Slaad

Spread throughout the various Planes of Existence through unknown means are the Slaadi (Slaad, plural). Slaadi are undisciplined and have no formal hierarchy, although weaker slaadi obey stronger ones under threat of annihilation. Slaadi have been depicted as having a complex social system bound up in the relationship and reproductive cycles of the various types. Some types will naturally dominate others, though as slaadi are creatures of chaos, such domination occurs not through a regimented hierarchy, but by brute force.

Their base form is that of a large bipedal frog, though some of the more powerful slaadi have polymorph self or shapechange abilities and sometimes appear as humanoids. In frog form their heads are huge and their claws are extremely sharp. They speak their own language and, occasionally, some additional evil languages. Telepathy, however, allows them to understand and converse with all things. There are many types of slaadi depending on their place of origin and rank within their society.

The origin of the Slaad species is unknown, though it is believed that they may have originally been humanoids due to their horrific cycles of reproduction. Slaadi reproduce either by implanting humanoid hosts with eggs or by infecting them with a transformative disease called chaos phage. Each color of slaad reproduces or transforms in a different way, with red slaadi spawning blue and green slaadi, and blue slaadi spawning red and green. Each green slaad undergoes a lifelong cycle of transformation into the more powerful gray and death slaadi. With each transformation, the slaad retains its memories. Some slaadi can transform into the humanoid creatures from which they were originally spawned. These slaadi may return to the Material Plane of Xesteria to sow discord in the guise of their former selves. Most Slaadi are almost always chaotic neutral, with the exception of death slaadi, which are usually chaotic evil.

## Types of Slaad

### Blue Slaad

The bone hooks that protrude from the back of a blue slaad's hands inflict a terrible transformative disease on humanoids wounded by them. This infection, called chaos phage, transforms its victim into a fully grown red slaad or green slaad if the host was a spellcaster able to cast 3rd level spells or higher.

### Death Slaad

Death slaadi are suffused with energy from the Negative Energy Plane and exemplify evil's corruption of chaos, and they take sadistic pleasure in bringing harm to others. They propagate their race by dragooning mobs of red and blue slaadi and invading other planes. Humanoids who survive the incursion become incubators for new slaadi.

The death slaad is believed to be the most powerful type of slaad, both magically and physically. All other slaadi obey a death slaad if one presents itself to them.

### Gray Slaad

Gray slaadi act as living extensions of the will of their masters, the death slaadi. A gray slaad journeys to the Material Plane on errands of doom, often taking humanoid form. A gray slaad learns how to master the use of a greatsword and imbue it with its own innate magic.

A gray slaad that eats the entire corpse of a dead death slaad instantly transforms into a death slaad.

### Green Slaad

Green slaadi are surprisingly intelligent and possess innate spellcasting ability. A green slaad can change its shape to appear as a humanoid. If it was born of a humanoid host, the slaad usually adopts its host's form.

At some unpredictable point in its existence, a green slaad unlocks the means to magically, instantly, and permanently transform itself into a gray slaad. Unlocking this knowledge can take years, even decades.

### Red Slaad

When a red slaad claws a humanoid creature, it can inject an egg from a gland under one of its claws. The egg works its way into its host and gestates, eventually forming a slaad tadpole. Such a tadpole then eats its way out of the host's body, feeds on the host's remains, and then seeks any other fresh meat it can find. The tadpole transforms into a fully grown blue slaad or green slaad if the host had the ability to cast 3rd level spells or higher within 2d12 hours.

### White Slaad

It is unknown how white slaadi came to be, though they are theorized to be the result of another slaad transforming a profoundly good or holy humanoid into a slaad. This is reinforced by white slaadi possessing extremely potent healing capabilities and magic, and with their alignment resting more towards lawful neutral.

As the only non-chaotic type of slaad, a white slaad is believed to be able to be reasoned with, and are perhaps even able to cooperate with regular humanoids should their interests align. Unlike other types of slaadi that typically enjoy spreading chaos and strife, white slaadi care about little other than what is of interest to them and consider such wanton activities to be beneath them.