History Characters / DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD

* CraftedFromAnimals: Deathcoils' scaly hides, though hard and slippery, are valued for not losing their supple sheen for centuries, and are sometimes used in furniture-making. However, the difficulty in hunting the beasts means that their hides are usually only found in the homes of royalty. The yuan-ti also use deathcoils blood as a secret ingredient in one of their ''osssra'', alchemical mixtures that provide various effects when burned and inhaled as smoke.

* ItCanThink: While Faerûnian folklore can exaggerate deathcoils' intelligence, the fact remains that they're as smart as the average human, and dangerously cunning when they hunt. They've been known to scatter treasure to lure humanoids into an ambush, drag prey wrapped in their coils into a river to drown, sink boats and pin the wrecks down with rocks to create sunken larders, chase prey over cliffs, or sneak out of the forest at night to eat livestock.

A large race of "dragon-centaurs" whoe are just beginning to explore space.

* DragonsAreDivine: Dracons hold true dragons in awe, and consider them messengers from the dracons' pantheon to be watched careful for signs of the gods' intentions.
* FantasticRacism: Downplayed; they aren't hateful, but dracons do consider all sentients with fewer than six limbs to be "the deformed," and view them with as disadvantaged. Dracons are also bad at [[DittoAliens telling humanoid races apart]], so that their racial quote in ''The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook'' has a dracon [[AssInAmbassador ambassador]] telling an elf "Oh, that's right, you're the ones who live in caves and hoard gold, I remember. Did you shave your beard?" It's mentioned this exchange happened "just before the fighting started."
* NaiveNewcomer: Zig-zagged. On the one hand, dracons are recent arrivals to the fringe of the Known Spheres, and they're smart enough not to share the location of their homeworld with any outsiders. But they're still getting the measure of their fellow spacefaring races, so that not only do have trouble telling humanoids apart, they view beholders as "comical," making joking comparisons to kickballs, rather than as dangerous, insane aberrations. "How long this situation lasts remains to be seen."

Monstrous draconic humanoids created from warped or corrupted dragon eggs, typically the result of an evil mage creating an army.

* CharmPerson: Like normal dryads, 2E hamadryads know the spell and use it on handsome males, but they're less possessive of their victims, instead using their magic to recruit someone for a specific task, such as defending trees from woodcutters. Once that task is complete, the ''charmed'' male is allowed to leave the forest... or is left by a dryad's tree, where the guy might be ''charmed'' again.

* IntriguedByHumanity: Other hamadryads, ones who usually live close to a mortal community, might observe something in civilization that they feel that they lack, and leave their forest behind to answer "their heart's yearning call."

* OurNymphsAreDifferent: 4th Edition paints hamadryads as an intermediate step between nymphs and dryads, who have given up some of the innocence and whimsy of the former to tap into the power of the latter. As such, hamadryads can shift between a nymph form, appearing as a beautiful fey humanoid with hair and eyes the color of autumn leaves, or appear more tree-like when using their supernatural abilities.
* PlantPerson: They're not classified as such, but have many plant-like traits. Hamadryads don't need to eat or sleep, but instead meditate for four hours while basking in sunlight, soaking in water, or connecting with bare earth to gain sustenance and the benefits of a night's rest. Leaves and acorns might hang from their hair, and when tapping into their dryad traits, hamadryads' skin takes on the appearance of carved wood.

* CharmPerson: Like normal dryads, 2E hamadryads know the spell, but are less possessive of males they use it on, instead using their magic to recruit someone for a specific task, such as defending trees from woodcutters. Once that task is complete, the ''charmed'' male is allowed to leave the forest... or is left by a dryad's tree, where the guy might be ''charmed'' again.
* PlantPerson: They're not classified as such, but have many plant-like traits. Hamadryads don't need to eat or sleep, but instead meditate for four hours while basking in sunlight, soaking in water, or connecting with bare earth to gain the benefits of a night's rest. Leaves and acorns might hang from their hair, and when tapping into their dryad traits, hamadryads' skin takes on the appearance of carved wood.

'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

* OurMonstersAreWeird: They look something like a spindly-legged ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' sans forearms, but with bony armor plates running along its spine and tail, bristly hair on its lower back, an anteater-like head over a "beard" of fleshy tendrils, bulging, forward-facing eyes, and a protruding orifice on its forehead to spray acid.

* GreenThumb: Dandylions are master horticulturists even without their supernatural ability to release seadpods from their tail, which can enrich soil in a small area, restoring vegetation to full health and ensuring that any crops yield twice the normal harvest for the next year. The plants they raise are valued as potion ingredients and [[EyeOfNewt spell components.]]

[[folder:Darfellan]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_darfellan_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\

Coast-dwelling humanoids who lived as peaceful hunter-gatherers, until a century of vicious conflict with the sahuagin drove them to near-extinction.

* ApparentlyHumanMerfolk: Downplayed; darfellans are faster in the water than on land, but like the orcas they resemble, they can't actually breathe water -- instead they can hold their breath for over ten minutes.
* ArchEnemy: The surviving darfellans are brooding but normally calm, but the presence of sahuagin will drive them into a bloodthirsty fury, translating into morale bonuses on attack and damage rolls against the sea devils.
* FantasticCasteSystem: Darfellan society ''used'' to be divided into castes, but their near-genocide has left them with too few survivors to make that workable. Regardless, darfellans tend to categorize and refer to people based on their job or function, with their actual names being secondary concerns.
* HiddenElfVillage: Even though the sahuagin have stopped actively hunting them, the darfellans still make their coastal settlements in sheltered, secluded areas, and when among other peoples will remain tight-lipped about their homes.
* ManBitesMan: They have a natural bite attack that deals as much damage as a short sword.
* MessianicArchetype: The darfellans fervently believe that someday a prophesized "Deep Dweller" will emerge to end their tribal existence, gather their people together, and restore their race to vitality.
* OurWerebeastsAreDifferent: The darfellan are the descendents of were-orcas who can no longer shapeshift, but are still excellent swimmers and have distinctly orca-like body markings.

[[folder:Dark Tree]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_dark_tree_3e.jpg]]

->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\\
'''Classification:''' Plant (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 7 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Animate cypress trees that delight in draining the blood of intelligent prey.

* GoneHorriblyWrong: Dark trees are the creations of a Halruaan rogue mage named Benauril, who wanted to create some arboreal servitors. "He was delighted with the success of his experiments on the trees, until the trees turned against his will and slew him." In the 200 years since then, the dark trees have spread across the Shining South.
* TheSpeechless: Dark trees have ogre-level intelligence, but can't speak.
* StupidityInducingAttack: They can cast ''confusion'' as a free action once per round.
* {{Treants}}: They're superficially similar to such, being (barely) mobile, intelligent tree creatures, though "anyone who sees a dark tree can almost feel the palpable hatred and evil emanating from it."
* VampiricDraining: They can bring grappled victims to their toothy maws, which deal bite damage and drain Constitution.
* WeakToFire: Subverted, unlike most plant creatures. Dark trees' wet, slimy bark makes them quite resistant to fire damage, instead their AchillesHeel is cold.
* WhenTreesAttack: Even rangers, druids and priests of nature deities can easily mistake a dark tree for an ordinary cypress tree when it's stationary. The main tells are their darker bark (hard to spot since dark trees prefer the shade of deep jungles), the fact that moss won't grow on them, and a pair of deep-set black eyes that are almost impossible to spot unless one knows where to look. Dark trees can survive on photosynthesis, but need to drink blood before they can reproduce by budding.

[[folder:Darkenbeast]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_darkenbeast_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]

'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\

Also known as "death horrors," these flying reptilian monsters are magically created from ordinary animals.

* CannonFodder: As their entry explains, "darkenbeasts' primary combat 'ability' is enough toughness to soak up a great deal of damage that would otherwise be inflicted upon their masters." Since they're created from livestock or domestic animals, evil spellcasters have no shortage of replacements for these creatures, which fight without much sense of self-preservation.
* ForcedTransformation: These creatures are transformed from Small or Medium-sized animals with 2 Hit Dice or less, and those with an Intelligence score of 4 or lower are automatically affected with NoSavingThrow.
* SuicideAttack: Darkenbeasts can be "imprinted" with a spell during the creature's creation, which its master can trigger with an action. Said spell has a 1-in-4 chance of failure, and regardless of whether it's cast successfully, the darkenbeast carrying it bursts into purple flame, then reverts to its true form in death.
* WeakenedByTheLight: The ''create darkenbeast'' spell can only be cast in darkness, and is dispelled in daylight, reverting the affected creature to its original form. In the Realms, the people of Rashemen have the saying "Would that it rained animals!" from their wish that the Red Wizards of Thay would forget to bring their darkenbeasts back before sunrise.

!!Farrastu

* EnemySummoner: Like other races of Outsider, demodands have a chance to summon others of their kind, to various degrees of success. But their ''AD&D'' rules put an interesting spin on the notion by additionally making gehreleths the "summoning stock" of the Lower Planes, so that a mortal summoner might accidentally call up one of them rather than a baatezu or tanar'ri. This is a bad thing, since gehreleths hate servitude, hold grudges, and are capable of disobeying their summoner. It also mentions that the shator like to write magical texts explaining how to summon specific denizens of the Lower Planes, particularly fiends whom the author dislikes.

* TheBerserker: Farastus can fly into a berserk rage during combat, which gives them a chance to vent their frustrations from being at the bottom of the demodand pecking order.

* WardensAreEvil: Shators are unusually cruel wardens of Carceri, and secretly hope those that are bound to the plane will attempt to escape, just so they can hunt the escapees down.

* EnemySummoner: Like other races of outsider, demodands have a chance to summon others of their kind, to various degrees of success. But their ''AD&D'' rules put an interesting spin on the notion by additionally making gehreleths the "summoning stock" of the Lower Planes, so that a mortal summoner might accidentally call up one of them rather than a baatezu or tanar'ri. This is a bad thing, since gehreleths hate servitude, hold grudges, and are capable of disobeying their summoner. It also mentions that the shator like to write magical texts explaining how to summon specific denizens of the Lower Planes, particularly fiends whom the author dislikes.

The weakest and most common of the demodands, who when they aren't pushing around weaker creatures can be found serving their stronger kin, or hunting down escapees from Carceri.

* StickySituation: Farastus ooze a tarlike slime that can aid in grapples, or cause attackers' weapons to get stuck fast.

* BackStab: Kelubars can deal Sneak Attack damage like a mid-level rogue, which makes their ability to cast ''invisibility'' at will all the more dangerous.

Large, spherical creatures studded with eyes and tentacles, notorious for their ability to produce more monstrosities. Despite their appearance, they are highly intelligent.

'''Challenge Rating:''' 11 (Farastu), 13 (Kelubar), 16 (Shator)\\

* AcidAttack: Kelubar skin is coated in a pale green acidic slime.
* BackStab: Kelubars can deal Sneak Attack damage like a mid-level rogue, which makes their ability to cast ''invisibility'' at will all the more dangerous.
* TheBerserker: Farastus can fly into a berserk rage during combat, which gives them a chance to vent their frustrations from being at the bottom of the demodand pecking order.
* EnemySummoner:
** Like other races of outsider, demodands have a chance to summon others of their kind, to various degrees of success.
** Their ''AD&D'' rules put an interesting spin on the notion by making gehreleths the "summoning stock" of the Lower Planes, so that a mortal summoner might accidentally call up one of them rather than a baatezu or tanar'ri. This is a bad thing, since gehreleths hate servitude, hold grudges, and are capable of disobeying their summoner. It also mentions that the shator like to write magical texts explaining how to summon denizens of the Lower Planes, particularly fiends that the author dislikes.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Farastus are barely tolerated by other demodands, who blame them for landing the race in Carceri.
* LargeAndInCharge: The Large (and horribly obese) shators are at the top of the demodands' pecking order.

* TheParalyzer: A shator's slime acts as a paralytic neurotoxin.

* WardensAreEvil: Shators are unusually cruel wardens of Carceri, and secretly hope those that are bound to the plane will attempt to escape, just so they can hunt the escapees down.

Gigantic, magical jellyfish found in the Netherdeep, an explanar abyssal trench.

* BrownNote: Their cacophonic chirps, hoots and howls has enough magic to it to induce vertigo in listeners -- in gameplay terms, those who fails their saving throws can't climb, dash, or cast spells more complicated than cantrips.

* TheHorde: Dire corbies migrate through the Underdark along pedictable routes, consuming everything in their path (normally insects, lichen and fungi, but anything that succumbs to their sonic chattering is fair game). Occasionally blocked passages will force the dire corbies to make a detour, which can lead to them entering the lower levels of a dungeon and finding their way to the surface, where they continue to feed on anything they can, to the detriment of nearby settlements.
* PretendWereDead: A variant; someone who plugs their ears to block the dire corbies' screeching, and manages to mimic their hooting and chirping, can fool these simple-minded beings with surprising ease, allowing someone to travel with a dire corby flock in relative safety.

Black-feathered, avian humanoids who travel the Underdark in ravenous, raucous flocks. Not to be confused with dire ravens, which are simply oversized animals.

* PretendWereDead: A variant; someone who plugs their ears to block the dire corbies' screeching, and manages to mimic their hooting and chirping, can fool these simple-minded beings with surprising ease, allowing them to travel with a dire corby flock in relative safety.

* TheHorde: Dire corbies migrate through the Underdark along pedictable routes, consuming everything in their path (normally insects, lichen and fungi, but anything that succumbs to their sonic chattering is fair game). Occasionally blocked passages will force the dire corbies to make a detour, which can lead to them entering the lower levels of a dungeon and [[ForebodingFleeingFlock prompting its denizens to flee.]] If a dire corby flock follows a dungeon to the surface, it will continue to feed on anything it can, to the detriment of nearby settlements.

* AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder: A dream eater twists its appearance into surreal illusions of enemies' worst fears.

* NightmareWeaver: Dream eaters envelop their prey in a miasma of its greatest fears.

'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/6 (death's head), 9 (tree) (3E); 1/2 (death's head), 2 (tree) (5E)\\

* WeakToFire: Averted; unlike most plants, death's head trees are immune (2E) or resistant (3E) to fire damage, making their wood useful to make fire-resistant magic items.

'''Challenge Rating:''' 2 (3E)\\

''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | '''D''' | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesH H]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToL I to L]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesM M]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNtoQ N to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartOne Sa-Sl]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartTwo So-Sy]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToZ U to Z]]) | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsBeholderkin Beholderkin]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsUndead Undead]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] \\

* CantLiveWithoutYou: Dryads in 3rd Edition will sicken and die in a matter of hours if taken more than 300 yards from their home oaks.

* BreathWeapon: Dragonspawn gain a breath weapon based on the the species of their creator dragon.

''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | '''D''' | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesH H]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToL I to L]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesM M]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNtoQ N to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesS S]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToZ U to Z]]) | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsBeholderkin Beholderkin]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsUndead Undead]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] \\