FREQUENCY: Very rare
FREQUENCY:
Very rare ([Dungeon Level II])
NO. APPEARING: 2-24 (40-400)
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 9" // 18"
HIT DICE: 2 or more
% IN LAIR: [SB] <D2>
TREASURE TYPE: Individuals
[L], [M], [N]; in lair, [Z].
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 or 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon
type and/or 2-5
SPECIAL ATTACKS: [SB]
SPECIAL DEFENSES: [SB]
MAGIC RESISTANCE: [SB]
INTELLIGENCE: High and up
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
(with chaotic tendencies) <(Fierce?)>
SIZE: M (higher levels
L)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: II and
up | Variable
DEITY: Blibdoolpoolp
The ancient kuo-toa people
once inhabited the shores and islands of
the upper world, but as
the race of mankind and its associate species
grew more and more numerous
and powerful, the 'men-fish'
were slowly driven to remote
regions. Continual warfare upon these
evil, human-sacrificing
creatures threatened to exterminate the
species, for a number of
powerful beings were aiding their sworn
enemies -- mankind. Some
kuo-toans sought refuge in sea caverns and
secret subterranean waters,
and while their fellows above were being
slaughtered, these few prospered
and developed new characteristics
to match their lightless
habitats. However, the seas contained other
fierce and evil creatures
with designs of their own, and the deep-dwelling
kuo-toans were eventually
wiped out leaving only those in
the underworld to carry
on the species. These survivors were <l: DSG>
unknown to men, and mankind
eventually forgot the men-fish
entirely. Even the word
goggler,<b>
a derisive term for their ichthyoid <choose a new font for the above,
same idea>
foes, lost its meaning to
humans. But the kuo-toans remaining in their
underworld places did not
allow memory of the past to lapse -- and <DSG, D2 links?>
woe to the hapless human
who falls into the slimy clutches of the kuo-toans.
Now the kuo-toans are haters
of sunlight and are almost never encountered
on the surface of the earth.<c?>
This, and their inborn hatred
of discipline, prevent the
resurgence of these creatures, for they have
become numerous once again
and have gained new powers. However,
they have also become somewhat
unstable, and insanity is not
uncommon amongst the species.
Sometimes the kuo-toans are
encountered in small groups journeying
in the upper world to kidnap
humans for slaves and sacrifices. <l: DDG?>
Such parties are also found
occasionally in the dungeon labyrinths which
connect to the extensive
system of underworld passages and caverns
which honeycombs the crust
of the earth.<c?> Only far below the earth's<c?
surface will the intrepid
explorer find the natural caverns and spaces
hewn from living rock over
the ages in which the kuo-toa people build
their underground communities.
<level titles?>
These creatures normally
travel in well-armed bands.
If more than 20 kuo-toans
are encountered it is 50% likely that they will be within
1-6 miles of their lair.
For every four normal warriors in an encountered
band there will be an additional
fighter of 3rd or 4th level. For
every eight normal fighters
encountered there will be an additional
fighter of 5th or 6th level.
For every 12 in the group there will be a
cleric/assassin of equal
levels, either 4th/4th, 5th/5th, 6th/6th or <semantics: equal levels?>
7th/7th (d4 + 3 for determination
of level). If more than 20 normal
(2nd level) fighters are
in the group, it will be a war party -- i.e. a
full-scale raiding/fighting
detachment. A war party will include:
1 10th
level fighter as 'captain'
2 8th
level fighters as 'lieutenants'
3 3rd/3rd
level fighter/assassin 'whips'
1 'monitor'
(see hereafter)
1 slave
per 4 koa-toans
The 'whips' are fanatical
devotees of the Sea Mother goddess
of the
kuo-toans. They inspire
the troops to stand firm and fight without
quarter for the glory of
their ruler and their deity.
If a kuo-toan lair is found
it will contain 40-400 2nd level males. In
addition, there will be
higher level fighters in the same ratio as noted
above for outside groups,
war
parties, and:
1 priest-king
of 12th/12th level, a Fanatic (cleric/assassin),
if 350 or more kuo-toans normal kuo-toans are indicated, or <alt>
1 priest-duke
of 11th/11th level if 275-349 are indicated, or
1 priest-prince
of 10th/10th level if fewer than 275 normal kuo-toans are indicated, together
with
8 'eyes'
of the priest-king, priest-duke, or priest-prince, 8th/8th (or 7th/7th
or 6th/6th) level cleric/assassins
1 'chief
whip'--6th/6th level fighter assassin
2 'whips'
of 4th/4th or 5th/5th level
1 'monitor'
per 20 2nd level male kuo-toans
females
equal to 20% of the male population
young
(non-combatant) equal to 20% of the total kuo-toans
slaves
equal to 50% of the total male population.
In special religious areas
there will also be a number of kuo-toan
clerics. For every 20 individuals
in the community there will be a 3rd
level cleric, for every
40 there will be a 4th level cleric, for every 80
there will be a 5th level
cleric, all in addition to the other individuals.
These clerics will be headed
by:
1 6th
level cleric if the group is 160 or fewer, or
1 7th
level cleric and 1 6th level cleric if the group is between 161 and 240,
or
1 8th
level, 1 7th level and 1 6th level if the group numbers between 241 and
320, or
1 9th
level, 2 7th level and 3 6th level if the group numbers between 321 and
400, or
1 10th
level, 2 8th level and 4 6th level if the group numbers in excess of 400.
It
is 50% probable that any kuo-toan cleric above 6th level will be
armed with a pincer staff.
This is a 5' long pole topped by a 3' long
"claw'. It corresponds to
a medieval man-catcher, and if the user
scores a hit the clasw end
has closed upon the opponent, making it
impossible for the trapped
individual to get free. (Naturally, this
weapon can be employed only
against creature of a girth about that
of a small-to-large human
-- a size range between the elf and the
gnoll).
It is 10% probable that both arms will be pinned by the claw,
40% probable that only one
arm will be trapped (if the victim is right-
handed, the claw will trap
the left hand with 75% probability, the
right with 25% probability).
Trapped opponents lose all shield and
dexterity
protections (or weapon attack potential if
it is their
weapon-bearing arm which
is trapped, in which case dexterity protections
are still lost but the shield
is still effective) and nearby kuo-toans
will always strike at such
individuals.
Kuo-toans spawn as do fish,
and hatchlings -- 'fingerlings' as they are
usually called -- are raised
in pools until their amphibian qualities
develop about one year after
hatching. The young -- now 1' or so
high -- are then able to
breathe air, and they are raised in gens
according to their sex and
fitness.
The number of hit dice possessed
by this hardy race is not indicative <hardy: high CON?>
of thier possible variation
in hits, since their breeding gives them
exactly the same number
of hit points per die, varying by level:
Hit points for <add sex .gifs>
| Number of
hit dice |
males | females |
| 2 | 12 | 10 |
| 3 | 18 | 15 |
| 4 | 28 | 24 |
| 5 | 35 | 30 |
| 6 | 42 | 36 |
| 7 | 56 | 49 |
| 8 | 64 | 56 |
| 9 | 72 | - |
| 10 | 90 | - |
| 11 | 99 | - |
| 12 | 120 | - |
Typical arms carried by kuo-toan
fighters are:
| 40% | dagger, spear, and shield |
| 30% | dagger, spear and weighted throwing net |
| 10% | dagger and harpoon* |
| 20% | dagger and short bow (half female population) |
* The harpoon is generally
used only by higher-level fighters. It is a
wickedly barbed throwing
weapon with a range of 30'. It inflicts
2-12 hit points of damage,
exclusive of bonuses. Creatures struck
must attempt a saving throw
of 13 or better (d20) to avoid being <save vs. ?>
snagged by the weapon. Creatures
of man-size or less who are thus
caught will be jerked off
their feet and stunned for 1-4 rounds. The
harpooning kuo-toan will
haul in his victim and attempt to slay him
with a dagger thrust, since
the harpoon is fastened to the hurler by a
stout cord.
The
shield employed by these creatures are fashioned of special
boiled leather,<cuir
boulli?> and just before battle they are treated with a special,
particularly sticky, glue-like
substance. There is a 25% chance that any
frontal attack on a shield-bearing
warrior will strike this glue and stick
fast until the wielder<sp?>
is able to pull it free (same chance as that individual
has of opening a dungeon
door). <l:strength>
Kuo-toans wear no clothing
-- only leather harnesses for their
weapons and a small amount
of personal gear, as any other garments <DMG.I?>
would hinder their swimming.
Their skin is tough, scaled and very <slight bonus on poison saves?
: DMG.83>
slimy. Coupled with their
dexterity, their slimy tough skin gives them <high DEX?>
a high natural armour class.
Note that shields do not add to their armour class --
they are used as weapons.
Hit probability for these
creatures is the same as a human of the same
level but males gain a +1
bonus on their 'to hit' roll and on damage, <S=17>
due to strength. This bonus
applies only to weapons, not to their
natural biting attack mode
(which causes 2-5 points of damage). <HP>
When fighting with a dagger
only, these creatures are also able to bite
at an opponent.
When two or more kuo-toan
clerics or cleric-assassins operate together,
by joining hands they can
generate a stroke of lightning. The bolt is
very narrow, so that only
the specific TARGET victim will be affected
unless, by mischance, another
creature gets into the 2' wide path of
the stroke. The bolt of
electrical energy causes 6 hit points of damage
per cleric or cleric/assassin
to any creature struck -- half that if a saving
throw is made. The chance
of generating such a stroke of lightning is
10% cumulative per round
per kuo-toan involved. (Check each round
when priests are acting
in conjunction).
The special defenses of these
creatures include their skin secretions,
which makes it only 25%
probable that an attempt to grapple, grasp,
tie or [web] a kuo-toan
will succeed. Although their eyes are set on the
sides of their heads, kuo-toans
have excellent independent monocular
[vision], a very wide degree
of field (180°), and they are able to
detect movement even though
a creature is normally invisible due to magic,
astrally projected or ethereal.
Thus, only complete motionless can
avoid visual detection by
a kuo-toan. They see into the infrared and
ultraviolet spectra, and
vibrations within 10' can be felt by these <l, l>
creatures, so they are only
surprised on a 1 (in 6).
Kuo-toans are totally immune
to poison and are not affected by
paralysis. Spells which
generally affect only humanoid-type creatures
([charm person], [hold person],
[sleep] and so on) have no effect on these <sleep?>
creatures. Electrical attacks
cause only half damage (or none if a
saving throw is made). A
[magic missile] will cause only 1 hit point of
damage to a kuo-toan, and
all forms of illusion are useless against
them. However, kuo-toans
hate bright light -- such as from a [light]
spell -- and fight at -1
on 'to hit' rolls when exposed to such
illumination. They suffer
full damage from all fire-based attacks and
saving throws against such
attacks are at -2 on the die.
Especially fit fingerlings,
usually of noble spawning, are trained for
the priesthood -- as clerics,
cleric/assassins or as special celibate
monks.
Monitor:
The latter are 'monitors' whose role it is to control the community
members who become violent
or go insane. The monitor is
capable of attacking to
subdue <l: UA> or to kill. A monitor has 56 hit points,
attacks at 7th level, and
has the following characteristics:
twice normal movement rate <?>
surprised only on a 1 in 10
armour class 1
4 attacks
per round, 2 bare-handed doing 2-8 hit points of damage (double if attacking
to subdue),
2 with
teeth doing 2-5 hit points of damage;
one hands/bite
routine in the forepart of a round and
the second
in the last portion.
Subdued creatures cannot
be larger than man-sized or slightly larger
(up to 8' tall/500 pounds).
Subduing attacks cause only half actual
damage, but when hit points
scored equal the total for the creature
it is rendered unconscious
for 3-12 rounds.
Kuo-toans do not generally
co-operate from community to
community, although they
have special religious places in common. <(eg. D2)>
These places are usually
for intergroup TRADE, councils and worship of
Sea Mother, so they are
open to all kuo-toans. These religious communities,
as well as other kuo-toan
settlements, are open to the [drow] and
their servants, for the
dark elves provide useful goods and services
as slave-traders and merchants,
but the drow are both feared and <merchant class: add drow>
hated by the kuo-toan people,
so there are frequent kidnappings and <morale/reaction adjustments>
minor skirmishes between
the peoples. The illithids (mind flayers --
see ADVANCED DUNGEONS
& DRAGONS MONSTER MANUAL -- Mind Flayer) are greatly
hated by the kuo-toans and they and their allies are attacked on sight.
<e>
Despite their common hatred
of mind-flayers,
the kuo-toans and [githyanki]
are not on good terms with each
other; the kuo-toans entertain
deep mistrust of githyanki and do their <suspicious reaction modifier>
best to avoid them. Kuo-toans
will always attack [githzerai].
Slaves
obtained by the kuo-toans are used for labour, food and
sacrifice. The composition
of any slave group can be determined at
random from the following
table:
| Die roll | Race of slave |
| 1 | [dwarf] |
| 2 | [elf]* |
| 3 | [gnoll]** |
| 4-5 | gnome([svirfneblin]) |
| 6 | [goblin] |
| 7 | [half-elf] |
| 8 | [half-orc] |
| 9 | [hobgoblin] |
| 10-14 | [human] |
| 15-16 | [lizard man] |
| 17-18 | [orc] |
| 19-20 | [troglodyte] |
* 25% chance for [bugbear]
in community isolated from drow
** 50% chance for [drow]
in community isolated from drow.
The kuo-toans speak the strange
subterranean trade language common to most intelligent dwellers in the
underworld.
In addition, they speak
their own arcane tongue
and can communicate with most fish by empathic
means.
Their religious speech is
a corruption of the language used on the Elemental
Plane of Water and if a cleric is near it is 75% improbable that
any creature from this plane will attack kuo-toans,
for the cleric will speak
and request that they be spared in the name of Sea Mother (Blibdoolpoolp).
<note the lack of the definitive article, twice>
Description: A kuo-toan
presents a cold and horrible appearance. A
typical specimen looks much
as if a human body, albeit a paunchy <weight>
one, had been covered with
scales and topped with a fish's head
squarely on the shoulders.
The huge fish eyes tend to swivel
in <square symbols>
different directions when
observing an AREA or creature. The hands <UA image: animate>
and feet are very long,
with three fingers and opposing digit, partially
webbed. The legs and arms
are short for the body size. Their colouration
is pale grey, with undertones
of tan or yellow for males only, and <color>
the whole skin has a sheen
from its slime covering. The [colour] darkens
when the individual is angry
and pales when the creature is badly frightened. <UA combat icon: darken
after first hit, pale after a failed morale check>
by
Gary Gygax
Kuo-Toa (DSG):
The kuo-toa have passed
their prime as a race, and now struggle
simply to retain their current
holdings and some degree of
cultural integrity. While
there are still many kuo-toan communities,
their inability to cooperate
in the face of threats makes them
susceptible to military
conquests by other, more disciplined
races.
Worship of the Sea
Mother is the one unifying element of kuotoan
culture. A few of the oldest
and wisest kuo-toan clerics
dream of joining their chaotic
and feuding factions into one
mighty army, and carrying
forth a great holy war in the name of
the Sea Mother. While this
is not likely to come about, the few
believers constantly work
to carry the plan forward.
The dramatic decline of
the kuo-toan race has resulted in a
very high incidence of insanity
among kuo-toans. As many as 5%
of all men-fish suffer from
mental imbalance and are prone to go
berserk at the slightest
provocation. This has led to the development
of a “monitor” class of
elite kuo-toans that are charged with
controlling the members
of their race that succumb to insanity.
Kuo-toans rarely trade with
other races, as they have no industries
and little to offer in trade.
They are always interested in
acquiring slaves, however,
and will work out any means to do so.
These means include brute
force, treachery, or bartering a rare
useful item.
For more information on the
kuo-toa, see the FIEND FOLIO
tome.
Clangador wrote:
Hey Gary, how did you come
up with the Kuo-Toa in D2? Any Lovecraftian influence there?
Heh...
The kuo-toa were mainly from
my imagination, as was their deity, Blibdoolpoolp.
Perhaps I was thinking of
HPL's
batrachian
people, but not consciously.
Maybe it was inspired by
The
Creature from the Black Lagoon. 
Cheers,
Gary
How did you come up with
the name?
As with many of the creatures
I devised for the A/D&D gane, I mane up the name off thetop
of my head...
after considerable ppondering
over an appropriate sounding appelation for piscean humanoids.
the same is true for Blibdoolpoolp.
Kuo-toa--Another "I need
something new" race dreamed up out of whole cloth so populate the subterranean
world.
Quote:
Originally posted by
boschdevil
Gary,
Here's hoping that your family get-together and your birthday were both a blast.
As for my question, in this
month's Dungeon magazine, they have an adventure that reminded me of "The
Shrine of the Kuo-Toa". Thus, what was the motivation for the development
of the Kuo-Toa? And how did you come up with the name Blibdoolpoolp? Thanks.
Howdy Boschdevil,
The whole weekend was great,
thanks.
When I got to ruminating on the inhabitants of the Underdark, the Drow were the main human-types I came up with to compliment the Illithids. Not wanting to have a lot of repetition in encounters, it seemed that some picean race would be novel and fit relatively well into the setting. I envisaged large communities of the Kuo-toa wherever there was underground water, expecially in the Sunless Sea environs.
Blibdoolpoolp was an onomatopoeic
name I came up with for a lobstress deity of theirs. The sound is to call
to mind the sound of large drops of water falling into a pool, and splashing
in general 
Cheers,
Gary
