- For the Darksun creature of the same name, see Slig (Athas).
Sligs are distant cousins of goblins and hobgoblins; though somewhat larger, they are just as ferocious.
Sligs are six-foot-tall humanoids with tough, horny, hairless hides. Infant sligs are reddish yellow with soft skin, but as they mature, their skin hardens into rocklike plates and darkens to a dull orange. They have pointed ears with large earlobes, long, thin snouts, and huge mouths filled with sharp teeth. Their front teeth are curved inward like fish hooks to grasp prey, while the back teeth are broad molars for grinding and crushing. Salivary glands line the inside bottom lip, steadily secreting a milky venom.
Sligs have narrow, slitlike eyes that are black or dull gray with tiny white pupils in the center. They have thick, stubby fingers and toes with olive-green hooked claws. Blunt tails extend from their spines, no more than a few inches long. When angered, a slig's tail quivers and throbs.
Female sligs are just as huge and powerful as the males. Their skin is slightly lighter and their tails are slightly shorter; otherwise, they are indistinguishable.
Sligs hate weakness, a quality they associate with mercy and benevolence. Consequently, sligs consider those of good alignment to be a blight on the world and are dedicated to their extermination.
Though not exceptionally intelligent, sligs are quite adept at languages. They have their own tongue and are also conversant in common, as well as the languages of ogres, goblins, and hobgoblins. Sligs can usually pick up the basics of a new language after a few months of exposure to it.
Combat[]
Sligs love combat and delight in devising inventive methods to destroy their opponents. They are masters of creating pit traps; their traps are so well disguised that potential victims have only half their normal chances of discovering them. A typical pit trap is a circular opening dug into the ground, about ten feet in diameter, leading to a pit about 25 feet deep. The opening of the pit is concealed by a woven mat of vines, grass, and weeds that blends perfectly with the surrounding terrain. The sides slant at a sharp angle so the bottom of the pit is wider than the top; the bottom is usually about 20 feet in diameter. The sides are coated with animal fat, slime from a river bottom, or some other slick material to make it extremely difficult for victims to climb out.
The bottom of a pit trap is filled with poisonous snakes, hungry rats, or a foot of soft mud laced with a special poison derived from black mushrooms (contact with the mud causes burns to inflict Id6 points of damage per round; additionally, the victim must roll a successful saving throw vs. poison or suffer an additional 1d4 points of damage per round). Alternatively, a pit can be lined with sharp wooden spikes coated with mushroom poison (3d6 points of impalement damage, plus an additional 2d4 points of poison damage if the victim fails a saving throw vs. poison).
Sligs have also designed various vine snares to snag unwary passers-by with nooses, and pressure-plate traps to trigger a volley of arrows or darts when a victim steps in the wrong place. All of these are skillfully concealed, allowing potential victims only half their normal chances of discovering them.
Sligs enjoy melee combat, but they avoid attacking enemies who are obviously stronger than they are, preferring to lure such opponents into traps or snares. Weaker enemies are attacked without mercy, preferably in an ambush. Sligs take prisoners to trade as slaves with other evil races. It is rumored that they keep the plumper prisoners for themselves, eventually cooking and eating them.
Sligs can bite to inflict 1d4 points of damage, but they prefer to use weapons. The strength of sligs is such that they add + 2 points of damage to their weapon attacks. Slig leaders are called champions and warriors (see below). Warriors have 6 HD and add +3 points of damage to their weapon attacks. Champions have 9 HD and add +4 points of damage to their weapon attacks; these sligs also attack twice per round. Sligs typically have the following weapon distribution:
| 30% Bardiche | 10% Battle axe |
| 10% Fauchard | 20% Hook fauchard |
| 10% Spear | 20% Voulge |
Champions usually have three of these weapons; warriors have two.
In addition to their bite and weapon attacks, all sligs have the ability to squirt their venomous spittle up to ten feet three times per day (warriors can squirt spittle six times per day; champions can squirt spittle six times per day up to 20 feet). If the spittle hits, it causes Id6 points of damage. Additionally, an attack against AC 10 is rolled to determine if the spittle struck the victim's eyes; if it did, the victim must succeed in a saving throw vs. poison or be blinded for 1d4 + 1 rounds.
With their tough hides, sligs have no need for armor. Though their hides are impervious to all normal fires, sligs suffer damage from magical fires (subtract 1 from each die of damage to determine the total amount of damage)
Habitat/Society[]
Sligs lair in grottoes, canyons, and barren lands. Unlike their goblin and hobgoblin cousins, sligs have no talent for mining and never make their homes underground. Instead, their homes are hillside caves or simple huts of stone or wood. They sometimes take over the abandoned villages of Kagonesti elves or Que-shu plainsmen.
A slig tribe comprises about ldlO + 20 members. Since the sligs do not believe in formal marriages, a tribe is essentially a huge extended family. About half the tribe are female. There are 1d4 immature sligs per adult female (the ldlO+20 figure does not include immature sligs). Sligs reach maturity at age 12. From ages 4–12, they have 2 HD and can make biting and spittle attacks as effectively as adults, but they do not use weapons. Baby sligs, aged 1–3, have 1 HD and can make no attacks.
Additionally, a tribe may have either Id6 giant boars or 1d4 ogres as allies (60% chance of having boars, 40% chance of having ogres); the boars and ogres are accepted as equal members of the tribe.
Every slig tribe is led by the largest and strongest male, called the champion. The champion has four male assistants called warriors. The champion makes all decisions for the tribe, while the warriors are primarily responsible for the tribe's defense. The champion selects his successor and the successors of the warriors from the tribe's infants. As they mature, the chosen infants receive personal instruction from the champion and the warriors, as well as special exercises and extra food.
Though sligs wear few clothes, they are fond of decorating their bodies with jewelry and paint. Males and females alike wear heavy earrings made from loops of iron or other metals. Some wear similar rings through their noses and lips. Vine bracelets for wrists and ankles are also popular. Though slig warriors sometimes paint their backs with broad stripes of black and brown, most body painting occurs when young sligs are looking for mates; gaudy splotches of color on their faces and chests enhance their appeal to the opposite sex. Body paints are made from clay and berries.
Sligs have few personal possessions beyond their weapons and some meager treasure items (the champion and warriors claim the bulk of the tribe's treasure for themselves). Male sligs have no permanent residences within their communities, drifting from hut to hut or cave to cave as the mood strikes them.
Night and day, there always one warrior and 1d4 male sligs guarding the village. Often, the guards have leashed wolves that are trained to attack intruders on sight. As further protection, numerous pit traps surround the village. In tribes of more than 25 members, the sligs enclose their villages with stone walls. These walls are about ten feet high and have no entryways; sligs exit and enter with rope ladders. The walls are wide enough so that the guards can walk on top of them to patrol the area.
Like ogres, sligs have a large pit where they keep wild game, such as goats and giant rats. Prisoners are kept in a separate pit. At sunset, the sligs gather in the center of the village and assemble a large pile of wood, leaves, and other combustible material. A number of animals and prisoners are removed from their pits and are tied to stakes near the wood pile. The slig males settle down near the stakes, each with a large stone drum, as the females light the bonfire. While the evening meal roasts in the fire, the males bang their drums and the females chant praises to Takhisis, the Queen-of Darkness, and Sargonnas, the dark god of vengeance.
Ecology[]
Sligs are on good terms with goblins and hobgoblins, and have been known to ally with them. In such alliances, sligs demand to be in charge and always take the lion's share of any acquired treasure. Sligs have a closer relationship with ogres, whom they accept as equals. Though ogres view sligs as inferior, they admire the sligs' ferocity and fighting skills.
Sligs hate all good and neutral creatures, but they especially despise elves. They are rumored to eat humans, elves, and dwarves.
Sligs occasionally trade slaves to ogres, minotaurs, and other evil races for weapons and tools. Humans hunt sligs for their venom glands; slig venom is a component for potions of invulnerability and potions of fire resistance.
Ghaggler[]
Ghagglers are a marine species of slig. Ghagglers live in deep, open water and specialize in waylaying and sinking ships. They resemble sligs, except that ghagglers have webbed hands and feet and thin dorsal fins running the length of their backs. They are excellent swimmers and can breathe both water and air, though they can remain out of the water for only 1d4 turns.
Ghaggler tribes are led by champions and warriors, similar in size and strength to their slig counterparts. Ghaggler champions also have the power of scaly command over 10d4 fish within 100 yards. This power enables the champions to control the actions of these fish for 2d6 turns. Champions can use scaly command three times per day; the controlled fish must be non-intelligent and can be no larger than the champions.
Ghagglers attack fishing boats by surrounding them, then suddenly surfacing. The ghagglers grab the sides of the boat, rocking it violently while battering it with their weapons. Ghagglers use all varieties of weapons, preferring tridents and swords. They also use special hooked nets to ensnare victims. Such a net is 20 feet square, wielded by two ghagglers. To use the net, the ghagglers roll a normal melee attack. If the attack is successful, the victim suffers Id8 points of damage and is ensnared. An ensnared victim is considered AC 10 and cannot fight. The victim suffers an additional Id4 points of damage for every round he remains trapped. One humanoid can free another in two rounds if he does nothing else. A trapped victim has a 10% chance per round of freeing himself.
Ghagglers are nomadic and have no permanent lairs, but they do bury treasure caches on the ocean floor. They are the mortal enemies of the Dargonesti and Dimernesti elves. Ghagglers do not engage in trade, nor do they ally with other races except in the most extreme situations.