Barghest (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
roleplaying game, the barghest is a type of fictional monster for player character
s to encounter. The barghest is portrayed as a goblin
-like creature that comes from the plane
of Gehenna
to feed on humans. These evil creatures can change form to appear as a dog or wolf, or a large goblin at will. The barghest was introduced in The Dragon
magazine, and then the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game's original Monster Manual II, and then continued to appear in the game's second edition, third edition, and fourth edition.
and appeared in Dragon
Magazine #26 in 1979. It would later be included in the Monster Manual II
, published in 1983 and the Planescape Campaign Setting from 1994.
magazine (#26), in the "Dragon’s Bestiary" feature (billed as "the return of an old and much-requested column", formerly known as "Featured Creature") by Gary Gygax
. This article states that "Of the various members of the deodands inhabiting the rifts of the Planes of Gehenna, the barghest is certainly the most common and one of the worst." Barghests are described as lawful evil in alignment
, and highly intelligent. The article states that a barghest's natural shape is similar to that of a large goblin
, and that it can assume the form of a large war dog or wild dog at will, sometimes giving barghests the misnomer of "devil-dogs".
On the plane of Gehenna
, barghests "live in isolation from one another, each having its own stronghold and force of servitors, ruling a smoking rift despotically," according to the article. When a barghest spawns, it sends its litter of six to the Prime Material Plane
to feed. These whelps will live alone or in pairs near isolated human communities or with goblin bands, retaining their natural form amongst goblins. Barghests are almost indistinguishable from goblins by other races, except that a barghest's eyes glow orange when the creature becomes excited; in canine form a barghest can become very difficult to notice when motionless, and is almost "impossible to tell from a normal dog, except that other dogs will fear and hate it, attacking at every opportunity." Goblins worship barghests, fearing and serving them and going to great lengths to provide human sacrifices; barghests, in turn, slay the powerful enemies of the goblins and generally enrich their hosts' treasure. A barghest has certain magical abilities, such as being able to charm other creatures, project illusions, and affect other creature's emotions. Magic weapons are required to harm a barghest. A barghest cannot be harmed by fire, but a barghest in canine form can be sent back to its home plane if hit by a magical fire attack. A barghest can slay and devour humans, which causes the barghest to become larger and more powerful through "the unholy vampirism attendant upon the slaughter of humanity." The creature's skin darkens as it grows, from yellow towards a bluish red, eventually terminating in a deep blue. Upon attaining full growth and power, according to the article, the barghest shifts itself back to Gehenna in search of its own reeking valley rift. The creature's description was reprinted in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983).
boxed set (1994), which introduced the Planescape
setting. The set was designed by David "Zeb" Cook
, who also wrote the Monstrous Supplement booklet in which the barghest appears. This entry notes that a barghest attacks with its claw and bite, or with just a bite when in canine form. This depiction also notes that barghests may become more powerful by devouring demihumans as well as humans. This set also described the barghest life cycle: "As a whelp it is a hunter and tracker consigned to the Prime Material Plane. There it grows in cunning and wisdom until it is ready to enter into the next stage of its life. At this phase it returns to Gehenna and becomes a leader. It is still a hunter, though now its tactics and attitudes are greater, to match the game – other intelligent beings – that it hunts."
creature type
. This book describes barghests as "fiends that can change into lupine form. They come into the world to feed on blood and souls and thus grow stronger." In this version, a barghest is six-feet tall and can take on the form of a large wolf. They disdain weapons and love killing, but prefer ambush over direct combat. Barghests can work in packs, and will hide and use illusions to conceal their true numbers. A barghest can feed on the corpse of a slain humanoid
opponent, devouring both flesh and life force to increase its own life energy; this destroys the victim's body and prevents any form of magic that normally brings the dead to life from succeeding. This version of the barghest does not return to its home plane when hit by a magical fire attack. This book also introduces the greater barghest, an 8 feet (2.4 m) version which occasionally uses a magic two-handed weapon in combat. The barghest also appears in the revised Monster Manual (2003) for edition 3.5. This book notes that a barghest is native to the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna
, and that it resembles a goblin-wolf hybrid in its natural form. This book states that a barghest immediately becomes a greater barghest after consuming enough corpses.
In the book Savage Species
(2003), the barghest is presented as a player character race, in the form of a character class
.
The barghest is depicted as a shapeshifting beast in the novel Sojourn, written by R.A. Salvatore.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game, the barghest is a type of fictional monster for player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s to encounter. The barghest is portrayed as a goblin
Goblin (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, goblins are a very common and fairly weak race of evil humanoid monsters. Goblins and Kobolds are commonly non-human monsters that low-level player characters will face in combat. In D&D, goblins aren't smaller cousins of orcs, but are a part of...
-like creature that comes from the plane
Plane (Dungeons & Dragons)
The planes of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game constitutes the multiverse in which the game takes place.In the earliest versions of Dungeons & Dragons, the concept of the Inner, Ethereal, Prime Material, Astral and Outer Planes was introduced; at the time there were only four Inner Planes...
of Gehenna
Gehenna (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Gehenna , is a plane of existence of neutral evil/lawful evil alignment...
to feed on humans. These evil creatures can change form to appear as a dog or wolf, or a large goblin at will. The barghest was introduced in The Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine, and then the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game's original Monster Manual II, and then continued to appear in the game's second edition, third edition, and fourth edition.
Publication history
As a game monster, the barghest was created by Gary GygaxGary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
and appeared in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
Magazine #26 in 1979. It would later be included in the Monster Manual II
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
, published in 1983 and the Planescape Campaign Setting from 1994.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The barghest first appeared in the June 1979 issue of The DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine (#26), in the "Dragon’s Bestiary" feature (billed as "the return of an old and much-requested column", formerly known as "Featured Creature") by Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
. This article states that "Of the various members of the deodands inhabiting the rifts of the Planes of Gehenna, the barghest is certainly the most common and one of the worst." Barghests are described as lawful evil in alignment
Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of people, creatures and societies....
, and highly intelligent. The article states that a barghest's natural shape is similar to that of a large goblin
Goblin (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, goblins are a very common and fairly weak race of evil humanoid monsters. Goblins and Kobolds are commonly non-human monsters that low-level player characters will face in combat. In D&D, goblins aren't smaller cousins of orcs, but are a part of...
, and that it can assume the form of a large war dog or wild dog at will, sometimes giving barghests the misnomer of "devil-dogs".
On the plane of Gehenna
Gehenna (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Gehenna , is a plane of existence of neutral evil/lawful evil alignment...
, barghests "live in isolation from one another, each having its own stronghold and force of servitors, ruling a smoking rift despotically," according to the article. When a barghest spawns, it sends its litter of six to the Prime Material Plane
Prime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
to feed. These whelps will live alone or in pairs near isolated human communities or with goblin bands, retaining their natural form amongst goblins. Barghests are almost indistinguishable from goblins by other races, except that a barghest's eyes glow orange when the creature becomes excited; in canine form a barghest can become very difficult to notice when motionless, and is almost "impossible to tell from a normal dog, except that other dogs will fear and hate it, attacking at every opportunity." Goblins worship barghests, fearing and serving them and going to great lengths to provide human sacrifices; barghests, in turn, slay the powerful enemies of the goblins and generally enrich their hosts' treasure. A barghest has certain magical abilities, such as being able to charm other creatures, project illusions, and affect other creature's emotions. Magic weapons are required to harm a barghest. A barghest cannot be harmed by fire, but a barghest in canine form can be sent back to its home plane if hit by a magical fire attack. A barghest can slay and devour humans, which causes the barghest to become larger and more powerful through "the unholy vampirism attendant upon the slaughter of humanity." The creature's skin darkens as it grows, from yellow towards a bluish red, eventually terminating in a deep blue. Upon attaining full growth and power, according to the article, the barghest shifts itself back to Gehenna in search of its own reeking valley rift. The creature's description was reprinted in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The barghest appears for second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the initial Planescape Campaign SettingPlanescape Campaign Setting
The Planescape Campaign Setting was a boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The set was designed by David "Zeb" Cook and published in 1994, and introduced the Planescape setting.-Contents:...
boxed set (1994), which introduced the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
setting. The set was designed by David "Zeb" Cook
David Cook (game designer)
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years.-Early life:...
, who also wrote the Monstrous Supplement booklet in which the barghest appears. This entry notes that a barghest attacks with its claw and bite, or with just a bite when in canine form. This depiction also notes that barghests may become more powerful by devouring demihumans as well as humans. This set also described the barghest life cycle: "As a whelp it is a hunter and tracker consigned to the Prime Material Plane. There it grows in cunning and wisdom until it is ready to enter into the next stage of its life. At this phase it returns to Gehenna and becomes a leader. It is still a hunter, though now its tactics and attitudes are greater, to match the game – other intelligent beings – that it hunts."
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007)
The barghest appears in the Monster Manual (2000) for the game's third edition. In this edition, the barghest is given the outsiderOutsider (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, an outsider is a type of creature, or "creature type". Outsiders are at least partially composed of the essence of a plane other than the Prime Material Plane....
creature type
Creature type (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, creature types are rough categories of creatures which determine the way game mechanics affect the creature. In the 3rd edition and related games, there are between thirteen and seventeen creature types. Creature type is determined by the...
. This book describes barghests as "fiends that can change into lupine form. They come into the world to feed on blood and souls and thus grow stronger." In this version, a barghest is six-feet tall and can take on the form of a large wolf. They disdain weapons and love killing, but prefer ambush over direct combat. Barghests can work in packs, and will hide and use illusions to conceal their true numbers. A barghest can feed on the corpse of a slain humanoid
Humanoid (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, humanoid is a type of creature, or "creature type". Humanoids are any creature shaped generally like a human , of Small or Medium size, with few or no supernatural or extraordinary abilities...
opponent, devouring both flesh and life force to increase its own life energy; this destroys the victim's body and prevents any form of magic that normally brings the dead to life from succeeding. This version of the barghest does not return to its home plane when hit by a magical fire attack. This book also introduces the greater barghest, an 8 feet (2.4 m) version which occasionally uses a magic two-handed weapon in combat. The barghest also appears in the revised Monster Manual (2003) for edition 3.5. This book notes that a barghest is native to the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna
Gehenna (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Gehenna , is a plane of existence of neutral evil/lawful evil alignment...
, and that it resembles a goblin-wolf hybrid in its natural form. This book states that a barghest immediately becomes a greater barghest after consuming enough corpses.
In the book Savage Species
Savage Species
Savage Species is a sourcebook for use as a supplement in the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game, detailing the use of monstrous races as PC races.-Contents:...
(2003), the barghest is presented as a player character race, in the form of a character class
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
.
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
The barghest appears in the game's fourth edition in Monster Manual 2 (2009).Other media
The barghest is featured in the D&D Miniatures: Harbinger set (2003), the greater barghest is featured in the D&D Miniatures: Night Below set (2007), and the barghest Savager is featured in D&D Miniatures: Legendary Evils (2009).The barghest is depicted as a shapeshifting beast in the novel Sojourn, written by R.A. Salvatore.