Differences Btwn. Sahuagin & Kuo-Toa

[Bristowe]

Just a wandering thought, purely out of curiosity...
Does anyone have thoughts or opinions with reasons regarding their strengths and weaknesses? Differences apart from obvious ones like appearance?

If two were of a similar level, which (Sahuagin or Kuo-Toa) would survive?

Mhmmh? Anyone?

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Bristowe, Master Assassin

MA
BScI
DiPE
DiAA
DL

Yes indeed...

Kuo-Toa

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Aquatic subterranean
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Tribal
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: High and up (13+)
TREASURE: L, M, N (Z)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil (with chaotic tendencies)
NO. APPEARING: 2-24
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVEMENT: 9, Sw 18
HIT DICE: 2 or more

THAC0: 19
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 or 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-5 and/or by weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: M (higher levels L)
MORALE: Elite (13)
XP VALUE: Normal: 175
Captain: 3,000
Lieutenant: 1,400
Whip: 420
Monitor: 2,000

Kuo-toa are an ancient race of fish-men that dwells underground and harbors a deep hatred of surface dwellers and sunlight.

A kuo-toan presents a cold and horrible appearance. A typical specimen looks much like a human body, albeit a paunchy one, covered in scales and topped with a fish's head. The huge fish eyes tend to swivel in different directions when observing an area or creature. The hands and feet are very long, with three fingers and an opposing digit, partially webbed. The legs and arms are short for the body size. Its coloration is pale grey, with undertones of tan or yellow in males only. The skin has a sheen from its slimy covering. The color darkens when the kuo-toan is angry and pales when it is badly frightened. A strong odor of dead fish follows it around.

It wears no clothing, only leather harnesses for its weapons and gear. Typically, a kuo-toan warrior carries daggers, spears, shields, harpoons and weighted throwing nets.
Kuo-toa speak the strange subterranean trade language common to most intelligent underworld dwellers. Additionally, they speak their own arcane tongue and have empathic contact with most fish. Their religious speech is a corruption of the language used on the elemental plane of Water; if a kuo-toan priest is in a group of kuo-toa, it is 75% unlikely that a creature native to the plane of Water will attack, for the priest will request mercy in the name of the Sea Mother, Blibdoolpoolp.

Combat: These creatures normally travel in well-armed bands. If more than 20 kuo-toa are encountered, it is 50% likely that they are within 1d6 miles of their lair. For every four normal warriors encountered there is an additional fighter of 3rd or 4th level. For every eight normal fighters there is an additional fighter of 5th or 6th level. For every 12 normal kuo-toa in the group there is a cleric/thief of 1d4+3 levels each. If more than 20 normal fighters are encountered, the group is a war consisting of the following:

One 10th-level fighter as Captain
Two 8th-level fighters as Lieutenants
Four 3rd/3rd-level fighter/thief Whips
One Monitor (see below)
One slave per four kuo-toa

The whips are fanatical devotees of the Sea Mother goddess of the kuo-toa. They inspire the troops to stand firm and fight without quarter for the glory of their ruler and their deity.
It is 50% probable that any kuo-toan priest above 6th level is armed with a pincer staff. This is a 5-foot-long pole topped by a three-foot-long claw. If the user scores a hit, the claw has closed upon the opponent, making escape impossible. The weapon can be used only on enemies with a girth range between an elf and a gnoll. It is 10% probable that both arms are pinned by the claw and 40% probable that one arm is trapped. If the victim is right handed, the claw traps the left hand 75% of the time. Trapped opponents lose shield and Dexterity bonuses. If the weapon arm is trapped, the victim cannot attack and the Dexterity bonus is lost, but the shield bonus remains.

The harpoon is mostly used only by higher level fighters. It is a wickedly barbed throwing weapon with a 30 yard range. It inflicts 2d6 points of damage, exclusive of bonuses. Victims must roll a successful saving throw of 13+ on 1d20 to avoid being snagged by the weapon. Man-sized or smaller beings who fail this saving throw are jerked off their feet and stunned for 1d4 rounds. The kuo-toan, who is attached to his weapon by a stout cord, then tries to haul in its victim and slay him with a dagger thrust.

Kuo-toan shields are made of special boiled leather and are treated with a unique glue-like substance before a battle. Anyone who attacks a kuo-toan from the front has a 25% chance of getting his weapon stuck fast. The chance of the victim freeing the weapon is the same as his chance for opening doors.
Hit probability for kuo-toa is the same as that of a human of similar level, but males also gain a +1 bonus to both attack rolls and damage rolls when using a weapon, due to Strength. When fighting with a dagger only, kuo-toa can bite, which causes 1d4+1 points of damage.

When two or more kuo-toan priests or priest/thieves operate together, they can generate a lightning stroke by joining hands. The bolt is two feet wide and hits only one target unless by mischance a second victim gets in the way. The bolt inflicts 6 points of damage per priest, half that if a saving throw vs. spell is successful. The chances of such a stroke occurring is 10% cumulative per caster per round.
The special defenses of these creatures include skin secretions, which gives attempts to grapple, grasp, tie, or web a kuo-toan only a 25% chance of success. Despite their eyes being set on the sides of their heads, they have excellent independent monocular vision, with a 180-degree field of vision and the ability to spot movement even though the subject is invisible, astral, or ethereal. Thus, by maintaining complete motionlessness, a subject can avoid detection. Kuo-toa also have 60-foot infravision and have the ability to sense vibrations up to 10 yards away. They are surprised only on a 1 on the 1d10 surprise roll.

Kuo-toa are totally immune to poison and are not affected by paralysis. Spells that generally affect only humanoid types have no effect on them. Electrical attacks cause half damage, or none if the saving throw is successful; magic missiles cause only 1 point of damage; illusions are useless against them. However, kuo-toa hate bright light and suffer a -1 penalty to their attack roll in such circumstances as daylight or light spells. They suffer full damage from fire attacks and save with a -2 penalty against them.

Sometimes kuo-toa are encountered in small bands journeying in the upper world to kidnap humans for slaves and sacrifices. Such parties are sometimes also found in dungeon labyrinths that connect to the extensive system of underworld passages and caverns that honeycomb the crust of the earth. Only far below the surface of the earth can the intrepid explorer find the caverns in which the kuo-toa build their underground communities.

Habitat/Society: Kuo-toa spawn as do fish, and hatchlings, or fingerlings as they call their young, are raised in pools until their amphibian qualities develop, about one year after hatching. The young, now a foot or so high, are then able to breathe air and they are raised in pens according to their sex and fitness. There are no families, as we know them, in kuo-toan society.

Especially fit fingerlings, usually of noble spawning, are trained for the priesthood as priests, priest/thieves, or special celibate monks. The latter are called “monitors” whose role is to control the community members who become violent or go insane. The monitor is capable of attacking to subdue or kill. A monitor has 56 hit points, attacks as a 7th-level fighter and has the following additional abilities: twice the normal movement rate, AC 1, and receives four attacks per round -- two barehanded for 2d4 points of damage (double if trying to subdue) and two attacks with teeth for 1d4+1 points of damage. One hand/bite attack occurs according to the initiative roll, the other occurs at the end of the round.

Subdued creatures cannot be larger than eight feet tall and 500 pounds. Subduing attacks cause only half real damage, but when the points of damage inflicted equal the victim's total, the creature is rendered unconscious for 3d4 rounds.
Kuo-toan communities do not generally cooperate, though they have special places of worship in common. These places are usually for intergroup trade, councils, and worship of the Sea Mother, so they are open to all kuo-toa. These religious communities, as well as other settlements, are open to drow and their servants, for the dark elves provide useful goods and services, though the drow are both feared and hated by the kuo-toa. This leads to many minor skirmishes and frequent kidnappings between the peoples. The illithids (mind flayers) are greatly hated by the kuo-toa and they and their allies are attacked on sight.

The ancient kuo-toa once inhabited the shores and islands of the upper world, but as the race of mankind grew more numerous and powerful, these men-fish were slowly driven to remote regions. Continual warfare upon these evil, human-sacrificing creatures threatened to exterminate the species, for a number of powerful beings were aiding mankind, their sworn enemies. Some kuo-toa sought refuge in sea caverns and secret subter-ranean waters, and while their fellows were being slaughtered, these few prospered and developed new powers to adapt to their lightless habitat. The seas contained other fierce and evil creatures, however, and the deep-dwelling kuo-toa were eventually wiped out, leaving only those in the underworld to carry on, unnoticed and eventually forgotten by mankind. But the remaining kuo-toa have not forgotten mankind, and woe to any who fall into their slimy clutches.

Now the kuo-toa are haters of sunlight and are almost never encountered on the earth's surface. This, and their inborn hatred of discipline, prevent the resurgence of these creatures, for they have become numerous once again and acquired new powers. However, they have also become somewhat unstable, possibly as a result of inbreeding, and insanity is common among the species.
If a kuo-toan lair is found, it contains 4d10 x 10 2nd-level males. In addition, there are higher level fighters in the same ratio as noted for wandering groups. The leader of the group is one of the following, depending on the lair's population:

A priest/thief king of 12/14th level, if 350 or more normal kuo-toa are present, or
A priest/thief prince of 11/13th level, if 275-349 normal kuo-toa are present, or
A priest/thief duke of 10/12th level, if fewer than 275 normal kuo-toa are present

There are also the following additional kuo-toa in the lair:

Eight Eyes of the priest leader -- 6th- to 8th-level priest/thieves
One Chief Whip -- 6th/6th-level fighter/thief
Two Whips of 4th/4th or 5th/5th level (see whip description)

One Monitor per 20 2nd-level kuo-toa
Females equal to 20% of the male population
Young (noncombatant) equal to 20% of the total kuo-toa
Slaves equal to 50% of the total male population

In special religious areas there are also a number of kuo-toan priests. For every 20 kuo-toa in the community there is a 3rd-level priest, for every 40 there is a 4th-level priest, for every 80 there is a 5th-level priest, all in addition to the others. These priests are headed by one of the following groups:

One 6th-level priest if the group is 160 or fewer, or One 7th-level and one 6th-level priest if the group is between 161 and 240, or
One 8th-level, one 7th-level, and one 6th-level priest if the group numbers between 241 and 320, or
One 9th-level, two 7th-level, and three 6th-level priests if the group numbers between 321 and 400, or
One 10th-level, two 8th-level, and four 6th-level priests if the group numbers over 400

Though kuo-toa prefer a diet of flesh, they also raise fields of kelp and fungi to supplement their food supply. These fields, lit by strange phosphorescent fungi, are tended by slaves, who are also used for food and sacrifices.

Kuo-toan treasures tend more toward pearls, gem-encrusted items of a water motif, and mineral ores mined by their slaves. Any magical items in the possession of a kuo-toan are usually obtained from adventuring parties that never made it home again.

Ecology: Not much is known to surface-dwelling sages about this enigmatic, violent, subterranean race, but some of the more astute scholars speculate that the kuo-toa are but one-third of the three-way rivalry that includes mind flayers and drow. It is partially because of this continuing warfare that none of the three races has been able to achieve dominance of the surface world.

Sahuagin

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate/Salt water
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Tribal
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: High (13-14)
TREASURE: N (I, O, P, Q (x10), X, Y)
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
NO. APPEARING: 20-80
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 12, Sw 24
HIT DICE: 2+2
THAC0: 19

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 or see below
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-2/1-2/1-4/1-4/1-4 or weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (6'), some L (9')
MORALE: Steady (12)
XP VALUE: 175
Lieutenant: 270
Chieftain: 420
Priestess: 650
Baron: 975
Prince: 2,000


Sahuagin are a vicious, predatory race of fish-men that live in warm coastal waters. They are highly organized and greatly enjoy raiding shore communities for food and sport.

Typical sahuagins are blackish green on their backs, shading to green on their bellies, with black fins. Their great, staring eyes are deep, shining black. They have scaly skin, with webbed fingers and toes, and their mouths are filled with sharp fangs. About 1 in 216 sahuagin is a mutation with four usable arms. These specimens are usually black shading to gray. Females are indistinguishable from males, except that they are slightly smaller. Hatchlings are a light green color, but they darken and attain full growth approximately one to two months after hatching.

Sahuagin speak their own tongue.

Combat: Though they wear no armor, their scales are tough and equal to AC 5. Sahuagin wear a harness to carry their personal gear and weapons. A group of these creatures is typically armed as follows:

Heavy crossbow & dagger 20%
Spear & dagger 30%
Trident, net & dagger 50%

Spears are used only as thrusting weapons. Nets are set with dozens of hooks that make escape virtually impossible for unarmored victims or creatures not able to grasp and tear with a Strength of 16 or greater. Nets are replaced by three javelins when the band forays onto land. The crossbows fire a maximum of 30 feet underwater and normal ranges on the surface. Tridents have three uses -- to spear small prey, to pin prey trapped in nets, and to hold threatening opponents at bay.

Sahuagin are well-equipped to attack even without weapons, for their webbed hands each end in long, sharp claws that can inflict 1-2 points of damage per attack. Their powerful rear legs are likewise taloned, and if they kick an opponent with them, they inflict 1d4 points of damage with each hit from either foot. The sharp teeth of the sahuagin cause 1d4 points of damage if a bite is scored on a victim. Thus, it is possible for an unarmed sahuagin to attack three or five times in a melee round causing 1-2/1-2/1-4 and an extra 1-4/1-4 if the legs can rake.

The eyes and ears of these monsters are particularly keen. They can see for 300 feet underwater at depths of up to 100 feet. For each 100 feet of greater depth, their vision is reduced by 10 feet (e.g., when 500 feet deep they can see 260 feet; when 1,000 feet deep they can see 210 feet). Their ears are so sharp as to be able to detect the clinking of metal at one mile, or a boat oar splashing at twice that distance.
A band of sahuagin is always led by a chieftain. He has one lieutenant for every ten members of the group. The chieftain has 4+4 Hit Dice, and his lieutenants have 3+3 Hit Dice. All are in addition to the normal sahuagin in the group.

When raiding villages, sahuagin attack en masse, with leaders in the second rank. As long as there is no truly spirited resistance, they continue in their plunder and violence.
Underwater, in their natural element, the sahuagin are far more confident. Using the three-dimensional aspect of underwater fighting, they sometimes dive down on a group of underwater explorers, coming in from behind, and swooping down and past them, dropping nets on their intended victims.
When sahuagin attack ships, they swarm up from all sides and try to overwhelm with numbers. They often grab their opponents and hurl them into the sea, where at least a fourth of the raiding party lurks, waiting for such an action or as reinforcements. Some leaders carry a conch shell, which when sounded gives the signal for the group of sahuagin in reserve to enter the fray.

Sahuagin have an almost paralyzing fear of spellcasters. They direct their strongest attacks toward anyone who uses spells or spell-like powers, such as the functions of some magical items. Their saving throws vs. fire-based spells suffer a -2 penalty, and they receive an additional point of damage per die of damage from such attacks.

Habitat/Society: The sahuagin are sometimes referred to as "sea devils" or "devil men of the deep." They dwell in warm salt waters at depths of 100 to 1,500 feet. Sahuagin are predatory in the extreme, and they pose a threat to all living things because they kill for sport and pleasure as well as for food. They abhor fresh water. They dislike light, and bright light such as that created by a continual light spell is harmful to their eyes.

The social structure of the sahuagin is based upon rule by a king who holds court in a vast city deep beneath the waves. This overlord's domain is divided into nine provinces, each ruled by a prince. Each prince has 2d10+10 nobles underneath him. Each noble controls the small groups of sahuagin dwelling in his fief. The sahuagin worship a great devil-shark. Sahuagin priests above 5th level are very rare.
The king is supposed to dwell in a city somewhere at the greatest depth that a sahuagin can exist. This place is supposedly built in an undersea canyon, with palaces and dwellings built along either face. There, fully 5,000 of these monsters live, not counting the king's retinue of queens, concubines, nobles, guards, etc., said to number 1,000 or more. The sahuagin king is reported to be of enormous size (10 Hit Dice+10 hit points), and of greatest evil. The king is always accompanied by nine noble guards (9+9 Hit Dice) and the evil high priestess of all sahuagin (9+9 Hit Dice) with its retinue of nine underpriestesses (7th-level clerics).

If sahuagin are encountered in their lair, there are the following additional sahuagin:

1 baron (6+6 Hit Dice)
Nine guards (3+3 Hit Dice)
3d4 x 10 females (2 Hit Dice)
1d4 x 10 hatchlings (1 Hit Die)
2d4 x 10 eggs

Also, there is a 10% chance per 10 male sahuagin that there is an evil priestess and 1d4 assistant priestesses, for the religious life of these creatures is dominated by the females. If a priestess is with the group in the lair, it is of 1d4+1 level ability, and the lesser clerics are 3rd or 4th level.

There are always 2d4 sharks in a sahuagin lair. Sahuagin are able to make these monsters obey simple one- or two-word commands. Whenever a sahuagin lair is encountered, there is a 5% chance that it is the stronghold of a prince. The prince has 8+8 Hit Dice plus nine guards of chieftain strength. There are also one 8th-level sahuagin evil high priestess and four 4th-level underpriestesses. The numbers of males, females, hatchlings and eggs in a prince's lair are double the numbers given above. There are 4d6 sharks present at all times.

Sahuagin lairs are actual villages or towns, constructed of stone. The buildings are domed, and the seaweed and similar marine plants growing around and on these buildings make them hard to detect.
Few persons have survived capture by the sahuagin, for prisoners are usually quickly tortured and eaten. Any creatures taken alive from raids or intercepting unwelcome visitors are brought to the sahuagins' lair and confined in cells. Although sahuagin are able to stay out of water for up to four hours, there is no air in the confinement areas in the typical village, but in the towns of the nobles there are special quarters to maintain air-breathing creatures. The sahuagin set aside a few prisoners to torture and provide sport -- typically a fight to the death between two different creatures in an arena. The bulk of captives are simply killed and eaten. It is seldom that any prisoner escapes, although the sahuagin find sport in allowing captives to think that they have found freedom, only to be encircled by sadistic guards while a school of sharks moves in for the kill.

The sahuagin are cruel and brutal, and the strongest always bully the weaker. Any injured, disabled, or infirm specimen is slain and eaten by these cannibalistic monsters. Even imperfect hatchlings are dealt with in this fashion. This strict law has developed a strong race, however, and any leader is subject to a challenge. Sahuagin never stop growing, although they grow very slowly, and death comes to most before the years allow growth to large size. Leaders are always the largest and strongest. It is reported that the nine sahuagin princes are each of the four-armed sort, as is the king. In any event, the loser of a challenge is always slain, either during combat or afterward. Sometimes the loser winds up as the main course at the victory feast.

Duels are fought without weapons, only fang and claw being permitted.
The sahuagin are chronicled because of their great evil, having time and again raided the land, desolating whole coasts, and destroying passing ships continually. The exact origin of the sahuagin is unknown. It is suggested that they were created from a nation of particularly evil humans by the most powerful lawful evil gods in order to preserve them when the great deluge came upon the earth. Some sages claim that they are degenerate humans who formerly dwelt on the seacoasts, whose evil and depravity was so great that they eventually devolved into fish-folk and sought the darkness of the ocean depths. The tritons however, are purported to have believe that sahuagin are distantly related to sea elves, claiming that the drow spawned the sahuagin.

Sahuagin range as far as 50 miles from their lairs. Most of their lairs are located 2d10+20 miles from coastal shores. Some of these creatures enjoy collecting pearls and coral formations, fashioning them into jewelry. This jewelry is worn as a status symbol. They are fond of wealth, which they use as a measure of influence, and for sacrifice to the deities that they worship in exchange for granted powers and other favors. Most of the treasure found in a sahuagin lair belonged to former victims. There is usually a high concentration of water-related items, such as magical boats, tridents, helms, potions, necklaces, etc. These were gained from adventurers who explored underwater too close to the sahuagin community.

These creatures want nothing less than full control of the sea coasts, collecting as much wealth and power as possible in the process while maintaining the secrecy of their lairs' locations. Those who attempt escape are obsessively hunted down, for fear that the former prisoners may reveal the location of the sahuagins' city.

Ecology: Sahuagin venture ashore on dark, moonless nights to raid and plunder human coastal towns. They hate even the evil ixitxachitl, and only sharks are befriended by them.

The feuds and outright warfare between the sahuagin and ixitxachitl have indirectly contributed to preventing the ascendancy of the spellcasting, manta ray-like race. Sahuagin are also fond of eating giant squid and kraken. Their hunting of these monsters of the deep has kept the squid and kraken numbers down to a safe level. Conversely, these beasts enjoy eating sahuagin, which prevents the sahuagin from overrunning coastal areas.
Of all the sea-dwelling races, tritons, sea elves, dolphins, and hippocampi are the most implacable enemies of the sahuagin. In fact, the few air-breathers that have escaped the sahuagin owe their freedom to such beings that bravely aided the captives.

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BOW before your Dread lord and ultimate tyrant lyachtu Xvim!

bow
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BOW TO HIM!

Fundamentally, Sahuagin (shark men) are deep water race (ocean)
.
Kuo-Toans (fish men) are more the underground lake sort of race, I think (that's where I keep meeting them anyhow)


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In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is pimp

[Bristowe]

Ah, so Sahuagin are shark-men and Kuo-Toa are fishmen is their diff eh? No wonder sahuagin look better (IMO)..

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Bristowe, Master Assassin