Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Grey Slaad and Red Slaad

This post sees the final mainline Slaadi converted to Dungeon Crawl Classics, which will aid in the conversion of most adventures using these creatures. The Slaadi Masters will each get their own post, giving them a partial patron write-up as well as statistics for their avatars. The Slaadi available to you now can be summoned by the PCs, or sent on nefarious missions by NPC wizards and elves. If you do decide to use them, as always, I would love to hear about your experiences!

The astute reader will again notice that I toned down the Slaadi somewhat, while trying to maintain the essential elements of the creatures from the Fiend Folio. The Red Slaadi pellets didn’t describe how they killed, and I had a bit of fun with that. I again attempted to determine what magical powers were essential, and allow each type of Slaadi to have some unique attribute, hopefully with some degree of success.

If you are enjoying this series of posts, and want to tip, please consider supporting my Patreon. If you are looking for even more monsters, encounters, or adventures, this month the material I am working on explores the fey.

 

 

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.

 

Grey Slaad

Grey Slaad: Init +0; Atk By weapon +5 melee (by weapon +2) or Claw +5 melee (1d7+3) or bite +3 melee (2d8); AC 19; HD 8d12; MV 30’ or swim 40’; Act 2d20; SP Slaadi traits (55% magic resistance), half damage from non-magical weapons, shift to human form, immune to cold, cause blindness, gate, planar travel, enchant items; SV Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6; AL C.

These creatures, also known as the Executioners, are most often found in the Lands We Know carrying out not the injunctions of mortal wizards, but the will of the slaadi masters, and this makes them the most feared by those versed in slaadi lore. They are the height of a normal human, and are able to shift into human form or back using an action. Most often, they are encountered in human form, which affects only their available attacks in game terms.

Grey slaadi can be summoned as Type VI demons. They have access to the following spells: darkness, fireball (ball lightning manifestation), flaming hands, invisibility, and scare. Once per day they can blind an opponent within 100’ with a single word (Will DC 15 negates). Also once per day, they may attempt to open a gate allowing 1d3 additional grey slaadi to enter the Lands We Know; there is a 60% chance of success when this is attempted.

Unless otherwise bound, grey slaadi may travel the planes at will. Given the time and the equipment, they can enchant an item as though they had access to whatever spells are necessary to do so. Because of this, when travelling in human form, grey slaadi will usually have 1d3+1 choice magic items; most often this includes an enchanted weapon of some sort.

 

Red Slaad

Red Slaad: Init +4; Atk Claw +2 melee (1d4 plus implantation) or bite +0 melee (1d5+1); AC 14; HD 3d12; MV 20’ or swim 30’ hop 30’; Act 2d20; SP Slaadi traits (35% magic resistance), hop, implantation, regeneration 3 hp/round; SV Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +10; AL C.

The lowest rank of slaadi, these 8’ tall creatures are the commonest of the slaadi, both in the Lands We Know and their home plane, and are regularly sent to our world in search of human slaves. There intelligence is dull, and they are easily fooled, but they are nonetheless powerful foes. Red slaadi regenerate 3 hp every round until they reach 0 hp; they do not regenerate past death. A red slaad can also use an action die to hop 30’ in any direction; combined with an attack, this should be treated as a charge (+2 to hit, but -2 to AC until the slaad’s next action).

Red slaadi have a gland near their claws which implants a small pellet with each successful claw attack unless the victim succeeds in a Luck check. Once a pellet is implanted, the victim must succeed in a DC 20 Fort save or die within 3d12 hours, when a new red slaadi explodes outward from the site of the wound. Anything which neutralizes poison or disease can also neutralize the pellet, which then becomes inert. The pellet worms itself into the flesh, so digging it out causes 1d6 damage per round that it has been implanted, but this does not neutralize the pellet, so that it may be used as a power component, adding a +4 bonus to any spell check against a spell specifically being used to target slaadi. The pellet is destroyed in this process. When a red slaad is slain, any pellets remaining in its claw gland are instantly neutralized. If captured and made helpless, 1d4+1 pellets can be recovered from a red slaad with a DC 10 Handle Poison check.

Red slaadi may be summoned as Type I demons. The only spell they can use is unique: with a spell check of 12+, they stun all non-slaadi targets within 30’ for 1d4 rounds (Will save equal to spell check result negates). This power is used both the capture potential slaves and to escape from danger.