Chaos beast
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, the chaos beast is an outsider
from the outer plane
of Limbo
. They can be used by Dungeon Master
s as enemies or allies of the player characters.
setting in the Planes of Chaos boxed set (1994).
The chaos beast appeared in the third edition Monster Manual
(2000), and the revised 3.5 Monster Manual (2003). The ancient chaos beast appeared in Dungeon
#97 (March 2003), and the pandemonium beast appeared in Dungeon #124 (July 2005).
game is difficult, as the chaos beast has very little true form. It is a predatory embodiment of chaos, randomness, change and difference. For every second that passes, the chaos beast changes form. It grows limbs, changes color, becomes beautiful, goes ugly, increases and decreases in size, disappears and reappears, and basically, has absolutely no true form. Every time one looks at a chaos beast, it is different. It changes and mutates permanently, and this is basically its purpose.
In the game, the chaos beast attacks its enemies with whatever weapons its current form has. Whether those be fangs, claws, horns, pincers, tentacles, spikes, magical attacks (like breath weapons), or whatever else. These are surprisingly ineffective, however, as the chaos beast can rarely attack more than twice before changing again, and never has time to coordinate attacks. The main weapon of the chaos beast is its touch which apparently transfers the chaos energy to the victim, turning him/her into another Chaos Beast through a process that is harmful to body and mind alike; the victim must have enough fortitude to resist it, lest it remain melting, mutating, flowing, writhing and changing forever. The chaos beast itself is immune to transformation spells, as it will just continue to shift shape anyway.
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...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, the chaos beast is an outsider
Outsider (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....
from the outer plane
Outer Plane
In the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as godly planes, spiritual planes or divine planes. The Outer Planes are home to beings such as deities and otherworldly creatures such as...
of Limbo
Limbo (Dungeons & Dragons)
In Dungeons and Dragons, fantasy role-playing game, Limbo or more fully, the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo, is a chaotic neutral-aligned plane of existence...
. They can be used by Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
s as enemies or allies of the player characters.
Publication history
The chaos beast first appeared in the second edition for the PlanescapePlanescape
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 in the Planes of Chaos boxed set (1994).
The chaos beast appeared in the third edition Monster Manual
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...
(2000), and the revised 3.5 Monster Manual (2003). The ancient chaos beast appeared in Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
#97 (March 2003), and the pandemonium beast appeared in Dungeon #124 (July 2005).
Description
Describing the chaos beast as presented in the Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & 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...
game is difficult, as the chaos beast has very little true form. It is a predatory embodiment of chaos, randomness, change and difference. For every second that passes, the chaos beast changes form. It grows limbs, changes color, becomes beautiful, goes ugly, increases and decreases in size, disappears and reappears, and basically, has absolutely no true form. Every time one looks at a chaos beast, it is different. It changes and mutates permanently, and this is basically its purpose.
In the game, the chaos beast attacks its enemies with whatever weapons its current form has. Whether those be fangs, claws, horns, pincers, tentacles, spikes, magical attacks (like breath weapons), or whatever else. These are surprisingly ineffective, however, as the chaos beast can rarely attack more than twice before changing again, and never has time to coordinate attacks. The main weapon of the chaos beast is its touch which apparently transfers the chaos energy to the victim, turning him/her into another Chaos Beast through a process that is harmful to body and mind alike; the victim must have enough fortitude to resist it, lest it remain melting, mutating, flowing, writhing and changing forever. The chaos beast itself is immune to transformation spells, as it will just continue to shift shape anyway.