Shoosuva

Shoosuvas are an obscure breed of undead demon from the multiverse of Dungeons & Dragons. They are one of the few demon breeds known to be exclusively crafted and used by Yeenoghu, and are generally believed to be a transformation granted as a "reward" to the souls of gnolls who were particularly faithful to Yeenoghu.

Shoosuvas debuted for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition in the article "...but not least: The Humanoids", the finale in a series of articles fleshing out the demihuman deities of D&D. Here, shoosuvas are fiendish servitors of Yeenoghu, though they are also stated to be "Gnoll Undead Guardians". Characterized as "Intelligence: Very", shoosuvas are believed by gnolls to be the fiendish reincarnations of the greatest of Yeenoghu's shamans; the name "shoosuva" is actually Gnollish for "returner". As a result, gnoll shamans will summon shoosuvas as intermediaries through which they can obtain the advice of their Demon Prince, and particularly powerful shamans or Witch Doctors may either successfully call upon Yeenoghu to send them a shoosuva to aid them in mid-battle, or be presented with an unholy talisman that can summon a shoosuva for an hour at a time.

In this edition, shoosuvas are stated to be regarded with immense fear and respect by all gnolls, who will obey their every command even above those of their chiefs and shamans. They are described as resembling huge, emaciated hyenodons (what later editions would replace with Dire Hyenas) whose whole bodies glow with phosphorescent yellow light. Their bite causes a creeping paralysis effect, not too dissimilar to the paralytic touch of a ghoul. They can be damaged by holy water, silver, and magical weapons. When summoned, they demand meals of carrion in exchange for their service.

Shoosuvas next appeared in Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition in Dungeon Magazine #112. Their lore is largely preserved from AD&D in this edition, although their appearance has changed slightly; they now sport bony spikes jutting out of their back, because that was the style for Dire Animals in the edsition. Their light is now said to shine from the depths of their gullet and through their eyes. They are described as emaciated hyenas of incredible size, with patchy fur and mottled skin. The biggest mechanical tweak, other than the general edition shifts as a whole, is that their damage reduction now requires "Cold Iron and Good" instead of Silver or Magic. They are also explicitly stated to be Undead creatures with the Extraplanar subtype. A subtle tweak is that their smarts have taken a hit; they now have only Int 14 and Wis 12, though they do have a whopping Cha 18.

Having never been quite official, shoosuvas vanished in 4th edition, but made a surprise return in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition - and this time as an official monster, with a printed splatbook appearance and everything! Proudly debuting in Volo's Guide to Monsters, the 5e shoosvua has undergone quite a few changes...

Firstly, there's the appearance; whilst still looking like a Dire Hyena, complete with random spikes, the 5e shoosuva now looks like a visibly undead Dire Hyena, with rotting flesh, exposed muscle and visible bone, as well as its hellish yellow light glowing from inside its hollow ribcage and shining out of its mouth, eyes and open wounds. Also, it's gained a scorpion-like tail; it now paralyzes victims with a sting instead of with its bite.

Secondly, there's its lore. Gone are the days of shoosuvas as guides to shamans and leaders of gnollish tribes; that level of cultural sophistication is beyond the 5e gnoll. Instead, shoosuvas are basically Daemonic Beasts of Yeenoghu; they're fiendish animals which are sent by Yeenoghu to serve as bonded protectors to gnolls that particularly impress him. Even their mental stats reflect this downgrade; aside from a surprisingly high 14 Wis, they're now packing a lowly Int 7 and Cha 9.

This version of the Shoosuva seems to be a combination of the Shoosuva from previous editions and the Abyssal Ravager from third edition's Monster Manual II.

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