Unicorn (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy role-playing game, a unicorn is a mysterious, majestic magical beast
. It resembles an imposing and beautiful white horse
, with glowing eyes, a silky mane and tail, and the stereotypical spiraling, shell-shaped horn coming from its forehead. Unlike a horse, they have cloven hooves
, and males have a goat
's beard.
(1974), where they were described as creatures that can be ridden by maiden-warriors and will obey them.
The unicorn is further detailed in Dragon
#77 (September 1983), in "The Ecology of the Unicorn," by Roger E. Moore
.
Karmerynn, a unique large male unicorn from the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
, appears in the supplement Moonshae (1987).
(1977), and Expert Set
(1981 & 1983). The unicorn was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).
The unicorn also appears in Thunder Rift (1992).
Several variant unicorns are featured in Dragon #190 (February 1993), including the alicorn, the bay unicorn, the black unicorn, the brown unicorn, the cunnequine, the faerie unicorn, the gray unicorn, the palomino unicorn, the pinto unicorn, the sea unicorn, the unisus, and the zebracorn.
The shadow unicorn first appears in the Ravenloft
setting in Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness (1994).
The black unicorn first appears in the Forgotten Realms setting's Spellbound boxed set (1995), and later appears in Monstrous Compendium Appendix Annual Volume Three (1996).
The black unicorn reappears in Monsters of Faerun (2001).
such as pixies, dryads, and sprites. They will show themselves to save their forests, however. Unicorns are strongly magical creatures, with most of their abilities coming from their horn. They can live up to 1000 years, and show effects of aging only weeks before death. They are able to sense evil nearby, and radiate an aura which protects them from most evil spells. The touch of their horn can both heal wounds and cure poison. Also, once a day, a unicorn can teleport to anywhere in its forest home (although they cannot teleport in from outside the forest). Unicorns attack by impaling foes on their horns, or with their hooves.
Unicorns are highly prized for the magical properties of their horns and their value as mounts. There has been no official way as to how D&D unicorns are captured, but in myth, they were lured from their homes with virginal maidens.
Unicorns, unlike most animalistic creatures, are capable of speech. They can speak Common and Sylvan.
Many unicorns revere the god Eachthighern
.
They are chaotic good in alignment.
Two "sub-species" of Unicorn exist in two separate campaign settings of Dungeons & Dragons.
Faerun, the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, is home to the Black Unicorns; evil counterparts created through magical breeding programs by the Zhents. Black Unicorns, like normal Unicorns, will only allow human or elf maids to ride them- though their Evil alignment means that their rider must also be Evil. Drow Maids are preferred riders.
Ravenloft is home to the fan-created "Shadow Unicorn"; a vile monster that, unlike normal or Black Unicorns, cannot be ridden. Shadow Unicorns are all the descendants of a fan-made Darklord named Addar, a corrupted Unicorn, and are the result of his mating with the female Nightmare that helped lure him into evil — and to Ravenloft.
animated TV series.
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 role-playing game, a unicorn is a mysterious, majestic 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....
. It resembles an imposing and beautiful white horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
, with glowing eyes, a silky mane and tail, and the stereotypical spiraling, shell-shaped horn coming from its forehead. Unlike a horse, they have cloven hooves
Cloven hoof
A cloven hoof is a hoof split into two toes. This is found on members of the mammalian order Artiodactyla. Examples of mammals that possess this type of hoof are deer and sheep. In folklore and popular culture, a cloven hoof has long been associated with the Devil.The two digits of cloven hoofed...
, and males have a goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
's beard.
Publication history
The Dungeons & Dragons unicorn was based upon the unicorns of European mythology.Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
The unicorn was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" setDungeons & Dragons (1974)
The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson was published by TSR, Inc. in 1974. It initially included the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(1974), where they were described as creatures that can be ridden by maiden-warriors and will obey them.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The unicorn appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as dwelling in temperate woodlands; this chaotic good creature shuns contact with nearly all creatures.The unicorn is further detailed 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...
#77 (September 1983), in "The Ecology of the Unicorn," by Roger E. Moore
Roger E. Moore
Roger E. Moore is a designer of role-playing games. He is best known for his long-running tenure as editor of Dragon magazine, and was the founding editor of Dungeon magazine.-Early life:...
.
Karmerynn, a unique large male unicorn from 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...
, appears in the supplement Moonshae (1987).
Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the unicorn, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic SetDungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
(1977), and Expert Set
Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
The Expert Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-1981 printing:The D&D Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay...
(1981 & 1983). The unicorn was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).
The unicorn also appears in Thunder Rift (1992).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The unicorn appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).Several variant unicorns are featured in Dragon #190 (February 1993), including the alicorn, the bay unicorn, the black unicorn, the brown unicorn, the cunnequine, the faerie unicorn, the gray unicorn, the palomino unicorn, the pinto unicorn, the sea unicorn, the unisus, and the zebracorn.
The shadow unicorn first appears in the Ravenloft
Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called domains brought together by a mysterious force known only as "The Dark...
setting in Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness (1994).
The black unicorn first appears in the Forgotten Realms setting's Spellbound boxed set (1995), and later appears in Monstrous Compendium Appendix Annual Volume Three (1996).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
The unicorn appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).The black unicorn reappears in Monsters of Faerun (2001).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
The unicorn appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003), along with the celestial charger.Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
The unicorn appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).Characteristics and habits
Unicorns exist to protect forests from intelligent creatures. They dwell deep within their forests, and shun most creatures, only conferring with feysFey (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Fey is a type of creature, or "creature type". Fey are usually humanoid in form, and are typified as having supernatural abilities and a connection to nature or to some other force or place....
such as pixies, dryads, and sprites. They will show themselves to save their forests, however. Unicorns are strongly magical creatures, with most of their abilities coming from their horn. They can live up to 1000 years, and show effects of aging only weeks before death. They are able to sense evil nearby, and radiate an aura which protects them from most evil spells. The touch of their horn can both heal wounds and cure poison. Also, once a day, a unicorn can teleport to anywhere in its forest home (although they cannot teleport in from outside the forest). Unicorns attack by impaling foes on their horns, or with their hooves.
Unicorns are highly prized for the magical properties of their horns and their value as mounts. There has been no official way as to how D&D unicorns are captured, but in myth, they were lured from their homes with virginal maidens.
Unicorns, unlike most animalistic creatures, are capable of speech. They can speak Common and Sylvan.
Many unicorns revere the god Eachthighern
Eachthighern
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Eachthighern is the unicorn deity of Healing, Loyalty, and Protection. He is also the god of pegasi...
.
They are chaotic good in alignment.
Two "sub-species" of Unicorn exist in two separate campaign settings of Dungeons & Dragons.
Faerun, the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, is home to the Black Unicorns; evil counterparts created through magical breeding programs by the Zhents. Black Unicorns, like normal Unicorns, will only allow human or elf maids to ride them- though their Evil alignment means that their rider must also be Evil. Drow Maids are preferred riders.
Ravenloft is home to the fan-created "Shadow Unicorn"; a vile monster that, unlike normal or Black Unicorns, cannot be ridden. Shadow Unicorns are all the descendants of a fan-made Darklord named Addar, a corrupted Unicorn, and are the result of his mating with the female Nightmare that helped lure him into evil — and to Ravenloft.
Other media
A baby unicorn named Uni features in the Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons (TV series)
Dungeons & Dragons is an American fantasy animated television series based on TSR's Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A co-production of Marvel Productions and TSR, the show originally ran from 1985 through 1987 for three seasons on CBS for a total of twenty seven episodes.The show focused on a...
animated TV series.
Additional reading
- Kretzer, Dan. "Lords & Legends" Dragon #139 (TSR, 1988).
- Tanner, Chris. "Good Monsters" Dragon #307 (Paizo, 2003).