What They Don't Tell You About The Basilisk - D&D
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
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SOURCES
1st Edition Monster Manual
2nd Edition Monster Manual
3rd Edition Monster Manual
4th Edition Monster Manual
5th Edition Monster Manual
2nd Edition Forgotten Realms Elminster's Ecologies
Dragon Magazine #81 Ecology of the Basilisk
I remember one of my favorite quotes about a basilisk was from Magic the Gathering card flavor text: "Petrifying gaze, deadly fangs, knife-like dorsal spines, venomous saliva... Am I missing anything? Toxic bones…. really?"
MTG flavor text never ceases to entertain.
@@benjaminbrockway5998 unless you play magic
@@benjaminbrockway5998 The game bores me to death but when someone who lives with me is playing that silly card game with friends of theirs, I go through their cards to admire the artwork and read the cards... the only great things about the game in my opinion. Nice little story entries, D&D worthy, with great artwork. To me, the game is just another late 80s card game that keeps getting added to... a card game version of a pay-to-win online game.
My favorite flavor text is spread over four cards:
Four little goblins, trapped by the sea. One teased a serpent, and then there were three.
Three little goblins, enjoying their brew. One bumped an ogre, and then there were two.
Two little goblins, out in the sun. Down came a griffin, and then there was one.
One little goblin shook up the ground. When the dust cleared, no one was found.
@@That80sGuy1972 Would you say, and sorry for the comment to a seven month comment, that getting the card packs is worth the flavor text and art?
It could be great to have a basilisk slowly walk up to your party as they’re resting by a campfire. looking exhausted and just floping down by the fire, your party not making any sudden moves could come to the realization that it can’t see them as the beast is staring into another plane. Great way to scare a party.
Also can’t wait for a Hobgoblin video!!!
Interesting that they're considered "Medium" creatures, but nearly all art of Basilisks depict them as being closer to "Large" in size.
Basilisks as a Large creature makes more sense to me, at least.
If they're meant to be 300lb, that's fairly solidly medium (plenty of irl humans that size). Remember that horses weigh around double that, and they tend to be on the low end of large
@@dylanboczar999 For sure, I more just mean that the idea of a Basilisk being closer to horse-sized aligns more closely with how I imagine a Basilisk. I also would imagine that they would be fairly good climbers, but they don't have a climbing speed. I use a homebrewed statblock for the Basilisk that changes up a few of the things they can do, just to make them more than a Gaze and a Bite.
Post WotC entries to the former TSR game (AD&D) lost touch with a lot of the original game rules and realities. They are OG L to H but now they are whatever size the publishers say they are. Juvenile or younger ones, I can see them as M. They wouldn't be the typical adult stats though.
weird...
@@That80sGuy1972 thats true too, all player races are medium or small, nothing bigger... and most monsters arent large just for... i guess the same reason the players are: standard gameplay with size not being an issue.
Basilisk could also have poison damage due to it's saliva just like a Komodo dragon.
Komodo Dragons actually have Venom, it's not really the saliva
Make it a Komodo Basilisk 💖
@@VelociraptorsOfSkyrim Isn't it mostly bacterial, so contaminated saliva (did they have an anti coagulant too?).
@@TheArcSet Nope. They found actual Venom sacks in the head.
The only bacterial issues come from animals jumping into Contaminated water.
@@TheArcSet iirc it's venom secreted with their saliva, other reptiles like hognose snakes have similar (but pretty mild) venomous saliva and grooved rear fangs to channel the saliva
They also don't tell you that IF you do manage to tame a basilisk you can teach them to speak. Kind of like a parrot. However, for whatever reason, they can only learn curse words.
Is this true?! 😂
Source ?
@@maitrecorbeau_gm trust him bro
Ok so one of my BBEG is a beholder pirate, that uses tamed basilisks as guard dogs in the ship's hold...so yeah swearing pirate basilisks AHOY!
@@МолчаливыйКлинок Aye! Now Ye're compass is pintin true!
I wonder how often it happened that incredibly powerful people venture into the astral plane only to die because a 2 INT lizard decided to look their way, such an odd ability
What I liked (and will add to every basilisk encounters):
1) Petrification starts from the bloodstream (that`s so cool for flavour)
2) Eyelids (clever usage of animal inspiration)
3) BABY basilisks!
What I don`t feel to transfer into my games:
* Not losing consciousness when your brain is literally a marble. That just doesn`t make any sense.
That’s probably an oversight from older edition source books. 5th edition specifies that you are unaware of your surroundings while petrified.
The older editions suggest the consciousness may have something to do with one's soul, since that doesn't get petrified, but then you have to wonder what's the point of the brain if all the thinky bits are somewhere else.
@@General12th And even if consciousness is in the soul, why would it need air? Ghosts don't need to breathe.
I first thought only the skin would be petrified, and that explained why you'd be conscious for a while when petrified. But all the depictions points to fully stone petrified people
Funny thing with the petrification rules is this:
"The creature is incapacitated, can't move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings."
Note.. it does say "unaware" yes.. but it does NOT say "unconscious"...
This is important, because in 5e, Unconscious IS a keyword, so "unaware" does NOT mean unconscious.
You are hence, not unconscious, you are just unaware of your surroundings, and incapacitated (which also does NOT make you unconscious.
Now why is this a funny thing?
Because imagine this... a Paladin sect/cult order where their most devoted protectors are willingly participating in a ritual where they activate their Auras.... and they get willingly petrified, acting as petrified, infinite statue guardians over some place.
Because... look at this:
"Starting at 6th level, whenever you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus."
You must be conscious, which you ARE when petrified. And that's the only restriction, plus the range ofc, but you don't have to be aware, see, feel, or anything, just be conscious.
So if you are within range of this petrified statue, it can grant you it's aura effect, because it is conscious.
That's a pretty cool protection system. x) Now combine that with aura of protection and aura or courage, and they are safer from Frightened as well. :P
The whole "low metabolism" thing really lines up well with real life reptiles like crocodiles and snakes. And just from that initial information it just seems like a normal reptile with magical petrification. Which if you can eat rocks works out very well with a "sit and wait" predatory style.
Edit: Yeah the monster manual literally just made them reptiles with a bit of petrifying magic.
Basilisks were originally written as able to eat and digest their petrified prey. It was later editions that made it a thing only their young can do. It was also later writings that made them de-petrify their consumed petrified flesh in their belly. They used to be able to just digest petrified flesh as we would cooked meat and that was part of what made their literal everything toxic. Back in the day, they petrify anything that moves so they can hoard food for later. But when WotC purchased AD&D from TSR, a company that was more suited for children's books, they at first gave the finger to the entire systems to make their own, and only recently they are reeling things back into weed out the chaos they have sewn in... but they still haven't figured out below 1st level spells, the cantrips, and how they should not really be effective in gameplay by making some of their cantrips better than some 1st and 2nd level spells.
The snowball that caused the modern sh^tstorm gameplay began in late 2nd Ed, when WotC had it, with the spell Chromatic Orb, a 1st level spell that could do above and beyond the ability and scope of any 1st level spell based upon caster level. I believe Gary Gygax died of grief, God rest his soul. The child he and his friends gave up for adoption for pay really got abused in every way by their adoptive parents to an almost Disney level adaptation. If Wizards of the Coast is a Disney branch, that would not at all shock me... things they do would make sense then.
@@That80sGuy1972 So... funny stoner lizards am I right?
@@МолчаливыйКлинок Not really, but if you are shooting for comical wordplay to be technically correct, you are totally right. ;)
Thanks for the giggle, my friend.
What luck! I am throwing my party at one of this tonite! Time to check my notes and flesh out the best now. U, as always, put out a vid at the perfect time!
I'm not sure if he and all the other creators just scry on all of our sessions or if the "community" just seems to be on the same wavelength, but I've noticed this too. Usually day of or a day after we have something at our table someone puts out a video on it. Sometimes a few days before, but that's only happened once or twice. But this kind of coincidence happens to us once or twice a month.
Baby Beastiary makes some statements that I think are fantastic about these creatures. They don't just make stone, they make their targets into minerals... The minerals they turn their targets into are their primary food source, they live in caverns and locations that are rich in those minerals.
Feldspar, Quartz, Garnet, Mica, Calcite... etc.,
Now, this creates an interesting thing with Basilisks.. Since there are rare and valuable minerals, there would be those that would want to capture basilisks and/or find their eggs to raise their own basilisk. Potentially giving them a valuable source of gemstones or other minerals. (Rubies, Diamonds, Gold...)
An interesting plot hook...
A faction of the Merchants Guild has hired the characters to investigate a local temple. This temple seems to be making a vast fortune by selling the use of raise dead and resurrection both on location and via scrolls. The Merchants guild has no records of any gem vendors, suppliers or mining companies selling enough diamonds for the gems that are being used for these scrolls and services... They want your players to find out what their source is...
Now here's an interesting question I had one of my players use a ring of X-ray against a basilisk I let it slide but should I have
Perhaps the 5e basilisk simply evolved to retain the ability to digest petrified meat into adulthood, in the same way humans in real life evolved lactose tolerance. It makes perfect sense, considering how massive of a survival advantage that would be.
on the other hand, the reason that basilisks lose their ability might precisely be because those that can still eat petrified meat end up eating it all to the point of death, or straight up eating what would be their spawn's food, not being able to eat petriefied meat is an advantage to perpetuate the species this way
@@TheVictor126 Alternately it is to biologically costly in the longer run for most basilisks.
Damn mutations being beneficial to the monsters and not the adventurers!
@@TheVictor126 yo. This reminds me of why cats bury their poop.
It could be a mutation similar to the axolotl, which boasts its famous ability to regenerate because of neoteny.
The basilisk is one of D&D’s most underrated monsters
Now, 1 thing that is a bit contradictory, if one could expain that again.
First you said that even a blind person could still be petrified if they had eyes, later you say the range of that effect has to do with how well the target can see, but blind people have a range of sight of 0, soo, what's up with that?
I think the idea is mostly you have to be able to see the radiation coming from the eyes of the basilisk. If you can see light you can see the radiation.
Their is actually two type of blindness when you still have your eyes, depending of which area of the brain is touch. For some blind people, depise the fact that they cannot see, their eyes still percive the exterior and they can even have reflexe (ie : if they see a pole they can subconsiouly react to it) even if they cannot "see it". Maybe this why ?
@@Alex-gl8li yeah ocular blindness is different from like, brain blindness
If the eye functions but the optical nerve or brain can’t use the information the basilisk can petrify you if your eye happens to point at their’s
i always assumed the poison damage of the basilisk was closer to like a gila monster or that they might have a septic bite
I thought the same. But argued against it because I would rule that to be necrotic damage.
@@Bear551590 Also, while the foulest bite is certain to cause some nasty infections, it's not going to cause damage _immediately_ like venom would.
So with a bit of Necromancy, and magic mouth, you could make a trap that speaks to adventurers from down the hallway and if you look, you save vs DC every round you keep looking at the voice down the hall.
Seeing the explanation of the poison bite was interesting but I wonder whether it might also take some inspiration from the real life Komodo dragon, which has a bite that is venomous. I link it mainly due to the similar characteristics both creatures have.
Their poison breath and damage appear to be features very similar to that of a real-life comodo dragon. The one we have IRL gets it due to habit of eating spoiled and rotten meat, so I guess it woundn't be far-fetched to assume that a basilisk might have a similar diet. Ingesting bad meat makes their maws and teeth breeding ground for various deseases and the the breath becomes absolutely rancid, so it isn't as unbelieveable as it might look at first.
Wait, so a spellcaster capable of casting Greater Restoration and can somehow metamagic it to require no components, or have an at-will object that would allow them to cast it, could essentially un-petrify themselves after being completely petrified?
The why of the poison bite damage, I like to think in-universe that it's a hold-over from part of the Basalisk's digestive process that used to let it eat petrified victims as a baby. As it gets older, the secretions just change to be more suitable to damaging flesh. Though saying it, that makes it sound more like an acid than a poison.
Greater Restoration has V, S, M requirements, so you'd need to metamagic away both the components AND the somatic AND the verbal components for it to work.
But if you can do away with all those 3 components, then... yeah... I guess you could do that. :o
don't quote me on the "yeah I guess" thou, i'm not entirely sure, but... I think so...
IIF you get all VSM away that is.
Pertification causes the person to be incapacitated. Thus no actions or reactions; therefore no spell casting.
@@andrewholland2763 not correct. The auras doesn't cost an action to use. As long as the aura is active, the effect applies.
You may note how the other actual actions that Paladins have include the specific wording "you may use an action to..."
The auras doesn't say that.
And that makes sense. If it required an action it wouldn't be an aura to begin with, it would be a targeted buff, where the paladin would need to spend am action everytime a friendly entered the range, which means that in a party of pala+4 it would cost 4 actions just to grant the effect to their party members.
So no.
The effect once on, is granted without spending an action. Here is the text directly from the rules. :)
"Aura of Protection
Starting at 6th Level, whenever you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Aura of Courage
Starting at 10th level, you and friendly Creatures within 10 feet of you can't be Frightened while you are conscious.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet."
@@andrewholland2763 edit: i misread your comment. Ypu weren't even talking aboit the auras. That was another comment thread. My bad. You may ignore my above ramblings. :P
@@andrewholland2763 If you're still conscious as Rhexx describes for the moments before you run out of breathable air and pass out, then you're not truly incapacitated. This would mean you could still take any at-will action that doesn't require verbal or somatic component to activate.
That largely would rule out any kind of greater restoration from basic spellcasting, even with meta-magic, but probably still allow for some other clutch or heroic acts. Spending your last breath to activate an at-will class power or perhaps artifact to benefit an ally, it would just be a very fun combat or role play scenario at the very least.
Now with that abilities you mentioned with the lenses on their eyes, if I were to kill a basalik can harvest these lenses, would I be able to craft up glasses or a monocle like item that when viewed though would see into the Astral Plane? Or do these lenses loose their potency upon death. Considering the eye itself still retains its petrifying ability, I’d hope the lenses would still work, because a Astral Lens sounds like a fun item for players to mess around with.
Just letting you know that I've ran two short campaigns based sololy on these videos. One was on Undead and the other on Ithillids. And I still have one more on a dead god becoming a roaming "Weapon" (like in FF7). Having this much info on stuff makes it so easy to homebrew interesting campaigns.
Thanks for this.
I remember the Basilisks in Tamora Pierce's books, who looked very like this, but were intelligent, could petrify any material with their gaze and could unerringly track any object that had been stolen. A demi-immortals who can be hired to stalk thieves for years.
Yes! I love a day with a new Rhexx video
Great video! Now that you've done the Basilisk you've GOTTA do the Cockatrice given the connection between the two!
Definitely gonna make a bounty hunter that rides a basilisk. They'll put blinders over its eyes so that the rider must build trust with the creature, then when the target is found, they remove the blinders. Drop a bit of the basilisks antidote on the petrified targets mouth and nose, and the bounty hunter can bring them in alive.
Because it scares my party and is funny to me I sometimes add the modern basilisks ability run across water, multiple wet slapping feet sound always gets my approval
YES!
Happy weekend in advance as well!
Another great video another request for dwarves and magic runes please.
I wonder what is the most used D and d boss monster.
You know this got me an idea of a monk that got petrified and through meditation and a lucky amulet of breathing kept himself alive and was mistaken for a statue until an adventuring party attempt to get the item unpetrifying him only to discover he is still alive.
@khandwa style yeah, definitely it is a great idea indeed but removes a reason for the party to unpetrify him
Hey would it be possible to have basilisk eyes and eyelids transplanted onto my character?
Hope you're all doing great today, tonight
Ngl, it'd be cool if you made play lists based round themes. Like a Fey Playlist, a dragon Playlist, a deity Playlist, etc.
Just food for thought; but keep up the good work! This is cool stuff
Man, it's fucking weird that this is the monster being covered. The word basilisk has shown up like 4 times today in very different contexts.
Hehe, maybe D&D 5e's Basilisks were influenced for their poisonous bite from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where that movie's Basilisk had a venomous bite, but it's gaze could cause death when directly viewed, or person would be turned to stone if not looking directly at the Basilisk's gaze, such as looking through a mirror.
Remember a player still gets a saving throw from the Basilisk's gaze.
I found this very informative. I definitely didn't know somethings about this creature, especially when it came to its eye sight. Thank you.
Love to see something on moonstone dragons. Of course they only in one dnd monster book. Their my favorite dragon. 😍
the whole breathing thing while being petrified is broken and makes the basilisk way overpowered if played so
I just wanna tell you how happy I am each time you post a video. Keep at it man, love em!
So the nictating membranes of a basilisk could be used to craft spectacles that would shield you from the gaze of a basilisk?
I miss the older designs of Basilisk
As the Dracolisk (or Half-Dragon Basilisk) is somewhat more intelligent than the base Basilisk, it would probably be a better guardian beast than the regular version. And depending on what species the draconic half is, it could also have a useful breathweapon.
How about what they don't tell you about going Beyond 20th level
EXACTLY!
Yaaay thanks, I love these random creature informations, they really help us DMs
imma just have to take the membranes to make some glasses to see into the astral plane
Basilisk lizard has a crown and 2 balls with a goatee as a chin 😂 We need a MrRhexx audiobook he has the greatest voice
I created some homebrew around the basilisk, where their petrafication is just a fast acting magically afflicted Stone Man Syndrome, so they turn their targets into solid bone, with their blood transformed into marrow, which is their favorite food. I also adjusted the bite damage to 3d6+str, no poison damage. They also eat just about anything the adventurers have on them, partially to add some variety to their diet, supplement the stuff they need, partially because they have an IQ that orbits somewhere in brick wall territory. As their teeth, and pallets are very nearly hard as concrete, they suffer no damage when they use their jaws as can openers, or sword benders, ect. and their poop frequently comes out as large blobs of rusted metal, or massive chunks of calcium.
Basilisk young do get petrafication gaze right away, though adults despite general stupidity know not to look their kids in the eye, and they do protect their children. Basilisk eye ball fluid is a reagent in petrafication cures, however living basilisks can refine it through the complicated act of crying, which allows them to cure their children when they petrify eachother
Hmm
So, a character with proficiency in Perception could have disadvantage on the saving throw against the petrification. If they don't avert their eyes, of course...
Maybe not proficiency, but if they had an adv on seeing it, disadv on the save might make sense.
Thanks for the note about black dragons.
The time has come to scheme.
Welp, time to make a Dracolisk! Surely my players will love it
... Basilich.
7:36 The feeding regularity is obviously modeled on the Komodo Dragon but if it has SUCH a slow metabolism that it can't even catch up with any form of prey item that would mean it's metabolism is far slower and therefore would be able to go for far longer than a month between feeding.
when it takes 38 weeks to be able to make a clone become a lich or summon meteors...
Lactose, the Intolerant…such a great name 😂
At around 16:15, doesn't that contradict the whole "needing a bloodstream" for the radiation from the eyes to permeate the circulatory system?
How could it see intoo astral? It does not overlap with material like etheral does. Thanks for vid btw
Yeah, I watched the medusa video before this, and they can do that too. And I'm still a bit confused.
So basilisks have Benjamin Franklin vision
Good to see another Mr Rhexx video, really makes my day :)
You know, in my first full campaign, I fought a basilisk.
On my second session.
*I was level 3*
I later went on to fight things such as a siege demon, for example
Hearing the description I was like your sponsored by describe right? Imagine my shock to find its Ghostfire games instead
Most times I dig the previous versions of a monster, but the flare of a monster that can eat stone and petrify is awesome. That said, Ed Greenwood’s concept of radiation just has me rolling my eyes under both protective lenses.
In the last year I went from not being sure about your videos to being a big fan that looks forward to the next video. When I ran out of videos I went back, I've watched every one of your "What they dont tell you about" videos and I hope you never stop
The petrifying through magical sight is a bit odd since it uses radiation and takes a circulatory system to cause the effect. Why would magical sight be doing anything besides transferring standard visible light and a spell doesn't exactly have a circulatory system connected to the person using it. I would also say the same about the other persons sight, if the radiation doesn't have a half-life distance and for some reason works similar to other radiation (not magical) then it could potentially effect people who aren't even looking at the Basilisk because radiation if not absorbed or decayed could potentially travel great distances and bounce off objects that don't absorb it. This also would have to ask the even more technical question of how much of the radiation does it take to work, most radiation effects in real life take varying levels to do anything.
As to in game other mechanics could you make a pair of "polarized" glasses/goggles to wear around them to deflect the specific wavelengths of radiation from your eyes, and maybe have a mirror coating on them as well?
Dude. It's _magic_ literally anything goes. By its very nature, magic has no obligation to follow our Laws of Physics.
You might as well start questioning why a dragon can breathe fire without any special chemicals or have an explosion of flame around It's feet when it takes a step.
@@VelociraptorsOfSkyrim Being magic doesn't mean it can't have logical reasons in the lore. The best developed magical/sci-fi stories have set reasons in their universe, d&d is no different as it has reasons for much of the magic in universe if you bother to look into it instead of acting like a child simply believing everything you are told including magical nonsense.
@@JohnA... Firstly, no need for name calling. That, in of itself, shows that you don't really care about the reason and logic behind it. You were just looking for a fight.
Second, if you actually cared about the Lore, you'd already know that a reason already exists.
Magic in D&D is is controlled by this thing called "The Weave", the closest approximation I can think of is manipulation of Quantum Fields.
Thirdly, the phrase "It's Magic, I don't have to explain shit" is more than enough. This is a reality where Gods exist, Biologically impossible Dragons exist, and that the child of two humans can randomly be a Dragonborn, Teifling, or Assamar as long as one had some sort of interaction with a Dragon, Fiend, or Celestial respectively. There is literally no logic to be had in most cases.
So a Medusa and a basilisk gaze at each other who wins?
The town nearby.
Mr Rehx. I've waited patiently now I must comment. There have been quite a few videos mentioning them, and during the time you did the fey creatures you were gonna do a video on them. Then I thought maybe when you talked about the 7 Mt of heaven. But no. So now I ask WHERE IS THE "WHAT THEY DONT TELL YOU ABOUT THE ELADRIN" VIDEO!!!! please. I'm begging you.
For food the group I usually play with has given them the ability to turn off the stone effect on creatures they've petrified. If they fail the saving throw they are dead, and will eventually completely turn to stone. If they are hunting for food, or only facing one enemy, they'll stop when it's dead. Bob the Ranger is just is dead when his head and arms are stone. The basilisk will then dine on extra chunky Bob. They can and should eat some stone to aid in digestion, much like chickens.
Hey! Sorry if you already know, but I wanted to mention that there's another D&D MMO, called Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO). When you mentioned a Dungeons and Dragons MMO, I thought to myself, "Could it be...?" Alas, you were talking about Neverwinter ;)
Though not as full as it once was, the servers are still active-mostly with dedicated players who have been playing it for many years. Originally, it was only set in Eberron since the license was cheaper. However, since its beginning they have released expansions which include content set in Barovia, the Forgotten Realms, and the Feywild. It's loosely based on D&D 3.5ed, but of course is significantly different.
They still release updates and expansions, and are still actively improving the game through changes to the mechanics to keep the community lively. To be honest, I play it off and on, but I think it's a game that deserves more recognition. It has a really great community, which isn't perfect, but is full of so many people willing to help and guide others. Also, the current development team continue to do right by the game, adding meaningful content and updates to mechanics.
It may not tie directly to the content on your channel, but since you accumulate knowledge on the lore of D&D, I would feel very happy if you at least knew about its existence!
As a final (though admittedly long) note, perhaps the main differentiating mechanic of DDO is its reincarnation systems. There are several at this point, but basically when you reach the maximum level, you can reincarnate back to level 0. This bestows upon you a small bonus. This lends to the replay-ability of quests, and is a significant factor in the games longevity. The main game loop consists of leveling up and building your character, so that you can reincarnate a little stronger, and with a little more gear. The other compelling thing about DDO is that since it's based off of 3.5-and with all the things they've added on top-you can build your character for very specific niches. Maybe a certain weapon build, single target or AOE, taking advantage of a specific feat, etc. There's a lot of variety, and its a game such that there aren't really builds that everyone plays. There are popular choices, but everyone has their preferences, and you will quite often come across powerful characters that are taking advantage of specific niches you've never heard before. Basically, it allows the freedom so you can play the way you want to play.
Anyways, I'm not expecting to convince anyone to play it. All I want is for it to be known about ;-;
Ed Greenwoods feeble attempts to justify absurd fantastical stuff with IRL science never stops being funny. A more fantastical and appropriate justification would involve humourism, the elemental planes, and some well-constructed pseudo-scientific alchemy that's just as much religion as science.
But no, to Ed Greenwood and forgotten realms fans, fucking IRL chemistry is just as alien and inscrutable as a medieval necromancer's manual.
As a Jew, the antisemitic allusion is surprising. (Especially since the basilisks don't even have noses or any gold association.) I just started playing a Kender rogue who doesn't actually steal much but, when he does, may employ the "just because I'm a Kender, I must be the the theif, you racist" defense. I might have to allude to this now.
I know this is an older video so I'm not sure how fast you'll see this but I would LOVE if you could do a video about what they don't tell you about the "Swavain Basilisk" and other monsters from other books outside the Monster Manual, such as Explorer's Guide to Wildemount and other modules.
I think I'm going to make them immune to petrification. Especially since they have substances in their stomach that undoes petrification. Perhaps they can stun each other for a round. I like the idea of them snacking on things they have petrified even as adults.
I love how you think it'd only take a few hours to go insane as a living statue. Yeah, insanity is inevitable in a 'I hsve no mouth and must scream' scenario. But I think the most terrifying aspect of it is just how LONG before you lose sanity. Losing your mind would be a mercy, and it wouldn't come quickly. The more willful you were, the worse a fate it would be.
A couple hours as a statue and you lose your mind, thats barely a bad day. How desperate and hopeless would you be after a year? What about a decade, fully aware there will be another decade, and another and another and another.
Basilisks don’t get nutrition directly from it’s petrified victims. But it is a vital part of it’s dietary cycle. They aren’t equipped to chew their food, so they eat petrified animals to use as gizzard stones; the same way chickens do. Rough, unevenly shaped stones in the gullet serve to grind up the food as it digests. A basilisk could easily be venomous, just as some lizards (gila monsters, Komodo dragons) are venomous. The poison produced isn’t as potent as that from most snakes but can be even worse since they tend to cause necrosis instead of being a neurotoxin. It causes spreading rot of tissues instead of paralyzing muscles or respiratory system. You might not die from a basilisk’s poison but, left untreated, you could easily lose limbs.
If the Basilisk eats raw meat, then the poison could be a result of a septic bite (like the komodo dragon). However, I am probably giving the WOTC writers too much credit here.
Today I learned that there is an almost complete overlap between the description and properties of the basilisk with the earliest descriptions of dragons as an archetype of monsters in Greek mythology starting with giant snakes who breathe poison, and with the literal translation of the PIE root for the word "Dragon." That is, Derk, which means "the one with the glance," usually implying a harmful or deadly gaze.
tl;dr: there's evidence that the basilisk myth is probably older than we give it credit for.
One thing Id like to point out about the basilisk being able to eat stone- Even if it could, and petrified objects were unable to spoil, there still is some engery cost to using the petrifying gaze ability- maybe that cost is high enough that it isnt worth the time to freeze EVERYTHING, especially if it requires the basilisk to both remeber where it is, and to travel back to it, which to the lazy basilisk, that extra legwork isnt worth just waiting until you come across the next meal.
The thing I find most interesting is its metabolism. It is crystal clear that these are ectothermic. Cold-blooded in other words. Their size makes them similar to crocodilians but for some reason, they don't seem to do what crocodiles do - become freshwater predators, allowing them to easily ambush prey coming to a river for a drink. I suppose their intelligence score of 2 is supposed to reflect that they are too stupid to ambush their food? As for the poison, if I were going to use these guys I'd treat it like a Komodo dragon's venomous bite. So biologically, a Basilisk is somewhere between a Komodo and a crocodile - perhaps that is why they have 8 feet? I could see a mage coming along and just fusing two different animals together. There seems to be just enough design t see that they were created artificially but never optimized.
Would sun glasses/ anti-UV lenses protect from the basalisk? For instance, any special lenses/goggles used by artificers? or welders if in a more modern setting? (if the welders is a yes, which grade would be necessary, the slightly stronger than sunglasses of the oxy cutter lenses, or a full on lense?
Also, if the basilisks emit radiation, could somebody make a detection system with trained basilisks, like invisible watch towers?
Thanks!
SCP682
A very good video. But just to be educational in the myths Basilisk's are not snakes. They were more commonly described as a fusion between rooster and reptile, usually with the body of the former and then wings and tail of a dragon (They were not that big either) and were said to hatch out of the egg of a rooster that was incubated by a frog. They were also consider incredibly poisonous, and capable of turning their victims in to stone with their eyes. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt also has Basilisks and while they appear to be larger than those of the legends, their overall look resembles more the stories told about them in European Folklore
Black dragon getting freaky with a basilisk, looks longingly into her eyes, turns to stone.
Sighing, the basilisk says," Not again. This always happens before they are finished."
Hey now, if im not too far off said big and scale covered had a language(like all Critters) and so could prob be checked like one would for say handling a Griffon or Hypocampous . Bet if ya brought it food while sporting welding googles youd be less likely to end up on the menu( i mean like a whole cow or Bison)
Out of every monster in the 5-10 lvl range, I hate this thing the most. Only Illythids and Drow even come close.
Blinding them is the only real way to combat them effectively but carry a healthy number of stone-to-flesh scrolls on every character. If you still have a character
Extremely lazy, only babies can digest the food they're famous for consuming, awesome eyes with special senses...are we talking about basilisks or cats??
I kinda like basilisks being able to feed on petrified creatures. Bear in mind that human sight is uniquely good among mammals, most rely on smell and hearing. So mammalian prey could potentially escape the basilisk because it could hear or smell it coming. Looking other creatures straight in the eyes is also a human trait, many other animals avoid it (gorillas famously see it as an insult). It also means that a lucky basilisk could petrify prey larger than itself, and why would a basilisk go around petrifying other creatures if by chance it manages to petrify a dire boar or a roc?
How big is a basilisk's eye? Also, does the magic within the eye persist after death? Also, do you know a good surgeon? Asking for a friend...
Surprisingly I think the Tanystrophwus is what, if we take in consideration the mythical depictions of how Basilisk should look like and the modern depictions of how basilisk should look like, an actual Basilisk should look like.
It has the form of a snake but also that of a lizzard making it true to both popular depictions of Basilisk in media.
Here's one thing you didn't know: That basilisks can be easily killed by making things reflective with Prestidigitation.
Radio waves would be infravision, they are longer wavelengths than visible light...on the opposite side of the spectrum as gamma, and x-ray radiation
Even though not canon for the setting for Basilisks. I liked the idea that the acid/juices inside their stomach could change back petrified flash while they had their young inside them as protection allowing them to feed on the meals their parent's petrified an ate that way. Now making it that the juices work slowly over time would make sense why they do not just petrify everything and eat it, since petrified flesh weighs so much more an fills them up.
As a Jew I can confirm that we do breathe poisonous gas.
just in case someone takes this the wrong way... this is absolutely 100% a joke.
Petrification in d&d 5e kind of sucks the condition itself is absolutely debilitating any future or spell that can induce the effect either takes a relatively long time or can be avoided relatively easily. So as the DM in my group whenever I use a monster or spell that uses that effect I make it a save or suck spell/ affect.
😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨
If you go by the older lore about the basilisk giving off radiation from its eyes in order to petrify foes, then wouldn't immunity to radiant damage make you immune to the basilisk's gaze as well?
Just something to ponder on.
To be fair...You could probably make a pair of Contacts out of Basilisk Lens' and then raise a baby in that manner with no threat of being Petrified
I mean you can train alligators to be mostly docile with enough food, and they're dumb as rocks. Not recommended but possible, so a basilisk being trained to guard isn't beyond belief.
Well, since your not pumping blood or doing matobolic stuff, your energy and need for air would drastically decrease. you would probably need the air intake of an insect of your size at worse, but probably less since your not alive any more.
I wonder how Warforged would handle petrification. I don't think they'd go insane since they don't sleep anyways.
The Basilisk's Binge/Feast
Sounds good for a tavern name as any lol.
Just be sure you've got dental.
Since the adults cant eat petrifyed flesh, plus that they are so sluggish, the poison makes a lot of sence in my opinion.
A bit like a komodo dragon.
They might lay around till the prey comes to them. Then they bite, and even if the prey gets away after the first bite, the poison makes tracking and getting it easyer.
I’m sorry what, dracolisk you say and basilisks are found in swampy like terrains. Oh my players are in for one hell of a final boss in their swamp and bog adventure.
Warforged Aberrant Mind Sorcerer sees Basilisk: Oh no. Anyway...
I don't really like D&D Basilisk I prefer them to be the dumb Rooster or the worm/Snake/Dragon
Multi-lim black dragon that can turn you into stone(and not in a fun way)....old dnd was complicated to play but boy was it full of
🌈imagination. 🌈