Life Slaad
When a grey slaad is corrupted by negative energy, it becomes a powerful and deadly death slaad. Just as often, however, grey slaadi come under the influence of positive energy, becoming life slaadi.
Chaos Uplifted. Just as death slaadi exemplify the darker side of chaos, life slaadi represent its lighter side. As a result of their exposure to energies from the Positive Energy Plane, life slaadi have a natural inclination towards beneficence. While their behavior is as chaotic as that of other slaadi, they do their utmost to avoid putting innocent creatures in harm's way. Partly for this reason, life slaadi on the Material Plane tend to practice their arcane studies far from civilization. When a life slaadi is encountered in civilized lands, it is most often attempting to mitigate the damage caused by its less enlightened kin.
Healers and Redeemers. All slaadi have the ability to regenerate themselves, but life slaadi are unique in their ability to regenerate other creatures. They can also ameliorate the horrific repruductive cycle of the slaadi, by painlessly extracting slaad tadpoles from the humanoids in which they are implanted. Life slaadi feel some responsibility for the atrocities performed by their race (particularly if they themselves participated in those atrocities as green and grey slaadi). Thus, they are often found traveling in the wake of slaadi incursions, healing the victims of their more destructive kin.
Ill-Used Custodians. Unfortunately, life slaadi have little influence over the behavior of other slaadi. They are not natural leaders, and their kin are not fond of following orders. Thus, other slaadi tend to take for granted the good behavior of life slaadi. They think that, because life slaadi alone can protect the humanoid hosts which are required for slaadi reproduction, it falls on the life slaadi to perform this role. This explains why ordinary slaadi give so little thought to the lives of their humanoid victims, despite not being overtly evil.
Artist Credit: Ben Llewellyn
Life Slaad
Medium aberration (shapechanger), chaotic good
- Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 153 (18d8 + 72)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20 (+5) 15 (+2) 19 (+4) 17 (+3) 13 (+1) 11 (+0)
- Skills Arcana +7, Perception +9
- Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder
- Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 19
- Languages Slaad, Common, telepathy 60 ft.
- Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
Shapechanger. The slaad can use its action to polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid, or back into its true form. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Innate Spellcasting. The slaad's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). The slaad can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: calm emotions, detect magic, invisibility (self only), mage hand, major image
2/day each: blink, fly, tongues, water walk
1/day each: freedom of movement, plane shift
Magic Resistance. The slaad has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The slaad's weapon attacks are magical.
Regeneration. The slaad regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point.
Actions
Multiattack. The slaad makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite (Siaad Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) acid damage.
Claws (Siaad Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) acid damage.
Regenerative Touch (3/Day). The slaad touches another creature. The target magically regains 10 hit points and is cured of any diseases affecting it. If the target is incubating a slaad egg, the egg instantly grows into a slaad tadpole (MM pg.276), and wriggles harmlessly out of the incubating creature.
