Vrock

"For other uses, see V-Rock"

Infobox D&D creature


caption=A vrock, from "Neverwinter Nights".
name=Vrock
alignment=Chaotic evil
type=Outsider
subtype=Demon
source=
first=
mythical=
based=
wizards_image_URL=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG48.jpg
OGL_stats_URL=http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/demon.htm#vrock

A vrock is a fictional demon from the "Dungeons & Dragons" role-playing game. It resembles a humanoid with the head, claws, and wings of giant vulture. Vrock typically stand eight feet tall and weigh 800 pounds. They are considered one of the weaker types of demons.

Publication history

The vrock was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

The type I demon 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 type I demon (vrock) 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 type I demon, which is known as the screaming 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 screaming 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, and this creature officially became known as the vrock, a "true 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)]

An ancient vrock known as The Beast appeared in "Dungeon" #25 (September 1990).

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

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)

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

History

In the 1st edition of the "Monster Manual", the name 'vrock' was not used to describe these creatures, and instead a vrock was referred to as a 'Demon Type I'. They were weak, as far as demons were concerned.

In 2nd edition "Dungeons & Dragons", TSR stopped using the word 'demon' and instead called the vrock and the other demons from the 1st edition of "Dungeons & Dragons" 'Tanar'ri'. This may have been related to the negative reaction that the religious right of the 1980s had to the "Dungeons & Dragons" game.

3rd edition "Dungeons & Dragons" gave the vrock its demon status back, but for purposes of backwards compatibility with 2nd edition "Dungeons & Dragons" a sub-classification of demons called Tanar'ri was created, of which the vrock and all of the other demons from the 1st edition "Monster Manual" were members. In 3rd edition "Dungeons & Dragons", vrock are most known and feared for the dance of ruin-- a power that lets 3 vrock cavorting in concert unleash a tremendously damaging blast of energy.

Known vrock

*Arrikk: From "", page 65
*The Cuckoo: "Standing Stone" (presumably referenced again in "Heart of Nightfang Spire")
*Grzzlat: I2 "Tomb of the Lizard King" (on the random encounters table)
*Jaazzpaa: "Dungeon" #25, "The Standing Stones of Sundown"
*Rhunad: "Heart of Nightfang Spire"
*Shaakat, Rejik, and Morbaat: "The Paladins", book two of the "Forgotten Realms" Double Diamond Triangle Saga.

Other media

The vrock appears in the D&D Miniatures: Archfiends set #58 (2004).

References

External links

* [http://d20npcs.wikia.com/wiki/D%26D_Named_Demon_Project#Vrock_.28Type_I_demon.29 Known vrocks] at the d20 NPC Wiki