| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Alignment | Neutral |
| Type | Magical beast |
| Image | Wizards.com image |
| Stats | Open Game License stats |
| Publication history | |
| Source books | Monster Manual |
| Mythological origins | Basilisk |
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the basilisk is a reptilian magical beast that turns creatures to stone by meeting their gaze.
The basilisk is based on the basilisk of Greek mythology and the basalisk in Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions.[1]
While Basilisks in myth are generally bird-like relatives of the cockatrice, the basilisk in D&D is completely distinct from the cockatrice (which also appears in D&D) aside from them both having a petrification attack. The basilisks of myth are a hybrid of a serpent and bird. The basilisk of D&D, however, is a giant lizard with numerous legs. The serpent-bird basilisk is instead known in-game as a cockatrice.
The basilisk was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974). It is described as having the power of turning other creatures to stone by touch or by glance.[2] The basilisk was updated in the Eldritch Wizardry supplement.[3]
The basilisk appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977),[4] where it is described as a reptilian monster whose gaze can turn creatures to stone.
The dracolisk, a crossbreed of basilisk and black dragon, and the boalisk, a crossbreed of boa and basilisk, were introduced in the module Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (1982);[5] the basilisk then appeared in Monster Manual II (1983), which also introduced the greater basilisk.[6]
The basilisk is further detailed in Dragon #81 (January 1984), in "The Ecology of the Basilisk," by Ed Greenwood.[7]
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the basilisk, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977),[8] Expert Set (1981 & 1983),[9][10] and Companion Rules (1984).[11] Basilisks were also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991),[12] and the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994).
The basilisk, greater basilisk, and dracolisk appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989),[13] and are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).[14]
The basilisk appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).[15]
The basilisk appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003). This edition also contains the abyssal greater basilisk, a more powerful version of the standard basilisk.
The basilisk appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including the venom-eye basilisk and the stone-eye basilisk.[16]
A basilisk looks like a giant, six (sometimes eight)-legged brown lizard. The creatures aren't very intelligent, and therefore always neutral in alignment. Their eyes glow a pale green, and they grow to around six feet long (excluding the tail).
Basilisks usually live in deserts, in small colonies of 3-6, though they are sometimes encountered singly. However, they can be found in any climate. Their lairs are little more than shallow caves or burrows in the ground, usually marked by victims of their petrifying gaze. It is possible to raise one as a guard animal, provided one has the wherewithal to do so.
In the Eberron campaign setting, the basilisk is the heraldic beast of the dragonmarked House Medani.
As with many of the standard, archetypal D&D creatures, variants of the standard Basilisk species exist. These Include:
Larger and meaner than their cousins, these can grow up to 30 feet in length.
Like its relatives, this creature can stop prey with a gaze, but their prey is turned to salt, not stone. They lair in caves and burrows, or simply bury themselves beneath the sand of the desert.
Stocky, eight-legged, crimson scaled reptiles with a row of spines jutting down the length of their back and eyes that glow ghostly blue. These variants of the common basilisk are able to disintegrate any material with their acidic bites and can cause creatures to spontaneously bleed uncontrollably with their gaze.
A rare crossbreed of dragon and basilisk. Dracolisks, in addition to their petrification attack, also have the breath weapon of their parent dragon, e.g., a dracolisk with a red dragon parent would have fiery breath whereas a dracolisk with a black dragon parent would have acidic breath.
An unusual relative of the basilisk, these beasts' gaze turns wide areas of sand to glass, which they can easily walk across but their prey cannot.
Serpents which move across the tundra like snakes. Its dread gaze can paralyze a creature with cold.
From the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. A small, reptilian creature that is distantly related to the basilisk. It has eight legs and dorsal spikes. They are herbivores, but are still feared for their paralyzing gaze.
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