Sahuagin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dungeons & Dragons creature | |
|---|---|
| Sahuagin | |
| Alignment | |
| Type | Monstrous humanoid |
| Source books | |
| First appearance | |
| Image | Wizards.com image |
| Stats | OGL stats |
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, sahuagin are a shark-like monstrous humanoid species that live in oceans, seas, underground lakes, and underwater caves. Sahuagin speak Sahuagin. With higher intelligence scores, they can also speak two bonus languages, usually Common and Aquan.
Although their names are similar, sahuagin are quite different from their Final Fantasy counterparts, sahagin.
Contents |
[edit] Description
Sahuagin are usually green skinned, darker on the back and lighter on the belly. Many have dark stripes, bands, or spots, but these tend to fade with age. An adult male sahuagin stands roughly 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and weighs about 200 pounds (91 kg). Sahuagin are highly fish-like, being complete with webbed feet and hands, gills, and a finned tail.
[edit] Society
Sahuagin are the natural enemies of aquatic elves. The two cannot coexist peacefully: wars between them are prolonged, bloody affairs that sometimes interfere with shipping and maritime trade. Sahuagin have an only slightly less vehement hatred for tritons. Precisely why the two races hate each other so much is unknown, but what is known that the presence of an aquatic elf community within several miles of a sahuagin community occasionally causes some sahuagin to be born as malenti; mutants who resemble aquatic elves.
Savage fighters, sahuagin ask for and give no quarter. When swimming, a sahuagin tears with its feet, striking with its talons or a weapon. About half of any group of sahuagin are also armed with nets.
Sahuagin worship Sekolah, the Lawful Evil god of sharks, as their patron deity and the father of their race. They make regular, living sacrifices to Sekolah by feeding the sacrificed being to the sharks that follow every sahuagin priest.
[edit] Sahuagin in Greyhawk
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, sahuagin are known to inhabit the Azure Sea, and once threatened the Keoish coastal town of Saltmarsh in the 570's CY.
[edit] Creative origins
Sahuagin were created by Steve Marsh, a gamer who invented many of the game's early aquatic monsters (Gygax 1977, p. 4.) before becoming an employee of TSR. Marsh claims that an episode of the Super Friends cartoon was the original inspiration for the creatures. [1] The first published version of the Sahuagin appeaared in the 1975 Dungeons & Dragons supplement, Blackmoor by Dave Arneson.
[edit] References
- Arneson, Dave. Blackmoor (TSR, 1975).
- Browne, David J, and Don Turnbull. Danger at Dunwater (TSR, 1982).
- Browne, David J, and Don Turnbull. The Final Enemy (TSR, 1983).
- Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (TSR, 1989).
- Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977).
- Marsh, Steve 2005. Sahuagin!, retrieved June 11, 2006.
- Schend, Steven E. Sea of Fallen Stars (TSR, 1999).
- Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1994).
- Williams, Skip. Sage Advice. Dragon #248 (TSR, June 1998).
- Williams, Skip. The Sea Devils (TSR, 1997).
- Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000).
- Williams, Skip. "Sneaky Sea Devils" Dragon #239 (TSR, 1997).
- Wyatt, James. "Heroes of the Sea." Dragon #250 (TSR, Aug 1998).
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