The bullywug is a frog-like humanoid creature commonly found in swamp areas.
Nasty and Noisome, bullywugs turn any swamp they inhabit into a dismal echo of the land it once was, so much so that even they view their existence as innately askew. Bullywugs sense this “wrongness” as a heightened paranoia, a feeling that everyone is out to kill them. And it’s true- creatures that attack a bullywug with extreme power or precision find themselves blessed by a moment of clarity and renewed strength, as if the natural world were thanking them.
Appearance[]
Personality and alignment[]
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Attitude and psychology[]
Bullywugs say they were created by the original primordials, not by the gods. Their primitive societies are among the pettiest and most mindlessly destructive of all humanoid societies.
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Adventurers[]
Warfare[]
Strong and stout, a bullywug mucker leaps into combat to knock foes prone.
A bullywug twitcher spasms around the battlefield erratically, making it hard to know where its javelins will land.
Weak and flabby, a croaker belches foul gas in loud croaks.
A mud lord possesses greater intelligence than others of its kind. It prefers to keep out of harm’s way, and has no compunctions about sacrificing underlings
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Notable bullywugs[]
For a full list, see Category:Bullywugs.
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Advanced Bullywugs tend toward chaotic evil.
Bullywugs are bipedal frog-like amphibians inhabiting swamps, marshes, and other dank locations. They are covered with a smooth, mottled olive green hide that gives them a natural protection. They have the faces of enormous frogs, characterized by wide mouths and bulging eyes. Like frogs, their hands and feet are webbed. They wear no clothing, but do make use of crude armor, weapons, and shields.
Bullywugs have learned to cooperate with each other in order to survive and to work together when hunting. They are skilled hunters and fishermen, and can use and build snares and nets.
These frog-men grow up in a savage society. Males are dominant, as females are looked upon as nothing more than egg bearers. Only leaders and their god are shown any kind of respect.
Bullywugs need to keep their skin moist, which is why they favor swamps and marshes. They love treasure, even if the regular benefits of wealth are lost on their society. Coins, jewels and magical items are hoarded whenever they can be found.
The average bullywug does not display the greed or lust for power seen in other chaotic races. They rarely fight among themselves, except when a leader grows too old or when the smaller, more savage bullywugs meet their larger, more advanced cousins. Bullywugs tend to harm their environment, often hunting and fishing an area until its natural resources are depleted. Most hate humans, attacking them on sight.
Advanced bullywugs speak Bullywug and common.
Advanced bullywugs range in size from 6 to 7 feet, and are broader than their smaller relatives. They are more aggressive, better organized, and better equipped than the normal bullywugs.
Often it is the females who decide to leave the lair and take up the life of an adventurer, for the opportunities in their own society are extremely limited.
Of course, as most other humans and humanoids fear and detest bullywugs, life for adventurer bullywugs is difficult and dangerous. The successful ones will learn to depend on and cooperate with whatever adventuring group they can latch onto, for their survival depends on cooperation.
Adventuring bullywug shamans often take up service with a new god, for they are usually fleeing from the wrath of the chaotic evil deity of their race.
Publication history[]
AD&D 1st edition[]
The bullywug first appeared in the Fiend Folio (1e) (1981), p.16-17, which credits its creation jointly to Luke Gygax and his father Gary Gygax. It made subsequent appearances in various adventure modules, particularly in the World of Greyhawk.
AD&D 2nd edition[]
Bullywigs received a full monster writerup in Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), and were reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993), p.34.
The bullywug religion and culture were detailed in DMGR4 Monster Mythology (1992) and mentioned in DMGR5 Creative Campaigning (1993). Their culture in the Forgotten Realms is detailed in Elminster's Ecologies (1994).
Bullywugs were detailed as a playable race PHBR10 The Complete Book of Humanoids (1993), termed Advanced Bullywug. They are mentioned in the same context in Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1995).
D&D 3rd edition[]
The bullywug appeared as a monster in Monsters of Faerûn (2001), p.25, where it is a CR 1 medium humanoid. They made notable appearances in the adventure modules Torrents of Dread, Dungeon #114 (Sep 2004) and, of course, Nicholas Logue's Savage Tide entry The Bullywug Gambit, Dungeon #140 (Nov 2006).
The variant bullywug savant appeared in Living Greyhawk Journal #2.
D&D 4th edition[]
The bullywug appeared in Monster Manual 2 (4e) (2009), p.28-29, where it is presented as a low-level enemy, featuring statblocks from level 1 to 3. It appeared notably in the adventure modules Stick in the Mud, Dungeon #171 (Oct 2009) and Glitterdust, Dungeon #211 (Feb 2013).
D&D 5th edition[]
The bullywug appeared in the Monster Manual (5e) (2014), p.35. Ghosts of Saltmarsh (2019) presented the magic-using CR2 bullywug croaker and more powerful CR3 bullywug royal.
Creative origins[]
Reception and influence[]
Gary Gygax selected the bullywugs to appear in the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon:[3]
- "Anyway, as I had creative control, I read and made suggestions as to anything that didn't meet the D&D canon. They had the whole of the core books, including all the monsters ones, so most selections were their own. I do know that bullywugs were chosen both for their interesting features and because son Luke, then living out there with me, was a regular in many of the Chainmail games and known to be the creator of those critters."
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fiend Folio (1e) (1981), p.16-17.
- ↑ Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989).
- ↑ Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 49. ENWorld, Mar 13, 2003.