Foo creatures were powerful leonine celestials who would sometimes act as guardians for good beings.[3][4][1] Statues of foo creatures were often portrayed as guarding buildings in Shou architecture,[3] such as in the Shou Embassy on the Rock of Bral.[7]
Description[]
Foo creatures were four-legged beasts with large, flat heads and big eyes.[3][4][5][6] They had large fangs.[6] Their bodies were covered in thick fur,[3][4][5] which was usually gold or black, though odd varieties such as white or other colors were known.[6] Their large, padded feet and legs looked like those of lions in the front but were more like those of a dog in the back.[3][4][5][6]
There were two known varieties of foo creature, the foo dog and the foo lion,[3][4][5] but these were only the most common variety.[5]
Abilities[]
Foos could become invisible and ethereal and could travel the Ethereal or Astral planes at will.[3][4][5][6] They could see in darkness and were resistant to acid, cold, electricity, and magic, as were all celestial creatures.[1][2]
Foo creatures could summon additional foo creatures of their kind with a bark or roar.[3][4][5][6]
Personality[]
Foos were often willing to assist good, kind, and benevolent humanoids on the Prime Material plane[3][4][1][6] if they impressed the foo creature or if their plea spoke to the foo creature's strong sense of justice,[3][4] but they did not like to stay on the Prime for long periods of time[3][4][6]—it was rare for one to stay for more than a few tendays.[3][4] If a foo creature were serving a being of the Prime, it expected to be offered gems or metals to eat if such items were found.[4]
Foo dogs and foo lions did not usually associate with each other, though they had no hatred towards each other.[3][4]
Combat[]
Foo creatures attacked with tooth and claw, which caused more harm to evil creatures than non-evil ones.[3][4][6]
Society[]
Foos were servants of the gods of the Celestial Empire.[1] They could be encountered in any sort of land environment,[3][4][6] but their homes were in the Astral[3][4] or Ethereal planes[3][4][5] or in the Upper planes,[3][4][6] especially Ysgard and Arborea.[3][4] Foo creatures were also known to live in Arcadia, Elysium, the Beastlands, Mount Celestia, and Bytopia.[8]
The Ziyero Ridge in Koguryo had a large population of both foo dogs and foo lions, who strangely had settled on the Material plane. They were even able to reproduce, and some people would try to steal the foo pups and cubs to raise and train as mounts.[9]
Aged foo creatures were ostracized by younger ones (but see below). Old foo creatures often traveled to isolated corners of rarely visited planes because of this.[4]
Ecology[]
Foo creatures ate all manner of inorganic material, including gems and precious metals, especially enjoying silver and platinum,[3][4] but they could consume almost anything.[4]
Foos only aged if they ceased performing good deeds. If one encountered an old-looking foo creature, it was a sign that the celestial beast had been somewhat lazy.[4]
History[]
Foo creatures were once petitioners of chaotic good deities who were rewarded with promotion to foo creatures for excellent service. Most did not remember much about their past lives. The powers did not need to make new foo creatures often.[4][5]
Immediately following the Age before Ages, before the obyriths lost the Abyss, Pale Night, Mother of Demons, tricked the then Royal Consort of Morwel, Ascodel, into a pact, the result of which condemned thousands of eladrin children to the 471st layer of the Abyss, Androlynne. Countless celestials responded and came to the eladrin children's aid, and foo creatures were among the very first to arrive.[10]
Appendix[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 James Wyatt (October 2001). Oriental Adventures (3rd edition). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 144. ISBN 0-7869-2015-7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 31. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- ↑ 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 Rick Swan (July 1990). Monstrous Compendium Kara-Tur Appendix. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-88038-851-X.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 4.29 Allen Varney, ed. (June 1994). Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-1560768623.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 Bruce R. Cordell (1998). A Guide to the Ethereal Plane. Edited by Michele Carter, Keith Francis Strohm. (TSR, Inc.), p. 64. ISBN 0-7869-1205-7.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), pp. 65–66. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
- ↑ Richard Baker (1992). Rock of Bral. (TSR, Inc), p. 72. ISBN 1-56076-345-0.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), pp. 86, 88–91. ISBN 0880383992.
- ↑ Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume II). (TSR, Inc), p. 162. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ Ed Stark, James Jacobs, Erik Mona (June 13, 2006). Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 148–150. ISBN 0-7869-3919-2.
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