBN 978-1-60125-022-3.
- ISBN 978-1-60125-106-0.
- ^ IGN Entertainment. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ISBN 1-56076-862-2.
- ISBN 0-7869-2658-9.
- ISBN 0-7869-2658-9.
- ISBN 0-7869-2780-1.
- ISBN 0-7869-1850-0.
- ^ Thomasson, Chris (April 2003). "Killing Cousins: Githzerai Hit Squads". Dragon (306). Bellvue, WA: Paizo Publishing, LLC: 52–58.
- ISBN 1-58846-112-2.
- ^ a b Turnbull, Don, ed. Fiend Folio (TSR, 1981)
- ^ "YGORL- Slaad Lord of Entropy". Archived from the original on 2007-03-19. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
- ^ "Ygorl". Archived from the original on 1999-11-05.
- ISBN 0-7869-0736-3) p. 104
- ^ a b Bennie, Scott. Old Empires (TSR, 1990)
- ^ Ed Greenwood (November 1981). Kim Mohan (ed.). "Fiend Folio Findings: Flat taste didn't go away". Dragon (55). TSR, Inc.: 6–7, 9–10.
- ^ Applecline, Shannon (2014). Designers & Dragons: The '70s. Evil Hat Productions. p. 38.
- ^ "Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone Gets Hollywood Talent". games.ign.com. IGN.com. May 24, 2004. Archived from the original on 2007-08-21. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
- ^ Ryan Davis, "Review of Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone," GameSpot (December 13, 2004).
Further reading
- Duis, Joseph. Hacklopedia of Beasts Volume VII. (Kenzer & Company, 2002)
- Hunter, Kyle. Downer: Fool's Errand. (Diamond Comic Distributors, 2008).
- Manui, Barbara, and Chris Adams. Yamara. (Steve Jackson Games, 1994).
- Pozas, Claudio, and Ryan Nock, James Bell, Michael Johnstone. Counter Collection II. (Fiery Dragon Production, 2002).