Vrock

A vrock is a type of fictional creature, a demon from the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It resembles a humanoid with the head, claws, and wings of giant vulture. Vrock typically stand eight feet tall and weigh 800 pounds.

Publication history

The vrock was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

The type I demon appeared under the demon entry in the Eldritch Wizardry supplement (1976).^[1]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

The type I demon (vrock) appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977).^[2]

Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the type I demon, which is known as the screaming demon, first appearing in the Immortal Rules set, in the DM's Guide to Immortals (1986).^[3] The screaming lesser fiend appeared in the Wrath of the Immortals set, in "Book One: Codex of the Immortals" (1992).^[4]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

In this edition, demons became known as tanar'ri, and this creature officially became known as the vrock, a "true tanar'ri", appearing first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Outer Planes Appendix (1991),^[5] and then reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).^[6]

An ancient vrock known as The Beast appeared in Dungeon #25 (September 1990).

The vrock true tanar'ri also appeared for the Planescape campaign setting in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994).^[7]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

The vrock (tanar'ri) appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000);^[8] in this edition, the name demon is restored, and tanar'ri are now considered a sub-type of demon.

Savage Species (2003) presented the vrock as both a race and a playable class.^[9]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

The vrock appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)

The vrock appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), again under the demon entry.^[10]

History

In the 1st edition of the Monster Manual, the name 'vrock' was not used to describe these creatures, and instead a vrock was referred to as a 'Demon Type I'. They were among the weaker demons.

In 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, TSR stopped using the word 'demon' and instead called the vrock and the other demons from the 1st edition of Dungeons & Dragons 'Tanar'ri'.

3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons gave the vrock its demon status back, but for purposes of backwards compatibility with 2nd edition Dungeons & Dragons a sub-classification of demons called Tanar'ri was created, of which the vrock and all of the other demons from the 1st edition Monster Manual were members. In 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons, vrock are most known and feared for the dance of ruin — a power that enables three vrock cavorting in concert to unleash a very damaging blast of energy.

Known vrock

• Arrikk: From Hellbound: War Games, page 65
• The Cuckoo: Standing Stone (presumably referenced again in Heart of Nightfang Spire)
• Grzzlat: I2 Tomb of the Lizard King (on the random encounters table)
• Jaazzpaa: Dungeon #25, "The Standing Stones of Sundown"
• Rhunad: Heart of Nightfang Spire
• Shaakat, Rejik, and Morbaat: The Paladins, book two of the Forgotten Realms Double Diamond Triangle Saga.
• Chaohinon of the Void: From Neverwinter Nights, Chapter One Finale.

Critical reception

The demon (vrock) was ranked third among the ten best mid-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. The authors chose the vrock as "the best example" out of four or five "to represent the evil-outsider-from-the-infernal-realms niche".^[11]

Other media

The Vrock appears in the D&D Miniatures: Archfiends set #58 (2004).

Another Vrock appears in the D&D Miniatures: Dungeons of Dread set #20 (2008).

References