The Forgotten Realms - a D&D lorebook

1. #1Aboleth

   Keys: Aboleth

   [ Aboleths are malevolent, eel-like amphibians of immense size with potent psionic abilities. Aboleths are both extremely cruel and highly intelligent. As a result, they are among the most dangerous foes that exist in the multiverse.]

2. #2Acolyte

   Keys: Acolyte

   [ Acolytes are junior members of a clergy, usually answerable to a priest. They perform a variety of functions in a temple and are granted minor spellcasting power by their deities.]

3. #3Black Dragon

   Keys: Black Dragon

   [ Black dragons, also known as skull dragons, are by far the most vile-tempered and cruel of all chromatic dragons. They are solitary creatures that live in the swamps and marshlands. Black dragons prefer ambushes to straightforward fighting. They are cunning creatures who live to inspire fear and rule by intimidation. Black dragons expel a jet of highly corrosive acid.]

4. #4Blue Dragon

   Keys: Blue Dragon

   [ Blue dragons, also known as storm dragons, are orderly creatures and are unusual for chromatics in that they keep fairly well-ordered hierarchical societies. Blue dragons are native to arid wastelands and deserts. They are more likely to be mocking and manipulative than outrightly cruel or murderous. Their breath weapon is a line of lightning or a large electrical discharge.]

5. #5Brass Dragon

   Keys: Brass Dragon

   [ Brass dragons are the weakest of the metallic dragons, and also one of the most benign of all species of dragon. Brass dragons very rarely engage in combat, preferring to talk rather than fight. Brass dragons have two separate breath weapons. The first is a narrow line of fire, and the second a cone of sleep gas. Bronze dragons are often found along the coastal regions of the world.]

6. #6Bronze Dragon

   Keys: Bronze Dragon

   [ Bronze dragons are a race of metallic dragons. Curious and inquisitive, they possess a strong sense of justice and hate cruelty or killing. However, they are fascinated with battles. Their abilities include assuming the appearance of any animal or humanoid, create food or water, detect thought and lightning breath.]

7. #7Copper Dragon

   Keys: Copper Dragon

   [ Copper dragons are usually even-tempered and sociable. They are well known for playing pranks and telling jokes and riddles. However, they could also be greedy, envious, and stingy, and particularly dangerous when their treasure hoards were at threat. They are formidable fighters and can attack with acid or gas.]

8. #8Gold Dragon

   Keys: Gold Dragon

   [ Gold dragons are the strongest and most majestic of the metallic dragons and considered the apex of the draconic race. Graceful and wise, they are relentless and dedicated foes of evil and injustice. Gold dragons prefer to parlay before a fight, using their intimidating presence and insight to determine if fighting was necessary, find advantages, and buy time to cast preparatory spells. They breathe fire and weakening gas. They tend to choose lairs made of stone, such as caves and castles.]

9. #9Green Dragon

   Keys: Green Dragon

   [ Green dragons are master manipulators who revel in corrupting lesser creatures and hoarding them like possessions. These dragons are known to have very bad tempers and a tendency for evil behavior. Beyond fighting with their massive jaws and claws, these dragons are capable of expelling a cone of poisonous chlorine gas. The typical green dragon lair is located underground.]

10. #10Red Dragon

    Keys: Red Dragon

    [ Red dragons are evil, impulsive creatures. They are only interested in their own well-being, vanity, and the extension of their treasure hoards. Red dragons expel an extremely devastating cone of fire. Red dragons make their homes in mountainous lairs.]

11. #11Silver Dragon

    Keys: Silver Dragon

    [ A silver dragon enjoy the company of humans and elves so much that it often takes the form of a human or elf and live among them for the majority of its life. However, it should be noted that silvers, like all dragons, believe themselves the most superior creatures in the world. They dislike fighting but will attack with freezing cold or paralyzing gas if forced.]

12. #12White Dragon

    Keys: White Dragon

    [ White dragons are the weakest and most feral of the classic chromatic dragons. However, they are not to be underestimated. They have exceptional memories and their icy breath can freeze an unprepared foe solid in an instant. Most white dragons lair in ice caves, the side of an arctic mountain, the tundra, or glacial plains.]

13. #13Air Elemental

    Keys: Air Elemental

    [ An air elemental is a being made up of wind and living air. It appears as a shapeless cloud that moves rapidly in any direction, even against the wind. When summoned to the Prime Material plane, air elementals typically appears as an amorphous, ever-shifting cloud. They typically fight with strong gusts of wind or shifting into their whirlwind form.]

14. #14Androsphinx

    Keys: Androsphinx
15. #15Animated Armor

    Keys: Animated Armor

    [ An animated armor is a suit of armor crafted with magic to follow the command of its creators.]

16. #16Ankheg

    Keys: Ankheg

    [ The Ankheg is a huge insectoid monster with many slender limbs and large antennae. Living in warm climates, the Ankheg dwell in partially collapsed burrows usually around 40 feet underground. It is an ambush predator that waits around 5–10 feet underground for prey to wander into position.]

17. #17Ape

    Keys: Ape

    [ Apes are a type of animal found in tropical regions. They are usually quite shy, but will fight if threatened or cornered. Apes can be found in the jungles of Chult.]

18. #18Archmage

    Keys: Archmage

    [ Archmages are among the most powerful arcane spellcasters found throughout all of Faerûn. These practitioners of the Art are experts at manipulating and altering their spells, often in strange ways. The spells cast by archmages are capable of a level of power unheard of by typical spellcasters. While they have knowledge and lore about "high arcana", they are forced to focus less on the number of spells they could prepare each day.]

19. #19Assassin

    Keys: Assassin

    [ Assassins are dangerous and ruthless killers that act as spies, and draw upon the power of shadow magic. These deadly killers are evil by nature, and experts at disguise. Assassins spend their lifetimes engaged in spy missions.]

20. #20Awakened Shrub

    Keys: Awakened Shrub

    [ An awakened shrub is an ordinary shrub given sentience and mobility by the awaken spell or similar magic. While the shrub remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal shrub.]

21. #21Awakened Tree

    Keys: Awakened Tree

    [ An awakened tree is an ordinary tree given sentience and mobility by the Awaken spell or similar magic. While the tree remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal tree.]

22. #22Axe beak

    Keys: Axe Beak

    [ Axe beaks got their name from their sharp wedge-shaped beaks. They have strong necks and powerful legs, which they use to sprint at high speeds. Axebeaks are faster runners than most horses. They are always prone to attack any unfamiliar creatures that approach them. The main natural weapon an axe beak uses in combat was its heavy and sharp beak.]

23. #23Azer

    Keys: Azer

    [ Azers are elemental creatures native to the Elemental Plane of Fire and Elemental Chaos. They bear a resemblance to dwarves, but with brass-colored skin and hair, their hair and beards composed of flames. Azer bodies are so hot that their weapons conduct heat, so much so that any creature within reach of an azer gets injured by the intense heat. Many azers wear kilts and apron-like garments made from beaten brass, bronze, or copper.]

24. #24Baboon

    Keys: Baboon

    [ Baboons are a species of herbivorous species of monkey that live in groups. Baboons are known for being very territorial and will attempt to drive off any invaders. However, they generally flee if met with determined resistance by their invaders.]

25. #25Badger

    Keys: Badger

    [ Badgers are a squat, furry species of mustelid. Badgers are fierce fighters and notorious for their fury when threatened. Despite its small size, when angered a badger's strong bite and sharp claws can be highly dangerous.]

26. #26Balor

    Keys: Balor

    [ Balors are imposing humanoid figures driven by an overwhelming and primal urge to do battle. A powerful aura of darkness envelops their grotesque forms, as their deep red skin is wrapped in glaring flames. A pair of massive bat-like wings allow them to soar throughout the air with unnatural agility. Despite their overwhelming power, balors prefer to battle from afar using their spells, abilities, and ranged weapons.]

27. #27Barbed Devil

    Keys: Hamatula, Barbed Devil

    [ Hamatulas, also called barbed devils, are the guardians and patrollers of the Nine Hells. They are the greatest of the lesser devils and responsible for safeguarding important, infernal locations and individuals. Hamatulas are lithe, tall humanoids that are completely covered in barbs.]

28. #28Basilisk

    Keys: Basilisk

    [ Basilisks have eight legs, which they crawled upon and come in a variety of colors. Their eyes glow with a pale green light. Although basilisks are known for their ability to petrify their prey, only a particular breed is actually capable of this, the stone-eye basilisk. However, both they and the venom-eye basilisk have magically empowered eyes that can be used as a weapon.]

29. #29Bearded Devil

    Keys: Bearded Devil, Barbazu

    [ Barbazus, also called bearded devils, are the shock troops of the Nine Hells and the most impulsively belligerent of the baatezu. They earned their name from the venomous, beard-like tendrils that hang from their chins. They are volatile and violent, attacking at the slightest provocation and exploiting any opportunity to go on the offensive. If not lashing out with their claws and beards, a barbazu can attempt to summon abishai, lemures, or simply additional barbazus.]

30. #30Behir

    Keys: Behir

    [ A behir is a great serpentine monster with twelve legs and an electrical breath. It has a long, snake-like body and can slither on the ground like a snake, but it also has six pairs of legs upon which it can walk or climb if it chose to do so. Behirs hate all dragons and refuse to share any territory with them.]

31. #31Berserker

    Keys: Berserker

    [ Berserkers are so named for their ability to "go berserk" and enter into a trance-like rage in battle. Once in this state a berserk fights with exceptional strength and ferocity. They cannot be knocked out, are immune to a wide-range of mind-controlling spells and effects, and gain resistance to others that attempt to hinder their movement or actions. This fighting style is just as unpredictable as it is effective in battle.]

32. #32Black Pudding

    Keys: Black Pudding

    [ A black pudding is an ooze resembling a bubbling, heaping pile of thick black goo. These creatures are mindless underground-dwelling hunters and scavengers that wandered and absorbed whatever they found. Like other oozes, black pudding desire warmth and sense their prey through movement. Black pudding attack by grabbing, grappling, and constricting prey directly into their liquid-esque mass.]

33. #33Blink Dog

    Keys: Blink Dog

    [ A blink dog is a mysterious, intelligent canine creature. Most blink dogs have yellow-brown fur and large ears. Blink dogs have an average intelligence. They have powerful senses, including the ability to see in low light and see in the dark, as well as possessing acute scent detection and tracking. A blink dog's most well-known ability is its ability to blink, as well as use dimension door.]

34. #34Blood Hawk

    Keys: Blood Hawk

    [ They possess an insatiable desire for fresh blood. They are known to attack a target merely for the pleasure they gain from killing. Blood hawks are very deadly opponents. They are very fast and maneuverable. Male blood hawks often take gems from the corpses of their prey, which they use to decorate their nests to attract females.]

35. #35Bone Devil

    Keys: Osyluth, Bone Devil

    [ Osyluths, sometimes called bone devils, are the taskmasters and interrogators of the devils, acting as law-enforcement throughout the Nine Hells. Their very presence inspires dread due to their love of inflicting physical and mental suffering on both mortals and devils alike. They are tall creatures with dry, sickly skin that seemed tautly stretched over every bone in their body. Driven into combat by ruthless rage, osyluths violently lash out with tooth and claw.]

36. #36Bugbear

    Keys: Bugbear

    [ Bugbears resemble hairy, feral goblins standing 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall. They take their name from their noses and claws, which are similar to those of bears. Their claws are not long and sharp enough to be used as weapons, so bugbears often armor and arm themselves with a variety of purloined gear. They are dimwitted, brutish and like to use stealth to ambush their opponent.]

37. #37Bulette

    Keys: Bulette

    [ The bulette, also known as a landshark, is a fearsome magical beast whose origins are unknown but had become a dangerous predator. Feared and hated by most living creatures, bulettes are extremely dangerous, burrowing unseen beneath the soil before erupting up at an unexpected moment to seize their prey. A bulette's body is covered in thick, layered plates. Its head is bullet-shaped, similar to that of a shark, with a massive mouth filled with multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth.]

38. #38Chain Devil

    Keys: kyton, Chain Devil

    [ Chain devils, or kytons, are sadistic devils that conduct agonizing torture on the souls of mortals. Their chains serve as both clothing and weaponry, allowing them to brutally lash victims and combatants alike. They are tall humanoids that wear chains as opposed to regular apparel. The chains wrapped tightly around the kytons like a shroud, rattling as they move and slithering around their bodies as if they were alive.]

39. #39Chimera

    Keys: Chimera

    [ A chimera has three heads, that of a horned goat, a lion, and a dragon. Although typically unintelligent, chimeras are self-aware creatures, with a limited capacity for language. Each of the heads is capable of a unique attack, but the most dangerous by far is the dragon breath of the chimera's draconic head.]

40. #40Chuul

    Keys: Chuul

    [ Chuuls are described as "a horrible mix of crustacean, insect, and serpent", but most closely resembled an huge yellow-green lobster. Amphibious by nature, chuuls are actually not great swimmers, preferring to engage in combat either on land (where they could survive indefinitely) or very shallow water.]

41. #41Clay Golem

    Keys: Clay Golem

    [ Clay golems are human-shaped constructs modeled out of clay that are usually divinely infused with a spirit from the Elemental Plane of Earth by priests. Since clay is a weak vessel for life, damaged clay golems tend to release the spirit bound to them and would go berserk until completely destroyed or repaired.]

42. #42Cloaker

    Keys: Cloaker

    [ Cloakers are intelligent creatures that dwell underground and resemble large flying manta rays when active. At rest, they look like a black cloak, hence their name. Cloakers are xenophobic and reclusive. They are reputed to worship ancient Elder Evils and noisome Old Gods. Some cloakers are known to be capable of manipulating the shadows around them, though a light spell would easily render them blind and incapable of using this ability.]

43. #43Cloud Giant

    Keys: Cloud Giant

    [ The bodies of cloud giants often display handsome and well-defined features. Their skin ranges in color from milky white to light sky blue. Their hair is silvery white or brass, and their eyes are iridescent blue. Cloud giants consider themselves to be above all other giant races. As they are often skilled in strategizing, cloud giants often fight with other creatures in well-organized units under a carefully developed plan of attack.]

44. #44Cockatrice

    Keys: Cockatrice

    [ Although about the size of a large turkey or goose, a cockatrice more closely resembles a chicken but is a hideous hybrid with the wings of a bat and a lizard-like tail. Any creature that a cockatrice bit can be permanently turned into stone. Prior to the Time of Troubles, this petrifying aura extends even into the Astral and Ethereal planes, much like that of a basilisk.]

45. #45Couatl

    Keys: Couatl

    [ A couatl resembles a long, feathered serpent with a pair of rainbow-feathered wings that allow it to fly. Their powerful minds are capable of great psionic might. Couatls are known for their beauty, magic, and virtue. Due to their intelligence and devotion to good, they are sometimes worshiped by people who inhabit the same area as them.]

46. #46Darkmantle

    Keys: Darkmantle

    [ A darkmantle resembles an octopus or squid with limestone-colored skin and a thick membrane of skin stretched between each of its tentacles, reaching about two-thirds of the way to the tips.Part of its body is covered in a stony dorsal shell. When perfectly still, they look just like stalactites, stalagmites, or other lumps of stone. A darkmantle clings to the ceiling of a cavern and remains still until prey moves below it.]

47. #47Death Dog

    Keys: Death Dog

    [ Death dogs are vicious and hateful two-headed dogs who have a taste for humanoid flesh. Death dogs have a deep burning hate for everything. They are aggressive and attack travelers and explorers on sight. A death dog's saliva has a potent poison that causes a rotting disease on a creature's flesh. Left unattended, it brings death in a matter of days.]

48. #48Deep Gnome

    Keys: Deep Gnome, Svirfneblin

    [ Deep gnomes are wiry and lean with a body as hard as a slab of rock. Deep gnomes are better adapted for underground living than either rock gnomes or forest gnomes, with darkvision to help them see in total darkness. Deep Gnomes live in harmony with the rocks they carve and their natural environment. They are skillful artisans who create functional homes without destroying the natural beauty of their habitat.]

49. #49Deva

    Keys: Deva

    [ A deva is a kind of angel or aasimon. There are three orders of devas: astral devas, monadic devas, and movanic devas. They appear as human-like men and women of extraordinary beauty or handsomeness with two magnificent feathered wings emerging from their shoulders. Devas share the devotion to goodness of the other angels. Devas possess all the powers, protections, and traits common to the aasimon or angel, and many more of their own.]

50. #50Djinni

    Keys: Djinni, Djinn

    [ Djinn are creatures born from the Elemental Chaos. Having aided the primordials in their ancient battle with the gods over control of Faerûn, most were imprisoned in common objects and scattered. The few who are free seek to reclaim their power. They embody the chaotic force of violent storms while possessing benevolent minds. Only the noble djinn possess the power of the wish.]

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