Succubus (Dungeons & Dragons)

Infobox D&D creature
name=Succubus
alignment=Chaotic evil
type=demon
subtype=Tanar'ri (Evil, Outsider)
source=
first=
mythical=Succubus
based=
wizards_image_URL=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/alumni_Succubus_3rd.jpg
OGL_stats_URL=http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/demon.htm#succubus

In the "Dungeons & Dragons" role-playing game, a succubus is a female demon. Under 4th edition rules, a succubus is a devil.

Publication history

The succubus is based on the succubi from Western medieval legend. [cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/rgfdfaq/sources.html |title=Literary Sources of D&D |accessdate=2007-02-23 |last=DeVarque |first=Aardy]

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

The succubus appeared under the demon entry in the "Eldritch Wizardry" supplement (1976). [Citation | last =Gygax | first =Gary | author-link =Gary Gygax | last2 =Blume | first2 =Brian | author2-link = | title =Eldritch Wizardry | place= | publisher =TSR | year =1976 | location =Lake Geneva, WI | edition =1]

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

The succubus appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977). [Gygax, Gary. "Monster Manual" (TSR, 1977)]

Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the succubus, which is known as the whispering demon, first appearing in the "Immortal Rules" set, in the DM's Guide to Immortals (1986). [Mentzer, Frank. "Dungeons & Dragons Set 5: Immortal Rules" (TSR, 1986)] The whispering lesser fiend appeared in the "Wrath of the Immortals" set, in "Book One: Codex of the Immortals" (1992). [Allston, Aaron. "Wrath of the Immortals" (TSR, 1992)]

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

In this edition, demons became known as tanar'ri, with the succubus lesser tanar'ri appearing first in the "Monstrous Compendium Volume Outer Planes Appendix" (1991), and then reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). [Stewart, Doug, ed. "Monstrous Manual" (TSR, 1993)]

The succubus lesser tanar'ri also appeared for the Planescape campaign setting in the first "Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix" (1994). [Varney, Allen, ed. "Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix" (TSR, 1994)]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

The succubus (tanar'ri) appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000); [Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. "Monster Manual" (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)] in this edition, the name demon is resumed, and tanar'ri are now considered a sub-type of demon.

"Savage Species" (2003) presented the succubus/incubus as both a race and a playable class. [Eckelberry, David, Rich Redman, and Jennifer Clarke Wilkes. "Savage Species" (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

The succubus appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)

The succubus appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), although in this edition it appears under the devil entry. [Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. "Monster Manual" (Wizards of the Coast, 2008)]

Ecology

The objective of succubi is to tempt and ensnare men to lie with them for their own purposes. Typically this yields a dead mortal or a pleased demon lord (in some cases, when succubi are used as assassins, both ends result).

Environment

Succubi are native to the Abyss.

Typical physical characteristics

A succubus in its natural state is in the shape and form of a beautiful human woman with demonic features, such as bat-like wings, tiny horns, and/ or a tail. However, the succubus may shape-shift into many forms. They often appear in the guise of a human woman "sans" demonic features.

In the first edition of "Dungeons and Dragons", a succubus shapechanged into male form was known as an incubus. However, in the third edition of "D&D", the succubus is the female form of the incubus ("ie" the succubus and the incubus are the female and male manifestations of the same type of demon).

Alignment

Succubi are chaotic evil.

ociety

Succubi are tanar'ri demons, and they are quite numerous. Many are under the command of the Abyssal Lord Graz'zt, but most are ruled by their "Queen," Malcanthet. In "Dungeons & Dragons" the female child of a succubus and a human is traditionally called an "alu-demon" and the male child a "cambion" (though the latter term can be applied to any demon-mortal offspring). However, the offspring of an alu-demon or cambion, as a result of a union with a human, has no specific name but falls into the larger category of tiefling.

Succubi are featured prominently in the "Planescape" games.

4th Edition

Under 4th edition D&D rules, the succubus is a devil, and its alignment is Evil. Succubi serve more powerful fiends as spies or assassins.

Other media

Computer games

is a succubus, a notable character from the "" computer role-playing game.

D&D miniatures

The succubus appears in the D&D Miniatures: Blood War set #59 (2006).

References

External links

* [http://d20npcs.wikia.com/wiki/D%26D_Named_Demon_Project#Succubus.2FIncubus Known succubi] at the d20 NPC Wiki.