History Characters / DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToZ

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

Monsters from the myriad worlds of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''.

[[folder:Notes on the Entries]]
* A creature's '''Origin''' denotes the specific campaign setting it debuted in, if any. This is not to say that setting is the only place that creature can be found -- ''D&D'' has a long history of repackaging creatures from sub-settings for general use, and ultimately the DM decides what appears in a game.
* A creature's listed '''Challenge Rating''' may be for "baseline" examples of the monster, rather than listing every advanced variant presented in ''Monster Manual''s. Also remember that 3rd and 5th Edition use a 1-20 scale for "standard" Challenge Ratings, while 4th Edition uses 1-30.
* Not all '''Playable''' creatures are created equal, especially in 3rd Edition, in which MonsterAdventurers can have significant Level Adjustments for the sake of party balance.
* A creature's listed '''Alignment''' is typical for the race as a whole, not an absolute for every individual in it -- even supposed embodiments of Good and Evil can change their alignment. Also, if there are two alignments listed, and one is for 4th Edition, assume that the other alignment holds true for all other game editions. Finally, the "Always Neutral" alignment listed in previous editions for nonsapient creatures has been equated with the "Unaligned" alignment of recent editions.
[[/folder]]

See also the [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsBeholderkin Beholderkin]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsUndead Undead]], and [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] subpages for information about those respective creatures.

[[foldercontrol]]

!!U

[[folder:Udaak]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_udaak_5e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''WebVideo/CriticalRole''\\
'''Classification:''' Fiend (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 16 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Gargantuan fiendish brutes that lurk on the fringes of civilization, scavenging and killing to survive.
----
* BeastOfBattle: The warmasters of the Kryn Dynasty have developed arcane collars that can keep an udaak under control, and they have begun using these dread creatures in the war against the Dwendalian Empire.
* KnockBack: They can make a charge attack that deals extra damage and can send a victim flying up to 20 feet, landing prone.
* MixAndMatchCritters: Udaaks resemble an immense, demonic cross between ox and gorilla.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: They have four arms in addition to their legs, though they can only make two slam attacks in a given round of combat.
* StrandedInvader: In their home setting, they were originally summoned from the Abyss, but [[CataclysmBackstory the Divergence]] severed their connection to their home plane, leaving them wandering Exandria. So while they're still Fiends, udaaks aren't considered proper demons anymore.
* SwallowedWhole: They can swallow Large or smaller victims of their bite attack, subjecting them to ongoing acid damage until the victim either dies or deals enough damage to the udaak's stomach to make it vomit.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Udoroot]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_udoroot_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Plant (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Carnivorous plants that use their sunflower-like stalks to manifest psionic powers.
----
* CognizantLimbs: Each of its stalks functions like an independent SquishyWizard, and destroying them does not harm its main body (which is also difficult to attack without digging it up from the ground). However, its main body is simply a normal plant with no abilities of it own, meaning that destroying the stalks leaves it completely helpless until they grow back.
* ExtraTurn: In 3.0 it effectively gets ''six'' turns, with each of its "crowns" that remains intact being able to attack independently; 3.5 capped this to two actions per round.
* FoulFlower: Udoroots' stalks resemble sunflowers with white petals and red seeds, and look innocuous, but allow the plants to manifest multiple powers per round. They can be targeted and severed in combat, but this does no damage to the udoroot itself -- only digging up and hacking apart its massive root will kill the plant, otherwise it'll just regrow its flower-stalks in about a month.
* MonsterOrganTrafficking: The seeds from an udoroot's flowers are tough but nutritious, and can be ground into bread.
* {{Nerf}}: The transition from 3.0 to 3.5 psionics hit udoroots hard - limiting their at-will ''astral constructs'' to 3/day, capping their number of attacks to two per round, and allowing AreaOfEffect spells to destroy multiple crowns at once. It does gain the ability to ''heal'' its crowns, though their squishiness makes this of limited use.
* PsychicPowers: The plants can manifest an array of psionic abilities, using ''false sensory input'' to lure in victims, ''astral construct'' to summon helpers, and ''telekinetic force'' to drag its victim's corpse into position to fertilize the plant.
* ShockAndAwe: Has access to the ''[[ChainLightning biocurrent]]'' power in 3.0, or the electric variant of ''[[StaticStunGun energy stun]]'' in 3.5.
* {{Tulpa}}: Capable of manifesting ''astral constructs'' to defend itself.
* UndergroundMonkey: An Underdark variant of the udoroot grows "upside-down" from cave ceilings.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Uldra]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_uldra_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:1e]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_uldra_1e.png[[/labelnote]] ]]
->'''Classification:''' Fey (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 1E, 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulGood (1E), ChaoticNeutral (3E)

Small, blue-skinned fey who live in harmony with the arctic wilderness, finding natural shelters for their tribes to dwell in as they roam their territory.
----
* AnimalWrongsGroup: Uldra view themselves as the protectors of wildlife in particular, and they take joy in helping or simply watching wild animals, while growing depressed or even enraged at the thought of domesticated animals. They'll thus launch midnight raids on frontier villages to "rescue" livestock or pets for reintroduction to the wilderness, regardless of what this means for the people who relied upon them. This mindset contributes to uldra's distrust and dislike for civilization and those who are a part of it.
* ArtEvolution: In 1E they're rather gnomish, tall, pointy hats and all, and are described with "colorless" yellow-white skin and drab clothing. 3E uldra look more like small, blue-skinned elves who have no need for clothes.
* ExposedToTheElements: Due to their cold resistance, uldra are comfortable wearing rustic clothing with exposed legs and arms, and some eschew clothing entirely... with the exception of hats, particularly pointed ones. It's more common to find an uldra wearing nothing but a hat than one going bareheaded but otherwise fully clothed.
* HaveYouSeenMyGod:
** In 1st Edition, the uldric pantheon has been reduced to the greater god Aslak, the lesser gods Salturen and Talminen, and the demigod Maitak, because an evil god in their pantheon, one with several ranks of Assassin, went on a divine killing spree. While this nameless deity was eventually slain in fair combat by the TopGod Aslak, this is why there aren't any uldric goddesses left or any other greater deities.
** In 3rd Edition, the uldras were once devout followers of Hleid, patron of the frostfell's animals and guardian of cold magic, but then she was attacked and nearly slain by her half-brother Iborighu, who stole Hleid's magical secrets to aid his campaign to plunge the world into an endless ice age. Without her guidance the uldras became more chaotic and xenophobic, and today most worship nature itself, while the cult of Iborighu is the most widespread organized faith among them (contributing to outsiders' negative view of the uldra). That said, clerics of Hleid are beginning to reappear in the frostfell, so it is possible that the goddess is recovering.
* AnIcePerson: Uldra are naturally cold, can imbue their unarmed and melee weapon strikes with a bit of additional cold damage, and can innately cast ''ray of frost''. However, they lack the full cold subtype and thus have resistance, but not full immunity, to cold damage; on the upside, this means they aren't innately WeakToFire.
* MoodSwinger: Like many fey, uldras are extremely emotional, switching from laughter to screaming rage to calm serenity at a moment's notice, which can lead other races to consider them insane.
* NoSell: As fey, they're immune to spells like ''hold person'' or ''charm person'' that specifically target humanoids. And ''unlike'' most fey, uldra aren't particularly weak to ColdIron, though they are uncomfortable handling it, finding the experience similar to "the sensation of holding a rotting fish in your hand."
* {{Retcon}}: Uldra actually date back to 1st Edition, which presented them as cousins to both dwarves and gnomes who lived in the arctic and were fond of animals. 3rd Edition brought them back as fey beings with icy abilities and more quirks to them, hence why most tropes in the folder are about that incarnation of them.
* TechnicolorEyes: Uldras' eyes are typically combinations of two to three hues such as green, gold and red. They also [[GlowingEyes glow softly in the dark.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ulgurstasta]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_ulgurstasta_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 11 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Gargantuan, maggot-like monsters originally created by the evil demigod Kyuss as minion factories, but have since gone on to pursue their own agendas.
----
* GoneHorriblyRight: Kyuss created the ulgurstastas to mass-produce skeletal minions, but the problem was that the things also grew ''smarter'' as they ate and digested victims. By the time Kyuss vanished, his ulgurstastas were as smart as ghouls, and the few that survived to the present day possess nearly genius-level intellects.
* MookMaker: Anything SwallowedWhole by an ulgurstasta is converted into an animated skeleton, which it can then regurgitate as a minion.
* RazorFloss: A ulgurstasta's body is covered in weeping pores, containing coiled 40-foot-long, hair-thin tendrils. When the thing is agitated it can whip these tendrils in a frenzy, rendering it immune to nonmagical missile weapons and dealing slashing damage to anything within 40 feet.
* SuperSpit: They have a once-per-day "breath weapon" attack that amounts to vomiting necromantic acid in a 60-foot cone, which deals Constitution drain and converts any slain victims into skeletons under the ulgurstasta's control - the catch is that this means that anything subsequently swallowed by the ulgurstasta won't take damage from its necromantic acid until it's had time to recover. The same attack also regurgitates any reanimated skeletons in the monster's guts.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Umber Hulk]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/umber_hulk.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E), Natural Magical Beast (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 7 (3E), 12 (4E), 5 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil, Unaligned (4E)

Bipedal insect-like creatures native to the Underdark, umber hulks are ambush predators who incapacitate victims with a magical gaze before devouring them.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: An umber hulk is an eight-foot-tall insect-like creature.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: They're umber-coloured, and they tower over most humanoids with their hulking stature.
* {{Expy}}: Of an unspecified {{kaiju}} which Gygax came across in figurine form, widely speculated to be [[https://ultra.fandom.com/wiki/Antlar Antlar]].
* FoodChainOfEvil: Umber hulks hunt the likes of ankhegs and immature purple worms, but "Their favorite prey, however, is humankind."
* HypnoticEyes: An umber hulk's four-eyed gaze puts its victims into a state of confusion, forcing them to act randomly and leaving them easy prey.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Many survivors of an umber hulk attack forget about the incident, because their memory is scrambled by the umber hulk's confusing gaze.
* SlaveRace: The neogi make extensive use of umber hulk slaves, leading to generations of the brutes being raised in captivity, to the point that they accept their servitude as part of the natural order. This means the neogi don't need to use their supernatural ability to control umber hulks, who will obey a neogi's orders without question, even meekly submitting to corporeal punishment from masters they could easily crush in their hands.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Umbral Blot]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_blackball_2e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:2e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Mystara}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Construct (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 32 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Also called "blackballs" or "deadly spheres," these roaming 5-foot globes of utter darkness disintegrate everything they touch.
----
* BlowYouAway: Umbral blots naturally insulate themselves against the surrounding air, [[RequiredSecondaryPowers otherwise they'd be constantly surrounded by a vacuum.]] But if a particularly speedy foe manages to evade them, they can suppress that effect, creating a 30-foot vortex that draws in all nearby creatures, with the saving throw against the effect being much higher for airborne foes.
* DimensionalTraveler: 3E umbral blots can use ''etheral jaunt'' or ''plane shift'' as a standard action.
* DungeonBypass: They're fully capable of boring their way through terrain, and can surprise adventurers by coming up through the floor or dropping from the ceiling.
* MistakenIdentity: It's mentioned that some spellcasters who encounter these creatures confuse them for a ''sphere of annihilation'' and attempt to command them with a ''talisman of the sphere''. The umbral blots might choose to play along for a time, only to betray their "master" for their presumption.
* OneHitKill: Anything an umbral blot makes contact with has to save or die, disintegrating so completely that not even [[ReducedToDust dust]] remains.
* PowerOfTheVoid: They're essentially free-roaming black holes, and incredibly dangerous entities.
* SuperSenses: 3E umbral blots have blindsense out to 200 feet.
* SupernaturalSensitivity: 2E blackballs can instead sense any intelligent creatures within 60 feet of them.
* {{Teleportation}}: As if their flight speed wasn't enough, 3rd Edition umbral blots can use ''dimension door'' or ''teleport without error'' at will.
* TookALevelInBadass: With a movement of only 3, 2nd Edition blackballs move at a quarter the speed of a baseline human, giving other creatures a chance to escape and elude them. The umbral blot of the 3E ''Epic Level Handbook'', on the other hand, flies at a rate of 90 feet per round, more than fast enough to run down someone mounted on a horse.
* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: Umbral blots are believed by some sages to be created by "[[TheOldGods the Old Ones]]" as messengers or assassins, until they rebelled and destroyed them, so perhaps now the umbral blots are roving the cosmos, looking for any Old Ones they missed.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Umpleby]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_umpleby_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:270:2e]]
->'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Eight-foot-tall lummoxes covered in hair, which generates a dangerous amount of static electricity.
----
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: About the only thing capable of holding an umpleby's attention is a pile of shiny coins or gems. Though intelligent enough to at least speak Common in a halting fashion, their short attention spans render umplebys incapable of forming communities -- their families only happen when two umplebys meet by chance, and last until their offspring wanders off one day and doesn't come back, leading the parents to disperse as well.
* InescapableNet: Umplebys will weave nets out of their own hair, which are tougher to cut and burn than the result of a ''web'' spell and can fetch 100 gp from merchants.
* TheLoad: Umplebys tend the shamble along with any adventurers they meet, refusing to be left behind. Unfortunately they don't do anything to help, tend to get in the way, and are incapable of stealth. Offers of food will [[TastesLikeFriendship "ensure instant and total loyalty to its benefactor,"]] but lead to the umpleby constantly complaining about being hungry and thirsty. Even if they do manage to offer help or advice, the creature will demand a share of any shiny treasure the adventurers come across.
* NoSell: They are unsurprisingly immune to electricity.
* ShockAndAwe: Their melee attacks with their arms deal paltry damage, but more dangerous is the static electricity an umpleby can deliver with a touch (an attack especially effective against foes in metal armor). An umpleby can deliver a total of 50 points of electricity damage each day, divided how it wishes, leading to the possibility of it [[AlphaStrike delivering all of that damage in one go.]] However, as soon as it's delivered its 50th point of damage, an umpleby immediately goes to sleep so it can recharge.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Unbodied]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_unbodied_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:349:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' As base creature +4 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Any

A race of humanoids who have shed their physical forms, existing as beings of pure mind.
----
* AntiTrueSight: Unbodied can hide their minds, so that divination magic or clairsentience powers don't detect them as psionic.
* TheDisembodied: They left their bodies intending to AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence, but many unbodied instead cling to the physical world, acting as their alignments dictate.
* {{Intangibility}}: As beings of pure thought, unbodied are incorporeal, and use [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]] to interact with the physical world.
* LieToTheBeholder: Unbodied can assume the likeness of any creature between Small and Large size. Some take up the guise of noble humans with a dramatic fashion sense, others as various creatures (or nightmarish mash-ups of creatures), while still others present themselves as [[BrainMonster floating, disembodied brains.]]
* PsychicPowers: They're natural psionicists, manifesting powers as a 4th-level psion.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Underfolk]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_underfolk_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Humans adapted to life in the "shallow" portion of the Underdark, dwelling in caverns less than a mile beneath the surface.
----
* ChameleonCamouflage: Underfolk have developed the ability to change their skin pigmentation to blend in with their surroundings, giving them a racial bonus to Hide checks that is even more effective in rocky surroundings. This ability can even foil darkvision, though not truesight.
* DayHurtsDarkAdjustedEyes: They have the Light Sensitivity rule.
* HumanSubspecies: They're human for all intents and purposes.
* IGaveMyWord: Underfolk take oaths very seriously (if not quite to the dwarves' level of holding grudges), and consequently will immediately sever ties with anyone who lies or deceives them.
* InnateNightVision: They've developed darkvision after generations spent underground.
* TheMorlocks: Subverted; underfolk may be primitive and rustic in terms of technology, and have physically adapted to life underground, so that their eyes and ears are slightly larger and their body hair thicker than surface humans', and their short and slight builds are closer to those of elves. But they're by no means degenerate, and generally keep to themselves, only going to war with the likes of drow and orcs when they have no other choice. Underfolk who live close enough to the surface will even leave their caves to trade with surface-dwelling races.
* NobleSavage: Underfolk are insular, suspicious of strangers, and can be mildly xenophobic, but they're devoted to their tribe's well-being, intensely loyal to their allies, and hold a deep love for the caves they call home. They've developed a rich oral tradition that peppers their speech with allegories and hyperbolic statements, tell poetic and dreamlike stories, and love to sing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Undying]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_undying_councilor_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Undying councilor (5e)]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Deathless (3E), Undead (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 2 (soldier), 9 (councilor) (3E); 2 (soldier), 10 (councilor) (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralGood

On Eberron, the elves of Aerenal are ruled by the Undying Court, the revered ancestors of living elves, animated by the faith of their descendants.
----
* CantArgueWithElves: Played with. Undying are the center of one of Eberron's most benevolent religions, but they are still flawed and have a rather dismissive view of non-elves.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Unlike regular undead, the undying are animated by the faith and prayers of their followers (religion in Eberron operates heavily on the concept of faith rather than actual divine entities), instead of negative energies.
* HolyHandGrenade: Undying soldiers have the power to Smite Evil in 3rd edition, while in 5th edition their spears inflict extra damage against fiends and the undead.
* LightEmUp: All undying give off light in 5th edition. Undying councilors can intensify this light to blinding levels as a legendary action, and their very touch can sear creatures with radiant energy.
* LightIsGood: Unlike most undead, the Undying give off light, and most of them are of good alignment. Of course, this being Eberron, [[LightIsNotGood there are exceptions]].
* TheNecrocracy: In their home setting, the island nation of Aerenal is ruled by a pair of Sibling Kings, but those monarchs are selected by the Undying Court and expected to heed the undying's counsel.
* NonHumanUndead: The elves of Aerenal preserve their greatest citizens as undying. Outside of Aerenal, undying can appear anywhere, though this is exceedingly rare.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Unholy Scion]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' As base creature +1 to +3, depending on Hit Dice (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Any evil

Humanoids or animals who were corrupted in their mother's womb, leaving them fiends in mortal flesh.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: An unholy scion gains a claw attack if their base creature didn't already possess one.
* BlackMagic: They learn a variety of nasty spells as they age, from ''[[UnholyGround desecrate]]'' and ''protection from good'' to ''[[ForcedTransformation baleful polymorph]]'' and ''{{animate dead}}''.
* CharmPerson: An unholy scion's mother is under a "familial charm," a ''charm person'' effect that has NoSavingThrow. Worse, the scion's mother is fully aware that the actions she is forced to commit are wrong, and that her child is evil, but [[AndIMustScream she cannot break her devotion to the fiend.]] The unholy scion also learns ''charm animal'' or ''charm person'' as they age, before moving on to full ''[[MindControl dominate person]]''.
* DemonicPossession: Some unholy scions are formed when a fiend possess an unborn child, merging completely with the developing mind and soul so that the two are hopelessly intermingled -- it is thus impossible to exorcise an unholy scion, or for the fiend to revert to its original form until its mortal shell is slain. However, other unholy scions avert this trope and form spontaneously when a woman is impregnated by a fiend in an area of high [[EvilTaintedThePlace taint.]]
* FetusTerrible: An unholy scion is fully intelligent and irredeemably evil even while inside its mother's womb, and already capable of seeing through its mother's senses and compelling her to commit evil acts. After being born, they graduate to EnfantTerrible.
* UncannyValley: These tainted beings look like normal members of their mother's species, but still manage to subtly disturb onlookers. "Their features might be ever so slightly off, their eyes possessed of an evil gleam, or they might simply make everyone around them nervous for no obvious cause."
* UnholyNuke: An unholy scion's melee attacks are considered evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming DamageReduction, and deal extra damage to good opponents.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Unicorn]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unicorn_35e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E), Fey Magical Beast (4E), Celestial (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E), 9 (4E), 5 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticGood (1E-3E), Unaligned (4E), LawfulGood (5E)

One-horned, equine beings who live in the forest. They're generally benevolent if skittish, and are often hunted for their horns.
----
* HybridMonster: A web supplement for 3rd edition ''Ghostwalk'' introduces Valicorns, the product of unicorns breeding with mundane equines. They possess the same immunities as a unicorn, weaker versions of its magical abilities, and a hard plate on their head with similar properties to a unicorn horn.
* AnIcePerson: Palomino unicorns or criocorns, described in ''Dragon Magazine'' #190, live in arctic environments and can create blizzards, chill metal and shoot freezing rays.
* ImmortalProcreationClause: ''The Ecology of the Unicorn'' states that unicorns are so long-lived that they seem to be nearly immortal, but remain rare because they almost never breed.
* ImmuneToMindControl: 3E unicorns are immune to [[CharmPerson charm]] and compulsion effects... ''twice'', both as a nonmagical innate trait and as part of the ''magic circle against evil'' spell that radiates from their bodies (which suppresses all such effects within 10ft).
* TheMedic: Unicorns can heal wounds and poisoning with a touch of their horns.
* MixAndMatchCritters: While it's not often brought up, and not mentioned at all in 5th edition, unicorns are this. They have the bodies of horses, obviously, but also the tail of a lion or boar, the beard of a goat, cloven hooves, and trots like a deer rather than gallop.
* TheParalyzer: Black unicorns, describes in ''Dragon Magazine'' #190, can paralyze other beings with a touch of their horns. If this paralysis isn't cured within three days, the victim dies of heart failure.
* PlayingWithFire: Bay unicorns or pyrocorns, described in ''Dragon Magazine'' #190, live in spent volcanic caverns and can naturally cast spells that allow them to wreathe their horns in fire, create flames or throw fireballs.
* UndergroundMonkey: 2nd edition ''D&D'' introduces a great variety of unicorn breeds -- depending on which sources one uses, up to ''fifteen kinds''.
** The base game has three; the ChaoticGood, conventional or "sylvan" unicorn, the demon-blooded, ChaoticEvil and meat-eating black unicorn of the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'', and the NeutralEvil shadow unicorn -- evil hybrids of unicorns and [[HellishHorse nightmares]] -- from ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}''.%%In-universe alignment.
** ''Magazine/DragonMagazine'' #190 introduces the alicorn (gnarly-horned unicorns that can cast CharmPerson), pyrocorn (NeutralEvil bay-colored unicorns who can cast [[KillItWithFire a number of fire spells]]), black unicorn (different for the Faerunian kind in that their powers focus on [[CastingAShadow magically manipulating darkness]]), roanicorn (desert-dwelling brown unicorns with telepathy and ESP), cunnequine (LawfulGood counterparts to the traditionally ChaoticGood unicorn), faerie unicorn (small, green-tinted chameleonic unicorns), graycorn (TrueNeutral gray colored unicorns that reflect damage back at their attackers), criocorn (palomino-colored LawfulEvil unicorns with [[AnIcePerson ice-related magic]]), chromacorn (pinto-colored NeutralGood unicorns that can cast illusions and Prismatic Sprays), sea unicorn (aquatic unicorns that can shapeshift into narwhals), unisus (a WingedUnicorn born from crossbreeding a unicorn and a {{pegasus}}), and zebracorn (zebra-striped unicorns with VoluntaryShapeshifting powers).%%In-universe alignments.
** Basic/Expert/etc ''D&D'' has actual unicorns with healing powers, and also attributes similar powers to ''narwhals'', making them the unicorn's marine counterpart rather than just a funny-looking whale.
* {{Unicorn}}: Intelligent white horses with spiraling horns, goatlike beards, lion-like tails, cloven hooves and magical powers (including the trademark ability to teleport once per day anywhere within their forest home), and the males have a goat-like beard and a very long mane; some material describes them as being more deer-like than equine. They're often sought out by paladins and other goodly beings as allies, steeds and companions and by more evil or amoral sorts for their horns, which can be used in various healing potions. Celestial chargers are unicorns from the Celestial Realms that have the power of clerics.
* UnicornsPreferVirgins: Unicorns sometimes allow themselves to be ridden, but only accept human or elven maidens of pure heart and good alignment.
** ''Magazine/DragonMagazine'' #190 describes a number of unicorn variants, several with their own spins on this theme: alicorns and cunnequines have the same requirements as common sylvan unicorns, the NeutralEvil pyrocorns accept evil female riders with affinities for fire magic, the ChaoticEvil black unicorns accept evil fighters or thieves of either sex, fairy unicorns accept any halfling, gnome, elf or fairy of good heart, gray unicorns accept only female druids of strictly neutral alignment, the LawfulEvil criocorns bear only exceptionally evil women with a talent for icy magic or who worship an evil god of cold or winter, pinto unicorns accept any rider of pure heart, narwhals bear only sea elven women of pure heart, and unisi may be ridden by any humanoid maiden with a good heart.%%In-universe alignments.
** The "Beloved of Valerian" PrestigeClass in the ''Book of Exalted Deeds'' supplement (which grants a unicorn as a companion) can only be entered by characters who are both female and have the [[CelibateHero Vow of Chastity]] feat.
* WingedUnicorn: Unisi, described in ''Dragon Magazine'' #190, are winged and horned equines created from the crossbreeding of unicorns and pegasi. They have the same habitat preferences and societies as pegasi, but share the unicorns' horn attack and preference for female riders of pure heart. Their horns can be used to brew potions that allow their drinkers to fly.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Unraveler]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_unraveler_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Unraveler (3e)]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Menglis (2e)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_menglis_2e.jpg[[/labelnote]] ]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Neutral (2E), LawfulNeutral (3E)

Also known as menglis, these elemental spirits dwell in the Inner Planes' borderlands, and are feared for their ability to separate creatures and objects into their constituent elements.
----
* ArtEvolution: 2nd Edition's menglis are depicted as vague, human-shaped spirits, while their 3rd Edition illustration depicts them as a patchwork of different elements.
* {{Intangibility}}: They're naturally incorporeal and, in 2nd Edition, {{invisibil|ity}}e as well.
* NoSell: They're immune to the natural conditions of the Elemental Planes of Air, Earth, Fire and Water.
* TransformationHorror: An unraveler's claw attack, or a menglis' mere presence, can cause other creatures to separate into their basic elements, taking damage over the next few rounds until they're nothing but a few pounds of minerals and a pool of liquid. During this painful process, the victim is unable to cast spells, and can only attack blindly, unable to distinguish friend from foe. A victim who passes a Charisma check can stabilize themselves for the next 24 hours, but only powerful magic like ''restoration'' or ''heal'' can end the disjoining effect.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Unspeakable Horror]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_unspeakable_horror_5e.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 8 (5E)

Nameless things spawned from the Mists surrounding the Domains of Dread, the remnants of dissolved domains or the half-formed ideas of the Dark Powers given shape.
----
* CantLiveWithoutYou: Fortunately for everything else, unspeakable horrors born from the Mists can't survive long outside them, and will lose cohesion and collapse into vapor in at most four rounds.
* EldritchAbomination: They're nightmarish creatures with no obligation to obey the laws of nature, to the extent that their entry includes a note that [=DMs=] should feel free to improvise a description of what the horror looks like -- "The more discordant and unexpected a horror's parts, the more unsettling it might be."
* GameplayRandomization: Unspeakable horrors come with several tables to randomize their body type, the nature of their magic attacks, and even what sort of limbs they have. They might have [[BlobMonster amorphous bodies]] that let them squeeze through narrow gaps or exposed organs that [[TheSpiny deal acid damage to anything that attacks them]]; a "hex blast" that deals [[MakeThemRot necrotic]], [[BrownNote psychic]], or [[AcidAttack acid damage]], or even [[TakenForGranite petrifies]] victims; limbs studded with [[PoisonousPerson poisoned spines]] or tentacles that can [[TentacleRope grapple victims]], and so on.
* IKnowWhatYouFear: Mist horrors are drawn from the fears of nearby creatures, which can result in chimeric forms when confronted by a group, "like a wolf with snakes for eyes or a drowned giant that resembles an estranged parent."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ur'Epona]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_urepona_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Intelligent horses whose herds can travel from plane to plane.
----
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Nic'Epona can change their coat's coloration at will, from any color of the rainbow to vivid patterns mixing multiple hues.
* DimensionalTraveler: Ur'Epona can ''plane shift'' once per day, while nic'Epona can do it at will.
* DivineParentage: They're known as "Epona's grandchildren," descended from what is variably described as a horse-goddess or the Primal Horse.
* LivingMoodRing: An ur'Epona has no predetermined color, rather their coat changes with their mood, ranging from pure glistening white to a deep sable.
* NoSell: Nic'Epona are immune to ''charm'' effects, and can sense when someone is using such magic to try to win their trust. They like to [[PretendToBeBrainwashed feign falling under such a spell]], letting their new "master" climb onto their back, and then ''plane shifting'' to a hostile realm to dump the dope on.
* {{Retcon}}: Planeshifting horses were known as nic'Epona in 2nd Edition, and beyond being much smarter than 3E ur'Epona, they had a wider array of supernatural powers, were a lot tougher, and were [[OneGenderRace exclusively female]], "Epona's daughters" (they mate with magical equines such as pegasi, [[EitherOrOffspring with any females from such unions being more nic'Epona]]).
* SapientSteed: Ur'Epona are a little smarter than ogres, and can understand any language, though they cannot themselves speak. Nic'Epona are smarter than most humans, but still speechless.
* TrampledUnderfoot: A nic'Epona herd can stampede over enemies, dealing heavy damage for several rounds based on how many divine horses are in the herd.
* WalkOnWater[=/=]WallCrawl: Once per hour, a nic'Epona can trigger its "Fleeting Causeway" ability, during which their hooves flame bright blue and they can run across the surface of water or quicksand, across open gaps, or even up sheer surfaces, for a round.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Urkhan Worm]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_urkhan_worm_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Vermin (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 2 (juvenile), 6 (adult) (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Oversized earthworms that can grow up to 30 feet long, domesticated by dwarves for various purposes.
----
* FantasticLivestock: The dwarves of Thorbardin use urkhan worms in a variety of roles, depending on what stage they are in their life cycle. Young worms are put in lanterns as a FantasticLightSource, since their bodies emit a green glow, while adult worms are put to work tunneling, pulling wagons, or tilling earth. Near the end of their two-year lifespan, urkhan worms are retired to a farm where they mainly produce fertilizer. Outsiders thus sometimes refer to the creatures as "tractor worms," which the dwarves dislike.
* FastTunneling: Their 3rd Edition rules give urkhan worms a 20-foot burrowing speed, though additional material explains that dwarven tunnel teams strike walls with metal batons, encouraging the worms to spit a substance that causes stone to crack and crumble.
* SandWorm: Greaty downplayed compared to the likes of the purple worm; urkhan worms can grow to Huge size and burrow their way through the ground, but they [[EatDirtCheap eat rock]] and only use their lackluster bite attack against creatures that attack them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Urskan]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_urskan_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Intelligent, tool-using, talking polar bears sometimes known as "armored bears" for the inch-thick suits of armor they wear into battle.
----
* BearsAreBadNews: Urskans aren't malevolent, but they are apex arctic predators even before they put on their armor and take up weapons, and are more than capable of defending their territory.
* {{Expy}}: They are quite transparently the ''panserbjørn'' from ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials''.
* NoSell: As creatures with the cold subtype, they're immune to cold damage (though WeakToFire), and urskans are also so surefooted that they ignore movement penalties assiciated with snow on the ground.
* TheNoseKnows: They can detect the presence of other creatures by scent out to 30 feet.
* RunningOnAllFours: They're equally comfortable moving about on two legs or all four.
* WolverineClaws: When they aren't wielding simple melee weapons, urskans attach steel tips to their already-lethal claws.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ursoi]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_ursoi_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral

Sapient, bipedal, arctic bearfolk, who live in nomadic groups bound together by their beliefs in the importance of nature and loyalty to their clan.
----
* BeastMan: They're ''D&D''[='s=] original polar bear folk, boasting huge racial bonuses to Strength and Constitution, resistance to cold, natural claw and bite attacks, and a KillerBearHug if they hit with a claw.
* TheBerserker: Explicitly averted; ursoi are ferocious in a fight, but never enter one lightly, and carefully pick their battles.
* IOweYouMyLife: Ursoi greatly value personal loyalty and justice, so it's not unheard for them to serve as bodyguards to non-ursoi who saved their lives.
* ImAHumanitarian: Ursoi do not hold the dead sacred, and will consume their fallen and the bodies of other sentient beings out of both pragmatism and respect. This has only intensified their conflict with the thanoi, who are disgusted by the practice.
* InvadingRefugees: On Krynn, the ursoi migrated from Chorane during the War of the Lance and eventually arrived in Icereach, bringing them into conflict with the local thanoi.
* StarfishLanguage: Ursoi is a "very difficult language of growls and humming sounds," and Ursoi can't physically speak other tongues even if they understand them.
* UpliftedAnimal: One theory about the ursoi is that they were ordinary polar bears affected by the Graygem's flight across Krynn, though the other is that they were created during the Age of Dreams by Chislev, whom they revere as the Great White Mother.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ushemoi]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_ushemoi_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349:A lashemoi and arkanoi (3e)]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (lashemoi), 4 (arkamoi), 5 (hadrimoi), 8 (turlemoi)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

A race of humanoids with odd skin, who gain additional abilities when exposed to certain stimuli.
----
* BoulderBludgeon: Turlemoi are large enough to fling boulders like giants.
* DirtyCoward: Lashemoi are cowards who will only commit to a fight if they have superior numbers and a clear escape route, and additionally take a penalty on saves against fear effects.
* FlayingAlive: Turlemoi seem to lack skin, and their bodies are covered in glistening, exposed muscle and sinew, though this hardens into a smooth red hide as they take damage and grow stronger.
* HiveCasteSystem: In theory, the various ushemoi subraces form specialized castes in a common society, with lashemoi as laborers and disposable warriors, turlemoi as shock troops and enforcers, hadrimoi as schemers and merchants, and arkamoi as the leader caste. In practice, the Neutral Evil usehmoi are all self-serving villains constantly jockeying for power, willing to sell each other out to outsiders, and lacking any concept of the ushemoi as a unified race.
* IncreasinglyLethalEnemy: Arkamoi's "strength from magic" ability means that as they cast spells, the magical feedback gives them cumulative bonuses to their Armor Class, as well as the save [=DCs=] and damage of their spells.
* MookLieutenant: Though physically the weakest of the ushemoi, arkamoi are recognized by the others as natural leaders, and in combat can grant them bonuses on attacks or skill checks.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Hadrimoi's arms split into two limbs below the elbow, and they're capable of attacking with four light weapons each round without penalty. And when their "speed from pain" ability is ramped up, they can make a full attack action even when moving.
* PaperTiger: Turlemoi zig-zag this trope. Though they're the largest and most threatening-looking of the ushemoi, they're normally meek and fearful, allowing the other ushemoi to treat them as slaves (especially the vicious hadrimoi). But once it takes enough damage to build its "strength from pain" bonuses to a certain point, a turlemoi becomes more confident, and will fight to the death.
* SoreLoser: Hadrimoi obsess over every defeat, and rather than moving on to easier targets, will endlessly plot revenge and attempt to retaliate against anyone who beat them. If that proves too hard, the hadrimoi will [[TargetedTohurtTheHero go after their opponent's loved ones.]]
* TurnsRed:
** Hadrimoi have the "speed from pain" ability, gaining stacking bonuses to their movement speed, Armor Class, Reflex saves and attack rolls as they take damage.
** Lashemoi and turlemoi have "strength from pain" (though to a lesser extent for the former), gaining stacking bonuses to attacks and their Armor Class as they take damage. Turlemoi additionally have the "rising courage" trait, and like lashemoi have an initial penalty on saves against fear, but once their "strength from pain" bonus gets high enough, they become immune to fear.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Uthraki]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_uthraki_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\\
'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Murderous shapeshifters who hunt at night, taking on an innocuous form to lure in victims before rending them to pieces with their claws.
----
* AbsoluteXenophobe: 2nd Edition describes uthraki as "Lone, spiteful creatures that hate all other living things, [[MisanthropeSupreme even their own kind."]]
* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti: In their rarely-seen natural forms, uthraki look like apes with gray-white hair, twisted limbs, and faces that seem oddly small for their heads. Savage appearance aside, they're as intelligent as humans and capable of speech, but are wholly malevolent. In their home setting, the Rashemi consider uthraki a type of evil forest spirit, and their witches hunt the monsters down whenever they can.
* ExtraEyes: They have a dozen eyes placed all around their head, making it impossible to surprise (in 2E) or flank (3E) an uthraki.
* HealingFactor: Uthraki constantly regenerate health, but only at night.
* {{Humanshifting}}: They can assume any the form of any Small or Medium-sized humanoid or monstrous humanoid.
* AWolfInSheepsClothing: Uthraki abuse their shapeshifting to appear as comforting or harmless figures -- "a lost child, friendly minstrel, jolly merchant, merry elf travelers, gruff but friendly dwarf warriors, cute halflings, gnome acrobats, and the like." Their nails are amazingly hard no matter what shape they're in, letting uthraki attack and use their Improved Grab and Rend attacks to full effect.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Uvuudaum]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_uvuudaum_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 27 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Aberrant horrors from the Far Realm, who delight in spreading madness to more structured realities.
----
* BrownNoteBeing: Just coming close to an uvuudaum can cause creatures to succumb to a ''confusion'' effect.
* HumanoidAbomination: Uvuudaums are clearly based upon, or were originally, humanoids, but they've been assembled wrong -- they have three sets of spidery limbs or humanoid arms in place of legs, and a mostly-normal torso with a tail-like spiked appendage in place of a head and neck.
* MagicKnight: They're extremely dangerous in direct combat, and also capable of using spells like ''confusion'' and ''polymorph self'' at will, more dangerous magic like ''chain lightning'' or ''disintegrate'' a few times per day, and they can even cast epic spells like ''nailed to the sky'', ''time duplicate'' and ''contingent resurrection.''
* MindRape: Their head-spike attack both deals terrible physical damage and blasts victims with incomprehensible images from the Far Realm, inflicting [[NonHealthDamage Wisdom drain.]]
* SuperSenses: Despite their lack of recognizable sensory organs, uvuudaums have blindsight out to 500 feet.
* {{Telepathy}}: Uvuudaum can communcate telepathically with any creature that speaks a language.
* UseYourHead[=/=]BewareMyStingerTail: Instead of a normal neck, an uvuudaum has something like a 15-foot tail with an iron-hard spike.
[[/folder]]

!!V

[[folder:Vaath]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vaath_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Sadistic horrors from the jungles of Carceri, these cruel and cunning predators are feared across the planes for their feeding habits.
----
* CreepySouvenir: Vaaths like to collect trophies from victims, either bits of equipment, or leftover body parts like hands, eyeballs or heads.
* EatenAlive: Once a victim has been paralyzed, a vaath burrows its feeder tendril into its victim to consume a vital organ. As the vaath's prey expires over the next few minutes, the creature delights in tearing out and eating its helpless victim's innards right in front of it.
* ForcedToWatch: As if the above wasn't bad enough, vaaths are also telepathic, and will "broadcast" what they feel as they feed to every creature within 20 feet (with a save to resist). Not only do witnesses experience the taste and texture of the vaath's meal, they also feel the pleasure it derives from feeding. This experience is enough to deal a bit of Wisdom drain to most witnesses, unless they regularly feed on what the vaath is devouring... but the vaath's current victim is ''also'' subjected to the same telepathic sensory conduit, and takes even ''more'' Wisdom drain from it, because "no creature, not even another vaath, is immune to the horror of [[{{Autocannibalism}} experiencing what its own entrails taste like."]]
* HappinessInSlavery: Their 2nd Edition entry points out that vaaths are one of the few fiends that enjoy being summoned, as they get to sample a greater selection of victims. They'll also happily work as guards and torturers for more powerful fiends, so long as the vaaths are given regular victims.
* MixAndMatchCritters: They're some unholy blend of insect and reptile, with both scales and a thorny carapace.
* MonsterMouth: Vaaths have a normal set of teeth and jaws on their faces, but also a second mouth on a tendril coming out of their heads.
* TheParalyzer
** In 2e, vaaths use their mouthed tentacle to stab into the base of a creature's skull and sever it from their spine in a NeckSnap that, while fatal in short order, doesn't ''immediately'' kill the victim, giving the vaath time to torture it.
** In 3e, a vaath's bite attack carries a paralytic poison, leaving its prey helpless.
* {{Sadist}}: Vaaths were once assumed to [[EmotionEater need to feed upon the pain and suffering of others,]] but this was overly optimistic -- they simply relish causing mental anguish.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Valenar Animal]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_valenar_hound_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:349:Valenar hound (5e)]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Animal (3E), Fey (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E, 5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Animals such as hawks, horses or hounds that have been touched by an elven ancestral spirit, granting them sapience and magical abilities.
----
* BondCreatures: Valenar animals can forge a mystical bond with another creature, allowing the animal and its bond partner to communicate telepathically with one another.
* CoolHorse: The Valenar riding horse, their 3.5e incarnation before being expanded to other animals.
* ShapeshifterModeLock: Part of their backstory in Eberron. When the ancient elves went to war against the giants of Xen'drik, the giants cursed the elven druids, trapping them in animal form. The spirits of those ancient druids empower the Valenar animals of today.
* TouchedByVorlons: Each Valenar animal is given an ancestral gift by the spirit that awakened them, which can range from supernatural speed or agility, the ability to teleport or leave no tracks, or even the power to grant good fortune to their bondmate or discern the lies of other creatures.
* UpliftedAnimal: Being awakened by a Valenar ancestral spirit grants these beasts human-level intelligence and the capacity to understand languages, but not speak them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Valkyrie]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_valkyrie_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:349:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral

Natives of the Heroic Domains of Ysgard, these fierce warrior-women live only for battle, and seek out worthy foes to test their skills against.
----
* ApeShallNeverKillApe: Depends on the plane. In most settings, valkyries' sense of shared sisterhood makes them rarely fight each other, preferring instead to work together to find opponents to fight or great warriors to serve. But on Ysgard, where those slain in battle are automatically revived the next morning, they'll happily kill each other.
* BloodKnight: They "rarely have room in their hearts for more than battle fury," are solely concerned with testing themselves against skilled warriors, and see no reason to show mercy to those they defeat. This can naturally cause problems for societies in harsh lands, as the valkyries' duels with their best fighters can leave communities without their most valuable combatants.
* DeathFromAbove: They typically start combat with a pouncing charge maneuver from the air, unleashing a flurry of short sword strikes followed by a wing buffet thunderclap.
* FertileBlood: When a god sheds blood on the battlefields of Ysgard and survives the conflict, the next morning, the blood-soaked ground sprouts glowing red flowers known as glory blossoms. These flowers are prized as a [[EyeOfNewt material component]] for magic items like ''potions of heroism'', but should they be undisturbed, the flowers' glow intensifies into a blinding flash as a new valkyrie appears, then seeks out a deity to serve.
* MakeSomeNoise: As a swift action, a valkyrie can clap her wings to create a thunderclap, dealing sonic damage to all within 30 feet.
* NoSell: They're immune to fear effects, as well as cold, lightning and sonic damage. Valkyries are sometimes called "storm angels" for their habit of flying unharmed through fierce storms on their way to the next battlefield.
* OneGenderRace: All valkyries are female, and in the rare event they reproduce, the result is a celestial or half-celestial, not another valkyrie.
* ShockAndAwe: Any weapon a valkyrie wields is wreathed in damaging electricity, and those who meet [[DeadlyGaze their gaze]] are struck by strokes of lightning. The latter isn't even an active attack, just a passive effect while the valkyrie focuses on fighting with her swords.
* SupernaturalMartialArts: They know martial maneuvers from the Setting Sun, Stone Dragon and Tiger Claw disciplines.
* {{Valkyries}}:
** They're a spin on the concept; rather than {{Psychopomp}}s, these valkyries are simply interested in a good fight -- if they take someone from a battlefield, it's not to usher a soul to the afterlife, the valkyrie is instead "rescuing" a warrior whose skills have intrigued her and taking them somewhere safe to recover, so the valkyrie can fight them herself. Valkyries do serve as messengers and enforcers for gods like Kord or Olidammara, but never for more than a century, since their chaotic natures make valkyries prone to disobedience and seeking independence. Finally, and they're depicted with hoofed feet and horned brows to make them less angelic.
** Note that "traditional" valkyries have appeared in ''D&D'' material covering the Norse pantheon, but those were simply all-female, 20th-level paladins with [[SemiDivine quasi-deity]] status and no other special rules. As such, this entry concerns the valkyrie in the 3rd Edition ''Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords'' supplement.
* WorthyOpponent: They exist to find and fight these in glorious single combat, and a valkyrie will praise her opponent's skill even while rejecting their attempts to surrender or call a truce. If a valkyrie ends up outmatched, she might offer her service in exchange for her life and a chance to learn from her opponent, or she may fight to the death "just to experience the honor of fighting such a formidable enemy." But if a valkyrie is losing to a spellcaster or other non-martial opponent, they usually flee to either gather reinforcements or find a more worthy enemy to fight.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vampire]]
!!Vampire
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vampire_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:349:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E-5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' As base creature +2 (vampire), 4 (vampire spawn) (3E); 5 (vampire spawn), 11 (vampire lord) (4E); 5 (vampire spawn), 13 (vampire) (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

Shapeshifting bloodsuckers with a slew of distinctive strengths and weaknesses.
----
* AttackAnimal: A vampire can summon a pack of wolves to attack its enemies.
* DismemberingTheBody: One way to permanently destroy a vampire involved cutting off its head.
* FeralVampires: A vampire might only be as civilized as the society it came from -- a gnoll vampire, for example, is a savage and indiscriminate feeder that preys on both the flesh and blood of its victims, including other gnolls.
* HypnoticGaze: Vampires possess a magical gaze which can bend other creatures to their will.
* ImMelting: For a vampire, getting dipped in running water is like getting submerged in acid. Hold a vampire underwater for long enough and it will dissolve, leaving nothing behind.
* LastChanceHitPoint: When a vampire is reduced to 0 hit points (and isn't within direct sunlight or running water), it does not die. Instead, it turns into a cloud of mist and has two hours to get back to its coffin. If it fails to do so, ''then'' it dies.
* LifeDrain: As you might expect, a vampire recovers hit points whenever it sucks someone's blood.
* MustBeInvited: A vampire can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants. Unfortunately, getting an invitation with its HypnoticGaze counts, and vampiric feudal lords like Strahd Von Zarovich own ''every'' house in their domain and can thus invite themselves.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Vampires in ''D&D'' hew pretty closely to tradition, though they vary in temperament from savage brutes to [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vampiress_fur_cape_4015.jpg dignified killers]] depending on the individual.
** The horror-themed ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' setting introduced numerous variants, such as the [[http://www.mojobob.com/roleplay/monstrousmanual/v/vampelf.html elven vampire]], which can only survive in the day and is killed by exposure to moonlight!
** "Nosferatu" have been around for ages as a variant of vampire, though they've been very different in each edition they've appeared in. In the 2nd Edition ''[[TabletopGame/{{Mystara}} Red Steel]]'' setting, nosferatu are essentially daywalking vampires that don't inflict LevelDrain and aren't always evil. In the 3rd Edition ''Ravenloft'' bestiary, they're weakened by daylight, though not outright harmed by it, and regenerate in moonlight. And in the 5th Edition ''Ravenloft'' sourcebook, nosferatu are feral bloodsuckers that live in animalistic savagery and can [[SuperSpit vomit a cone of blood]] to deal necrotic damage to foes.
* PestController: Vampires can summon swarms of bats and rats to do their bidding.
* PromotedToPlayable: An odd case; vampires were technically playable in 3rd Edition, but their Level Adjustment meant that a 1st-level vampire was equal to a 9th-level character, making them hard to fit with an average adventuring party. 4th Edition instead treats "vampire" as a ''{{character class|System}}'' that any base race can progress in, gaining increasing vampiric power.
* SuperSmoke: While the specifics vary by edition, vampires can usually take on a gaseous form which is difficult to harm.
* VampireProcreationLimit: In 3E at least, a vampire's "Create Spawn" ability is dependent on the victim's hit dice and whether they were killed by draining blood or levels. A humanoid with five or more hit dice killed by blood drain rises as a full vampire, otherwise they become a less powerful "vampire spawn" that has no create spawn ability.
* VampiresSleepInCoffins: In early versions of ''Advanced D&D'', vampires are required to rest in coffins (or similar containers) during daylight hours unless they are deep underground.
* WeakenedByTheLight: When in direct sunlight, vampires have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks and can't use their HealingFactor. In 5th edition, direct exposure to sunlight damages a vampire in addition to weakening it.

!!Blood Fiend
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_blood_fiend_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Challenge Rating:''' 14 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Extraplanar undead created from demons, these ogre-sized, scaly, fanged monsters are essentially fiendish vampires, and share many abilities with them.
----
* LevelDrain: Aside from a blood-sucking bite attack, blood fiends' slam attacks can cause victims to gain negative levels, which grants the blood fiend temporary hit points.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Blood fiends have two sets of arms.
* TheVirus: They can create spawn from evil outsiders that succumb to their energy drain attacks.

!!Vampirate
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vampirate_5e.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}''\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 2 to 6 (captain) (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

Undead corsairs who ply the void of Wildspace, preying upon the cargo and crews of rival spelljamming vessels.
----
* PunnyName: They are indeed vampire pirates.
* ScoundrelCode: Some vampirates are known to (un)live by a code of conduct, fighting with chivalry and sparing the crew of a ship they plunder, but others might leave nothing but corpses and wreckage floating in the void.
* SpacePirate: An undead, fantastic equivalent.
* SpawnBroodling: Any humanoid slain by their energy drain attack immediately rises as a free-willed shadow. Thus, most vampirate vessels have a number of shadows lurking aboard -- since vampirates are immune to necrotic damage, they have nothing to fear from the other undead, even if they aren't under the vampirates' control.
* VampiresSleepInCoffins: While some vampirates sleep in coffins or crates packed with grave dirt, in a pinch, they can treat their spelljamming ship as one big coffin and sleep amongst their cargo.
* VampiricDraining: They consider actually draining fluids from a victim to be unsavory, and instead use a short-ranged ability to siphon away their prey's life force, dealing necrotic damage.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vampiric Mist]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vampiric_mist_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Crimson death (3e)]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E-5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 11 (3E), 9 (4E), 3 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil, Evil (4E)

Evil bloodsucking clouds, sometimes known as crimson death mist.
----
* BloodIsTheNewBlack: Their "crimson death" write-up notes that the creature usually appears as a vaguely-humanoid knot of fog, but after feeding, their misty bodies are turned red.
* CompositeCharacter: In 2nd Edition, "crimson death mists" are vaporous, blood-drinking monsters thought to be former vampires, while "vampiric mists" were originally thought to be an immature form of crimson death mist, but in truth are a creation of vampiric wizards -- and neither were strictly-speaking classified as undead. The two were similar enough that 5th Edition declares both names are describing the same creature, what remains of vampires who were unable to reach the safety of their coffin after their body was destroyed.
* {{Intangibility}}: They're clouds of bloodsucking mist, so only magical weapons can reliably damage them.
* LifeDrain: As of 5th Edition, their attacks reduce their victims' hit points maximum while the mist regains health.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Mobile, somewhat intelligent clouds of mist that can drain the blood from any creature they engulf. In some editions they are former vampires who were reduced to a mist-like state.
* WeakenedByTheLight: When in direct sunlight, vampiric mists have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks and can't use their HealingFactor.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vanara]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vanara_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticGood

Intelligent simians known for their curiosity and reverence for nature, who dwell in deep forests and high mountains.
----
* BeastMan: Vanaras are five-foot-tall monkeylike humanoids covered in light fur, ranging in color from white to black to brown to light blue. They're natural climbers and generally clever and inquisitive, with keen senses.
* BrutalHonesty: Vanaras never hide their true feelings or delicately state a negative opinion.
* CuriousAsAMonkey: Appropriately enough, vanaras are "curious in the extreme," prone to badgering people with (occasionally very personal) questions, picking up things to examine them, opening doors to see where they lead, and generally going places in defiance of other races' rules or sense of propriety. This can lead other races to view vanaras as childish or irritating.
* FantasticCasteSystem: Played with; vanara society is highly chaotic, showing little respect for social mores, though they will accept the existence of caste systems. However, while they might accept that some people might be given different divine gifts, vanaras won't value those gifts differently, and thus won't necessarily show a priestly caste the veneration they might expect, for example.
* HatesBeingNicknamed: One of the few things vanaras take seriously are their names. Infant vanaras are given a name within a week after birth, once their parents observe some sign or portent that inspires them. This means it's shameful for a vanara to go by any other name, and they won't accept nicknames or honorifics.
* NatureHero: Vanaras are animists who revere the spirits of the sun, mountains, rivers and forests, and thus their favored class is shaman. They live lightly off the land as hunter-gatherers, and their villages are built to have a minimal impact on their surroundings.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vaporighu]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vaporighu_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Foul humanoids from the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna who ambush anything they come across, and often lurk around planar portals or rare watering holes.
----
* BreathWeapon: Every few rounds, a vaporighu can exhale a 15-foot cone of corrosive green vapor, which can linger for more than a minute. Anything inside the cloud takes [[AcidAttack acid damage]] every round they remain, and has to save against [[PoisonousPerson poison]] -- the initial effect is [[TheParalyzer paralysis]], with a secondary effect of [[NonHealthDamage heavy Constitution damage]].
* EnemySummoner: Vaporighu can summon a night hag once per day, but hate to do so, since they're entitled to reward the hag for her service.
* EvilSmellsBad: A vaporighu "reeks of all the decay and sulphurous stench of Gehenna."
* HorrorHunger: It's said that the only thing motivating them is their insatiable hunger, "a gnawing pain that tortures vaporighu throughout eternity."
* MooksAteMyEquipment: The corrosive slime that covers vaporighu's bodies can dissolve weapons used to strike them, or ruin the armor and clothing of anyone they hit with their slam attacks. In their ''AD&D'' rules it took hours for this slime to eat through chainmail, but in 3rd Edition, destruction is complete in only one round. Thankfully, spending a full-round action to wash the slime off with a pint of water or wine will save an item.
* ThePigPen: Vaporighu's flesh is likened to "living gore," with pulsing veins of bile visible beneath their mottled skin, all covered in long hair matted with filth.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: Anything that comes within 30 feet of a vaporighu has to save or become frightened.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vargouille]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vargouille_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E), Fiend (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 2 (3E), 1 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil (1E-3E), ChaoticEvil (5E)

Fiends resembling disembodied human heads with wings.
----
* BioweaponBeast: The prevailing story about the vargouilles' creation has them as the minions of Rozvankee the Strategist, a wizard and later lich who released them behind enemy lines before sending her soldiers to overrun her panicked, demoralized foes. Rozvankee took a population of vargouilles with her when she retired to the Abyss, and the monsters can now be found across the Lower Planes, or in dismal places on the Material Plane.
* FlyingFace: A vargouille's body consists of a severed head and bat-like wings in place of ears.
* KissOfDeath: The kiss of a vargouille transmits a deadly magical disease.
* TheParalyzer: A vargouille's stunning shriek can paralyze other creatures with fear.
* ViralTransformation: Vargouilles reproduce by infecting people with a magical disease through a kiss. This disease makes the victim's head gradually take on a fiendish appearance and, if not cured, will ultimately make the head sprout wings and tear itself free of the body to become a new vargouille.
-->'''Elminster:''' Until ye've seen a king's head tear off his shoulders and flap aloft amid fountaining blood, only to turn and lap his own dying gore as his body totters and falls, ye haven't lived. And if ye want to go on living, ye might want to stop watching in favor of fleeing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Varrangoin]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_varrangoin_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:2e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 6 (lesser), 10 (rager), 11 (arcanist) (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Sometimes known as "Abyss bats," these winged humanoids compete with the demons for territory in that plane, growing into flocks over a hundred strong.
----
* BatPeople: They have batlike hand-wings but decidedly fiendish faces and tails.
* TheBerserker: The aptly-named "rager" varrangoins fly into a frenzy in combat similar to a barbarian, in which they try to rend opponents with their claws.
* BreathWeapon: "Lesser" varrangoin are born with one of several breath weapons, either a cone of fire or cold, or a line of acid or lightning.
* DefeatEqualsExplosion: When slain, lesser varrangoin detonate in a 20-foot radius burst of the same energy as their breath weapon.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Varrangoins prefer to go after weaker foes; as such, while they're rivals to the tanar'ri, varrangoin will avoid the more powerful demons and pick off a manes or rutterkin when the opportunity arises.
* MightMakesRight: What society the varrangoin have is dominated by their "greater specimens," the arcanists and ragers who use their arcane or physical power to bully and belittle the lesser varrangoin.
* NoSell: Arcanist varrangoins are immune to any spells or spell-like abilities of 3rd level or lower.
* PoisonousPerson: All varrangoin deliver a [[NonHealthDamage Dexterity-damaging poison]] with their barbed tails.
* WeakenedByTheLight: They're blinded for a round after exposure to bright light, and suffer a penalty on rolls as long as they remain in it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vasharan]]
->'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' Any Evil

A vile offshoot of humanity, vasharans are bloodthirsty, destructive, and utterly immoral beings who desire nothing less than the death of the gods who created them.
----
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: No-one knows how it happened -- perhaps the gods were just bad at creating sapient beings at first -- but vasharans are as evil as they come, utterly incapable of positive emotion.
* ChildByRape: As vasharans are incapable of feeling love and have no taboo on rape, all are born of non-consensual relationships.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: As part of their hatred of the gods, vasharans ''hate'' tyranny. Their home plateau of Vashar is actually a sophisticated democracy led by a council of elders, because a vasharan would rather die than be led by a single all-powerful individual. "Somehow, this system of government works -- mostly because of the hatred that binds the Vasharans together and their utter incomprehension that life could be any other way."
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Concepts of love and kindness are so alien to vasharans that most wouldn't think to take a hostage, as they can't understand why anyone would care about the survival of another being.
* EvilCounterpart: Vasharans are to humans what drow and duergar are to elves and dwarves -- dark reflections of humanity, tainted by the Lower Planes.
* HiddenElfVillage: ''Very'' dark example with Vashar, the plateau all vasharans stem from. It's impossibly tall, inaccessible even by flight, and the only way to get there is through tunnels that literally radiate evil.
* HumanSubspecies: Technically subverted, since vasharans are humans in all but name. Their actions and thoughts, however, reflect only the darkest cruelty of humans, with no potential for humanity's kindness or valor.
* PsychoPrototype: The legend of the vasharan -- one rarely told, even by heretics and demon worshippers -- says that when the gods created the first human, the man immediately hunted down and killed an animal with his bare hands, ate its meat raw, and then tore into the corpse and fashioned its bones and sinew into a crude weapon. The watching deities were surprised but continued to watch in morbid fascination, until the first man turned and charged at them, screaming his first words, death threats and curses. The gods obliterated him with little effort, but were so disgusted with their creation that it would be eons before they made another attempt at creating humanity. But some fiend restored that first man and gave him the ability to procreate -- some sources say it was Graz'zt, others blame an unnamed ultroloth, and yet others claim it was a succubus who proceeded to bear the man's children. At any rate, the result was the vasharans, the twisted mirror of humanity dedicated to nothing but vileness, evil and cruelty.
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: The uniting goal of all vasharans is [[KillTheGod deicide.]] As such, they have no clerics, instead "ur-priests" that ''steal'' their spells from the gods.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: While other {{Evil Counterpart Race}}s tend to have some physical trait to differintiate them from the Good race, the vasharan pointedly look indistinguishable from normal humans.
* TooDumbToLive: Literally in the case of the first vasharan, who decided to attack his divine creators with nothing but a sharpened bone. The gods pragmatically solved the issue by smiting him to pieces where he stood.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vasuthant]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vasuthant_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 2 (standard), 17 (horrific) (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Clouds of hungering darkness that absorb light, feed on the energy of the living, and can even warp reality and time. A standard vasuthant is only two feet in diameter, while horrific vasuthants are much more dangerous and fully 15 feet wide.
----
* CastingAShadow: Vasuthants are constantly surrounded by shadow, granting them and other creatures concealment and diminishing nearby light sources.
* CombatTentacles: Anything hit by a vasuthant's slam attack can end up wrapped in a shadowy tendril and grappled, though they can only grapple so many creatures based on their relative sizes.
* LifeDrain: Their "Enervating Crush" attack deals [[NonHealthDamage Strength damage]] to grappled victims, which heals the vasuthant.
* NoSell: Beyond being immune or resistant to most types of energy, vasuthants completely ignore spells such as ''daylight'', and unlike many other indead aren't WeakenedByTheLight of the sun.
* TimeMaster: Horrific vasuthants can, three times per day, produce a rift in time that allows them to effectively redo a turn, returning to their original position and status.
* WindsOfDestinyChange: Vasuthants can use a free action to reroll an unfavorable dice roll, or force an opponent to reroll a success, once per round. Standard vasuthants can do this three times per day, while horrific vasuthants can use this ability each round.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vegepygmy]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vegepygmy_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Plant (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/4 (vegepygmy), 1 (vegepygmy chief), 2 (thorny) (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Should a creature succumb to a russet mold's poisonous spores, its corpse will sprout fungoid monsters -- beasts will give rise to thorn-covered quadrupeds called thornies, while humanoids or giants will spawn bipedal creatures alternatively known as vegepygmies, moldmen or moldies. The moldmen have enough intelligence to form a simple tribal society, and get along well with other fungus or plant creatures, but vegepygmies exist solely to perpetuate themselves by infecting others with their spores.
----
* AttackAnimal: Thornies serve this role in vegepygmy society.
* HeWasRightThereAllAlong: Both vegepygmies and thornies are adept at blending in with foliage, especially since their coloration tends to match their surroundings.
* HealingFactor: Both vegepygmies and thornies will regenerate some health each turn unless they take cold, fire or necrotic damage.
* MushroomMan: Vegepygmies are a decidedly non-cute example, being fungus creatures that arise from the remains of a humanoid or a giant killed by russet mold. It's noted that myconids consider vegepygmies to be something like rustic cousins.
* PoisonousPerson: Vegepygmy "chiefs" are simply old enough to produce spores, which they can release in a burst once per day to infect nearby creatures. Those that succumb will give rise to new moldmen.
* TheSpiny: Thornies are... thorny, and deal a bit of piercing damage to anything that grapples them.
* StarfishLanguage: Moldies can only hiss instead of speaking verbally, but communicate with each other through gestures and rhythmically tapping their bodies.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Velroc]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_velroc_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Dragon (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 12 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral

Dragons changed from generations spent in areas of wild magic, making them vicious and temperamental creatures that warp magic around them.
----
* AntiMagic: They can create an ''anti-magic field'' once per day.
* AttackReflector: If an incoming spell fails to overcome a velroc's spell resistance, it can "hijack" the effect and cast it on its next turn, triggering the spell as if the original caster was casting it.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Velrocs are intensely arrogant, lay claim to all they see, and view other sentient creatures as little better than beasts, but they will not under any circumstances challenge a true dragon for territory, and instead avoid any nearby in order to prevent conflict.
* OurWyvernsAreDifferent: They share the wyvern's body plan, though with more bird-like features like a beak and a mane of feather-like spines. They're also much smarter than wyverns (smarter than the average human, in fact), and fully capable of speech.
* PretenderDiss: True dragons don't think much of velrocs.
-->'''Ayunken-kocoi, Gold Dragon:''' The only thing more irritating than humans attacking our homes is a half-mad spawn that thinks it's a real dragon.
* TilMurderDoUsPart: Velroc mating is an ugly affair, and after a female lays her eggs, the parents will immediately fight each other, potentially to the death, over the right to be the sole parent of the clutch.
* WildMagic: Velrocs are surrounded by a magic distoration aura that disrupts spellcasting, which can lead to spells veering off to hit creatures other than their target.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Venom Dog]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_venom_dog_2e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:2e]]
->'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Magical crossbreeds blending canines with scorpions or poisonous serpents.
----
* AttackAnimal: Venom dogs of either variety are as easy to train as mundane mastiffs, though the scorpion variety lack a canine pack mentality, and will attack others of their kind except during mating season. They make for good animal companions for rangers, though said rangers will probably have to buy the creatures from the wizards who breed them (to the order of up to 3,000 gp), since it is very rare for a venom dog to abandon its handler and escape into the wild.
* MixAndMatchCritters: There are two types of venom dogs, depending on whether the base mastiff is mixed with a scorpion or viper. Scorpion-based venom dogs have canine bodies with [[BewareMyStingerTail stinger tails]], while viper-based venom hounds have scaly skin (which they shed periodically as they grow) and pronounced fangs, which prevent them from barking (they hiss like reptiles instead).
* PoisonousPerson: Whether delivered by a bite or a tail stinger, a venom dog's poison attack deals just a bit of damage but also requires a saving throw, or else the victim dies the next round. Note that they aren't immune to the poison of other venom dogs, or even their own poison.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Verbeeg]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_verbeeg_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Giant (1E-3E, 5E) Fey (4E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (4E), 4 (marauder), 5 (longstrider) (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil (marauder), TrueNeutral (longstrider), Evil (4E)

Also called "human behemoths," these gangly giant-kin often end up using their superior intellects to boss around ogres and hill giants.
----
* BastardBastard: Verbeegs (along with firbolgs, fomorians and voadkyn) are the bastard children of the demigod Ulutiu and Othea, wife of Annam the All-Father, TopGod of the giant pantheon. They were initially welcomed in the ancient giant kingdom of Ostoria, but when Annam discovered their true parentage, they were made outcasts and despised as ''maug'' by the rest of giantkind. While the verbeegs intended to [[StartMyOwn start their own]] great kingdom, the other giants didn't give them any space to do so, and gradually the verbeegs descended into barbarism and banditry.
* TheBeastmaster: Verbeegs tend to get along with animals, taking on wolves, worgs or bears as companions and letting them lair with them in caves.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: It's mentioned the verbeegs have no notion of ownership, believing that everything is owned by everybody, and thus take whatever they want without pausing to think about it.
* {{Gonk}}: Downplayed compared to the likes of fomorians, but verbeegs tend to have minor but notable deformities such as a club foot, hare lip, uneven eyes, and so forth.
* IGaveMyWord: 4th Edition's Feywild verbeegs live by the adages "Never give a sucker an even break" and "Always keep your word." As such, they'll prey upon other creatures' sense of justice and honor, but will always uphold a promise... [[ExactWords with the caveat that they'll phrase their pledges in a way that gives them an out.]]
* KlingonPromotion: The fastest way for a verbeeg to advance in their social hierarchy is to discredit or defeat a superior, by violence or other underhanded means.
* TheNapoleon: They're shorter than any true giant, which probably contributes to the chip on their shoulders regarding their kin.
* TheNeidermeyer: In combat, verbeegs drive their underlings into the fray first, "accompanied by many curses, oaths, and highly descriptive accounts of the giants' and ogres' parentage."
* OurGiantsAreDifferent: They're technically Giants, but are Large creatures at most ten feet tall, and aren't considered part of the Ordning.
* PunnyName: They are indeed very big compared to humans, especially if you have a French-Canadian accent. Gary Gygax has admitted verbeegs are an homage to or parody of Myth/PaulBunyan.
* {{Retcon}}: 4th Edition portrayed verbeegs as green-skinned giants native to the Feywild, more greedy, manipulative tricksters than bossy browbeaters.
* ShorterMeansSmarter: They're smaller but more driven and intelligent than the likes of hill giants, allowing verbeegs to employ those larger true giants as minions. Unfortunately, hill giants' stupidity means they're prone to botching the verbeegs' strategies, leading to the sight of an irate verbeeg hopping from foot to foot, screaming insults at the befuddled hill giants towering over them.
* ToServeMan: Verbeeg marauders rob people they come across in the wild, and eat them if food is scarce.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Verdant Prince]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_verdant_prince_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Fey (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 11 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Imperious fey tyrants who delight in striking bargains with mortals that always end badly for the other party.
----
* DealWithTheDevil: Verdant princes appear before those in need and the greedy, and offer them aid in exchange for a service or gift. They take care to fulfil their end of the bargain, while asking for something that seems innocuous, but will in truth bring ruin.
* FaerieCourt: As per their name, verdant princes like to set themselves up as leaders among the fey, attracting evil dryads, nymphs and satyrs to lord over in sylvan courts. While cruel towards mortals, verdant princes make an effort to appear as magnanimous rulers toward their own kind.
* ForcedTransformation: They can cast the ''baleful polymorph'' spell once per day.
* LieToTheBeholder: They can use ''disguise self'' at will in case their normal appearance would scare off a potential schmuck.
* MagicallyBindingContract: When a verdant prince strikes an oath bond with a creature, it creates a magical binding that, should a party not hold up its end of the bargain, inflicts a hefty penalty to their ability scores and sickens them until the bargain is fulfilled. Only death or powerful magic like ''wish'' or ''miracle'' can end an oath bond before the bargain is fulfilled, or negate the penalties from reneging on it.
* OurNymphsAreDifferent: Verdant princes are born to dryads or nymphs who mate with other verdant princes, and have some plant-like features like [[HornedHumanoid horns of gnarled wood]] and [[PlantHair a mane of leaves]] that may change color with the seasons, or even fall off in the winter.
* ShockAndAwe: They can use ''call lightning storm'' once per day.
* {{Teleportation}}: They can use ''dimension door'' at will, [[VillainExitStageLeft especially if they expend all their combat spell-like abilities but are still losing a fight.]]
* TrackingSpell: When a bargain with a verdant prince is broken, the wronged party becomes immediately aware of it and is always aware of the other party's distance and direction.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vermin Lord]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vermin_lord_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 17 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

12-foot-tall, locust-like humanoids who view their power to command nonintelligent vermin as evidence of their divine right to rule other creatures.
----
* TheBeastmaster: They can use ''dominate monster'' on any vermin-type creatures as a standard action, and can control ten such creatures at a time.
* MadeASlave: These creatures use their vermin minions to subjugate other creatures, compelling service or tribute from them. When two vermin lords meet, they won't fight directly, but instead have their slaves battle for primacy; the vermin lord whose slaves lose becomes the vassal (and sometimes mate) of the victor.
* PestController: Vermin lords are surrounded by a cloud of insects that damage anything adjacent to them, and can also use spells like ''summon swarm'' (a SpiderSwarm, specifically) and ''insect plague''.
* PoisonousPerson: Their bite and stinger attacks carry a [[NonHealthDamage Constitution-damaging]] poison.
* PowerPincers: Vermin lords have scorpion-like claws, which can grab and constrict opponents.
* UnreliableIllustrator: They're described as having a [[BewareMyStingerTail scorpion's tail]] and beetle-like wings, but their illustration makes them look like a thri-kreen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vermiurge]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vermiurge_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 24 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral

Immense insectoid aberrations that lead lonely lives in desolate wastes, vermiurges rule over the great ranks of stinging, crawling things as silent gods.
----
* BewareMyStingerTail: Vermiurges have scorpion-like tails tipped with venomous stingers.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Vermiurges resemble flying scorpions in the same size range as giants.
* MixAndMatchCritters: Vermiurges resemble four-clawed scorpions with dragonfly wings.
* PestController: A vermiurge is constantly surrounded by a swarming cloud of venomous insects under its control.
* PunnyName: "Vermiurge" is a portmanteau pun on "vermin" and "demiurge".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vinespawn]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vinespawn_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Plant (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 7 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Ogre-sized, animate masses of vines that hunt other creatures at night, not as food, but as hosts for their spawn.
----
* CombatTentacles: Their melee attacks involve lashing foes with their viney tendrils.
* FaceFullOfAlienWingWong: Vinespawn have a "spawning root" they shove down the throat of humanoids they've engulfed. This deals a bit of damage to the victim and prevents them from speaking or casting spells with verbal components, but the spawning root also provides nourishment and air to an unconscious victim. After one day in this state, roots extend into the victim's body, so that even if they're freed, they'll emerge sickened, and will die within days if not healed with ''remove disease''. On the fourth day a victim spends with a spawning root in them, they perish, and a fully-grown vinespawn emerges from the body of its parent.
* HellIsThatNoise: Vinespawn colonies make their homes high in the treetops, and when strong winds batter the forest, the plant monsters contort their bodies to funnel the wind, producing a cacophony that can be heard for miles and has been likened to the wails of the damned. No one knows why they do this, but it probably contributes to stories of haunted forests.
* NetGun: An organic example; a few times each day, a vinespawn can throw a piece of its body that rapidly expands into a vine net that entangles victims.
* SwallowedWhole: A variant; vinespawn can simply engulf smaller creatures, potentially trapping them inside the plants' bodies. Vinespawn can deal nonlethal crushing damage to engulfed victims as a swift action, knocking (or keeping) them unconscious so that they can't resist the spawning process.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Violet Fungus]]
[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_violet_fungus_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Plant (3E, 5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E), 1/4 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Man-sized, semi-mobile mushrooms that lash at prey with their poisoned tendrils.
----
* FungusHumongous: They range from four to seven feet tall, and unless they're actively attacking, violet fungi are hard to tell from less dangerous oversized mushrooms.
* PoisonousPerson: Their tendrils excrete a flesh-rotting poison that deals [[NonHealthDamage Strength and Constitution damage]] in 3rd Edition, or necrotic damage in 5th Edition.
* TheSymbiote: They have a symbiotic relationship with shriekers, their fellow giant fungi. The shriekers' racket attracts creatures that the violet fungi's poison kills, then both fungi feed upon the decomposing remains.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Viper Tree]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_viper_tree_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Plant (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Abyssal lifeforms that resemble trees with serpents rather than branches, most commonly found in the realm of Azzagrat.
----
* ItCanThink: They aren't brilliant, by viper trees are sapient and can speak Abyssal, which allowed a group from the Harmonium to survey viper trees about their favorite food (during which only 10% of the interviewers were overcome and eaten). Viper trees also consider themselves demons, and thus won't attack passing tanar'ri, but will pick a losing fight with a baatezu.
* NoSell: Since a viper tree's intelligence is "compartmented" among its many serpent heads, spells like ''charm monster'', ''hold person'' or ''sleep'' don't affect them.
* TheParalyzer: The venom carried by their viper heads is a potent paralytic, rendering prey helpless while the tree works to swallow it.
* {{Planimal}}: Larval viper trees start life as three-headed serpents whose central head is runty and dormant. After a month or so of feeding on small prey, the middle head awakens and directs the creature to kill something larger, then puts its roots down through the carcass, trading its mobility to grow larger and sprout additional serpentine "branches." While a viper tree can survive off the soil, it also preys upon small animals that pass by, or larger ones if a grove is able to cooperate.
* WeakToFire: Their wood and sap burns quickly, so that fire attacks deal double damage to them. Viper trees are thus wary of attacking potential prey carrying torches.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visage]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_visage_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:349:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

The demon prince Orcus, during his time as the undead fiend Tenebrous, created the first visages from the essence of his fellow demons. After returning to life, Orcus dismissed the visages from his service, and they now roam the planes, sowing chaos by stealing the identities of their victims.
----
* BackStab: They can deal sneak attack damage as a mid-level Rogue.
* DeaderThanDead: Anything who is slain and has their identity stolen by a visage has their soul take damage in the process. While the visage is wearing their form, a victim can only be returned to life with ''true resurrection'', and once the visage "uses up" a victim's identity, nothing short of a ''wish'' or ''miracle'' will bring them back.
* {{Intangibility}}: Subverted; visages appear shapeless and insubstantial (save for their heads and hands), but they do have solid bodies.
* JediMindTrick: A visage's "Lucidity Control" ability lets them use an effect similar to ''major image'', except only a single subject can perceive the illusion.
* KillAndReplace: Their modus operandi. The round after it kills someone, a visage can instantly take on its victim's form (and gain its proficiencies and skills), which it uses to wreck as much havoc as possible over the next 24 hours, when the effect runs out.
* MindControl: They can use ''dominate person'' once per day, usually to convince a prospective victim to go someplace quiet to be murdered.
* NoSell: Visages are immune to positive energy attacks, so no ReviveKillsZombie. They're even immune to holy water, but ''not'' to TurnUndead attempts.
* TheVirus: Any evil outsiders slain by a visage become another such monster, under the command of their creator.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Visages look like they're wearing white masks marked mainly by a wide, nasty grin, but it's NotAMask.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visilight]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_visilight_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Visilight (3e)]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Parai (2e)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_parai_2e.jpg[[/labelnote]] ]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral

Also known as paraii, these beings of light from the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus seek to make the universe more perfect, at least according to their standards.
----
* ArchEnemy: Paraii don't get along with the modrons, due to their differing opinions on what perfection entails. Any modrons above quadrone level attack paraii on sight, while the paraii routinely capture modrons and convert them into new paraii.
* ArtEvolution: 2nd Edition paraii are depicted (if not necessarily described) as feminine figures in form-fitting black leather dresses, with realistic female faces and hair of metal wires. 3rd Edition visilights have more masculine bodies (but are still specifically wearing dresses), and their porcelain masks are nearly blank ([[UnreliableIllustrator and missing the mouth and wire hair]]).
* EnergyBeings: The ball of glowing light behind a parai's backless mask is the true creature, everything else is just a husk it uses to interact with the world. There's nothing inside of its dress or gloves, just like there's nothing physically wearing its mask.
* HiveMind: They share a collective consciousness, and can communicate telepathically with one another out to 100 feet.
* NoBodyLeftBehind: When slain, a visilight's ball of light explodes in a harmless burst of energy, their porcelain hands and mask crumble to dust, and all that's left is an empty leather dress.
* TheParalyzer: In 3rd Edition, visilights can paralyze other creatures as a gaze attack.
* VampiricDraining: In their 3rd Edition rules, visilights specifically equate perfection with beauty, and when they meet a creature with a higher Charisma score than their own, they'll grapple and [[NonHealthDamage drain them of it]], absorbing their victim's personality while their mask reshapes itself to resemble their prey. These stolen Charisma points decay at a rate of one per hour, and the visilight's mask slowly returns to its blank state.
* TheVirus: In their ''AD&D'' rules, paraii reproduce by assimilating creatures that meet their lofty standards of intelligence, strength or beauty. A parai's ball of light leaves its husk, which then grapples and entangles a victim as per the ''web'' spell. Over the next three days, the stuck victim is transformed into a new parai, while the watching ball of light forms a new husk-body to inhabit over the course of a day.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Their "faces" are simply masks in front of glowing balls of light, which shine through the eye and mouth holes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vitreous Drinker]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vitreous_drinker_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 11 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Eye-studded servants of Vecna, the god of secrets, these creatures steal the sight of the living and thus gather knowledge for their patron.
----
* CreepyCrows: A vitreous drinker can control up to 24 spectral ravens, which it can create at a rate of one per day. They aren't quite {{Familiar}}s and can do nothing but fly around, but the drinker is constantly aware of what its ravens see and hear.
* DeadlyGaze: They have a gaze attack so horrifying that it can nauseate a victim.
* EyeScream: Downplayed; any creature lashed by a vitreous drinker's tongue develop thick cataracts that limit their vision to 60 feet, imposes a 20% miss chance on attacks within that range, and inflicts penalties on their saving throws against the vitreous drinker's abilities and spells. Only magic like ''greater restoration'' or ''miracle'', or the destruction of the vitreous drinker, can restore a victim's diminished sight.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: A vitreous drinker's body is covered in bulging, moist eyes.
* MultipurposeTongue: They can make tongue lash attacks up to 10 feet away.
* SeeingThroughAnothersEyes: Once a vitreous drinker has "drank" a victim's eyes, it can freely see though their eyes as if they weren't impaired, no matter how far the victim and the drinker are from each other. A vitreous drinker can only see through one victim's eyes at a time, however.
* TheSpymaster: Vitreous drinkers' role in the world. They build up an unwitting spy network by drinking the eyes of beggars and other unfortuntes, supplemented by their spectral ravens, before moving on to more valuable targets like sages, wizards, rulers and adventurers. They frequently coordinate their activities with the cult of Vecna, becoming handlers and {{Knowledge Broker}}s for multiple subversive groups as they fulfil their god's unknowable agenda.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vivisector]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vivisector_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

Insectoids that, true to their name, cut into their helpless victims, harvesting organs to incorporate into their own bodies.
----
* BizarreAlienReproduction: Vivisectors reproduce by harvesting and absorbing the organs of no fewer than ten Medium-sized humanoids, until the creature becomes bloated with stolen viscera. After two weeks, the original vivisector opens its carapace to release a smaller creature, which grows to full size in another week.
* InsectoidAliens: They're five-foot-tall creatures that resemble humanoid preying mantises. Though intelligent, they have no language, and are wholly dedicated to harvesting organs from their prey.
* {{Invisibility}}: Three times per day, vivisectors can use a swift action to become fully invisible for a single round, even if they attack.
* TheNeedless: They don't age, sleep, breathe, or even eat or drink, instead vivisectors sustain themselves by stealing other creatures' vital organs, until they rot away into uselessness. On the downside, this means vivisectors don't slowly, naturally heal damage like other living creatures.
* NoSell: Vivisectors are deaf, and thus immune to language-dependent magic. They're also immune to sonic damage.
* OrganTheft: Vivisectors sustain themselves by harvesting organs from other creatures, tearing them out and inserting them into the vivisectors' hollow carapaces. Instead of making a CoupDeGrace attack, vivisectors can instead deal an automatic CriticalHit as they hack into their victim's torso, which [[LifeDrain heals the monster by the same amount of damage dealt to the victim.]] There are rumors that some older vivisectors are able to harness the abilities of creatures whose organs they've stolen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vizier's Turban]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_viziers_turban_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:2e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/AlQadim''\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral, or the same as their host

Symbiotes that typically take the form of a turban with gemstone eyes, granting additional power to a wizard in exchange for some of their vitality.
----
* AntiTrueSight: Zig-zagged; vizier's turbans don't register as magical to spells like ''detect magic'', but can be picked up by those that detect life forms or alignments. They even seem to be amused by the efforts wizards have to go through to locate them, and perhaps view such trials as a test of a would-be host's worthiness.
* GenderBender: These creatures don't seem to have conventional sexes, and will adopt the same gender as their host, even changing their appearance between turbans, scarves and veils as necessary to accessorize with their host's other garments.
* HatOfPower: They function as such, with increasing effects depending on how many hit points their wearer is willing to give up.
* LivingHat: On the one hand, a vizier's turban is capable of speech and has a genius-level intellect, and will eagerly engage in philosophical discussions with its host. But on the other hand, they don't have much of a personality, and will quickly adopt the ethical outlook of their wearer. Unlike other intelligent magic items, vizier's turbans will never disagree with their bearer's actions unless directly asked for their opinion, and will only abandon a host if they're ignored and left behind one too many times. It should also be noted that vizier's turbans are unreliable sentries, as they'll respond to a threat sneaking up behind their host with the same sense of wonder they have while experiencing the wider world, and won't think to warn their host.
* NoSell: They're completely immune to physical damage, and even targeted attacks with weapons will pass harmlessly through the vizier's turban (and then usually smash into their host's head).
* TheSymbiote: A vizier's turban grants its wearer additional spell slots, and an increasing amount of magic resistance, based on how many hit points the wizard is willing to sacrifice to it. In an extreme situation, a turban can return all but one of those hit points to a host to help them survive an attack, but the symbiote will expect those hit points back once their host has recovered, and the process will result in a point of MaximumHPReduction for the wizard. And if an unhappy vizier's turban ditches its host, half of the hit points the wizard allocated to it are permanently lost.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: They can change their appearance between different types of silken headwear, and enjoy restyling themselves from time to time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Voadkyn]]
[[quoteright:265:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_voadkyn_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:265:2e]]
->'''Playable:''' 2E\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticGood

Giant-kin who dwell in forests, leading to their somewhat erroneous description as "wood giants."
----
* GreatBow: Their favored weapons are Huge longbows, which makes up for the voadkyn's inability to [[BoulderBludgeon throw boulders]].
* {{Humanshifting}}: Voadkyn can ''polymorph'' into any humanoid figure between three and 15 feet in height, though they can only become generic examples of the desired race, not a specific form. They've been known to use this ability to infiltrate adventuring parties and swipe some treasure.
* OurElvesAreDifferent: They look something like nine-foot-tall wood elves, though voadkyn are hairless and their jaws are heavier due to their oversized molars meant to chew plants inedible to humans. Voadkyn and wood elves have gotten along for as long as the two races can remember, to the point that some of the giant-kin prefer to live among elves, and the voadkyn as a whole have picked up some elven traits like a near-immunity to ''sleep'' or enchantment effects, as well as an affinity for archery.
* OurGiantsAreBigger: While the voadkyn insist that they are legitimate children of Annam the All-Father, the rest of giantkind holds that they're another product of Othea's affair with Ulutiu, which resulted in the voadkyn getting kicked out of giant's empire of Ostoria and removed from the ''ordning''. The voadkyn decided that since Annam had not assigned Ostoria's woodlands to anyone, they would claim the forests and become wood giants, and promptly cut ties with the rest of giantkind.
* StealthExpert: They can move silently through woodland, and blend in with forest surroundings to become effectively invisible.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vodyanoi]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vodyanoi_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Fey (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral

Fey resembling potbellied old men, who dwell within lakes and rivers, bringing weal or woe to nearby communities.
----
* GlamorFailure: Sometimes vodyanoi leave their waters to purchase a cow with treasure collected from the river- or lakebottom. They might be mistaken for an odd, unkempt trader, save for how they create puddles around their feet.
* MakingASplash: Vodyanoi can use ''control water'' three times per day.
* NatureSpirit: They're similar to rusalkas in that they're freshwater fey, but vodyanoi can freely leave their home body of water. Since a friendly vodyanoi can bring ample fish harvests and mitigate the effects of flooding, and an irate vodyanoi can cause the opposite, communities around the fey often make sacrifices of fish or cattle to keep them happy, with the caveat that vodyanoi are so unpredictable that such gestures have no guarantee of winning them over.
* ThePigPen: They look like potbellied old men with green-tinged skin, a tangle of reeds for hair, and long dirty fingernails.
* {{Retcon}}: Vodyanoi appeared in 2nd Edition as an aquatic variant of umber hulks, just with only one set of eyes, green, slimy skin, and webbed claws. 3rd Edition brought the creature more in line with its origins in Myth/SlavicMythology.
* SinisterSuffocation: In combat, vodyanoi usually try to grab and pin a foe beneath the water's surface, drowning them.
* SmokeOut: An odd variant; vodyanoi can summon a school of illusory fish while underwater, which is mechanically quite similar to a ''fog cloud'' spell. Beyond giving themselves concealment, some vodyanoi use this ability to trick people into thinking the fey has blessed them with plentiful fish (if a vodyanoi does want to lure fish into an area, they use their Survival skill).
* UglyGuyHotWife: Vodyanoi sometimes make wives of the much more beautiful rusalkas.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Voidwraith]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_voidwraith_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:349:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 6 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Former air elementals that have been reduced to clouds of malevolent darkness that hunger for the breath of the living.
----
* ElementalEmbodiment: They were creatures of elemental air, now they're undead embodiments of vacuum.
* HorrorHunger: Voidwraiths have an inescapable craving for living creatures' breaths.
* InstantDeathRadius: A voidwraith is surrounded by a vacuum, so any creature fighting one has to hold their breath. While 3rd Edition is pretty generous with how many rounds something can hold their breath before coming into danger, the problem is that each attack from a voidwraith reduces that total.
* {{Intangibility}}: These former creatures of air are incorporeal.
* LifeDrain: Their "Steal Breath" attack inflicts Constitution drain and simultaneously gives the voidwraith some temporary hit points.
* NonHumanUndead: You can't get less human than an undead elemental.
* OxymoronicBeing: Former air elementals that now exist as unliving embodiments of air's absence.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Volodni]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_volodni__3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\\
'''Classification:''' Plant (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral

Also known as "pine folk," these humanoid plants claim the cold forests as their own and vigorously defend them from despoilers.
----
* {{Druid}}: Their favored class, and the only kind of spellcaster they respect. Most volodni bands are led by a druid who belongs to a forest-wide hierarchy, though their war-leaders are instead usually [[ForestRanger rangers.]]
* GaiasVengeance: They consider all forests their territory, actively colonize woodlands to bring under their protection, and react to those seeking to harvest the forest's resources the same as civilized folk would view an outsider plundering their farmland and houses. Some open-minded volodni are willing to negotiate with outsiders for limited access to their forests, but other pine folk aggressively defend their borders. The most ambitious volodni seek to expand their forests, "and dream of a day when all Faerûn once again lies cloaked in unbroken green."
* InHarmonyWithNature: Thanks to their biology, volodni have little impact on their home forests. The only structures they build are stone circles or hearthstones, and they work with stone, leather and wood, avoiding working metal or kindling fires whenever possible. This mindset helps volodni get along with the likes of centaurs and elves, though the latter tend to disapprove of the volodni's "dispassionate ruthlessness."
* PlantPerson: Volodni are heavily on the "person" side of the trope, but are still clearly plants -- their skin is the color of pine needles, their flesh is woody and tough, their thick hair grows in scaly locks similar to the bark of a young tree, and they have clear sap instead of blood. Their plant traits mean that volodni only take half damage from piercing weapons, need only two hours of sleep each night to feel fully-rested, and they can absorb enough nutrients from their environments to require only a quarter of the food and water as an ordinary human. Note that volodni are ''not'' WeakToFire, and their evergreen traits grant them cold resistance as well.
* WasOnceAMan: They're descended from a now-forgotten tribe "who traded their humanity in exchange for shelter from their enemies."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vorr]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vorr_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Intelligent hunting animals native to the Abyss, adept at stalking prey from shadow to shadow.
----
* BackStab: They can deal sneak attack damage like a rogue.
* HellHound: Vorrs are usually encountered in packs, and some powerful denizens of the Abyss like to use them as hunting hounds.
* LivingShadow: Once per day, a vorr can assume a shadowy form for up to 10 minutes, allowing it to avoid most damage, blend in with dark surroundings, and move effortlessly up walls, on the underside of ceilings, or across the surface of liquids.
* MixAndMatchCritters: They're described as canines, but have hyena-like features, a feline build, and a rat-like tail.
* ShadowWalker: They can jump between shadowy areas as per the ''dimension door'' spell.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vryloka]]
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vryloka_4e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:310:4e]]
->'''Playable:''' 4E\\
'''Alignment:''' Any

Former humans who have become "living vampires," gaining increased longevity and power, at the cost of some vitality.
----
* BlueBlood: The first vrylokas were the noble class of a now-forgotten kingdom (in fact, the name for their kind comes from the first noble family to transform themselves, the Vryloka). While their subjects revolted when they learned the truth about their rulers, and the vrylokas scattered in the wake of their kingdom's fall, they've since joined the upper classes of other nations, attaining positions of wealth and power.
* {{Determinator}}: Vrylokas don't do anything by halves -- any task that they don't feel passionate about, they'll abandon, but the goals they do hold onto are goals they'll do anything to complete.
* {{Dhampyr}}: They're more or less 4th Edition's equivalent to the recurring "dhampir" playable race. Vrylokas enjoy a lesser form of full vampirism, and while they don't have fangs or a bite attack, they do gain racial powers that let them shapeshift into a wolf or bat, revive a slain comrade by feeding them blood (potentially turning them into a new vryloka), and so forth. That said, vrylokas have a racial taboo against becoming a ''full'' vampire (which is treated as a player class in 4E) -- "They seek eternal life, not the empty shell of an undead existence." This hasn't stopped rumors that some old, powerful vrylokas are hiding their true vampiric natures.
* ImmortalitySeeker: The desire for an extended lifespan is what drove the first vrylokas to undergo their transformation, and most of them can live for at least three centuries, remaining in their prime up until their deaths. Some powerful vrylokas are said to be truly unaging. The downside of this is that vrylokas' lifespan combined with their passionate natures can leave them [[WhoWantsToLiveForever battling against ennui and restlessness,]] driving them to immerse themselves in their studies, the arts, the thrill of combat, or convoluted schemes and power struggles.
* LifeDrain: The vrylokas' racial power gives them temporary hit points, as well as a speed boost and attack roll bonus, after killing or bloodying a foe.
* MortalityGreyArea: Their "Living Dead" racial trait lets a vryloka choose whether to count as living or undead whenever a spell affects them.
* RacialTransformation: A being known as the Red Witch offered the first vrylokas the blood-bonding ritual that made them living vampires, and similarly, a vryloka can use their own blood to revive a dead human as one of their own.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Their eyes are usually dark gray or blue, but turn red when a vryloka is excited or angered.
* ThickerThanWater: Vrylokas are immensely loyal to their bloodlines, and are taught to be devoted to their families first and foremost -- which can cause trouble when these familial ties conflict with a vryloka's bonds with their TrueCompanions. Those who break their bonds of blood are typically exiled, and some shunned vrylokas undergo a complete mental breakdown from the isolation, turning into vicious killers.
[[/folder]]

!!W

[[folder:Wallara]]
[[quoteright:257:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wallara_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:257:2e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''[[TabletopGame/{{Mystara}} Red Steel]]''\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulGood or LawfulNeutral

Also known as "chameleon men," these reptilian humanoids live a simple existence far from civilization.
----
* BizarreAlienReproduction: Wallara are a OneGenderRace of lizard-men, who reproduce by placing their shed skins into a sacred site called a tookoo, where the skin has a 1-in-20 chance of budding a newborn wallara who grows to maturity over the next eight weeks.
* ChameleonCamouflage: Unsurprisingly, they can blend in with their surroundings, becoming 90% invisible. Unfortunately, this means some wizards seek wallara skins to make ''robes of blending''.
* DragonAncestry: Wallara are descended from dragons, hence why they can live to be 250 years old, and such elders pick up [[ResistantToMagic magic resistance]] near the end of their lives.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: They're basically UsefulNotes/AboriginalAustralians as lizardfolk, to the extent that they go on a walkabout accompanied by spirit guardians that take the form of kangaroos, kookaburras and koalas, they believe in a [[HollywoodDreamtime Dreamworld]] that exists parallel to the waking world, and so on.
* LizardFolk: They're the oldest of Mystara's "lizard kin" races, looking like humanoid reptiles with multicolored skin that seems to shift and swirl as they move. These colors can include any hue, but most wallara only have three or four prominent colors.
* {{Teleportation}}: On top of seeming to vanish thanks to their camouflage, wallara can replicate a ''dimension door'' effect at will, reappearing 120 feet away.
* VestigialEmpire: In their home setting, the wallara once had an enlightened civilization the equal of their aranea neighbors, but roughly 1500 years before the setting's present, the aranea went to war with them for an unknown reason, reducing the wallara to Stone Age primitivism.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wang-Liang]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wang_liang_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/KaraTur''\\
'''Classification:''' Giant (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

10-foot-tall, black-fleshed giants with a bitter hatred of humans.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Wang-liang have retractable, cat-like claws for {{Natural Weapon}}s.
* FantasticRacism: Wang-liang despise humans for their greedy consumption of resources and prolific population growth, especially compared to the wang-liang's own rate of reproduction. The rise of mankind has come at the expense of the wang-liang, who consider themselves a DyingRace and lay the blame squarely on humans. As such, wang-liang will never pass up an opportunity to harass, humiliate, maim or kill a human, and any death of a wang-liang at the hands of humans is considered a blood debt that requires a hundred dead humans to satisfy.
* HumanShifting: They can use ''alter self'' at will, but only to take a humanoid form between four and 12 feet tall.
* IGaveMyWord: Their deep sense of honor means that wang-liang will always keep their word, even to a human, even if it results in the wang-liang's death.
* ImmortalProcreationClause: Wang-liang can live for two millennia, but their females become fertile exactly once during their lifetimes, at which point they seek out a male to mate with -- [[MateOrDie any female who can't find a mate during her fertility period will die, and any male who can't find a mate ten years after reaching sexual maturity will suffer a similar fate.]] These pairings produce a male and female child (or rarely, two sets of twins, one male and one female), which at least keeps the wang-liang's gender ratio stable.
* {{Invisibility}}: They can turn invisible at will.
* {{Oni}}: They're described as cousins to oni/ogre mages, though they have their own bestiary entry rather than being considered an oni subtype.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Warforged]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/636678011094821341.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Construct (3E), Natural Humanoid (4E), Humanoid (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E), 4 (4E), 1 (5E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E-5E\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral (3E), Any (4E-5E)

Living constructs created to be soldiers, the warforged unexpectedly developed sapience and free will, allowing them to seek meaning in their lives beyond fighting others' battles. See [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsRaces the Playable Races subpage]] for more information about the standard warforged.

!!Warforged Charger
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_warforged_charger_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Construct (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral

Large and unsophisticated warforged, designed to charge into the enemy ranks and smash them to pieces.
----
* DumbMuscle: They're about as smart as the average ogre, and tend to cling to their simple orders. Though capable of speech, they talk haltingly at best.
* FantasyMetals: Their bodies are plated with adamantine, letting chargers ignore the damage reduction of other constructs and the hardness value of objects, while granting the chargers a hefty armor bonus and damage reduction of their own.
* FlawedPrototype: The chargers are an intermediate step between the titans and warforged proper, both in terms of size and ability. Unlike the titans, they're classified as living constructs, but chargers are still less adaptable and intelligent than their Medium-sized successors.
* KillerGorilla: They have the body plan of such, and can do plenty of damage pounding foes with their adamantine fists.

!!Warforged Colossus
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_warforged_colossus_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Norr," Colossus WX-5, in the ruins of Metrol (5e)]]
->'''Classification:''' Construct (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 25 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

The largest of their kind, warforged colossi are walking weapons of mass destruction.
----
* AwesomePersonnelCarrier: Although it can operate without a crew, a warforged colossus is built to carry elite troops.
* GiantFootOfStomping: With emphasis on "giant". The foot of a warforged colossus occupies an area greater than that of most Gargantuan creatures, meaning its Stomp attack can crush dozens of foes with each use.
* HumongousMecha: These things are of gobsmacking size. A colossus's foot alone covers the same area as a fireball's blast radius, allowing it to crush dozens of enemy combatants underfoot with every step. The sheer size of a colossus is enough to strike fear into the hearts of nearby enemies. The hollow interior of an inactive colossus can even serve as a dungeon, one potentially filled with armed magical defenses, the undead remnants of its crews, or dangerous elemental energy leaking from its magical components.
* RayGun: Warforged colossi can fire beams of light from their mouths that can incinerated whole legions.
* {{Superweapon}}: The colossi were meant to be Cyre's trump card in the Last War, being mountain-sized weapons platforms that could shrug off conventional attacks and devastate entire armies singlehandedly. Fortunately for the rest of Khorvaire, the Mourning happened before the colossi could make it out of Cyre's borders. Now the colossi are as inert and lifeless as everything else in the Mournland, and only seven of them are rumored to survive in a salvageable state.
* WaveMotionGun: A colossus's deadliest weapon is a beam of energy fired from its mouth, which can incinerate hundreds of foes in a single shot.

!!Warforged Scout
[[quoteright:322:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_warforged_scout_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:322:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Construct (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral

The smallest warforged variant, intended to serve as light infantry and reconaissance units.
----
* AwesomeButImpractical: Scouts are far less common than other warforged variants, mainly because their commanders realized they offer few advantages over conventional flesh-and-blood scouts.
* HitAndRunTactics: They're aware they're not as sturdy as other warforged, and thus scouts prefer to fire on foes from cover and slip away before attacking again.
* SneakySpySpecies: They were intended to be as such, being Small living constructs with a natural bonus to Dexterity.

!!Warforged Titan
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_warforged_titan_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Construct (3E, 5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 8 (3E, 5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral

The first warforged developed, the titans are huge constructs that function as autonomous siege engines, capable of laying waste to whole formations of enemy troops with their oversized weapons.
----
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Warforged titans lack hands, instead having the heads of an enormous maul or axe where the hands should be.
* DumbMuscle: Though towering war machines, the warforged titans are barely sentient, and just intelligent enough to follow commands.
* FlawedPrototype: Though powerful and more intelligent than purely-mindless golems, the warforged titans proved susceptible to massed troop formations, and took heavy losses when deployed in the Last War. Later refinements of the titan construction process resulted in Medium-sized warforged that were far more intelligent and adaptable, with the "living construct" trait to make them easier to maintain.
* TrampledUnderfoot: Their 3E rules let titans crush smaller targets they move over.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Water Weird]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_water_weird_5e.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Elemental (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Like their water elemental kin, these creatures of living water are often summoned to the Material Plane, in their case to guard a location with a pool or fountain to which they are bound. Not to be confused with a water elemental weird (see "Elemental Weird" in the "Elemental" folder).
----
* AchillesHeel: 2nd Edition water weirds are instantly slain by a ''purify water'' spell, with NoSavingThrow. In 5th Edition, meanwhile, they die if they ever leave the water to which they're bound, or if that water is somehow destroyed.
* GrandTheftMe: In their ''AD&D'' rules, a water weird that comes into physical contact with a normal water elemental can attempt to take control of it.
* TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: In 5th Edition, water weirds are naturally Neutral, but if their pool is befouled by dark magic, they'll change alignment to NeutralEvil and kill for pleasure, perhaps turning against their summoner. Conversely, if their pool is blessed and made into holy water, water weirds will become NeutralGood and attempt to scare off intruders instead of attacking. In either case, casting ''purify food and drink'' on the water weird's pool will purify its alignment as well. %%In-universe alignments
* MurderWater: They're invisible when immersed in a pool of normal water, and fully capable of crushing or drowning those that intrude on the location they're guarding.
* SinisterSuffocation: Anything grappled and pulled into a water weird is in danger of drowning.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webbird]]
[[quoteright:301:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_webbird_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:301:2e]]
->'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Actually closer to an insect or arachnid than an avian, these flying creatures restrain their victims with silky strands.
----
* AllWebbedUp: Their tails can [[ProjectileWebbing fire strands of sticky webbing]] that is extremely strong and capable of restraining human-sized victims. And the more webbirds that are firing those strands at a victim, the higher the DC to escape.
* DeathOfAThousandCuts: Webbirds are Small creatures, about ten inches long including their tails, with foot-wide wingspans, and thus their bite attacks only do a single point of damage. Unfortunately, they attack in swarms of a dozen to nearly 50 creatures, and mutiple webbirds will descend upon an entrapped victim to bite it at the same time.
* FaceFullOfAlienWingWong: Rather than simply biting an immobilized victim, a webbird can use an ovipositor in its chest to inject eggs into its prey, which hatch in a number of turns into grubs that immediately begin feeding upon their host. This deals damage each round and leaves the victim helpless from the excruciating pain, and unless a spell like ''cure disease'' is used to kill the grubs, fledgling webbirds will emerge from the victim's corpse in about seven hours.
* KillItWithFire: Webbirds instinctively fear fire, and won't attack anyone carrying an open flame or approach a bonfire.
* YouHaveToBurnTheWeb: Averted, webbird silk is fireproof. A wineskin's worth of an alcoholic beverage, on the other hand, will dissolve enough webbing to free a Medium-sized humanoid in one round.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wemic]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wemic_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\\
'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 2E-3E\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Tauric lionfolk who live in prides that roam warm and temperate plains.
----
* BarbarianTribe: A non-Evil example. Wemics live in a Stone Age, nomadic society, don't have a written language, and are fairly superstitious, but they generally keep to themselves rather than raid their neighbors. Some find work as guides or mercenaries, preferring to be paid in magical weapons, while other prides may charge tolls for safe passage through their territory.
* CatFolk: Their upper bodies are humanoid, with a strong feline influence -- fur, leonine facial features and eyes, and a mane of hair on males.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Even in the same game edition, artwork can vary on just how catlike their faces are, ranging from "mostly human" to "basically a lion's head."
* NatureHero: Wemics take care not to over-hunt within their ranges, and are enraged if an outsider intrudes and kills an animal simply to take a trophy from it.
* OurCentaursAreDifferent: Their lower bodies are those of lions.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wendigo]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wendigo_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Fey (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' As base creature +2 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Cursed beings from the cold forests and tundra, embodying eternal, desperate hunger.
----
* ElementalShapeshifting: Wendigos can use ''wind walk'' at will, assuming a misty form to travel or stalk prey.
* AnIcePerson: They have the cold subtype, making them WeakToFire (doubly so since it stops their HealingFactor), and know spells like ''ray of frost'' and ''chill touch''.
* MindRape: Wendigos wear down their victims' sanity before physically attacking. They can take a "maddening whispers" action once per day to fill a chosen victim's ears with whispered, insane invitations to join the wendigo's predations, which deals a few points of [[NonHealthDamage Wisdom damage]], and while the creature is stalking someone with the benefit of ''wind walk'', it always seems to lurk in the corner of the victim's eye, imposing a penalty on Wisdom-based rolls. A wendigo uses these abilities to make their victim more susceptible to the disease they carry, but if a given target resists their maddening whispers for more than three days, the fey will fly off in search of easier prey.
* TheVirus: Anyone bitten by a wendigo has to save or be infected by its hunger, as if it were a disease. Those who fail their saves take Wisdom damage and then have to save again or be overcome by an insatiable, cannibalistic hunger, driving them to stalk, kill and feed upon the nearest member of their species, then return home with no memory of the crime. A victim whose Wisdom hits 0 immediately transforms into a wendigo, racing off into the night so quickly that their feet are reduced to charred stumps.
* {{Wendigo}}: They follow the original myth more closely than more recent interpretations, being twisted mockeries of humans crazed with hunger rather than deer-headed monsters.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wheep]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wheep_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 11 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

Miserable undead creatures defined by their constant weeping and poisonous tears.
----
* EyeScream: The wheep's write-up mentions that the monster's eye sockets are empty, though their art goes a step further and portrays them with a pair of huge metal nails driven into their eye sockets.
* ProneToTears: Wheeps are almost constantly sniffling or sobbing in pain... unless they've temporarily shut up so they can sneak up on someone.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: Their crying and blubbering is so horrible that nearby creatures have to save to avoid becoming shaken for the duration of the encounter.
* TearsOfBlood: A wheep's empty eye sockets constantly leak black ichor that coats the creature's mouth (interfering with its sobbing to make a horrible bubbling, popping sound) and its claws, serving as a contact poison that deals Constitution damage. This also makes wheeps easy to track through a dungeon, as their tears leave behind a trail of bile that takes an hour to evaporate.
* TooManyMouths: Depicted with a pair of extra mouths in its palms in its artwork, though stat-wise they have a pair of claw attacks, not extra bite attacks.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Whistler]]
[[quoteright:299:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_whistler_5e.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:299:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Aberration (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Creatures from the Far Realm that stalk their prey accompanied by a soundless psychic tune.
----
* HumanoidAbomination: They look like Large, gray, near-featureless humanoids, but hail from the screeching reaches beyond reality.
* {{Overcrank}}: Whistlers exist in a state of "perpetual physical uncertainty," and are untethered to any point in space. This gives them a blurred appearance and makes them hard to hit.
* {{Sadist}} They relish the fear their attacks generate, and unless they face opposition, will kill their victims at an unhurried pace.
* SinisterWhistling: Their trademark ability is to telepathically whistle an eerie, otherworldly melody [[TerribleTicking that only one or two other creatures can hear.]] This "invades and scourges the mind" of listeners, [[BrownNote dealing a nasty amount of psychic damage]], and can make victims [[SupernaturalFearInducer frightened of the whistler]]. The few who survive a whistler encounter are [[EarWorm forever haunted by its soundless, seven-note tune.]]
* {{Teleportation}}: They can take a "Surreal Step" to teleport up to 20 feet as a bonus action.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wichtlin]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wichtlin_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:349:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Undead (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' As base creature +2 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil (2E), NeutralEvil (3E)

Ghastly elves cursed by the death god Chemosh to claim new souls for him.
----
* InvisibleMonsters: Almost; in most cases, wichtlin look like a pair of floating eyeballs and skeletal hands wrapped in a SicklyGreenGlow, but ''see invisibility'' or similar magic reveals their full form, that of a blackened skeleton. This partial invisibility makes the undead hard to hit, though they become fully-visible for a few rounds after killing something.
* NonHumanUndead: Wichtlin are exclusively elves or half-elves. Their origins lie with Sylvyana the "Ghoul Queen," a Silvanesti monarch who was [[UnPerson struck from elven histories]] due to her practice of necromancy. When members of her court rose against her, she cursed them with undeath on behalf of her deity, turning them into the first wichtlin.
* TheParalyzer: They can paralyze victims with a touch, traditionally with their left hand; in 2nd Edition this works on anything, but 3E specifies that this "elfstroke" only works on elves and half-elves. An elf paralyzed by a wichtlin can then be implanted with a ''suggestion'' by the undead.
* PoisonousPerson: Their right hand deals poison damage in 2E, while in 3E they can cast ''poison'' at will with a touch attack, but only on non-elves.
* RaisingTheSteaks: The animal companions of druids or rangers who become wichtlin follow them into undeath, gaining the same abilities and a similar appearance -- the elk steed of a wichtlin ranger, for example, might appear as a pair of glowing antlers over disembodied eyes.
* TheVirus: Elf-blooded beings slain by a wichtlin rise as one seven days later.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wicker Man]]
[[quoteright:319:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wicker_man_fix_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:319:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Construct (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 11 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Giant-sized, animate wooden effigies with a cage in their torsos meant to hold a humanoid burnt offering.
----
* CagedInsideAMonster: A wicker man can stuff a grappled foe inside its chest cavity; encaged victims can try and force their way out with an opposed grapple check, or cut their way free with a light slashing weapon or claws (after which the wicker cage magically reknits itself). Alternatively, ''warp wood'' or ''wood shape'' will open the cage door for a round.
* AFeteWorseThanDeath: Wicker men are the centerpieces of festivals led by a druid or cleric who worships a dark deity such as Nerull, in which undesirables or outsiders lured into the community are ritualistically sacrificed. If a victim manages to elude their captors, the wicker man may be animated to help chase them down.
* {{Golem}}: They're more or less a variant of golem, and share 3E golems' immunity to most spells.
* InfernalRetaliation: Wicker men are not only meant to burn, they're immune to fire's harmful effects. If they would take fire damage, a wicker man instead ignites, becoming WreathedInFlames that damage everyone within 30 feet, add fire damage to its melee attacks, and deal even more fire damage to anyone in a grapple with the construct -- especially anyone encaged within the thing. A wicker man will burn for 10 rounds, after which it cannot be relit for the next 5 rounds.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wight]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wight_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E-5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (wight), 8 (slaughter wight)(3E); 5 (wight), 18 (slaughter wight) (4E); 3 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

These undead are consumed by their need to snuff out the living's spark of life, and drain away their victims' vitality with every blow they inflict.
----
* EliteMook: Slaughter wights have better stats than standard wights, and a higher chance of dealing a CriticalHit with their slam attack.
* LevelDrain: Traditionally, wights' melee attacks inflict "negative levels" upon their victims, making them less effective and weaker, and if a character's negative levels exceeded their actual character level, they died. Even if a character survived a wight attack, if they failed a Fortitude save the next morning to shake off the effects, any negative levels became actual level loss.
* LifeDrain: 5th Edition gives wights' attacks this trait instead, dealing damage and reducing a victim's hit point total until they've had a long rest to recover.
* OurWightsAreDifferent: In some editions, wights are undead distinguished by their violent hatred of life. 5th Edition instead presents wights as self-obsessed mortals who cried out to dark powers in their last moments of life, and were granted a new existence as undead creatures sworn to their patron's service. They're also a lot tougher than your plain skeleton or zombie, and can only be seriously damaged by weapons made of silver, or with magical weapons and spells.
* TheVirus: Those who have their live force drained away by wights typically rise as one themselves, sometimes in a matter of seconds.

!!Vilewight
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vilewight_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:3e]]
->'''Challenge Rating:''' 8 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

These variant wights' torsos have torn open upon rising from their graves, exposuring their animate intestines, and have additional abilities compared to their basic kin.
----
* CombatTentacles: Their intestines, which have sprouted bile-dripping mouths, can be used to attack or grapple opponents.
* MakeThemRot: Every other round, a vilewight can fire a 30-foot line of negative energy that deals heavy damage.
* PoisonousPerson: They carry the odd "life blindness" disesase, which renders those who succumb unable to perceive living creatures.
* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: In life, vilewights "delved too far and too long into the black arts," and thus are just in common in ancient libraries and hidden rooms in mages guilds as they are in graveyards.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Wild Hunt]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wild_hunt_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (hound of the hunt), Fey (master of the hunt) (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 18 (hound of the hunt), 22 (master of the hunt) (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral

Towering fey hunters who test their skills against intelligent prey.
----
* DamageIncreasingDebuff: Three times per day, a master of the hunt can mark a target as their prey, surrounding them with moonlight that replicates a ''faerie fire'' effect, and additionally granting the master of the hunt bonuses to attack and damage rolls against their victim, as well as automatically confirming any potential {{Critical Hit}}s. A master of the hunt can only mark one target this way at a time, and the effect ends when the moon sets.
* {{Hellhound}}: The masters of the hunt are usually accompanied by hounds the size of grizzly bears, with skeletal heads trailing otherworldly flames from their eye sockets, and coats that glitter as if covered by a sheen of moonlight.
* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: The masters of the hunt were once fey monarchs, until centuries of boredom led them to abandon their thrones for the thrill of hunting powerful mortals.
* {{Lunacy}}: The wild hunt is most active at night, as both the master and their hounds deal bonus damage with their attacks when the moon is in the sky. Additionally, the master of the hunt can use ''discern location'' against any creature beneath the moon -- it is said that the moon is the mirrored eye of the wild hunt.
* MasterArcher: The master of the hunt is an absurdly dangerous archer, capable of firing five arrows a round with their Rapid Shot feat, or using [[{{Multishot}} Manyshot]] to deal potentially over a hundred points of damage to a single target with one attack. This is even worse beneath the moonlight, which causes the master's arrows to magically grow to the size of spears as soon as they're loosed.
* NoSell: A master of the hunt and their hounds are under a perpetual ''freedom of movement'' effect, allowing them to ignore any movement penalties from magic or the environment.
* SummonARide: A master of the hunt can cast ''phantom steed'' for themself at will, at a high enough caster level for the steed to be capable of galloping through the air.
* TheWildHunt: These fey live only to challenge themselves against worthy prey, whose only hope for survival is to elude the hunters for a night or turn the tables and kill them. Thankfully, their hunts are usually rare events that occur toward the end of the year.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wilden]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wildren_4e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Wilden (4e)]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Killoren (3e)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_killoren_3e.jpg[[/labelnote]] ]]
->'''Classification:''' Fey (3E), Fey Humanoid (4E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E), 2 (4E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E-4E\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral (3E), Any (4E)

Also known as killoren, this young race of fey humanoids defend the natural world from those that would despoil it, manifesting nature's might in varying ways.
----
* ExpositoryPronoun: Wilden always use the plural when speaking of themselves, as individuality has little place in their lives, and the fey consider themselves a part of a greater whole.
* GaiasVengeance: These fey have emerged specifically to defend nature from a growing threat. The Wild, a faction of killoren, have gone so far as to declare that they've seen enough of the so-called "civilized" races, and are willing to defend their natural refuges with lethal force.
-->'''Allailai, killoren ancient:''' Hunter, destroyer, and keeper of ancient knowledge; I am nature's answer to the rising power of man.
* NatureHero: They were literally born to be nature's defenders, and are deeply InHarmonyWithNature, so that they cannot be helped but moved by the peace and power of nature when they walk through a forest glade or behold a mountain. What few small settlements they have blend in with the land around them.
* PlantPerson: While the killoren are described with leaf-green skin and long, supple limbs, the wilden are explicitly plant-like, with bones of hardwood, bark-like skin, and a cloak of vines and leaves (though they're still classified as fey humanoids rather than plants). This also affects a wilden's appearance as they age, with young wilden having a greenish cast to their skin, which tans as they mature until their leaves eventually turn brown and drop off as the wilden withers and enters their twilight years.
* {{Retcon}}: Besides the name change and design tweaks, the biggest difference between the 3E killoren and 4E wilden is that the former are nature's response to the encroachment of civilization, while the latter are born from the Feywild to defend against Far Realm incursions.
* StanceSystem: These fey's signature ability is to, each dawn after a complete rest, decide which aspect of nature they'll embody that day: the Ancient, the Destroyer, or the Stalker. Each aspect grants a different power, such as a short-ranged teleport or the ability to smite enemies of nature, and it also affects the fey's eye color, alters their body with thorns or natural camouflage, and tends to change their personality to match their role.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wildren]]
[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wildren_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticGood or NeutralGood

Hailing from the Wilderness of the Beastlands, these animalistic beings resemble dwarves covered in grizzled fur, and rarely leave their burrows in the lightless layer of Karasuthra. Not to be confused with the wilden above.
----
* BeastMan: Wildren are descended from the spirits of dwarven petitioners who gravitated towards the Beastlands (where petitioners gradually transform into animals) and the plane's native, intelligent animals, in this case badgers.
* FastTunnelling: Downplayed; wildren's burrow speed is only 10 feet per round, though they can dig out a warren big enough for a single Medium-sized creature in just an hour.
* HairTriggerTemper: Wildren are notoriously short-tempered and vengeful, and positively savage and feral when defending their burrows. Once per day, they can also fly into a rage like a barbarian, [[TheBerserker gaining a bonus to Strength but a penalty to their Armor Class.]]
* TheNoseKnows: They have the Scent ability, and typically identify each other by scent, hence why wildren only have one name. This means they're often confused by people who wear perfume or have multiple names.
* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: They also inherit some dwarven traits like a resistance to being pushed around, and the ability to move at their (slow) full speed in heavy armor.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Will-o'-Wisp]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_will_o_wisp_5e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E), Undead (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 6 (3E), 2 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Eerie, malevolent lights that haunt the dismal places of the world, waiting to lure too-trusting victims to their deaths.
----
* CoupDeGrace: in 5th edition, a will-o'-wisp can force an adjacent creature with 0 hit points to make a saving throw. If the creature fails the save, it immediately dies as the wisp snuffs out its life force.
* EmotionEater: 3rd Edition wisps sustain themselves on the fear and hopelessness felt by those they lured into a lethal trap.
* {{Intangibility}}: Incorporeal beings that can pass through terrain without incident, but obviously can't carry anything.
* NoSell: 3rd Edition will-o'-wisps are just flat-out immune to magic, with the exception of the ''magic missile'' and ''maze'' spells.
* WillOTheWisp: They're type of a monster that haunts dangerous and deserted places like catacombs, swamps and bogs with traps that can kill the unwary ({{Pit Trap}}s, QuicksandSucks, etc.). When a victim is killed by one of these hazards the Will-O-Wisp feeds on their LifeEnergy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Windblade]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_windscythe_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Windscythe (3e)]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (windrazor), 4 (windscythe) (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Winged fiends who claim the Windswept Depths of Pandemonium as their own, and relentlessly attack anything that intrudes upon their domain.
----
* HitAndRunTactics: They make extensive use of their Flyby Attack feat, swooping in, slicing foes with their claws, and retreating out of reach all in the same turn.
* LargeAndInCharge: Standard windrazors are Small creatures and treated as second-class citizens in what society the windblades have, while the ruling windscythes are Large. Even though the windrazors outnumber the windscythes, the former's fear of the latter keeps them in line.
* RazorWings: Windblades have razor-sharp bone claws on the ends of their wings, which they can use to slash foes they fly past, or latch onto and rend their flesh.
* TheTheocracy: Windblades believe that they were created by Erythnul (or a similar god of slaughter, depending on campaign setting), and many windscythes become clerics, using their spells to spill blood in their lord's name and keep the lesser windrazors in line.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Windghost]]
[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_windghost_fix_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\\
'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 15 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral

Bizarre creatures that drift through the skies, and can warp magic around them as a defensive measure.
----
* AntiMagic: They can move "dead magic" areas around at will, which in their 3rd Edition rules let windghosts use ''{{dispel magic}}'' or create an ''antimagic field''.
* AttackReflector: Alternatively, windghosts can use their "warp dweamor" ability to try and take control over a spell, redirecting it as per ''spell turning''.
* CombinationAttack: Two or more windghosts within 90 feet of each other can emit a harmonizing drone known as the "windsong," which other creatures find intensely disorienting. In 2nd Edition this prevents creatures from hearing each other, casting spells, or even concentrating enough to read, while in 3rd Edition the effect causes hefty penalties to Dexterity and Concentration checks, while forcing those in the area to move at half speed due to their disrupted equilibrium.
* NonMaliciousMonster: Windghosts look decidedly spooky, and inspire confusion and fear in those who see them, but they never attack without provocation. Unfortunately, their unexpected arrival and alien appearance can cause other creatures to mistake them for a threat and attack.
* OurMonstersAreWeird: They're 24-foot-long flying cones studded with eyes around gaping, circular maws, with a pair of 20-foot tentacles hanging from their bulks.
* PhosphorEssence: Windghosts get their name for the blue and violet glow that surrounds their bodies, a fairy fire-like radiance that is especially visible at night.
* SwallowedWhole: When pressed into combat, a windghost can swoop down and swallow a human-sized opponent.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Winterspawn]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_winterspawn_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

Ice-wielding, intelligent undead who can command lesser undead.
----
* DeadlyGaze: With a mere glance, they can cause a single foe each round to have to save or take a blast of cold damage.
* ElementalWeapon: Winterspawn's arms and armor are made of magical ice, which are fully functional while the undead is alive, but are likely to dissipate into vapor within a day of the undead's destruction.
* HorseOfADifferentColor: Some winterspawn ride frost worms or white dragons that have been pressed into service.
* AnIcePerson: They not only have the cold subtype, winterspawn have ice crystals jutting out of their skin. They can also cast the [[ColdFlames "chill shield"]] variant of ''fire shield'' at will, to reduce incoming fire damage.
* MookLieutenant: They can rebuke or command undead as a 12th-level cleric, five times per day.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Witchknife]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_witchknife_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Humanoids who call themselves athames, and possess the fearsome ability to compel other creatures to follow their spoken orders.
----
* BackStab: They can deal sneak attack damage like a rogue.
* CompellingVoice: They can use ''command'' at will as a psychic power, compelling listeners who fail their saves to follow an order during their next round. Witchknives can also use ''greater command'' once per day to make multiple creatures follow an order, such as "lie prone and do not resist" while the witchknife systematically delivers a CoupDeGrace to each in turn.
* CunningLinguist: Since their mind-control powers depend on them speaking the language of their targets, witchknives try to learn as many tongues as possible.
* CurseOfBabel: According to the witchknives, in the distant past they were the magnanimous rulers of the entire world, until some deity (whose identity the various witchknife settlements can't agree upon) taught their subjects to speak new languages, fostering a rebellion that tore the witchknives' glorious empire to pieces.
* GodzillaThreshold: Their very existence serves as one to other races -- it's mentioned that [[EnemyMine elves have allied with orcs, and dwarves with giants,]] in order to defeat witchknives.
* NoiselessWalker: They can cast a variant of ''silence'' that only affects themselves, which has the additional benefit of protecting them from sonic attacks, which witchknives are vulnerable to.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Witchlight Marauder]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_witchlight_marauder_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Primary form (2e)]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Secondary and tertiary forms (2e)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_witchlight_marauders_2e.png[[/labelnote]] ]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}''\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Truly colossal creatures bred to scour worlds of life.
----
* ArchEnemy: While these creatures will indiscriminately eat anything they encounter, the secondary marauder forms are capable of homing in on the scent of elven blood in particular, and will pass up an easier meal to go after an elf.
* BioweaponBeast: Witchlight marauders are living weapons of mass destruction, devised by orc shamans during the First Unhuman Wars against the Elven Imperial Navy.
* HiveCasteSystem: The witchlight marauders' specialized forms provide a non-insectoid example.
** Primary marauders are Gargantuan but relatively slow sluglike creatures with TooManyMouths, who eat their way across planets while spawning other marauder forms.
** Secondary marauders are Huge hunter-killers, much faster than the primaries and capable of [[WallCrawl scaling sheer surfaces]] with their six metallic talons. Beyond those (poisonous) claws, the secondaries also sport steel teeth, spiked tails, and the ability to [[AcidAttack spray jets of acid]] at foes.
** Tertiary marauders are Small [[PintSizedPowerhouse but strong]] [[TheBerserker berserker]] warriors with [[BladeBelowTheShoulder blades for hands.]]
** Space marauders are organic starships, with crocodilian heads surrounded by secondary maws on long necks, a trunk-like body trailing into a mass of tentacles, and organic sails to propel them through Wildspace (and which can also be used to reflect starlight into a beam attack). The space marauders eat small celestial bodies as they move, which they digest to spawn land marauders to drop on planets, or convert into explosive projectiles the space marauders can spit at foes.
** The space marauders can also spawn 550-foot-wide remote feeders, flying gullets that ferry organic matter between planets and the space marauder to nourish it.
* HordeOfAlienLocusts: Their only purpose is to consume, reproduce, and consume some more. The primary form of a witchlight marauder is capable of devouring everything -- plants, animals, structures, mountains -- in its path. In the process, they periodically spawn secondary marauders that hunt for survivors of the primaries' attack, which in turn spawn tertiary marauders to support them. After a week of gorging itself, a primary marauder will retreat underground to establish a lair and eventually reproduce by fission, after which the two primary marauders return to the surface to repeat the process. This cycle continues until the witchlight marauders run out of food, at which point they turn on each other.
* {{Kaiju}}: The primary marauder form is over 500 feet long, dwarfing even great wyrms, while the spacegoing marauder form are a thousand feet long.
* KilledOffForReal: The elves are confident that all the witchlight marauders were wiped out in the First Unhuman War, and any reports to the contrary are orcish propaganda. But legends persist of marauders surviving under ''time stop'' effects somewhere, or specimens that slipped past the elvish blockades to escape into Wildspace. "If an adventuring party were to find one of these organic timebombs, it would behoove them to leave the area immediately."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wolf-in-Sheep's-Clothing]]
[[quoteright:175:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wolf_in_sheeps_clothing_1e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:175:1e]]
->'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Odd plant monsters that use a harmless-looking lure to coax prey into reach of their tentacles.
----
* CombatTentacles: Wolves-in-Sheep's-Clothing are near-immobile, but compensate by attacking with long tentacles.
* KillerRabbit: They look like a harmless bunny or similar critter sitting on a tree stump, except the rabbit is a fuzzy prop and the "stump" is the body of a carnivorous monster.
* LuringInPrey: The wolf-in-sheep's-clothing looks like a small fluffy rabbit-like creature, but that is only its lure. The monster's real body is disguised as a tree stump and lies in wait for prey that mistakes its lure for a potential friend or easy meal.
* ManEatingPlant: They resemble tree stumps that feed on animals and people.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wolfwere]]
[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wolfwere_2e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:305:2e]]
->'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Lupine shapeshifters who can assume humanoid form to lure in victims.
----
* LiteralManeater: When preparing an ambush, wolfweres take on a human form that's the same race but the opposite sex of their target, passing themselves off as an exceptionally beautiful traveler, wandering minstrel, pilgrim, etc.
* MagicMusic: In humanoid form, a wolfwere can play a stringed instrument in a way that makes listeners lethargic, subjecting them to a ''slow'' effect that lasts several rounds. At that point, the creature typically assumes hybrid form and attacks.
* OurWerebeastsAreDifferent: As their name suggests, wolfweres are essentially werewolves from the other direction -- rather than humans who can transform into wolves, they're intelligent (dire) wolves who can transform into humans. Like werewolves, wolfweres can assume a [[PartialTransformation hybrid form]] and are repelled by wolfsbane, but unlike proper lycanthropes, the wolfweres' condition isn't contagious, and they're weak to ColdIron, not {{Silver Bullet}}s. Finally, wolfweres despise werewolves and vice versa, so that the two creatures will attack each another on sight.
* SavageWolves: They're an "evil and hateful creature that delights in the brutal slaying of humans and demihumans alike." When not hunting solo or in small groups of other wolfweres, they can be found leading packs of mundane wolves or worgs in vicious attacks on humanoids.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wood Woad]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wood_woad_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Plant (3E, 5E), Fey Humanoid (4E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E), 8 (4E), 5 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral, Unaligned (4E)

Roughly-humanoid wooden protectors who zealously guard a chosen location or person.
----
* TheAgeless: Wood woads don't die of old age, which can lead some to outlive whatever person or place they were originally guarding, in which case the wood woad will usually roam until it finds something else to watch over.
* GreenThumb: 3rd Edition wood woads can use ''warp wood'' at will, ruining (or repairing) wooden weapons, items or structures.
* HeWasRightThereAllAlong: Yes, these creatures of living wood are good at blending in with other plant life.
* HealingFactor: 5th Edition lets them regenerate health each turn, so long as they haven't taken fire damage.
* HeroicSacrifice: A wood woad is invested with the soul of someone who gave up life, free will and sentiments to become an eternal guardian, through a ritual that involves having their heart cut out and placed in a tree, which then grows into a wood woad.
* PlantPerson: They're more bark than leaf, but wood woads are still mobile plants, and can root themselves in the ground to take in sustenance.
* PrimitiveClubs: They wield simple wooden clubs in combat, appropriate for their crude forms, though in 5th Edition said clubs are enchanted to deal a lot of bonus damage.
* {{Teleportation}}: Wood woads have the ''tree stride'' ability of dryads, allowing them to step into one living tree and step out another.
* WeakToFire: Like most plant entities, they take extra damage from fire.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Worg]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_worg_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E), Natural Magical Beast (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 2 (3E), 9 (4E), 1/2 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil, ChaoticEvil (4E)

Wolf-like monsters who often ally with goblin tribes.
----
* ArtEvolution: Worgs have become progressively more monstrous over time. In and before 3E, they're essentially just big, evil wolves. In 4E, they're depicted with scaly and demonic hindquarters. 5E worgs are fully hairy and mammalian, but have humped backs, longer forelimbs, and elongated, hairless faces.
* HorseOfADifferentColor: Worgs allied to goblin tribes often serve as mounts for their partners, bringing with them a level of intelligence, power and combat prowess that horses cannot match. However, as worgs are intelligent beings, this is first and foremost a partnership of equals, a detail that goblins are served well to remember.
* ItCanThink: Mistake worgs for normal wolves at your peril. They're not only smart enough to speak Goblin, they even have their own language, easily confused for the howling of ordinary wolves, which they can use to convey information over great distances, or coordinate an attack.
* SavageWolves: Worgs are intelligent, evil creatures resembling large, powerfully built wolves. They live as savage predators in the wilderness and eagerly attack travelers and isolated settlements, and often ally with goblinoids.

!!Guulvorg
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guulvorg.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E), Natural Magical Beast (4E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 13 (3E), 16 (4E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil (3E), ChaoticEvil (4E)

Immense, mace-tailed worgs created by goblinoid shamans as superior war beasts.
----
* BewareMyStingerTail: Guulvorgs have long tails ending in bony maces.
* BioweaponBeast: Guulvorgs are unnatural beings created by the magical alteration of common worgs by goblinoid shamans seeking to create stronger and deadlier war mounts. They're still mostly found as war beasts for hobgoblin forces, although some have escaped into the wild. They also suffer from drawbacks from their artificial and imperfect creation, as the accelerated metabolism that fuels their speed and power also makes it difficult for them to keep themselves properly fed.
* BloodyMurder: Striking a guulvorg with a piercing or slashing attack will send its boiling-hot blood gushing out, badly scalding its attacker.
* MoralityPet: Guulvorgs are violent, spiteful creatures, cruel hunters, foul-tempered loners, and provided with little empathy for other living beings -- but they are also very loyal to their mates and, when they manage to breed, become doting and self-sacrificing parents to their pups.
* NecessaryDrawback: Guulvorgs have incredibly high metabolisms, giving them boiling-hot blood that harms anyone who tries to wound them, and fueling their swift reflexes and constant growth. However, maintaining such a metabolism requires an immense amount of energy, forcing guulvorgs to eat voraciously and leaving them constantly hungry, and most die young from either starvation or literally burning themselves out.

!!Winter Wolf
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/winter_wolf_d&d.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E), Natural Magical Beast (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E), 14 (4E), 3 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil, Evil (4E)

Stronger kin to common worgs with ties to elemental cold, who haunt frozen northern climates.
----
* BreathWeapon: Winter wolves can breathe out a cone of freezing air.
* ElementalShapeshifting: In 4th Edition, winter wolf snowfangs can turn into whirlwinds of ice and snow.
* AnIcePerson: They deal cold damage with their bites and can exhale blasts of frigid air.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wraith]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wraith_5e_transparent.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E-5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (wraith), 11 (dread wraith) (3E, 5E); 5 (wraith), 25 (dread wraith (4E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil, ChaoticEvil (4E)

Most evil souls are dragged to one of the Lower Planes upon death, but other souls are so all-consumingly evil that they collapse in on themselves, becoming a spiritual black hole that wishes to destroy all living things.
----
* EnemyToAllLivingThings: In 3rd Edition, animals find the presence of a wraith extremely disturbing and will not voluntarily approach one. They will panic and run away if the wraith approaches them.
* MakeThemRot: The touch of a wraith saps vitality and withers flesh, draining Constitution in 3rd edition and dealing necrotic damage in 5th edition.
* OmnicidalManiac: A wraith is malice incarnate, and exists only to quench all life.
* TheVirus: Those slain by a wraith may arise as additional wraiths (in 3E) or specters (in 5E) under the original's control. Wraiths sometimes rule legions of the dead, plotting the doom of living creatures.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wurm]]
[[quoteright:165:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wurms_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:165:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Dragon (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (wurmling), 9 (adult), 15 (greater), 23 (elder) (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' Any Neutral (varies by subtype)

A family of sinuous dragons, who serve as protectors for various biomes.
----
* TheBerserker: Mountain wurms are unpredictable and dangerously easy to rile, and can fly into a barbarian's rage several times per day.
* BreathWeapon: All wurms have some sort of breath attack. In some cases this does nothing but deal damage -- hill wurms can fire a cone of flesh-shredding thorns, lava worms fire a line of molten rock that burns and bludgeons targets, and mountain wurms can spray a line of digestive acid. Other wurms have a NonDamagingStatusInflictionAttack for their breath weapon -- forest wurms spray a cone of rapidly-hardening resin that entangles foes, grassland wurms can fire a line of magic that causes ''confusion'', river wurms spray a cone of slippery foam that forces victims to make Balance checks to avoid falling over, sand wurms spray a contact poison that deals Dexterity damage and may cause unconsciousness, sea wurms spray blinding spittle, and swamp wurms blast enemies with a line of nauseating muck. And then some wurms have a breath attack that deals damage ''and'' causes a secondary effect -- cave wurms breathe a cone of phosphorus that deals initial and ongoing fire damage that also illuminates victims like ''faerie fire'', storm wurms blast foes with a cone of lightning that can also stun them, and tundra wurms breathe a cone of cold so fierce that it saps victims' Strength.
* ChameleonCamouflage: Wurms have a limited ability to change their coloration to blend in with their home biome, giving them a bonus to Hide checks.
* {{Druid}}: In ancient times, a group of druids created the wurms in "a grand experiment to protect the wilderness from the intrusion of 'civilizing' forces." As such, they gain druidic rather than sorcerer spells as they age, eventually learn Sylvan and Druidic, and some wurms become full druids, their favored class.
* ForestRanger: Or cave ranger, or tundra ranger, etc. All wurms, even those of evil alignment, will vigorously protect their home territory and the creatures within it from defilers, and a few even take up the ranger class. However, the wurm subtypes' varied personalities means that they approach this responsibility in different ways and to differing degrees -- a forest wurm might sacrifice itself to save its woodland, while lava wurms do all they can to trigger a volcanic eruption in order to remake the landscape and erase the works of humanoids who might take advantage of the fertile soil.
* HomeFieldAdvantage: All wurms get a racial bonus to Climb or Swim checks in their home biome, and may have additional benefits -- river wurms can make great leaps from the water, while tundra wurms can walk across ice without difficulty, for example.
* InterserviceRivalry: Cave wurms and hill wurms are both committed to defending their respective biomes, but should their territories overlap, it ends in one breed either killing or driving off the other due to their clashing philosophies. Hill wurms are sometimes known as "keepers of the meek" for being willing to protect small animals from predators, while cave wurms have a Darwinian commitment to "cull the weak," to the point that they'll ignore a creature they deem "worthy of its race" but in combat will always target the weakest of a group.
* LightningBruiser: Grassland wurms have the fastest land speed of their kin, combining "the speed of a cheetah and the mass of an elephant" to deadly effect.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Wurms are "distant cousins" of true dragons, and are physically differentiated by lacking wings and carrying their snake-like bodies low to the ground. Wurmlings range from three to eight feet long, while elder wurms can be 30 feet long and five feet in diameter. Like true dragons, wurms are fully intelligent, have breath weapons, and grow physically and magically stronger as they progress through age categories, but they don't have a frightful presence.
* SandWorm: Sand wurms like to ambush prey by bursting out of the sand and dragging them underground, though they actually have the longest limbs of the wurms.
* SeaSerpents: Sea wurms are amphibious, Neutral Evil wurms who viciously defend their home waters, whether from passing ships or merfolk settlements.
* SummonMagic: There are druid spells that specifically summon one or more wurmlings, adult wurms, or greater wurms.
* TentacleRope: Wurms can coil their long bodies around foes and deal constriction damage.
* UndergroundMonkey: Wurms come in several climate-adapted subtypes -- cave, forest, grassland, hill, lava, mountain, river, sand, sea, storm, swamp, and tundra. This affects their appearance, the nature of their breath weapon, and their alignment and personality, but otherwise all wurms use the same four stat blocks.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wyndlass]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wyndlass_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 10 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Also known as the ''vaka-te-nok'', or the "Mouth beneath the Earth," these huge, voracious creatures prey upon swamp wildlife and travelers alike.
----
* AntlionMonster: Wyndlasses operate similarly to such, digging out watery pits some 30 feet wide and 15 feet deep next to a game trail or swamp road, hiding beneath the surface until they detect prey, then pulling it in with their tentacles.
* EyeOfNewt: The oil they secrete is an important ingredient in an ''oil of slipperiness'', though it's just as useful as a non-magical lubricant.
* GiantSquid: They look something like three-eyed squid 20 to 30 feet long, and are suspected to be cephalopods mutated by either the passage of the Graygem or [[AWizardDidIt some wizard's experiments]] to live in swamp muck -- they don't have a swim speed anymore, and can only haul themselves overland or slowly burrow.
* ItCanThink: They're incapable of speech, but wyndlasses are smarter than ogres and can understand Common.
* SinisterSuffocation: Wyndlasses can excrete a potent oil that initially replicates a ''grease'' spell, but will soon convert a section of soft earth into a morass with less surface tension than even ordinary quicksand. Once they get their tentacles around something, they hold their prey beneath the surface of this quicksand to drown.
* StealthyCephalopod: Their bodies are normally a muddy brown, but wyndlasses have a natural camouflage ability, resulting in a racial bonus to Hide checks.
* TentacledTerror: They have ten barbed tentacles they use to lash at and [[TentacleRope grab]] prey, something made worse by said barbs. Fortunately, these tentacles can be targeted by sunder attempts.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wynling]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wynling_5e.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Fey (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral

Tiny winged fey who dwell in the mountains, harrassing any intruders, though good music and sweet food may lure them into nearby humanoid settlements.
----
* {{Invisibility}}: They can turn invisible almost at will, an effect that lasts for a minute (or until the wynling attacks something), and extends to anything the fey is carrying.
* MischiefMakingMonkey: Wynlings look something like winged, blue-furred monkeys, and delight in pranks and mischief.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: They can be bribed into pranking specific targets with offers of persimmons.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wyste]]
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wyste_2e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:310:2e]]
->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Tentacled, leech-like creatures two feet wide and 25 feet long, which lurk in pools of extradimensional slime before lunging out at victims.
----
* FoodChainOfEvil: Wystes are dangerous alien predators, but they in turn are preyed upon by [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD dharculi.]]
* HostileTerraforming: They're the result of it. When the Far Realm intrudes upon the Material Plane, it can cause bulbous black plant-like growths to form on walls and ceilings, fed upon by ambulatory white lumpen things. The white things also secrete a blue slime that accumulates in pools, which attract wystes. Should the Far Realm influence be removed, the creatures that renew the wystes' slime pools will die off over the course of a month, dooming the wystes in turn.
* SinisterSuffocation: In their ''AD&D'' rules, wystes might grab prey and drag it into their slime pools to drown them. Their victims have to save to escape the wyste's clutches, and then make another roll to be able to discern which way is up in the pool of otherworldly sludge.
* SuperSenses: Wystes have no eyes, but their tentacles and cilia can detect prey by scent and vibration, giving the monsters blindsight out to 120 feet.
* TentacleRope: These creatures use their tentacles to bring prey to their maws, which latch on and deal bite damage each round until their victim extricates themself.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wyvern]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wyvern_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:3e]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wyvern_3e.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:2e]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wyvern_2e.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->'''Classification:''' Dragon (3E, 5E), Natural Beast (4E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 6 (3E, 5E), 10 (4E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil (1E-2E), TrueNeutral (3E), Unaligned (4E-5E)

Bestial kin to dragons usually found as either wilderness predators, or minions of greater draconic beings.
----
* ArtEvolution: In First through Second Edition, wyverns are quite similar to the game's proper dragons (especially since the "four legs and wings" pattern for true dragons hadn't become standardized yet), just with reptilian tails ending in poisonous stingers. In Third and Fourth, they instead have full scorpion tails growing from their posteriors, and gain a more birdlike facial profile with a beaklike upper lip and a "goatee" of chin scales. Fifth reverts them to a more reptilian appearance, while also giving them a cobra-like hood.
* BewareMyStingerTail: Wyvern tails end in venomous scorpion-like stingers.
* CraftedFromAnimals: Averted; their ''AD&D'' write-up mentions that while spellcasters may have use for some wyvern body parts, the beasts' bones are too light and brittle to be used as a crafting material, and no one has found a way to cure wyvern hide. Even their meat has little use for hunters, since it tastes foul.
* HybridMonster: Wyvern drakes are, as their name suggests, dragon-wyvern crossbreeds, gaining their dragon parent's breath weapon and energy immunity, as well as some measure of a true dragon's intellect.
* MakeThemRot: Fell wyverns, a variant native to the Shadowfell, possess an entropic breath weapon with necrotic effects.
* OurWyvernsAreDifferent: Wyverns are mid-level monsters under the dragon creature type, although not true dragons and lacking a BreathWeapon. They have scorpion-like stingers that inject a deadly venom and are much smaller than true dragons, although considering the sizes dragons reach on adulthood wyverns are still large enough to comfortably fly off with a cow in their talons. They are also much less intelligent and much more bestial than true dragons, although they are smart enough to occasionally serve their more powerful relatives as minions.
* StealthyColossus: Wyverns are cunning hunters that often make surprise attacks, thanks to attacking prey from downwind, or flying without letting their shadow fall over targets, then diving at them in total silence.
[[/folder]]

!!X

[[folder:Xeph]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_xeph_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

A race of psionic humanoids known for their agility and speed.
----
* FragileSpeedster: Xephs have a racial bonus to Dexterity, but a penalty to Constitution.
* NitroBoost: Three times per day, xephs can gain a temporary bonus to their base movement speed.
* ProudMerchantRace: While part of the xephs' wealth comes from trading their exquisite artworks, they also have a strong desire to see the world and experience other people's art (and wealth), leading them to form caravans or go on voyages. As such, their chief deity is Fharlanghn, the god of travelers.
* PsychicPowers: Xephs are naturally psionic, and many become soulknives, manifesting their power in the form of psionic blades.
* UndergroundCity: The xeph dwell within a great rift valley, deep enough that the chief illumination comes from psionically-illuminated trees. Visitors are welcomed, though some ancient temples will remain off-limits to non-xephs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Xixchil]]
[[quoteright:299:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_xixchil_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:299:2e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}''\\
'''Playable:''' 2E\\
'''Alignment:''' Any

Intelligent, five-foot-tall mantoids who are skilled crafters, specializing in surgical enhancements.
----
* {{Biomanipulation}}: Not only do xixchil modify themselves, they're also willing to surgically enhance paying customers with stronger bodies, wings, specialized limbs, and so forth. The catch is that the RequiredSecondaryPowers of such upgrades are likely to come into play, so not only is an adventurer with wings going to have difficulty fitting through dungeon doors, they'll also be given the enhanced appetite and hollow bones necessary for flying. In another example, a dwarf who paid for enhanced strength might find that his xixchil surgeon considered his head little more than a "muscle anchor" -- "Suffice to say, there are more than enough 'beautiful people' who are no longer that way thanks to the gentle ministrations of the xixchil. But oh, are they functional!" Beyond combat augmentations, xixchil sell novelties such as "blooming birds" and winged kittens.
-->'''A xixchil surgeon:''' You wished us to give you the vision of an eagle, and so we did. The beak and feathers were free.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Xixchil have natural weapons in the form of retractable blades in their forelimbs, which strike as hard as greatswords. Those who specialize in close combat might graft on [[MultiArmedAndDangerous two additional limbs]], which can be modified to act like weapons such as maces, mancatchers or even blowguns. The catch is that xixchil can't wield other races' weapons, even with their natural limbs.
* CombatPragmatist: A xixchil adage is "Stealth equals efficiency," and they prefer to attack from stealth or other advantageous positions. This, their flair for sharp objects, and their ability to produce poison can make xixchil renowned assassins.
* InsectoidAliens: They're mantis-like beings, though leaning more towards the "mantis" part than the somewhat more humanoid thri-kreen.
* OrganicTechnology: Xixchil can produce organic spelljamming vessels that resemble sculpted plants, with leaf sails and orchid gangways. This has actually upset the elves, since the xixchil's craft rival theirs in quality, but are easier to maintain.
* PoisonousPerson: After tasting a subject's body (or something that's been in close proximity to it, like clothing or a held item), a xixchel can immediately synthesize an "enzyme soup" in its saliva, ready for use the next round. Benignly, this can be a tailor-made anesthetic that puts a patient under for surgery, or more offensively, a xixchel's bite can paralyze a victim, or even kill them instantly if they fail a saving throw (made with a penalty, due to the personalized nature of the poison).
* TheSocialDarwinist: Xixchil society is very much "survival of the fittest," to the extent that it was accepted that their hatchlings would immediately duel and eat their dozens of siblings until one or two remained to join their civilization. They value individuals over families, with society as a whole as a distant concern. Xixchel adventurers may come to view their companions as a family, but are rarely willing to sacrifice themselves to help them.
* {{Transhuman}}: Or transxixchil, in this case. These beings believe that "the body is like a house, and that one must add to the blank shell to make it truly one's home." Xixchil commonly modify their bodies, with cosmetic enhancements like inlaid gemstones, or giving themselves fantastic shapes, or grafting on additional specialized limbs. Those who deal with other humanoids might adopt names like "Spike," "Crest," "Hook" or "Spinner," based on their modifications.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Xill]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_xill_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E), Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 6 (3E), 3 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

Four-armed, red-scaled reptilian raiders from the Ethereal Plane, feared for their reproductive method.
----
* {{Expy}}: Of the ixtl from ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheSpaceBeagle''.
* FaceFullOfAlienWingWong: Xill can take a standard action to implant their eggs inside a paralyzed victim. The young emerge 7 (in 2E) or 90 (in 3E) days later, [[ChestBurster devouring their host from the inside out,]] unless they're removed with a Heal check or a spell like ''remove disease''.
* {{Intangibility}}: Xill live on the Ethereal Plane, and can shift from it to the Material Plane as a move action. Returning is slower, however, a process that takes two full rounds, over which the xill is motionless, but attacks against it have an increasing chance to miss. Notably, they can use their planewalking ability while carrying a willing or helpless creature.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: They make good use of their four limbs to grapple and restrain victims to be bitten and implanted with eggs, then haul them off to the Ethereal Plane until those eggs hatch.
* TheParalyzer: Their bites can inject a paralytic into their victims.
* PeopleFarms: Xill society is divided between the Lower Clans, who forgo weapons and remorselessly attack other creatures to propogate themselves (and don't call themselves "Lower Clans," or acknowlege other xill), and the High Clans, more "civilized" xill who dwell in cities within the Deep Ethereal, craft goods, and will trade with visitors, while rarely if ever leaving the Ethereal Plane themselves. The xill of the High Clans can't use their paralysis poison more than once per day because those glands have atrophied from disuse, but they still need intelligent creatures as hosts for their young, leading to a longstanding rumor that they maintain a hatchery/nursery in the Deep Ethereal where the descendents of kidnapping victims are bred as nothing more than incubators for xill young. "The modern slaves, if they exist, are said to have lost all traces of intelligence or sophistication, and rarely live beyond their late teens before serving as hatcheries. Most folk hope that this rumor isn't true and try not to think about it too much."
* {{Retcon}}: While most editions treat xill as just another race of extraplanar beings with no clear origin, 5th Edition presents them as the creations of the wizard Keraptis, who sent them to steal magical artifacts and kidnap specific people to some unknown end.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Xorn]]
[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xorn.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E), Elemental Magical Beast (4E), Elemental (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (minor), 6 (average), 8 (elder) (3E); 9 (4E); 5 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral, Unaligned (4E)

Trilaterally symmetrical stone-eaters from the Elemental Plane of Earth.
----
* DungeonBypass: Xorns' ''earth glide'' ability lets them move through solid stone as easily as a fish swims through water, passing without leaving a tunnel behind them. They use this ability to seek out food, but since it lets them bypass living and nonliving obstacles, xorns can be valuable sources of information about a dungeon's layout.
* EatDirtCheap: Xorns feed primarily on gemstones and minerals, although they also enjoy {{metal|Muncher}}. They are in fact unable to digest meat at all, and consequently tend to ignore fleshly beings unless these threaten their food supply -- or unless they're wearing a significant amount of jewelry or armor.
* MetalMuncher: In addition to gemstones, xorns feed on metal and can smell it up to twenty feet away. If a xorn encounters {{Player Character}}s who are carrying metal (copper, silver, gold and so on), it will do whatever it can to make them hand it over, first offering information its learned from its travels in an exchange, then resorting to threats or even force.
* MooksAteMyEquipment: A xorn variant known as xarren are slightly smaller and shinier. They specifically eat enchanted metal, and can crush metallic magic weapons in combat.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Xvart]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_xvarts_5e.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E, 5E) Fey Humanoid (4E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/3 (3E), 1 (4E) 2 (5E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil, Evil (4E)

Small blue humanoids who survive by stealing from other creatures, but occasionally take prisoners to ransom, torture or sacrifice.
----
* BodyDouble: In 5th Edition, xvarts were created by Raxivort, a demon-turned-demigod who stole a treasure from Graz'zt's hoard and became a planar fugitive. Xvarts look like smaller versions of their creator, and screw with magical tracking, as any attempt to track their creator will result in the spell pointing to the nearest xvart. Raxivort continually spawns xvarts to keep his enemies off his tail.
* HumanSacrifice: When things aren't going well for them, xvarts naturally assume that Raxivort is angry and kidnap enemies, which are dragged back to the lair and sacrificed on a makeshift altar. If the ritual is successful, Raxivort may appear in person, put all the tribe's valuables into a sack, and leave.
* OneGenderRace: As of 5th Edition, xvarts are all male and lack the ability and desire to reproduce, and are instead created by Raxivort whenever he needs a fresh set of decoys.
* {{Retcon}}: Xvarts were originally introduced as another breed of small, nasty humanoids alongside goblins and kobolds. 4th Edition cast them as gnomes who were captured by fomorians and then further twisted by the Shadowfell. 5th Edition has the most elaborate backstory yet, explaining that xvarts are the creations of a paranoid demigod meant to throw his enemies off his trail.
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: One constant across the editions is that xvarts can communicate with bats and rats (and their giant variants), which they domesticate, as well as wererats, who end up the dominant party in alliances.

[[/folder]]

!!Y

[[folder:Yakfolk]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_yak_folk_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/AlQadim''\\
'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E), Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E); 3 (warrior), 4 (priest) (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Ogre-sized, yak-headed humanoids who call themselves Yikaria, "the lucky chosen." Despite their air of culture and sophistication and their seemingly-idyllic mountain cities, they are ruthless slavers.
----
* EnemySummoner: Any yakfolk can summon a dao (in 2nd Edition) or evil janni (in 3rd Edition) once per day, who is bound to serve the yakfolk until the second sunrise after the summoning. The genies are resentful servants, but are unable to directly harm their masters, and instead vent their frustrations upon the yakfolks' enemies, or attempt to subtly undermine their masters, perhaps by giving information to their foes.
* GrandTheftMe: Beyond merely capturing other creatures as slaves, yakfolk can take over other beings' bodies by physically merging with them, during a 20-minute ritual that is a unique variant of the ''magic jar'' spell. This grants the yakfolk access to their victim's memories, so that only someone who knows the victim closely has even a chance of realizing something's wrong. Yakfolk use this ability to infiltrate other races' societies, and once a mission is complete, they're liable to amuse themselves by causing the hijacked body to run amok, then abandon control and escape, leaving the bewildered victim to face the consequences.
* MadeASlave: They are notorious slavers, so that even the poorest yakfolk owns a servant or two, while their cities contain five to six times as many enslaved minions as yakfolk.
* MageSpecies: Yakfolk dabble in magic, so that while they cannot innately spells on their own, every one of them can use any sort of MagicStaff, and their leaders are all spellcasters.
* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: They're pretty much a yak-themed variant of minotaurs.
* TheShangriLa: Their mountain strongholds [[CrapsaccharineWorld appear]] as such, with impressive defenses surrounding libraries, temples and green gardens. "Outsiders stumbling into an enclave of yak folk are usually surprised and pleased to find what appears to be a utopia hidden in the mountaintops, and the yak folk do all in their power to foster that image until the strangers can be disarmed and enslaved."
* TheTheocracy: All yakfolk are fanatic in their worship of a deity outsiders know only as the Forgotten God, who appears as a yakfolk wearing a smooth, featureless mask. Said deity is responsible for subjugating the genies, forcing them to serve the yakfolk for "a thousand years and a year." He also demands constant sacrifices of slaves, who are ritualistically slain in "the matter elemental" -- thrown off a cliff, immolated, drowned, or buried alive.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yellow Musk Creeper]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_yellow_musk_creeper_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:A yellow musk creeper and zombified orcs (3e)]]
->'''Classification:''' Plant (3E, 5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E), 2 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Climbing plants known for their beautiful yellow flowers, enticing aroma, and their propensity for consuming the brains of other creatures and turning them into mind-controlled puppets.
----
* AlluringFlowers: Their numerous yellow flowers produce a heady, entrancing musk that lures those who smell it into the heart of the plant, whereupon the creeper's sharp vines quickly skewer the unfortunate and consume their brain. In-game, this is treated as a mind-affecting compulsion place on anyone who gets a good whiff of the plant's pollen.
* BrainFood: Yellow musk creepers feed by stabbing their vines into the heads of their victims and sucking out their brains.
* CombatTentacles: A creeper's main melee weapons are its fast, strong and razor-edged vines.
* ManEatingPlant: Yellow musk creepers are aggressively carnivorous plants whose diet consists exclusively of the brains of others -- they don't even photosynthesize, and in fact avoid bright light. They don't limit themselves to human prey specifically, however, and will happily go after anything with a developed central nervous system.
* MindControl: When a creature comes within 30 feet of the creeper, it blasts them with a spray of potent-smelling dust that can cause the creature to fall into a trance, desiring only to walk right into the creeper's reach and not react even as it feeds on them.
* PuppeteerParasite: The creeper's main mechanical claim to fame is its ability to plant seedlings into the heads of other creatures, which turns the victim into a yellow musk zombie that thereafter lives only to protect the creeper. After a few months of this thralldom, the zombies leave their creeper, wandering randomly for a few days before dropping dead and allowing their seedling to take root and grow into a new yellow musk creeper.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yeth Hound]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_yeth_hound_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E), Fey (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E), 4 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Evil canines with uncannily human faces, who take cruel delight in hunting intelligent prey.
----
* BeastWithAHumanFace: Yeth hounds resemble large dogs with the faces of ugly, distorted humanoids.
* {{Flight}}: They can run across the ground or glide through the sky.
* RightHandAttackDog: 5th Edition yeth hounds are created by powerful fey as rewards for a servant, who becomes the pack's master, able to telepathically communicate with them. Should their master be slain, yeth hounds seek out a new evil individual to serve, like a hag, necromancer or vampire.
* {{Sadist}} Yeth hounds delight in terrorizing their prey, and will draw out their hunts for as long as possible, until the threat of dawn brings an evening's entertainment to an end.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: Yeth hounds' horrible baying can cause other creatures to flee in a panic.
* WeakenedByTheLight: Yeth hounds can't stand sunlight and never willingly prolong a hunt beyond dawn, no matter the amount of coercion by a pack's master. In 5th Edition, if a yeth hound is exposed to natural sunlight, it fades away, vanishing into the Ethereal Plane, and can only be retrieved after the sun has set.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yeti]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yeti_d&d_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E), Natural Beast (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E, 4E); 1/8 (yeti tyke), 3 (yeti), 9 (abominable yeti) (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral (1E-3E), Unaligned (4E), ChaoticEvil (5E)

Apelike predators found in high, cold mountains.
----
* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti: As typical for yeti depictions in fiction, they are white, hairy monsters living in snowy areas but, unusually, they also have horns. There are also abominable yetis, a larger and stronger variant found in isolated areas.
* BreathWeapon: Abominable yetis can exhale cones of frigid air.
* EliteMook: Abominable yetis, a rare variant which grows to be three times larger and much stronger than common yetis.
* HornedHumanoid: Beginning in fourth edition, yetis have goat-like horns despite resembling ape- or bear-like humanoids otherwise.
* UnwittingPawn: Yetis tend to rampage into humanoid settlements when food grows scarce, and mountain warlords are known to deliberately overhunt game in order to lure them into enemy towns and camps, using the unwitting beasts' instincts to weaken opposition and rid themselves of a dangerous monster in one swoop.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yggdrasti]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_yggdrasti_5e.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Plant (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 7 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Splinters of the legendary World Tree that fly through Wildspace, attacking any spelljamming ships or settlements they encounter.
----
* CombatTentacles: Yggdrasti lash and [[TentacleRope grapple]] creatures with their roots.
* ShockAndAwe: They can discharge bolts of lightning a few times per day, and if a foe is foolish enough to attack one with electricity, [[FeedItWithFire the yggdrasti immediately recharges its lightning bolt attack.]]
* WeakToFire: Like most plant creatures, they take extra fire damage.
* WhenTreesAttack: They look like gigantic, barnacle-encrusted trees when they drift through Wildspace with their roots trailing behind them. If they make landfall and root themselves in the ground, yggdrasti look like any ordinary tree until they move or attack.
* WorldTree: They're thought to be scions of Yggdrasil, and yggdrasti can serve as downplayed examples -- they're large enough to generate gravity planes and air envelopes, and have multiple cavities in their bodies large enough for creatures to fit into, so yggdrasti can form the centerpieces of small space ecosystems.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yrthak]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_yrthak_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Giant, eyeless, winged reptiles who hunt using sonic attacks.
----
* BizarreAlienBiology: ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' #352 goes into detail with its "Ecology of the Yrthak" article. Yrthaks possess a bulbous organ on the tip of their tongue known as an aural lobe, which allows them to perceive their surroundings via sound with the help of a secondary, acoustic brain that processes information, filters sounds, and helps control the creatures' sonic attacks. Said attacks are generated by harmonic diagrams and resonating sinuses, then through a process not fully understood, all the sonic energy is fired from the yrthak's horn, which contains a porous structure called the tonal multivibrator to help focus the noise into a damaging attack.
* GiantFlyer: They're Huge winged creatures with 40-foot wingspans, and as such are officially giant-sized.
* ItCanThink: Despite their monstrous appearance, yrthaks are nearly as intelligent as humans, and far more cunning than an ordinary animal. Though solitary, they're quick to come to each other's aid, since they can easily hear each other's sonic blasts -- this may in fact be a secondary function of such attacks.
* MakeSomeNoise: Yrthaks attack using focused beams of sound from the conical protrusion on their heads. They can emit a lance of solid energy against a single target, or fire at the ground or a stony surface to create an explosion of shattered stone to deal less damage to all within a 10-foot-radius of the impact site.
* MusicSoothesTheSavageBeast: Music stimulates yrthaks, with the most wild of tunes "resonating through their bodies in a kind of tonal ecstacy." This can lead them to kidnap bards and other musicians back to their lairs, though savvy performers have been able to survive for years in captivity, or escape it altogether, by playing a song that lulls the yrthank to sleep.
* StarfishLanguage: They're incapble of speaking humanoid speech, but yrthaks have their own language of "subtle rasps, flaps, clicks and subharmonic tones" that allows the creatures to communicate a great deal of information with each other. Most other species can't reproduce the yrthak language, but creatures like destrachans and nycters can hear and potentially learn it.
* SuperSenses: Though blind (and immune to gaze attacks and illusions), a yrthak's aural lobes grant it blindsight out to 120 feet and lets it detect loud noises out to a range of 30 ''miles'', but renders it effectively blind if affected by a ''silence'' spell. The aural lobe also retracts into a divot in the creature's jaw when it stops to eat, drink or attack with its jaws, meaning it's blind when taking those actions, as well as whenever a yrthak closes its mouth. This hypersensitivity to sound leads yrthaks to roost in areas of regular, interesting noise, like waterfalls, coastal cliffs, volcanoes, rustling forests, storm-wracked mountains... and most dangerously, atop tall structures in bustling cities.
* WasOnceAMan: According to the {{mystery cult}} of Nyx, there once was a masterful and ambitious bard named Brannius of Apollo who prayed to any deity who would listen for a way to let his music reach everyone across the world. After a week of fervent hymns, a trumpet archon appeared to offer her instrument to Brannius, promising that his music would be remembered for all time. But a succubus also appeared to offer a macabre bone horn and the vow that she could give Brannius music that would "change the lives of all who heard it, songs no living thing could deny and that even the deaf would notice, and do so within his lifetime." The bard ultimately reached for the bone horn, but the succubus quickly jammed it into his skull, transforming Brannius into the first yrthak.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yuan-ti]]
[[quoteright:350:[[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yuan_ti.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:A yuan-ti pureblood and abomination. (3e)]]
->'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil (3E), Evil (4E), NeutralEvil (5E)

The descendents of humans who performed dark rituals to take on the traits and shapes of serpents. Though their ancient empire was overthrown, the yuan-ti survived, and plot to control and enslave other nations.
----
* AlmightyJanitor: The yuan-ti were originally a ServantRace but their masters grew so lazy and dependent that they basically ran the empire themselves.
* ChameleonCamouflage: In many editions, yuan-ti halfbloods and abominations can psionically change the coloration of their scales to blend in with their environment.
* CharmPerson: In 5th edition, all yuan-ti can innately cast the ''suggestion'' spell.
* {{Cult}}: They often set up serpent cults in other races' cities, offering hedonistic pleasures or cures for physical and emotional ailments, to expand their influence and gain leverage over those in power.
* EmotionlessReptile: Yuan-ti are by nature completely devoid of emotion, operating only on cold logic and self-interest. When they display any kind of emotional reaction, it's always faked as part of a calculated ruse.
* {{Expy}}: Many traits of the yuan-ti are lifted from the Serpent Men of ''Literature/{{Kull}}'': SnakePeople who ruled an ancient empire, live by a ReligionOfEvil, and infiltrate human society to try to take it over.
* FantasticCasteSystem: A yuan-ti's standing in society is determined by how reptilian they are -- the less serpentine they look, the less power they wield, and [[WeHaveReserves the earlier they're sent into battle ahead of their superiors.]]
* FantasticRacism: Yuan-ti look down upon humanoids as inferior, and most think it beneath themselves to converse with [[ToServeMan "meat."]] Purebloods, owing to their vocation as spies or spokesmen, do the best job of disguising their disdain towards lesser humanoids, but their training involves learning how to suppress their annoyance about having to treat lesser beings as equals.
* GodhoodSeeker: Yuan-ti rarely worship deities out of any true sense of reverence -- their extremely dispassionate and emotionless natures aren't very conducive to this -- but rather seeks to emulate their deity, learn the secrets of their ascension or divine nature, and use this knowledge to become deities themselves and supplant their former patron.
* HappinessInSlavery: In ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'', the yuan-ti were originally the most successful and loyal of the sarrukh's {{Servant Race}}s, and were typically trusted with the most important assignments and the greatest degree of independence. The yuan-ti in turn genuinely embraced and accepted this position, as they viewed the sarrukh as their natural superiors and their subservience to them as their ideal and natural place. Even in the modern day, they still respect the remaining sarrukh despite also viewing their creators' civilization has having become decadent and past its prime. This was bred into them at a fundamental level, and contemporary yuan-ti are profoundly unsettled by the eagerness to serve that arises upon personally meeting sarrukh.
* LackOfEmpathy: The cold and emotionless yuan-ti view all other creatures as either threats to be avoided or hunks of meat to be used and discarded as they see fit, and they view the emotions of other beings as an exploitable weakness. They don't even feel empathy for their own kind: while the yuan-ti place a higher intrinsic value on fellow yuan-ti than they do on everything else, a starving yuan-ti would still kill and eat one of its fellows without hesitation or remorse.
* {{Mayincatec}}: They live in cities deep within the jungle, their temples are step-sided pyramids adorned with fancy snake artwork, and they practice human sacrifice to please their serpentine gods. If that wasn't enough of a clue, ''Volo's Guide to Monsters'' has a list of sample yuan-ti names drawn from Nahuatl names and nouns.
* {{Metamorphosis}}: It's possible for yuan-ti to undergo rituals to transform their bodies and thus rise in rank, but the cost in time, rare ingredients, and sacrificial victims means that most yuan-ti never get the opportunity to "promote" themselves.
* MonstrousCannibalism: The yuan-ti's ancestors debased themselves through cannibalistic rituals to gain their powers, and their descendents have no taboo regarding eating each other for lack of other options.
* PoisonedWeapons: They tip their arrows with their own venom for added lethality.
* PoisonousPerson: Their malisons and abominations have poisonous fangs, while the purebloods can innately cast the ''poison spray'' cantrip.
* PsychicPowers: Traditionally, yuan-ti have been psionicists as well as arcanists and priests, so that some of their supernatural abilities such as the shapechanging have been explicitly psionic abilities. 3rd Edition also offered variant rules exchanging their spell-like abilities with innate psionic powers.
* SnakePeople: They vary in form, but are typically some combination of snake and humans. Most are either primarily to fully humanoid and scaled or have humanoid torsos on a snake body, while others are fully snakelike or made out of multiple smaller snakes.
* SnakesAreSinister: They're tainted by snake blood, and are coldly, thoroughly evil.
* TheSociopath: Yuan-ti are natural manipulators, completely devoid of emotion, and believe themselves to be the pinnacle of creation, destined to rule over the lesser races.
-->'''Elminster:''' Ye cannot goad one of the serpent folk into hatred or fear, or evoke in it love or friendship. They make fake such things to cozen ye, but within they are always cold, calmly calculating.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Yuan-ti can take the form of vipers, their size varying based on how the yuan-ti's ranking.
* WasOnceAMan: The first yuan-ti were humans who, after developing a cold-bloodedly logical philosophy, resorted to sinister and increasingly-extreme rituals to transform themselves into hybrids of human and snake, in emulation of their inhuman gods. In the present, they sometimes reward loyal human cultists with transformation into a pureblood.
* TheUnfettered: They refuse to allow concepts like "morality" or "taboos" to limit their actions.

!!Yuan-ti Pureblood
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yuan_ti_pureblood.png]]
[[caption-width-right:270:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E), Humanoid (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E), 1 (5E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E, 5E

The most human-looking of the yuan-ti, and therefore the lowest caste. They serve as minions or expendable soldiers in their temple-cities, but their appearance makes them valuable infiltrators and go-betweens for their more serpentine superiors.
----
* ExploitedImmunity: They sometimes take advantage of their humanoid appearance and immunity to poisons to assassinate human nobles, by getting themselves hired as food tasters and then certifying poisoned food as being OK.
* LittleBitBeastly: Purebloods are almost completely human in outward appearance, with only minor traits such as a few patches of scales, ophidian eyes or a forked tongue betraying their nature as yuan-ti.
* MouthOfSauron: Yuan-ti leaders typically rely on purebloods to interact directly with humanoids, both because the purebloods are the best at it, and also because it's beneath higher-ranked yuan-ti.
* ReptilianConspiracy: Due to their ability to pass off as humans, purebloods are often sent to infiltrate human societies to serve as spies, agents and assassins, in order to weaken a city or nation for an eventual takeover or, more commonly, to subtly manipulate it into playing along with the yuan-ti's goals.

!!Yuan-ti Malison
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_malison_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E), Natural Humanoid (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E); 13 (4E), 3 (standard), 4 (mind whisperer, nightmare speaker), 5 (pit master) (5E)

Also known as halfbloods, malisons are the most varied of the yuan-ti in terms of appearance. They make up the middle class of yuan-ti society, overseeing the purebloods and fulfilling the orders of the abominations.
----
* CharmPerson: Mind whisperers can compel other creatures to do their bidding with spells like ''friends'', ''charm person'', and ''crown of madness''.
* ChurchMilitant: Many malisions become disciples of the yuan-ti's serpent deities.
** Mind whisperers are warlocks in service to Sseth the Sibilant Death, schemers and manipulators who seek to expand yuan-ti influence through subterfuge.
** Nightmare speakers are cruel and sadistic torturers who prolong the suffering of their victims to nourish their dreadful goddess, Dendar the Night Serpent.
** Pit masters are priests of the chief yuan-ti god Merrshaulk, and mastermind plots to infiltrate the governments of nearby humanoid civilizations, while keeping their own cities hidden.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Halfbloods are a roughly even mix of snake and human, but the nature of that mixture varies tremendously. Some malisons appear human other than their snakelike heads, others have serpentine tails in addition to legs, or have a serpent's lower body replacing their legs, and some have functional humanoid arms while others have masses of snakes hanging from their shoulders.
* MasterOfIllusion: Mind whisperers can cast a number of illusion spells like ''minor illusion'', ''hypnotic pattern'', and ''illusory script''.
* ForcedSleep: A pit master can invoke the power of Merrshaulk to put nearby creatures to sleep once per day.
* PoisonousPerson: Pit masters are even more poisonous than the typical yuan-ti, and can invoke Merrshaulk's power to inflict extra poison damage with their melee attacks.
* SpellBlade: Twice per day, a mind whisperer can imbue one of its melee attacks with psychic energy to increase that attack's damage, while a nightmare speaker can do the same with necrotic energy.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: By invoking Dendar's power, a nightmare speaker can torment a nearby creature with an illusion of its worst fear. The terror inspired by this illusion is so great that the victim can actually die of fright. They can also cast the ''fear'' spell through their pact magic.

!!Yuan-ti Abomination
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yuan_ti_abomination.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E), Natural Humanoid (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 7 (3E, 5E), 14 (4E)

Abominations are the most snakelike of all yuan-ti, and typically a pair of arms is the only sign of their human heritage. They are the masterminds, temple leaders and warlords, leading fights from the rear as they observe and evaluate opponents and provide magic support, only entering melee combat as a last resort.
----
* LargeAndInCharge: Abominations are Large creatures, whereas their malison and pureblood underlings are Medium.
* PersonalSpaceInvader: They can use their tails to grapple and constrict foes.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: In 5th edition, an abomination can innately cast the ''fear'' spell once per day.

!!Yuan-ti Anathema
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yuan_ti_anathema.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:4e]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_anathema_4e.png[[/labelnote]] ]]
->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E), Natural Magical Beast (4E), Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 18 (3E), 21 (4E), 12 (5E)

Anathemas are the rarest, mightiest, and most monstrous of all yuan-ti, venerated as something like demigods by their kin. Their presence shifts a temple-city's priorities to small-scale wars of conquest and expansion.
----
* AcidAttack: 3rd Edition anathemas could make a dissolving touch attack for heavy acid damage, which dealt even higher damage when used against a victim [[PersonalSpaceInvader the anathema was constricting.]]
* AppropriatedAppellation: These monsters represent such a perversion of their human origins that human deities, even evil ones, declared that their very existence is heresy, but these "anathema" bear their label with pride.
* ArtEvolution: 3rd and 5th edition depicted the anathema as a giant yuan-ti abomination with a nest of vipers for a head. 4th edition turned this on its head (heh) by making it a nest of vipers with a giant snake head.
* BioAugmentation: In 3rd Edition, anathemas know the secrets of transforming humanoids with yuan-ti grafts such as snake tails, serpent arms, scales and poisonous fangs. They can also create broodguards and tainted ones, described below.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Their 3rd Edition write-up notes that while yuan-ti venerate anathemas, they're also seen as a destabilizing force in the temple-cities, as the aberrations are interested only in obliterating every other civilization around them. As such, anathemas normally live as outcasts in the wilderness, ruling over cults of other yuan-ti attracted to their auras of unspeakable evil.
* LargeAndInCharge: An anathema towers over all other yuan-ti, even the abominations, and has the power and charisma to seize control of multiple yuan-ti cities.
* MultipleHeadCase: 3rd and 5th edition anathemas have six heads, allowing them to savage their enemies with a flurry of bites.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: Anathemas project a magical aura which fills their enemies with a crippling fear of snakes and snakelike creatures. They can innately cast the ''fear'' spell as well.
* TheWormThatWalks: 4th edition anathemas are basically a mass of snakes assembled into a vaguely humanoid form.

!Yuan-ti Servitors

!!Ssvaklor
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_ssvaklor_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Dragon (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 10 (ssvaklor), 20 (greater ssvaklor) (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Dragons crossed with the yuan-ti, resulting in creatures with serpentine forms, dangerous venom, and psionic abilities. While lacking the brilliance of their yuan-ti progenitors, ssvaklors eagerly assist the yuan-ti in their schemes.
----
* ArtificialHybrid: While it's possible for ssvaklors to be born naturally (or as naturally as any dragon crossbreed), in other cases, yuan-ti create them by capturing and transforming dragon eggs.
* HybridMonster: Ssvaklors originated as a cross between dragons and yuan-ti.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: They're a lot smaller than true dragons, with their "greater" ssvaklors only reaching Large size, but at CR 10 and 20, respectively, ssvalkors are a lot more powerful than true dragons of the same size category.
* PoisonousPerson: The ssvaklor's breath weapon is a cone of toxic gas, while their bite carries a poison that both [[TheParalyzer paralyzes]] and deals [[NonHealthDamage Constitution damage]] to their victims.
* PsychicPowers: They have psionic abilities such as ''aversion'', ''entangling ectoplasm'', and ''id insinuation.''
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Like many yuan-ti, ssvaklors can assume a serpentine form, though only once per day.

!!Ti-khana
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_ti_khana_deinonychus_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Ti-khana ''deinonychus'' (3e)]]
->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' As base creature +2 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Reptiles given augmented intelligence and additional powers by the introduction of yuan-ti qualities.
----
* ArtificialHybrid: They're another product of yuan-ti breeding experiments, giving the base creature a more snake-like appearance, as well as additional powers.
* PoisonousPerson: Ti-khana gain fangs that deliver a Constitution-damaging poison.
* PsychicPowers: They can use ''detect poison'' at will, as well as plant an ''[[EmotionBomb aversion]]'' effect in a target creature to make them shy away from snakes and yuan-ti.
* ScaledUp: They can psionically ''shapechange'' into a Tiny to Large viper.

!!Yuan-ti Broodguard
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_broodguard_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E), Humanoid (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E), 2 (5E)

Former humanoids transformed, physically and mentally, into monstrous slaves of the yuan-ti. As their name suggests, they are often entrusted with guarding their masters' brooding chambers.
----
* TheBerserker: Broodguards can fly into a reckless rage in combat, gaining a bonus on attack rolls at the cost of defense.
* DumbMuscle: This is part of the trade-off of converting a slave into a broodguard -- the transformed creature may be more capable in combat, but it's not good for much else but guard duty.
* NoSell: In 3rd Edition, broodguards are immune to ''hold'' and ''charm'' spells, while in 5th they have advantage on saving throws against such magic.
* WasOnceAMan: Most broodguards are made from human prisoners forced to consume a magical brew that renders them helpless. A broodguard loses all semblance of who it once was, and even its human origin is barely discernible. 3rd Edition notes that it takes a very specific sequence of spells to save someone mid-transformation into a broodguard, but once that transformation is complete, only a ''wish'' or ''miracle'' can turn them back to normal.

!!Yuan-ti Tainted One
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' As base creature +1 (3E)

These creatures appear to be normal humans, but are loyal to their yuan-ti creators, making them capable of infiltrating areas that would give purebloods pause. They are actually created from the same concoction that can transform humans into broodguards, though tainted ones are considered the more successful outcome.
----
* MyInstinctsAreShowing: While tainted ones ''look'' perfectly human, they can display some qualities that might give away their true allegience, such as a tendency to frequently lick their lips, [[SssssnakeTalk draw out sibilants]], or keep serpents as pets.
* PoisonousPerson: Tainted ones have poisonous saliva, but no natural bite attack, so they can only use this poison in combat by grappling someone with exposed skin. Alternatively, they can deliver the poison [[KissOfDeath with a kiss]], though the save DC is lower.
* PsychicPowers: As part of their transformation, tainted ones unlock some of a true yuan-ti's psionic potential, and can ''poison'' foes as well as ''[[VoluntaryShapeshifting polymorph]]'' into a serpent form.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yugoloth]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_yugoloths_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:A canoloth and ultroloth (3e)]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E), Elemental Humanoid (4E), Fiend (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil, ChaoticEvil (4E)

Mercenary fiends from the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna, embodying the NeutralEvil alignment. See [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths the Yugoloths subpage]] for more information about them. %%In-universe alignment.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yuki-on-na]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_yuki_onna_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/KaraTur''\\
'''Classification:''' Fey (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil (2E), ChaoticNeutral (3E)

Fey that appear as pale, beautiful women, some of which are kindly and helpful, while others will lead the trusting to an icy death.
----
* AnIcePerson: They have the cold subtype, and their mere touch deals cold damage, but yuki-on-na don't have any actual control over ice or snow. Instead, yuki-on-na have the power to make someone lose their way, being unable to so much as navigate their way out of a closet for the next three to eighteen hours.
* TheParalyzer: Yuki-on-na can also freeze someone in place with a chilly look, as per the effects of ''hold monster''.
* WasOnceAMan: The original yuki-on-na was the concubine of an early TabletopGame/KaraTur emperor who poisoned his wife and children so she'd have his full attention -- as punishment, she was transformed by the Celestial Bureaucracy into a form as cold as her heart and banished to a frozen wasteland. Legends have it that subsequent yuki-on-na are the spirits of similar villains (if evil), or the souls of shamans or shugenja who perished to cold (if not).
* YukiOnna: They're spirits native to the coldest regions, and while their ''AD&D'' incarnation is purely malicious, 3rd Edition yuki-on-na are more varied, with some benign examples that wish to do nothing but dance in the snow.
[[/folder]]

!!Z

[[folder:Zaratan]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zaratan_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:2e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/AlQadim''\\
'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 20 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Colossal sea turtles that can be easily mistaken for islands as they float along warm ocean currents, lazily feeding on whatever washes into their open mouths.\\
For their 5th Edition incarnation, see the "Elder Elementals" section of the "Elementals" entry.
----
* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: Often literally! Zaratans are normally content to just drift, feed and sleep, and their usual response to an attack is simply to retract into their NighInvulnerable shells and take a nap. But if a foe persists, zaratans are devastating opponents with a fearsome bite, or they can simultaneously sweep their flippers to bludgeon everything in a 40-foot-radius around them.
* HeavySleeper: Zaratans spend most of their lives asleep, reflexively swallowing whatever ends up in their mouths, and sleep longer the older they get. After a battle, they'll immediately fall back asleep for up to a century.
* HorseOfADifferentColor: It's possible to steer a zaratan, but it takes a group effort to overcome its natural lethargy. A primary rider needs to stand near the creature's head and shout or sing loudly to convey instructions, while at least three others stand on the shell's circumference and stamp or pound it to encourage the zaratan to move. Even so, it takes a very high Diplomacy, Perform or Intimidate check to convince the zaratan to obey its riders' wishes.
* ItCanThink: Zaratans aren't brilliant, but they understand simple commands in most languages, speak Aquan, and are nice enough to resist the urge to dive if they know they have riders on their shells, unless the zaratan's life is in danger.
* NoSell: ''AD&D'' zaratans are immune to poison due to their extremely slow metabolisms, and their shells are invulnerable to anything short of magical weapons.
* TurtleIsland: Their shells can be several hundred feet in diameter, more than enough space to support a small ecosystem. Sometimes shipwreck survivors who wash up on a zaratan never realize they're on a turtle, while in other cases small tribes will dwell upon the zaratan and [[GiantAnimalWorship worship it as a local god.]] And if someone knows that they're on a zaratan, they won't take kindly to anyone who bothers it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zeitgeist]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zeitgeist_fix_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Fey (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 23 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Varies

Strange, rare fey generated by the people living in a large city, and able to physically manifest using portions of old buildings, urban smoke, or even humanoid figures.
----
* GeniusLoci: The zeitgeist appears to be created by the lives and emotions of a city's residents. They are incapable of leaving their city, and die if it is destroyed.
* GuardianEntity: They can be considered one for an entire settled population, but are pretty unreliable. A zeitgeist's "natural" alignment matches that of their home city's predominant outlook, but since they manifest in times of crisis, they tend to act ChaoticNeutral, and their behavior can be altered by the fear and anger that a city's populace is experiencing. They are committed to protecting their city, but don't have as much regard for the individual people and structures within it. All that to say, a zeitgeist may manifest when its city is under siege, only to kill everyone within reach after the fighting breaches the outer walls, or spawn during a riot and mindlessly attack anything around it, or appear during a flood and rescue some citizens while slaying others. %%In-universe alignment.
* InvisibleMonsters: Zeitgeists are invisible even when attacking, unless they choose to suppress this ability, or when they choose to take a manifested form.
* PlayingWithFire: Downplayed; a zeitgeist's smoke manifestation deals a little bit of fire damage with its slam attacks, but it's not enough to set things on fire.
* PoisonousPerson: A zeitgeist's smoke manifestation can simply surround smaller creatures with choking city smog, potentially sickening them.
* RockMonster: A zeitgeit's stone manifestation takes the form of a giant humanoid composed of stone and detritus.
* TheSwarm: They can also manifest as a Huge mob of humanoids.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zern]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zern_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 6 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Lanky humanoids with unparalleled control over their own body structure, and an interest in modifying the flesh of lesser beings.
----
* FantasticRacism: Zerns view themselves as the only truly sentient race, while every other species is obviously an evolutionary dead end since they have so little control over their bodies. Thus, zerns are fully within their rights to use these lesser creatures in their experiments.
* HealingFactor: Beyond having fast healing, zern can slowly regrow severed limbs or digits.
* MadScientist: The zern are obsessed with discovering the perfect biological form, by way of experimenting on the strongest, smartest and most successful specimens of other races to create entirely new creatures. Most of their experiments die on the operating table, but zerns have developed some stable creations described below, which they're willing to sell to other beings.
* NoSell: Zerns' constantly-changing physiology lets them shrug off any attacks on their bodily functions, ignoring any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also applies to objects.
* NonElemental: They can fire a ray that rips apart an opponent's flesh for a bit of undefined damage.
* SexShifter: Zerns are born male, at 40 undergo a process that turns them female, and after giving birth become a sterile neutral gender.
* SizeShifter: They're Medium-sized in their "default" form, but can freely compress or expand their bodies to become Small or Large as needed.
* StanceSystem: Zern's malleable forms lets them use a swift action to adapt their bodies as the situation requires, instantly growing their muscles for a boost to melee attacks, liquefying their own bones to let them squeeze through a tight space or escape bonds, grow armor plates to improve their defense, or lengthen their legs for a speed boost.
* TentacleHair: They have fleshy tendrils in place of hair, which also serve as olfactory organs.

!!Zern Arcanovore
[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zern_arcanovore_fix_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:3e]]
->'''Classifiation:''' Aberration (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 7 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

Small, bulbous creatures that specialize in shutting down hostile mages.
----
* AntiMagic: They can generate an ''antimagic field'' three times per day.
* DeflectorShields: They're surrounded by a telekinetic field that gives incoming attacks a 1-in-5 miss chance, though it doesn't work if the arcanovore has an ''antimagic field'' up.
* DispelMagic: Arcanovores' can use the spell at will, and true to their name, feed upon the dissipating magical energy of the effects they dispel.
* PetTheDog: In sharp contrast to the eminently disposable blade thralls, arcanovores are treated well and protected by their masters due to their usefulness, and stronger zern minions are often given special orders to protect them.

!!Zern Blade Thrall
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zern_blade_thrall_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

These worm-like monsters are dim-witted, but useful as loyal and expendable soldiers.
----
* TheAgeless: Due to being immune to illness, poison, and other ailments, blade thralls are theoretically immortal, but in practice most die in battle a few years after their creation.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Their bone blades are fused with their forearms.
* CannonFodder: Zerns typically use their blade thralls as meat shields, keeping other creatures from threatening the zern in melee, though they'll also order the blade thralls to undertake suicidal actions like forcing their way through the enemy line to go after a mage in the back.
* NoSell: Like their zern creators, blade thralls can adapt their biology to ignore effects that require a Fortitude save, unless they also work on objects.
* SnakePeople: Though their body is more worm-like than serpentine, other than that they look much like a 7-foot-long snake with humanoid arms.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zeugalak]]
[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zeugalak_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:325:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 12 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral

Mountain-dwelling aberrations that rejoice in the wild power of lightning storms.
----
* BewareMyStingerTail: A zeugalak's snakelike tail ends in a venomous stinger.
* FeedItWithFire: Striking a zeugalak with electricity-based attacks doesn't harm it, and instead limbers it up by granting temporary points to its Dexterity. As such, they cavort during mountain thunderstorms, giving bellows of excitement that can be heard for miles.
* ShockAndAwe: Zeugalaks are closely tied to electricity; in addition to taking no damage from it, they're constantly surrounded by a crackling electrical aura and can exhale a line of electricity as a BreathWeapon.
* TheSpiny: An aura of electrical energy surrounds a zeugalak at all times, electrocuting anyone who tries to damage it in melee.
* {{Teleportation}}: If a zeugalak is struck by an electric effect, whether natural or magical, it can instantly teleport to its source. In the case of natural lightning, they use this ability to teleport up into the clouds, then ''slow fall'' their way through the storm.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zezir]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zezir_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 6 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Bipedal, semi-intelligent saurians that delight in spreading fires.
----
* ItCanThink: Downplayed; zezirs are as smart as ogres, and cunning enough to use {{Combination Attack}}s during hunts, but they're incapable of communication.
* PlayingWithFire: They have the fire subtype, and have a two-stage way to set things aflame. Zezirs can use an action to spray a sticky, superheated, flammable goo from glands in their necks, affecting a 30-foot cone. The goo itself deals fire damage from its intense heat, but if it contacts an open flame, the goo will ignite for three rounds, dealing continual fire damage to everything in the area. If no flames are present, zezirs can also shoot a stream of sparks from their mouths as a 30-foot ranged attack.
* {{Pyromaniac}}: Zezirs feed on ash, and so have a biological excuse to start fires, but more than that they live to start and spread fires. They're known to pull HitAndRunTactics against caravans, with one wave spraying flammable goo on targets, another wave rushing by to ignite it, and then the entire pack withdraws to cavort in joy as the wagon train goes up in flames.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zhackal]]
[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zhackal_2e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:305:2e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/DarkSun''\\
'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil (2E), Unaligned (3E)

Small scavenging canines that use psionics to help feed upon the dying.
----
* DirtyCoward: 3rd Edition notes that zhackals that aren't hunting will run rather than fight, even if doing so abandons their lairs or young.
* EmotionEater: 2nd Edition specifies that while zhackals are omnivores, they also need to feast upon the emotions of a dying creature -- specifically, one dying of despair. Since violent deaths don't produce the right emotions, a zhackal pack will choose to run rather than go through combat. Some amoral nobles are able to keep zhackals as loyal pets by letting them feed upon the emotions of dying slaves or gladiators.
* ItCanThink: 2nd Edition zhackals have low intelligence but are sentient, enough to have an alignment and be contacted telepathically, though they lack a language and can only convey emotion... most commonly, "a lust for the death of the being who contacts them."
* MindRape: They hunt by locating a weakened or dying creature and stalking their unlucky prey until it is on the verge of death, at which point the zhackal pack will [[CombinationAttack combine their mental effots]] to repeatedly assault their target with ''ego whip'', filling the victim's mind with feelings of inferiority and worthlessness and eroding their sense of self until they stop clinging to life.
* PerceptionFilter: 3E zhackals can use ''cloud mind'' to close with prey undetected. 2E zhackals just use ''{{invisibility}}''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zodar]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zodar_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Construct (3E), Aberration (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 16 (3E, 5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral (2E-3E), TrueNeutral (5E)

Powerful and mysterious beings resembling six-foot figures in obsidian armor, who travel the planes in pursuit of their inscrutable objectives.
----
* AnimatedArmor: They look like humanoids in all-encompassing dark plate, except it's actually a ceramic exoskeleton surrounding a core of pure muscle fibers.
* ArtEvolution: Their 5th Edition art is broad-shouldered with a massive domelike head, making it harder for a zodar to pass for a humanoid in full plate.
* BareFistedMonk: The overwhelming majority of zodar eschew weapons when fighting, and when pressed into combat usually [[KillerBearHug grab and crush opponents.]]
* NighInvulnerable: In their 2E and 3E rules, zodar are flat-out immune to damage from anything but bludgeoning weapons, and even then, such weapons' magical enhancement bonuses are ignored when resolving attacks against zodar.
* NoSell: 2nd Edition zodar are immune to magic, even beneficial spells. 5th Edition zodar have immunity to acid, fire and poison, and additionally cannot be teleported or shifted to another plane against their will.
* TheQuietOne: Zodar are habitually silent, and a given specimen might say only a single sentence fragment over a typical human's lifetime. When they ''do'' speak, [[{{Omniglot}} every being around them can understand them perfectly.]]
* RealityWarper: In their older rules, zodar can use the ''wish'' spell once per year, but typically do so no more than once per century, and the effect is always so subtle that it's difficult to recognize as the work of a zodar. In 5th Edition this is a DeathActivatedSuperpower, and the zodar crumbles to dust immediately afterward.
* SuperStrength: Zodar are immensely strong (Strength 25 in 2E and 3E, and a whopping Strength 30 in 5E), and in their older rules can effectively double that score three times per day in bursts of strength. They've been observed performing feats that would give even titans trouble, such as picking up a ship's broken mast and [[TelephonePolearm hurling it like a javelin at an enemy.]]
* UnusableEnemyEquipment: It's theorized that a zodar's outer shell would make for exceptional armor, but anything capable of killing a zodar reduces its "armor" to a bunch of useless fragments.
* TheWatcher: A zodar might attach itself to a group of adventurers in their travels, but they typically follow at the back of the party in silence without actively participating -- at most they'll defend themselves when attacked, but more than one zodar has watched a TotalPartyKill unfold in front of it without doing anything to help. On very rare occasions, a zodar might suddenly burst into action, such as bounding into a melee to grab and crush a specific target, then go back to its passive role.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zombie]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zombie_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Undead (3E-5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' Varies by the base creature's Hit Dice (3E), 2 (4E), 1/4 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil, Unaligned (4E)

Corpses imbued with dark magic that allows them a semblance of life. They are mindless, but capable of following simple orders.
----
* DumbMuscle: Zombies are not terribly bright, and their mental ability scores range from low to nonexistent depending on the edition.
* LastChanceHitPoint: In 5th edition, all zombies have a trait which allows them to remain standing with 1 hit point after taking damage that would otherwise defeat them. They need to make a saving throw to use the trait, and it doesn't work against radiant damage or critical hits.
* MonsterLord: A "zombie lord" rarely arises when some dark power meddles in a ''raise dead'' spell cast on an evil humanoid, resulting in a fully intelligent zombie surrounded by a [[WeaponizedStench sickening stench]], and capable of mentally commanding any zombie within sight.
* NonHumanUndead: Zombies can be made from practically any living creature, not just humans. The 5th edition ''Monster Manual'' includes statistics for a ''beholder'' zombie, just to give you an idea.
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Mindless, shambling corpses animated by dark magic, zombies are the weakest and most basic of all physical undead and are typically found under the control of either novice necromancers or ones who need to raise large forces very quickly.
* ZombieGait: They are typically slower than both other undead and whatever creature they were in life. 3rd Edition even had a rule that zombies could take a single action on their turn -- a normal move or a single attack, but not both (though charges could still be attempted.)

!!Husk Zombie
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_husk_zombie_5e.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''WebVideo/CriticalRole''\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

An Exandrian zombie variant born from the lingering corruption of the Calamity, whenever a terrible roving fog causes the dead to rise.
----
* DeadWeight: Some husk zombies, called bursters, become bloated with disease and bile. When destroyed, they [[DefeatEqualsExplosion explode]] and spread their horrid infection.
* EliteZombie: Unlike the standard shambling corpse, these undead are faster than a living human, and much more vicious, able to make multiple attacks each round with their claws.
* TheVirus: Any humanoid slain by a husk zombie rises as one the next turn. For this reason, these undead never stop to feed upon their kills.

!!Juju Zombie
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_juju_zombie_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:310:3e]]
->'''Challenge Rating:''' As base creature +2 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

A superior form of zombie raised by powerful magic or curses.
----
* EliteZombie: They're better than normal zombies in every way, averting a ZombieGait and retaining enough wits to wield weapons with some semblance of battle tactics. Juju zombies enjoy DamageReduction and Turn Resistance, as well as [[NoSell immunity]] to electricity and ''magic missile'' attacks.
* UnwantedRevival: A "hateful light" burns in the eyes of a juju zombie, as they are intelligent enough to fully grasp their undead state and hate the magic sustaining them.
* WallCrawl: They can scale walls as thieves in 2nd Edition, and have a climb speed in 3E.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zorbo]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zorbo_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:2e]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_zorbo_2e.jpg]][[/labelnote]]
->'''Classification:''' Monstrosity (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Small, bear-like carnivores that use their deceptively cuddly appearance, as well as their ability to harden their hides based on their surroundings, to bring down prey.
----
* ArchEnemy: Bears attack zorbos on sight, whether because of the creatures' appearance, or the fact that their roar sounds like the crying of a bear cub.
* ArtEvolution: Their 5th Edition art does a much better job of hiding the fact that these things are basically carnivorous koalas.
* CraftedFromAnimals: Zorbo hide, when properly treated, carries enchantments well, and items made from it receive a bonus on saving throws to avoid destruction or other harmful effects.
* FieldPowerEffect: A variant; zorbos can rub up against their surroundings (which looks like a bear scratching its back on a tree) and improve their Armor Class based on what they're in contact with, getting increasingly sturdier defensive bonuses from wood, metal and stone.
* KillerRabbit: In their old art they look like slightly toothier koalas, but zorbos are aggressive, like the taste of humanoid flesh, and can ruin an adventuring party's magic items. They can also form colonies numbering 60 strong.
* MooksAteMyEquipment: ''AD&D'' Zorbos' most dangerous ability is to drain the effectiveness of magic items like a ''ring of protecton'' or ''bracers of defense'' with its claw attacks, which adds their defensive bonuses to the zorbo's own Armor Class while turning the item to dust with NoSavingThrow. They aren't much better in 5E, in which their claw attacks can permanently reduce the effectiveness of mundane armor, and even destroy remove the enchantment bonus of magical armor and shields.
* YowiesAndBunyipsAndDropBearsOhMy: They're more or less a ''D&D'' spin on the drop bear, being a dangerous animal that looks like a koala.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Z'tal]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_ztal_4e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:4e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/DarkSun''\\
'''Classification:''' Animal (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Small, stupid, and cowardly bipedal lizards known for their debilitating screeches.
----
* CraftedFromAnimals: Z'tals' sharp scales, which they only use in desperate circumstances by lashing against foes, make for servicable razors or small knives, though they'll go dull after a week of use.
* SuperScream: When threatened or startled, z'tals loose a piercing scream that induces vertigo in other creatuers, inflicting penalties on rolls, interfering with spellcasting, and in severe cases can leave an afflicted creature on the ground, unable to tell which way is up.
* TheSwarm: Z'tal groups (called "leaps") are prone to stampeding, and 4th Edition treats a z'tal horde as a terrain hazard that leaves behind a slippery ooze and noxious vapor that can damage creatures trying to pass through it, while those in the midst of the creatures are in danger of falling.
* WeirdWorldWeirdFood: Assuming the scales are carefully removed, z'tal meat can make for good eating, whether as drumsticks or roasted tails or as the basis for soup. Their eggs however are inedible -- their young develop their scales almost immediately after conception.
[[/folder]]

''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD D]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesH H]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToJ I to J]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesK K]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesL L]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesM M]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNtoQ N to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartOne Sa-Sn]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartTwo So-Sy]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | '''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]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCrossoverCreatures Crossover Creatures]] \\

[[folder:Unholy Scion]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' As base creature +1 to +3, depending on Hit Dice (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Any evil

Humanoids or animals who were corrupted in their mother's womb, leaving them fiends in mortal flesh.

* AbsurdlySharpClaws: An unholy scion gains a claw attack if their base creature didn't already possess one.
* BlackMagic: They learn a variety of nasty spells as they age, from ''[[UnholyGround desecrate]]'' and ''protection from good'' to ''[[ForcedTransformation baleful polymorph]]'' and ''{{animate dead}}''.
* CharmPerson: An unholy scion's mother is under a "familial charm," a ''charm person'' effect that has NoSavingThrow. Worse, the scion's mother is fully aware that the actions she is forced to commit are wrong, and that her child is evil, but [[AndIMustScream she cannot break her devotion to the fiend.]] The unholy scion also learns ''charm animal'' or ''charm person'' as they age, before moving on to full ''[[MindControl dominate person]]''.
* DemonicPossession: Some unholy scions are formed when a fiend possess an unborn child, merging completely with the developing mind and soul so that the two are hopelessly intermingled -- it is thus impossible to exorcise an unholy scion, or for the fiend to revert to its original form until its mortal shell is slain. However, other unholy scions avert this trope and form spontaneously when a woman is impregnated by a fiend in an area of high [[EvilTaintedThePlace taint.]]
* FetusTerrible: An unholy scion is fully intelligent and irredeemably evil even while inside its mother's womb, and already capable of seeing through its mother's senses and compelling her to commit evil acts. After being born, they graduate to EnfantTerrible.
* UncannyValley: These tainted beings look like normal members of their mother's species, but still manage to subtly disturb onlookers. "Their features might be ever so slightly off, their eyes possessed of an evil gleam, or they might simply make everyone around them nervous for no obvious cause."
* UnholyNuke: An unholy scion's melee attacks are considered evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming DamageReduction, and deal extra damage to good opponents.

[[folder:Unicorn]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unicorn_35e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E), Fey Magical Beast (4E), Celestial (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E), 9 (4E), 5 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticGood (1E-3E), Unaligned (4E), LawfulGood (5E)

One-horned, equine beings who live in the forest. They're generally benevolent if skittish, and are often hunted for their horns.

[[folder:Vanara]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vanara_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticGood

Intelligent simians known for their curiosity and reverence for nature, who dwell in deep forests and high mountains.

* BeastMan: Vanaras are five-foot-tall monkeylike humanoids covered in light fur, ranging in color from white to black to brown to light blue. They're natural climbers and generally clever and inquisitive, with keen senses.
* BrutalHonesty: Vanaras never hide their true feelings or delicately state a negative opinion.
* CuriousAsAMonkey: Appropriately enough, vanaras are "curious in the extreme," prone to badgering people with (occasionally very personal) questions, picking up things to examine them, opening doors to see where they lead, and generally going places in defiance of other races' rules or sense of propriety. This can lead other races to view vanaras as childish or irritating.
* FantasticCasteSystem: Played with; vanara society is highly chaotic, showing little respect for social mores, though they will accept the existence of caste systems. However, while they might accept that some people might be given different divine gifts, vanaras won't value those gifts differently, and thus won't necessarily show a priestly caste the veneration they might expect, for example.
* HatesBeingNicknamed: One of the few things vanaras take seriously are their names. Infant vanaras are given a name within a week after birth, once their parents observe some sign or portent that inspires them. This means it's shameful for a vanara to go by any other name, and they won't accept nicknames or honorifics.
* NatureHero: Vanaras are animists who revere the spirits of the sun, mountains, rivers and forests, and thus their favored class is shaman. They live lightly off the land as hunter-gatherers, and their villages are built to have a minimal impact on their surroundings.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vaporighu]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vaporighu_3e.jpg]]

->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Foul humanoids from the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna who ambush anything they come across, and often lurk around planar portals or rare watering holes.

* BreathWeapon: Every few rounds, a vaporighu can exhale a 15-foot cone of corrosive green vapor, which can linger for more than a minute. Anything inside the cloud takes [[AcidAttack acid damage]] every round they remain, and has to save against [[PoisonousPerson poison]] -- the initial effect is [[TheParalyzer paralysis]], with a secondary effect of [[NonHealthDamage heavy Constitution damage]].
* EnemySummoner: Vaporighu can summon a night hag once per day, but hate to do so, since they're entitled to reward the hag for her service.
* EvilSmellsBad: A vaporighu "reeks of all the decay and sulphurous stench of Gehenna."
* HorrorHunger: It's said that the only thing motivating them is their insatiable hunger, "a gnawing pain that tortures vaporighu throughout eternity."
* MooksAteMyEquipment: The corrosive slime that covers vaporighu's bodies can dissolve weapons used to strike them, or ruin the armor and clothing of anyone they hit with their slam attacks. In their ''AD&D'' rules it took hours for this slime to eat through chainmail, but in 3rd Edition, destruction is complete in only one round. Thankfully, spending a full-round action to wash the slime off with a pint of water or wine will save an item.
* ThePigPen: Vaporighu's flesh is likened to "living gore," with pulsing veins of bile visible beneath their mottled skin, all covered in long hair matted with filth.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: Anything that comes within 30 feet of a vaporighu has to save or become frightened.

[[folder:Vargouille]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vargouille_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E), Fiend (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 2 (3E), 1 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil (1E-3E), ChaoticEvil (5E)

Fiends resembling disembodied human heads with wings.

* BioweaponBeast: The prevailing story about the vargouilles' creation has them as the minions of Rozvankee the Strategist, a wizard and later lich who released them behind enemy lines before sending her soldiers to overrun her panicked, demoralized foes. Rozvankee took a population of vargouilles with her when she retired to the Abyss, and the monsters can now be found across the Lower Planes, or in dismal places on the Material Plane.
* FlyingFace: A vargouille's body consists of a severed head and bat-like wings in place of ears.
* KissOfDeath: The kiss of a vargouille transmits a deadly magical disease.
* TheParalyzer: A vargouille's stunning shriek can paralyze other creatures with fear.
* ViralTransformation: Vargouilles reproduce by infecting people with a magical disease through a kiss. This disease makes the victim's head gradually take on a fiendish appearance and, if not cured, will ultimately make the head sprout wings and tear itself free of the body to become a new vargouille.
-->'''Elminster:''' Until ye've seen a king's head tear off his shoulders and flap aloft amid fountaining blood, only to turn and lap his own dying gore as his body totters and falls, ye haven't lived. And if ye want to go on living, ye might want to stop watching in favor of fleeing.

[[folder:Varrangoin]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_varrangoin_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:2e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Magical Beast (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 6 (lesser), 10 (rager), 11 (arcanist) (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Sometimes known as "Abyss bats," these winged humanoids compete with the demons for territory in that plane, growing into flocks over a hundred strong.

* BatPeople: They have batlike hand-wings but decidedly fiendish faces and tails.
* TheBerserker: The aptly-named "rager" varrangoins fly into a frenzy in combat similar to a barbarian, in which they try to rend opponents with their claws.
* BreathWeapon: "Lesser" varrangoin are born with one of several breath weapons, either a cone of fire or cold, or a line of acid or lightning.
* DefeatEqualsExplosion: When slain, lesser varrangoin detonate in a 20-foot radius burst of the same energy as their breath weapon.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Varrangoins prefer to go after weaker foes; as such, while they're rivals to the tanar'ri, varrangoin will avoid the more powerful demons and pick off a manes or rutterkin when the opportunity arises.
* MightMakesRight: What society the varrangoin have is dominated by their "greater specimens," the arcanists and ragers who use their arcane or physical power to bully and belittle the lesser varrangoin.
* NoSell: Arcanist varrangoins are immune to any spells or spell-like abilities of 3rd level or lower.
* PoisonousPerson: All varrangoin deliver a [[NonHealthDamage Dexterity-damaging poison]] with their barbed tails.
* WeakenedByTheLight: They're blinded for a round after exposure to bright light, and suffer a penalty on rolls as long as they remain in it.

[[folder:Vasharan]]
->'''Classification:''' Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' Any Evil

A vile offshoot of humanity, vasharans are bloodthirsty, destructive, and utterly immoral beings who desire nothing less than the death of the gods who created them.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: No-one knows how it happened -- perhaps the gods were just bad at creating sapient beings at first -- but vasharans are as evil as they come, utterly incapable of positive emotion.
* ChildByRape: As vasharans are incapable of feeling love and have no taboo on rape, all are born of non-consensual relationships.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: As part of their hatred of the gods, vasharans ''hate'' tyranny. Their home plateau of Vashar is actually a sophisticated democracy led by a council of elders, because a vasharan would rather die than be led by a single all-powerful individual. "Somehow, this system of government works -- mostly because of the hatred that binds the Vasharans together and their utter incomprehension that life could be any other way."
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Concepts of love and kindness are so alien to vasharans that most wouldn't think to take a hostage, as they can't understand why anyone would care about the survival of another being.
* EvilCounterpart: Vasharans are to humans what drow and duergar are to elves and dwarves -- dark reflections of humanity, tainted by the Lower Planes.
* HiddenElfVillage: ''Very'' dark example with Vashar, the plateau all vasharans stem from. It's impossibly tall, inaccessible even by flight, and the only way to get there is through tunnels that literally radiate evil.
* HumanSubspecies: Technically subverted, since vasharans are humans in all but name. Their actions and thoughts, however, reflect only the darkest cruelty of humans, with no potential for humanity's kindness or valor.
* PsychoPrototype: The legend of the vasharan -- one rarely told, even by heretics and demon worshippers -- says that when the gods created the first human, the man immediately hunted down and killed an animal with his bare hands, ate its meat raw, and then tore into the corpse and fashioned its bones and sinew into a crude weapon. The watching deities were surprised but continued to watch in morbid fascination, until the first man turned and charged at them, screaming his first words, death threats and curses. The gods obliterated him with little effort, but were so disgusted with their creation that it would be eons before they made another attempt at creating humanity. But some fiend restored that first man and gave him the ability to procreate -- some sources say it was Graz'zt, others blame an unnamed ultroloth, and yet others claim it was a succubus who proceeded to bear the man's children. At any rate, the result was the vasharans, the twisted mirror of humanity dedicated to nothing but vileness, evil and cruelty.
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: The uniting goal of all vasharans is [[KillTheGod deicide.]] As such, they have no clerics, instead "ur-priests" that ''steal'' their spells from the gods.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: While other {{Evil Counterpart Race}}s tend to have some physical trait to differintiate them from the Good race, the vasharan pointedly look indistinguishable from normal humans.
* TooDumbToLive: Literally in the case of the first vasharan, who decided to attack his divine creators with nothing but a sharpened bone. The gods pragmatically solved the issue by smiting him to pieces where he stood.

[[folder:Vegepygmy]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vegepygmy_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Plant (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/4 (vegepygmy), 1 (vegepygmy chief), 2 (thorny) (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Should a creature succumb to a russet mold's poisonous spores, its corpse will sprout fungoid monsters -- beasts will give rise to thorn-covered quadrupeds called thornies, while humanoids or giants will spawn bipedal creatures alternatively known as vegepygmies, moldmen or moldies. The moldmen have enough intelligence to form a simple tribal society, and get along well with other fungus or plant creatures, but vegepygmies exist solely to perpetuate themselves by infecting others with their spores.

* AttackAnimal: Thornies serve this role in vegepygmy society.
* HeWasRightThereAllAlong: Both vegepygmies and thornies are adept at blending in with foliage, especially since their coloration tends to match their surroundings.
* HealingFactor: Both vegepygmies and thornies will regenerate some health each turn unless they take cold, fire or necrotic damage.
* MushroomMan: Vegepygmies are a decidedly non-cute example, being fungus creatures that arise from the remains of a humanoid or a giant killed by russet mold. It's noted that myconids consider vegepygmies to be something like rustic cousins.
* PoisonousPerson: Vegepygmy "chiefs" are simply old enough to produce spores, which they can release in a burst once per day to infect nearby creatures. Those that succumb will give rise to new moldmen.
* TheSpiny: Thornies are... thorny, and deal a bit of piercing damage to anything that grapples them.
* StarfishLanguage: Moldies can only hiss instead of speaking verbally, but communicate with each other through gestures and rhythmically tapping their bodies.

[[folder:Velroc]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_velroc_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Dragon (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 12 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral

Dragons changed from generations spent in areas of wild magic, making them vicious and temperamental creatures that warp magic around them.

* AntiMagic: They can create an ''anti-magic field'' once per day.
* AttackReflector: If an incoming spell fails to overcome a velroc's spell resistance, it can "hijack" the effect and cast it on its next turn, triggering the spell as if the original caster was casting it.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Velrocs are intensely arrogant, lay claim to all they see, and view other sentient creatures as little better than beasts, but they will not under any circumstances challenge a true dragon for territory, and instead avoid any nearby in order to prevent conflict.
* OurWyvernsAreDifferent: They share the wyvern's body plan, though with more bird-like features like a beak and a mane of feather-like spines. They're also much smarter than wyverns (smarter than the average human, in fact), and fully capable of speech.
* PretenderDiss: True dragons don't think much of velrocs.
-->'''Ayunken-kocoi, Gold Dragon:''' The only thing more irritating than humans attacking our homes is a half-mad spawn that thinks it's a real dragon.
* TilMurderDoUsPart: Velroc mating is an ugly affair, and after a female lays her eggs, the parents will immediately fight each other, potentially to the death, over the right to be the sole parent of the clutch.
* WildMagic: Velrocs are surrounded by a magic distoration aura that disrupts spellcasting, which can lead to spells veering off to hit creatures other than their target.

[[folder:Venom Dog]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_venom_dog_2e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:2e]]
->'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Magical crossbreeds blending canines with scorpions or poisonous serpents.

* AttackAnimal: Venom dogs of either variety are as easy to train as mundane mastiffs, though the scorpion variety lack a canine pack mentality, and will attack others of their kind except during mating season. They make for good animal companions for rangers, though said rangers will probably have to buy the creatures from the wizards who breed them (to the order of up to 3,000 gp), since it is very rare for a venom dog to abandon its handler and escape into the wild.
* MixAndMatchCritters: There are two types of venom dogs, depending on whether the base mastiff is mixed with a scorpion or viper. Scorpion-based venom dogs have canine bodies with [[BewareMyStingerTail stinger tails]], while viper-based venom hounds have scaly skin (which they shed periodically as they grow) and pronounced fangs, which prevent them from barking (they hiss like reptiles instead).
* PoisonousPerson: Whether delivered by a bite or a tail stinger, a venom dog's poison attack deals just a bit of damage but also requires a saving throw, or else the victim dies the next round. Note that they aren't immune to the poison of other venom dogs, or even their own poison.

[[folder:Verbeeg]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_verbeeg_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:5e]]
->'''Classification:''' Giant (1E-3E, 5E) Fey (4E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (4E), 4 (marauder), 5 (longstrider) (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil (marauder), TrueNeutral (longstrider), Evil (4E)

Also called "human behemoths," these gangly giant-kin often end up using their superior intellects to boss around ogres and hill giants.

* BastardBastard: Verbeegs (along with firbolgs, fomorians and voadkyn) are the bastard children of the demigod Ulutiu and Othea, wife of Annam the All-Father, TopGod of the giant pantheon. They were initially welcomed in the ancient giant kingdom of Ostoria, but when Annam discovered their true parentage, they were made outcasts and despised as ''maug'' by the rest of giantkind. While the verbeegs intended to [[StartMyOwn start their own]] great kingdom, the other giants didn't give them any space to do so, and gradually the verbeegs descended into barbarism and banditry.
* TheBeastmaster: Verbeegs tend to get along with animals, taking on wolves, worgs or bears as companions and letting them lair with them in caves.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: It's mentioned the verbeegs have no notion of ownership, believing that everything is owned by everybody, and thus take whatever they want without pausing to think about it.
* {{Gonk}}: Downplayed compared to the likes of fomorians, but verbeegs tend to have minor but notable deformities such as a club foot, hare lip, uneven eyes, and so forth.
* IGaveMyWord: 4th Edition's Feywild verbeegs live by the adages "Never give a sucker an even break" and "Always keep your word." As such, they'll prey upon other creatures' sense of justice and honor, but will always uphold a promise... [[ExactWords with the caveat that they'll phrase their pledges in a way that gives them an out.]]
* KlingonPromotion: The fastest way for a verbeeg to advance in their social hierarchy is to discredit or defeat a superior, by violence or other underhanded means.
* TheNapoleon: They're shorter than any true giant, which probably contributes to the chip on their shoulders regarding their kin.
* TheNeidermeyer: In combat, verbeegs drive their underlings into the fray first, "accompanied by many curses, oaths, and highly descriptive accounts of the giants' and ogres' parentage."
* OurGiantsAreDifferent: They're technically Giants, but are Large creatures at most ten feet tall, and aren't considered part of the Ordning.
* PunnyName: They are indeed very big compared to humans, especially if you have a French-Canadian accent. Gary Gygax has admitted verbeegs are an homage to or parody of Myth/PaulBunyan.
* {{Retcon}}: 4th Edition portrayed verbeegs as green-skinned giants native to the Feywild, more greedy, manipulative tricksters than bossy browbeaters.
* ShorterMeansSmarter: They're smaller but more driven and intelligent than the likes of hill giants, allowing verbeegs to employ those larger true giants as minions. Unfortunately, hill giants' stupidity means they're prone to botching the verbeegs' strategies, leading to the sight of an irate verbeeg hopping from foot to foot, screaming insults at the befuddled hill giants towering over them.
* ToServeMan: Verbeeg marauders rob people they come across in the wild, and eat them if food is scarce.

[[folder:Verdant Prince]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_verdant_prince_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Fey (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 11 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

Imperious fey tyrants who delight in striking bargains with mortals that always end badly for the other party.

* DealWithTheDevil: Verdant princes appear before those in need and the greedy, and offer them aid in exchange for a service or gift. They take care to fulfil their end of the bargain, while asking for something that seems innocuous, but will in truth bring ruin.
* FaerieCourt: As per their name, verdant princes like to set themselves up as leaders among the fey, attracting evil dryads, nymphs and satyrs to lord over in sylvan courts. While cruel towards mortals, verdant princes make an effort to appear as magnanimous rulers toward their own kind.
* ForcedTransformation: They can cast the ''baleful polymorph'' spell once per day.
* LieToTheBeholder: They can use ''disguise self'' at will in case their normal appearance would scare off a potential schmuck.
* MagicallyBindingContract: When a verdant prince strikes an oath bond with a creature, it creates a magical binding that, should a party not hold up its end of the bargain, inflicts a hefty penalty to their ability scores and sickens them until the bargain is fulfilled. Only death or powerful magic like ''wish'' or ''miracle'' can end an oath bond before the bargain is fulfilled, or negate the penalties from reneging on it.
* OurNymphsAreDifferent: Verdant princes are born to dryads or nymphs who mate with other verdant princes, and have some plant-like features like [[HornedHumanoid horns of gnarled wood]] and [[PlantHair a mane of leaves]] that may change color with the seasons, or even fall off in the winter.
* ShockAndAwe: They can use ''call lightning storm'' once per day.
* {{Teleportation}}: They can use ''dimension door'' at will, [[VillainExitStageLeft especially if they expend all their combat spell-like abilities but are still losing a fight.]]
* TrackingSpell: When a bargain with a verdant prince is broken, the wronged party becomes immediately aware of it and is always aware of the other party's distance and direction.

[[folder:Vermin Lord]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vermin_lord_3e.jpg]]

->'''Classification:''' Monstrous Humanoid (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 17 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' NeutralEvil

12-foot-tall, locust-like humanoids who view their power to command nonintelligent vermin as evidence of their divine right to rule other creatures.

* TheBeastmaster: They can use ''dominate monster'' on any vermin-type creatures as a standard action, and can control ten such creatures at a time.
* MadeASlave: These creatures use their vermin minions to subjugate other creatures, compelling service or tribute from them. When two vermin lords meet, they won't fight directly, but instead have their slaves battle for primacy; the vermin lord whose slaves lose becomes the vassal (and sometimes mate) of the victor.
* PestController: Vermin lords are surrounded by a cloud of insects that damage anything adjacent to them, and can also use spells like ''summon swarm'' (a SpiderSwarm, specifically) and ''insect plague''.
* PoisonousPerson: Their bite and stinger attacks carry a [[NonHealthDamage Constitution-damaging]] poison.
* PowerPincers: Vermin lords have scorpion-like claws, which can grab and constrict opponents.
* UnreliableIllustrator: They're described as having a [[BewareMyStingerTail scorpion's tail]] and beetle-like wings, but their illustration makes them look like a thri-kreen.

[[folder:Vermiurge]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vermiurge_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 24 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral

Immense insectoid aberrations that lead lonely lives in desolate wastes, vermiurges rule over the great ranks of stinging, crawling things as silent gods.

* BewareMyStingerTail: Vermiurges have scorpion-like tails tipped with venomous stingers.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Vermiurges resemble flying scorpions in the same size range as giants.
* MixAndMatchCritters: Vermiurges resemble four-clawed scorpions with dragonfly wings.
* PestController: A vermiurge is constantly surrounded by a swarming cloud of venomous insects under its control.
* PunnyName: "Vermiurge" is a portmanteau pun on "vermin" and "demiurge".

[[folder:Vinespawn]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vinespawn_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Plant (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 7 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral

Ogre-sized, animate masses of vines that hunt other creatures at night, not as food, but as hosts for their spawn.

* CombatTentacles: Their melee attacks involve lashing foes with their viney tendrils.
* FaceFullOfAlienWingWong: Vinespawn have a "spawning root" they shove down the throat of humanoids they've engulfed. This deals a bit of damage to the victim and prevents them from speaking or casting spells with verbal components, but the spawning root also provides nourishment and air to an unconscious victim. After one day in this state, roots extend into the victim's body, so that even if they're freed, they'll emerge sickened, and will die within days if not healed with ''remove disease''. On the fourth day a victim spends with a spawning root in them, they perish, and a fully-grown vinespawn emerges from the body of its parent.
* HellIsThatNoise: Vinespawn colonies make their homes high in the treetops, and when strong winds batter the forest, the plant monsters contort their bodies to funnel the wind, producing a cacophony that can be heard for miles and has been likened to the wails of the damned. No one knows why they do this, but it probably contributes to stories of haunted forests.
* NetGun: An organic example; a few times each day, a vinespawn can throw a piece of its body that rapidly expands into a vine net that entangles victims.
* SwallowedWhole: A variant; vinespawn can simply engulf smaller creatures, potentially trapping them inside the plants' bodies. Vinespawn can deal nonlethal crushing damage to engulfed victims as a swift action, knocking (or keeping) them unconscious so that they can't resist the spawning process.

[[folder:Violet Fungus]]
[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_violet_fungus_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Plant (3E, 5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E), 1/4 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

Man-sized, semi-mobile mushrooms that lash at prey with their poisoned tendrils.

* FungusHumongous: They range from four to seven feet tall, and unless they're actively attacking, violet fungi are hard to tell from less dangerous oversized mushrooms.
* PoisonousPerson: Their tendrils excrete a flesh-rotting poison that deals [[NonHealthDamage Strength and Constitution damage]] in 3rd Edition, or necrotic damage in 5th Edition.
* TheSymbiote: They have a symbiotic relationship with shriekers, their fellow giant fungi. The shriekers' racket attracts creatures that the violet fungi's poison kills, then both fungi feed upon the decomposing remains.

[[folder:Viper Tree]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_viper_tree_3e.png]]

->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Plant (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 9 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Abyssal lifeforms that resemble trees with serpents rather than branches, most commonly found in the realm of Azzagrat.

* ItCanThink: They aren't brilliant, by viper trees are sapient and can speak Abyssal, which allowed a group from the Harmonium to survey viper trees about their favorite food (during which only 10% of the interviewers were overcome and eaten). Viper trees also consider themselves demons, and thus won't attack passing tanar'ri, but will pick a losing fight with a baatezu.
* NoSell: Since a viper tree's intelligence is "compartmented" among its many serpent heads, spells like ''charm monster'', ''hold person'' or ''sleep'' don't affect them.
* TheParalyzer: The venom carried by their viper heads is a potent paralytic, rendering prey helpless while the tree works to swallow it.
* {{Planimal}}: Larval viper trees start life as three-headed serpents whose central head is runty and dormant. After a month or so of feeding on small prey, the middle head awakens and directs the creature to kill something larger, then puts its roots down through the carcass, trading its mobility to grow larger and sprout additional serpentine "branches." While a viper tree can survive off the soil, it also preys upon small animals that pass by, or larger ones if a grove is able to cooperate.
* WeakToFire: Their wood and sap burns quickly, so that fire attacks deal double damage to them. Viper trees are thus wary of attacking potential prey carrying torches.

[[folder:Visilight]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_visilight_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Visilight (3e)]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Parai (2e)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_parai_2e.jpg[[/labelnote]] ]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E)\\

Also known as paraii, these beings of light from the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus seek to make the universe more perfect, at least according to their standards.

* ArchEnemy: Paraii don't get along with the modrons, due to their differing opinions on what perfection entails. Any modrons above quadrone level attack paraii on sight, while the paraii routinely capture modrons and convert them into new paraii.
* ArtEvolution: 2nd Edition paraii are depicted (if not necessarily described) as feminine figures in form-fitting black leather dresses, with realistic female faces and hair of metal wires. 3rd Edition visilights have more masculine bodies (but are still specifically wearing dresses), and their porcelain masks are nearly blank ([[UnreliableIllustrator and missing the mouth and wire hair]]).
* EnergyBeings: The ball of glowing light behind a parai's backless mask is the true creature, everything else is just a husk it uses to interact with the world. There's nothing inside of its dress or gloves, just like there's nothing physically wearing its mask.
* HiveMind: They share a collective consciousness, and can communicate telepathically with one another out to 100 feet.
* NoBodyLeftBehind: When slain, a visilight's ball of light explodes in a harmless burst of energy, their porcelain hands and mask crumble to dust, and all that's left is an empty leather dress.
* TheParalyzer: In 3rd Edition, visilights can paralyze other creatures as a gaze attack.
* VampiricDraining: In their 3rd Edition rules, visilights specifically equate perfection with beauty, and when they meet a creature with a higher Charisma score than their own, they'll grapple and [[NonHealthDamage drain them of it]], absorbing their victim's personality while their mask reshapes itself to resemble their prey. These stolen Charisma points decay at a rate of one per hour, and the visilight's mask slowly returns to its blank state.
* TheVirus: In their ''AD&D'' rules, paraii reproduce by assimilating creatures that meet their lofty standards of intelligence, strength or beauty. A parai's ball of light leaves its husk, which then grapples and entangles a victim as per the ''web'' spell. Over the next three days, the stuck victim is transformed into a new parai, while the watching ball of light forms a new husk-body to inhabit over the course of a day.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Their "faces" are simply masks in front of glowing balls of light, which shine through the eye and mouth holes.

[[folder:Vivisector]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vivisector_3e.png]]

->'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

Insectoids that, true to their name, cut into their helpless victims, harvesting organs to incorporate into their own bodies.

* BizarreAlienReproduction: Vivisectors reproduce by harvesting and absorbing the organs of no fewer than ten Medium-sized humanoids, until the creature becomes bloated with stolen viscera. After two weeks, the original vivisector opens its carapace to release a smaller creature, which grows to full size in another week.
* InsectoidAliens: They're five-foot-tall creatures that resemble humanoid preying mantises. Though intelligent, they have no language, and are wholly dedicated to harvesting organs from their prey.
* {{Invisibility}}: Three times per day, vivisectors can use a swift action to become fully invisible for a single round, even if they attack.
* TheNeedless: They don't age, sleep, breathe, or even eat or drink, instead vivisectors sustain themselves by stealing other creatures' vital organs, until they rot away into uselessness. On the downside, this means vivisectors don't slowly, naturally heal damage like other living creatures.
* NoSell: Vivisectors are deaf, and thus immune to language-dependent magic. They're also immune to sonic damage.
* OrganTheft: Vivisectors sustain themselves by harvesting organs from other creatures, tearing them out and inserting them into the vivisectors' hollow carapaces. Instead of making a CoupDeGrace attack, vivisectors can instead deal an automatic CriticalHit as they hack into their victim's torso, which [[LifeDrain heals the monster by the same amount of damage dealt to the victim.]] There are rumors that some older vivisectors are able to harness the abilities of creatures whose organs they've stolen.

[[folder:Vizier's Turban]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_viziers_turban_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:2e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/AlQadim''\\
'''Alignment:''' TrueNeutral, or the same as their host

Symbiotes that typically take the form of a turban with gemstone eyes, granting additional power to a wizard in exchange for some of their vitality.

* AntiTrueSight: Zig-zagged; vizier's turbans don't register as magical to spells like ''detect magic'', but can be picked up by those that detect life forms or alignments. They even seem to be amused by the efforts wizards have to go through to locate them, and perhaps view such trials as a test of a would-be host's worthiness.
* GenderBender: These creatures don't seem to have conventional sexes, and will adopt the same gender as their host, even changing their appearance between turbans, scarves and veils as necessary to accessorize with their host's other garments.
* HatOfPower: They function as such, with increasing effects depending on how many hit points their wearer is willing to give up.
* LivingHat: On the one hand, a vizier's turban is capable of speech and has a genius-level intellect, and will eagerly engage in philosophical discussions with its host. But on the other hand, they don't have much of a personality, and will quickly adopt the ethical outlook of their wearer. Unlike other intelligent magic items, vizier's turbans will never disagree with their bearer's actions unless directly asked for their opinion, and will only abandon a host if they're ignored and left behind one too many times. It should also be noted that vizier's turbans are unreliable sentries, as they'll respond to a threat sneaking up behind their host with the same sense of wonder they have while experiencing the wider world, and won't think to warn their host.
* NoSell: They're completely immune to physical damage, and even targeted attacks with weapons will pass harmlessly through the vizier's turban (and then usually smash into their host's head).
* TheSymbiote: A vizier's turban grants its wearer additional spell slots, and an increasing amount of magic resistance, based on how many hit points the wizard is willing to sacrifice to it. In an extreme situation, a turban can return all but one of those hit points to a host to help them survive an attack, but the symbiote will expect those hit points back once their host has recovered, and the process will result in a point of MaximumHPReduction for the wizard. And if an unhappy vizier's turban ditches its host, half of the hit points the wizard allocated to it are permanently lost.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: They can change their appearance between different types of silken headwear, and enjoy restyling themselves from time to time.

[[folder:Voadkyn]]
[[quoteright:265:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_voadkyn_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:265:2e]]
->'''Playable:''' 2E\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticGood

Giant-kin who dwell in forests, leading to their somewhat erroneous description as "wood giants."

* GreatBow: Their favored weapons are Huge longbows, which makes up for the voadkyn's inability to [[BoulderBludgeon throw boulders]].
* {{Humanshifting}}: Voadkyn can ''polymorph'' into any humanoid figure between three and 15 feet in height, though they can only become generic examples of the desired race, not a specific form. They've been known to use this ability to infiltrate adventuring parties and swipe some treasure.
* OurElvesAreDifferent: They look something like nine-foot-tall wood elves, though voadkyn are hairless and their jaws are heavier due to their oversized molars meant to chew plants inedible to humans. Voadkyn and wood elves have gotten along for as long as the two races can remember, to the point that some of the giant-kin prefer to live among elves, and the voadkyn as a whole have picked up some elven traits like a near-immunity to ''sleep'' or enchantment effects, as well as an affinity for archery.
* OurGiantsAreBigger: While the voadkyn insist that they are legitimate children of Annam the All-Father, the rest of giantkind holds that they're another product of Othea's affair with Ulutiu, which resulted in the voadkyn getting kicked out of giant's empire of Ostoria and removed from the ''ordning''. The voadkyn decided that since Annam had not assigned Ostoria's woodlands to anyone, they would claim the forests and become wood giants, and promptly cut ties with the rest of giantkind.
* StealthExpert: They can move silently through woodland, and blend in with forest surroundings to become effectively invisible.

[[folder:Vodyanoi]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vodyanoi_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Classification:''' Fey (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 3 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral

Fey resembling potbellied old men, who dwell within lakes and rivers, bringing weal or woe to nearby communities.

* GlamorFailure: Sometimes vodyanoi leave their waters to purchase a cow with treasure collected from the river- or lakebottom. They might be mistaken for an odd, unkempt trader, save for how they create puddles around their feet.
* MakingASplash: Vodyanoi can use ''control water'' three times per day.
* NatureSpirit: They're similar to rusalkas in that they're freshwater fey, but vodyanoi can freely leave their home body of water. Since a friendly vodyanoi can bring ample fish harvests and mitigate the effects of flooding, and an irate vodyanoi can cause the opposite, communities around the fey often make sacrifices of fish or cattle to keep them happy, with the caveat that vodyanoi are so unpredictable that such gestures have no guarantee of winning them over.
* ThePigPen: They look like potbellied old men with green-tinged skin, a tangle of reeds for hair, and long dirty fingernails.
* {{Retcon}}: Vodyanoi appeared in 2nd Edition as an aquatic variant of umber hulks, just with only one set of eyes, green, slimy skin, and webbed claws. 3rd Edition brought the creature more in line with its origins in Myth/SlavicMythology.
* SinisterSuffocation: In combat, vodyanoi usually try to grab and pin a foe beneath the water's surface, drowning them.
* SmokeOut: An odd variant; vodyanoi can summon a school of illusory fish while underwater, which is mechanically quite similar to a ''fog cloud'' spell. Beyond giving themselves concealment, some vodyanoi use this ability to trick people into thinking the fey has blessed them with plentiful fish (if a vodyanoi does want to lure fish into an area, they use their Survival skill).
* UglyGuyHotWife: Vodyanoi sometimes make wives of the much more beautiful rusalkas.

[[folder:Volodni]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_volodni__3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''\\
'''Classification:''' Plant (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticNeutral

Also known as "pine folk," these humanoid plants claim the cold forests as their own and vigorously defend them from despoilers.

* {{Druid}}: Their favored class, and the only kind of spellcaster they respect. Most volodni bands are led by a druid who belongs to a forest-wide hierarchy, though their war-leaders are instead usually [[ForestRanger rangers.]]
* GaiasVengeance: They consider all forests their territory, actively colonize woodlands to bring under their protection, and react to those seeking to harvest the forest's resources the same as civilized folk would view an outsider plundering their farmland and houses. Some open-minded volodni are willing to negotiate with outsiders for limited access to their forests, but other pine folk aggressively defend their borders. The most ambitious volodni seek to expand their forests, "and dream of a day when all Faerûn once again lies cloaked in unbroken green."
* InHarmonyWithNature: Thanks to their biology, volodni have little impact on their home forests. The only structures they build are stone circles or hearthstones, and they work with stone, leather and wood, avoiding working metal or kindling fires whenever possible. This mindset helps volodni get along with the likes of centaurs and elves, though the latter tend to disapprove of the volodni's "dispassionate ruthlessness."
* PlantPerson: Volodni are heavily on the "person" side of the trope, but are still clearly plants -- their skin is the color of pine needles, their flesh is woody and tough, their thick hair grows in scaly locks similar to the bark of a young tree, and they have clear sap instead of blood. Their plant traits mean that volodni only take half damage from piercing weapons, need only two hours of sleep each night to feel fully-rested, and they can absorb enough nutrients from their environments to require only a quarter of the food and water as an ordinary human. Note that volodni are ''not'' WeakToFire, and their evergreen traits grant them cold resistance as well.
* WasOnceAMan: They're descended from a now-forgotten tribe "who traded their humanity in exchange for shelter from their enemies."

[[folder:Vorr]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vorr_3e.jpg]]

->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Outsider (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' ChaoticEvil

Intelligent hunting animals native to the Abyss, adept at stalking prey from shadow to shadow.

* BackStab: They can deal sneak attack damage like a rogue.
* HellHound: Vorrs are usually encountered in packs, and some powerful denizens of the Abyss like to use them as hunting hounds.
* LivingShadow: Once per day, a vorr can assume a shadowy form for up to 10 minutes, allowing it to avoid most damage, blend in with dark surroundings, and move effortlessly up walls, on the underside of ceilings, or across the surface of liquids.
* MixAndMatchCritters: They're described as canines, but have hyena-like features, a feline build, and a rat-like tail.
* ShadowWalker: They can jump between shadowy areas as per the ''dimension door'' spell.

[[folder:Vryloka]]
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_vryloka_4e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:310:4e]]
->'''Playable:''' 4E\\
'''Alignment:''' Any

Former humans who have become "living vampires," gaining increased longevity and power, at the cost of some vitality.

* BlueBlood: The first vrylokas were the noble class of a now-forgotten kingdom (in fact, the name for their kind comes from the first noble family to transform themselves, the Vryloka). While their subjects revolted when they learned the truth about their rulers, and the vrylokas scattered in the wake of their kingdom's fall, they've since joined the upper classes of other nations, attaining positions of wealth and power.
* {{Determinator}}: Vrylokas don't do anything by halves -- any task that they don't feel passionate about, they'll abandon, but the goals they do hold onto are goals they'll do anything to complete.
* {{Dhampyr}}: They're more or less 4th Edition's equivalent to the recurring "dhampir" playable race. Vrylokas enjoy a lesser form of full vampirism, and while they don't have fangs or a bite attack, they do gain racial powers that let them shapeshift into a wolf or bat, revive a slain comrade by feeding them blood (potentially turning them into a new vryloka), and so forth. That said, vrylokas have a racial taboo against becoming a ''full'' vampire (which is treated as a player class in 4E) -- "They seek eternal life, not the empty shell of an undead existence." This hasn't stopped rumors that some old, powerful vrylokas are hiding their true vampiric natures.
* ImmortalitySeeker: The desire for an extended lifespan is what drove the first vrylokas to undergo their transformation, and most of them can live for at least three centuries, remaining in their prime up until their deaths. Some powerful vrylokas are said to be truly unaging. The downside of this is that vrylokas' lifespan combined with their passionate natures can leave them [[WhoWantsToLiveForever battling against ennui and restlessness,]] driving them to immerse themselves in their studies, the arts, the thrill of combat, or convoluted schemes and power struggles.
* LifeDrain: The vrylokas' racial power gives them temporary hit points, as well as a speed boost and attack roll bonus, after killing or bloodying a foe.
* MortalityGreyArea: Their "Living Dead" racial trait lets a vryloka choose whether to count as living or undead whenever a spell affects them.
* RacialTransformation: A being known as the Red Witch offered the first vrylokas the blood-bonding ritual that made them living vampires, and similarly, a vryloka can use their own blood to revive a dead human as one of their own.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Their eyes are usually dark gray or blue, but turn red when a vryloka is excited or angered.
* ThickerThanWater: Vrylokas are immensely loyal to their bloodlines, and are taught to be devoted to their families first and foremost -- which can cause trouble when these familial ties conflict with a vryloka's bonds with their TrueCompanions. Those who break their bonds of blood are typically exiled, and some shunned vrylokas undergo a complete mental breakdown from the isolation, turning into vicious killers.

!!W

[[folder:Wallara]]
[[quoteright:257:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wallara_2e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:257:2e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''[[TabletopGame/{{Mystara}} Red Steel]]''\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulGood or LawfulNeutral

Also known as "chameleon men," these reptilian humanoids live a simple existence far from civilization.

* BizarreAlienReproduction: Wallara are a OneGenderRace of lizard-men, who reproduce by placing their shed skins into a sacred site called a tookoo, where the skin has a 1-in-20 chance of budding a newborn wallara who grows to maturity over the next eight weeks.
* ChameleonCamouflage: Unsurprisingly, they can blend in with their surroundings, becoming 90% invisible. Unfortunately, this means some wizards seek wallara skins to make ''robes of blending''.
* DragonAncestry: Wallara are descended from dragons, hence why they can live to be 250 years old, and such elders pick up [[ResistantToMagic magic resistance]] near the end of their lives.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: They're basically UsefulNotes/AboriginalAustralians as lizardfolk, to the extent that they go on a walkabout accompanied by spirit guardians that take the form of kangaroos, kookaburras and koalas, they believe in a [[HollywoodDreamtime Dreamworld]] that exists parallel to the waking world, and so on.
* LizardFolk: They're the oldest of Mystara's "lizard kin" races, looking like humanoid reptiles with multicolored skin that seems to shift and swirl as they move. These colors can include any hue, but most wallara only have three or four prominent colors.
* {{Teleportation}}: On top of seeming to vanish thanks to their camouflage, wallara can replicate a ''dimension door'' effect at will, reappearing 120 feet away.
* VestigialEmpire: In their home setting, the wallara once had an enlightened civilization the equal of their aranea neighbors, but roughly 1500 years before the setting's present, the aranea went to war with them for an unknown reason, reducing the wallara to Stone Age primitivism.

[[folder:Wang-Liang]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_wang_liang_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/KaraTur''\\
'''Classification:''' Giant (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 4 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

10-foot-tall, black-fleshed giants with a bitter hatred of humans.

* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Wang-liang have retractable, cat-like claws for {{Natural Weapon}}s.
* FantasticRacism: Wang-liang despise humans for their greedy consumption of resources and prolific population growth, especially compared to the wang-liang's own rate of reproduction. The rise of mankind has come at the expense of the wang-liang, who consider themselves a DyingRace and lay the blame squarely on humans. As such, wang-liang will never pass up an opportunity to harass, humiliate, maim or kill a human, and any death of a wang-liang at the hands of humans is considered a blood debt that requires a hundred dead humans to satisfy.
* HumanShifting: They can use ''alter self'' at will, but only to take a humanoid form between four and 12 feet tall.
* IGaveMyWord: Their deep sense of honor means that wang-liang will always keep their word, even to a human, even if it results in the wang-liang's death.
* ImmortalProcreationClause: Wang-liang can live for two millennia, but their females become fertile exactly once during their lifetimes, at which point they seek out a male to mate with -- [[MateOrDie any female who can't find a mate during her fertility period will die, and any male who can't find a mate ten years after reaching sexual maturity will suffer a similar fate.]] These pairings produce a male and female child (or rarely, two sets of twins, one male and one female), which at least keeps the wang-liang's gender ratio stable.
* {{Invisibility}}: They can turn invisible at will.
* {{Oni}}: They're described as cousins to oni/ogre mages, though they have their own bestiary entry rather than being considered an oni subtype.

[[folder:Warforged]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/636678011094821341.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}''\\
'''Classification:''' Construct (3E), Natural Humanoid (4E), Humanoid (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 1/2 (3E), 4 (4E), 1 (5E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E-5E\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral (3E), Any (4E-5E)

Living constructs created to be soldiers, the warforged unexpectedly developed sapience and free will, allowing them to seek meaning in their lives beyond fighting others' battles. See [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsRaces the Playable Races subpage]] for more information about the standard warforged.

!!Warforged Charger
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_warforged_charger_3e.png]]

->'''Classification:''' Construct (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 5 (3E)\\
'''Playable:''' 3E\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulNeutral

Large and unsophisticated warforged, designed to charge into the enemy ranks and smash them to pieces.

* DumbMuscle: They're about as smart as the average ogre, and tend to cling to their simple orders. Though capable of speech, they talk haltingly at best.
* FantasyMetals: Their bodies are plated with adamantine, letting chargers ignore the damage reduction of other constructs and the hardness value of objects, while granting the chargers a hefty armor bonus and damage reduction of their own.
* FlawedPrototype: The chargers are an intermediate step between the titans and warforged proper, both in terms of size and ability. Unlike the titans, they're classified as living constructs, but chargers are still less adaptable and intelligent than their Medium-sized successors.
* KillerGorilla: They have the body plan of such, and can do plenty of damage pounding foes with their adamantine fists.

!!Warforged Colossus
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_warforged_colossus_5e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Norr," Colossus WX-5, in the ruins of Metrol (5e)]]
->'''Classification:''' Construct (5E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 25 (5E)\\
'''Alignment:''' Unaligned

The largest of their kind, warforged colossi are walking weapons of mass destruction.