Yugoloth

Yugoloth
Characteristics
Alignment Neutral Evil
Type Outsider (Evil)
Publication history
Source books Faces of Evil, PSMC, PSMC2, Planes of Conflict, MM2, MM3, Fiend Folio
First appearance MM2(1e)

Yugoloths (formerly known as daemons) are a group of monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. As a category of creature, they are comparable to devils and demons. Yugoloths are neutral evil natives of the lower planes of the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna and the Gray Waste of Hades. In the third edition of the Forgotten Realms, they are native to the "Blood Rift" plane.

Publication history

Yugoloths were originally called daemons in the first edition of Dungeons and Dragons, possibly linking to the daemon of Greek mythology. Descriptions for the Nycadaemon and Mezzodaemon appear in the Vault of the Drow module published in 1978. In that module, they are random encounter monsters in the city of Erelhei-Cinlu, the stronghold of the Drow. Along with other monsters, the Nycadaemon and Mezzodaemon were published in the Fiend Folio in 1981. They are able to move among all the lower planes at will.

Along with demons and devils, their names were changed in the second edition of Dungeons and Dragons to avoid conflict with fundamentalist Christians who viewed the game as satanic.[1] The Nycadaemon and Mezzodaemon thus became the Nycaloth and Mezzoloth respectively. While demons and devils had their original names restored in the third edition of Dungeons and Dragons, the yugoloths did not.

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

The mezzodaemon and the nycadaemon first appeared in first edition in the adventure module Vault of the Drow (1978),[2] and reprinted in the original Fiend Folio (1981); the guardian daemon also debuted in this book.[3] The arcanadaemon, Charon (The Boatman of the Lower Planes), the charonadaemon, the derghodaemon, the hydrodaemon, the Oinodaemon (Anthraxus), the piscodaemon, the ultrodaemon, and the yagnodaemon first appeared in the original Monster Manual II (1983).[4]

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

The least guardian daemon, the lesser guardian daemon, and the greater guardian daemon appeared in second edition in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989),[5] and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993) as the least guardian yugoloth, the lesser guardian yugoloth, and the greater guardian yugoloth.[6] The arcanaloth, the dergholoth, the hydroloth, the mezzoloth, the nycaloth, the piscoloth, the ultroloth, and the yagnoloth appeared in the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix (1991).[7] The marraenoloth appeared for the Planescape setting in the Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set (1994),[8] and the arcanaloth, the dergholoth, the hydroloth, the mezzoloth, the nycaloth, the piscoloth, the ultroloth, and the yagnoloth appeared in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994).[9] The gacholoth appeared in Dungeon #49 (September 1994), and reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Four (1998).[10] The canoloth appeared in the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (1995).[11] The baernaloth appeared in the Planes of Conflict boxed set (1995).[12] The altraloths (including Anthraxus, Bubonix, Cerlic, Taba, Typhus, and Xenghara) were detailed in Dragon Annual #2 (1997).[13]

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007)

The canoloth, mezzoloth, the nycaloth, and the ultroloth appeared in the third edition Manual of the Planes (2001).[14] The arcanaloth, the marraenoloth, and the yagnoloth appeared in Monster Manual II (2002).[15] The piscoloth and the skeroloth appeared in the Fiend Folio (2003).[16] The arrow battleloth, the axe battleloth, the crossbow battleloth, the pick battleloth, the spiked chain battleloth, and the sword battleloth appeared in Dragon #306 (April 2003). The canoloth, the mezzoloth, the nycaloth and nycaloth commander, and the ultroloth appeared in Monster Manual III.[17] The echinoloth appeared in Stormwrack (2005).[18] The corruptor of fate and corruptor of fate assassin, and the voor appeared in Monster Manual IV (2006).[19] Charon appeared in Dungeon #149 (August 2007),[20] and the dergholoth appeared in Dungeon #150 (September 2007).

Description

There are several dozen sub-types of yugoloth of varying degrees of power. Their progenitors are the ancient, diseased baernaloths. The yugoloth leader holds the title of Oinoloth, and rules from the Wasting Tower of Khin-Oin. (But even this figure does not oppose the General of Gehenna, who has ruled since their race colonized that plane. On the other hand, yugoloths will act on their own without hesitation in the General's absence.)[21]

They are neutral regarding the affairs of the other fiendish races, interfering only when they see a situation that may be profitable or has potential for the advancement of their own schemes. The yugoloths are manipulative, secretive, and mercenary by nature, often acting as soldiers for deities in their own private wars, or aiding one side or the other in the Blood War between the demons (tanar'ri) and devils (baatezu). Although yugoloths present themselves as simply greedy mercenaries, the members of the highest yugoloth castes view the entire course of the Blood War as their own to control and manipulate until they decide to end it, unify the Lower Planes, and turn their attention to the planes of Good.[22]

Types of Yugoloths

Guardian Yugoloths

These creatures, the guardian yugoloths were created by the yugoloths as lesser servants for their mortal allies, and to serve in their stead when powerful wizards call upon them for favors. They are found in least, lesser, and greater varieties.

Battleloths

A subgroup of yugoloths are known as battleloths. These creatures take the shapes of various weapons:

Unique yugoloths

Non-canonical yugoloths

Gary Gygax, in his Gord novels: City of Hawks, Come Endless Darkness, and Dance of Demons, included several non-canonical yugoloths, although Gary Gygax called them "Daemons"

There are also two yugoloth species mentioned in Gord the Rogue.

Forgotten Realms setting yugoloths

The following yugoloths appeared in the Forgotten Realms setting.

Notes

  1. Larme p 29.
  2. Gygax, Gary. Vault of the Drow (TSR, 1978)
  3. Turnbull, Don, ed. Fiend Folio (TSR, 1981)
  4. Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual II (TSR, 1983)
  5. Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (TSR, 1989)
  6. Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1993)
  7. LaFountain, J. Paul. Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix. (TSR, 1991)
  8. Cook, David "Zeb". Planescape Campaign Setting (TSR, 1994)
  9. Varney, Allen, ed. Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (TSR, 1994)
  10. Pickens, Jon, ed. Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Four. (TSR, 1998)
  11. Baker, Rich, Tim Beach, Wolfgang Baur, Michele Carter, and Colin McComb. Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (TSR, 1995)
  12. McComb, Colin, Dale Donovan, and Monte Cook. Planes of Conflict (TSR, 1995)
  13. Bonny, Ed. "Pox of the Planes" in Dragon Annual #2. (1997)
  14. Grubb, Jeff, David Noonan, and Bruce Cordell. Manual of the Planes (Wizards of the Coast, 2001)
  15. Bonny, Ed, Skip Williams, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Steve Winter. Monster Manual II (3e). (Wizards of the Coast, 2002). ISBN 0-7869-2873-5
  16. Wyatt, James, Eric Cagle, Jesse Decker, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Matthew Sernett, Chris Thomasson. Fiend Folio. (Wizards of the Coast, 2003). ISBN 0-7869-2780-1
  17. Burlew, Rich, et al. Monster Manual III (Wizards of the Coast, 2004)
  18. Baker, Richard; Joseph D. Carriker; and Jennifer Clarke-Wilkes. Stormwrack (Wizards of the Coast, 2005)
  19. Kestrel, Gwendolyn F.M. Monster Manual IV (Wizards of the Coast, 2006)
  20. Baur, Wolfgang. "Enemies of my Enemy." Dungeon #149 (Paizo Publishing, 2007)
  21. Third Edition Manual of the Planes, p 185. See also the p 113 sidebar on the Crawling City.
  22. The Dark of the War: A DM's Guide, p 9-10, 26-27, and "Squaring the Circle," p 39 and 94 of War Games: An Adventure Book, both sources from Hellbound: The Blood War by Colin McComb and Monte Cook.
  23. Mentzer, Frank. "Ay pronunseeAY shun gyd" Dragon #93 (TSR, 1985)
  24. Stewart, Todd (September 2007). "Campaign Workbook: Wandering Monster: Dergholoth". Dungeon 21 (9): 124–125.
  25. Mentzer, Frank. "Ay pronunseeAY shun gyd" Dragon #93 (TSR, 1985)
  26. Stewart, Todd and James, Brian R. Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Shemeshka the Marauder in Dungeon 205 (Wizards of the Coast, 2012).

Additional reading

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