Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Blue Slaad, Death Slaad, and Green Slaad

I imagine that there were at least a couple of people waiting for this post, eager to throw a few Slaadi into their Dungeon Crawl Classics campaign! Well, the wait is at least partially over, because it is going to take more than one post to get through all the types of Slaadi, as well as their Masters.

The astute reader will immediately notice that I toned down the Slaadi somewhat, while trying to maintain the essential elements of the creatures. I made a few other changes. The original creatures in the Fiend Folio didn’t have a listed swim speed. This seemed absurd to me, so I gave them one. I attempted to determine what magical powers were essential, and allow each type of Slaadi to have some unique attribute.

Make no mistake: Slaadi are fun to use in a game. But, because they are essentially a listing of different powers/power levels stuck onto the same chassis, they are not as much fun to convert as some other monsters in this project. There is not much of a requirement for creativity, unless one were to create a whole secondary hierarchy of Slaadi running parallel to that of the Fiend Folio. Which I am strongly tempted to do.

 

Slaadi

The slaadi are a group of extra-planar frog-like monstrosities whose natural form resembles large batrachians humanoids. Their heads are huge, their claws extremely sharp and long, and their voices form a croaking language which is all they deign to speak. Although beings of chaos and woe, which dwell where the winds of Limbo roar, slaadi are extremely hierarchical by type, from the lowest red slaad to their dreaded masters. All slaadi have names, and those who learn them may attempt to summon and compel them using demon summoning.

Slaadi are ranked as follows: red slaad, blue slaad, green slaad, grey slaad, death slaad, slaad master. Slaadi believe that, by following the orders of their superior types, they can reincarnate upon death as a higher slaad rank, while those who fail to live up to their caste duties are reborn as red slaadi.

The relationship between the slaadi, the slaad lords, and Bobugbubilz is a matter for some debate among those learned in the Toadfiend’s lore, but is unlikely to be unraveled by mortal folk any time soon. Certainly, there were many foul beings spawned in the primordial pools where Bobugbubilz first emerged, and few if any of them considered their spawn-mates to be anything more than rivals and potential meals.

All slaadi have the following common abilities:

• Communication: Speech in their own language, understanding all languages, and telepathic communication to a range of 100’.

• Magic Resistance: All slaadi have a chance of ignoring a spell (or other magical effect) as though it did not exist. This is rolled as a percentile chance before any applicable save is made.

• Spellcasting:  All slaadi have a number of spells they can cast, using their Hit Dice as a bonus to the spell check. Slaadi do not suffer corruptions, disapproval, or patron taint, but lose access to any spell for 24 hours if they roll a spell check of 10 or less on that spell. Slaadi spells are psionic in nature, requiring no words, motions, or material components.

• Slaadi Symbols: All slaadi have a magical symbol of rank in the form of a jewel encased in the creature's skull beneath the skin of the forehead. These are artificial devices which encase the slaad's life-force; they may be removed when a salad is held immobile by any spell. On threat of destruction of the gem, an intelligent being may force the monster to fulfill three tasks, if they are within the creature’s capacity. However, when released and the gem replaced, a salad that is not very well rewarded (usually by human slaves to take back to its own plane of existence) turns on its would-be controller with lethal intent. The same occurs immediately upon a fourth task being requested, and a controller who is slow to destroy the stone usually does not survive to learn from their mistake. These jewels are typically valued at 10 gp per Hit Die of the linked salad, but any slaad seeing a symbol held by a non-slaad attack with berserk fury. Each symbol is unique and readily identifiable by any other slaad.

 

Blue Slaad

Blue Slaad: Init +0; Atk Claw +3 melee (2d6) or bite +1 melee (2d8); AC 15; HD 5d12; MV 20’ or swim 30’; Act 3d20; SP Slaadi traits (40% magic resistance); SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3; AL C.

The second rank of slaadi, the blue variety is more often encountered running errands or missions for the slaadi masters than for anything else, although they can be summoned as Type II Demons. They are 10’ tall, with a light electric blue hue broken by streaks of grey, and two scimitar-like blades growing from the end of each limb. Their rivalry with the red slaadi (whose caste they believe was their own in their last lives) is legendary; neither type will help the other except in direst emergency.

Blue slaadi have access to the following spells: Paralysis. With a successful spell check, they can also move an item weighing up to 100 lbs by telekinesis (up to 10’), or pass up to 10’ through a solid wall.

 

 

Death Slaad

Death Slaad: Init +4; Atk By weapon +8 melee (by weapon +4) or claw +8 melee (3d6) or bite +6 melee (2d10 plus XP drain); AC 24; HD 12d12; MV 30’ or swim 40’; Act 2d20; SP Slaadi traits (75% magic resistance), half damage from non-magical weapons, shift into human form, XP drain, planar travel, death throes; SV Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +10; AL C.

There are said to be only four of these beings, also known as the Lesser Masters by the slaadi, to exist. They are no larger than a tall human, and are able to shift into human form or back as an action. This does not affect their statistics, except that a human-form slaad cannot use claw or bite attacks, and a slaadi-form slaad cannot use weapons. Death slaadi taking human form are often equipped with magical weapons of fearsome aspect. In slaadi form, the bite of a death slaad also permanently drains 2d10 XP. This will not lower a target’s level, but must be regained before the victim can advance once more.

Death slaadi may be summoned as Type VI demons. They have access to the following spells: Choking cloud, detect invisible, detect magic, ESP, flaming hands, invisibility, locate object, and phantasm. Death slaadi may travel to and from Limbo using an action, unless otherwise bound. Upon death, these slaadi explode in a fireball, causing 8d6 damage to all within 30’ (Reflex DC 18 for half).

 

 

 

 

Green Slaad

Green Slaad: Init +2; Atk Claw +6 melee (1d6+2) or bite +4 melee (2d8); AC 17; HD 8d12; MV 20’ or swim 30’; Act 1d20; SP Slaadi traits (50% magic resistance), shift into human form, half damage from non-magical weapons, gate; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +7; AL C.

Green slaadi are pale in hue, with streaks of gray on their light green skin. This creature is pale green in colour with streaks of grey. Although a green slaad can shift into human or slaadi form using an action, the creature always resumes its native aspect when in combat.

Green slaadi may be summoned as Type V demons. They have access to the following spells: darkness, detect invisible, detect magic, ESP, locate object, scare, and flaming hands. Once per hour a green slaad may attempt to gate in another slaad. Roll 1d10 to determine success: (1-5) failure, (6-7) red slaad, (8-9) blue slaad, or (10) green slaad.