Beasts are a category of creature consisting of non-humanoid animals. Most beasts lack magical characteristics, intelligence, society, and language, and are native to the Material Plane. Examples include "ordinary" animals, giant or dire variations of animals, and dinosaurs.[1] Domestic beasts can be used for a variety of purposes, including as livestock, mounts, or beasts of burden.
Colloquially, the term "beast" can be used to refer to any perceived threatening or non-sentient creature, "monstrous" or ordinary.[2] Humans in Tal'Dorei coined the pejorative "beastfolk" to refer to a variety of sentient races and cultures created from bestial animals by the wild, chaotic magic released during the early Age of Arcanum and the Calamity.[3]
Giant and dire beasts[]
Depiction of a dire wolf, by Dave Allsop from D&D Monster Manual, 4th ed., p. 264.[art 1]
A common variation of beasts in Exandria are giant beasts (such as giant eagles or giant owls) and dire beasts (such as dire wolves or dire beetles): the former are simply bigger versions of the normal animal, sometimes more intelligent and with special origins; dire beasts, in addition to being much bigger than normal, may have bone protrusions jutting out of their bodies.
Magical abilities involving beasts[]
Ashari waveriders have an ability called "Fishform", which allows them to transform into a hunter shark or giant octopus. Conjure Animals is in their spell list, but they can only conjure aquatic beasts. Moreover, waveriders can speak with and understand aquatic animals.[4]
Firbolgs have an ability called "Speech of Beast and Leaf", allowing them to partially communicate with beasts and plants.[5] Similarly, sea elves have an ability called "Friend of the Sea", allowing them to communicate simple ideas to beasts that swim.[6]
The Wreath of the Prism grants its user the ability to cast Dominate Monster on a beast, dragon, or monstrosity upon grappling it.[7]
Distinctive types of beasts by location[]
Marquet[]
Sillgoats are sure-footed beasts of burden used on the spires of Jrusar and in the surrounding Oderan Wilds.
Ruidus[]
On Ruidus, wuukor are similar to buffalo and kept like cattle.[8] Avadons are panther-like creatures used as mounts and beasts of burden.[9]
The Shattered Teeth and Rumblecusp[]
There are hard-to-corroborate stories and myths that dinosaurs like the deinonychus, which are said to have existed in the time of the Primordial Titans, may still survive in the Shattered Teeth.[10] Many creatures from far and wide, including deinonychus and Tyrannosaurus rex, were displaced to Rumblecusp due to Vokodo.
Tal'Dorei[]
Plainscows, native to the Dividing Plains, are considered unusually empathetic for beasts, and they are known to bond with riders for life.[11]
Mammoths are known to exist in the Neverfields in the far north of Tal'Dorei.[12]
Wildemount[]
Official art of a moorbounder, by Marcela Medeiros.[art 2]
Mastodons, mammoths, and moorbounders (including an offshoot breed of bristled moorbounders) wander the wastes of Xhorhas.[13] Locals cook a dish called mastodon kor'rundl made with mastodon meat and kor'run, a squash grown in the lightless depths of Rosohna.[14] Moorbounders are prized as hunting companions and mounts, though training them is dangerous work; bristled moorbounders are generally unsuitable as mounts due to their bladed hide.[15]
Horizonback tortoises are classified as beasts when young,[16] but become monstrosities when they are full-grown.[17]
One can find Ifolon striped sharks and swarms of quippers in the waters around Jigow.[18]
Society[]
The Myriad runs an efficient black market of magical beasts in Tal'Dorei[19] and Wildemount.[20]
Issylra[]
Powerful and dangerous beasts inhabit the wilderness of Issylra.[21]
Tal'Dorei[]
The frost giants of the Neverfields are master animal-tamers, and they are known to raid human villages with mammoths and other huge creatures at their side.[12] The Icewalkers, a group of warriors and hunters, patrol where the Cliffkeep Mountains meet the Neverfields and hunt the native beasts of the region.[22]
The K'Tawl Swamp contains a variety of dangerous beasts, including venomous flying snakes and giant frogs.[23] Wild beasts can also found in the Verdant Expanse, including a population of dire beasts in the Mirescar,[24] and the Dividing Plains,[25] where travel with armed escort is recommended partly due to roaming beasts,[26] and large, ancient beasts live in the Rifenmist Jungle.[27]
Wildemount[]
Dangerous beasts inhabit many wild corners of the continent, including the Cyrios Mountains, Darktow Isle, the Stonecage Cliffs, the Vezdaweald,[28] the Ashkeeper Peaks,[29] the caves of Grimgolir,[30] Silberquel Ridge,[31] the Lotusden Greenwood,[32] and the Vermaloc Wildwood.[33] Dangerous swamp beasts can be found in the Ounterloch,[34] Brokenveil Marsh,[35] and the Sorrowseep Waters. Burrowing beasts can be found in the mines of Druvenlode.[36] Flying beasts can be found in the Dreemoth Ravine alongside wyverns and griffons.[37] The presence of predators makes the banks of Ivory Lake dangerous for small beasts.[38] The Rime Plains are home to muskoxen, snow foxes, sabre-toothed tigers, and other beasts.[39] The Iothia Moorland supports a robust ecosystem of native beasts.[40]
Some dangerous beasts also inhabit the area around Shadycreek Run.[41] Indeed, one of the businesses of the Uttolot family of the Tribes of Shadycreek Run is poaching dangerous beasts and monsters, and they often clash with the hunters of the Greytrader Union.[42] One member of the family, Jagoda Uttolot, is a master hunter and expert on the beasts of the Savalirwood and uses his skills to track and capture rare animals for his family to sell.[43] Beasts in Shadycreek Run yield hearty meat and furs, making them targets for opportunistic hunters.[42] Uraliss could also yield a beast for hunting.[44]
The Sunken Boneyard, a field in the Brokenveil Marsh, is littered with the bones of large beasts.[45]
Several adventure hooks in Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, set in 836 PD, involve beasts. In one, pixies of the Cyrengreen Forest begin messing with the local lumberjacks and loggers for taking resources from their forest, including turning them into beasts such as frogs and rabbits for brief periods of time.[46] In another, a group of werewolves are mistaken for ordinary wolves after attacking caravans of travelers.[47] In an adventure hook set in the Ustaloch, a "Witch's Amulet" is responsible for turning the local fauna into hostile undead skeletons.[48]
In a full adventure, Frozen Sick, the bestial denizens of Salsvault consist of hostile sea creatures in the submerged areas of the complex that attack anyone who enters the water and fight until gravely injured. Among these sea creatures is a giant octopus that claims the Drowned Library as its lair.[49]
History[]
Age of Arcanum[]
Fan art of Galdric and Purvan Suul at a gala in Avalir on the eve of the Calamity, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 3]
The mages of Aeor experimented on beasts and humanoids, resulting in Aeorian hunters.[50]
Purvan Suul, champion of the Raven Queen, kept the wolf Galdric as his companion. Galdric was preserved in the Raven's Slumber amulet, entombed with Suul. During the first century of the Calamity, the Wildmother sent a mortal avatar of herself on a mission, and said mortal incarnation was a wolf, although intelligent and powerful enough to eventually develop powers and the ability to transform into an elven woman.
Late in the Calamity, Alyxian saw mastodons and moorbounders that had been slain in battle.[51] Before the Wildmother faced the Strife Emperor in one of the last divine battles before the Divergence, she prepared by sending animal agents to the fortress prison of Rybad-Kol; there, different vermin moved unnoticed, Blessing prisoners and individuals who weren't aligned with the Betrayer Gods (by biting them and leaving a soft green glow behind).[52] When the Strife Emperor finally arrived, he and his forces were attacked by an army that included common animals, giant beasts, and prehistoric creatures. Given that these are the only casualties mentioned on the battlefield,[53] these creatures are presumably the Wildmother's "Free Children" said to have fought against the Strife Emperor and his goblinoid legions.[54]
Era of Reclamation[]
Campaign One: Vox Machina[]
Fan art of Trinket meeting Orlan, by Thomas Brin.[art 4]
Vox Machina, in pursuit of Vestiges of Divergence, delved into the sunken tomb of Purvan Suul and found the Raven's Slumber. They released Galdric, who soon became the protector of the Parchwood Timberlands. In time, Galdric became a lesser idol.
One member of Vox Machina, Vex'ahlia, had a large brown bear named Trinket for her companion throughout her adventures and for decades afterward. While Vox Machina was traversing the Feywild, the fey dire-bear-like entity Orlan granted Trinket a boon of magical power.[55] Trinket eventually had a cub, Charlie, who was a pet of the de Rolo family,[56] and the venerable Trinket was memorialized with a public park and statue in Whitestone.[57]
The green dragon Raishan used dominated beasts to secure her lair.[58]
Campaign Two: The Mighty Nein[]
Fan art of the Mighty Nein hiding from a T. rex on Rumblecusp, by Yettinim.[art 5]
The Mighty Nein learned to tame and ride moorbounders in Asarius, during their adventures across Xhorhas.
On the island of Rumblecusp, the Mighty Nein encountered multiple dinosaurs, presumably displaced from the Shattered Teeth.
Doolan Tversky, Archmage of Dysology on the Cerberus Assembly, was obsessed with all beasts and other creatures of legend and imported creatures from across Exandria to study, dissect, and experiment with.[59]
Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep[]
The Festival of Merit in Jigow concludes with an underwater race to retrieve a magic item that turns out to have been attached to a giant shark called the Moonshark. The giant shark is pierced with a spear carrying the Moonweaver's divine enchantment, causing the shark to shed silvery light and allowing it to move quickly from danger if its attack misses.[60]
Giant sharks also live in Cael Morrow and in the Netherdeep.[61] Until and unless the Apotheon is redeemed or destroyed, at least some of these sharks are corrupted with ruidium, which makes them radiate damaging psychic energy and cause exhaustion in those they bite. The ruidium also actively regenerates damage done to the corrupted sharks unless they have just been struck with radiant damage or a critical hit. While corrupted, these creatures are no longer beasts but aberrations.[62]
Notable beasts[]
- Asha: Mortal wolven incarnation of Melora, the Wildmother.
- Galdric: Wolf companion of Purvan Suul and latter-day guardian of the Parchwood Timberlands whose legend elevated him to a lesser idol.
- Trinket: Brown bear companion of Vex'ahlia.
- Professor Thaddeus: An owl briefly in the company of Beauregard Lionett.
- Umudara: One of the Great Beasts of Veluthil, a protector spirit that lived in the Savalirwood before its corruption. It is notably considered both a beast and a celestial.
Trivia[]
Artagan and "Mister Demeanor", by Aviv Or and Cris Peter from The Tales of Exandria: Artagan #1.[art 6]
- At some point before or during the Calamity, the archfey Artagan tricked an entire elven culture into worshiping "Mister Demeanor", a whale carcass.[63]
- Kord, the Stormlord is often depicted wrestling a beast.[64][65]
- Baphomet, the Horned King, is the Demon Prince of Beasts, and is once referred to as the master of beasts, though he seems to be a patron more specifically of bestial demons and man-beast monsters.[66][67]
- Exandria seems to have a variant of toad called the "murder toad", known for their fondness for lily pads.[68]
References[]
Art:
- ↑ Depiction of a dire wolf, by Dave Allsop from D&D Monster Manual, 4th ed., p. 264. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Official art of a moorbounder, by Marcela Medeiros (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Galdric and Purvan Suul at a gala in Avalir on the eve of the Calamity, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Trinket meeting Orlan, by Thomas Brin (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Mighty Nein hiding from a T. rex on Rumblecusp, by Yettinim (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Artagan and "Mister Demeanor", by Aviv Or and Cris Peter from The Tales of Exandria: Artagan #1. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
External links[]
Beast on The Forgotten Realms Wiki (note) (backup link)
