Gray slaad

Gray slaadi, sometimes spelt grey slaadi but also referred to as rift slaads or executioners, were green slaads that had undergone a magical metamorphosis. They were known as the executioners for their service to the malevolent death slaads, carrying out their demands on missions of doom.

Description
Compared to the common slaadi, gray slaads were relatively small and lean, appearing as frog-like humanoids that stood tall. They seemed swifter as well as skinnier and had long, clawed fingers. Some said their gray complexion was spotted while earlier it was claimed to be even and light.

Personality
Gray slaads shared the same power-hungry obsession with magic that their former selves did, but to an even greater degree. They were so fascinated by magic that they no longer cared about the activities of the lesser red, blue and green slaads, devoting all their attention to their studies. Some trained as sorcerers to bring out their inherent magical ability while others enjoyed augmenting their power by crafting magical items, but most sought the virtually immortal might of the death slaads.

Abilities
Gray slaadi were no less physically dangerous for their increased magical power, possessing most of the abilities of their prior forms as well as additional powers. They could skillfully craft illusions, imbue items with magic, perform flame strikes, walk on wind, magically fly, speak and create various power words and symbols and plane shift on top of their green slaadi abilities, although like the green slaads, no individual possessed all of such powers. They could polymorph into humanoid forms, often those of their original hosts, and could summon other gray slaads, as well as the common types. Other rumored abilities included immunities to the cold, disintegration and non-enchanted weapons, along with the more esoteric powers to teleport and disrupt planar stability.

Combat
Despite preferring ranged combat using their magical abilities, gray slaadi weren't adverse to entering melee, fighting with tooth and claw in their slaad forms and training to wield greatswords, often magical blades, when in their humanoid forms. They were intelligent enough to flank and use their abilities based on current circumstances, although their ability to teleport sometimes manifested when they were seriously injured, resulting in them losing their grasp on physical reality and temporarily becoming insubstantial.

Society
Aside from the death slaadi, gray slaads were the most dreaded of the slaads, sent to the Prime Material Plane to act on their behalf. They disguised themselves as somewhat charismatic humanoids, typically wearing light clothing and in possession of one or two powerful magical items, as well as a pouch of gold or platinum. They were known to operate in pairs and in groups of three or four

Although slaadi typically had little actual influence in the Blood War, gray slaadi, in their lust for new magical items, were known to trade information to both sides.

Ecology
After returning from over a year of isolation, green slaadi were instantly turned into gray slaads via a mysterious magical process. By taking part in an enigmatic ritual that suffused them with negative energy, gray slaads could gain even more power at the cost of corrupting their chaotic ways with the murderous sadism of true evil. It was said that, if they consumed an entire, deceased death slaad, the gray slaad that did so would instantly transform into a death slaad themselves. Regardless of the process used, gray slaadi kept their memories after the transformation, albeit tainted by their new perspectives.

Subraces
The variant gray slaads referred to as havocs gleefully took part in furthering the confusion of combat, using their control over space to redirect enemy attacks and shifting the positions of enemies and allies to their whims. They blasted enemies from afar to goad them into shooting them only to send the attack hurtling back, although since this typically only worked once they spent the remainder of the time reshaping the battlefield to their advantage. If havocs released too much chaotic energy at once they could potentially cause planar instability, with some stories saying that enough of them could open gates to other planes.

There were also special havocs with even more dangerous abilities known as acolytes of entropy, fanatical worshippers of Ygorl that lived to spread physical destruction and mental disorder. Brought together by the void slaad Skirnex, they charged recklessly into battle with intent to destroy as much as possible, fully intending to be hurt as even their wounds caused entropic energy to spread around them.

Notable Gray Slaadi

 * Dregadzel, a gray slaad servant of the slaad lord Bazim-Gorag, who acted as a secretary for his Flame Lord acolyte Moskogg, a half-fiend minotaur. She made sure his fiery fury was channeled into efficient plans in the form of a scholarly, human woman.


 * The Sorrowful Executioner, a gray slaad that mastered a rampaging red slaad horde known as The Lone Claw, one of the greatest slaad packs in Limbo. They specialized in unexpected shock strikes and skilled diversions, although their goals were utterly unknown and they left as quickly as they arrived.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Dungeon #43, "Into The Silver Realm" • Dungeon #84, "The Harrowing"
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * Dark Pyramid of Sorcerer's Isle