In the Dungeons & Dragons

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...

 Sphinx

Sphinx

A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...

es are a type of magical beast

Magical beast (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, magical beast is a type of creature, or "creature type". Magical beasts are similar to animals in many ways, but usually have a higher intelligence, and possess supernatural or extraordinary abilities....

 related to manticores

Manticore (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the manticore is a large magical beast with the body of a lion, dragon wings, and a somewhat humanoid head...

. The four most common subraces of sphinx are the androsphinx, criosphinx, gynosphinx, and hieracosphinx.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

The sphinx was introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes

Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes

Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes is a supplementary rulebook for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:The work provides information on the pantheons and constructs of the Egyptian, Hindu, Greek, Celtic, Norse, Finnish, Aztec, Mayan, Chinese, and Japanese mythologies, as well as...

 (1976).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

The sphinx appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), which introduces the four main types: the androsphinx, the criosphinx, the gynosphinx, and the hieracosphinx.

The luposphinx appears in "The Dragon's Bestiary" column 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...

 #119 (March 1987).

Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the sphinx, in the Dungeons & Dragons Master Rules

Dungeons & Dragons Master Rules

Dungeons & Dragons Master Rules is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1985 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-Publication history:...

 (1985), in the "Master DM's Book". It was also presented as a player character class in Top Ballista

Top Ballista

Top Ballista is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Top Ballista is a "Creature Crucible" supplement and campaign setting that describes Serraine, the city of the skygnomes - which fly magical biplanes...

 (1989) and later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

The androsphinx, criosphinx, gynosphinx, and hieracosphinx appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), and are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The dracosphinx was introduced for 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...

 campaign setting

Campaign setting

A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...

 in the supplement Old Empires

Old Empires

Old Empires is an accessory for the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...

 (1990), and later appeared in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Two (1995).

The astrosphinx appeared for the Spelljammer

Spelljammer

Spelljammer is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastical outer space environment....

 campaign setting in the Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II (1991).

The sphinx is further detailed in Dragon #244 (February 1998), in "The Ecology of the Sphinx."

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

The androsphinx, criosphinx, gynosphinx, and hieracosphinx appear in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

The androsphinx, criosphinx, gynosphinx, and hieracosphinx appear in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).

The canisphinx, the crocosphinx, the saurosphinx, and the threskisphinx appear in Sandstorm: Mastering the Perils of Fire and Sand (2005).

The loquasphinx appears in the Tome of Magic: Pact, Shadow, and Truename Magic (2006).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)

The sphinx appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).

Types

• Androsphinx - wise, good
  Alignment (role-playing games)
  In some role-playing games, alignment is a categorisation of the moral and ethical perspective of the player characters, non-player characters, monsters, and societies in the game....
  
   male creatures with the heads of male humans with leonine manes, who can cast spells
  Spells of Dungeons & Dragons
  Magic of Dungeons & Dragons consists of spells used in the settings of the role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons . There is little if any similarity between these fictional spells and any actual historical mythology. D&D defined the genre of fantasy role-playing games, and remains the most...
  
  
• Astrosphinx - Malevolent sphinxes whose heads resemble goat skulls
• Canisphinx - jackal-headed, predatory sphinxes
• Criosphinx - male ram-headed sphinxes with low intelligence and generally the sole aim of finding a gynosphinx mate
• Dracosphinx - evil, crocodilian sphinxes that lair on river banks (Third Edition version); sphinx with traits of a red dragon (previous editions' version)
• Gynosphinx - the traditional riddle-loving sphinx with the head of a female human, and the sole female subrace, who has some innate magical powers
• Hieracophinx - evil, savage and animal-intelligent hawk
  Hawk
  The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
  
  -headed sphinxes
• Loquasphinx - leonine, knowledge-seeking sphinxes that are particularly interested in Truespeech (the language of Truenames)
• Luposphinx - Wolf-headed, forest-dwelling sphinxes
• Saurosphinx - reptilian-faced, conversational sphinxes
• Threskisphinx - Ibis-headed, sagely sphinxes known for their skill as magical artisans