Slaad

The chaotic planes seethe and roil with random energy and bits of matter. Weaving their way amid this cacophony of light and sound are the slaadi.

Creatures of chaos, slaadi have been likened to humanoid toads, but that description belies their agility and fearsome fighting prowess.

All slaadi speak their own language, Slaad. Green, gray, and death slaadi also speak Common, and in addition death slaadi can communicate telepathically.

Combat

Slaadi generally attack with their claws and bite. They relish melee combat but are savvy enough to use their summoning and other spell-like abilities to good effect. A slaad’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as chaotic-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

All slaadi have resistance to acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5, and fire 5, and immunity to sonic damage.

Summon Slaad (Sp): Slaadi can summon other slaadi much as though casting a summon monster spell, but they have only a limited chance of success. Roll d%: On a failure, no slaadi answer the summons. Summoned creatures automatically return whence they came after 1 hour. A slaad that has just been summoned cannot use its own summon ability for 1 hour.

Most slaadi do not use this ability lightly, since they are generally distrustful and fearful of one another. In general, they use it only when necessary to save their own lives.

Slaadi Characters

Slaadi rarely have the focus to devote themselves to a character class. Grays sometimes become sorcerers, and the most powerful death slaadi train as rogues to take the assassin class.

The statistics block below contains details for more than one shape, size, or type of this creature. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.

Red • Blue • Green • Gray • Death

Red Slaad ⬆️

This creature looks like a roughly humanoid, red-skinned toad with almost no neck and a massive, flat head. It is bipedal, with clawed hands and feet. The hands and the digits on them are particularly large. A human would stand only about as high as the creature’s shoulders.

Weakest of the slaadi, the reds wander about individually, often establishing secret lairs on other planes. Most seek to escape from the other more powerful and sometimes cruel slaadi.

A red slaad is about 8 feet tall and weighs about 650 pounds. As its name suggests, a red slaad is mostly red, darker along the back and paler around the belly.

Red slaadi are found in groups only when working for some greater power that somehow has mastered them. Even then, they don’t coordinate actions well.

Combat

Red slaadi usually attack only when hungry or riled. Once aroused, however, a red slaad fights to the death.

Pounce (Ex): If a red slaad charges, it can make a full attack in the same round.

Implant (Ex): A red slaad that hits with a claw attack can inject an egg pellet into the opponent’s body. The affected creature must succeed on a DC 16 Fortitude save to avoid implantation. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Often the slaad implants an unconscious or otherwise helpless creature (which gets no saving throw). The egg gestates for one week before hatching into a blue slaad that eats its way out, killing the host. Twenty-four hours before the egg fully matures, the victim falls extremely ill (–⁠10 to all ability scores, to a minimum of 1). A remove disease spell rids a victim of the pellet, as does a DC 25 Heal check. If the check fails, the healer can try again, but each attempt (successful or not) deals 1d4 points of damage to the patient.

If the host is an arcane spellcaster, the egg pellet instead hatches into a green slaad.

Stunning Croak (Su): Once per day a red slaad can emit a loud croak. Every creature (except slaadi) within 20 feet must succeed on a DC 16 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1d3 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Summon Slaad (Sp): Once per day a red slaad can attempt to summon another red slaad with a 40% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd-level spell.

Blue Slaad ⬆️

This hulking creature looks like a strapping blue-skinned humanoid toad, as big as an ogre, with almost no neck and a massive, flat head. It is bipedal, with clawed hands and feet. It has wicked-looking, bony hooks on the backs of its hands.

Blue slaadi gather to wage horrific battles against other societies and their own. They are bullies that value only strength and power.

A blue slaad is about 10 feet tall and very broad. It weighs about 1,000 pounds. As its name suggests, a blue slaad is mostly blue, darker along the back and paler around the belly.

Blue slaadi are most often found in groups and work well together⁠—​at least, better than red slaadi.

Combat

Blue slaadi are quick to anger, and inclined to attack most other creatures on sight to prove their strength. The bone hooks on the backs of its hands give a blue slaad four claw attacks each round when it makes a full attack.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will⁠—​hold person (DC 13), passwall, telekinesis (DC 15); 1/day⁠—​chaos hammer (DC 14). Caster level 8th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Slaad Fever (Su): Supernatural disease⁠—​bite, Fortitude DC 18, incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Cha. The save DC is Constitution-based.

An afflicted humanoid reduced to Charisma 0 by slaad fever immediately transforms into a red slaad. It retains none of the features, traits, memories, or abilities of its former self, and is a normal red slaad in all respects.

If the infected being is an arcane spellcaster, the disease instead produces a green slaad.

Summon Slaad (Sp): Once per day a blue slaad can attempt to summon another blue slaad with a 40% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell.

Green Slaad ⬆️

This tall, gangly creature looks like a cross between an ogre and a frog. Its skin is a mottled green, and it has long, sharp claws and a wide mouth.

If a red slaad’s egg pellet or a blue slaad’s disease infects an arcane spellcaster, that host produces a green slaad.

A green slaad is about 10 feet tall and very broad. It weighs about 1,000 pounds. As its name suggests, a green slaad is mostly green, darker along the back and paler around the belly.

Green slaadi are self-centered, arrogant louts that think only of themselves. They lust after magical power, eventually transforming into grays (see below) if they find it.

Green slaadi work in groups if doing so suits their immediate needs.

Combat

Green slaadi prefer to use spell-like abilities over physical combat but aren’t afraid to attack with tooth and claw if they must. They never fight to the death, though, if they can avoid it.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will⁠—​chaos hammer (DC 15), detect magic, detect thoughts (DC 13), fear (DC 15), protection from law, see invisibility, shatter (DC 13); 3/day⁠—​dispel law (DC 16), deeper darkness, fireball (DC 14). Caster level 9th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Change Shape (Su): A green can assume any Medium or Large humanoid form as a standard action. In humanoid form, a green slaad cannot use its natural weapons (although a slaad can equip itself with weapons and armor appropriate to its appearance). A green slaad remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, but the slaad reverts to its natural form when killed. A true seeing spell reveals its natural form.

Summon Slaad (Sp): Twice per day a green slaad can attempt to summon another green slaad with a 40% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 5th-level spell.

Gray Slaad ⬆️

Lean and quick-looking, this humanoid resembles a two-legged frog. Its skin is a dappled gray color, and its fingers are long and clawed. It stands as tall as a human.

A green slaad that survives for more than a century retreats into isolation for at least a year. It returns as a smaller, leaner gray slaad and devotes most of its time and attention to magical study. Gray slaadi enjoy crafting magic items to further their own power.

Combat

Gray slaadi prefer to fight from a distance, using their spell-like abilities, although they don’t shy away from melee.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will⁠—​chaos hammer (DC 16), deeper darkness, detect magic, identify, invisibility, lightning bolt (DC 15), magic circle against law, see invisibility, shatter (DC 14); 3/day⁠—​animate objects, dispel law (DC 17), fly; 1/day⁠—​power word stun. Caster level 10th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Change Shape (Su): A gray slaad can assume any humanoid form as a standard action. In humanoid form, a gray slaad cannot use its natural weapons (although a slaad can equip itself with weapons and armor appropriate to its appearance). A gray slaad remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, but the slaad reverts to its natural form when killed. A true seeing spell reveals its natural form.

Summon Slaad (Sp): Twice per day a gray slaad can attempt to summon 1–2 red slaadi or 1 blue slaad with a 60% chance of success, or 1 green slaad with a 40% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 5th-level spell.

Death Slaad ⬆️

Lean and quick-looking, this humanoid resembles a two-legged frog. Its skin is a dappled gray color, and its fingers are long and clawed. It stands as tall as a human.

Death slaadi are grays that undergo some mysterious ritual that transforms them into veritable killing machines. Although they have spell-like abilities like gray slaadi, death slaadi focus more on killing than on magical power. They look exactly like gray slaadi.

All slaadi obey the command of a death slaad, out of fear more than anything else. Death slaadi represent a corruption of pure chaos by evil rather than true exemplars of it.

Combat

Although its prowess with its natural weapons is fearsome, a death slaad enjoys wielding a magic weapon if available.

Stun (Ex): Three times per day, a death slaad can attempt to stun its opponent on an attack with one of its natural weapons. If the opponent fails a DC 21 Fortitude save, it is stunned for 1 round in addition to taking normal damage from the attack. The save DC is Wisdom-based.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will⁠—​animate objects, chaos hammer (DC 18), deeper darkness, detect magic, dispel law (DC 19), fear (DC 18), finger of death (DC 21), fireball (DC 17), fly, identify, invisibility, magic circle against law, see invisibility, shatter (DC 16); 3/day⁠—​circle of death (DC 20), cloak of chaos (DC 22), word of chaos (DC 21); 1/day⁠—​implosion (DC 23), power word blind. Caster level 15th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Change Shape (Su): A death slaad can assume any humanoid form as a standard action. In humanoid form, a death slaad cannot use its natural weapons (although a slaad can equip itself with weapons and armor appropriate to its appearance). A death slaad remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, but the slaad reverts to its natural form when killed. A true seeing spell reveals its natural form.

Summon Slaad (Sp): Twice per day a death slaad can attempt to summon 1–2 red or blue slaadi with a 60% chance of success, or 1–2 green slaadi with a 40% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 6th-level spell.

Source: Monster Manual (version 3.5), page 228.