The couatl (pronounced: /kuːˈætʊl/ koo-ÆT-ul[8] 
listen or: /kuːˈɑːtʊl/ koo-AT-ul[8] listen; pl: couatl[5][6] or: couatls[1][3]) were an ancient celestial race[1][2] of large, otherworldly, winged serpentine beings.[1][2][3][5][6]
Description[]
A couatl resembled a long, feathered serpent with a pair of rainbow-feathered wings that allowed it to fly.[3][5] They were around 12 ft (3.7 m) in length, with a wingspan of 15 ft (4.6 m). On average they weighed around 1,800 lb (820 kg).[3] Some considered their appearance to be among the most beautiful in all of the multiverse.[5]
Personality[]
These creatures were renowned for their benevolent[1][2] and virtuous nature,[2] to the point they found it incredibly difficult to lie.[1] They exhibited no greed, at times gifting magic items to adventurers that sought their aid, and would fight to the death if their offspring were threatened.[5] They possessed a deep hatred towards forces of evil and chaos, such as fiends,[2] and could at times become very single-minded towards their goals.[5] If a couatl ever needed to be less than truthful to someone, for the sake of protecting something or hiding their existence, a couatl would simply withhold information, answer vaguely, or allow the person questioning them to draw the wrong conclusions.[1]
Coautl were also known for their great insight[1] and genius-level intellect.[1][5] Often perceiving their lives as a never ending quest for wisdom, they possessed an intellectually curiousity, storing vast amounts of knowledge and finding joy in learning. Whenever one learned something new that fascinated them, a couatl was likely to set out in search of others of their kind to share and discuss the information with it.[5]
Abilities[]
Couatl exhibited a poisonous bite,[1][3][5][6] a deadly form of toxin that they injected with their fangs, and the ability to see in areas of total darkness.[3] Following the Spellplague, their venom was found to be imbued with radiant energy.[2] Following the Second Sundering, they exhibited the ability of truesight and their poisonous bite, no longer tinged with radiance, could render a victim unconscious for potentially up to 24 hours,[1]
These creatures possessed a wide variety of spell-like abilities, as well as the capacity to wield arcane and divine magic like a cleric, wizard,[3][5] or sorcerer. When wielding divine magic, they had no need of a divine focus, as though the spells they were casting were arcane. The divine domains they drew upon for magic were those of air, good, and law.[3]
Their spell-like abilities included detect evil, detect good[3][5] (or detect evil and good),[1] detect chaos, detect law,[3] detect magic,[1][5] ethereal jaunt, invisibility, plane shift, and polymorph self.[3] According to some, their ability to polymorph was limited to transforming into good-aligned creatures. They would not hesitate to use this ability to gain an advantage in combat.[5] They also possessed an innate ability to communicate with other creatures telepathically, without needing to know a shared language.[3][5][6]
Following the Second Sundering, were also impossible to scry upon and effects that involved detecting location, sensing emotions, or reading thoughts were ineffective on them. Their repertoire of spells they could cast innately had also expanded to the following:[1]
- bless, create food and water, cure wounds, detect thoughts, dream, greater restoration, lesser restoration, protection from poison, sanctuary, scrying, and shield.
Spells typically known by couatl, prior to the Second Sundering, included the following:[3]
- charm monster, cure minor wounds, cure moderate wounds, daze, disrupt undead, eagle's splendor, endure elements, freedom of movement, gaseous form, light, mage armor, magic circle against evil, obscuring mist, protection from chaos, ray of frost, read magic, resistance, scorching ray, silence, summon monster III, true strike, and wind wall.
Psionics[]
Prior to the Spellplague, which changed the fundamental nature of both magic and psionics in the world,[10] the powerful minds of couatl were capable of great psionic might[3][4][5][6][11] and, rather than the aforementioned innate spell-like abilities, some possessed a host of equivalent psionic powers.[4] Most of the powers possessed varied from individual couatl,[5][6][11] but there were common trends among the species. Couatl particularly favored powers that centered around disguising themselves, traveling, and gathering information.[11]
They were known to possess many, if not all, of the psionic attack and defense modes,[5][6][11] such as mental barrier and thought shield.[12] Standard psionic powers known by all couatl included aura sight, metamorphosis,[5][11][12][note 1] cloud mind, detect psionics,[12] ectoplasmic form, ESP, psionic invisibility, mindlink,[5][11][note 1] psionic plane shift, and read thoughts.[12] Other powers commonly exhibited by couatl included all-around vision, chemical stimulation, psionic teleport, psionic time shift, and see sound.[5][11][note 1]
Society[]
Couatl typically solitary lives,[3][5] but could sometimes be encountered in pairs or in flights of around three to six.[3] When a couatl child came of age it would typically set off on its own, though some elected to remain with their parents for as long as a century.[5]
Couatls were known for their beauty, magic, and virtue. Due to their intelligence and devotion to good, they were sometimes worshiped by people who inhabited the same area as they did.[3]
Languages[]
According to some, couatl knew all known languages in the multiverse.[1] Others more sparingly counted their known languages as Common, Draconic, Celestial,[3] Supernal,[2] several human languages,[6] and most serpent and avian languages.[5][6]
Ecology[]
Despite having a serpentine appearance, couatl had live births. Births occured rarely for the species, averaging only one per mating pair each century. A couatl reached maturity around their thirties or fourties.[5]
Uses[]
Spellcasters could summon couatls with the summon monster IX spell.[13]
Homelands[]
On the Prime Material plane, couatl were typically found inhabiting remote tropical and subtropical jungles, making their lairs in abandoned buildings or caves.[5] On Toril, they were most common in Maztica.[14] Beyond the Prime Material, some couatl could be found in the Elemental Plane of Air.[15]
History[]
A couatl depicted on Ten tarot card.
The origins of the couatl lay with sarrukh clans from the kingdom of Okoth. Those sarrukh, having realized that their empire was failing, fled to the other planes of existence. But for over a millennium they were nomadic, traveling from plane to plane as they never found one they were willing to settle in for more than a generation. This life hardened most of them, gradually leading them to embrace their darker natures.[16]
Among those sarrukh there were a few who despaired of their kindred embracing evil. They chose to break off from their peers and prayed to the deity Jazirian, a fragment of the World Serpent, for aid. He responded by transforming those sarrukh into what became known as the couatl. The rest of the Okothian sarrukh declared war on their transformed former brethren, and despite their superior numbers the couatl held their own. This conflict continued until Jazirian was slain by Merrshaulk, a darker fragment of the World Serpent. This forced the couatl to flee back to Abeir-Toril, where they arrived and settled in the land of Maztica.[16] Some splintered off, flying east to the land of Chult to confront the yuan-ti their people had created.[17]
circa -24000 DR, that splinter group of couatl arrived in Chult and engaged in a centuries long conflict with the yuan-ti for control of the Chultan peninsula, eventually ending with a stalemate that marked the Hazur Mountains as the boundary line between their territories.[18]
Those that remained in Maztica were embraced by the deity Qotal[16] as his favored beings and signs.[19] They in turn acknowledged him as their god Jazirian reborn, while those who had flown to Chult embraced Ubtao as their patron deity.[17] When Qotal later left the True World, he made a prophecy that a couatl would one day appear and be greeted by his chosen daughter. This would be the first sign of the god's return to his people.[19]
Around the −3000 DR, the couatl population of Chult experienced a steep decline and sought out others to help them keep the yuan-ti from spreading their influence into the peninsula's western end. In their search they came to find the humans and tabaxi of Katashaka, who they preached to of Ubtao.[18][20] One couatl, named Ecatzin, came to the Tabaxi tribes. They were initially resistant, fearing the feathered serpent to be a minion of wrathful god Akongo, but some gradually came to accept Ecatzin's words and learned a little of his language. And a chosen few were even taught a forbidden magic called matumbe, which one tabaxi named Oyai, used to slay the the monster that had been terrorizing them for millennia.[20] Eventually in -2809 DR, the couatl led those tabaxi tribes, alongside the human tribes Eshowe and Thinguth, and many others across the seas to Chult in a grand migration.[18][20]
Notable Couatls[]
A couatl acting as the patron for a temple.
- Chitikas was a couatl servant of Qotal who granted Erixitl the ability to speak to common and guided her during the times of need. [21]
- Ecatzin[20]
- Eku, a couatl who offered her services as a guide in Port Nyanzaru, disguised as a middle-aged Chultan woman.[22]
- Tezca-Zyanya[23]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 In The Complete Psionics Handbook, which provided psionic updates for creatures in 2nd edition AD&D, it is clarified that "Powers listed after this entry (if any) are representative; the list is not necessarily complete" and that "Creatures always knows a power that is distinguished by an asterisk." Taken together, this implies that only the powers listed with an asterisk are commonplace among couatl. This should be given precedence over the general reprint in Monstrous Manual, which makes no such distinction.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
Adventures
Novels & Short Stories
Eye of Justice
Video Games
Card Games
Miniatures
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
A Shot in the Dark, Part I
External Links[]
Couatl article at the Eberron Wiki, a wiki for the Eberron campaign setting.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 43. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Rob Heinsoo, Stephen Schubert (May 19, 2009). Monster Manual 2 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 38–39. ISBN 0786995101.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 37–38. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Bruce R. Cordell (April 2004). Expanded Psionics Handbook. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 193. ISBN 0-7869-3301-1.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 5.25 5.26 5.27 5.28 5.29 5.30 5.31 Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 46. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 15. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
- ↑ Carl Sargent (May 1992). Monster Mythology. (TSR, Inc), p. 89. ISBN 1-5607-6362-0.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Frank Mentzer (January 1985). “Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #93 (TSR, Inc.), p. 26.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (1990). Ironhelm. (TSR, Inc), chap. 13, p. 178. ISBN 0-8803-8903-6.
- ↑ Ari Marmell, Robert J. Schwalb (August 2010). Psionic Power. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 110. ISBN 978-0-7869-5560-2.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Steve Winter (1991). The Complete Psionics Handbook. (TSR, Inc.), p. 123. ISBN 1-56076-054-0.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Bruce R. Cordell (April 2004). Expanded Psionics Handbook. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 194. ISBN 0-7869-3301-1.
- ↑ Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 287. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (August 1991). “A Journey to the True World”. Maztica Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 43. ISBN 1-5607-6084-2.
- ↑ Monte Cook and William W. Connors (December 7, 1998). The Inner Planes. Edited by Michele Carter and Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 25. ISBN 0-7869-0736-3.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 55. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 56. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 121. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Douglas Niles (August 1991). “A Journey to the True World”. Maztica Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 12. ISBN 1-5607-6084-2.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (1990). Ironhelm. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-8803-8903-6.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 34. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 286. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
Connections[]
| Angel (any good alignment) | ||
| Archon (lawful good) | Guardinal (neutral good) | Eladrin (chaotic good) |
Arcadian avenger • Asura • Bariaur • Couatl • Einheriar • Foo creature (Foo dog • Foo lion) • Harmonious choir of the words • Hollyphant • Ki-rin • Lillend • Moon dog • Pegasus • Shirokinukatsukami • Sliver • Unicorn (Celestial charger)
Related Creatures
Aasimar (Deva) • Celestial creature • Half-celestial