Medium aberration (slaad, shapechanger), chaotic neutral
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 127 (17d8 +51)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +4
Proficiency Bonus +7 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 17 (+3) | 16 (+3) | 13 (+1) | 8 (-1) | 14 (+2) |
Skills Arcana +5, Perception +6
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Slaad, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Shapechanger. The slaad can use its action to polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid, or back into its true form. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn ‘t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Innate Spellcasting. The slaad’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14). The slaad can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: detect magic, detect thoughts, invisibility (self only), mage hand, major image
- 2/day each: fear, fly, fireball, tongues
- 1/day: plane shift (self only)
Innate Spellcasting (suggested). The gray slaad’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The gray slaad can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components. The gray slaad can pick up to two to spell-like powers from those marked as at will:
- At will: advanced illusion, cloudkill, darkness, detect thoughts, fear, flame strike, invisibility, lightning bolt,
- 1/day each: power word blind, symbol (pain).
Magic Resistance. The slaad has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The slaad’s weapon attacks are magical.
Regeneration. The slaad regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point.
Summon Slaadi (suggested). Twice a day a gray slaad can attempt to gate in 1d4 gray slaadi.
Note: include this special ability only if you consider the slaadi as fiends native from the plane of Limbo.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The slaad makes three attacks: one with its bite (slaad form) and two with its claws (slaad form) or one with its greatsword (humanoid form).
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
- Bite (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) piercing damage.
- Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage.
- Claw (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing damage.
- Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
The Gray Slaad is a type of aberrant creature that originates from the chaotic plane of Limbo. It resembles a frog-like humanoid with gray skin, long claws, and a toothy maw. It can change its shape into any Small or Medium humanoid, often using its original host’s form as a disguise. It has a keen interest in magic and seeks to increase its power by studying arcane secrets and crafting magical items. It also serves the Death Slaad, the most powerful and evil of its kind, as an executioner and agent of doom.
COMBAT
The Gray Slaad is a formidable opponent in combat, using both its physical and magical abilities to harm its enemies. It can wield a greatsword with skill and imbue it with its own innate magic, making it a deadly weapon. It can also cast various spells, such as illusions, flame strikes, power words, symbols, and plane shift. It can use its blindsight and telepathy to sense its surroundings and communicate with other slaadi. It can also summon more slaadi to aid it in battle. If it is severely wounded, it may lose its grip on reality and become insubstantial, making it harder to hit.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
The Gray Slaad lives in Limbo, the plane of pure chaos where anything is possible. It is one of the few creatures that can survive and thrive in this environment, shaping the plane to its whims. It is part of the hierarchy of slaadi, which are divided into five types: red, blue, green, gray, and death. The Gray Slaad is the fourth type, evolved from a Green Slaad that has consumed a rare stone called a “control gem”. The control gem grants the Gray Slaad more intelligence and magic, but also makes it more obedient to the Death Slaad, the fifth and final type. The Death Slaad is a master of magic and evil that commands all other slaadi. The Gray Slaad acts as its loyal servant, carrying out its orders on missions of destruction and chaos.
ECOLOGY
The Gray Slaad is an aberration that reproduces by infecting other creatures with its chaotic essence. It can implant an egg inside a humanoid host by clawing or biting it. The egg then grows inside the host, slowly transforming it into a Red Slaad or Blue Slaad, depending on the host’s gender. The Red or Blue Slaad then breaks free from the host’s body, killing it in the process. The Red or Blue Slaad can then evolve into a Green Slaad by consuming another control gem. The Green Slaad can then evolve into a Gray Slaad by consuming another control gem. The Gray Slaad can then evolve into a Death Slaad by consuming yet another control gem. The control gems are rare and coveted by slaadi, often causing conflicts among them.