Couatl
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
roleplaying game, the couatl is a large serpentine creature, and in 3rd edition is considered a native outsider
.
, an Aztec god, sometimes called 'The Feathered Snake'.
The couatl first appeared in Eldritch Wizardry
supplement (1976).
The couatl appeared in first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual
(1977).
The couatl appeared in second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).
The couatl appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000), and the version 3.5 Monster Manual (2003).
The couatl appeared in the fourth edition Monster Manual 2 (2009).
might.
Couatls are highly dedicated to an asexual deity named Jazirian
, though they have no true priests among their ranks, as Jazirian grants each couatl enough power and wisdom of their own. People living in the same area as couatl recognise this, and sometimes worship them as deities. Being outsiders, they hail from another plane, and can be summoned. The spell Summon Monster IX can summon a couatl.
, where social advancement and the favor of their emperor are gained by destroying devils and other forces of evil. As a consequence of this, many couatls place more concern on the pursuit of status and their public image than the good their efforts may accomplish.
Couatl can also refer to a Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
Naga flying unit in the Warcraft
universe.
In the computer game Nethack
, a couatl is the weakest member of the angelic (A) class of monsters. It possesses a drowning attack and is always aligned Lawful.
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 couatl is a large serpentine creature, and in 3rd edition is considered a native 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....
.
Publication history
The name 'couatl' is a reference to QuetzalcoatlQuetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and has the meaning of "feathered serpent". The worship of a feathered serpent deity is first documented in Teotihuacan in the first century BCE or first century CE...
, an Aztec god, sometimes called 'The Feathered Snake'.
The couatl first appeared in Eldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game.-Contents:...
supplement (1976).
The couatl appeared in first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original 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...
(1977).
The couatl appeared in second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).
The couatl appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000), and the version 3.5 Monster Manual (2003).
The couatl appeared in the fourth edition Monster Manual 2 (2009).
Ecology
Couatls are known throughout the Dungeons & Dragons universe for their beauty, magic, and virtue. Because of their intelligence and devotion to good, they are worshipped by people who inhabit the same area as them.Typical physical characteristics
A couatl resembles a long, feathered serpent with a pair of rainbow-feathered wings that allow it to fly. They are around 12 feet (3.5 meters) in length, with a wingspan of 15 feet (4.5 meters). They weigh around 1,800 pounds (882 kilograms). Their powerful minds are capable of great psionicPsionics (role-playing games)
Psionics, in role-playing games, is a broad category of fantastic abilities originating from the mind, similar to the paranormal psionic abilities that some people claim in reality.- Common features :...
might.
Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms
Couatls live solitarily, in pairs, or in flights of 3-6 individuals. Their intellect is above that of most humans, and, although they do not use weapons and armour as a human might, they often own treasure. They typically speak Common, Draconic and Celestial.Couatls are highly dedicated to an asexual deity named Jazirian
Jazirian
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Jazirian is the couatl deity of Community, Peace, Learning, and Parenthood. The couatls believe Jazirian to be the embodiment of supreme purpose and fate, the invisible force that moves the strings upon which all other gods move...
, though they have no true priests among their ranks, as Jazirian grants each couatl enough power and wisdom of their own. People living in the same area as couatl recognise this, and sometimes worship them as deities. Being outsiders, they hail from another plane, and can be summoned. The spell Summon Monster IX can summon a couatl.
Eberron
Much as above, except that they were the principal opponents of the Rakshasa Rajahs, and most of them are now contained within the Silver Flame--or, rather, there is a universal force that binds the rajahs into the Underdark, created by the noble sacrifice of the couatls, of which the Silver Flame is only one small, local aspect.Fourth Edition
In the "Points of Light" default setting of Dungeons & Dragons' fourth edition, Couatls live in the Astral Sea in floating cities composed of solid clouds. Their society is a meritocracy loosely patterned after Imperial ChinaImperial China
Imperial China may refer to:* Imperial era of Chinese history , divided into three major periods:** Early Imperial China** Mid-Imperial China** Late Imperial China...
, where social advancement and the favor of their emperor are gained by destroying devils and other forces of evil. As a consequence of this, many couatls place more concern on the pursuit of status and their public image than the good their efforts may accomplish.
Couatl in other media
The couatl appears in the D&D Miniatures: Deathknell set #2 (2005).Couatl can also refer to a Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is a real-time strategy computer game developed for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Mac OS X by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the official expansion pack to Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, requiring Reign of Chaos to play...
Naga flying unit in the Warcraft
Warcraft
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans is a real-time strategy game , developed by Blizzard Entertainment and published by Blizzard and Interplay Entertainment. The MS-DOS version was released in November 1994 and the Macintosh version in late 1996. Sales were fairly high, reviewers were mostly impressed, and the...
universe.
In the computer game Nethack
NetHack
NetHack is a single-player roguelike video game originally released in 1987. It is a descendant of an earlier game called Hack , which is a descendant of Rogue...
, a couatl is the weakest member of the angelic (A) class of monsters. It possesses a drowning attack and is always aligned Lawful.