Ghaunadaur
| Ghaunadaur | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alignment | Chaotic Evil | |
| Divine Rank | Greater God | |
| Pantheon | Aberration, Drow | |
| Portfolio | Aberrations, Ooze, Slime, Rebels, Outcasts | |
| Domains | Cavern, Chaos, Evil, Hatred, Slime | |
| Home Plane | Dismal/Deep Caverns (Pandemonium), formerly Demonweb Pits (Abyss) | |
| Worshippers | Aboleths, Ropers, Sentient Oozes, Drow, Rebels, Exiles | |
| Favoured Weapon | A Tentacle (Warhammer?) | |
Ghaunadaur is the "Elder Evil" of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, but also gets a small mention in "Core" D&D thanks to the Lords of Madness sourcebook. he is the god of aberrations, oozes, tentacles, slime and all things /d/. Probably also the closest thing to Chaos that exists in the FR mythos.
Considered old, maybe even older than the overgod Ao himself. Despite this, Ghaunadaur is not the BBEG of the setting, playing second fiddle to the more active Faerunian deities, while he is known for being quite active amongst his followers, he is content to sit, wait and watch the grand plan as it pans out.
History
Ghaunadaur was probably one of the first gods to come into existence, being "worshipped" by the primordial Oozes of developing worlds, though then, as with now, he has been a particularly passive deity, acting mostly on impulses such as hunger and whimsy.
The first historical mention of him doing anything was during Lolth's rebellion in Arvandor, that his arrival led Corellon Larethian to distraction enough so that he could be wounded and taken out of the fight.
His involvement with the Drow pantheon only extends about as far as this. Though some say he courted Lolth at some point but was turned down. Getting him angry enough to storm off and strike his own followers with madness, practically wiping his own church out and severely diminishing his power. However as an unfathomable ancient evil representing alien-minded Ooze monsters, he probably still regarded this as a win
His power only restored much later, when people slowly started turning to him again as he seems to readily answer anyone who calls out to him. Making him a preferable alternative to gods who demand great deeds and sacrifices, or reward only a selected few in the ranks.
That being said, Ghaunadaur is just as likely to suddenly plane shift and eat his own followers as he is to reward then with power or riches. But such is the nature of true primordial Chaos.
Worshippers
The significant majority of his followers are Drow, mostly because few other races have ever heard of him, and it's not like evangelical gelatinous cubes have ever got on their soap boxes to start preaching the good word.
Of other races, it tends to be disaffected Outcasts that turn to him, mostly because of the utter lack of an established clergy. All you need to do is pray to him, preferably while offering some sacrifice, and you'll get his attention.
Slime Lord
Favoured servants of the Elder Eye were the Slime Lords who were not clerics, but a form of monstrous assassin.
The slimy ones could turn their hands into gooey pseudopod tentacles, "arming" themselves with a weapon that was naturally poisoned.
As they progressed in the class, they took on more traits similar to Oozes, becoming immune to sleep and polymorph effects, the ability to morph your appearance at will, gain Blindsight, damage reduction and later a complete reorganisation of their anatomy that renders them immune to critical and sneak attacks, as well as poison, paralysis and stunning.
Juiblex
| Juiblex | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alignment | Chaotic Evil | |
| Divine Rank | Demon Lord | |
| Domains | Chaos, Corruption, Evil, Ooze | |
| Home Plane | Slime Pits (222nd layer of the Abyss) | |
It transpires that the Demon Lord Juiblex was in fact an aspect of Ghaunadaur all along, though the connection in "core" D&D never really gets a mention, but as far as chaotic entities of slime and evil go, they might as well be interchangeable.
Juiblex, (pronounced Joo-ee-blex) also known as the Faceless Lord, is the Demon Prince of Slime, Ooze and Filth. Among the lessers of his kind, Juiblex is a monstrous mass of mobile ooze in a sickly rainbow of dark, putrid colors dotted with an ever-shifting array of jelly-like burning red eyes. Near-mindless, Juiblex seeks only to consume and defile, with vague ambitions of swelling in power until all of reality has dissolved into a slick morass of sludge, with nothing but ooze remaining. "Worshipped", if such a term can be used, by the vast array of slimes, Juiblex has little appeal to most humanoids, although he does occasionally develop worshippers amongst the crazier denizens of the Underdark. As a consequence, his fellow Demon Princes mostly ignore him, not considering him worth the effort to destroy.
Juiblex shares the 222nd layer of the Abyss, Shedaklah, with the Demon Queen of Fungi, Zuggtmoy, with the two constantly battling for total dominance of the layer. In 1st edition, he actually had his own layer; the 528th.
"Jubilex" (pronounced Joo-bee-lex) is apparently open-game licensed, as he has appeared in Pathfinder, where he has been promoted to have a slightly broader portfolio (poison and sloth) and is now one of the demonic patrons of the Drow, probably to encompass his dual role as Ghaunadaur.
Thrall of Juiblex
Servants of Ghaunadaur/Juiblex gains another slime-based prestige class, to represent worshipping him as a demon lord instead of a greater deity.
Like the Slime Lord, this prestige class also culminates in changing your anatomy, but is less focused on drastic tentacle attacks and accumulating immunities and more on wreaking havoc with goo.
From the get go, they secret sickening slime from their skin, which can turn corrosive in later levels. They can also spread diseases and spit acid too. Not only that but they summon various demons and Ooze creatures as spell like abilities, so always handy if you need a mindless minion.
The prestige class also seems to be so awesome that they forgot to give it a poor save modifier, so it gets the best progression for Ref/Fort/Will saves as well as the best BAB progression.