Tiny aberration (slaad), chaotic neutral
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 10 (4d4)
Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 (-2) | 15 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 3 (-4) | 5 (-3) | 3 (-4) |
Skills Stealth +4
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 7
Languages understands Slaad but can’t speak
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
Magic Resistance. The slaad has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
ACTIONS
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft ., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
DESCRIPTION
A slaad tadpole is a tiny, worm-like creature with a mouth full of sharp teeth. It is the larval form of a slaad, a chaotic and amphibious race of aberrations that inhabit the plane of Limbo. A slaad tadpole is spawned from the Spawning Stone, a massive artifact created by Primus, the overlord of the modrons, to bring order to Limbo. However, the stone had the opposite effect, creating the slaadi as a by-product of its absorption of chaotic energy. A slaad tadpole has the same color as its parent slaad, which can be red, blue, green, gray, or black. A slaad tadpole can understand the language of the slaadi, but cannot speak it.
COMBAT
A slaad tadpole is not very strong or intelligent, but it is fast and stealthy. It can resist various types of elemental damage, and has an innate magic resistance that gives it an advantage against spells and other magical effects. A slaad tadpole attacks by biting with its razor-sharp teeth, which can pierce through flesh and bone. A slaad tadpole has two ways of reproducing or transforming: by implanting eggs or by infecting with chaos phage. A red slaad tadpole can implant an egg in a humanoid host by making a successful bite attack. The egg hatches after 24 hours, killing the host and producing a new red or blue slaad. A blue slaad tadpole can infect a humanoid host with chaos phage by making a successful bite attack. The disease causes the host to transform into a red or green slaad after 24 hours, unless cured by magic.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
A slaad tadpole lives in the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo, a plane of constant turmoil and unpredictability. It drifts through bits of forest, meadow, ruined castles, and isolated islands that are surrounded by fire, water, earth, and wind. A slaad tadpole follows the commands of its parent slaad, which is usually stronger and more powerful than it. A slaad tadpole has no formal hierarchy or organization, but obeys the strongest and most dominant slaadi under threat of annihilation. A slaad tadpole loathes modrons and other creatures of order, and attacks them on sight. A slaad tadpole also hates githzerai, who have established enclaves in Limbo using their mental discipline.
ECOLOGY
A slaad tadpole is a creature of pure chaos, born from the Spawning Stone’s corruption of Primus’s original design. A slaad tadpole has no natural predators or prey in Limbo, as everything is subject to change and mutation. A slaad tadpole feeds on whatever it can find or kill, often devouring other creatures whole. A slaad tadpole has a short lifespan, as it either dies or transforms into a more advanced form of slaad. A green slaad undergoes a lifelong cycle of transformation into a gray and then a black (or death) slaad. Each transformation retains the memories of the previous form. Some slaadi can shapechange into their original humanoid forms, and return to the Material Plane to sow discord and chaos in disguise.