| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Alignment | Lawful Evil |
| Type | Outsider (3rd edition) |
| Image | Wizards.com image |
| Stats | Open Game License stats |
| Publication history | |
| First appearance | The Dragon #26 |
| Mythological origins | Barghest |
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the barghest is a type of fictional monster for player characters to encounter. The barghest is portrayed as a goblin-like creature that comes from the plane of Gehenna to feed on humans. These evil creatures can change form to appear as a dog or wolf, or a large goblin at will. The barghest was introduced in The Dragon magazine, and then the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game's original Monster Manual II, and then continued to appear in the game's second edition, third edition, and fourth edition.
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As a game monster, the barghest was created by Gary Gygax and appeared in Dragon Magazine #26 in 1979. It would later be included in the Monster Manual II, published in 1983 and the Planescape Campaign Setting from 1994.
The barghest first appeared in the June 1979 issue of The Dragon magazine (#26), in the "Dragon’s Bestiary" feature (billed as "the return of an old and much-requested column", formerly known as "Featured Creature") by Gary Gygax. This article states that "Of the various members of the deodands inhabiting the rifts of the Planes of Gehenna, the barghest is certainly the most common and one of the worst." Barghests are described as lawful evil in alignment, and highly intelligent. The article states that a barghest's natural shape is similar to that of a large goblin, and that it can assume the form of a large war dog or wild dog at will, sometimes giving barghests the misnomer of "devil-dogs".
On the plane of Gehenna, barghests "live in isolation from one another, each having its own stronghold and force of servitors, ruling a smoking rift despotically," according to the article. When a barghest spawns, it sends its litter of six to the Prime Material Plane to feed. These whelps will live alone or in pairs near isolated human communities or with goblin bands, retaining their natural form amongst goblins. Barghests are almost indistinguishable from goblins by other races, except that a barghest's eyes glow orange when the creature becomes excited; in canine form a barghest can become very difficult to notice when motionless, and is almost "impossible to tell from a normal dog, except that other dogs will fear and hate it, attacking at every opportunity." Goblins worship barghests, fearing and serving them and going to great lengths to provide human sacrifices; barghests, in turn, slay the powerful enemies of the goblins and generally enrich their hosts' treasure. A barghest has certain magical abilities, such as being able to charm other creatures, project illusions, and affect other creature's emotions. Magic weapons are required to harm a barghest. A barghest cannot be harmed by fire, but a barghest in canine form can be sent back to its home plane if hit by a magical fire attack. A barghest can slay and devour humans, which causes the barghest to become larger and more powerful through "the unholy vampirism attendant upon the slaughter of humanity." The creature's skin darkens as it grows, from yellow towards a bluish red, eventually terminating in a deep blue. Upon attaining full growth and power, according to the article, the barghest shifts itself back to Gehenna in search of its own reeking valley rift.[1] The creature's description was reprinted in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983).[2]
The barghest appears for second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the initial Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set (1994), which introduced the Planescape setting. The set was designed by David "Zeb" Cook, who also wrote the Monstrous Supplement booklet in which the barghest appears. This entry notes that a barghest attacks with its claw and bite, or with just a bite when in canine form. This depiction also notes that barghests may become more powerful by devouring demihumans as well as humans. This set also described the barghest life cycle: "As a whelp it is a hunter and tracker consigned to the Prime Material Plane. There it grows in cunning and wisdom until it is ready to enter into the next stage of its life. At this phase it returns to Gehenna and becomes a leader. It is still a hunter, though now its tactics and attitudes are greater, to match the game – other intelligent beings – that it hunts."[3]
The barghest appears in the Monster Manual (2000) for the game's third edition. In this edition, the barghest is given the outsider creature type. This book describes barghests as "fiends that can change into lupine form. They come into the world to feed on blood and souls and thus grow stronger." In this version, a barghest is six-feet tall and can take on the form of a large wolf. They disdain weapons and love killing, but prefer ambush over direct combat. Barghests can work in packs, and will hide and use illusions to conceal their true numbers. A barghest can feed on the corpse of a slain humanoid opponent, devouring both flesh and life force to increase its own life energy; this destroys the victim's body and prevents any form of magic that normally brings the dead to life from succeeding. This version of the barghest does not return to its home plane when hit by a magical fire attack. This book also introduces the greater barghest, an 8-foot-tall (2.4 m) version which occasionally uses a magic two-handed weapon in combat.[4] The barghest also appears in the revised Monster Manual (2003) for edition 3.5. This book notes that a barghest is native to the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna, and that it resembles a goblin-wolf hybrid in its natural form. This book states that a barghest immediately becomes a greater barghest after consuming enough corpses.[5]
In the book Savage Species (2003), the barghest is presented as a player character race, in the form of a character class.[6]
The barghest appears in the game's fourth edition in Monster Manual 2 (2009).
The barghest is featured in the D&D Miniatures: Harbinger set (2003), the greater barghest is featured in the D&D Miniatures: Night Below set (2007), and the barghest Savager is featured in D&D Miniatures: Legendary Evils (2009).
The barghest is depicted as a shapeshifting beast in the novel Sojourn, written by R.A. Salvatore.
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