Elder Evils
Encyclopedia
Elder Evils is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game.
The book presents nine “elder evils”:
Much of the book seems to be inspired, at least to some degree by the Great Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos
, although some of the Elder Evils (such as the Leviathan) have more “normal” appearances than those generally associated with the Great Old Ones. Many of the Elder Evils also pay homage to various other creatures from literature, mythology or even Hollywood.
For example, Atropus’ aspect resembles the Great Old One known as Y'golonac
, and his true form bears a resemblance to the Outer God Ghroth. Father Llymic has some elements in common with Levistus
, an arch-devil created for the Dungeons and Dragons game, as well as Ithaqua
the Wendigo
of Lovecraft lore. The Hulks of Zoretha are reminiscent of the Colossus
. The Leviathan of course has much in common with any sea serpent (and a monster of the same name is also featured in Monster Manual II); however its origin as a concentration of Chaos and as a sea monster suggests a similarity with the babylonian deity Tiamat
, not to be confused with the D&D dragon goddess
of the same name.
Ragnorra seems to be based in part upon the Outer Gods Abhoth and Shub-Niggurath
. The Worm that Walks refers to the evil worm-god Kyuss
and also shares its name with that of another (non-unique) Dungeons and Dragons monster that appeared in the Epic Level Handbook
, it also bears a very strong resemblance to the old man in Lovecraft's short story "The Festival". Finally, Zargon has an obvious similarity to Dagoth from the movie Conan the Destroyer
and in fact was also the main villain in the Basic Dungeons & Dragons Module B4: The Lost City which was published in 1982.
Pandorym was taken from the Bruce R. Cordell novel Darkvision, third book in The Wizards series set in the Forgotten Realms
setting.
Other Elder Evils
A 10th Elder Evil, called Shothragot is presented in Dragon
#362. It serves the god Tharizdun
. Shothragot's true form is not unlike that of the Great Evil from the movie The Fifth Element
.
The D&D book Lords of Madness
, published previously (in 2005), also presented Elder Evils (page 27). The five described in that book share a commonality in that they are all greatly respected by the aboleth. They are provided with the following names:
The Elder Evils from Lord of Madness are even more reminiscent of the Great Old Ones, and are in fact stated by the authors to have been inspired by the latter (The Aboleth and Cthulhu, page 28).
At 159 pages, Elder Evils is not one of the larger D&D books. It is unusual in the sense that unlike the vast majority of supplements for the Dungeons and Dragons games, it lacks new character classes, new magic items, new spells, and new skills. While some consumers might lament this fact, it is in keeping with the book’s theme: the Elder Evils are themselves intended to be nearly unstoppable horrors (or, at the very least, extremely challenging opponents, even for epic-level characters), who are also, for the most part, unknown to mortals. Consequently, within the reality of the game world, one would not expect copious amount of spells or magic items already in existence which could be the bane of such creatures, nor would it be expected that there are professions (i.e., character classes) that exist to track and fight them.
, and published by Wizards of the Coast
in December 2007.
Contents
It includes new content for epic level characters, in the form of extremely powerful, alien monstrosities intent on destroying the world (and designed as a way of providing game masters a means of ending a current campaign).The book presents nine “elder evils”:
- Atropus, the World Born Dead (an undead godling in the form of a small moon)
- Father Llymic (an alien monster imprisoned in ice)
- The Hulks of Zoretha (five gargantuan statues)
- The Leviathan (a monster of the deep composed of leftover chaotic energies from creation)
- Pandorym (an evil force from the places between the planes)
- Ragnorra, Mother of Monsters (a hideous malformed monstrosity)
- Sertrous (a vast demonic snake)
- The Worm that Walks (a 30’ tall giant composed of worms and maggots, and connected with the demi-god Kyuss)
- Zargon the Returner (a viscous beast crowned with a solitary horn)
Much of the book seems to be inspired, at least to some degree by the Great Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
, although some of the Elder Evils (such as the Leviathan) have more “normal” appearances than those generally associated with the Great Old Ones. Many of the Elder Evils also pay homage to various other creatures from literature, mythology or even Hollywood.
For example, Atropus’ aspect resembles the Great Old One known as Y'golonac
Y'golonac
Y'golonac is a fictional deity in the Cthulhu Mythos. He is the creation of Ramsey Campbell and first appeared in his short story "Cold Print" .-Summary:...
, and his true form bears a resemblance to the Outer God Ghroth. Father Llymic has some elements in common with Levistus
Levistus
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Levistus is the arch-devil currently ruling Stygia, the Fifth layer of the Nine Hells of Baator...
, an arch-devil created for the Dungeons and Dragons game, as well as Ithaqua
Ithaqua
Ithaqua is a fictional character in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. The titular creature debuted in August Derleth's short story "Ithaqua", which was based on Algernon Blackwood's tale "The Wendigo"....
the Wendigo
Wendigo
The Wendigo is a mythical creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. It is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans...
of Lovecraft lore. The Hulks of Zoretha are reminiscent of the Colossus
Colossus of Rhodes
The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek Titan Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes on the Greek island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 and 280 BC. It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was constructed to celebrate Rhodes' victory over the ruler of...
. The Leviathan of course has much in common with any sea serpent (and a monster of the same name is also featured in Monster Manual II); however its origin as a concentration of Chaos and as a sea monster suggests a similarity with the babylonian deity Tiamat
Tiamat
In Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is a chaos monster, a primordial goddess of the ocean, mating with Abzû to produce younger gods. It is suggested that there are two parts to the Tiamat mythos, the first in which Tiamat is 'creatrix', through a "Sacred marriage" between salt and fresh water,...
, not to be confused with the D&D dragon goddess
Tiamat (Dungeons & Dragons)
Tiamat is the name of a powerful draconic goddess in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The name is taken from Tiamat, a goddess in ancient Mesopotamian mythology who is substantially different ....
of the same name.
Ragnorra seems to be based in part upon the Outer Gods Abhoth and Shub-Niggurath
Shub-Niggurath
Shub-Niggurath, often associated with the phrase “The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young”, is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft...
. The Worm that Walks refers to the evil worm-god Kyuss
Kyuss (Greyhawk)
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Kyuss is a demigod concerned with the creation and mastery of the Undead...
and also shares its name with that of another (non-unique) Dungeons and Dragons monster that appeared in the Epic Level Handbook
Epic Level Handbook
The Epic Level Handbook is a rulebook by Wizards of the Coast for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons.-Contents:This books contained rules for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition characters to attain levels above 20, the limit in the core rulebooks...
, it also bears a very strong resemblance to the old man in Lovecraft's short story "The Festival". Finally, Zargon has an obvious similarity to Dagoth from the movie Conan the Destroyer
Conan the Destroyer
Conan the Destroyer is a 1984 American action fantasy film directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mako returning to resume their roles as Conan and Akiro the wizard, respectively. The cast also includes Grace Jones, Wilt Chamberlain, Tracey Walter and Olivia d'Abo. It is...
and in fact was also the main villain in the Basic Dungeons & Dragons Module B4: The Lost City which was published in 1982.
Pandorym was taken from the Bruce R. Cordell novel Darkvision, third book in The Wizards series set in the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
setting.
Other Elder Evils
A 10th Elder Evil, called Shothragot is presented 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...
#362. It serves the god Tharizdun
Tharizdun
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Tharizdun is the god of Eternal Darkness, Decay, Entropy, Malign Knowledge, Insanity, and Cold....
. Shothragot's true form is not unlike that of the Great Evil from the movie The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element is a 1997 French science fiction film directed, co-written, and based on a story by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich...
.
The D&D book Lords of Madness
Lords of Madness
Lords of Madness is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy roleplaying game.-Contents:It includes new content for aberrations including new aberration monsters and monsters related to them, and information on how to hunt aberrations.-What Is an...
, published previously (in 2005), also presented Elder Evils (page 27). The five described in that book share a commonality in that they are all greatly respected by the aboleth. They are provided with the following names:
- Bolothamogg, Him Who Watches from Beyond the Stars
- Holashner, the Hunger Below
- PiscaethcesPiscaethcesPiscaethces the Blood Queen is the aboleth deity of domination and oppression, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Her symbol is a sphere of mucus surrounded by droplets of the same substance.-Creative origins:...
, the Blood Queen - Shothotugg, Eater of Worlds
- Y’chak (the Violet Flame)
The Elder Evils from Lord of Madness are even more reminiscent of the Great Old Ones, and are in fact stated by the authors to have been inspired by the latter (The Aboleth and Cthulhu, page 28).
At 159 pages, Elder Evils is not one of the larger D&D books. It is unusual in the sense that unlike the vast majority of supplements for the Dungeons and Dragons games, it lacks new character classes, new magic items, new spells, and new skills. While some consumers might lament this fact, it is in keeping with the book’s theme: the Elder Evils are themselves intended to be nearly unstoppable horrors (or, at the very least, extremely challenging opponents, even for epic-level characters), who are also, for the most part, unknown to mortals. Consequently, within the reality of the game world, one would not expect copious amount of spells or magic items already in existence which could be the bane of such creatures, nor would it be expected that there are professions (i.e., character classes) that exist to track and fight them.
Publication history
It was authored by Robert J. SchwalbRobert J. Schwalb
-Career:His works for Dungeons & Dragons include: Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells , Drow of the Underdark -Career:His works for Dungeons & Dragons include: Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (2006, with Robin Laws), Drow of the Underdark -Career:His works for Dungeons &...
, and published by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
in December 2007.
External links
- Elder Evils at RPG Talk, an external wiki
- http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13761.phtml